HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

As school districts in Massachusetts submit their fall proposals to the state, many parents are coming up with their own contingency plans. 

Massachusetts had the highest rate of unemployment in the country in June, at 17.4%. That’s according to data released late last week by the federal government. One reason could be the decision to reopen Massachusetts businesses more slowly than some other states.

Kicking off our annual summer ficiton series: a novel about a mother-daughter connection and the role of creativity and beauty in human survival. 

While some parts of the country are seeing surges in COVID-19, cases in Massachusetts are down — but not gone. So, with the governor's reopening plan underway, early survivors of the virus are hoping their experience will convince others to be cautious.

Black Writers Read, live and online June 19th, is the brainchild of several western Massachusetts writers. The event began as a response to a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, originally scheduled for the same day. June 19 is Juneteenth, a day that marks the end of slavery in the U.S. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Young@Heart, the western Massachusetts chorus whose youngest member is 75 years old and oldest is 90, was forced to cancel in-person rehearsals. They started meeting online and making "quarantine videos."

COVID-19 has been especially lethal to senior citizens. In Massachusetts, nearly 95% of the people who have died from the coronavirus were over 60. The average age of death is 82.

About a dozen protests against police brutality and racism were scheduled across western Massachusetts over the weekend.

More protests are scheduled for Tuesday around the region — including in Boston and Holyoke, Massachusetts. On Monday, hundreds of people gathered in Northampton to protest police brutality and the death of George Floyd. After a tense standoff, the demonstration only ended when officers chose to make a simple gesture.

While protests continue to swell in cities across the country, hundreds gathered on the common in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Sunday to demand justice for George Floyd, the black man killed one week ago by Minneapolis police officers.

Unlike most medical offices right now, the Mill Valley Veterinary Clinic in Belchertown, Massachusetts, is busier than ever.

“Pets don’t know there’s a pandemic,” veterinarian Helen Spiegel Lee said.

Memorial Day usually means parades and other public ceremonies honoring those who died while serving the armed forces. With COVID-19 restrictions, some western Massachusetts communities are changing how they mark the occasion. 

Reactions continue to Governor Charlie Baker's plan to reopen the Massachusetts economy in the midst of the virus pandemic. It was based on recommendations by a 17-member advisory board.

Since the pandemic started, the number of people visiting food pantries in New England has jumped.

In Northampton, Massachusetts, the Survival Center is serving more than three times as many households, from across 18 communities.

Actors and directors are finding ways to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic by producing theater online. Among the plays in rehearsal in western Massachusetts is a 10-minute piece, "This Is Your Captain."