News
Goddard finds ‘best location’ in Shelburne Falls with new Watermark Gallery space
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
SHELBURNE FALLS — The 20 Bridge St. space that formerly housed Molly Cantor’s pottery now displays Watermark Gallery’s eclectic collection of modern art pieces.Local artist Laurie Goddard opened Watermark Gallery last month as her seventh location in...
Federal probe targets UMass response to anti-Arab incidents
By JAMES PENTLAND
AMHERST — Federal civil rights officials are investigating the University of Massachusetts for allegedly dragging its feet over complaints of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian harassment on campus amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.An official...
Montague Notebook: April 24, 2024
Psychic Fair set for Saturday LAKE PLEASANT — The National Spiritual Alliance will sponsor a Psychic Fair on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Thompson Temple, 2 Montague Ave.To register or for more information, visit...
New Salem event will turn gun parts into gardening tools, jewelry
By DOMENIC POLI
NEW SALEM — A Connecticut nonprofit will send representatives to town on Saturday to demonstrate how something that is often associated with tragedy can be converted into an instrument furthering new growth.Swords to Plowshares Northeast members will...
New buyer of Bernardston’s Windmill Motel looks to resell it, attorney says
By DOMENIC POLI
BERNARDSTON — The Windmill Motel was sold at auction earlier this month to a private out-of-state lender.The motel at 497 Northfield Road, which was opened by Kolman Nemes in 1981, was bought for $750,000 on April 10, according to Marianne Sullivan,...
Advancing water treatment: UMass startup Elateq Inc. wins state grant to deploy new technology
By XINYI YANG
AMHERST — In the four years since its founding on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, startup Elateq Inc., a water treatment and hardware company, has landed contracts big (think PepsiCo) and small (think town of Amherst).Now the company,...
Sunderland Public Library hosting 20th birthday party for its building
By CHRIS LARABEE
SUNDERLAND — Almost exactly two decades from the date of its ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Sunderland Public Library is hosting a 20th birthday party for its building.The free party will be held at the library, 20 School St., on Saturday, April 27,...
Real Estate Transactions: April 26, 2024
ATHOL 163 Benwoods Drive. $495,000. B: Ellen Tannehill and Ulysse Millet. S: David M. Cullinane and Sharon M. Cullinane. Jones Street. $35,000, B: FWP Realty Partners LLC. S: Virginia Realty Inc. 19 Kendall St. $121,500. B: My Jireh Properties LLC....
Business Briefs: April 26, 2024
Berkshire East, Zoar Outdoor jobs highlighted in recruitment event GREENFIELD — The MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center, located at 101 Munson St., Suite 210, will hold a recruitment event for Berkshire East Mountain Resort and Zoar Outdoor on...
Shelburne fair to explore energy-efficient options for homeowners
By VIRGINIA RAY
SHELBURNE — If you’ve wondered how to decide on solar options, or a heat pump, or how to reduce your home’s oil/propane use, you can find information at a free Energy Fair organized by the Shelburne Energy Committee.The fair will be held on Saturday,...
PHOTO: A valuable simulation
Erving rejects trade school’s incomplete proposal for mill reuse
By DOMENIC POLI
ERVING — While the Selectboard was forced to reject the lone procurement submission for the former International Paper Mill because it was incomplete, members hope the applicant’s idea could be a window to future opportunities.Hancock Academy is...
Is Steam Mill Road in Deerfield a public way? Land Court to decide as trial begins
By CHRIS LARABEE
GREENFIELD — The long-running saga of seeking to determine the status of Steam Mill Road in Deerfield has reached the courtroom, as the 2021 lawsuit began its bench trial at the Franklin County Justice Center on Wednesday, with opening statements and...
Joannah Whitney of Greenfield wins 33rd annual Poet’s Seat Poetry Contest
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
GREENFIELD — After a few years submitting her work to the annual Poet’s Seat Poetry Contest, Greenfield poet and freelance writer Joannah Whitney placed first among the contest’s adult finalists Tuesday night at the Greenfield Public Library. The...
Parents question handling of threat at Erving Elementary School
By MAX BOWEN
ERVING — Following a report of a threat that involved an Erving Elementary School student, parents questioned the School Committee on Tuesday about what can be done in light of concerns over the administration’s response.According to a joint statement...
William Strickland, a longtime civil rights activist, scholar and friend of Malcolm X, has died
By MICHAEL CASEY
BOSTON — William Strickland, a longtime civil rights activist and supporter of the Black Power movement who worked with Malcolm X and other prominent leaders in the 1960s, has died. He was 87.Strickland, whose death April 10 was confirmed by a...
Shutesbury voters to decide on battery storage, lighting bylaws
By SCOTT MERZBACH
SHUTESBURY — Bylaws to regulate large-scale battery storage, limit outdoor light pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new housing construction and control door-to-door solicitors will be considered by residents at Annual Town Meeting on...
Monroe election sees no contests, some positions without candidates
MONROE — As the annual town election approaches, there are several incumbents running unopposed for reelection and several positions for which there are no candidates on the ballot.Polls will be open on Monday, May 6, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Monroe...
Shea Theater mural artist chosen out of 354 applicants
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
MONTAGUE — After reviewing submissions from 354 applicants, a steering group has selected North Carolina-based muralist Darion Fleming to paint a 3,200-square-foot mural on the east exterior wall of the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls.The...
Healey weighs in on campus safety, protests
By COLIN A. YOUNG
As tensions simmer around college campus protests and university responses, Gov. Maura Healey gave a mostly muted response Tuesday to the proliferation of pro-Palestinian encampments, saying “there has to be” space for both protest and Jewish student...