News
Vote on debt exclusion for fire truck purchase on Warwick ballot
WARWICK — While there are no contested races in Monday’s town election, voters will weigh in on a ballot question authorizing a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion to fund the purchase of a new fire engine.Polls will be open at Town Hall from noon to 8...
Gill election to decide change to appointed positions, Sewer Commission expansion
By CHRIS LARABEE
GILL — While every race is uncontested in Monday’s town election, voters will be asked to consider three ballot questions related to changing the treasurer and tax collector positions to appointed roles and expanding the Sewer Commission by two...
Greenfield Historical Society talk to highlight Old Tavern Farm
GREENFIELD — The Historical Society of Greenfield will host Gary Sanderson for a program titled “New Discoveries about Old Tavern Farm and its Greenfield Meadows Neighborhood” on Wednesday, May 15, at 6 p.m. in the Whiteman Room at the Episcopal...
Yacovone-Biagi looks to fill vacant Selectboard seat in Shelburne
By DIANE BRONCACCIO
SHELBURNE — Although there are no contested races on the ballot for the annual town election on Tuesday, May 21, voters will usher in a new Selectboard member.Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cowell Gymnasium, 51 Maple St. In-person...
Ja’Duke eyes expansion to Greenfield
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
GREENFIELD — The former Greenfield Community College building at 270 Main St. might soon be converted into Ja’Duke Inc.’s newest location for performance art, driver’s education and a preschool center.Ja’Duke owners Kimberly Williams and Nicholas...
Report urges full reexamination of regional transit authorities
By MICHAEL P. NORTON
MBTA service problems and fiscal dilemmas have commanded significant public attention, but a new report says the regional transit authorities that provided 19 million bus and shuttle rides in 2021 lack connectivity and a “funding bedrock.”The report,...
Bike Month event in Greenfield looks at favorite cycling spots, room for improvement
By CHRIS LARABEE
GREENFIELD — In celebration of Bay State Bike Month and in anticipation of a new Franklin County Regional Bike Plan, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) welcomed cyclists to the John W. Olver Transit Center on Tuesday.With...
PHOTOS: Prom fare gets cultural flair
Rowe voters back park addition, two-town fire district
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
ROWE — Residents voted in favor of a non-binding resolution to create a shared fire district with Charlemont, to use a portion of town land on Pond Road for park and recreational purposes, and to change the town clerk position from elected to...
Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis marks 25th year in Shelburne Falls
By GRACE LEE
SHELBURNE FALLS — After Sandra Gaffey’s daughter, Audrey Clark, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 1995, Gaffey took it upon herself to contribute toward advancing a cure for cystic fibrosis by joining a Great Strides walk, a nationwide event and...
Greenfield Middle School Honor Roll, Third Quarter
Sixth Grade High Honors: Ariana Agapov, Landon Allenby, Lucas Allenby, Finnegan Coffin, Juliana Helie, Leo Leitner-Markert, Helen Maiewski, Emerson Maxam, Cyrus Pfennighaus, Kaleb Reipold, Ryker Russin, Kaylina Short, Tyler Slack, Samantha Suhl,...
Montague Police Logs: April 23 to April 28, 2024
Tuesday, April 231:40 p.m. — Reporting party states he owns a building on Third Street and some kids must have thrown rocks at one of the windows on the alley side. It’s not broken but there are dings in the glass. Caller wants the incident on record...
Hawley residents vote down resolution on state flag, seal for second year
By LIESEL NYGARD
HAWLEY — For the second year in a row, residents voted against a resolution to change the state flag and seal during their Annual Town Meeting on Monday evening. The state seal depicts an Indigenous man holding a bow and arrow, with an arm brandishing...
Attorney seeks dismissal of RI man’s DUI charges in Northfield crash that injured seven
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
GREENFIELD — The defense has filed a motion to dismiss driving under the influence charges against Ryan O’Farrell, a Rhode Island man accused of hospitalizing seven motorcyclists while driving under the influence of drugs on Route 10 in Northfield on...
Extreme weather forces Pioneer Valley farmers to adapt
By TANISHA BHAT
Ben Clark, the owner of Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield, received $120,000 from the $20 million Natural Disaster Recovery Program created last year after he lost the entirety of his peach crop and 70% of his apples and pears due to sudden cold...
PHOTO: Plants with added purpose
‘An environmental endeavor’: Bee Fest returns to Greenfield for 14th year on Saturday
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
GREENFIELD — Downtown Greenfield will be buzzing with activities on Saturday as Bee Fest returns for its 14th year. The roughly three-hour festival honors the Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth, the sixth minister of Second Congregational Church who is known as...
North Quabbin Food-A-Thon marks 20th year
By MAX BOWEN
ATHOL — Residents can expect to see volunteers on the street collecting donations in pickle jars and to hear the 12-hour North Quabbin Food-A-Thon on the air to help combat a growing need.The fundraiser and food collection drive, now in its 20th year,...
Renovation of vacant Greenfield house will help those ‘priced out’ of home ownership
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
GREENFIELD — Rural Development Inc., a Montague-based nonprofit affiliated with the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority, is renovating a vacant three-bedroom home on Cleveland Street for reuse as affordable housing. The 42...
North County Notebook: May 14, 2024
May 16: ‘Birds of Our Meadows’ NORTHFIELD — Dickinson Memorial Library will host “Birds of Our Meadows,” a presentation with pictures, information and suggestions for conservation, by ornithologist Mara Silver on Thursday, May 16, from 6 to 7 p.m.The...