News
Heath native’s bill honoring fallen heroes introduced in Congress
By DOMENIC POLI
Legislation drafted by a Heath native with the intent of recognizing those killed serving in the U.S. military has been introduced in both chambers of Congress.Keith Sherman, who now lives in North Carolina, worked diligently on multiple drafts of a...
Black Diamond to hold 40th anniversary show in Winchendon
By Max Bowen
WINCHENDON – As they say, the show must go on.William Ladeau, drummer and promoter for the rock band Black Diamond, is hosting an eight-hour music festival this Saturday, May 18, at the Snowbound Club in Winchendon. Originally meant to be a 40th...
Proposal calls for a 70-80-room hotel near North Quabbin Commons in Athol
By GREG VINE
ATHOL – Wednesday evening, Supriya Kelkar, planner for the consulting firm of Innes Associates Ltd., presented the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation with a final draft of the Request for Proposal to find a company interested in developing...
Athol YMCA to open new community center
By GREG VINE
ATHOL – What started out as an effort to establish a teen center in Athol ended up morphing into plans to open the multi-generational Y Community Center.The need for such a facility became clear during the pandemic, when the Athol Area YMCA did its...
UMass student group declares no confidence in chancellor
By CHAD CAIN
AMHERST — A day after 132 people were arrested in pro-Palestinian protests on the University of Massachusetts campus, the university’s student government Wednesday night formally declared it had no confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes and his...
State Senate budget funds free community college for all
By ALISON KUZNITZ and SAM DRYSDALE
BOSTON — Senate Democrats unveiled plans Monday to make community college free for all students in Massachusetts, starting in the coming fall semester.The “MassEducate” plan, which will be part of the Senate’s fiscal 2025 budget that was to be fully...
Longtime public servant Richard Sheridan dies at 78
By DOMENIC POLI
ORANGE – Richard Sheridan, a longtime public servant whose Selectboard tenure ended in January, died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack on April 29. He was 78.Selectboard members on Wednesday held a moment of silence for their former colleague and...
Cryptozoology exhibits featured at Education Earth Museum
By MAX BOWEN
ATHOL – A new museum is set to open in downtown Athol, but the many of the creatures featured won’t be found in a nature textbook.Located at 475 Main St., the Education Earth Museum is owned and operated by Storm DeFrancesco Plains, who is a certified...
Athol Royalston Middle School Honor Roll Term 3
Fifth Grade Gold Honor RollAbigail Bouchard, Natalia Campion, Camden Destefano, Colt Gallant, Klara Guilmette, Leighann Gunderman, Maya Hamilton, Grace Kelley, Luna Luna, Shania Luna, Brielle McCorquodale, Noah Porcal, Isabella Tarara, and Sabrina...
Valley lawmakers seek shorter license for FirstLight hydropower projects
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
TURNERS FALLS — Area lawmakers are asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to limit the relicensing of FirstLight’s hydropower projects from 50 years to 30 years, and to mandate the company disclose more data to the public about its...
Federal funding for victim assistance drops, state support tries to help
By SAM DRYSDALE
Dollars coming from Washington to support survivors of violent crimes have dried up in recent years, and state funds to prop up struggling service providers are held up in a spending bill awaiting legislative action.Federal funding through the Crime...
Sportsman’s Corner: The quest for the Super Slam
By Mike RocheIt is the middle of turkey season and for some, the pursuit of wild turkeys becomes much more than a casual hunting activity. If this writer were honest, he would look at the impact of chasing gobblers and realize that my first turkey – a...
Annual ‘Food-A-Thon’ returns
By MAX BOWEN
ATHOL— North Quabbin residents can look forward to seeing pickle jar collectors on the street and hearing the 12-hour Food-A-Thon drive on the air to help combat a growing need.The fundraiser and food collection drive, now in its 20th year, will be...
Erving Town Meeting voters back Care Drive housing project
By DOMENIC POLI
ERVING — The town is one step closer to affordable housing on Care Drive after residents voted Wednesday to authorize the Selectboard to lease, convey or otherwise dispose of the property eyed for the development.Voters at Annual Town Meeting also...
Athol Police Logs: April 12 to April 19, 2024
Athol Police LogsApril 12 - 19Friday, April 124:25 p.m. - Caller from Tower Road reporting he deposited over $1,000 in $100 bills into the ATM and the ATM only counted $900. When he canceled the transaction it gave him $1,000 back. Advised to contact...
North Quabbin Notes, May 9
North Quabbin Garden ClubATHOL – On Saturday, May 18, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m, at the Millers River Environmental Center, the North Quabbin Garden Sale is holding a plant sale. The plants come from members’ gardens and many of the plants are natives. The...
$700K debt exclusion would fund repairs to Raymond Hall
By GREG VINE
ROYALSTON – A last-minute addition has been made to the warrant for Royalston’s Annual Town Meeting seeking $700,000 through a Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion. The new article, authored by the town’s Building Committee, would pay for improvements to...
Erving voters say ‘no’ to $3.7M debt exclusion
ERVING — Monday’s election saw incumbents reelected to their roles, including Highway Superintendent Glenn McCrory, who fended off Anthony Cunha for a one-year tree warden position, as well as the rejection of a debt exclusion to pay to demolish the...
Lawyer argues Joshua Hart’s 2018 conviction for Orange murder had inconsistent verdicts
By DOMENIC POLI
GREENFIELD — Spurred by a state Supreme Judicial Court opinion that pointed to inconsistent verdicts, the Franklin County Superior Court judge who oversaw Joshua Hart’s murder trial in 2018 has taken under advisement a defense attorney’s motion to set...
More than 130 arrested at pro-Palestinian protest at UMass
By SCOTT MERZBACH
Editor’s note: This story will be updated.AMHERST — More than 130 people were arrested on the University of Massachusetts campus Tuesday night after those who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the South Lawn of the Student Union refused to...
