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MDAR commissioner pens letter to USDA over uncertain funding and impact on farmers
BOSTON — As farmers prepare to head out to the fields for the season, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle sent a letter to the new U.S. agriculture secretary expressing concerns over uncertain federal funding and other actions taken by the federal government.

Pioneer Valley upgraded to critical drought status, months of sustained precipitation needed
Despite a recent increase in precipitation, the Connecticut River Valley region has been designated as experiencing critical drought conditions, which will continue to persist until sustained precipitation over a much longer period of time is able to restore water table levels.
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Sports

Behind the scenes as the Mullins Center staff hosts basketball, hockey games in same day
AMHERST — On two separate occasions this winter, Mullins Center staff spilled onto Jack Leaman Court as soon as the final horn sounded to end a UMass men’s basketball game. They aren’t typically in a huge rush to break down equipment, especially if the next event to take place in the arena is another basketball game, but the Minutemen hockey team had a game about five hours later – they needed to change the hardwood to the ice in time for warm-ups.
Opinion

Columnist Daniel Cantor Yalowitz: Finding wisdom in middle school
Becoming a responsible adult is a decades-long, uneven, challenging process. It takes human beings longer than any other living being to emerge into a state of independence and autonomy. Most people spend at least 10 to 20 years in school, learning the skills, knowledge and values that will serve us and our families and communities in good stead, hopefully for the betterment of our world.





Your Daily Puzzles

An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."

A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.

Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.

Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.

Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
Police Logs

Athol Police Logs: Feb. 6 – Feb. 27, 2025
12:13 p.m. - Spoke with a female party who was shoveling snow into the roadway. She was advised to stop. She stated she “wasn’t worried about it” and “didn’t care.”




Arts & Life

‘It might as well be spring’: The fifth season is marked by mud and maple syrup
I still can’t see anything but snow and ice in my Hawley yard, but new life is in the air nonetheless. My driveway has started looking and feeling muddy, a sure sign that the fifth season is upon us.
Obituaries

Stamford, CT - James Philip Clucus, known to most as Jim and to his family and friends as "G," passed away peacefully on March 6, 2025, at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT. Born on January 2, 1951, in Athol, MA, Jim was the cherished s... remainder of obit for James Philip Clucus

Athol, MA - Clairette Summers, born October 9, 1941, was a woman of ceaseless compassion and unparalleled resilience. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, and later making her home in Athol, Massachusetts, she cast a luminous light on every life ... remainder of obit for Clairette Sumers

ORANGE, MA - Charles W. LeBell, 83, of Horton Road, died peacefully at home on Sunday, March 2, 2025 following an illness, surrounded by loved ones. Born in Gardner on July 26, 1941, he was the son of the late William C. and Beatric... remainder of obit for Charles W. LeBell

Ruth A. (Butterfield) Robinson PETERSHAM, MA - Ruth A. (Butterfield) Robinson passed away peacefully with family by her side on Monday March 3, 2025, at the age of 97. She was born on May 17, 1927, in Northbridge, MA to Vance L. and Doris ... remainder of obit for Ruth A. Robinson