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By SAMUEL GELINAS

CHESTER — When the retail cannabis industry was paving its way in 2019, advocates for the drug steered away from the stereotype of a reclining, Cheetos-eating stoner and instead promoted the idea that cannabis is a cure-all for a variety of ailments. “It’s natural” was a common mantra.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

SPRINGFIELD — Bishop William Byrne not only introduced the Diocese of Springfield’s new executive director for its Catholic Charities Agency this week but also laid out the evolution that the agency will see now that protection of immigrants is no longer part of its agenda in the wake of federal cuts.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Before 2,000 cases of V-One Vodka produced in a Kamień, Poland, factory can be unloaded from a cargo ship, set to arrive in Port Elizabeth, N.J., next week, company founder Paul Kozub will have to pay the U.S. government an $8,000 fee.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Who is the area’s person of the year?

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — UMass men’s basketball head coach Frank Martin landed a pair of commitments on Wednesday, as forwards Dimitri Clerc and Charles Outlaw – former junior college players – transferred to UMass out of the portal. That now makes four Minutemen transfers coming in (joining K’Jei Parker and Donovan Brown), and all four have either been from JUCO or Division 2.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Three full-time positions at the Jones Library will remain vacant, as they have for the past six years, in the $3.09 million budget proposal recommended by the elected trustees.

By EMILEE KLEIN

BELCHERTOWN — Demolition and abatement of the environmentally-contaminated old power plant on the Belchertown State School property is underway as part of the redevelopment of the sprawling site.

By RYAN AMES

It’s been an eventful start to the high school girls lacrosse season, as numerous area athletes have already reached career milestones less than a month into the spring season.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — More than 120 area residents packed into Town Hall on Wednesday for a conversation with U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern to voice their ongoing concerns with the Trump administration.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Several Amherst Regional High School students recently had the opportunity to travel to the State House to offer testimony to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means hearing, explaining to legislators why funding formulas for state aid to local school districts should be revised.

By RUSS VERNON-JONES

The COVID pandemic — with its fear, and its quarantine, and its ongoing recommendations for limiting social contact — is still affecting us. Even if we are not among the many unfortunate individuals who are still ill with long COVID, our situation has changed. We are now living in a society where loneliness has increased and trust has decreased. As Jeet Heer wrote in The Nation, “In the wake of COVID, Americans have become more individualistic, more conspiracy-minded, and less committed to collective social effort.” We tend to be more separate from each other.

AMHERST

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao is stepping down from her port at the end of the month, with Undersecretary of Economic Foundations Ashley Stolba in line to take over the secretary’s duties on an interim basis, the Healey administration said Tuesday.

By MARILYN MARKS

During these times of political, economic, and climate turbulence, anger and alarm surge and tensions run high. In responding to our poly-crisis situation, we quickly assign blame. However, pointing the finger at Washington, D.C. and shouting “Tyranny!” is ideally balanced with uprooting the tyranny we may unknowingly carry within ourselves.

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST – It was a battle of two of Hampshire County’s best boys tennis players on Wednesday at Hampshire College.

Allie Randall and Emma Kornbluth cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles to power the Belchertown girls tennis team to a 4-1 victory over Holyoke on Wednesday.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

SPRINGFIELD — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a stark warning that the country risked moving toward a situation of “authoritarianism versus democracy” under U.S. President Donald Trump, calling on her fellow lawyers to fight against the administration and to protect constitutional rights.

By ALEXA LEWIS

Community Action Pioneer Valley’s (CAPV) Head Start services could be facing setbacks if the Trump administration does not allocate money to the federal program next fiscal year — a very real possibility that advocates say would be catastrophic for vulnerable young children and their families.

By GARRETT COTE

It doesn’t get much better than the season the Northampton girls ultimate team had in 2024. A year ago, the Blue Devils won the Division 1 state tournament, earned the right to travel to Rockford, Ill. last June and turned in an impressive fifth-place finish at the national tournament. They also captured first place at the Amherst Invitational – the longest annual ultimate tournament in the United States – for the first time in program history.

By CHRIS LARABEE

There’s no need to don your corset or three-piece suit for Historic Deerfield’s opening exhibition this season.

By CAROLYN BROWN

An Amherst festival dedicated to a famous Baroque composer is coming … Bach.