Watch today's top stories and most popular videos which provide you with features like past/future radar and customizable layers Trust us to help you plan the best day possible with the most accurate weather forecast available We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview Mount Holyoke College (MHC) is attempting to pressure South Hadley into allowing a 6,000 square foot electrical power plant to be constructed on Woodbridge Street next to All Saints Episcopal Church and across from The Ruby apartment building MHC calls the proposed building an “Energy Center” to “showcase” their commitment to carbon neutrality Yet MHC’s own architect said at a public hearing on April 14: “Basically it’s an electrical power plant.” This is a residential zone The South Hadley Planning Board must prohibit this industrial use It will destroy the neighborhood’s charming village character and abutters and nearby residents will be subjected to constant noise from the electrical power plant heat pumps After encountering significant opposition from residents at that public hearing MHC now claims the Planning Board has no jurisdiction and zoning regulations do not apply They claim that the college is exempt under a state law called the Dover Amendment The Dover Amendment gives institutions latitude in using land and structures for educationally significant purposes But the Dover Amendment also stipulates the educationally significant goal must be the primary or dominant purpose If an electrical power plant is educational it could teach students about the importance of recycling The South Hadley Planning Board needs the courage to stop this industrial facility in a residential neighborhood I urge town residents to come to the next public hearing It’s June 23 at the South Hadley Senior Center you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users stakeholders and local and state elected officials join to officially break ground on Buttery Brook Park improvements.Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet state and local elected officials gathered on April 8 to celebrate a groundbreaking event for the long-awaited Buttery Brook Park improvement project will introduce several new amenities designed to make the park more inclusive and engaging for residents of all ages Planned improvements include four new pickleball courts a new bandshell for performances and events a half-mile walking loop and the planting of 200 new trees The improvements will also include repaving the basketball courts The upgrades were made possible with a matching Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant The town received a $500,000 grant in 2024 for the second round of improvements they had to first get the match funding from Town Meeting Town Administrator Lisa Wong said the voters approved approximately $900,000 under the condition that South Hadley receive the grant and reimburse the money Wong further explained that the last major investment into this park that the community was involved in was in 2013 playground improvements green space and a spray park four pickleball courts were built at Buttery Brook Park in July 2022 “It’s going to be amazing,” Wong stated about the upcoming improvements Buttery Brook Park was created in 1980 by South Hadley Parks Superintendent Joseph Taylor and has grown into a popular local spot The improvements will elevate the popularity with a new concert space better courts for potential tournaments and an outdoor space to do work on your computer The project was also made possible with funding efforts by Friends of Buttery Brook Friends of Buttery Park President Kim Prough said the group has raised close to $200,000 Prough talked about finally seeing improvements begin and the crowd of people there to see the project advance we’ve got [South Hadley Chamber of Commerce] we’ve got everybody here Although the Friends of Buttery Brook Park have raised close to $200,000 Prough stated that there is still more money that needs to be raised “We do have a little more to go but you know you’ll all hear from me about fundraisers,” Prough said “We’ve committed the funds to get this going We’ve also committed $50,000 toward the project so you know it’s really been a labor of love to really see this grow.” Homar Gomez (D-Easthampton) were also at the groundbreaking event to discuss the significance of this project local groups and voters who wanted to see this project come to fruition and he explained that it helps with the funding process when the project has the community’s support He also discussed the impact of this 21st century park and said “The parks that we had when we were kids did not look like this I think there are still splinters in my body from that wooden park [in Ludlow] and bruises and scars from it so to have a playscape and a facility that’s safe for children you can use this playground in an accessible manner.” Gomez talked about how this park can also help with mental health and we are struggling and places like this one will help our community so thank you for thinking of every single detail I wish I had this when I was younger; that I could bring my three daughters and use the computer at the same time.”The renovations are expected to be completed in phases over the coming months I would like to receive emails from The Reminder Millis 42Tigers heading back to the Division 4 state final Kate Phillips secures an offensive rebound for the Tigers after a Millis miss Kate Phillips pulled down an offensive rebound for the Tigers then hit the go-ahead free throw Millis' Lindsey Grattan just picked up her fourth foul with 1:55 left Cara Dean just crossed up Millis and pulled up from DEEP to tie the game for the Tigers She's scored eight straight points for Millis and is up to 16 in the game Kate Phillips sinks two free throws for the Tigers Lindsey Grattan hits two free throws to put Millis ahead Lucy Miller ties the game for Millis wth a free throw 5:49 left 3QMillis switching to more of a zone in the second half Grace Higgins finishes through contact then sinks the free trow to make it a one-point game for Millis 7 minutes left 3QLindsey Grattan hits two free throws and brings Millis within a point Millis 21Caroline Connors makes a free throw to cut the Millis deficit to 3 then the Tigers can't answer at the buzzer Lucy Miller makes two free throws to make it a two-possession game Cara Dean banked in a 3 to push the Tigers' lead to double digits Tigers hit back to back 3s to push the lead out before a Lucy Miller jumper stopped the run Lucy Miller makes two free throws for Millis A Millis travel gives SH an opportunity to extend its lead Kate Philllips has six points for the Tigers Lindsey Grattan and Caroline Connors lead Millis with four Grattan found Connors for a layup at the buzzer to cut Millis' deficit to a possession 2:12 left 1QLindsey Grattan taking mattters into her own hands to get to the rack for Millis Tigers like to press on a make and run whenever possible Lindsey Grattan just made a wild layup behind her head to put Millis up before the Tigers responded South Hadley in transition has been a weapon 6:28 left 1QBoth teams pressing and active on defense Someone's going back to the state championship game Millis last made it in Division 5 in 2023 while South Hadley is aiming for a return trip They'll face off for the chance to reach the final in the Division 4 state semifinals at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Worcester State Whoever wins will take on the winner of the second game in the doubleheader between No 1 and two-time defending state champion Cathedral and No The championship game is scheduled for 2 p.m Millis (16-7) emerged from the rough and tumble Tri-Valley League led by senior guard Lindsey Grattan The team relies on its press and a tight-knit group of athletes to make the game chaotic Freshman Caroline Connors has emerged as a reliable scorer in the tournament for a team that runs young Millis has three state championships in its history but last won in 2015 South Hadley (21-3) has won eight of its last nine games Cara Dean leads the Tigers scoring 11.3 points per game but South Hadley has three players with at least 200 points the state of the library says much about its priorities: how it values preserving and sharing knowledge its welcoming of a variety of people and perspectives how much it fosters conversation and education They are a source of entertainment (movies They have provided social connections and part-time employment for our grandchildren in addition to being a beautifully situated features two community room spaces that are used regularly for a wide range of gatherings and programs The interlibrary loan program makes it possible to access almost limitless materials free on request It provides museum passes and computer enhancements with the scan of a library card I can think of few if any services that serve so many so well and that are so important to maintaining and sharing a common knowledge base for everyone With the recent defunding of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) all of this is under threat Please stand up for preserving library funding by calling your legislators now and urge them to restore funding to this democracy bedrock post haste SOUTH HADLEY — The Select Board is reluctantly supporting a $58 million budget that will be presented at annual Town Meeting this spring with members acknowledging that the spending plan for next fiscal year does not meet the needs of residents The budget would mean the loss of 17 positions townwide Select Board members were in a quandary at their meeting Tuesday as they contemplated recommending a budget to Town Meeting that they all agree underfunds both the town and schools and I personally don’t feel confident and comfortable in voting to approve the budget today,” Select Board member Nicole Casolari said “Continuing to push forward a budget that doesn’t meet the needs of our residents just doesn’t stay right with me and I feel that I can’t do it in good faith.” While other board members agreed with Casolari Andrea Miles said that voting down the budget at Town Meeting would only inhibit municipal staff’s ability to be paid Town Administrator Lisa Wong said that Town Meeting looks to the Select Board vote for leadership I do not support the budgets that doesn’t meet the needs of residents,” Miles