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By JAMES PENTLAND

In the wake of the Justice Department’s proposal to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug, dispensary owners say the change would help their business, especially on taxes.“The immediate impact would be for the government to treat us like other...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — Like many people, Michael Garjian believes global warming is a pressing issue of our times.Unlike most, he’s putting his ideas for reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into practice — and at the same time bidding for a share of the $100...

By JAMES PENTLAND

AMHERST — Federal civil rights officials are investigating the University of Massachusetts for allegedly dragging its feet over complaints of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian harassment on campus amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.An official...

By JAMES PENTLAND

AMHERST — UMass plans to triple early college enrollment over the next five years, giving 2,000 high school students a head start on their college education, university President Marty Meehan said Tuesday in his annual “state of the university”...

By JAMES PENTLAND

AMHERST — Almost a third of Republicans say they agree with former President Donald Trump’s claim that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of the country,” a recent University of Massachusetts poll has found.The poll, which also questioned respondents...

By JAMES PENTLAND

SOUTH HADLEY — On April 8, as the earthbound jostle to find a spot to see the total solar eclipse, Jenna Samra will be 45,000 feet above the crowds in a Gulfstream 5 jet, aiming to stay in the moon’s shadow just a couple of minutes longer.An...

By JAMES PENTLAND

Looking to strengthen and better coordinate the work of animal welfare professionals in Hampshire and Franklin counties, the Northwestern district attorney’s office is launching a task force to share information and provide training.A primary goal is...

By JAMES PENTLAND

WASHINGTON — Pushing for action at the federal level to assist homeowners afflicted by crumbling foundations, Rep. Jim McGovern has filed legislation dubbed the Tax Relief for Victims of Crimes, Scams and Disasters Act.Co-sponsored by Rep. Jamie...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Utility customers can expect to see lower prices than they paid last winter for the six-month period beginning Feb. 1, which could ease some of the pain felt last year when rates skyrocketed.At a hearing before Senate members of the...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Western and central Massachusetts farmers are being bolstered by $23.3 million in disaster relief from a philanthropic fund set up in the wake of July’s devastating floods and further state aid announced Monday by the Healey-Driscoll...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Continuing their high-profile involvement in state Republican politics, city physician Jay Fleitman and his wife, Mary Lou Stuart, are heading up the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign for Massachusetts.The two have co-chaired the...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — While extremist Republicans in Congress are trying to gut programs that provide food to those in need, Massachusetts could become the first state to end hunger, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern told a special state commission on agriculture...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Fall is on its way, and with it predictions for the seasonal foliage. Will 2023 produce vibrant displays of fiery red and blazing orange, or will July’s heavy rain dampen even the colors?Yankee Magazine forecaster Jim Salge predicts that...

By JAMES PENTLAND

Picking apples is one of the rites of fall, with crisp, sunny mornings beckoning families out to the orchard to help gather in the season’s brilliant red and green bounty.This year, though, pick-your-own opportunities will be limited because so much...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — As farmers continue to recover from July’s floods with the aid of community support, two government-sponsored funds are gearing up to issue their first checks.With donations pushing the Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund beyond $2...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Stymied by the struggle to attract and retain enough teachers, the area’s Head Start provider has proposed lowering its enrollment capacity in the face of a potential loss of $3 million in federal funding.Clare Higgins, executive...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HATFIELD — Farmers who lost crops to this month’s floods, the February freeze and May frost will be able to seek compensation from a new $20 million fund announced Monday by Senate President Karen Spilka.“We have added $20 million to the supplemental...

By JAMES PENTLAND

AMHERST — Sharks have long been creatures of fascination, but having focused on them in his work for almost 10 years, UMass biology professor Duncan Irschick has found that most three-dimensional models are poor representations of the marine...

By JAMES PENTLAND

AMHERST — What if all you needed to generate electricity was thin film material, microscopic fibers and air?Researchers at the University of Massachusetts have proved it can be done, and now they’re showing that many different kinds of materials can...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Fruit farmers across the region are assessing damage to their crops in the wake of a hard frost May 18 that has affected many, including grape, apple and blueberry growers.Ian Modestow, co-owner of Hatfield’s Black Birch Vineyard with...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A Supreme Judicial Court ruling that alcohol tests given with a certain type of breathalyzer were invalid evidence in drunken-driving prosecutions between 2011 and 2019 will not affect area prosecutors’ approach to such cases.The Boston...