News
by Kristin Palpini | Feb 16, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Every congressional session U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) files H.R. 40, a bill to study the impact of slavery on the nation. And every congressional session it dies in committee. That’s where the tenth submission of this bill, filed in January of last year, is...
by Chuck Shepherd | Feb 16, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
Wired.com’s most recent “Absurd Creature” feature shows a toad devouring a larva of a much-smaller beetle, but the “absurdity” is that the larva is in charge and that the toad will soon be beetle food. The larva’s Darwinian advantage is that, inside the toad, it bites...
by Jeff Good | Feb 16, 2016 | Articles, Music, Scene Here
So, yeah. I’m obsessed. I began following Bruce Springsteen as a schoolboy coming of age in mid-1970s Omaha. A few seconds after graduation, I loaded up my Mercury Bobcat (creamsicle orange paint, white vinyl top) and headed east. Crossing the Jersey state line, I...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 8, 2016 | Articles, News, Wellness
Sex has been around since day one, and it’s still evolving. Just over the past 50 or 60 years, getting down has changed significantly. Influenced by popular culture and social mores, sex has become a more liberated and experimental experience since the 1950s. With a...
by Kristin Palpini | Feb 8, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines
Mike Albano is Western Mass’ perennial candidate. A member of the Governor’s Council — but more famously the mayor of Springfield, from 1995 to 2004 — Albano has amassed a following and developed a political acumen that has kept him on the short list most years for a...
by Chuck Shepherd | Feb 8, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
Even though concealed-carry gun permit-holders in Texas can now “open carry,” pistol-packing women concerned with fashion are not limited to traditional firearms in ordinary cowboy holsters. An online company, The Well Armed Woman, offers such carry options as stylish...
by From Our Readers | Feb 8, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
WTF WMUA? UMass Amherst radio station WMUA’s draconian reduction of community programming warrants focusing the spotlight of public scrutiny on this newly minted, institutionalized contempt for the community. In one instance, the student leadership of WMUA, acting...
by Advocate Staff | Feb 8, 2016 | Articles, News, Scene Here
The man is 74 years old. For half a century of tilting at the bone-grinding windmills of Darwinian capitalism, you’d think he’d be weary, wised-up, aching for retirement. But no, here he is in New Hampshire, on short sleep caught on a night flight halfway across the...
by Amanda Drane | Feb 8, 2016 | Articles, Food + Booze, News
Most restaurants rely on liquor sales for survival, which is why the city of Holyoke acquired 13 additional all-alcohol licenses to sell on the cheap as part of an urban renewal plan. But that was over a year ago and no one’s biting yet. At least one of the former...
by Naila Moreira | Feb 8, 2016 | Articles, Columns, News
A friend of mine recently forgot his reusable bags when he dropped in at Stop & Shop. To make matters worse, he’d also forgotten about Northampton’s new plastic bag ban, which started Jan. 1. Then the person in line behind him lectured him on the merits of the...
by Amanda Drane | Feb 3, 2016 | Articles, News
Rupert the pit bull stands at the feet of his 2-year-old owner, calmly snorting up popcorn while the toddler yanks forcefully at the dog’s collar. Tai Wickline is pulling hard enough to elicit bulldog-like breathing from his 3-year-old canine. “You trying to pull...
by Chuck Shepherd | Feb 3, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
In January, the upscale Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana introduced stylish hijabs and abayas aimed at Muslim women unafraid to call attention to themselves as they exercise their obliged modesty. D&G’s marketing effort even accessorized models’...
by Amanda Drane | Feb 3, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
I have a confession to make, people — I own a pit bull. Phew! I’ve been hemming and hawing over whether or not to outright say that for weeks. Because the consequences are indeed scary. As a disclaimer: if anyone tries to take my dog-son away we’ll go on the run...
