Magazine Archive
Magazine Archive
Join UMassFive in Celebrating the 75th anniversary of International Credit Union Day
Making life choices and dreams a reality are how credit unions make a difference – in Northampton and around the world. All credit unions share a common goal: to offer access to affordable financial services to members and provide even the most financially disadvantaged the tools and opportunities to be financially self-sufficient.
Now that’s something to celebrate
Unleashing the Wow: The Secrets to Unforgettable Boxing
You're eagerly awaiting the arrival of your much-anticipated online order. As you hear the doorbell ring, excitement courses through your veins. With bated breath, you grab the package and eagerly tear it open – but wait! Is it a generic brown box with no sign of what lies inside, or is it a beautifully wrapped parcel that beckons you to treat it like a treasure chest? The difference between the two is the ultimate unboxing experience, and wow, can it make all the difference!
Health Savings Accounts and Medicare Planning
Healthcare costs continue to rise, leaving many individuals worried about how to manage their medical expenses both now and in the future. Two powerful tools in this regard are Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Medicare. Understanding how these tools interact can help you make informed decisions about your healthcare and financial well-being.
Halloween is Spooky Enough without an HVAC Horror Show
While the falling leaves, chilling air and Halloween ghouls may define the month of October, there's another bubbling cauldron of potential disaster that often goes gets lost in the spirit of the season: your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Never fear: We’re here to unravel the nightmares that can turn your cozy home into a haunted house.
Woman in Power: Meet Lynnette Watkins, President of Cooley Dickinson
For Lynnette Watkins, the hospital has always been home. As a young girl in St. Louis, Missouri, it was where her dad spent most weekends, visiting his patients and building his ophthalmology practice. When he had to perform cataract surgery, his little girl was entrusted to the nurses, who’d fill her with candy and lollipops to her heart’s content.
As a teenager, she worked as a candy striper in the same hospital, where she gathered bouquets at the flower shop and carted them to grateful patients’ rooms.
Now the president and chief executive officer of Cooley Dickinson Health Care, Watkins beams when she recalls her early days. “I still have a picture of me with my little hat and my candy striper outfit,” she says. “I just thought I was the bee’s knees.”
For Local Allergist, One Roof is Built on a Dream and Donations
The 2023 One Roof Festival went off without a hitch. Despite a gloomy weather forecast, the near-capacity crowd at the Pines Theater at Look Park spent nearly 9 rain-free hours rocking out to a line-up of 90s bands, including Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Juliana Hatfield. Popular local groups Eavesdrop and The Glad Machine kicked off the benefit concert.
When Death Interrupts the Conversation
When I was 20, my father threatened to disown me if I didn't transfer out of the music composition track I was on at college, and get a “sensible” degree in elementary education. Out of pure fear, I did as he demanded. Three years later, when Dad was seriously ill, I landed my first teaching job at a private elementary school on Long Island, moved back into my old bedroom at my parents’ house, and hoped to find the courage to have it out with Dad.
Know Your Student's Educational Options
Even though the school year has just begun, some families may already be thinking about educational options for next fall. This is especially true if their child is at a transition point in their education. Typically, parents will hear about schools – and their reputations – from people in their social circles. Then if they’re especially interested, they’ll go online to seek out more information. The best action families can take after that is to make in-person visits to selected schools and experience the learning environment firsthand. Here are some questions to think about during the school exploration process:
Garrick Perry: A Force for Good
In Northampton’s heyday, the city pulsed with music. Main Street was a treasure map for aspiring performers and loyal fans, a trail of gold coins from the Iron Horse to the Pearl Street Nightclub to the Calvin Theatre. And with a built-in support system for bands, there was bounty aplenty for everyone.
Garrick Perry, better known as “Force,” arrived on the scene in the early 2000s. He joined the local hip hop/reggae band the Alchemystics in 2004 and formed a group of MCs called the Problemaddicts two years later. Soon he began managing Bishop’s Lounge – the only late-night venue that remains open in Northampton – a bar he envisioned as the city’s “Cheers.”
“I spent a lot of time community building,” he explains. “A number of friends joked that I was sort of like the Night Mayor.”
