“Bully” — Heartbreaking Look at Kids Under Daily Attack at School By Mark R. Gould ‘The documentary “Bully” is opening in theaters throughout the country. If you have seen any of the clips from the film, you will know that it is a heartbreaking look at the lives of students who are harassed and attacked [continue reading]

The Edible Book: A Benefit for the Friends of the Forbes & Lilly Libraries The Forbes and Lilly Libraries are holding their Edible Book event on Sunday, April 22nd this year, an annual event that crosses culinary arts and language arts with creative free play! And April vacation week is the perfect time to start [continue reading]

Note 12, There’s No Place Like Home The twelfth Mash Note to Paradise! Really? Over this past year in these notes I’ve loved our bike paths and our college town-y-ness, our farms and our farmers’ markets, our give back mentality and our reverence for all sorts of families and our indie vibes. Much as I [continue reading]

Local Government in Rural Communities Talk at the Meekins Library Williamsburg ♦ April 15th @ 2pm Small, rural towns are much different in structure than urban and suburban areas are.  Instead of electing officials to make decisions, many small towns have an annual town meeting where community members can contribute their thoughts on issues being [continue reading]

Seven Community Coalitions Supporting and Serving Families in Western MA Communities that Care Coalition brings together youth, parents, schools, community agencies, and local governments to promote the health and well-being of young people in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region. Programs include Healthy Youth Initiative (youth nutrition and physical activity), Bullying Prevention Workshop, education [continue reading]

Note 11, Openness About Gender, Family & Love Although Northampton Pride is a ways away, there’s an admirable flexibility about how we think of families and love and gender and identity in these parts that I can’t take for granted. Every single time my preschooler is playing family and says something like, “I’ll be the [continue reading]

We have some happy end-of-the-year news. We are proud to announce our newest property acquisition, a 22 acre parcel off Paul St which is near near Glendale St. This property adjoins our 15 acre Pomeroy Meadows conservation area. Adding to existing protected areas is especially rewarding. This new acquisition will provide an opportunity to open [continue reading]

Hampshire Health Connect help uninsured and underinsured people access health coverage and healthcare. They are partners with Cooley Dickinson Hospital, with offices in Northampton and at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst.
They can help applying for Insurance Partnership benefits or Commonwealth Care (available if your employer doesn’t offer health insurance), and MassHealth disability [continue reading]

Cummington and the Hilltowns lost an important community resource this weekend when the 170 year old West Cummington Congregational Church burned to the ground.
Besides serving as a place of worship, the building had great acoustics and acted as a venue for many musical events. During the past few years the congregation invested a [continue reading]

Local News Feeds Amherst Belchertown Easthampton Hadley Northampton South Hadley Southampton Local Newspapers The Daily Hampshire Gazette The Amherst Bulletin The UMass Daily Collegian The Smith College Sophian [continue reading]