Bobby C's DJ Service to mark four decades in business with celebration in Gill

Buckland Selectboard considers forum ahead of Franklin Tech building vote

Finance Committee member Larry Langford presented four potential financial outcomes regarding the proposed Franklin County Technical School building project during a recent Buckland Selectboard meeting ahead of the Oct. 6 vote.

My Turn: The economic reality of net-zero ambition

Concerning Keith Hastie’s July 23 column, “Our path to a better energy future,” I agree that if we need to build more solar panels in Massachusetts, then some should be sited in forests. I also agree that the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan is ambitious, but I would not describe it as magnificent. I […]

A spark of inspiration: Valley artist is building a 30-foot fire-breathing gnome for the Burning Man festival

Over the next few weeks, stacks of timber currently sitting in a garage in Buckland will become a larger-than-life fire-breathing gnome — and community members have the opportunity to help build it. Northampton artist Ezra Livingston is creating “Fire Gnome,” an installation for the Burning Man festival, which will take place this year from Sunday, […]

'This is my way of giving back': Easthampton breast cancer survivor knits comfort and dignity for fellow fighters

About two years ago, Marthe Young was shopping online. Instead of filling her cart with the typical clothes, toiletries and household staples, the Easthampton resident was searching for a prosthetic. Young was recovering from a mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis that had hit as a “total surprise.” “When I went back to work, I was really self-conscious,” Young, 70, said. “If somebody you work with knows you had a mastectomy, they’re going to be looking at your chest.” While her daughter jokingly told her, “Ma, you’re 70 years old, just put a sock in it,” Young wanted something better than […]

Faith Matters: Bringing religion down to Earth

What does it mean for religion to be lived out in our daily lives? To have our religious beliefs, ethics and practices inform our actions and interactions, day in, day out? Too often, I think, religion can be seen as lofty, abstract or aspirational — a set of beliefs or tenets or creeds with a […]