Hilltown Digest: Cummington mail delays, Plainfield firefighter Alvord honored

Cummington exhibit revisits town’s role as WWII refugee haven

CUMMINGTON — The tiny town of Cummington was once the backdrop for American propaganda some 80 years ago, presenting foreign audiences with an image of rural America through the eyes of World War II refugees who briefly called the town home. A mix of Jewish refugees and political dissidents, including lawyers, artists and craftsmen, spent their time in town learning English and developing skills to find work. They lived at a small hostel at 50 Main St., a two-story red house with yellow trim, where some stayed for just two months and others for as long as two years. While Europe […]

Guest columnist Mariel E. Addis: Yet another pedophile scandal

Now, I am no fan of JK Rowling, the British author of the Harry Potter series. She has spent the last decade and a whole bunch of money vilifying transgender women and claiming that they are a threat to cisgender women in women-only spaces. There is, however, no evidence to back up Rowling’s claims. What […]

My Turn: Trump’s attack on voting rights — A path to dictatorship

Donald Trump is looking a bit desperate. He’s now zeroed in on the Constitution’s voting rights with his Save America Act. He’s again calling into question our record of free and fair elections — long the envy of the world. Yet his rumor-laced lies seem to have a nation of would-be voters where he wants […]

‘This is my way of giving back’: Easthampton breast cancer survivor knits comfort and dignity for fellow fighters

About two years ago, Marthe Young was shopping online. Instead of filling her cart with the typical clothes, toiletries and household staples, the Easthampton resident was searching for a prosthetic. Young was recovering from a mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis that had hit as a “total surprise.” “When I went back to work, I […]

Columnist Dr. David Gottsegen: Do you like lettuce? Better shop local!

The belief that the American food system is safe has been sorely tested this summer, with the epidemic spread of the infection of a bubbly disc shaped parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis. Of course, there are outbreaks all the time from contaminated food — traced back to farms, restaurants, or picnic baskets. But with over 22,000 […]