by Hunter Styles | Jan 25, 2016 | Articles, Scene Here
The creaky floorboards cry out when Tom Matherly shifts his weight. He rocks from one heel to the other in his tan boots, staring down at the frayed red rug while he twists the tuning keys on his vintage electric guitar. He’s pausing his set list to play “The Man Who...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 25, 2016 | Articles, News of the Weird
The “public art” statues unveiled in January by Fort Myers, Florida, Mayor Randy Henderson included a metal structure by sculptor Edugardo Carmona of a man walking a dog, with the dog “lifting his leg” beside a pole. Only after inspecting the piece more closely did...
by From Our Readers | Jan 25, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers
Healthcare: More Bern for Your Buck As a surgeon, I have participated in our healthcare system since 1979. I have witnessed the attempts of medically naive politicians seeking to reform our compromised healthcare system. Bankrolled by health industry lobbyists, these...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 18, 2016 | Articles, News
Who knows what’ll happen with legalization on the ballot in November, but in the meantime, the state seems to finally have a handle on the whole medical marijuana thing. Previous caps that limited potential dispensaries to one per county, and then 35 statewide, were...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 25, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines
Last week, I wrote a column, “Hillary Clinton is the Real Revolution” about why I will cast my vote for Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the March primary. An immensely qualified candidate, Clinton also has the advantage of being a woman, which allows her to bring a...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 18, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
It’s difficult to argue against Beyoncé’s greatness, it is true. But skimming through clips of marching bands past elicits one big question about the Super Bowl halftime shows of today: with all the fireworks and special effects, have we strayed too far away from the...
by From Our Readers | Jan 18, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Many ways to volunteer I read your article about volunteering, “Giving Back” (Dec. 24-30, 2015), and I was a little irritated. Why is it that when someone says “volunteer,” the focus immediately goes to homeless/food banks/shelters. There are other organizations that...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 18, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
With many people in the U.S. prepared to bomb the fictional land of Agrabah, plus a full-on conservative war against women, the Affordable Care Act under siege and a fragile economy, America needs Hillary Clinton to be the next president. The former senator and...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 18, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
They are simply “‘spas’ designed to attract teenagers,” according to one university official — plush, state-of-the-art “training” complexes built by universities in the richest athletic conferences to entice elite 17-year-old athletes to come play for and, perhaps,...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 11, 2016 | Articles, Music, News
One Bar and Grill — formerly Tully O’Reilly’s and The Elevens — is once again reborn after little more than a year in its former incarnation. Following last week’s convening of the Northampton License Commission, the establishment is officially doing business as...
by From Our Readers | Jan 11, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Halos and Horns: You’re doing it wrong Editor’s note: One Dec. 31, 2015, the Advocate came out with its annual Halos and Horns, an edition dedicated to skewering and praising the people, places, things, and events of 2015. Here’s some reader reaction: Responding to...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 11, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
A tractor-trailer driver with a load of bottled water tried to make it over an historic bridge in Paoli, Indiana, on Christmas Day, with the obvious outcome when 35 tons of water starts across a limit-6-tons span. The driver told police she saw the 6-ton sign, but did...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 11, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, Columns, News
Massachusetts has some of the most ineffective and restrictive public information laws in the country. Data that is published online in most U.S. states is difficult to access in Massachusetts. For example, Massachusetts is one of a handful of states in the nation...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 11, 2016 | Articles, Scene Here
DAN LITTLE PHOTO The camels may not be here at this year’s Three King’s Day celebration put on by Springfield’s Women of the Vanguard and various community partners, but the party’s so much fun that no one seems to mind. Arriving around 5:30 at Main Street’s...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 7, 2016 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
By Amanda Drane One Bar and Grill — formerly Tully O’Reilly’s and The Elevens — is once again reborn after little more than a year in its former incarnation. Following Wednesday’s convening of the Northampton License Commission, the establishment is officially doing...
by Chuck Shepherd | Jan 4, 2016 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
In December, Canada’s supportive organization The Transgender Project released a biographical video of the former Paul Wolscht, 46, and the father of seven children with his ex-wife, Marie, describing his new life as not only a female, but a 6-year-old female,...
