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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A New Hampshire timber company has closed on a massive land buy of nearly 2,400 acres in seven communities in Hampshire and Franklin counties, acquiring five parcels for more than $20 million from Amherst-based W.D. Cowls Inc.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Expectant mothers prescribed medication for substance use disorders can seek prenatal care without risk of being reported to the state’s Department of Children and Families, under the omnibus opioid bill signed into law this week.That key provision...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

WESTFIELD — A U.S. Department of Defense decision to assign at least 18 latest generation Air Force fighter jets to Barnes Air National Guard Base is an indication of how state legislation supporting service members and military families benefits...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Residents, town officials and the legislative delegation are raising concerns about a proposed forest management plan for land at the edge of the Quabbin Reservoir that could involve removing many tall white pines using large equipment...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — On the cusp of celebrating his 100th birthday in January, Edwin D. Driver, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts and one of the first two African Americans ever hired to the faculty at a flagship state...

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...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In preparation for a change in presidential administrations at the federal level, international students, faculty and staff on University of Massachusetts immigration sponsorships, who may be traveling abroad during winter break, are being...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A $100 million fund to support the health and resilience of the Connecticut River watershed, including money that would go toward improving aging flood controls and dikes and upgrading water and sewer systems, is being sought by area...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Massachusetts’ three resort casinos are largely having a positive impact on the state’s economy, even as a downturn in business for restaurants and bars in and around Springfield may be attributed to visitors who are playing the slot...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Munching on goldenrod, white woodland aster, white clover, hairy vetch, birdsfoot trefoil, burdock and dandelions, more than 120 sheep are having much of their dietary needs met by a variety of grasses and plants growing at an 11-acre,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Continued efforts to increase the clean energy workforce for offshore wind and “climate tech” in general in Massachusetts are looking to Denmark as a possible model where, even with a smaller population than the Bay State, the wind energy...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Better understanding of how certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often simply called PFAS and known as “forever chemicals,” negatively affect public health and cause assorted maladies, is leading to state and federal laws and...

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

AMHERST — As a graduate of the School of Public Health & Health Sciences Kinesiology department at the University of Massachusetts, doctoral student Petra Ypsilantis is aware of the separation and lack of cohesiveness among the school’s six...

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

AMHERST — Giving the Demonstration Response and Safety Team at the University of Massachusetts an expanded role in promoting safety, education and deescalation at protests, clarifying the campus land-use policy by defining structures according to...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — After a spring semester that came to a close with the arrests of 134 students, faculty and community members at a pro-Palestinian encampment, and nearly 500 faculty members and librarians subsequently taking a no-confidence in Chancellor...

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 SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Continued staffing challenges for small-town fire departments that depend on on-call and volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies is prompting officials in Shutesbury, Leverett, Wendell and New Salem to examine ways to potentially...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A University of Massachusetts union representing 1,500 campus employees is calling out the administration for “authoritarian” actions and cracking down on free speech after learning that two student leaders of the Students for Justice in...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Some of the 134 people arrested at the pro-Palestinian encampment in May at the University of Massachusetts have been prohibited from stepping foot on the Amherst campus for two years, based on trespass notices signed by UMass Chancellor...