said “but also we can’t meet the needs because the money doesn’t exist in the way that we want it to.” The board eventually agreed to support the fiscal 2026 budget by a 4-1 vote with the School Department getting about $25.7 million of the $58 million total The town is poised to lose two positions though further cuts in programs and staff may occur if federal and state grants are revoked Wong said the Police Department’s body-worn camera program and Department of Mental Health Service grants for training responders on crisis calls may disappear Knowing that the financial woes will continue into the future the Select Board also voted unanimously Tuesday to create a budget task force to review town services and finances to recommend path forward “A budget task force will provide that space for critical cross-cutting review of town services,” Wong told the board “It allows us to make recommendations that go beyond sort of the typical staff recommendations for this (budget) cycle next year.” The task force will consist of between seven and nine people with a representative from the Select Board Capital Planning Committee and Appropriations Committee In addition to analyzing the town’s future financial needs and what the impact of a potential Proposition 2½ general budget override would mean Wong said that the committee will look at untapped funding sources “So there’s all the budget concerns that we have for this budget cycle but in order to complete this task in an effective way and so that’s why it’s (the budget task force) going to be for fiscal year 27,” Miles said The task force will also hold a “State of the Town” summit in January 2026 to announce its findings present the results of a community needs assessment and factor in the governor’s budget for fiscal 2027 the group will make a recommendation on the need for a Proposition 2½ override Interim Superintendent Mark McLaughlin said the district may find itself in a larger financial hole for fiscal year 2027 if the Trump administration decides to discontinue programs such as federal title grants and special education funding medical reimbursement via Medicare and Medicaid “It’s hard to think of our budget challenges without thinking about the context of the trickle-down effect of the federal and state funding and policy impacts on local government,” she said “There are some assumptions and reliable funding sources and policies and things like Department of Education that we have come to rely on or learn their policies and regulations and compliance The School Committee on Thursday is expected to discuss and possibly vote on recommending next year’s budget South Hadley High School students walked out of class on Monday to raise awareness of the district’s $1.3 million budget shortfall and to advocate for change to the state education funding formula Students walked out of class on Monday to bring awareness to raise awareness of the district’s $1.3 million budget shortfall and to advocate for change to the state education funding formula SOUTH HADLEY— Almost the entirety of the 479 members of South Hadley High School student body walked out of the building on Monday afternoon to advocate for changes to the state education funding formula students accompanied by teachers and staff lapped the parking lot in the misty weather chanting “fund our future” and holding signs with slogans such as “educators stand up for students.” After walking out students walked back into school to demonstrate their support for education According to South Hadley Education Association President Amy Foley students gathered in the gymnasium to share their concerns about the $1.3 million budget shortfall the district faces next fiscal year the loss of 15 positions throughout the district and its impacts on the future of education in South Hadley Homar Gomez were also in attendance to listen to students “The overwhelming message from the speakers was this matters because it impacts the future for the students coming up through the district,” said Foley who helped the students organize the event “These younger students need to have the same opportunities that the high school students have had.” The Gazette was not allowed to attend the assembly on school grounds or speak to any students involved in the walkout student representatives presented Oliveira and Gomez each with a binder of more than 1,000 letters from students each detailing the consequences these large budget shortfalls have on the quality of education McLaughlin said the legislators received a third binder to present to Gov Maura Healey in hopes of continuing these conversations at the state level “We had a great conversation between a group of students and the two legislators and that’s served as a kickoff for this moment of civic engagement from the students,” McLaughlin said The idea for both the letter writing campaign launched two weeks ago and the walkout came from meetings between student council members and district administration where students asked questions about district budgeting the Chapter 70 formula and local aid restrictions “These open conversations about the ways that local budgets are impacted by decisions made at the state level have led many South Hadley students to use their voice to signal their concern for their own education and that of other younger learners who are not yet able to exercise their own voices,” McLaughlin wrote in a statement The walkout is the most recent effort by South Hadley community members to persuade state legislators that the Chapter 70 funding formula does not keep pace with inflation nor meet educational needs of students South Hadley Town Administrator Lisa Wong and McLaughlin testified before a joint session of the state’s Ways and Means Committee at UMass The officials were accompanied by municipal and school leaders from Granby “While state funding for schools has increased in recent years these increases have not kept pace with the rising costs that districts face,” the statement said “With limited revenue options at the municipal level we are facing a dire threat to the health of pre-K-12 public education in Massachusetts.” The statement notes a majority of school districts receive minimum state aid despite rising costs of transportation special education out-of-district tuition and declining enrollment high school students created a video about the walkout that was posted to South Hadley Community Television giving an overview of the walkout and asking advisors to make signs for each of their classes The video also announces that South Hadley residents will testify about the impact of these budget shortfalls on April 8 at Beacon Hill Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com Members of the South Hadley community express their opinions on the proposed FY26 school budget at the public hearing on March 11.Reminder Publishing screen capture SOUTH HADLEY — Both the town and school administration have stated that the fiscal year 2026 budget cycle will be a tough year to which Superintendent Mark McLaughlin and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Business Operations Jennifer Voyik recently provided some updates The school administration recently presented its proposed updated budget at the March 6 School Committee meeting and hosted a public hearing for the budget on March 11 McLaughlin provided an executive summary of the budget that was recently published “The process is increasingly challenged by state and federal government funding formulas that do not keep up with the expenses associated with mandates or fixed expenses like health insurance which has rates increasing by as much as 20% this year along.” Voyik provided a Chapter 70 funding breakdown at a previous meeting that included approximately a $134,000 increase Between all the estimated revenues and the estimated expenses South Hadley schools are looking at “pretty much” breaking even as far as state aid Due to increased health insurance and transportation costs the district had to do a deeper analysis of its spending The school leadership team conducted an analysis of its revenue and impacts and learned that the FY26 expenses plus the FY26 revenue equaled an operating deficit of approximately $2.1 million to achieve a level services budget “Just to achieve the budget that we had last year and the services that we could provide last year not taking into account the dramatic increases that we have spoken frequently over the last few weeks.” The leadership team began to determine its priorities with personnel Proposed cuts at the elementary level include a kindergarten teacher a transitional therapeutic classroom specialist a reading interventionist and a math interventionist Smith Middle School is set to lose two English teachers a custodian and a certified nursing assistant Positions suggested to cut at the high school include a Spanish teacher moving to the middle school a custodian and certified nursing assistant The middle and high school band teachers are proposed to become one position Although 19 paraeducators were cut last year the district was recently forced by DESE to hire 23 paraeducators which added a total of $557,000 to the FY25 budget to meet individualized education plans Personnel was not the first item that was looked at An analysis of yellow bus transportation was conducted and it was decided if they decrease the radius within which transportation is provided the South Hadley Public Schools could save $250,000 annually South Hadley also proposed moving transportation services in house which would save $600,000 annually as well The town will allocate $1.2 million in free cash to purchase vans for special education transportation the deficit remained at $1.3 million as the focus shifted to priorities that will be impacted the presentation showed that 13 services are set to be cut which would total $31,000 in savings.Those services include ski club Voyik said there are multiple stipends to continue to support the music program Other proposed cuts to middle school services are primarily comprised of stipend services including the Washington DC trip and Cape Cod Capers These cuts do not mean that the trips can’t happen but that the funding for those stipends will need to be incorporated into those fundraising efforts Additional services that are proposed to be cut included the head teacher at each of the four schools