Here are today's headlines:

Mount Holyoke College president Sonya Stephens stepping down in August

SOUTH HADLEY - Yet another local college president is stepping down, the third such announcement in less than six months.On Wednesday, Mount Holyoke College President Sonya Stephens announced that she will part ways with the school in August to take a job as the president of The American University...

'End the mandates': US truck convoy makes pit stop at Whately Diner on journey to Washington DC

WHATELY - With flags swaying and truck horns blaring, a convoy of trucks making its way to Washington, D.C., made a brief stop at the Whately Diner Wednesday afternoon to fuel up and greet supporters.An extension of similar protests that took place in Canada, the U.S. "Truckers' Freedom Convoy" is...

Holyoke, South Hadley approve lifting mask mandates

Health boards in both South Hadley and Holyoke rescinded their municipal-wide mask mandates on Tuesday evening.The decisions were the latest in a flurry of action as municipalities decide whether to lift or modify their mask mandates. Holyoke's citywide mask requirement was lifted effective immediat...

'We're always thinking about food': Daily Operation reopens at Eastworks for indoor dining

EASTHAMPTON - For two years, Daily Operation has been closed to the public for indoor dining, providing only curbside and delivery service amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But two weeks ago, that changed when the day-to-day operation of the Easthampton eatery shifted to its new location in the Eastworks...

Name on the back of UMass freshman Taylor Makar's jersey doesn't define him

Opponents love to chirp Taylor Makar for the name on the back of his jersey.From his junior hockey career with the Brooks Bandits to college hockey rinks now, they'll tell the UMass freshman "you're only here because of your brother." "You're in your brother's shadow." Or, most simply, "you're not...

Guest columnist Richie Davis: Peacemaker Paula Green's passion for uniting helped many find common ground

If I had to guess the number of times I interviewed Paula Green for this newspaper, I'd surely come up short.That's because Green, the Leverett therapist-turned-peacemaker who died Feb. 21, always seemed to be at the intersection of what was happening around the globe.Those first articles revolved...

Pat De Angelis, Ana Devlin Gauthier and Lynn Griesemer: The temporary moratorium failed, but we're counting it as a win

On Monday, Feb. 28, the Amherst Town Council voted not to pass a temporary moratorium on the permitting of large-scale solar in Amherst. As this debate moved through development, review, recommendations, and votes we heard from many residents both for and against the proposed temporary moratorium....

Greenfield hockey advances in Div. 4 state tourney with 3-0 win over Gardner

GREENFIELD - The Greenfield hockey team continues to find ways to win games in the postseason. On Wednesday in the preliminary round of the MIAA Div. 4 state tournament against Gardner, the Green Wave scored the opening goal and rode its defense the remainder of the game. Josh Bordeaux saved all 24...