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By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — Local scientists warn that the proposed federal cuts to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystem Mission Area — a federal research program that studies the country’s natural resources — that are outlined in the White House’s fiscal year 2026 budget could not only degrade national ecosystems, but the industries and people that rely on them.

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — Graduate student Josie Pilchik’s career plans dissolved with just one email.

By JOHANNA NEUMANN

By CAROLYN BROWN

Florence-based author and illustrator Grace Lin is known for books like “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” (for which she received a Newbery Honor in 2010), “The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon,” “The Ugly Vegetables,” and “A Big Mooncake for Little Star” (for which she received a Caldecott Honor in 2019). Now, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst is celebrating Lin’s work with a career retrospective.

By TOBIAS BASKIN

“What do you teach?” I am asked when I say that I am a professor at UMass. I teach plant physiology. But the question misses the core of what I do: run a research lab. Few ask me: “What do you research?” or “Why is a college professor doing research?”

By CAROLYN BROWN

In Silverthorne Theater Co.’s latest production, Jordan Harrison’s “The Amateurs,” a deft cast weaves its way through a complicated but comedic script with pandemic-era resonance.

By MARIETTA PRITCHARD

We don’t often discuss the war, but one day last week Olesya and I spent a few minutes doing just that. She told me with some pride about the destruction of the bridge to Crimea, which I hadn’t yet heard about. Somehow tons of explosives had been planted there. And this came on the heels of daring drone attacks on Russian air force bases. Many drones were being made by Ukrainians in their homes, she said, using 3-D printers and other easily accessible materials.

By CAROLYN BROWN

Earlier this year, three Massachusetts artists were chosen to create six wheatpaste murals total to decorate the town of Montague, a public art project funded by a $15,000 grant. The most local of the three – graphic designer and illustrator Sophie Foulkes – recently installed her murals at Montague Town Hall and 20 Masonic St. in Montague.

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.

Shortly after dawn on Thursday, May 22, the Republican-held House of Representatives approved, strictly along party lines and by a single vote, a budget bill that is cruel, anti-democratic, and dangerous for our economy. Every person in this country must be aware of how, exactly, this group of legislators turned against America.

By STEVE PFARRER

Stephen Platt, who teaches 19th and 20th century Chinese history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, made a significant name for himself with his two last books.

In his May 17 column titled, “Paths to advocate for humane treatment of immigrants,” writer Judson Brown tells us ways we can be helpful to our immigrant neighbors, including recent refugees. Brown reports that, under Trump, federal funds have been cut off to the three local agencies that led resettlement efforts for refugees — Ascentria Care Alliance (a Lutheran organization), Catholic Charities, and Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts. Brown highlights some of the groups who have arrived recently and have been living here legally, and he points out the Trump administration’s “systematic effort to destroy seemingly almost all sanctioned pathways to legal residency by folks seeking a better life here.”

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — University of Massachusetts doctoral candidate Shannon Callaham had initially planned to spend time earlier this month analyzing interview data between Holyoke community members and energy industry professionals as part of a grant-funded project that centered around environmental justice in Holyoke’s transition to renewable energy.

By CHRIS LARABEE

SUNDERLAND — While final tweaks and changes are expected before the end of June, residents and the Selectboard got a first look at the feasibility study for the Norwottuck North Shared-Use Path Monday evening.

By JOHANNA NEUMANN

Wind and solar power reduce our dependence on polluting fossil fuels, with big benefits for our environment and health. That’s why it’s welcome news that Massachusetts ranked 5th in the nation for electric vehicle charging ports and 11th for solar generation at the end of 2024. Here in the Bay State, and in fact, across the country, renewable energy technologies have grown rapidly over the past decade.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

AMHERST — Change is a theme common enough at college commencements — a beginning and an end. But for the UMass Amherst class of 2025, change seemed more pressing and obvious when they received their diplomas Friday night.

Throughout the world people are honoring the life of Pope Francis who was both a spiritual and political leader. He called on all of us to make it a priority to protect the environment, provide justice for all, especially the poor and marginalized, and to work for peace. In our country flags flew at half-mast in his honor. But to truly honor Pope Francis, it is not enough to lower our flags, light candles, and bow our heads. May we all reflect on and be guided in our actions by the Pope’s words and deeds.

By CAROLYN BROWN

After 65 years playing and directing church music, 17 of those as First Church Amherst minister of music, Dick Matteson is ready to celebrate his legacy with the Pioneer Valley. He plans to retire next month, and a farewell concert will be held this Saturday, May 17, at 2 p.m.

Most of us will become disabled at some point in our lives. Whether through accident, illness, or simply old age, we will all join the largest minority in the U.S. For decades, institutionalization was standard for people with disabilities. Conditions were commonly squalid, overcrowded, and abusive.When the deinstitutionalization movement gained momentum in the 1960s and 70s, we developed support systems to help people with disabilities live on their own.

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — Ahead of an expected round of workforce reductions at the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center based at the University of Massachusetts is preparing for the worst-case scenario: elimination of the entire operation.

By MICKEY RATHBUN

In the Orchard Arboretum, a little-known public garden in South Amherst, a living work of art is making its debut this spring. “I call it a daffodil ribbon,” explained Richard Waldman, a retired landscape architect from New York City who conceived of the project two years ago and has finally brought it to fruition.