four substitute callers and three team leaders totaling $33,795 The school district still must determine how the substitute calling function will continue The administration also reduced the curriculum budget from $25,000 to $0 The impacts of these cuts will include certain class sizes being increased based on the position that was cuts including kindergarten classes “There is no cut that doesn’t hurt,” McLaughlin stated “This has been a very unpleasant experience I express my profound sadness and apologies to every person who received notification yesterday of a loss of employment I feel terrible for every student whose services will be impacted by these cuts.” The school administration met with South Hadley High School Student Council and SHEA President Amy Foley to begin a letter writing campaign for the administration to gather letters from students to provide to state Rep Town administrators and superintendents will be testifying at the House Ways and Means Committee on March 24 on the direct and harmful impact to the students of the state’s outdated funding formulas The School Committee is set to met again on Thursday SOUTH HADLEY — Danielle Kelly has offered supplemental reading instruction for almost 500 South Hadley students since starting at the district in 2006 preventing 95% of students from needing special education reading supports and boosting literacy rates By facilitating small reading groups with intensive programming Kelly’s work as a reading interventionist kept students falling behind in literacy as close to grade-appropriate reading levels as possible Kelly’s position as a reading interventionist at Mosier Elementary School is one of the 20 positions that are proposed to be cut next year as a result of school funding constraints “When children don’t get this additional education support to close the gap the gap will get bigger,” Kelly told the School Committee on Thursday night Those families that can afford to get outside-of-school tutoring will get the support Due mostly to increased health insurance and transportation costs South Hadley’s level-services school budget is $2.1 million over the amount of money allocated leaving the district to cut into its largest budget item: personnel Smith Middle School might lose two English teachers Positions suggested to cut at the high school include a Spanish teacher and a special education teacher the middle and high school band teachers is proposed to become one position Superintendent Mark McLaughlin was the first to admit his discontent with the budget before even presenting it to the committee assistant superintendent for finance and business operations have already scheduled a meeting with state Rep to discuss the state funding formula for education as many school districts across Hampshire County are facing large deficits in trying to maintain level-services budgets “The fiscal year 2026 reality is that even with innovation and efficiencies the budget is not enough to provide the resources needed to serve the youth of our community with high-quality education growth-oriented extracurricular experiences clean and well-maintained facilities and innovative programming,” McLaughlin said In addition to insurance and transportation costs going up the district was recently forced by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to hire 23 paraeducators — for a total of $557,000 — to meet individualized education plans (IEPs) less than a year after cutting 19 such positions in the current budget McLaughlin explained a plan for the district to reduce rising transportation costs which will save teaching jobs in the long run The town will allocate $1.2 million in free cash to purchase vans for special education transportation saving the district $600,000 annually on one of the district’s most expensive services “The complexity of student needs has not diminished since last year “The cost of resources needed to provide students with the quality education they deserve has not diminished since last year The cost to maintain heated facilities and to keep the lights on have not decreased since last year but has in fact diminished since last year is the revenue needed to provide our students with a free and appropriate public education.” Concerned parents flooded the public comment portion of the School Committee meeting raising issues with the loss of teachers for the youngest students and large class sizes a parent of 13 children who went through South Hadley schools worried that elementary school staff without the proper support will fail to notice students falling behind before it’s too late One of her children will graduate South Hadley High School at a seventh grade reading level and she doesn’t want other students to find themselves in the same situation “The positions being eliminated or left unfilled are those that directly impact our students’ learning safety and emotional well-being,” said Sam Sabbs “The proposed cuts will increase class sizes making it even more difficult for teachers to provide the individualized attention that each child deserves.” kindergarten and first grade classrooms will have 20 students to one teacher Fourth grade classrooms will have 26 students fifth grade classrooms will have 27 students seventh grade classrooms will average 28 students and eighth grade classrooms will have26 students “The idea last year was that we would have the interventionist (at elementary levels) so that way there wouldn’t be such a gap once students moved on to Mosier or Michael E Smith Middle School This (cut) is detrimental to the education of our children.” A traditional therapeutic classroom that offers specialized support for students with difficult social-emotional or academic needs will no longer be offered at Plains Elementary School Dennis concerned for her grandchild’s safety and the safety of other students many things that occur in that classroom that should not be witnessed by other students for their safety and for my grandson’s safety,” St “He is not able to integrate fully into a regular classroom.” School Committee Chair Eric Friesner said the solution is not to ask for more money from other town departments as they are also hurting from the hikes in insurance he is following South Hadley Education Association (SHEA) President Amy Foley’s advice — organize to change how public education is funded “Our community cannot afford to fight our schools and SHEA cannot fight the district,” Foley said “When you combine the cuts of funding with the drastic change in education the last 10 years it means administrators and educators are continually asked to do more with so much less I urge the whole community to come together and administrators at South Hadley High School were joined by local lawmakers Monday as they staged a brief walk-out to protest proposed staff cuts in the upcoming school budget South Hadley Public Schools is facing a more than $2 million shortfall for fiscal year 2026 The proposed budget calls for cuts to around 20 positions across the district It also would increase classsizes and reduce some extra-curricular activities During a recent meeting members of the school committee said the main issue is they simply don’t have enough money and point to the district's Chapter 70 funding — funds set aside by the state for local schools They argue the formulas that determine how much cash schools receive are outdated and haven’t kept pace with inflation and other rising costs was one of the lawmakers who met with students Massachusetts needs to rethink how it allocates money to local school districts “Districts are at the brink right now facing severe shortfalls and uncertainty with the federal government that has really wreaked havoc on the state and local municipalities We need the state to begin the process of opening up that chapter70 funding formula so school districts can get relief long term,” Oliveira said Students are the ones who will have to contend with most of the impacts from these cuts according to South Hadley Education Association President Amy Foyer but this is important because the students behind us are now our future that they need to have the same opportunities they're notgoing to have that same opportunity.” Students and staff in South Hadley are planning to take this issue up to Beacon Hill SOUTH HADELY — It’s shaping up to be a quiet election season in town this year with a host of incumbents or newcomers running unopposed and only two contested races in District 1 The town election is scheduled for April 8 Contested races involve a seat on both the Fire District 1 Prudential Committee and the Board of Water Commissioners a lifelong resident who spends his time coaching soccer and volunteering with Neighbors Helping Neighbors is running against incumbent and former chair Bruce Perron Town Meeting member of 11 years and former Prudential Committee chair Michael Wozniak will square off against Charles Scott for a three-year term on the Water Commission Scott is also on the ballot for one of two Board of Health seats The other candidate is incumbent Stephen Clarence Frantz Renee Sweeney is running unopposed to keep her position on the Select Board Current School Committee Chair Eric Friesner is the only candidate for a three-year term on the committee “Even though I don’t have a background in education just having a level head and a calm demeanor and talk with folks was just something that maybe could be used on the School Committee,” Friesner said “I’ve been on just about every subcommittee at the school committee level that I could be on newcomer Robert (Bob) Szklarz is running for a seat currently occupied by Johanna Brown Szklarz owns home improvement company called Colonial Carpentry Innovations He’s served on the Sycamore Rosen House Committee the regulating body for a property near Sycamore Knoll “I think we’re at a very critical time in South Hadley for planning and development and the path we’re going to go in the future,” Szklarz said during a Meet the Candidates Night on March 18 “We have to come up with a plan to best develop this town and attract people to it that want to make this community better and want to send their kids to our school systems.” incumbent Paul Dobosh is the only candidate for two and incumbent Thomas Terry is running for the two-year-term seat on the board Candidates for the three trustees of the Public