As Christmas Eve came and went, hundreds of families and thousands of children prepared to enjoy Christmas because the generosity of the local community made it possible.The 2025 Toy for Joy drive officially ended with its traditional Dec. 24 deadline. However, contributions sent in just...
Dear Eric: A few years ago, I became very ill and was put into an induced coma. After waking, I endured two difficult months in a nursing home.Once home, my husband was invaluable, handling tasks like changing my colonoscopy bag and feeding me. Though his...
NORTHAMPTON — Public schools here are moving closer to implementing a districtwide cellphone ban for students during the school day. An ad hoc panel of school board members and stakeholders has been discussing revisions to a draft policy that would forbid public school students in...
The billion-dollar romance publishing industry hasn’t always been inclined to feature main characters who use wheelchairs or are autistic reveling in the pleasure of a lover’s touch.Writers, however, have always been telling those stories. A few years ago, big publishers seemed to be catching up.The...
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a series of profiles created by UMass’ Journalism 332 Sports Writing class.If you ask UMass women’s basketball assistant coach Claire Fitzpatrick, Megan Olbrys never has a bad day. “I put an orange ball in the hoop, at the...
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a series of profiles created by UMass’ Journalism 332 Sports Writing class.Megan Olbrys recruited Taylor Derkack as the most important person on the sidelines: her lip gloss keeper. Tasked with keeping Olbrys’ sacred lip gloss ready at all...
The Drake Maye MVP hype train is back on the tracks and headed to New York New Jersey on Sunday afternoon as the Patriots take on the Jets.According to DraftKings, Maye is currently second in MVP odds (+175) behind only Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew...
While attending a friend’s family barbecue, “Willa,” a young mother of four, drank too much and became ill. Drugs may have been involved. Understandably, the three older children became very concerned about their mom’s condition. Willa’s partner, “Ian,” was furious. My husband spent an hour...
Dear Eric: In 2020, my now-wife and I were engaged. My mother is a nurse with asthma and was deeply affected by the pandemic, experiencing significant mental and emotional stress. She avoided most wedding planning events, constantly concerned with germs, wearing an N95 mask, and...
Christmas is typically a time for families, friends and communities across the United States to come together and, in the spirit of the holiday, share gifts, meals and memories while taking a break from their everyday lives and work.Americans should anticipate that most businesses and...
