News
Salamander Hollow of Warwick wins campground honor
By DOMENIC POLI
WARWICK — Salamander Hollow Healing Habitat recently received the Massachusetts first-place prize from Hipcamp, a website and mobile app offering outdoor stays and camping experiences, along with being named a national finalist.The private, honeybee...
State politicians eye bill to protect soil, farms from PFAS
By SCOTT MERZBACH
NORTHAMPTON — PFAS contamination from using treated sludge as a fertilizer, leaving the so-called forever chemicals in the soil and groundwater, has forced the closure of dairy farms in Maine and impacted more than 50 farms in that state.While similar...
Western Mass. housing advocates measure challenges at gathering
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HOLYOKE — Twice facing the trauma of eviction and once making a vehicle home for herself and her four children, as well as living inside a mold-filled apartment, Shaundell Diaz of Springfield brings firsthand knowledge of homelessness.Now the...
Talking History features monthly presentations
PETERSHAM — The communities surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir have remarkable histories and it is important that the stories of the region and memories be recalled and preserved for present and future generations.To this end, the Petersham Historical...
North Quabbin Notes May 15
North Quabbin Garden Club meetingATHOL—On Saturday, May 20, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., at Millers River Environmental Center in Athol, the garden club will be holding its annual plant sale. The club offers plants from local gardens that flourish in this...
Review of MassHealth member eligibility expected to take a year
By SAM DRYSDALE
BOSTON — State officials on Thursday offered a first glimpse into efforts to redetermine MassHealth members’ eligibility.About six weeks into the process, which is expected to take a year, about 70,000 Massachusetts households have begun the process...
McGovern faces pushback from activists on Cuba, Venezuela sanctions
By Maddie Fabian
NORTHAMPTON — Local activists for Cuba and Venezuela are calling on U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern to sign a letter to President Joe Biden condemning sanctions that they say have impacted the countries’ economies and contributed to a surge of migrants at...
A big cup of co-op: After 30 years, Dean’s Beans in Orange to become worker-owned
By DOMENIC POLI
ORANGE — Change is brewing at Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Co., which is set to become a worker-owned cooperative on July 1.Dean Cycon founded the business in 1993 and, having recently turned 70, is ready to hand the reins to his 16 employees.“Who...
A Page from North Quabbin History: Athol Fire’s brush truck
By Carla CharterVehicles tell a story, as often as do the people who use them in their day-to-day work. And just like people, they face retirement.Such is the case of the Athol Fire Department 1968 Farrar Brush Truck. The truck, known as Brush One,...
Sen. Comerford, local residents urge state to update outdated mosquito-control plan
By SCOTT MERZBACH
NORTHAMPTON — A panel known as the Select Committee on Pesticide Reduction in 2019 issued a report to the Northampton City Council urging municipal leaders to consider eliminating the use of pesticides.“If deemed absolutely necessary, any pesticide...
Commissioner: Emergency ending, but it’s ‘not the end of COVID’
By Chris Lisinski
BOSTON — It can be difficult to grasp all at once a sense of how dramatically the world seemed to change in March 2020.Now that the public health emergency order in Massachusetts has ended, as of Thursday, state health officials say the road out of...
Bridging the gap: Project connects miles of trails at Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm in Athol
By Max Bowen
ATHOL — Up until two weeks ago, getting over the Lower Kendall Brook Crossing at Ben and Susie Feldman’s Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm required some rather impressive balancing skills.But through a combination of hard work and community support, two new...
Sportsman’s Corner: A first
By Mike RocheTuesday morning dawned beautifully. For a change, this writer had not hopped out of bed at 4 a.m. to match wits with a gobbler but instead had slept in until 7. Since turkey season in Kansas in early April, most days have begun early. Not...
Mahar holds mock car accident ahead of prom
By DOMENIC POLI
ORANGE – For high school seniors, spring is a time of accomplishment – graduations, college acceptance letters, job offers ... and proms. But bad decisions can quickly turn joyous occasions into unforgettable tragedies.With this in mind, Ralph C....
Athol to hold public forum on affordable housing
By GREG VINE
ATHOL – Despite plans to transform the former Bigelow and Riverbend schools into affordable housing and a private sector for construct affordable units downtown, the town is currently missing the mark when it comes to state guidelines.A public meeting...
Greenfield residents, senator advocate for home equity bill
By DOMENIC POLI
BOSTON — At least three Greenfield residents and the state senator representing 25 communities in Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester counties have submitted testimony to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to express support for a bill that would...
Spring scenery in Warwick
Override article receives unanimous nod
By GREG VINE
ATHOL – An $895,000 override of Proposition 2 ½ has received a unanimous recommendation from the Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee.Article 8 on the June 12 Annual Town Meeting warrant details the override request, which could cover the training,...
North Quabbin Notes May 11
HCC announces Phi Theta Kappa Inductees for spring 2023HOLYOKE – Holyoke Community College is proud to announce that 78 HCC students have been accepted for membership into the Alpha Xi Omega chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society for...
Comerford, Athol Selectboard review community’s needs
By GREG VINE
ATHOL – In November of last year, Northampton Democrat Jo Comerford was re-elected to a third term in the state Senate, a position she has held since 2019.In 2022, the Town of Athol – along with a handful of Worcester County communities – was added to...
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