Library seats are Gail Gretchen Scanlon Town Elections will take place on April 8 from 7 a.m All precincts and both Fire Districts will vote at South Hadley High School BOSTON – Beautiful spring weather on Patriots Day is just fine for Boston Marathon spectators prefer lightly overcast days with moist air and temperatures in the low 50s Monday’s mostly sunny weather at the 129th running of this the oldest annual marathon in the United States “Today was an example of when the weather is agreeable for both the runners and the spectators,” said Lindsay Smith “Usually it’s skewed toward one or the other Those people are standing there in the cold cheering you on – or it’s the opposite,” as the spectators are basking in the sun while the runners bake in it he started running after he finished his studies at Boston Architectural College and decided he had time for something new Certainly comfortable with this year’s atmospheric conditions he was the fastest finisher from Hampshire County practically duplicating his performance in 2024 He completed Monday’s 26.2-mile run from Hopkinton to Copley Square in downtown Boston in 2 hours 39 minutes and 3 seconds – 40 seconds quicker than last year’s 2:39:43 and good for 715th overall in the field of more than 31,000 finishers “I decided to be as consistent as possible from zero to mile 13,” he explained But I pressed on the hills (in the second half) except for the last one and then I pressed again for the last 10 kilometers Eric Ciocca of Northampton agreed about the weather “The best ever,” said Ciocca after the race The 47-year-old Ciocca crossed the finish line next to the Boston Public Library in 3 hours 5 minutes and 20 seconds – a time that placed him 5,776th overall and 581st in the 45-49 year-old age group Ciocca was pleased with his time even though he wasn’t fast enough to reach his goal of breaking the three-hour barrier “I felt really tight until about mile ten,” he said I was running sub-sevens [faster than seven minutes a mile] until mile 17 or 18.” That was halfway through the famous Newton hills so he had planned to be four minutes ahead of a three-hour pace – “But when I actually got to the hills I had only two minutes extra.” Regardless He was delighted to have run fast enough to qualify automatically for next year’s race “I started a little more aggressively this time,” said Mish who was completing his 16th Boston Marathon and was hoping to pass the halfway mark in an hour and 45 minutes ‘That’ll be good,’ but it was a slog at the end You have to bank some extra time for the hills.” Mish enjoyed an extra push from the crowd at the edge of the Boston College campus “It was too warm for me to wear my BC shirt,” he said “but I yelled ‘BC class of 1980!’ and the crowd loved it.” was the first finisher from Hampshire County He clocked an impressive 2:39:03 to place 715th overall Three other local runners breaking three hours were Jared Millay If there were a prize for the fastest town in the Valley this year the first local female finisher was South Hadley runner Sarah Bousquet who crossed the blue and yellow line on Boylston Street in 3:22:36 Seven minutes after him was Immanuel Wineman Two local finishers distinguishing themselves in the over-70 division were David Theoharides In their age group they placed 54th and 63rd Other finishers from the area included Cassie Cuppek of Northampton (3:33:47); Wouter Hoogkamer of Northampton (4:32:07); Caroline Channell of Westhampton (5:27:22); ageless supermarathoner Bill Romito of Leeds (5:48:53); and Heather De La Barre SOUTH HADLEY — Incumbents captured most of the votes in Tuesday’s annual town elections which featured few contested races and drew only 1,552 The incumbents who won Tuesday include Renee Sweeney three-year term on the Select Board; Eric Friesner elected for another three-year term on the School Committee who will serve another one-year-term on the School Committee where candidates squared off for seats on the Prudential Committee and Board of Water Commissioners Newcomer Steven Blaney beat out incumbent Bruce Perron for the Prudential Committee seat while Charles Scott beat Michael Wozniak for the three-year water commissioner term vacated by Eden DuPerier William Schenker recaptured his seat on the Board of Water Commissions for another year John Hine will continue to run annual district meetings as the district moderator Scott also will serve on the Board of Health for three years alongside incumbent Stephen Frantz; Thomas Reidy will continue his work on the Board of Assessors for another three years; and Municipal Light Board members Paul Dobosh and Thomas Terry will fulfill an additional three years and two years Robert Szklarz will take Joanna Brown’s seat on the Planning Board while the Board of Library Trustees will include new members Jennifer Couturier and Kelly Ryan Woods joining incumbent Gail Gretchen Scanlon Christine Blaney won the seat on the Housing Authority as the write-in candidate incumbents on the District 2 Prudential Board and Board of Water Commissioners respectively will continue their public service for another term Town Meeting members were voted in as followed: South Hadley’s Cara Dean receives her MIAA Div 4 state finalist medal after their championship game against Cathedral on Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell South Hadley’s Ava Asselin receives her MIAA Div South Hadley’s Sophia Butler (22) reaches for a rebound against Cathedral in the fourth quarter of the MIAA Div 4 state championship Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell South Hadley’s Caitlin Dean (14) puts in a layup against Cathedral in the fourth quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Olivia Athas (5) and Taylor Bullough (4) defend against Cathedral’s Hijjah Allen-Paisley (2) in the fourth quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Cara Dean (12) dishes a pass against Cathedral in the fourth quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Ava Asselin (10) puts up a shot defended by Cathedral’s Dynasia Evans-Goode (21) in the third quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Cara Dean (12) drives to the hoop against Cathedral in the fourth quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) drives to the hoop against Cathedral in the fourth quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s CC Gurek (11) puts up a shot against Cathedral in the third quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Caitlin Dean (14) puts up a shot against Cathedral in the third quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) reaches for a pass against Cathedral in the third quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Cara Dean (12) takes a shot in the paint against Cathedral in the third quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) puts in a layup against Cathedral in the second quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) pulls down a rebound over Cathedral’s Malani Smith (13) in the second quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Olivia Athas (5) goes up for a layup against Cathedral in the second quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) dishes a pass between Cathedral defenders Hijjah Allen-Paisley (2) and Keyona Raines (5) in the second quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Cara Dean (12) drives the ball defended by Cathedral’s Malani Smith (13) in the second quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) pulls down a rebound over Cathedral’s Leilani Benson (15) in the second quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Olivia Athas (5) puts up a shot against Cathedral in the second quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Ava Asselin (10) breaks down the court against Cathedral in the first quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) puts up a shot over Cathedral’s Simone Quinn (15) in the first quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Cara Dean (12) puts up a shot before being fouled by Cathedral’s Keyona Raines (5) in the first quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Olivia Athas (5) puts up a shot against Cathedral in the first quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s CC Gurek (11) drives the ball against Cathedral defender Hijjah Allen-Paisley (2) in the first quarter of the MIAA Div South Hadley’s Ava Asselin (10) jumps for the tip-off against Cathedral’s Tamia Darling (11) in the first quarter of the MIAA Div LOWELL — It felt like history had repeated itself at the Tsongas Center on Sunday afternoon the South Hadley girls basketball team got off to a hot start before ultimately falling to No 1 Cathedral in the MIAA Division 4 state championship game on the third Sunday of March This season the Tigers had hopes of knocking off the powerhouse Panthers and they fought hard out of the gates once again But top-seeded Cathedral proved to be too much for South Hadley 3 seeds en route to a 68-37 victory and their third straight state crown (and seventh of the last 10) the Tigers breezed through their western Mass schedule with a double-digit-game winning streak battled their way around a difficult Division 4 field and into a state final Sunday marked the fourth consecutive year South Hadley has lost to the eventual state champion – Amesbury in 2022 and Cathedral the last three seasons The Panthers will move up a division next season “We didn’t come here for a moral victory,” Tigers head coach Paul Dubuc said We’re not going to miss them being at the end of this road in the future The last four years we lost to the state champ.” Kate Phillips opened the scoring in the first quarter with a layup through contact to put South Hadley up 2-0 Cathedral responded with an 8-0 run before Cara Dean hit a pull-up jumper in transition and converted an and-one to cap off a personal 5-0 spurt in about 30 seconds The Tigers generated several more open looks in the frame but couldn’t capitalize as they entered the second quarter down 14-7 Phillips began it with another layup before the Panthers roared back with a trio of 3-pointers Hijjah Allen-Paisley splashed two in a row and Malani Smith made one of her four 3s to make it nine unanswered points for Cathedral (21-5) Ava Asselin and Olivia Athas all scored after Cathedral’s 3-point barrage to keep South Hadley within striking distance at the break (30-17) To