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By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — Peanut butter jars, takeout containers and soft plastic wrap often end up in the recycling bin, contaminating viable plastic, cardboard and paper for recycling and resulting in more garbage in landfills.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Alleging there has been antisemitic discrimination and harassment at 60 colleges and universities across the country, including at the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is warning of potential enforcement actions, according to a letter sent on Monday.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — As farmers prepare to head out to the fields for the season, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle sent a letter to the new U.S. agriculture secretary expressing concerns over uncertain federal funding and other actions taken by the federal government.

By ALEXA LEWIS

Despite a recent increase in precipitation, the Connecticut River Valley region has been designated as experiencing critical drought conditions, which will continue to persist until sustained precipitation over a much longer period of time is able to restore water table levels.

By CHRIS LARABEE

ORANGE – As advocates prepare to head to the State House for March 13’s Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) Advocacy Day, at least one local store has seen the community fill the gaps left by December’s 50%, at minimum, reduction to the program.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

AMHERST — When the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report landed on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s desk in June 1981, he had no idea it would be the start of a “dark” period of his career.

By ALEXA LEWIS

AMHERST — Varshini Prakash no longer believes that we can “stop” climate change as she did when she was an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, when she was staging sit-ins and protests to pressure her school into divesting from fossil fuels.

By DOMENIC POLI

NEW SALEM – The nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of the Quabbin Reservoir and watershed is soliciting donations to help restore a stone arch bridge erected the year after the Civil War ended.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WESTBOROUGH – The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife announced at Thursday’s Fisheries and Wildlife Board meeting it would cease the stocking of rainbow trout in the five-mile stretch of the Upper Deerfield River from the Fife Brook Dam to Zoar Gap, in response to the comments of dozens of anglers in the region.

By CHRIS LARABEE

CONWAY — Gov. Maura Healey’s message at a Thursday afternoon press conference for western Massachusetts was clear — the state’s funding formula needs to be tweaked for rural communities and it needs to be done now.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Less than two years since taking the helm as chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Javier Reyes interviewed as a finalist to become the next president of West Virginia University.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

BOSTON — According to Lt. John Girvalakis of the Massachusetts Environmental Police, all that has been required to legally take a boat out on a ride are two things: “money and a boat,” with few exceptions.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

State and local officials joined members of the public in expressing concern for river quality and habitat for wildlife, among other considerations, during a hearing Wednesday on a draft decision approving a water quality certification for FirstLight Hydro Generating Co.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), the state’s regulatory body for marijuana products, said it will continue to raise its standards for testing after cannabis contaminated with mold and mildew was reported in more than 20 dispensaries, including those in Greenfield, Montague, Winchendon and Easthampton.

By CHRIS LARABEE

ORANGE — Police Chief James Sullivan announced Wednesday that an indictment has been issued in the fraud case that drained an estimated $338,000 from the town’s coffers, but he urged more patience as the investigation continues.

By CHRIS LARABEE

With a rise in reported cases of theft of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is urging people to take extra precautions to protect themselves.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Over the course of two hours Monday, legislators sitting on the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism presented numerous pro-Palestinian exhibits — resources that educators might use in their classroom — drawn from a members-only section of the Massachusetts Teachers Association website.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Frozen lakes and ponds invite enchanted winter sports enthusiasts outside for classic wintertime festivities. But despite the fun, a fact remains: ice is a potential danger.

By DOMENIC POLI

WENDELL – Cleanup has begun at the site of a freight train derailment that sent 15 railroad cars carrying non-hazardous merchandise off the track Tuesday afternoon.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Two Franklin county and North Quabbin towns have received awards from the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) for their annual town reports. Leyden and Phillipston earned second and third place, respectively, for their 2023 reports.