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By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

SPRINGFIELD — Local activists, organizations and representatives from western Massachusetts’s congressional delegation are urging the U.S. federal government to extend a pandemic-era program that covers internet costs for more than 55,000 low-income...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering loosening isolation requirements for people who test positive for COVID-19, meaning they would no longer have to stay at home for at least five days when infected with the virus.Under the...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Tourism contributes more than $1 billion in annual economic impact across Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties, according to a recent study released by the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.The study was the first of its kind...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

After filing legal challenges in several other states to bar Donald Trump from ballot eligibility in this year’s primaries, a Massachusetts-incorporated advocacy group has now done so in its home state.Free Speech for People, an nonprofit led by...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

BOSTON — Stressing that the need for legal drug consumption sites would save hundreds of lives and that there wasn’t a moment to waste, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan implored lawmakers on Monday to muster up the courage to pass...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Saying that “there is a different path” in Gaza, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and six other Democratic lawmakers are calling for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas that has killed more than 4,000 people on both sides.The lawmakers released a...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

SPRINGFIELD — Massachusetts will receive $108 million in federal funds to support improvements to east-west passenger train travel between Springfield, Worcester and Boston, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and Gov. Maura Healey announced last Friday.The money...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise throughout the Pioneer Valley over the past month, although not to the extent that they were a year ago, according to health officials. According to the Athol Board of Health, wastewater data for...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

AMHERST — A new center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst aims to harness both Indigenous and Western environmental science to tackle issues relating to climate change, food insecurity and archeological preservation.The center, officially...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern has introduced a bill in Congress that could ban dozens of pesticides in the United States, including many banned in other countries. The bill, known as the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act, would update...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — When Suleidy De La Cruz first came to Northampton as a college student, it’s safe to say it was a bit of an adjustment.Originally from the Dominican Republic, De La Cruz moved to New York City and attended community college in the Bronx...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

SPRINGFIELD — The leader of the region’s largest health care organization announced this week that he will step down next year after a decade at the helm.Baystate Health CEO Mark Keroack, a specialist in infectious diseases, will retire in July 2024...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Northampton Fire Chief Jon Davine was 27 years old when he entered the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy as a new recruit, before joining Northampton Fire Rescue in 1998. Now 25 years later, Davine will soon be the highest-ranking...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — The four private colleges in Hampshire County generate an annual economic impact of more than $1.5 billion to the Massachusetts economy, including more than 8,000 jobs, according to a report released by the Association of Independent...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

An Amherst-based organization is behind a newly proposed constitutional amendment put forth by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern that would reduce the influence wealthy donors and large corporations have on elections in the United States. The proposed joint...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

The Supreme Court decision Thursday banning the use of affirmative action in college admissions drew condemnation from education leaders, politicians, and others across the Pioneer Valley and state.In statement after statement released shortly after...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Rabbi Justin David journeyed from Northampton to Israel at the beginning of March for a 3½- week sabbatical, aiming to hike the Israel National Trail that stretches across the country.But he nearly didn’t make it back.“I left hours...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

CHESTERFIELD — In a world of rapidly rising energy costs and quests for sustainable energy, one of the oldest forms of heating may provide an alternative, although its use is not without controversy.Proponents of modern wood heating systems, fueled by...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

AMHERST — Clare Higgins, the executive director of Community Action Pioneer Valley, was blunt when describing the current crisis in retaining and finding early education staff.“They can’t pay the rent or feed their families with gift cards and...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

GREENFIELD — When they opened their most recent utility bill, Dianne and Robert Rode couldn’t believe that they were being asked to pay $500 for a month’s worth of heat, the highest they’ve ever had to pay in 35 years of living at their home in...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

AMHERST — Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked classified information pertaining to the Vietnam War known as the “Pentagon Papers,” was awarded an honorary degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst in a ceremony held in San Francisco...