continue the theme of South Hadley’s strong starts to the quarter Dean tossed in a two to climb the Tigers within 11 early in the third ripping off the game’s next 10 – Allen-Paisley and Smith knocking down one more 3 apiece – to jump ahead by 20 and drilled one of her three 3s to stop the bleeding Cathedral worked its lead up to as many as 23 in the third however South Hadley kept battling and went on a quick 7-2 run CC Gurek and Taylor Bullough – who returned to the lineup after missing a chunk of time due to injury – helped kick-start the run The Tigers trailed by 19 (51-32) entering the final eight minutes of action Cathedral could smell a third-straight title The Panthers outscored South Hadley 17-5 to walk out of the Tsongas Center with another state title Phillips helped the offense with seven points Athas and Gurek each scored a pair to round out South Hadley’s scoring The 2025 class has been to two state finals an Elite Eight and won the 2024 Western Mass It’s a group the longtime Tigers head coach will never forget and brings back a talented bunch of underclassmen looking to get over the hump in 2026 “The freshmen are going to have to go to four state finals to be better than they are We’re going to work at it and get better… The seniors WORCESTER - Three South Hadley defenders collapsed around Millis point guard Lindsey Grattan as she approached the paint The senior dribbled through two and created an open passing lane to freshman Caroline Connors above the break 13 of them in the second half to help Millis (16-8) keep pace Neither team built more than a two-possession lead after halftime Grattan tied the game at 33 with a layup with 7 minutes 23 seconds left and made two free throws at 4:13 to give her team a 37-35 lead "We just let Lindsey do Lindsey most of the time," Millis coach Dave Fallon said They used an 11-4 run in the second quarter to lead by double digits 24-14 with 2:40 to halftime on a Cara Dean 3 Millis narrowed it to just three by halftime "As a team we knew what we had to do to fight back," Grattan said "We didn't want our season to end like that Back again: Fraknlin returns to D1 state final with win over Central Catholic He's the man: Madden's layup with 3.6 seconds remaining lifts Hopedale boys basketball into state final "She's one of the most dynamic players that I've coached She's a coach's dream in terms of how much better she makes everyone around her," Fallon said "I can't tell you how easy she makes the game for everyone else It will then be up to the younger players to continue the program's legacy and try to push it further "It just keeps getting better," Grattan said Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk South Hadley Head Coach Paul Dubuc argues a call during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game against Springfield International at South Hadley High School South Hadley's Kate Phillips (24) attempts to rebound the ball during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game against Springfield International at South Hadley High School South Hadley's Cianna Gurek (11) dribbles around Springfield International's Meiah Wise during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game at South Hadley High School discuss a play during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game against Springfield International at South Hadley High School dribbles around Springfield International's Noelani Santiago dribbles around Springfield International's Meiah Wise South Hadley's Cara Dean (12) attempts a shot during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game against Springfield International at South Hadley High School South Hadley's Kate Phillips (24) attempts a layup during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game against Springfield International at South Hadley High School dives for the ball during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game against Springfield International at South Hadley High School South Hadley's Kate Phillips (24) looks to attempt a layup past Springfield International's Zahara Wilson looks to attempt a layup past Springfield International's Noelani Santiago talks to the team during the PVIAC Class B tournament semifinal game against Springfield International at South Hadley High School SOUTH HADLEY – Cara Dean’s 22 points helped the South Hadley girls basketball conquer Sprinfield International Charter School during the semifinal round of the PVIAC Class B girls tournament on Wednesday night The Tigers’ sophomore slung in a team-high 22 points as the defending champions clinched their spot in the Class B girls championship game for the second straight year with the victory “She’s the real deal,” South Hadley head coach Paul Dubuc said of Dean She’s got the green light once we cross halfcourt Dean was the Tigers’ top scorer during their 25-point third quarter with eight points Dean hit a couple 3-pointers in quick succession in South Hadley’s strong frame which seemed to sink the Bulldogs’ (10-10) spirits after only being down 26-24 at halftime then I’m hoping it just keeps going and just feeling great about it,” Dean said Dean managed three 3s by the final buzzer and helped South Hadley take a 51-37 advantage going into the final period Caitlin Dean (13 points) and Olivia Athas (11 points) also found a groove for the Tigers in that pivotal third quarter “The third quarter might’ve been the best quarter of basketball we played all year,” Dubuc said “We were everywhere and [SICS was] exhausted SICS came out with a plan during the first quarter and executed it as the visitors led 17-12 after eight minutes South Hadley’s stout defense wore the Bulldogs down which led to turnovers and miscues that the Tigers (18-2) pounced on and converted to baskets so we were always watching out for help and everything and so I think that helped a lot.” “We just mixed up our presses,” Dubuc said we went with one that we were comfortable with and just rode it Maddie Soderbaum (seven points) and Ava Asselin (two points) contributed as well to make it six South Hadley point-getters against SICS The Bulldogs were paced by Niyama Adadevoh’s 22 points Wednesday’s win for the Tigers sets up a rematch of last season’s Class B final as Pittsfield beat Frontier South Hadley took the title with a 48-40 win and it’ll look to do the same this time around “I love being a part of [this team],” Dean said then this year going back to the finals again I just want to be back-to-back western Mass The Generals have only lost one game this season at 19-1 but Dubuc feels confident in his team’s abilities moving forward throughout the remainder of the postseason Sometimes we’re not making baskets but our defense is usually there No date or time for the Class B championship had been announced as of Wednesday evening SOUTH HADLEY — After three years of discussion and fundraising Plains Elementary School will officially change its name to Henry J Skala School to honor of the school’s late principal The school’s Parent Teacher Organization has raised about $4,500 since last year for the signs with the new name and member Megan Bartlett said three electricians have volunteered their time to install lighting for the signs the School Committee moved forward with finalizing the name during its Jan “I’m just partial to Henry J Skala School,” School Committee member Danielle Cooke told the committee “I think that’s what they’re going to shorten it to Cooke has spearheaded the name change since February 2023 and has written letters to the Gazette highlighting the late principal’s role in creating a welcoming positive and warm environment for teachers and students She hopes the new signs and name will stand on the building in time for the three-year anniversary of Skala’s death 30 School Committee meeting that Skala was the first principal at the new Plains Elementary School Building built in 2015 “I’m bummed that it’s taken three years because now there’s been a whole cohort of students who have move through Plains without knowing Hank and I wish we could have had his name on the building for them to have had a nod to,” she continued who went by “Hank,” was named the principal of Plains Elementary in 2016 and died in April 2022 after falling ill in February of that year During his more than six-year tenure at Plains the East Longmeadow resident had quite an impact on the school district with many students teachers and parents referring to Skala as a “beloved” administrator The School Committee initially considered renaming the building “Henry J Skala Early Learning Center,” but found the names wordy Interim Superintendent Mark McLaughlin said he would formalize the name change at the state level and inform the Planning and Conservation Department to order new signs “There might be a little period of time where there is a little bit of confusion with the name but I think there is an inevitability to that because until there is a name Bartlett said the tentative timeline for installation would be in April The district also will hold a ribbon cutting and celebration of both the building’s new name and Skala himself soon after the signs are up “This is an opportunity to give back to somebody that gave so much to our community,” School Committee member Daniel Vieu said “I think it’s only right to try and push forward.” SOUTH HADLEY — Fans in South Hadley Friday night were treated to an all-time classic The 11th-seeded Tigers held on for a wild 72-68 triple overtime victory over No 22 Uxbridge in the Round of 32 of the MIAA Division 4 state tournament but Noah Hambley was the difference for South Hadley in the final overtime period Hambley’s excellence from beyond the arc pushed the Tigers (16-5) out front in the third OT before a late free throw from Noah Rivera put the game out of reach for Uxbridge I’ve been blessed with great point guards throughout and he’s as good as any That kid is special,” Tigers head coach Chris Gerber said on Hambley who missed last week's Class B semifinal loss to Monument Mountain with an injury was defended hard all night by the Spartans and still managed 20 points The senior — who recently eclipsed 1,000 points — fouled out in OT making South Hadley’s victory even more impressive “The kid found a way to get 20 on one leg,” Gerber said “Jack is an all-timer…he’s an all-time Tiger.” Uxbridge was led by Brady Esposito’s 22 points both