No Montague Soapbox Derby this year
Franklin County arts organizations concerned by proposed NEA elimination
Contests for town clerk, library trustee on Colrain ballot
Creation of shared fire district, demolition delay bylaw on tap for Rowe Town Meeting
Beacon Hill Roll Call: April 28 to May 2, 2025
The World Keeps Turning: Attention — A day doesn’t count as a day anymore
With traveling Busload of Books, husband and wife look to inspire love of reading
COLRAIN — To the delight of students at Colrain Central School, the Busload of Books recently rolled to town.
Shelburne voters give blessing to bylaws on short-term rentals, battery energy storage
SHELBURNE — In a two-night session that saw votes on 39 warrant articles, Annual Town Meeting voters adopted a nearly $6.24 million budget for fiscal year 2026, approved a new bylaw regulating short-term rentals, and set parameters for large-scale battery energy storage systems.
Most Read
‘Devastating’: Cuts to public broadcasting will be felt here, local experts say
Western Mass. Mother’s Day Half Marathon reaches 15th edition on Sunday in Whately
Community Action Pioneer Valley could see significant reduction in service under Trump cuts
City Council votes down ADU restrictions, approves raising building height cap
Shelburne voters give blessing to bylaws on short-term rentals, battery energy storage
Amid flooding, Greenfield committee seeks safer encampment areas for homeless
Editors Picks
West County Notebook: May 10, 2025
Dog of the Week: Kendrick
Montague and Erving Notebook: May 10, 2025
PHOTOS: Nature education
Sports
Keeping Score with Chip Ainsworth: Bernardston’s Weiss in Europe with Team USA
Good morning!Any inclination Vladimir Putin might have of brokering a peace deal with Ukraine would likely be helped by his need to show off the Russian hockey team at next year’s Olympics. The Russians have been excluded from international hockey competition since the invasion more than two years ago.
HS Roundup: Fast start powers Franklin Tech baseball past Mahar, 5-0 (PHOTOS)
UMass women's lacrosse gears up for Princeton in NCAA Tournament
HS Softball: Late rally powers Hampshire past Turners Falls in battle of WMass heavyweights
HS Roundup: Turners’ Julian Kaiser tosses gem in 2-0 win over Athol
Opinion
Elizabeth Lareau Whitcomb: Violence affects us all, knows no party lines
I am writing in response to the recent letter to the editor about Democrats and gang members [”Democrats and gang members,” April 24]. I agree with the writer that it is sad that no Democrats stood up to acknowledge the profound grief this woman is experiencing over the murder of her daughter. But I feel compelled to point out that the Republicans have time and again been uncaring towards victims of gun violence, in particular the mass shootings that have taken place in so many of our schools. I would also like to point out that it has not been proven that any of the men sent to the prison in El Salvador were gang members, indeed that there is no evidence that they are, regardless of what President Donald Trump and ICE officials have been saying. The fact that these men were denied due process means that no connection to gangs will ever be proven.
My Turn: Picture This — Why the National Endowment for the Arts is essential to American life
My Turn: A dream of Donald Trump and Anne Frank
James A. Marples: New pope must continue where Pope Francis left off
My Turn: Make America small again
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.
Business
Customer demand drives expansion of Flis Market’s pizza offerings
ERVING — Flis Market has been serving homemade, wood-fired pizza every Wednesday since January, and customer demand has led owners Jon and Liz Flis to expand the offering to Thursdays and Fridays as well.
$200K grant fuels expansion at Radial Dynamics in Greenfield
As Shady Glen Diner awaits buyer, current owner extends hours, shores up staffing
Expanding child care options: Hilltown Children’s Center opens in Shelburne
Northfield’s Wild Geese Decluttering helps clients achieve comfort through organizatione-Edition
Arts & Life
Block and roll: Roller Derby, the ‘sport for misfits,’ finds a home in the Valley
The floor of Interskate 91 South is often filled with young skaters teetering around the track, but the athletes on it now are sure on their skates, focused and ready to battle. Two jammers sit poised, their bodies coiled in anticipation; in front of them, two bunches of blockers gaze at them intently, trying to determine the best strategy for locking them down. For a second, there’s quiet. Then a sharp whistle slices through it and the two skaters explode forward, trying to duck and weave between a mass of bodies to escape the pack and rack up points for their team. Their teammates and fans yell and cheer from the sidelines, their voices echoing around the rink, but skater Lilith of the Valley (government name: Lisa Andras) doesn’t hear any of it.
The pipes, the pipes are calling: Orange man services organs throughout New England, beyond
Writer’s work lives on, thanks to creative friends: Stray Dog Collective preserves Hilary Sloin’s short stories, essays
Get Growing with Mickey Rathbun: A blooming ribbon leads the eye: Landscape architect planted 1,500 daffodils in Amherst’s Orchard Arboretum
‘Shared’ perspectives: Greenfield artist one of eight disabled artists in Worcester gallery’s group showObituaries
Joshua Jay Dostis
New Salem, MA - On May 17, 2025, at Wendell Town Hall, 2 PM, there will be a Celebration of Life for Joshua Jay Dostis, aka Waffles, WafflesTClown, aka Joshua Waffleman, who passed away Saturday, November 9th . Come to see videos o... remainder of obit for Joshua Jay Dostis
Greg Doyle
Leyden, MA - Gregory F. Doyle III, or "Greg" to those who knew him, lived a rich, full life in the too-short 77 years he inhabited this earth. He was born in St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport, Ct. in early September of 1947 to Doroth... remainder of obit for Greg Doyle
Jean Hartwell Pelkey
April 25, 1936-April 10, 2025 Amherst, MA - Jean Hartwell Pelkey passed away peacefully on April 10, 2025, surrounded by her family. Born on April 25, 1936, to Teresa and Everett Hartwell, Jean led a life of kindness, quiet strength, and ... remainder of obit for Jean Hartwell Pelkey
Paul Thomas Hartwell May
29, 1949 March 9, 2025 Amherst, MA - Paul Thomas Hartwell, of Amherst, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2025. Born in Methuen, Massachusetts, to Everett Hartwell and Teresa Judge Hartwell, Paul spent most of his life... remainder of obit for Paul Thomas Hartwell May