Northampton Living’s Publisher Named Ambassador of the Year
When Daniel Reider moved to the area in November 2019, he didn’t know a soul in Northampton. After a 12-year career with the National Basketball Association overseeing international television programming, he had a network that spanned the world. Yet he longed to be part of a close-knit community.
In January 2020, Reider started to approach sponsors for Northampton Living, the first local magazine that would put its residents on the cover and give the community the royal treatment. Though the pandemic delayed its launch, the magazine debuted that October. Less than 3 years later, he was named Ambassador of the Year by the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce.
Dream House: Valley Home Improvement Does Inspired Work in the Community
Before Steve Silverman moved to Florence, he set a few intentions. He and his wife would trade the Cape Cod shores for acres of farmland. He would “pick up a tool belt and make a hobby into a career.” Maybe he’d be a builder.
In 2004 the couple rented a house and gave themselves one year to buy a home. That September, they headed to the Three-County Fair to celebrate Labor Day. That’s where Silverman came across a posting for a 45-acre horse farm. Within a week, he’d signed a purchase and sale agreement. Now it was time to find work.
When he walked into Valley Home Improvement (VHI) that month, he and the company president, Nelson Shifflett, realized they had attended the same high school on the Cape. Then Shifflett said something even more surprising: “One day I’m going to sell my company and you could be the buyer.” He looked in Silverman’s direction, and Silverman peered over his shoulder, wondering who had entered the room. Then he turned back to his new boss, who now shook the hand of his future successor.
A Matter of Life and Death
What happens when Uncle Sam and the Grim Reaper join forces? The death tax, otherwise known as the largest tax bill you’ll ever pay but never see. Thankfully, unlike death itself, this tax can be avoided or minimized with proper estate planning.
A Cable TV Exodus
Am I the only one that thinks that cable companies are a bunch of thieves? Actually, I know I’m not. I hear the same thing from my clients all the time. But this is getting out of hand. Every other day, I see someone make a post about it, or I get a call from someone who is fed up with their cable bills. While the numbers are not exact, from my experience, monthly bills are ranging from $230-$290 a month! That's insanity.
A Perfect Storm
Severe storms can be unpredictable and dangerous, so it's crucial to stay prepared and know how to keep you and your loved ones safe. Here are 5 tips to stay out of danger.
Alex Cook Has a Message for You
Paintbrush in hand, Alex Cook surveyed the brick wall on Bridge Street. He’d never painted publicly before. For years he’d swapped sketchbooks with his two best friends in Wellesley. Sometimes they rode bikes to Bertucci’s just after the dinner rush, because in the restaurant was a giant chalkboard known to moonlight as a canvas. The manager gave them free dinner rolls and all-access to the chalk stash, and though their murals were ephemeral – they would be erased for tomorrow’s specials – they were always meaningful.
Preparation is a Small Price to Pay
The couple wanted desperately to buy a house in the Valley. They were tired of renting. Or perhaps they wanted to move closer to their parents, or to better schools for their kids.
But like many prospective buyers, they were priced out of the Valley’s housing market, with its sky-rocketing prices, limited inventory, and rising interest rates. They couldn’t come up with a down payment and they wondered whether they could afford the monthly mortgage. And so they decided to give up the dream of home-ownership, at least for the time being.
College Material
If college is on the horizon for your soon-to-be freshman, this will be a summer for computer shopping. We asked tech expert Scott Haselkorn for tips on where to start
On Medication
Let's unravel the mysteries of prescription drug coverage for Medicare enrollees and ensure you have all the information you need to access affordable medications.
Small Wonders
Mini-split HVAC systems, also known as ductless HVAC systems, have gained popularity in recent years due to their energy efficiency, flexibility, and ease of installation - and at Berkshire Heating and Air Conditioning, we have everything you need to install (or repair) this relatively new product in your home.
Numbers Game: Q&A With Margot Douillet
We sat down with Margot Douillet, a gifted analyst and the first female coach of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, a competitive summer league that mirrors the style of a minor league season. As the Director of Operations for the Pittsfield Suns, Douillet took the field -- and the helm -- last summer when she was 20 years old.