Montague

Recorder file photo
A bear goes after a sweet treat by way of a hummingbird feeder in a local back yard.

Bears showing up everywhere

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Brothers Grimm collected many fine fairy tales illustrating the dangers of antagonizing woodland creatures by, for instance, stealing their porridge. They neglected to mention, however, the dangers of enticing them with birdseed, garbage or undersized pets. The American black bear is native to the area and its local population has been showing up in Greenfield’s “urban” neighborhoods this week. Montague and Sunderland police also logged reports Saturday and Sunday of bears in backyards, singly or in family groups. A Montague Road, Sunderland, resident on Saturday reported a black bear active in the area for almost a month and in a neighbor’s yard almost every … 0

Tornado warning had western Mass. wary Wednesday

Thursday, May 23, 2013

People were forced underground as a tornado warning was issued for areas along and to the south of the Route 2 corridor Wednesday evening. Shortly after 5 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for central Franklin County. It wound up all for naught, but better safe than sorry, as they say. The tornado warning was cancelled at about 6:15 p.m. … 0

Recorder/Paul Franz
Summer Forcier, a senior at Turners Falls High School, works with students at the Pre-K Discovery Program at the Great Falls Middle School.

Third Gill-Montague pre-K programs installed at Great Falls Middle School

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

TURNERS FALLS — Chanda Waryas O’Keefe’s room may be the only Great Falls Middle School classroom with a sandbox and no middle-schoolers. The 13 students in the classroom on a Tuesday morning are in the 3-to-5 age range, with two exceptions — both teens. Then-interim superintendent Nadine Ekstrom moved the district’s third preschool … 0