Amherst officials highlight achievements, look ahead in State of the Town

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A series of affordable housing developments in progress, construction beginning on a new elementary school and the possibility that an expanded and renovated Jones Library will get underway are being highlighted by town officials in their...

Area briefs: Queer Joy Collaborative to hold Winter Ball; Amherst seeks input on youth empowerment programming; Goshen to hold session on hazard mitigation, unpaved roads

Queer Joy Collaborative to hold Winter BallNORTHAMPTON — Get ready to celebrate the queer community at the Queer Joy Collaborative’s Winter Ball on Dec. 21 at 33 Hawley St. This festive event is a chance to support the LGBTQ+ community through an...

MassDOT’s final report assesses ridership, costs of Northern Tier Passenger Rail

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Running consistent passenger rail service for 140 miles through northern Massachusetts communities to connect North Adams and Boston could attract hundreds of riders per day, but would also require hundreds of millions of dollars in up-front capital...

Standing Together: Leaders of international group present solution to Gaza War during visit to Northampton

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Standing Together presents a third way to treating the war in Gaza — a solution that neither involves rooting on the Star of David with Zionist ardor, nor endorses Hamas by seeing them as innocent rebels against a colonizing overlord.If...

Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund: Faithful donor honors young boy, her folks

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Kathy Guertin knows a thing or two about helping children in need.For over 30 years, Guertin has given to the Gazette’s Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund, named after a former Gazette business manager at the Gazette and begun in 1933 to help families in need...

New Police Chief Brian Keenan: ‘Holyoke is not a place to do crime’

By SAMUEL GELINAS

HOLYOKE — A six-month search for a police chief culminated on Thursday when Mayor Joshua Garcia named Brian Keenan to monitor the city with one of the highest crime rates in the state.“I’m an outside candidate but I’m a local guy” said Keenan,...

Worthington special TM set for Monday

By SAMUEL GELINAS

WORTHINGTON — Residents will weigh in on five articles at a special Town Meeting on Monday night at 7 in Town Hall. Action is recommended by members of both the Select Board and Finance Committee.One of the articles requests voters to approve a...

Area briefs: Southampton community tree lighting; Quonquont Farm opens first holiday shop; Kiwanis Club to hold ‘An Uncommon Christmas Carol’

Southampton to hold community tree lightingSOUTHAMPTON— Warm up your caroling voice and save room for cookies, because the town is ringing in the holiday season Saturday night with a community tree lighting at Town Hall.Following the Lions Club Toy...

Back on her feet with new store at Westhampton’s Hanging Mountain Farm

By ALEXA LEWIS

WESTHAMPTON — Anita Aloisi was going about her day as normal at Hanging Mountain Farm about three years ago when she felt something in her back pop.“I couldn’t move after that,” Aloisi said.Aloisi was rushed to the hospital, where she discovered that...

Amherst’s Jones Library project wins critical extension

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Town officials will have until the end of March to hire a general contractor to handle the $46.1 million expansion and renovation of the Jones Library.The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to approve a...

Average Hadley property tax bill up $272, a 5.4% jump

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — An average homeowner will have a higher-than-usual $272 increase in property taxes next year, due in part to the costs for renovating the locker rooms at Hopkins Academy.The Select Board approved a series of recommendations Wednesday from the...

Around Amherst: Town almost perfect on national equality assessment

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst came close to a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, earning 99 out of a possible 100 points.The Municipality Equality Index is a nationwide evaluation of cities and towns on how...

A Look Back, Dec. 6

50 Years Ago ■Almost a year after McCallum’s department store closed its doors, local business leaders are now discussing the possibilities of converting the building into an indoor “mini-mall” or a parking garage.■While “people are bringing paper in...

‘Poverty wages have to go’: Some 200 rally at UMass flagship, calling for fair pay and full staffing

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — As someone who takes care of and cleans buildings on the University of Massachusetts campus, Sun Chong’s workload doubles when her colleagues call out sick or leave university employment.“They don’t hire people, so then we have to cover each...

Hadley housing fund ponies up $100K to support Econo Lodge affordable housing

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A nearly $20 million redevelopment of a former Route 9 hotel into a mix of 51 one-bedroom and studio apartments for low- and moderate-income residents will get an infusion of $100,000 from the Hadley Affordable Housing Trust Fund.At the...

Home care providers see statewide crisis on horizon as demand outruns funding

By ALISON KUZNITZ

Thousands of older Bay Staters could lose access to home care services this spring or see support scaled back due to looming funding shortfalls totaling millions of dollars, elder advocates and providers say.Elder services organizations are urging...

Annual Hot Chocolate Run stepping off Sunday in Northampton

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — On Sunday morning, thousands will wake up, tie their sneakers, grab some hot chocolate, and line up at 8 a.m. on Hampton Avenue and Old South Street for Safe Passage’s 21st annual Hot Chocolate Run.The annual hot chocolate 5k is the...

Artists ready to show off their work at annual Holiday Open Studios in Easthampton

By ALEXA LEWIS

EASTHAMPTON — From public murals and sculptures to galleries full of paintings and handcrafted items, Easthampton is known for the vibrancy cultivated by its eclectic community of artists. To show off that work, artists at Cottage Street Studios will...

Amherst workshop, survey to assess downtown design preferences

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A project to update downtown design standards for both public and private properties, as well as determine what the streetscape will look like, is continuing with both an in-person workshop set for Monday evening and an online survey...