From barns to midways: Thousands turn out for 209th Three County Fair

Northampton affordable housing gets $12.2M boost for Meadowbrook rehab, new building downtown

FLORENCE — The city is set to receive $12.2 million in state and federal financing to support two housing projects — $5.35 million for a new 30-unit development at 27 Crafts Ave. behind City Hall and more than $6.85 million to rehabilitate 120 units at Meadowbrook Apartments off Bridge Road. Housing and Livable Communities Secretary […]

Deerfield officials dive into potential impacts ahead of Oct. 6 vote on new Franklin Tech building

Franklin Tech officials and town leaders met with Deerfield residents to discuss the financial implications and necessity of a proposed $236.6 million new school building ahead of the Oct. 6 vote.

Smith College remembers Gloria Steinem, the alumna who called campus her 'enormous refuge'

For Gloria Steinem, a renowned feminist activist, organizer, reporter and author, Smith College wasn’t just a school — it was “an enormous refuge.” “It was the first time that I felt free,” she said in a 2007 oral history. Steinem’s alma mater gave her mental and physical distance from childhood years spent taking care of […]

Hadley Planning Board skeptical of Historical Commission pitch for demo delay bylaw

HADLEY — Once standing at the southwestern corner of Route 9 and East Street, an 1830 farmhouse and barn were torn down two years ago to make way for a new dentist office, despite appeals from the Historical Commission that the buildings be saved. With the future of both the former Russell School building and […]

Columnist Martin Medina-Elizalde: When preparation crowds out childhood

As educators and parents, we want children to learn, be challenged, and develop the abilities they will need as adults. But there is a question we may not ask enough: At what point does preparing children for the future begin to interfere with their development in the present? Much of modern education is organized around […]