Search Results

By Line search: By SCOTT MERZBACH

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Fresh pavement has been put down and new curbs are being installed as the roundabout at the northern end of downtown continues to take shape.Crews from Warner Brothers LLC, of Sunderland, and Caracas Construction Corp., of Ludlow, are at the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — While improvements to the 1928 Jones Library are on hold, library officials believe the state is endorsing the expansion and renovation project by putting it on a funding waiting list. Critics of the project, however, see being wait-listed...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

WORTHINGTON — With limited fire hydrants in the Hilltowns, a new special type of fire truck will allow Worthington firefighters to more quickly extinguish fires by transporting 3,000 gallons of water to blazes and more easily drawing water from other...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Regular fare increases ensure that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which oversees the buses, trains and subways that make up the T in the Boston area, has sufficient revenue for operations and capital projects.But as the largest...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Around 300 service workers employed at Cooley Dickinson Hospital will join a labor union following the results of a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board Thursday.But ballot challenges and a narrow margin...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — For the sixth year, Iraqi students spending part of their summer at the University of Massachusetts will share stories about their country and its many cultures during a fundraising event for the Amherst Senior Center.The students in the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Adjusting parking regulations in downtown Amherst to encourage regular turnover of spaces and to make it easier for visitors to find parking will not be enacted until later this summer.A divided Select Board Monday postponed decisions on a...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An aspiring composer, University of Massachusetts senior Christopher Fonte sees public relations skills and knowledge of social media as vital to pursuing a career in music.“Whenever I have free time, I make music for video games,” says...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — After 16 months and 60 meetings, the Charter Commission recommended Thursday that a 13-member town council and professional town manager replace Town Meeting and the Select Board.The commission, established by voters in March 2016 to examine...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A 19th-century farmhouse in North Amherst that has been used as a college-student rental in recent years could be demolished, along with an adjacent barn, to make way for another phase of the Mill District development.The Historical...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A permanent bandstand for musical acts, theater and other pastimes is being proposed for the eastern edge of the Town Common, near the Lord Jeffery Inn, by the Amherst Business Improvement District.“The time is right with all the talk about...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Following a divorce in which her husband kept the family’s dwelling, Jennifer Thornton spent more than a year living in apartments while searching for a new home where she and her two children could live.Thornton said she wasn’t sure she...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A restaurant that boasted dishes the owners described as fresh and adventurous and encouraged musicians to come and entertain its patrons has closed after six years.The Lumber Yard Restaurant, 383 Main St. in the Dickinson Historic District,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Western Mass is the new brand being unveiled in a joint marketing campaign by the Greater Springfield Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts to promote the region to tourists and draw...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Jim Brassord has competed in a number of marathons and Ironman competitions, but it’s been the near daily rowing of his boat northward along the eastern seaboard that he describes as the most grueling activity he’s ever undertaken.More than a month...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — While a downtown church is not promising physical sanctuary for immigrants who may be questioned by authorities and are at risk of being deported, its members are doing everything they can to ensure their neighbors are welcomed and protected...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — For one group of sixth graders at Fort River School, many plastic bottles are being thrown into the trash because there is no incentive to recycle items that can't be redeemed for a cash deposit.On Friday morning, a visit from State Rep....

By SCOTT MERZBACH

With a driver’s permit in hand and a desire to work, Amherst teenager Cady Bestor is confident that for part of the summer she’ll have a job, getting both experience in the workplace and money for spending or saving.But with the school year ending in...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Grace Episcopal Church is concluding its year-long sesquicentennial events with a “salute to founders” procession, a world music performance and a visit by Bishop Doug Fisher on Sunday.The marking of the 150th anniversary of the founding of...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An Amherst Police response to the Town Common for a fight, allegedly involving one person wielding a large knife, led to two arrests Tuesday evening, according to police.Detective Lt. William Menard said officers went to the Town Common at...