teams remained deadlocked at 55-55 and 64-64 following the first two overtime periods South Hadley then pulled away in triple OT to advance to the Round of 16 you’ll remember that one for 40-50 years,” Gerber said “And the story will just keep getting better and better 14 Prospect Hill 57 – The Rams took to the road and sprung the upset Fri day night Granby went to Cambridge and scored the tournament win advancing to the Round of 16 thanks to a 66-57 victory which had over a week off since their last game – a WMass semifinal loss to Hoosac Valley – showed no signs of rust in their Round of 32 victory 3 Maynard in the Round of 16 on Tuesday at 6 p.m The opening day of the MIAA All-State wrestling tournament took place on Friday at Methuen High School with a trio of locals qualifying to compete Holyoke’s Steven Santiago won his opening match of the day at 120 pounds via pin over Gloucester’s Jayden Chadwick but Santiago lost his second match and will compete in the Consolation Round of 8 on Saturday Hampshire’s Adin Clifford qualified at 144 and after losing his opening match of the day received a bye where he will also compete in the Consolation Round of 8 South Hadley’s Roberto Melendez lost his opening match at 285 but rebounded to beat Lynnfield’s Dylan Mathews to reach the Consolation Round of 8 The MIAA Girls All-State Championship also got underway Friday in Methuen Frontier’s Jocelyn Antes (120) went 1-1 on Friday to reach the Consolation Round of 4 while Redhawk Ainsley Southergill went 0-2  at 120 Granby’s Eliza Speek won her opening match of the d ay over Lawrence’s Katelyn Belanger at 138 but her tournament was cut short due to a medical forfeit South Hadley’s Grace Barch was unable to get a victory at 152 of South Hadley was diagnosed in January with a rare brain stem cancer and is seeking treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital was diagnosed in January with a rare brain stem cancer and is seeking treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital SOUTH HADLEY — Naomi Wood arrived at Plains Elementary School to pick up her 6-year-old son when she noticed him stumbling across the playground she took Hunter to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and the doctors would simply suggest a visit to the optometrist for glasses or So when doctors found a tumor the size of a golf ball on Hunter’s brain stem Wood felt her and her family’s lives turn upside-down you’ll do anything to help them,” Wood said Since Hunter was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma a highly aggressive and fast-growing brain tumor Wood routinely shares and updates his story on social media A GoFundMe started by Wood’s best friend Lauren Hunt to cover medical expenses has raised $18,000 since its launch three weeks ago Wood hopes her transparency brings more awareness to childhood cancer and maybe conjures up a miracle “We’re not looking to be rich; we’re not looking to be famous We are looking for some sort of cure,” Wood said “I asked people to not take their kids for granted After being discharged from Baystate Medical Center Wood transferred her son to Boston Children’s Hospital where he will undergo radiation treatment for the next six to nine weeks could extend Hunter’s life expectancy from a month to between nine and 18 months Hunter’s medical team will also search for any clinical trials that could save his life but these trials are few and far between: Only 4% of government funds for cancer research are allocated to pediatric cancer according to data from the National Cancer Institute “The scary thing is if they decrease (pediatric cancer research funding) even more our chances of children with cancer surviving is little to none,” Wood said “He’s (Hunter’s) just a little boy coming from a small home in a small town and yet he’s just looked at as a number … to the government.” Wood describes Hunter as a joyful and energetic child who enjoys school and playing with friends on the playground He has two sisters — an older sister and fraternal twin — who he misses while two hours away in Boston Wood said her son’s once-bright demeanor has dimmed but she hopes the treatment will reignite his flame “We’re just trying to go across all media platforms to help where we can and share our journey so it’s less scary for other parents,” Wood said “We want to let them know they’re not alone.” The Wood family’s GoFundMe page is located at gofundme.com/f/stand-with-hunter-in-his-cancer-fight attempt to dribble around Northampton's Eli Reid during the host Tigers’ 51-47 victory on Friday night in South Hadley South Hadley's Jack Loughrey (12) attempts a layup during the Tigers’ 51-47 victory over Northampton on Friday night in South Hadley looks to move the ball past Northampton's Naihmond Peters-Wolfe during the high school basketball game at South Hadley high school South Hadley's Noah Hambley (13) dribbles around Northampton's Jayden Rivera (3) during the high school basketball game at South Hadley high school Northampton's Naihmond Peters-Wolfe attempts a shot during the high school basketball game against South Hadley at South Hadley high school The South Hadley student section reacts after a foul is called during the high school basketball game against Northampton at South Hadley high school South Hadley's Isiah James (11) and Head Coach Chris Gerber are congradulated after the high school basketball game against Northampton attempts a shot over Northampton's Jackson Oravec (1) and Jayden Rivera meets with the team during the high school basketball game against South Hadley at South Hadley high school talks to the team before the high school basketball game against Northampton at South Hadley high school while attempting a layup during the high school basketball game at South Hadley high school South Hadley's student section yells at Northampton's Luke McGrath after missing a three-point attempt during the high school basketball game at South Hadley high school Northampton's Luke McGrath (2) attempts a three-point shot during the high school basketball game against South Hadley at South Hadley high school Northampton's Luke McGrath (2) attempts a free throw during the high school basketball game against South Hadley at South Hadley high school South Hadley's Jack Loughrey (12) dribbles around Northampton's Brayden Nichols-Staples (0) during the high school basketball game at South Hadley high school SOUTH HADLEY — Northampton’s Naihmond Peters-Wolfe drilled a tough stepback jumper to put the Blue Devils boys basketball team ahead of South Hadley 46-40 early in the fourth quarter on Friday night upping his total to 25 points for the game It was the first and only field goal Northampton made in the frame heavily contesting every pass and shot the visiting Blue Devils took Isiah James buried back-to-back 3-pointers – the latter a heave from five feet behind the line – to send the South Hadley crowd into a frenzy followed it up with four straight points and Noah Rivera cashed in a free throw at the line as South Hadley came back from down as many as 11 points to defeat Northampton The Blue Devils scored just three points over the final eight minutes After consecutive close losses to Monument Mountain and Bethlehem Central (N.Y.) South Hadley has won three straight games against some of western Massachusetts’ best competition “We had a heartbreaker last Saturday at home and we knew we had three playoff teams this week,” Tigers head coach Chris Gerber said played Belchertown at home and obviously Northampton has been a power around here for a long time with [head coach Rey] Harp so to have those lined up in the middle of our season – it kind of simulated an end-of-the-season run Tonight was special how we grinded it out the way we did.” South Hadley (7-2) used its rocking environment to come out of the gates hot scoring 19 points in the first quarter en route to a six-point lead But Northampton’s defense turned up the heat turning over the Tigers and in turn running in transition for easy looks capped off by a Peters-Wolfe 3 and a mid-range jumper Only four points came from the South Hadley offense after the fast start which gave the Blue Devils a chance to settle the crowd and head into the locker room ahead 26-23 “We found a couple of rotations where we found guys that gave us great production on the court,” Northampton head coach Rey Harp said “Isaiah Brown did a nice job in the back of our zone and I thought we did a nice job guarding the top of the zone and that was the difference in the quarter Jayden Rivera and Xavier Nteta were strong for us on the wings.” The third quarter featured an offensive outburst from both sides with Peters-Wolfe and Loughrey – two of the best players you’ll see in the area – trading haymakers then drove inside and kicked to a wide open Luke McGrath in the corner for a 3 giving Northampton its largest lead of the night scoring eight straight points for South Hadley Loughrey scored 10 in the frame while Peters-Wolfe tossed in eight as Northampton (4-5) held a five-point lead entering the fourth so I know how spectacular he can be and is going to be,” Harp said it was a treat to watch Jack out here tonight they certainly gave a lot of people a show they had answers – that’s what basketball is about.” The battle between the stars set the table for a gritty fourth quarter one in which South Hadley muddled up to fit its style of play his brother Tim Loughrey and Noah Hambley came up with big rebounds for the Tigers leading them to extra possessions on offense and one-and-dones for the Blue Devils on the other end One of those offensive rebounds led to a kick out to a wide-open James in the corner who drained his first of two 3s in the quarter took one dribble into a stepback and let it fly “It totally changed things,” Jack Loughrey said Northampton’s Brown added a free throw in between and South Hadley was ahead 50-47 in the final minute The Blue Devils turned it over – the story of their fourth quarter – with a chance to tie and Peters-Wolfe fouled out on the next play Rivera sank the aforementioned game-clinching free throw to cap off the huge Tigers turnaround “We were not rebounding at all in that first half To go into half down [three] playing our worst basketball rebounded and got out in transition that we would eventually win.” Jack Loughrey’s 24 points led South Hadley Hambley put up nine