by Hunter Styles | Jan 4, 2016 | Articles, Food + Booze, News, Wellness
Steve Alves rolls up an chair, sits down at his desk, and opens a spreadsheet of every food co-op in America. He has been compiling this list for years. As his finger flicks the scroll wheel, hundreds of rows spill upward on the monitor: co-ops in states like Idaho,...
by From Our Readers | Jan 4, 2016 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Social media mobs bully those who make mistakes In place of the N-bomb, I would like to offer the P-word – p-r-o-p-o-r-t-i-o-n-a-l-i-t-y. Nowadays, a person makes an error, uses a nasty word, commits some politically incorrect faux pas and the hunt is on! Go...
by Kristin Palpini | Jan 4, 2016 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
In December the Boston-based Disability Law Center rocked the Valley with a report about alleged physical and psychological abuse suffered by students at the Peck School in Holyoke. In the report, the protection and advocacy agency details a number of disturbing...
by The Recorder Editorial Board | Jan 4, 2016 | Articles, News
Those who worried about accidents at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant causing environmental and health hazards severe enough to affect its downwind neighbors in Franklin County have less to worry about now. For about a year now, the 42-year-old, 620-megawatt...
by Amanda Drane | Jan 4, 2016 | Articles, Scene Here
AMANDA DRANE PHOTO It’s here — the white we all wanted on Christmas. But they sent the wrong stuff. Given the Valley’s tropical Christmas — we saw people posting Christmas bikini pics on social media — it’s really a mean joke that flakes fell last Tuesday while...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Featured, News
Halos and Horns is the Advocate’s kind of annual review of the Pioneer Valley and beyond. We take aim at everything from politicians to pants, awarding kudos and condemnation. Food Justice Workers For some strange reason, humanity has gotten so far ahead...
by Emily Atkinson | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, News
It’s a new year, time to look forward to the future, but it’s also a great time to give back donating or volunteering. If you’ve never volunteered before, here’s how to get started: • Know what you’re in for. Sarah Tanner, director of development at Friends of the...
by From Our Readers | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Voting on holiday Your recent column (“U.S. to blame: Government at fault for low voter turnout,” Nov. 26, 2015) about the lack of voter turnout missed, I think, an answer. Make Nov. 4 a federal holiday. Democracy, anyone? Michael D. Joyce Wendell Democrats will do...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
According to the flabbergasted sheriff of rural Chesterfield County, South Carolina, “This has completely changed our definition of (what constitutes) an ‘ass-load’ of guns.” Brent Nicholson, 51, had been storing more than 7,000 firearms in his home and a storage...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, News
Maggie Baumer doesn’t want to sugarcoat it — it was hell losing her arm in a trash compactor. But in a strange way, the loss set her on the path toward a better life. Many people strive for the fast track, only to find that long hours produce little but exhaustion and...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
As if 2015 weren’t bad enough for the Department of Homeland Security — e.g., in June, internal DHS tests revealed that its Transportation Security Administration failed to stop 67 of 70 guns passing through airport screeners — a U.S. congressman revealed in December...
by From Our Readers | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
What about women in film? As an area film teacher and filmmaker, I was thrilled to see your “Film or Die” Dec. 17, 2015. Tobin, Skolnick, Baldassaro, Levigne and Hott have wonderful stories, and I’m happy to know that other filmmakers are enjoying the Valley. However,...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
We wish for: -Donald Trump to go the hell away before he ruins our country. -an additional bridge between Northampton and Hadley. Coolidge just can’t take it anymore. -a use for pennies. (New rule: if you can’t use it to pay a parking meter, get rid of it.) -more...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News, The Uncanny Valley
Like many local drivers, I take Interstate 91 up and down the Valley several nights a week. So I have had plenty of opportunity to wonder: what in the intergalactic hell is going on near exit 24? Drive south for a mile and a half past the Whately Diner, look to the...
