Amid procedural error, Mohawk Trail Regional School District takes back capital requests to towns

Healey order subjects proposed data centers to local approvals

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order Tuesday subjecting proposed data center projects to local approval before developers can move on to state permitting, representing her administration’s latest crackdown on the facilities after halting tax breaks earlier this summer. As the artificial intelligence boom marches on, pending data centers in Massachusetts will now […]

Leverett hires new police sergeant

The Leverett Selectboard appointed Benjamin Peters as the department's new sergeant following his successful interview in late August.

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 […]

On the Ridge with Joe Judd: September magic!

September was my mother-in-law’s (Pearl Churchill) favorite month. She used to tell me that the September foliage had the softest tint to it than any other time before the colors of October began to appear. “The air, she would say, carried a pleasant seasonal aroma to it,” and as the days stretched ahead, the month […]

Pioneer introduces Innovation Center, new teachers in 2026-2027 school year

The Pioneer Valley Regional School District has introduced several new initiatives for the 2026-2027 school year, including an Innovation Center, eight new teachers and a renewed focus on student writing.