points and Tim Loughrey tossed in five for the hosts The Tigers (7-2) hope to continue their winning ways when they travel to Easthampton on Tuesday only McGrath (14 points) scored in double figures and the senior hit some big shots for Northampton in the third quarter No other Blue Devil scored more than three points Northampton hits the road Tuesday night to take on surging Holyoke South Hadley’s Jack Loughrey secured 1,000 career points in the Tigers’ huge 80–45 win over Hoosac Valley on Wednesday night in boys basketball action Loughrey needed 28 points to reach the milestone and after a slow first half the Tigers senior’s 3-point shooting came to life during the third quarter “I had seven points in the first half and then in the third quarter with 15 of those points coming from sinking 3-pointers The memorable moment Loughrey reached 1,000 came early in the fourth quarter Loughrey earned a steal and quickly sank a pull-up 3-pointer in transition within the first minute of the final quarter for the milestone “Kind of relieving to be honest,” Loughrey said on how it felt to reach 1,000 points “Everybody at school has been asking me about it I’m kind of glad that I got it off before the playoffs just so I can go out and hoop Loughrey has been key to the Tigers’ success all year and helped them to a 14-4 regular-season record following Wednesday’s victory Loughrey credited his increased confidence level from his first two seasons on the team to getting him to the prestigious achievement “[Before] I wouldn’t really shoot the ball and just kind of pass up instead,” Loughrey said “Now I kind of feel like I’m the best player on the floor every game.” Hopkins 53 — Gavier Fernandez recorded 20 points while Riley Goodhind added 16 points as the Rams earned a victory over the visiting Golden Hawks on Wednesday Chace Earle kept Hopkins in the game with 29 points while Logan Bye tossed in eight points in the loss Gateway 33 – The Vikings scored 51 points in quarters two and three in its rout over the Gators Domeniq Sanchez led Smith Voc with 26 points while Josh Cole contributed a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists Jack Riley also surpassed double-digits in points with 13 Gateway got a team-high 16 points from Jesse Balboni Easthampton 32 – The Eagles dropped their second straight Easthampton couldn’t match Lenox’s scoring pace as the Millionaires led 18-15 at halftime Samone Young was the Eagles’ next highest scorer with eight points Hopkins 26 — Olivia Earle finished with 11 points in the Golden Hawks' road loss to the Senators on Wednesday Maggie Potter scored eight points while Chloe Kosciusko added seven points in the loss Northampton 38 — Anna Oravec scored 20 points for the Blue Devils in a road loss on Wednesday Liv Joensen added six points for Northampton Easthampton 32 – The Redhawks raced ahead 39-15 at the half to blow past the Eagles at Goodnow Gymnasium on Tuesday Claire Kirkendall and Harper Modestow each scored nine points while Addie Harrington and Ashley Taylor each tossed in eight points in the victory and Caitlin Dean (14) defend Pittsfield’s Harolyn Castillo during the Tigers’ 52-47 loss in the PVIAC Class B championship game on Saturday at Holyoke Community College South Hadley’s Kate Phillips (24) goes up over two Pittsfield defenders during the Tigers’ 52-47 loss in the PVIAC Class B championship game on Saturday at Holyoke Community College South Hadley’s CC Gurek (11) drives to the hoop against Pittsfield during the Tigers’ 52-47 loss in the PVIAC Class B championship game on Saturday at Holyoke Community College South Hadley’s Cara Dean (12) drives to the basket against Pittsfield’s Caprese Conyers (3) during the Tigers’ 52-47 loss in the PVIAC Class B championship game on Saturday at Holyoke Community Coll STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE South Hadley’s Ava Asselin (10) dribbles the ball against Pittsfield during the Tigers’ 52-47 loss in the PVIAC Class B championship game on Saturday at Holyoke Community College South Hadley’s Olivia Athas (5) hauls in a rebound against Pittsfield during the Tigers’ 52-47 loss in the PVIAC Class B championship game on Saturday at Holyoke Community College South Hadley’s Maddie Soderbaum (3) makes a pass against Pittsfield during the Tigers’ 52-47 loss in the PVIAC Class B championship game on Saturday at Holyoke Community College HOLYOKE – In a rematch of last year’s PVIAC Class B girls basketball final South Hadley couldn’t go back-to-back as it was edged by Pittsfield Saturday afternoon at Holyoke Community College The Generals exacted some revenge against the Tigers after falling 48-40 in 2024 Second-seeded South Hadley (18-3) entered the matchup winners of five straight top-ranked Pittsfield team that has only lost once all season we were right there,” Tigers head coach Paul Dubuc said The Generals (20-1) led 45-38 after the third quarter but South Hadley cut the deficit down to five with about 90 seconds to go Cara Dean made a layup to bring it to 50-47 in favor of Pittsfield with 40.9 seconds left but that wound up being the last basket the Tigers made The Generals weren’t in any hurry to score and forced South Hadley to foul on its ensuing possessions Pittsfield sank two of its final four free-throw attempts to seal the victory Kate Phillips produced 12 points to pace the Tigers while Olivia Athas and Cara Dean each tallied 10 points she’s really tough,” Dubuc said of Phillips she played her heart out so we’re not worried too much about it “I thought our seniors played pretty good,” Dubuc added Caitlin Dean (five points) and Gurek (seven points) rounded out the scoring for the Orange and Black Pittsfield was aggressive on defense all game and the Tigers struggled to counteract The Generals forced numerous turnovers and earned multiple steals Saturday which limited South Hadley’s scoring opportunities In their previous nine games — all wins – the Generals allowed an average of 36.5 points we had them a couple different times and we just let them off the hook 5 snagged rebounds seemingly left and right trailing only Caprese Conyers’ game-high 15 points for the victors Kyana Summers also played well for Pittsfield with nine points The Tigers trailed by a possession after eight minutes (13-10) and at halftime (29-28) however a 16-point third quarter from the Generals proved to be too big of a gap for South Hadley to overcome Saturday’s result had no bearing on the Tigers’ MIAA state tournament seed 3 spot in the Division 4 tournament and will play the winner of No “It’s not like our season’s done and we’re going home and crying,” Dubuc said while Easthampton and Smith Voc will compete in the preliminary round The Eagles will host Tri-County on Monday at 5 p.m The Vikings will head to Winthrop on a day and time still to be announced Town Administrator Lisa Wong discusses the FY26 budget and its next steps during a Selectboard meeting.Photo credit: South Hadley Community Television SOUTH HADLEY — Throughout the past couple months the South Hadley community has expressed their displeasure with the fiscal year 2026 budget that is set to include minimal increases and plenty of cuts The Selectboard recently approved the town budget and the School Committee recently approved the school budget Town Administrator Lisa Wong and Superintendent Mark McLaughlin expressed steps that are being taken to attempt to change the funding formulas the final proposed FY26 budget was approximately $58 million Wong said that the budget will feature a loss of more than 27 positions with around 20 coming from the School Department After learning of the deficit and eventual cuts the school administration met with South Hadley High School Student Council and SHEA President Amy Foley to begin a letter writing campaign for the administration to gather letters from students to provide to state Rep The South Hadley High School Student Council Letter Writing campaign produced over 900 letters from students staff and supporters.The letters highlighted the importance of education and the need for more financial support The letters were given to the state delegation and legislators as part of the state Ways and Means public hearing process Town administrators and superintendents were scheduled to testify at the House Ways and Means Committee on March 24 on the direct and harmful impact to the students of the state’s outdated funding formulas Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Voyik and McLaughlin also met with Gomez and Oliveira on March 31 The town is also organizing a contingency to attend and testify at the April 8 hearing at the State House South Hadley helped organize a regional roundtable with area town school and finance leadership to share ideas and support each other The group also issued a statement to the state Ways and Means Committee “It is critical to recognize the fiscal challenges school districts throughout the commonwealth are encountering as well as the opportunity to strengthen and reimagine public education by building on the historic victories of the Student Opportunity Act and the Fair Share Amendment The challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic persist with an increasing number of students requiring social and emotional support.” the Selectboard and School Committee supported the establishment of a town-wide budget task force to address funding shortfalls The reason for the creation of the task force because the funding and policy landscape have fundamentally altered the town’s ability to provide quality services The proposal is the Selectboard will establish a budget task force to determine whether an operating tax override of proposition 2½ shall be recommended to support the town’s FY27 budget The recommendation will detail the amount of any override its allocation and for how long it’s intended support until consideration of the next tax override The task force will be a temporary committee consisting of seven or nine members and will include a member of the Selectboard a member of the Appropriations Committee and a member of the Capital Planning Committee McLaughlin and their respective staff will also participate in the budget task force process The goal of the task force is to submit a detailed written report of its findings and recommendations no later than Feb 2026.Budget documents can be found at tinyurl.com/drynrkyn an