by Talbert W. Swan II | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
It is glaringly obvious that policymakers are going easier on today’s heroin users, because many are white and often affluent, than in previous years when the addicts were identified as largely black, disenfranchised, and economically bereft. Gov. Charlie Baker’s...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News
One of the first rules in business should be, don’t drop N-bombs around your customers. That weaponized language is rarely acceptable in any situation, but for a business owner to text the slur at a customer, you’ve got to wonder what the hell the entrepreneur was...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 16, 2015 | Articles, News
It’s the week before Christmas and if you haven’t done it yet, it’s time to get your ass in gear and buy the people in your life some presents. No reason to panic, though, the Advocate has combed the Valley looking for the best last minute gifts for your family,...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News
The Mason Square Health Task Force — formed in 2007 with a $2.8 million grant from Baystate Health — may have closed its doors on Nov. 20, but its members say the work to improve healthy, affordable access to food in Springfield goes on. “We no longer have a physical...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
Every week brings a delightful struggle: deciding which stories will be featured in the Advocate. With only a handful of chances each month to grab readers’ interest, we strive to choose stories that explore long-standing issues and policies in the community. We try...
by From Our Readers | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers
‘Treat and street’ is no way to help addicts There’s much talk lately about the serious drug problems in Massachusetts. Having witnessed the struggles of friends with the system I have some strong opinions on the subject. Firstly, I could never fathom why drug...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
In November, lawyer Michael Petersen of Appleton, Wisconsin, was ordered by county judge Philip Kirk — in a sentence for contempt of court — to inform every client he acquires in the following 12 months that Petersen is a “crook,” “cheat,” “thief” and “liar.” Kirk...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Scene Here
AMANDA DRANE PHOTO At Price Rite in Chicopee on a recent Thursday afternoon, the rally is in action. A man wearing a vest with Bernie Sanders buttons and Jobs with Justice pins approaches my car. I roll down the window at his polite but persistent behest. He hands me...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines
Puerto Rico is $72 billion in the hole and struggling to pay loans leaders took out to keep their nation afloat. Meanwhile, hedge funds and bond firms are throwing their hands up in the air and filing lawsuits against the island nation. As if this were not foreseen by...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Missed connection in Paris Before the horrendous Paris attacks happened, before we were shocked once again by the brutality and scale of modern day terrorism, there was another story that came out. CNN as well as ABC News reported that a U.S. drone strike had possibly...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, News of the Weird
After certain takeoffs and landings were delayed on Nov. 7 at Paris’ Orly airport (several days before the terrorist attacks), a back trace on the problem forced the airport to disclose that its crucial “DECOR” computer system still runs on Windows 3.1 software —...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music, Scene Here
AMANDA DRANE PHOTO Outside the Nest, a house/underground music venue on a side street off Belchertown Road in Amherst, a cloud of smokers greet me. I follow the train of people kicking off their boots and shoes at the bottom of the basement stairs where a living room...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Film, News
When it comes to a homegrown film industry, the Pioneer Valley is hardly Los Angeles, New York, or Boston. But this area is brimming with creative people, and as cameras and film tech become ever more cheap and accessible, young talent is coming up alongside...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, News
For some reason, Chicopee is often overlooked by people looking to cut lose on the weekend or after work, or in the afternoon, or — you get the idea, we all have our own party schedules. Here’s some reasons to head over to Chicopee, a city we love: Polish Food: A...
by Amanda Drane | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, News
Monte Belmonte could have been an Olympic speed walker if he hadn’t become one of the Valley’s most recognizable radio personalities. Or at least that’s how it feels as I huff and puff trying to keep up with him. Dressed in his cerulean blue suit — complete with his...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
The “Be a Local Hero” or “Shero” slogan is a too hyperbolic for me, but below the schmaltz there’s some truth to it. The small action of buying local goods and services strengthens hometowns in ways that big box stores and corporate businesses can’t: more local jobs...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Facebook: Is Agawam HS’ team name offensive? Editor’s note: The below comments were left on the Advocate’s Facebook page in response to a guest column, “These Brownies Have Got to Go” Nov. 19-25, 2015. George Green: Where did these two writers get their information,...
