News
Western Mass school leaders rally for funding at State House
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
BOSTON — Western Massachusetts school committee members and educational leaders took to the State House Monday morning to advocate for policy changes and increased funding for the region’s school districts. At the Massachusetts Association of School...
Franklin County reps speak to House budget amendments
By TANISHA BHAT
Franklin County representatives got about half of what they asked for in amendments to the House version of the fiscal year 2025 state budget.After two separate votes, 11 of the 21 amendments proposed by Franklin County representatives were adopted by...
North County Notebook: May 7, 2024
Selectman to speak at community lunch LEYDEN — This month’s community lunch at Leyden Town Hall, to be held Wednesday, May 8, will include a talk by Selectboard member Glenn Caffery.Caffery, who has covered thousands of miles running long distances...
No surprises in uncontested Sunderland races
By CHRIS LARABEE
SUNDERLAND — With no contested races, there were no surprises in Sunderland’s annual town election on Saturday, as everyone on the ballot was elected to their positions.Of the 2,493 registered voters, 301, or roughly 12.1% of voters, cast their...
Colrain voters to decide Selectboard, moderator races
By DIANE BRONCACCIO
COLRAIN — Both a Selectboard seat and the town moderator position are contested as voters head to the polls on Tuesday, May 7, from noon to 7 p.m. in Town Hall.Katie Korby and Howard Phelps are vying for a three-year Selectboard term to fill a vacancy...
Longtime moderator retains position in Ashfield election
By DIANE BRONCACCIO
ASHFIELD — Longtime Moderator Stewart “Buz” Eisenberg handily defeated opponent Evan Barth by a vote of 164 to 31 during Saturday’s town election.The race for a one-term term as moderator was the only contest on the ballot. Voters also supported a...
Buckland backs short-term rental bylaw
By LIESEL NYGARD
BUCKLAND — Roughly 70 voters passed all 28 articles at Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, most notably adopting a new bylaw to better regulate short-term rentals and approving budget requests totaling nearly $5.88 million for fiscal year 2025. The...
‘We are among the leaders’: Ashfield Town Meeting voters pass bevy of clean energy proposals
By DIANE BRONCACCIO
ASHFIELD — When Bill Ryan moved to town 25 years ago, an old-timer told him, “In Ashfield, we only have two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July.”“In my first year here, we had 120 inches of snow,” Ryan mused. “Not now.”On Saturday, Ryan was among...
Greenfield Notebook: May 6, 2024
Peck leading workshop on iris paper folding GREENFIELD — Margot Peck will lead a free iris paper-folding workshop at the Greenfield Senior Center on Wednesday, May 8, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.Iris folding is done by arranging and layering strips of...
PHOTO: River runway
Regional Notebook: May 6, 2024
Peacemaker Awards ceremony planned for May 8 GREENFIELD — The Interfaith Council of Franklin County and the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice have worked together for the 24th year to identify youth who are working for social justice and to award...
$12.14M school budget draws discussion at Montague Town Meeting
By AALIANNA MARIETTA
MONTAGUE — Residents backed monetary requests for the airport, ongoing litigation with FirstLight Hydro Generating Co., and design work for library repairs or reconstruction at Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting, while also discussing whether the school...
Change in federal drug classification could help cannabis shops
By JAMES PENTLAND
In the wake of the Justice Department’s proposal to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug, dispensary owners say the change would help their business, especially on taxes.“The immediate impact would be for the government to treat us like other...
Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls to open on plant sale day, May 11
By VIRGINIA RAY
SHELBURNE FALLS — The Bridge of Flowers, closed at the end of the 2023 season for needed repair work, will reopen on the day of the annual plant sale, Saturday, May 11. The bridge was not expected to open this season, but a regional dearth of bidders...
Community Legal Aid expands Disability Benefits Project to Franklin County
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
GREENFIELD — Community Legal Aid, a nonprofit that offers free civil legal support to elderly and low-income residents in western and central Massachusetts, has expanded its Disability Benefits Project into Franklin County, a change that coincides...
Streetlight decision comes to Shelburne Town Meeting
By DIANE BRONCACCIO
SHELBURNE — Will Shelburne buy its 101 streetlights from Eversource, replacing the sodium-vapor lights with low-wattage LEDs that would cut the town’s utility bills and energy use?Annual Town Meeting voters will decide on Tuesday, May 7. They will...
Conway rejects public safety building bids due to high costs, will likely try again
By CHRIS LARABEE
CONWAY — With bids coming in too high and a potential change in the scope of work, the Selectboard has voted to reject all of the bids for the public safety building addition project, but will likely try again to move the project forward. The board...
New Whately town admin starts June 17
By CHRIS LARABEE
WHATELY — With contract negotiations complete, the community’s newest town administrator will be returning to the Pioneer Valley in June.Swampscott Assistant Town Administrator and Easthampton native Peter Kane will take the reins in Whately on June...
PHOTO: Getting settled in Deerfield
Greenfield Notebook: May 4, 2024
GCC nursing students holding Health and Safety Expo GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Community College nursing students, as part of a service project, are holding a Health and Safety Expo on the GCC lawn on Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Attendees...
