Guest columnist Salem Derby: A commitment to collaboration in Easthampton

Northampton’s partly closed downtown garage on pace to lose up to $200K

NORTHAMPTON — Seven months into the partial closure of the crumbling E.J. Gare Parking Garage, the city is working to make up lost parking revenue, with the garage on pace to generate as much as $200,000 less this year than it did in 2025. The top two of the garage’s five floors have been closed […]

Punches meet mindfulness: Northampton’s new women-centered boxing club offers more than a workout

NORTHAMPTON — For almost two years, Vanessa Chakour taught boxing classes in a tiny room at the Greenfield YMCA. Although they met just a few times a week, the small group formed a community of women who bonded through the sport. As she began teaching the classes in the summer of 2024, Chakour was finishing […]

Amherst backs joining Mayors for Peace, international group seeking nuclear weapons abolition

AMHERST — The Amherst Town Council is seeking to join Mayors for Peace, the international organization that advocates for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Councilors on Monday unanimously supported the measure, which was advocated by resident Bruce Stedman, the region’s representative for the organization. Several area communities are already members, with Leverett, Northampton, Easthampton and […]

South Hadley suspends Independence Day fireworks show amid tightening budget constraints

SOUTH HADLEY — Town leadership has suspended the yearly Fourth of July fireworks until adequate funding and staff are available to put on the show. The decision came during the Oct. 20 Select Board meeting, immediately following an overview of Department of Human Services operations from Director Andy Rodgers. “Without a committee or group looking […]

Hadley special Town Meeting: $1.1M for water and sewer pipes, $181,500 for Middle and East street paths

HADLEY — Significant investments in the town’s water and sewer infrastructure and additional money that will go toward improving roads are among $2.25 million in spending approved by voters at special Town Meeting Thursday. In a session that lasted less than 90 minutes, residents also agreed to spend $181,500 from the Community Preservation Act fund […]