DIAL/SELF Youth and Community Services faces nearly 40% funding cut

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — DIAL/SELF Youth and Community Services, a Greenfield-based nonprofit that serves youths across Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties and the North Quabbin region, announced Tuesday that the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is expected to cut nearly 40% of its roughly $2 million budget.

Eagle Reserve Conservation Area in Royalston home to many species

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Motorists driving between Winchendon and Royalston inevitably pass a small, inconspicuous sign letting them know they’re near the Eagle Reserve Conservation Area.

Athol man to be sentenced on child assault charges

By MAX BOWEN

ATHOL – Eric Powell of Athol is to be sentenced in Franklin County Superior Court Friday on five charges, including indecent assault and battery on a child, according to court records.

Andy Sujdak resigns from Athol Selectboard

By GREG VINE

ATHOL — Selectboard member Andy Sujdak has resigned from his position, following a video posted to social media in which he made disparaging remarks about town officials and threatened an unnamed person.

Mini Game Con a success in first year at Athol Library

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Last Friday and Saturday, game lovers from around the North Quabbin gathered at Athol Public Library for the first Mini Game Con 2025.

Wendell group to present clean energy siting suitability findings to state policymakers

By DOMENIC POLI

WENDELL — The citizens group that formed in 2023 in opposition to a since-withdrawn proposal for a 105-megawatt battery storage facility plans to present clean energy siting suitability findings to state policymakers in Holyoke on May 5.

Status restored for 13 UMass international students

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Federal officials are restoring the previously terminated student immigration statuses for 13 international students at the University of Massachusetts, according to information posted on the university’s federal actions page Monday.

Athol Royalston Middle School Honor Roll, term three

Olivia Bishop, Jasper Bleakney, Emalynn Burton, Jacoby Cleveland, Kyla Godette, Alyson Grenier, Sophia Hetherson, Nehomi Morales Rodas, Cole Plourde, Harley Reddin, Brayden Russello, BradySmart, MylesSmith, ElizabethSterns, AubreySumner, LaurenceWatson, Tyler White and Calee Wiseman.

Warwick residents, Selectboard, frustrated by internet connection delays

By CHRIS LARABEE

WARWICK — With a May 2021 contract signed between the town and Charter Communications, Warwick residents were expecting to finally receive fiber-optic internet service in one of the county’s most rural communities.

White House slashes funds for asthma sufferers in western Mass.

By ALEXA LEWIS

The Trump administration has eliminated roughly $1 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to the state Department of Public Health intended specifically to address asthma in western Massachusetts, according to Gov. Maura Healey’s office. This termination comes shortly after the American Lung Association reported a decline in air quality across the state and region.

Republican Mike Kennealy launches a campaign for governor

By ADITI THUBE

Mike Kennealy didn’t grow up dreaming of politics. He grew up in a middle-class family in Reading. His father was a steelworker, and his mother was a homemaker. From them, he inherited hard work and a deep belief in fairness.

Orange resident speaks at State House to mark Child Abuse Prevention Month

By DOMENIC POLI

BOSTON — A lifelong Orange resident spoke outside the State House earlier this month to share her journey of receiving support as a young parent and returning to support other families.

State’s congressional delegation demand answers to cuts made to the arts by National Endowment for the Humanities

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

The Massachusetts congressional delegation is demanding answers from the federal government after hundreds of arts grants under the National Endowment for the Humanities, including dozens earmarked for institutions in the Pioneer Valley, were canceled on the seeming recommendation of billionaire Elon Musk.

Report: Antisemitic incidents remained elevated in Mass.; state Sen. Velis ‘outraged’ by continued acts of hate

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — The number of antisemitic incidents reported in Massachusetts was essentially unchanged in 2024, though officials with the Anti-Defamation League said the total is “part of a troubling long-term trend” of heightened harassment, vandalism and assault.

PHOTOS: Loon on the water

Athol attempts clearing of uncashed checks

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Around 270 people or businesses have checks waiting for them at Athol Town Hall.

UMass must turn over records about marmoset experiments to PETA as part of lawsuit settlement

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — People for Ethical Treatment of Animals will receive all videos, photos and other documentation associated with experiments involving marmoset monkeys in a University of Massachusetts laboratory, according to a settlement agreement announced Tuesday.

MassDEP issues water quality certification to FirstLight, with conditions

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — While opponents continue to assert the “overwhelming negative environmental impact” of FirstLight Hydro Generating Co.’s facilities, the state Department of Environmental Protection argues the conditions set through its water quality certification offer “more protections for the Connecticut River than ever before.”

UMass grad student proposes upgrades for Fish Park in Athol

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – A UMass grad student interning in the town’s Office of Planning and Development has drafted a proposal to upgrade Fish Park.

Sportsman’s Corner: Black fly time

By Mike Roche