Patrolman Walter J. Wysocki, who lived in Amherst his entire life, died last week at the age of 84. Patrolman Wysocki, “Walt,” was an Amherst Police Officer for 23 years, and retired in 1985 with the distinguished Badge #1. Patrolman Wysocki was born in the Wysocki House on North Pleasant [...]
Number of comments: 4 Another successful season for Christmas tree sales by the Amherst/Pelham Boy Scouts. And this year, no $1/tree tax from the Town Mangler. [...]
Number of comments: 0 On September 18, 2009, at approximately 1:05 am, several officers from the Amherst Police Department responded to 213 Sunset Ave. for the report of a large scale disturbance. Upon arrival, officers located a victim who had been severely beaten. The victim was identified as a 20-year-old University of Massachusetts student. [...]
Number of comments: 0 On December 9, 2009, at 1:15 am, Amherst Police Officers responded to 846 East Pleasant St. for the report of a vehicle that had left the roadway and struck the house there. The operator of the vehicle was found to be Johanna Favaro. She sustained minor injuries and was transported [...]
Number of comments: 6 So it was one of those serendipitous virtual/real world interactions this evening when my family and I went out for dinner at the Amherst Brewing Company in the heart of downtown Amherst, and the tables next to us became a gathering spot for friends of [...]
Number of comments: 12 Two years ago Amherst spent $8,000 on temporary speed cushions for Lincoln Avenue as an "experiment in traffic calming", and they were about as effective as whistling Dixie in slowing traffic from superhighway Rt. 9 over to Umass, the number one employer in the Valley.
I'm currently reading Amherst writer Augusten Burrough's hatchet job memoir of his late father, UMass philosophy professor John Robison, A Wolf at the Table. In it Augusten describes how he got his first apartment on Appleton Street in downtown Holyoke. He does' [...]
Number of comments: 0 Amherst Chief of Police Scott P. Livingstone has announced that the overnight parking ban is now in effect. From December 1, 2009, to April 1, 2010, no overnight parking is allowed on any town streets from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Vehicles left on streets between these hours are subject [...]
Number of comments: 13 So I'm far from an art aficionado, but less far from a Yankee farmer with some degree of common sense. The art project "Shedding Light"--sponsored by the Amherst Public Arts Commission--strikes me as pretty dim.
It simply looks like Bob The Builder is inside' [...]
Number of comments: 2 This semester (yes, this is how we divide life in the town with one industry -- college) the best restaurant award goes to, hands down, Chicharrón Restaurant in Springfield, MA. We know: for all of your Amherst/Noho-ites, it is a ride, but you won't regret it.
I won Amherst Bulletin columnist Phyllis Lehrer's annual postcard contest for having been the one whose card was sent from the farthest point from the place we don't pronounce the "h." My wonderful trip to Thailand this summer just keeps giving. Here I am [...]
Number of comments: 5 As they have done seemingly forever, Shumway & Sons Landscaping (a venerable Amherst surname, in business seemingly forever) donate their time and expertise to decorate the official town of Amherst, errr, Holiday Tree.
And yes, now that a Commenter reminded me, the Merry Maple [...]
Number of comments: 0 The Amherst Police Department is resuming its Citizen's Police Academy!The Citizen's Police Academy is a six-week program designed to introduce Amherst residents, seventeen years of age or older, to the internal workings of the Amherst Police Department in addition to the duties and responsibilities of individual officers. Classroom sessions will [...]
Number of comments: 0 The Amherst Police Department wants to remind you of the high number of breaking and entering incidents which typically occur during the winter break.DON'T BE A VICTIM!With several simple preventative measures, you can reduce the risk of becoming a target of thieves. Follow these simple steps before departing on your' [...]
Number of comments: 20 Okay, now we can exude the Christmas spirit; the Amherst Pelham Boy Scouts have set up shop on Kendrick Park as they have done for 50+ years (waiting, mercifully, until the day after Thanksgiving ) to sell trees over the next month where profits pretty [...]
Number of comments: 20 So it was announced at a Wednesday staff meeting that Department Head Epi Bodhi, Director of the Amherst Health Department is retiring. Ms Bodhi will probably best be remembered for the caustic Smoking Ban in Bars battle, dubbed the "issue of the year" by the venerable Amherst Bulletin for 1999. [...]
Number of comments: 2 The Amherst Police have lost one of their own. Detective John Burns, who retired in 1988, passed away on November 22nd from an existing heart condition. Detective Burns started his career with the Amherst Police Department in 1970, hired by Chief Frank Hart, after serving 4 years in the Philadelphia [...]
Number of comments: 0 The Amherst Police Department is joining law enforcement organizations across the state and country to launch a special Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization. Increased law enforcement activities will be conducted throughout the month targeting drivers and passengers not wearing their seat belts. This special crackdown is taking [...]
Number of comments: 3 People, UMass-Amherst's Heath Services Center is not diagnosing students with Swine Flu nor are they keeping track of the numbers of students with swine flu... They don't seem to think that knowing/having the number of students with swine flu matters. We find this troubling. More troubling is the fact that' [...]
Number of comments: 0 Well, we don't want to boast, but it does look like the owners of Moti saw our business prospects in Amherst posting (along with two new taxi companies) and they are doing very well. The moral of the story: if Amherst Life calls for a new business in town, one' [...]
Number of comments: 0 So I read in Catherine Sanderson's blog that it's illegal for Massachusetts schoolteachers not to lead their classes in the Pledge of Allegiance.
It's not WAY illegal-- the punishment is a fine "not more than $5." (makes me wonder: who sets the fine? Could Amherst decide to fine [...]
Another successful season for Christmas tree sales by the Amherst/Pelham Boy Scouts. And this year, no $1/tree tax from the Town Mangler. [...] 
Unflattering Portrait
Happy Thanksgiving!
