Here are today's headlines:

NORTHAMPTON - Starting Thursday, face masks are no longer required outdoors when 6 feet of social distancing can be maintained, the city's health department announced Wednesday.Since last spring, Northampton has required that people wear masks - with some exceptions - at all times downtown, in city...

Used car treasures: Highway Auto Salvage in Northampton expanding fast

NORTHAMPTON - The phones were buzzing on a recent weekday morning at Highway Auto Salvage, where employees answered questions about car parts in English and Spanish.An expansive sign hanging on the back wall of the small sales office listed the wares available for those dropping by with their own to...

Zoning changes to mandate more affordable housing in Amherst

AMHERST - As Amherst continues to miss its goal of developing around 50 affordable housing units annually, town planners are crafting zoning revisions that would mandate developers include homes in their projects for low- and moderate-income households.In what members of the Planning Department desc...

Showtime stops at Whately Diner for continued filming of 'Dexter'

WHATELY - Film crews are making a pit stop at the Whately Diner this week, the latest in a tour of Franklin County locations, for continued filming of the Showtime series "Dexter."The Whately Diner will be closed all week for filming the new 10-episode limited series.Possible Productions announced...

UMass basketball transfers: Ronnie DeGray III headed to Missouri

Former UMass men's basketball forward Ronnie DeGray III is heading to the SEC.The freshman announced Wednesday on Twitter that he's transferring to Missouri."First I would like to thank God for leading me through this path in finding a new home. I also want to thank my parents for helping me each st...

Guest columnist Allison McDonald: Grading a great high school

What makes a high school great? I'm sure that many things come to mind. Great teachers are tops on the list. Teachers who inspire and motivate student learning and growth, who challenge and support students to achieve more than they think they can achieve. Up there on the list is also the offering...

Columnist Marty Nathan: Pushing Biden's good start on climate to next level

It was easier though more painful to write these columns in the last four years when the landscape was truly bleak. I took as my job to review the newest frontal attack on the climate and public health by the Trump administration.The growing climate justice movement was fully engaged in defense aga...

CDH reopens hospital-based urgent care clinic

NORTHAMPTON - Cooley Dickinson Health Care has reopened Urgent Care at its hospital location. The Urgent Care practice, which closed in the spring of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, provides an alternative to Emergency Department visits for illnesses and injuries that are not life-threate...

Hampshire Hope: DART takes national stage

A snippet of video included in our Hampshire HOPE presentation at the 2021 RX Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit drove our point home better than any PowerPoint ever could. Seated at a table was Adam Van Buskirk, a founding officer in the Northampton Police Department's post-overdose response team known...