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By SCOTT MERZBACH

A tradition for 28 years, the Taste of Amherst for most of its run brought restaurants to the Town Common in mid-June, with select menu items offered from various tents that attendees could enjoy while listening to live music.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — A large banner reading “the Heritage Park and Nature Trail is now open” is placed alongside the red, white and blue bunting attached to the side of the North Leverett Sawmill, a historic pre-Revolutionary War building that awaits renovation and has been declared a critical site for commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — An acting officer-in-charge is overseeing the Shutesbury Police Department through the end of June, with the current chief on administrative leave.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HOLYOKE — Recent cancellation of an $87 million federal grant to support construction of a low-carbon cement startup’s manufacturing plant in Holyoke is not expected to derail plans that would have that facility open by 2028, though the company is reviewing backup options.

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

SHUTESBURY — Police Chief Kristin Burgess has been placed on administrative leave, according to a message sent to the community by the Select Board on Friday.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Even though located at the edge of the Quabbin Reservoir, which provides drinking water for millions of residents in and around Boston, Shutesbury has no municipal water supply and has spent almost $700,000 to address contamination from PFAS, or forever chemicals, in private wells.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Two canoes circling Lake Warner in North Hadley on a mild and sunny Wednesday morning provided a chance for those on board to paddle the 70-acre pond and appreciate the sights and sounds of the area, from fish swimming through the water to birds flying overhead, and even a large snake briefly coming onto the lawn next to the boat launch.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Prioritizing purchase of zero-emission vehicles, supporting municipal decarbonization by 2050 and opting into the state’s specialized energy code, while enhancing the existing safe community bylaw and adopting a town spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, are among articles voters will decide at annual Town Meeting Saturday.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Police Chief Kristin Burgess is taking a leave of absence from her position overseeing the department, according to an email sent by the Selectboard to residents Thursday night.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HOLYOKE — With family roots in the newspaper industry and many years serving as chairman of Newspapers of New England, Holyoke native Donald R. Dwight, who died at the age of 94 on Sunday, is being recalled for a life lived by the same principles that guided his commitment to locally owned, independent journalism.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Accepting a gift of an actively managed 146.3-acre woodlot and recommending resurfacing and possibly paving the length of Dudleyville Road are among the actions to be decided by residents at Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Federal officials are restoring the previously terminated student immigration statuses for 13 international students at the University of Massachusetts, according to information posted on the university’s federal actions page Monday.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

In one sculpture made from fired terracotta, with a natural patina, life holds and cradles life. In another sculpture, life holds and grasps death.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Molly McGovern, the daughter of U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and Lisa McGovern and sister to Patrick McGovern, died unexpectedly in Italy while visiting a friend and his family, according to a statement the congressman’s family issued Thursday morning.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — A steep increase in what Leverett will pay into the Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools’ fiscal year 2026 budget is being supported by the Selectboard, even with concerns from board members about the process used to arrive at the town’s assessment.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Returning from visiting two students who are being held in separate detention facilities in Louisiana, U.S. Rep. James McGovern said what he saw firsthand is individuals who are being imprisoned because of their political views.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — In a change from customary practice, Shutesbury will hold its town election and Annual Town Meeting on separate days, a little over a month apart.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — University of Massachusetts officials are dispelling unconfirmed chatter this week that federal agents affiliated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were present on the Amherst campus.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

For a town like Hatfield, annual road maintenance has become increasingly challenging over the past 12 years, as state Chapter 90 money declines even as the price of hot mix asphalt rises substantially.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Several local Democratic Town Committees in Hampshire and Franklin counties, and Holyoke, are making an appeal to the Massachusetts congressional delegation to take stronger steps in confronting the Republican Party, the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk.