Modern relevance of Pride’s protest movement origins emphasized at Greenfield’s 8th annual festival, parade

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — Determined not to let rain or the current presidential administration dampen their pride, hundreds lined the streets Saturday afternoon for the 8th annual Franklin County Pride Parade and Festival.

Municipal vehicles, tax plans on agenda for Athol Town Meeting

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Voters will be asked to decide on 49 articles when they gather for Athol’s Annual Town Meeting Monday. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall at Town Hall.

Detours planned in Athol for road work

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Work on the Five Points project and repairs to what is known as the “secret bridge” under the Crescent Street Bridge near L.S. Starrett will require motorists to adapt to some road closures over the next few months.

House passes bill overhauling cannabis laws, CCC

By COLIN A. YOUNG

The House approved a significant overhaul of marijuana oversight in Massachusetts on Wednesday, passing a bill that would downsize and reorient the scandal-hounded Cannabis Control Commission that has kept tabs on the legal industry since it launched almost eight years ago.

PHOTOS: Eagle takes flight over the Quabbin

Athol, Royalston, ink wastewater treatment plant agreement

By GREG VINE

Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski and Royalston Selectboard member Linda Alger Tuesday night signed a new intermunicipal agreement which keeps Athol Sewer Division employees in charge of Royalston’s wastewater treatment plant operations.

Sportsman’s Corner: Small world, big water

By Mike Roche

Franklin County Pride parade, festival returns Saturday in Greenfield

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GREENFIELD — The 8th annual Franklin County Pride Parade and Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 7, and while it is a challenging time for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S., this year’s event is for reflection and joy.

147 animals surrendered to MSPCA by Franklin County resident up for adoption

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

A Franklin County resident who surrendered 147 animals to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) in April is now being investigated by MSPCA Law Enforcement.

Petersham voters approve Town Election date change

By GREG VINE

PETERSHAM – Voters at Monday’s Town Meeting approved a change to the date of the Annual Town Election.

Petersham Town Meeting passes budget

By GREG VINE

PETERSHAM – With very little discussion, the 120 voters who showed up for Petersham’s Annual Town Meeting Monday evening unanimously approved a FY26 town operating budget of $1,979,739.

Committee not yet ready to act on assisted suicide proposal

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Representatives on one legislative committee are not ready to decide whether one of the most controversial proposals on their plate should move forward early in the lawmaking term.

Good for the sole:Athol man invents new shoe insert

By DOMENIC POLI

ATHOL – A lifelong resident has invented a new shoe insert to help improve the lives of people like him, those with debilitating foot pain.

Athol Rabbit Run Rail Trail’s first phase unveiled

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Representatives of the Worcester engineering firm Howard Stein Hudson met last week with members of the Open Space and Recreation Commission to present the final design for part of the first phase for the proposed Rabbit Run Rail Trail.

Advocates discuss legislative remedies amid growing housing instability

By ALEXA LEWIS

HOLYOKE — Standing before more than 150 elected officials, housing advocates and other western Massachusetts leaders, Gerry McCafferty shared some shocking statistics.

Mahar Regional School grads urged to ‘embrace the new’

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — Who better to give a graduation pep talk than a former NFL cheerleader?

Two arraigned on charges from alleged home invasion in Athol

ATHOL—Two individuals have been arraigned on charges stemming from an alleged home invasion that occurred in Athol this past winter, according to the Athol Police Department.

Hampshire-Franklin County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls outlines legislative priorities

By ALEXA LEWIS

The Hampshire-Franklin County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls has a unique mission: identifying issues impacting women in their communities and advocating for legislation that could change their lives for the better.

Health coverage losses in Mass. may be even steeper

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Tens of thousands of Bay Staters could lose subsidized health insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector and premiums could rise for most other members under a suite of reforms in the U.S. House-approved reconciliation bill that Gov. Maura Healey dubbed “devastating.”

Franklin County Technical School grads encouraged to find their purpose

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — On a warm and partly sunny Thursday evening at Franklin County Technical School graduation, Superintendent Richard Martin reminded the Class of 2025 when they kayaked on a pond that formed on the lawn of the school on a cold and icy New England morning.