THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE in Ludlow is expected to wade into the nation’s culture wars this week, taking up a proposal that would shift decision-making power around library book acquisitions from school administrators and librarians to school committee members, parents, and residents. The proposal reflects ongoing tensions between Ludlow educators and a group of parents who […]
Linda Enerson
Posted inTransportation
Barriers going up on bridge to prevent suicide jumps
THE FRENCH KING Bridge spans a pastoral stretch of the Connecticut River valley between the tiny towns of Gill and Erving along Route 2 in western Massachusetts. Since its construction 90 years ago, the bridge has drawn tourists who stop to admire majestic views from its pedestrian walkway. Unfortunately, its dramatic setting and dizzying heights […]
Posted inHousing
He’s been living outside in a tent the last three years
MANY RESIDENTS of Greenfield know Greenfield River Park as the local dog park. Others play softball or pickleball there. Some, like Batch, call it home. His small blue and orange tent is tucked in the woods so close to third base he has collected a bucket full of errant balls that have landed in his […]
Posted inEconomy
Climate change taking toll on Mass. farms
RYAN VOILAND, owner of Red Fire Farm in Montague and Granby, says growing organic vegetables is hard enough, but doing it amidst climate change makes it nearly impossible. In 2021, his crops suffered significant damage due to excessive rains. This past year the drought forced him to water his crops repeatedly, which yielded a decent […]
Posted inHealth Care
Telehealth is available, but no one’s calling
BRUCE WEINRAUB, who works as a primary care physician in Northampton, came down with COVID-19 earlier this spring. He recovered from the disease, but his practice hasn’t been so resilient. Like many primary care physicians across the state, Weinraub, who is my doctor, doesn’t see patients in person anymore. He goes to his office, shuts […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nurse frustrated with mask directives
MARK BRODEUR loves his work as an intensive care and emergency room nurse at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, but he is frustrated by directives coming from administrators on how staff should use personal protective equipment, or PPE, in the midst of the pandemic. The guidelines attempt to strike a balance between conserving PPE, given […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Couple turns old mill into sprawling arts complex
VITEK KRUTA, a professional painter, sculptor, and conservator, originally went looking more than a decade ago for a larger studio space in Holyoke. Instead, he and his life partner, Lori Divine-Hudson, stumbled into something very different. They came across two rambling buildings with more than an acre of floor space — the factory and adjacent […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baystate mental health consolidation stirs anxiety
ON THE FACE OF IT, Baystate Health’s plan for a new mental health facility in Holyoke seems like a boon for the region. The proposed new facility will have approximately 130 beds, increasing the total number in the region by 30 percent. The new facility also offers mental health beds for geriatric and pediatric patients, […]
Posted inEducation
Pro-Palestinian panel to go on at UMass Amherst
IN A SIGN of the polarized times, it took a judge’s ruling on Thursday to clear the way for a pro-Palestinian panel discussion this weekend at UMass Amherst. Three Jewish students anonymously filed a lawsuit attempting to block the discussion, claiming UMass-Amherst was violating their right to a safe environment by allowing an event that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
In Northampton, it’s tough to be a police officer
ON A RECENT CALL for police assistance, Northampton Police Officer Adam Van Buskirk said a young boy saw him walking towards the building, shouted “fuck you,” and ran away. “When I started working here that would never have happened; now, things like that happen all the time,” said Van Buskirk. Over the past 11 years, […]