Magazine Archive
Magazine Archive
Grow Food Northampton Offers Community, Agency and Hope
At 10 a.m. on a cloudless fall day, Ruth von Goeler and Juju Carpenter open the market. A card table – long enough for 4 people to shop comfortably – showcases today’s bounty, which includes peppers, carrots, lettuce, raspberries, eggs, sausage and tofu, all grown and produced on local farms. Ears of corn gleam in their husks, available with or without a recipe card in English or Spanish, for a corn and cherry tomato salad.
Within the next half hour, about 50 patrons will line up behind the Walter Salvo House, a low-income housing development for elderly and disabled Northampton residents. Many are on a first-name basis with the food access assistants from Grow Food Northampton (GFN), who replenish the stock, again and again, from cardboard boxes stacked underneath the table. The nonprofit’s goal is to build a just and sustainable local food system, and this is their mission in action.
Your Estate Plan and the Gift of Education
The Pioneer Valley, home to the Five Colleges, could be branded “Education Valley” because its history and values are deeply rooted in the pursuit of knowledge.
When our clients desire to fund education for their children and grandchildren, here are some legal techniques we deploy:
Trusts
Married with Kids? Now, Not So Much
As her parents listened from the other room, five-year-old Nancy chattered to her family of dolls: Mommy and Daddy, little Clara, and Clara’s younger brother David.
Several decades later, they hear something quite different from their daughter. Nancy, 35, has lived happily with her boyfriend of 5 years. Neither wants to tie the knot. Now she mentions that they don’t want kids. So much for Clara and David.
When we launched our financial planning firm in 2002, few of our clients had stories like this. They hoped for a comfortable retirement, for family support they could count on in old age, and to someday pass on what remained of their wealth to the next generation.
Take Advantage of the Real Estate Market
November greetings!
Much like other small communities, our local real estate market has been impacted by a confluence of factors stemming from the global pandemic and predictable demographic shifts. Simply put, in the last few years the number of buyers has exceeded the number of sellers, even with higher interest rates and higher prices. One of the most striking features of the current market is the shrinking inventory. Buyers are encountering a limited supply of available homes. The number of homes sold in the second quarter (Q2) this year is about 20% lower than Q2 2022. The number of homes sold in Northampton is 33% lower than last year.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Half-Shell Come Full Circle
“We’re bigger than the Beatles, dudes!” Leonardo yelled over the crowd outside the Academy of Music. The leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles emerged from a van to join franchise co-creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman at the totally tubular premiere of their second feature film in Northampton.
It was March 1991, the height of Turtlemania. After the release of their first movie, which grossed nearly $202 million worldwide in 1990, the 4 talking, walking, pizza-eating and crime-fighting Turtles were household names. Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello were no longer just revered Renaissance artists; instead, Leo, Raph, Mikey and Donny were down-to-earth dudes who inhabited the sewers of New York City.
Like Leo said, they were also mononymous superstars like Paul, John, George and Ringo. And they were even in a band, however short-lived. During the 1990 “Oprah Winfrey Show” dedicated to the international “Coming Out of Their Shells” tour – otherwise known as the most “Radical, radical, radical!” episode of “Oprah” in existence – the Turtles sing and dance like a boy band while Winfrey touts their “triple platinum” album. As Raphael puts it, “Singing in the sewer is a wonderful sound!”
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.