The Alternative Pioneers: Founders spill the tea as the Valley Advocate turns 50
By BOB FLAHERTY For the Advocate If it was just that hippie rag, as detractors liked to rank it, well we hippie ragamuffins devoured it front to back. It spoke our language, the F-laden part included, and it was as underground as the music we toked to. But we soon...
Changes in policing under way in other communities
Meanwhile, activist groups across the Pioneer Valley such as “413 Stay Woke, Stay Active,” have been calling on cities and towns to make reforms, whether by divesting funds from police departments or finding new alternatives to existing systems entrenched in systemic racism.
Despite setbacks due to pandemic, future bright for budding cannabis industry
More than 60 stores are now open statewide, including some 15 in Hampden, Hamphire and Franklin counties, with many more in the pipeline both locally and throughout the state.
Vision 2020: Not what we had in mind
So far, 2020 has included a sick convergence of grotesquely global-scale problems one after another, and the fact is that instead of planning for them, our leaders either actively buried their heads in the sand (coronavirus, climate change) or conspired to make matters worse (stealing another Supreme Court seat).
A Guide to Local Cannabis Dispensaries
A list of local cannabis dispensaries that are currently open in the Pioneer Valley.
How Northampton helped the women’s suffrage movement cross the finish line
The success of the women’s suffrage campaign, which had begun 72 years before in 1848, was thought unlikely in 1916. It was unprecedented when it occurred in 1920 in the face of the post-war depression, rising anti-immigrant sentiment and labor unrest, and the third wave of the pandemic.
Stagestruck: We’re All Improvisers Now
Last March, when the theaters shut down, we thought we might be back onstage by now. But as fall and winter seasons were postponed or abandoned, some companies have devised mother-of-invention ways to keep the flame alight.
Welcome back to The Valley Advocate
A heartfelt welcome back, dear reader. It’s been awhile since The Valley Advocate’s last edition on April 30.
Key voting dates ahead of the 2020 Presidential Election
With the Nov. 3 General Election less and a month away, here are some key voting dates compiled by the League of Women Voters of Northampton: Voting timeline Sept. 14: Vote by mail applications are mailed to all voters for the election. Oct. 17-30: Early in-person...
Marty Nathan: ‘Clean energy doesn’t come out of smokestack’
Polluted air means worse asthma for any community. Though Springfield’s air has been cleaned up significantly over the decades, Hampden County still gained an F rating for levels of the respiratory toxin ozone this year.
Happenings in the Valley
Our online calendar has listings from organizations across the country hosting virtual events, but we’ve chosen to highlight some from local venues and groups.
Sessions
Check out our most recent performances in the playlist below, or click here to dig into interviews and related material!No Results Found
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Jon Carroll & BraveSoul on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
A two-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter making R&B with soulful melodies and an inventive spirit.
The V-Spot: Who Do I Choose?
Dear Yana, I’m a 61-year-old woman dating two men. One of them is a retired, 75-year-old secure man who knows who he is. The other is in his 50s and is still trying to figure it all out. Neither of them knows about the other one and live at a distance from each...
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Cinemadope: CatVideoFest at Amherst Cinema
This week, Valley cat-lovers and those who love them can get a taste of what it’s all about when the festival arrives at Amherst Cinema for a pair of screenings.










