Here are today's headlines:

McGovern secures honor for atomic veterans

NORTHAMPTON - In a victory nearly a decade in the making, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern said Sunday that his office has successfully secured the creation of a service medal honoring veterans who were exposed to radiation during nuclear weapons tests.McGovern, D-Worcester, has for years been working to win...

Amherst police alternative program expected to be ready by May

AMHERST - A community responders program, whose unarmed employees will handle some calls that don't involve violence or serious crime that police officers currently respond to, should be running by May.At recent community forums held by the implementation team, which includes Police Chief Scott Livi...

Valley Bounty: Microgreens pack a macro punch at Pelham farm

Every farm looks a bit different. Some have fields full of plants rooted in the earth, while for others, their "fields" are soil-filled trays, set indoors under lights, bursting with little green shoots. At Quabbin Hill Farms, where four young farmers are making their mark in Pelham, it's a bit of...

Wonderful wings: Williamsburg man directs National Audubon Society's historic Christmas Bird Count

WILLIAMSBURG - From an early age, Geoff LeBaron was fascinated by flight, first with airplanes and then by birds. Today, years later, he's still drawn inexorably to birds."I can't stop birding," says LeBaron, who's 67. "I'm always noticing birds, whether that means seeing them or hearing them vocali...

Former Granby coach Tim Sheehan 'all-in' leading Agawam boys basketball

Tim Sheehan extends his fist to every Agawam boys basketball player during layup lines, inviting a bump. The Brownies coach asks them how they're doing off the court, as well, during these exchanges."He's really personable, he loves to get to know us," Agawam senior point guard Dylan Wesley said. "H...

Guest columnist Kira Jewett: Facing death with dignity

I recently had the deeply moving privilege to accompany an extraordinary human being, my brother-in-law Willem Jewett, through the last moments of his journey on Earth.Willem was passionate about life, one of the most fit people I've ever met, had a great sense of humor and a can-do attitude, and se...

Hampshire Hope: Jails take huge step toward rehab

The Hampshire Jail and House of Correction took a huge step forward in October when it opened a fully functioning clinic within the jail to provide medication for opioid use disorder. In light of the nation's opioid epidemic and the involvement of people with opioid use disorders in the criminal jus...

George Mason clamps down UMass basketball, lights up Mullins Center

AMHERST – The desperation the UMass men's basketball team has been seeking all season emerged, briefly, Sunday against George Mason.Patriots guard D'Shawn Schwartz lost the ball on the Minutemen's end, and players from both teams flew to the floor. The ball popped into UMass guard Javohn Garcia's ha...