Arts & Life
Speaking of Nature: Who is that mysterious woodpecker?: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has caused quite a stir with readers
By BILL DANIELSON
My selection of a writing topic is not always an easy thing. Sometimes I sit down to the keyboard and find myself completely stuck. I haven’t had an idea all week and at the last minute I still find myself with nothing to focus on. These are the...
The cure for wintertime blues: Snowmobile clubs enjoy outdoor thrills while tending to interstate trails
By BELLA LEVAVI
On snowy weekends in the winter, groups of snowmobilers can be found at the tops of mountains and along the vast networks of forest trails connecting towns throughout Massachusetts and beyond. “To be outside in the winter doing something; that is the...
‘You don’t look like a doctor’: Documentary film looks at the biases and challenges Black women physicians face
By STEVE PFARRER
Dr. Khama Ennis had come a long way in her medical career.Until 2022, the Amherst resident had spent about two decades in emergency medicine, including a number of years as chief of emergency medicine at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, as...
‘The Broadway stars aligned’: Tony-nominated actress visits Stoneleigh-Burnham School
By LIESEL NYGARD
In preparation for their upcoming musical performance of “The Prom,” students at Stoneleigh-Burnham School visited with Tony-nominated actress Caitlin Kinnunen.“The Prom” is based on a real story from the early 2000s, where four Broadway actors help...
Let’s Talk Relationships: How to give a good apology: Apologizing is key to restoring trust in relationships
By AMY NEWSHORE
It is inevitable that we are going to make mistakes and sometimes hurt others, even those we love. When a relationship has been impacted by harmful words or actions, offering a sincere, heartfelt apology can go a long way toward mending the rupture....
Attention Franklin County poets: 33rd annual Poet’s Seat Poetry Contest is now seeking submissions; deadline Feb. 26
By CHRIS LARABEE
The 33rd annual Poet’s Seat Poetry Contest is now seeking submissions through the end of February, as the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library prepares to bring the contest’s awards ceremony to the new library.The Friends of the Greenfield Public...
If the land could speak: Community gardens are located on land with stories echoing social justice roots
By PAT JAMES
Community gardens grow on all kinds of land. Many gardens start as derelict lots, long abandoned by owners who sometimes reclaim the property after community gardeners reveal its beauty and productivity.Schools and parks are common sites for community...
Sounds Local: New year, new releases: Local artists release singles ahead of buzzed-about new albums
By SHERYL HUNTER
With a new year comes new music, and 2024 looks like it will be an excellent year for both recordings and live music. Now that the holidays are over, some local musicians have dropped new singles in recent weeks as they gear up for full-length...
Speaking of Nature: Drama at the feeders: The arrival of winter means the arrival of some foul-weather friends
By BILL DANIELSON
It appears as though winter has finally arrived. November and December (most of which is technically autumn) were very mild and all through the Christmas break the high temperatures were consistently above freezing. This resulted in little to no snow...
Northampton’s new poet laureate lives in Greenfield: Franny Choi is 10th person to hold title
By STEVE PFARRER
NORTHAMPTON — After a delay caused in part by the pandemic, the city has a new poet laureate.Franny Choi, who was nominated last year for a Massachusetts Book Award, has written for the New York Times and the Atlantic, and been interviewed on NPR, has...
Hitting it big for wrong reasons: In ‘American Fiction’ at Amherst Cinema, writer’s pastiche hailed as authentic
By STEVE PFARRER
Though it had only an initial limited theatrical release, and did not appear until December, “American Fiction” has already popped up on a number of critics’ “best films of 2023” lists, and the movie has been nominated for a slew of awards.The buzz is...
Valley Bounty: Farming in a winter wonderland: Lombrico Farm in Whately coaxes fresh produce from soil year-round
By JACOB NELSON
‘The best carrots you’ll ever eat are picked in January or February,” says Erik Debbink, owner of Lombrico Farm in Whately. In the dead of winter, their sweetness shines through.Lombrico Farms is one of a growing number of local farms working hard to...
Faith Matters: The gospel according to baseball: It is never too late for each of us to have a great 9th inning
By BISHOP DOUG FISHER
As you are reading this column, we are 35 days away from the official start of Major League Baseball’s Spring Training.So it is only fitting that I begin this column with a couple of inspirational baseball stories.Growing up in the 1960s, like many...
Focus on Your Health: Where and how to donate blood: Baystate to host monthly blood drives in Greenfield
By ANITA FRITZ
January is National Blood Donor Month, and beginning Jan. 17, the Baystate Blood Donor Program at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield will be hosting monthly blood drives. Throughout the year, Baystate Franklin invites and encourages people...
When greed takes over: Greenfield writer pens ‘a cautionary tale for all ages’
By TINKY WEISBLAT
The Green Palmers ChronicleBy Jon HuerAustin Macauley PublishersReaders of Jon Huer’s commentary in this newspaper may be surprised to see a slightly different side of the Greenfield writer in “The Green Palmers Chronicle.” Huer calls the novel “a...
Sounds Local: From the Balkans to Jamaica: Inaugural klezmer and reggae events happening in Franklin County this Saturday
By SHERYL HUNTER
On Saturday night, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m., the Montague Center Common Hall will host a special concert and workshop featuring music from Eastern Europe and the Balkans.Orkestar Banitsa and Myrtle Street Klezmer, local bands who play different styles of...
In the kitchen with Fannie Farmer: A brief history of the ‘Mother of Level Measurements’
By TINKY WEISBLAT
Like many American home cooks, I own more cookbooks than I can use.Over the years, hand-me-downs from family members, birthday gifts, and impulse purchases have brought more than 100 volumes to my kitchen shelves.When I decide to try preparing a dish...
Art inspired by nature’s relationships: Montague resident shares artworks and tidbits about our natural world
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
Contra dance enthusiasts and Montague May Day fans may recognize today’s guest star as Jeanne Weintraub, while people who met the Montague resident following her marriage to Chris Mason — whose sustainability and alternative energy work merits a...
A cheery chalk surprise: Deerfield resident creates driveway art to uplift students and families each week
By CHRIS LARABEE
As Deerfield Elementary School students and their families walk, drive or take the bus to school every Friday morning this school year, they can often expect a chalky surprise just steps from the building.Like clockwork — except on nasty weather days...
‘A People’s History of Colrain’: Library produces new podcast to tell local stories
By BELLA LEVAVI
The Griswold Memorial Library is getting local people to tell their own stories in their recently launched podcast, “A People’s History of Colrain.” “We are trying to collect local history in people’s own voices,” explained Griswold Memorial Library...
Your Daily Puzzles
An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."
A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.
Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.
Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.
Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
