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Yesterday we celebrated National Blueberry Day, but unfortunately the joy of blueberry picking from the cherished Gordon King Estate, donated to the town of Leverett, was lost again this year. Access to this beloved Estate has been barred due to the closure of the easement from Shutesbury Road, a situation that not only deprives us of a treasured tradition but also impacts the maintenance and upkeep of the land as the town committee struggles to mow the grass and manage the estate effectively.

By GENE STAMELL

I should have known they’d get it all wrong. Oh, I’ve heard the woke socialists moaning and whining: “He doesn’t listen to people around him.” Listen? I listen. I’m the best listener who ever lived; my hearing is off the charts. But nobody listens to me! I never said I wanted a big beautiful bill, in the singularity tense. I said bills, in the plurality tense.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Following a performance evaluation that gave her mostly proficient ratings in meeting various standards set by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and her own goals, Amherst-Pelham Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman is receiving a revised contract that will boost her annual salary above $180,000.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Town and school employees are being advised not to provide assistance toward any Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions or offer help to any other federal official who might come to Leverett tasked with removing undocumented immigrants.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Different people, different perspectives, united in ink.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A revised leadership structure for the Amherst-Pelham school district, known as an executive director model, is being put in place this week as part of an effort to streamline the central office administration.

It is hot and people look for relief and it is difficult to find a refuge. Puffer’s Pond is neglected by the town of Amherst. The “no swimming” signs from last year were still on their posts. There are no trash cans close to the beach area and the littering has begun. Dogs are a constant issue, they defecate and pee where people will put their blankets. Dogs also get into dog fights, like last evening. Loud music is played whenever.

By JOSEPH LEVINE

The recent murder of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington and the attack on the people attending a vigil for the Israeli captives in Gaza has poured fuel on the fire consuming the movement for Palestinians rights, supposedly justifying the harshest crackdown on protected political speech since the days of McCarthy and the congressional Un-American Activities Committee. The almost universal response to these crimes  – blaming the people who are protesting the unprecedented carnage wrought by the Israeli military in Gaza — highlights several troubling features of the state of debate over Israel/Palestine at this time.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — As Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions take place across Massachusetts, with some happening in the region, a panel discussion is being held at the Mount Toby Friends Meetinghouse, 194 Long Plain Road (Route 63) Monday night.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A union representing teachers, paraprofessionals and clerical staff in the Amherst-Pelham public schools is renewing a call for action, first delivered to the Amherst Regional School Committee more than a year ago, that includes a 10-point plan for addressing racism against Black employees.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A provision for possible full-time remote work for the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional schools’ finance director, part of a proposed three-year employment contract that includes a $137,700 base salary beginning July 1, is among concerns elected members of the committees are raising with the deal.

In his recent letter to the editor [“A light for hope,” May 26], Dr. Jeffrey Zesiger’s call for a little hope was well heard. Small actions make big ripples, and nowadays there seems to be a larger than ever need for hope. What is slightly off base with his sentiment about lights in the window, as luminous and empowering as it might be, is the simultaneous call to be that much more attuned to combating climate change, since other forces are working hard to disassemble its importance, I hope people will keep that in mind if they decide to light a light, and make the corresponding statement, by at least using a solar powered light such as this Luci Light — https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/solar-flexlight — or one of the ones mentioned here — https://us.solarpanelsnetwork.com/blog/best-solar-table-lamps/ — rather than grid power. That small distinction will spread the ripples of hope out just that much further, or maybe grow them into waves. What’s super cool about solar lights in your window, is that if your chosen window doesn’t face south to recharge the light, then you can charge it where the sun is and bring it to the chosen window. If it’s useful for you to know, Luci has a program where your purchase helps distribute free Luci Lights to energy poor regions of the world. And if you don’t want to light a light, you can always be the light yourselves!

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Juan A. Rodriguez, Amherst Regional Middle School’s interim principal, will become the school’s permanent principal starting July 1.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Mediation in mid-July could resolve an ongoing Land Court lawsuit, filed nearly a year ago by the owners of a Shutesbury Road property against the town and its Conservation Commission, that has prevented the public from using the easiest access to 65 acres of town conservation land in East Leverett.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — MCAS English language arts assessments showing seven in 10 Amherst Regional High School 10th graders are meeting or exceeding expectations and a more than 50% drop in behavioral referrals at Pelham Elementary School are among signs of progress being made under the district’s state-mandated Student Opportunity Act Plan.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools’ $37.08 million budget for fiscal year 2026, recommended by the Amherst Regional School Committee, won final approval Monday, with the Amherst Town Council unanimously agreeing to the town’s $19.74 million assessment.

By NANCY E. GROSSMAN

In the end, the dispute came down to about 15 tents and a fence loosely constructed of wooden pallets that had collectively been up for less than a day. But this small encampment was enough to trigger an ill-considered decision by first-year UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes that cost taxpayers more than half a million dollars and drove a likely permanent wedge between the administration and some of the UMass community.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Falling ceiling tiles, locked bathrooms with broken stalls and a class schedule that regularly drops a guided academic study and advisory period are among concerns Amherst Regional Middle School student leaders are bringing to the Regional School Committee.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Each year, in the months leading up to the development and release of the budget for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, representatives from the four member communities gather together at the invitation of school officials to discuss school funding at one or more “four-town” meetings.

By AALIANNA MARIETTA

LEVERETT — Roughly 100 residents voted to approve Leverett’s share of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District budget, accept a 146.3-acre property gift and appropriate funds for a series of community preservation projects during Saturday’s annual Town Meeting.