Around Amherst: Towns celebrates Halloween with spooktacular events

Pedaling together: Happy Valley biking group provides space for queer riders

It was a sunny Friday morning when the group rounded the corner onto Main Street on their bikes. There were about a dozen of them, and they were ready for coffee and pastries after a ride along the Manhan Rail Trail. They were part of Happy Valley Coffee Ride (HVCR), a queer-centered biking group that […]

18-year-old arrested for assaulting two women on Hadley rail trail

HADLEY — An 18-year-old man from Holbrook was charged with assault and battery after he allegedly attacked two women on the Norwottuck Rail Trail last week. He told police he was having a “bad trip” on psychedelic mushrooms. Elijah Moleon was charged with two counts of assault and battery and one count of disorderly conduct […]

Hundreds of UMass staff, faculty rally for higher pay, other benefits

AMHERST — Caroline Coley and Adam Feldman work in offices next to each other in the chemistry department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Aside from a shared job — managing the financial records, overseeing budgets for 200 grants annually and overseeing the acquisition of million-dollar equipment — they have something else in common: They […]

Guest columnist Rachel Tapley: Smith College: Don't close Fort Hill childcare center

Smith College has announced the planned closure of its Center for Early Childhood Education at Fort Hill in June 2027. Per the college’s letter, the reason for the closure is not financial, and they intend to provide “flexible childcare benefits” to employees that can be used at other childcare providers. This is cold comfort to […]

A Look Back, Oct. 23

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