Amherst-Pelham schools propose $38.8M budget below level services

A monumental undertaking: On Veterans Day, one man's mission to preserve the graves of veterans and Swift River Valley residents

WARE — Decay drags across the grave markers at the Quabbin Park Cemetery.  Lichen and moss fuzz the edges of each stone and obscures the engraved names. Chipped slate plates stick out at a slant or lean on a neighboring marker. The breakdown of the stone itself, called “sugaring,” has morphed some of the oldest […]

Northampton crash: Pickup leaves southbound I-91, stops at fence near Bridge Street rotary

NORTHAMPTON — A woman escaped injury Tuesday morning when her pickup truck went through a guardrail on southbound Interstate 91 and rolled down an embankment, stopping at a fence along Bridge Street beside the rotary. Firefighters and police responded to a report of the crash at 6:36 a.m., Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Lemberg said. He […]

Massachusetts abortion expansion takes effect, removing all gestational limits

Massachusetts has joined nine other states plus Washington, D.C., without gestational limits on abortion, after Gov. Maura Healey shielded a new state law from an anti-abortion referendum petition that could have prevented it from taking effect. Healey signed an emergency preamble Friday that put the law into effect immediately and protects it from suspension, preventing […]

No data stolen in Easthampton schools cybersecurity incident, superintendent says

EASTHAMPTON — A forensic review found that no student or faculty data was stolen from Easthampton Public Schools in what the district described as a cybersecurity incident last month. “We have no evidence that data was subtracted from our system for either student or teacher data,” Superintendent Michelle Balch told the Gazette Tuesday. Balch notified district families of the news Monday after meeting with the company that conducted the forensic review, Surefire Cyber, on Friday. The company conducted a monthlong analysis of the district’s information after suspicious activity was flagged by the Information Technology department Oct. 5. Balch met Friday with […]

Climate chief departs, warning against pitting green against affordable

BOSTON — Melissa Hoffer, the nation’s first Cabinet-level climate chief, used her final day in the Healey administration to deliver a message to Massachusetts environmental advocates: The transition to a cleaner economy cannot succeed politically unless people understand that climate action and affordability go hand in hand. Speaking Monday during a virtual farewell address hosted […]