A joyful noise and a measurement of what peaks our interest as a society.

Amherst Media is bestowing its 15th Jean Haggerty award, so we sit with the board president, Vira Douangmany, to learn about the award’s namesake, the previous winners of the award and the many ways Amherst Media continues a community-forward legacy. We also hear from the award recipient, Jacqui Wallace, director of the Amherst Gospel Choir, about her leadership journey with the choir and how you can join their celebration this weekend.

And, it’s the time where everyone tallies up how the year went, including our friendly local dictionary in Springfield. Our resident wordster and senior editor at Merriam-Webster, Emily Brewster, and her colleagues have made the list, checked it twice, and declared their word of the year for 2024. We discuss the winner and those bridesmaid words that got really close to getting the gold.