Homelessness crisis deepens in Northampton as housing costs soar

Center for Human Development adds primary care in Easthampton

EASTHAMPTON — Amid a nationwide shortage of primary care doctors, with some patients waiting months for an appointment, the Center for Human Development is now offering primary care at three of its locations, including Easthampton. CHD has nearly 70 locations throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut, offering a variety of human services, primarily emotional and behavioral […]

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 […]