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By SCOTT MERZBACH

A longtime pledge by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the state Legislature, contending this will provide more transparency and accountability to legislative proceedings, is coming before voters at the November election, after she was unable to...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A steep drop in the number of Black students in the Class of 2028 at Amherst College compared to the preceding year’s incoming class, and less racial diversity in the first-year class, is likely a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A three-way race between Republicans for a Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat is the only contest on the state primary ballot Sept. 3, with Democratic ballots featuring candidates but no contests and Libertarian ballots having no nominees.With mail-in...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

State Sen. Jo Comerford is calling on President Joe Biden to stand down as the Democratic Party nominee for the upcoming presidential election, joining six other state lawmakers and at least 30 members of Congress.In a statement issued Wednesday night...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A Senate-passed bill featuring a streamlined approach to permitting and siting solar and energy storage projects in Massachusetts, featuring a consolidated permit for approving clean energy infrastructure instead of multiple local,...

By ALEXA LEWIS

A leading veterans agent in the region says an expansive bill soon to become law designed to improve the lives of Massachusetts veterans is “monumental” for its expanded inclusion efforts, benefits, and health care provisions, but the measure fails to...

By ALEXA LEWIS

A statewide proliferation in recent years of intoxicating, illegal hemp-based products — gummies, energy shot-like drink bottles and seltzers, to name a few — has raised concern among state officials and the cannabis sector alike.While these products...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Protesters angered by Israel’s most recent deadly attack in Gaza brought a metal trash can and an American flag to the sidewalk outside Rep. Jim McGovern’s Pleasant Street office on Tuesday.As passersby honked in support or shouted...

By Xinyi Yang

Orange resident Christiana Dunn is among 60 young people statewide who will advise Gov. Maura Healey and her administrative team on issues important to young people as a member of the newly minted Youth Advisory Council.The council members, ages...

By CHRIS LARABEE and JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Area organizations are welcoming grant awards that will boost the supply of fresh, local food available to those in need and provide support for local farmers.“We’re really thrilled to have been selected,” said Lev BenEzra, executive...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A continued challenge for some prospective students and their families in accessing federal financial aid applications, and a corresponding delay in relaying the information from these forms to colleges and universities, is raising...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Food and other necessities can be found at the Goshen General Store on Route 9. For low-income individuals in Goshen and surrounding communities, the Hilltown Food Pantry, at the nearby Town Office Building, distributes food every...

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 SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A call for an increase in federal money to support homeless services and programs related to substance use disorders, and for keeping unhoused individuals from being targeted by federal law enforcement agencies, is coming from the House...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Prohibiting PFAS from consumer products sold in Massachusetts remains an objective for Sen. Jo Comerford, who sees a recently advanced legislative bill to protect soil and farms from such contamination as an important first step to...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Even with less severe cases of COVID-19 than the past two years and a marked decrease since last fall in RSV, officially known as respiratory syncytial virus, a surge in flu cases is keeping Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s emergency department as busy as...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A permanent disaster relief fund to assist farmers devastated by acts of nature, and providing farmers more flexibility for using their properties once they are protected in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction program, are bills the state...

By DOMENIC POLI

The backlog plaguing courthouses across much of the state seems to have spared Franklin and Hampshire counties, where the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office reportedly put many cases to bed while in-person jury trials were suspended during the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons and ban anything associated with their development and manufacture has been ratified by 69 countries, with an additional 28 countries in the process of ratification, since the international agreement...

By CHRIS LARABEE

With towns across Massachusetts suffering millions of dollars worth of damages due to torrential rainstorms throughout the summer, local legislators Rep. Natalie Blais and Sen. Jo Comerford have introduced legislation that could take some of the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — After being given multiple oral warnings to leave the Whitmore Administration Building on Wednesday evening, 56 University of Massachusetts students and one UMass employee were arrested on charges of trespassing, according to a university...