Arts Briefs: Representational and abstract works in Northampton, immersive forest art exhibit in Amherst, and more

Hadley special TM: 25 articles cover sewer, water, roads, vehicles and more

HADLEY — Voters at a special Town Meeting on Thursday will consider infrastructure improvements, building repairs, and new and refurbished vehicles for the police, fire and public works departments. The session for the 25-article warrant starts at the Hopkins Academy cafetorium at 7 p.m. The most expensive item on the warrant is $750,000 in borrowing […]

Area Briefs: NEF Spelling Bee set for Wednesday night

NEF Spelling Bee se for Wednesday night NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Education Foundation (NEF) will hold the 24th Annual Adult Spelling Bee Wednesday at BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity, 130 Pine St. in Florence. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the bee begins at 6 p.m. This family-friendly event is free, but due to capacity regulations, attendees must register in advance at https://bombyx.live/events/the-northampton-education-foundation-adult-spelling-bee-3/. Walk-up entry will be available if capacity hasn’t been reached. Each year, the Spelling Bee raises about $14,000 to support NEF’s Small Grants to Educators program. These grants fund the development of creative and innovative teaching and […]

A Look Back, Oct. 19

50 Years Ago 25 Years Ago 10 Years Ago Correction, September 24, 2026 6:44 pm: Public comment was not taken at Wednesday's Picture Main Street presentation. Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that no one spoke in opposition.

Columnist Sara Weinberger: Don't take sacred right for granted

Just like fall foliage, cider doughnuts, and sweater weather, the atmosphere is buzzing with this year’s midterm elections. Midterms can be as lackluster as dried-up leaves waiting to be raked away. The driving force that breathes life into the midterms, creating fodder for pollsters and pundits, is the name that does not appear on the ballot. […]

Question 7: Voters to decide whether to allow homes on smaller lots statewide

AMHERST — Should single-family houses be allowed statewide on land roughly the size of an NBA basketball court? Voters will take on that question in the Nov. 3 election. Ballot Question 7 proposes to allow construction of single-family homes in residentially zoned areas totaling at least 5,000 square feet of land, given that there is […]