Seizing the day before it starts: Meet the 18-year-old GCC student who is the youngest branch manager of Student Painters

Question 8 marijuana repeal: Risky rollback or protection for teens?

Bay State voters legalized recreational cannabis a decade ago, opening the door for a $10 billion marijuana industry to grow in Massachusetts. That industry could crumble if Question 8 passes on Election Day. A “yes” vote on Question 8 supports repealing the laws that legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana sales, ending those sales and […]

Columnist Bill Newman: 'Yes' on Question 4

What an opportunity! On this election day, we in Massachusetts can help secure a victory for democracy.   A democracy is a system where, at least in theory, the people, not autocrats and oligarchs, are the pillars of government. Undergirding democracy is the right to vote, which, as Thomas Paine wrote in 1795, “is the primary […]

Amherst school discipline data show racial disparities persist

AMHERST — Black and Hispanic students at the Amherst Regional regional schools continue to be disciplined at higher rates than their white and Asian peers, according to statistics recently presented by Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman to the Amherst Regional School Committee. “Our students of color, there is a disparity in terms of the ratios, not just in behavior, but also in academics,” Herman told the committee at its Oct. 20 meeting. Data from the 2025-26 school year show that Black students at the middle and high schools received referrals at more than 2½ times their share of the student population, and […]

Speaking of Nature: A fond farewell: The last song sparrow of the season

After decades of slow, steady effort I feel as though I am finally starting to get a handle on the rhythms of the natural world. I know when to start looking for certain flowers in the spring and summer, I know when to expect the arrival of certain birds as the weather warms, and I […]

Investing in ‘valley security’: Drive launches to back farms, small businesses

The Franklin County Community Development Corporation launched its "Put Your Money Where Your Fork Is" investor drive in an effort to expand the Pioneer Valley Grows Investment Fund to $5 million to support local farms and food businesses facing rising costs.