Search Results

By Line search: By SCOTT MERZBACH

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...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More than 37% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the billions of tons of concrete, asphalt, steel, glass and other construction materials used in buildings and other infrastructure projects, according to U.S....

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Canceled non-urgent surgeries, procedures and medical visits at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, postponed cases in the Massachusetts court system and delayed in-person services at Registry of Motor Vehicles locations are among impacts area...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A Senate-passed bill featuring a streamlined approach to permitting and siting solar and energy storage projects in Massachusetts, featuring a consolidated permit for approving clean energy infrastructure instead of multiple local,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A Final Four run for the University of Massachusetts men’s basketball team and its “Refuse to Lose” mantra that defined the program’s most successful era continues to provide fond memories for the players and coaches involved nearly 30 years...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Nearly 500 members of the faculty and librarians are expressing no confidence in the leadership of University of Massachusetts Chancellor Javier Reyes stemming from the breakup of a pro-Palestinian encampment on May 7 that led to the arrests...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — University of Massachusetts Chancellor Javier Reyes defended the arrests of 134 people at a campus pro-Palestinian encampment last week, telling a special session of the Faculty Senate on Tuesday afternoon that the decision to break up the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Editor’s note: This story will be updated.AMHERST — More than 130 people were arrested on the University of Massachusetts campus Tuesday night after those who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the South Lawn of the Student Union refused to...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Responsible for $135,000 in student debt, Amherst resident Ian Rhodewalt observes that during the yearslong federal pause in making loan repayments during the pandemic, he and his family were able to get a vehicle, replace a broken-down car...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — As a University of Massachusetts doctoral student in physics, Mark Murdy has seen his wages as a graduate employee decline relative to inflation, meaning he, like others who work on campus, is taking home less money.Amid these financial...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Climate change’s impact on farming, as well as emerging areas like urban agriculture, soil health and pollinators, are a focus for the University of Massachusetts Extension Agriculture Program, which continues to help farmers adapt and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

The owners of a Shelburne farm have permanently protected 100 acres through the Agricultural Preservation Restriction program, ensuring that the fertile land won’t be turned into a large, upscale housing estate or put to other uses.“That’s what’s...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In film, literature, paintings and other forms of art, palm trees and warm climates are almost always the settings depicted for slavery in North America, from the plantations of the American South to the transatlantic ships transporting...