UMass staff, faculty rally for higher pay

Hardly a no-brainer: Champions clinch Northampton spelling bee title with brain-busting word

NORTHAMPTON — The “Ward Three Bees” took home jars of honey and $10 gift cards to the restaurant Bueno y Sano after correctly spelling “rhombencephalon” at the 24th Northampton Education Foundation Adult Spelling Bee Wednesday night. The Ward Three Bees team, which comprised James Pentland, Ellie Cook and Kim Goggins, competed against the co-finalist team […]

Guest columnist Jonathan Kahane: Little Boxes and modern politics

The song “Little Boxes,” written by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, is a wonderful 2-minute ditty that pokes fun at the middle class of our country. Pete Seeger put it on the charts with his rendition in 1963. “Little Boxes” refers to the houses of the middle class and the chorus goes: “… Little boxes all […]

Easthampton backs divestment from companies linked to human rights violations

EASTHAMPTON — The City Council on Wednesday passed a nonbinding resolution urging the city to divest about $454,000 from companies accused of complicity in human rights violations in Israel and Palestine. The clock had just rolled past 9 p.m. when councilors approved the resolution. Members of Easthampton Divest, the group that spearheaded efforts to get the […]

Guest columnist Rob Okun: Mass shootings: another troubling side of manhood

Are we angry enough yet? Haven’t our hearts been broken enough times? Are we ready to act now? How many more children do we have to lose? These are just some of the questions in the aftermath of more children being gunned down at another school, this time in Bend, Oregon, on Oct 15. By […]

State grants totaling almost $2M boost conservation and recreation in Hampshire County

The state has awarded five Hampshire County municipalities and nonprofits a total of $1.93 million to expand their repertoire of locally conserved forestland and recreational facilities. Belchertown came out on top this grant cycle, receiving nearly $500,000 for a multipurpose sports space at Chestnut Hill Recreation Center and a conservation restriction on land between Mount Holyoke Range and Quabbin Reservoir. The remaining funds paved the way for Southampton to preserve critical forest and wetlands in town, while also giving the Kestrel Land Trust and Hilltown Land Trust money to purchase the missing piece in their puzzle of protected lands. The Healey-Driscoll […]