emergency dispatcher with the town of South Hadley during his shift Friday afternoon an Emergency Dispatcher with the town of South Hadley during his shift Friday afternoon SOUTH HADLEY — Dispatcher Jay Rodriguez arrived to his shift at South Hadley’s Emergency 911 Center early — as he always does — when he heard a caller screaming at his co-worker threatening to harm himself and any responding officers with his firearm Not only was dispatcher Angelique Kunasek busy gathering as much information as she could from the caller she was simultaneously communicating details of the situation to South Hadley police officers requesting assistance from other agencies and tracking the caller’s pursuit So when Rodriguez saw Kunasek in an already precarious situation he leaped into the dispatch seat next to her and immediately took the other 911 calls “If I come in and I see that things are getting hectic it’s my job to jump in and help out because I would want someone to do that for me,” Rodriguez said “I’ve never met a dispatcher that would walk into work and see that there’s a chaotic call going on and not sit down.” The dispatchers’ response to the call on July 25 recently received a spotlight in the December edition of the State 911 Department’s monthly newsletter The newsletter also lauded another South Hadley dispatcher from two female passengers who said they were locked in a car against their will by a strange man who supervises South Hadley’s Emergency 911 Center And then once the officers located the vehicle it became a pursuit because of vehicle would not pull over.” The women in the vehicle were not familiar with the area and Sorensen spent a lot of time on the phone simply locating the vehicle by pointing out landmarks and possible street names “What’s great about Josh is he maintains his composure whether it was high stress or just talking over the phone for a routine call there is no change in his composure,” Gagne said “It amazes me when I listen to the recording.” along with the two other dispatchers who work at the South Hadley center must juggle a host of responsibilities each shift from calls for the police department and two fire districts to helping people who walk in to the station to assisting officers with various tasks each person who answers the phone is dedicated to helping the people of South Hadley and ensuring their safety and security “There is so much that they’re responsible for,” Gagne said “They’re torn in several different ways and they have to perform What impresses me the most is their ability to multitask at any given time.” His father was a firefighter and dispatcher in Springfield and the many afternoons watching his father work inspired Rodriguez to enter into public safety himself He works full time as a dispatcher and offers his time as an on-call firefighter for Fire District 1 “The mapping that we have in dispatch is worlds beyond what my father had He had to rely on what the caller was telling him whereas I can listen to what the caller tells me but I can also look at the screen and I’ll know if there’s a discrepancy right away.” Rodriguez said dispatchers routinely get the same call from the same demographic in town icy winter days bring lots of calls regarding motor vehicle accidents or seniors who slipped and fell because dispatchers know the streets and landmarks that best match the person’s location “Here in South Hadley there’s people who have lived here their entire lives and they’ll refer to a certain section of the town by a name that somebody who’s not from here is not going to know are the ones where he relates to the person on the other end of the phone It’s difficult to put aside a personal reaction and focus on gathering information “I like keeping parents calm in emergency involving their children,” he said South Hadley didn’t have enough dispatchers to cover each shift and their responsibilities have only grown over the course of his career ensure South Hadley’s public safety services provide quality customer services for residents Her laser focus was key to responding to an incredibly difficult call Angie and Josh are assets to this department,” Gagne said “They multitask to a different level with all that’s required of them so we’re happy to have them and hopefully we always have them.” AMHERST — The South Hadley boys basketball team hung on to clip Amherst The Tigers led 48-33 at the start of the fourth quarter before the Hurricanes stormed back to make it a three-point game with less than three minutes to go in regulation a four-point play from South Hadley’s Noah Hambley with 47.9 seconds left sucked the energy right out of Amherst’s home crowd and sealed it for the visitors Hambley was fouled on a fade-away 3-point bid and after sinking the free throw “We made a lot of mistakes,” South Hadley head coach Chris Gerber said They don’t really get down on themselves or quit they’re pretty good at going out and playing the next play.” Hambley and Jack Loughrey each totaled 23 points to lead the Tigers on offense But it was South Hadley’s defense that made the difference during the first half causing the Hurricanes to turn the ball over 16 times throughout the first 16 minutes of action “That has been the story of our season,” Amherst head coach Jamahl Jackson said We dig holes sometimes too deep that’s it’s hard to climb back out of Amherst trailed by 12 points at halftime (34-22) before outscoring the Tigers 16-12 in the final frame in its comeback bid Samuel Woodruff’s 13 points led the way for the Hurricanes which dropped to 4-11 with its Senior Night loss South Hadley 53 (OT) – The host Hurricanes opened overtime on a 9-0 run and managed to hold off the Tigers on Monday in Cheshire Trailing 44-41 in the waning seconds of regulation Her free throw tied the game with 11.8 seconds to play the Tigers missed a game-winning 3 at the buzzer Hoosac’s run to open OT put things out of reach Caitlin Dean hit a key 3 late in regulation to keep the Tigers in striking distance Smith Academy 51 — The Falcons led 28-24 at halftime and entered the fourth quarter trailing by one but they couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch in a close home loss on Monday night Caitlin Graves had a great game for Smith Academy scoring a team-high 19 points followed by a dozen points from Vivian Higuera Greenfield 30 — Samone Young’s 19 points led the Eagles to a decisive win on the road Monday night as they defeated the Green Wave by 17 thanks to a 13-3 disparity in the second quarter Veronica Rapoza (11 points) and Piper Collins (six points) also both played well for Easthampton Holyoke 17 – The Blue Devils led 14-0 after one quarter and 27-1 at halftime en route to a lopsided victory on Monday in Northampton Bri Heafey paced three Blue Devils in double figures with 19 points while Anna Oravec followed with 17 points and Emme Calkins scored 12 Genesis Rivera scored a team-high seven points for Holyoke PVCICS 20 – Isabella Cestero and Sofia Cestero scored six points apiece for the Dragons in Monday’s loss Southwick 40 — Three Purple Knights players scored in double figures on Friday night including Kiara Perez’s game-high 18 points that led Holyoke to its second win of the season Michaela Guzman scored a dozen points for Holyoke and Kylie Blaha added 10 points Belchertown 40 — The Orioles played the Falcons evenly through three quarters But Belchertown put up only five points in the fourth quarter and dropped a competitive game against 11-2 Minnechaug Aubrey Klingensmith (12 points) and Morghan Litz (nine points) were the catalysts for Belchertown’s offense in the home defeat Northampton 64 — Jordan King-Perilli went off for a game-high 27 points Chauncey Ruiz put up 19 points and Aden Cabrera tossed in 18 as the Purple Knights’ trio took over Friday night’s game Northampon’s Naihmond Peters-Wolfe scored a team-high 20 points Luke McGrath had 15 and Brayden Nichols-Staples scored 11 in the loss The Blue Devils were down one at halftime but were outscored by nine over the final 16 minutes Southwick 0 — Ethan Mooney lit the lamp twice to pace the ‘Canes in a blowout win over the Rams on Saturday night Sawyer Ferro and Brach Applegate each found the back of the net as well Stephen Rich and Alex Marlin tallied assists for Amherst Gateway 12 — The Raiders wrestling team picked up a pair of wins on Saturday Adin Clifford (144) and Gavin Gorman (190) all picked up wins via pin for Hampshire Jacob Johnson (113) and Lucas Gilbert (125) were winners for the Gators Frontier 24 — The other Hampshire win came against the Redhawks pin) earned victories in the dual meet defeat The South Hadley boys basketball team was facing an uphill battle on the road against Monument Mountain on Thursday in the semifinals of the Western Mass If the third-seeded Tigers were going to pull off the upset they would be doing so without leading scorer Jack Loughrey — who eclipsed the 1,000 point mark last week — who was unavailable due to injury/sickness South Hadley got out to a 7-3 lead early but the second-seeded Spartans closed the quarter on a 17-2 run to take a 20-9 lead after one Monument proceeded to lead 39-25 at the half before pulling away in the second half to earn a 86-64 victory in Great Barrington The Spartans (18-2) advanced to face the winner of No 4 Pittsfield in the Class B championship game on Saturday Dom Cauletti scored 22 points while Griffin McElroy added 19 points in the win  The Tigers (15-5) were led by Tim Loughrey Noah Rivera scored seven points while Jackson Driver knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the loss South Hadley now turns its attention to next week’s MIAA Div Westfield 70 – An impressive end to the season was capped with another victory by the Blue Devils on Thursday Northampton rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter scoring 30 points in the final frame to pull out a 77-70 non-playoff win over the Bombers in Northampton Brayden Nichols-Staples led the way with 20 points for Northampton Eli Reid added nine points and Xavier Nteta tallied seven in the win It was the fifth straight win for the Blue Devils 40 in the most recent MIAA Division 2 Power Rankings and would need to climb into the top 32 for a state tourney berth Westfield led 53-47 after three quarters and 59-52 with six minutes to play before Northampton rallied with a scoring barrage down the stretch to seal the deal