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By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — More than 120 area residents packed into Town Hall on Wednesday for a conversation with U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern to voice their ongoing concerns with the Trump administration.

By CHRIS LARABEE

Beginning more than a decade ago and wrapping up in 2016, a wide-ranging coalition in western Massachusetts banded together to resist Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.’s Northeast Energy Direct project, which proposed a pipeline running through eight Franklin County towns.

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — A peer review for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter’s proposed location off Plain Road East has found no “fatal flaws” that would pose a risk to public health or safety, according to the engineer, but there are some details regarding traffic and noise that need to be addressed.

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — Community and nonprofit leaders convened at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments’ offices this week to share an update on advocacy efforts for some of the most vulnerable populations: children and caregivers.

By CHRIS LARABEE

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.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WARWICK — With a $100,000 state grant, Warwick Community School will continue to lay down the foundation for its comprehensive behavioral and mental health services program.

By CHRIS LARABEE

ORANGE – As advocates prepare to head to the State House for March 13’s Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) Advocacy Day, at least one local store has seen the community fill the gaps left by December’s 50%, at minimum, reduction to the program.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WESTBOROUGH – The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife announced at Thursday’s Fisheries and Wildlife Board meeting it would cease the stocking of rainbow trout in the five-mile stretch of the Upper Deerfield River from the Fife Brook Dam to Zoar Gap, in response to the comments of dozens of anglers in the region.

By CHRIS LARABEE

CONWAY — Gov. Maura Healey’s message at a Thursday afternoon press conference for western Massachusetts was clear — the state’s funding formula needs to be tweaked for rural communities and it needs to be done now.

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — The Friends of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter will come before Deerfield’s regulatory boards in the coming weeks, as the nonprofit seeks to construct an 8,000-square-foot shelter on a 13.4-acre parcel of land off Plain Road East.

By CHRIS LARABEE

ORANGE — Police Chief James Sullivan announced Wednesday that an indictment has been issued in the fraud case that drained an estimated $338,000 from the town’s coffers, but he urged more patience as the investigation continues.

By CHRIS LARABEE

A decision on the longstanding practice of stocking trout in the upper Deerfield River will come before the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife next week, following a request from Franklin County-based anglers.

By CHRIS LARABEE

With a rise in reported cases of theft of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is urging people to take extra precautions to protect themselves.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — When flooding devastated the Pioneer Valley in summer 2023, it took an extraordinary partnership between the state, nonprofits and private individuals to quickly bring millions of dollars in aid to those affected.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WARWICK — Thanks to the work of a dedicated team of volunteers over the last 17 years, Warwick residents were able to slash town energy use and pave a path forward for green energy, even in a town of just under 800 residents.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — New legislation filed by state Rep. Natalie Blais seeks the development of minimum statewide quality standards for private wells, as well as the expansion of a financial assistance program for residents trying to remediate wells contaminated by so-called “forever chemicals,” or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

By CHRIS LARABEE

For its work in closing the digital divide in Franklin County and the North Quabbin, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance has named the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) a 2024 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer.

By CHRIS LARABEE

Just over a month since Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) benefits were cut by a minimum of 50%, local businesses and advocates for the initiative are hopeful that it will be restored, as farmers, vendors and stores are seeing the effects of reduced benefits.

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — With the support of a five-year, $7 million grant, three of Baystate Health’s hospitals are launching a substance use disorder treatment program, which will be based at Baystate Franklin Medical Center.The $7 million grant, awarded by the...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — After a national search, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) has found a new executive director right here in the Pioneer Valley.The agency announced on Dec. 12 that its board of directors had chosen Jennifer Core, a...

By CHRIS LARABEE

With bodies of water receding and brush fires throughout the state, it was clearly a dry fall for the Pioneer Valley and new data analysis confirms the season was historically dry for western Massachusetts.Preliminary National Weather Service data...