On the Ridge with Joe Judd: How to live with bears

Yes, it’s the same old story told. But it’s a story worth telling again, and should be heard amongst the masses from here to Cape Cod, as the black bears begin to leave their dens, and start surfacing again! During this time of year, one of the main topics of discussion, which always seems to find me here, On the Ridge, is black bear sightings, which are beginning again as I write this. And what do we expect? With black bear populations at an all-time high, it’s natural to anticipate these springtime sightings, as their search for food pulls them away from their dens and once again out and amongst us!

Greenfield Starbucks pours its first cup

GREENFIELD — After months of anticipation, the Starbucks at 200 Mohawk Trail opened its doors Thursday morning to serve its first customer: 12-year-old Emma Lanoue, a seventh grader at Pioneer Valley Regional School.

Speaking of Nature: The bluebird of happiness: Finding solace in the birds at my feeders

As I write this column I am feeling quite under the weather. The flu has come to town and it has me in its grip. I haven’t left the house in days and all I want to do is sleep. That being said, I am also stuck on “teacher time” and I can’t seem to sleep past 5 a.m. With the recent changing of the clocks this puts me in the unhappy position of being awake while it is still dark outside; annoying on a work day, positively miserable when not going to work.