Royalston transfer station expenses being examined

By GREG VINE

ROYALSTON – Residents will get a chance to voice their opinions regarding the future of the town’s transfer station later this month.The meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. Options being considered include keeping the...

Wifi hotspots available through Athol Council on Aging, library

Staff Report

ATHOL — The Athol Public Library and Council on Aging announced the availability of 50 new portable wifi hotspots, free for the public to use.This new group of hotspots, made possible by a grant funded by ARPA through the Massachusetts Executive...

Royalston board seeks bids for King Street Bridge project

By Greg Vine

ROYALSTON – In July of last year, representatives of the North Quabbin Trails Association met with the Selectboard to encourage its members to support the rehabilitation of the King Street Bridge in the South Village.At last summer’s meeting, NQTA...

Climate Forestry Committee releases report with state forest management recommendations

By BELLA LEVAVI

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) has released the long-awaited Climate Forestry Committee’s report, which contains a slew of recommendations for forest management practices in Massachusetts with a key focus on climate...

Healey resets state budget outlook downward

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey and her budget team hit the reset button Monday, announcing a plan to cut $375 million from the current year’s budget amid flagging tax collections, to downgrade the amount of tax revenue expected this budget year by $1...

Heywood Hospital’s mental health unit reopens after two-year closure

GARDNER— Heywood Hospital has received approval from the Department of Mental Health to reopen its inpatient adult mental health unit, effective Jan. 11, according to an announcement from the hospital.The hospital was approved for six of a proposed...

North Quabbin Notes, Jan. 9

2024 dog licenses availableATHOL — The 2024 dog licenses for the Town of Athol are available at the Town Clerk’s office. Dog licenses must be renewed by Feb. 29 or a $15 late fee will be charged. The cost of dog licenses are—male/female, $15;...

A Page from North Quabbin History: The Battle for Bear Mountain

By Carla CharterWhen the Wendell Historical Society opens to the public, among the items on display will be a bear costume. The outfit signifies one small part of a much larger story of how community resistance saved Bear Mountain in Wendell.The story...

Complaint challenges Trump’s ballot access in Mass.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

After filing legal challenges in several other states to bar Donald Trump from ballot eligibility in this year’s primaries, a Massachusetts-incorporated advocacy group has now done so in its home state.Free Speech for People, an nonprofit led by...

Nomination papers available for Athol Town Election

ATHOL — The annual Town Election will be held on Monday, April 1. All precincts vote at the Town Hall, 584 Main St. Polls will open at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.Nomination papers are available in the Town Clerk’s office. The deadline to return...

Athol DPW handles “blizzard conditions” over weekend

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – The storm this past weekend threw public works crews a bit of a curve, giving the impression it had mostly petered out by noontime Sunday before slamming the region with heavy blowing snow in the mid-afternoon.“With the exception of it being a...

Six-town board votes to draft agreement for potential Pioneer, Gill-Montague school merger

By MAX BOWEN

Following a nearly unanimous vote, the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board will begin work on a regional agreement that would combine the Gill-Montague and Pioneer Valley regional school districts.The 13-3 vote at the Jan. 3 meeting was only on...

Heat pumps slow to gain traction: Complexity, questions dog adoption of key factor in net-zero goal

By JAIMEE FRANCIS

Heat pumps, which use electricity rather than directly burning fossil fuel, are a key piece of Massachusetts’ goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But the state has hit only 1% of its installation target, in large part because...

S&S Appliance of Athol under new ownership

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – As the New Year ushered itself in earlier this week, it also brought with it a new owner at S&S Appliance of Athol The retail establishment, which had been owned and operated by Mark Duguay for decades, is now under the ownership of Athol...

Set for the storm

Shelter report shows waitlist growing in Massachusetts

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON—Despite top officials’ claims this fall that the number of migrant families coming into Massachusetts was decreasing, thousands of families continue to apply for placement in the state’s emergency shelter system.Since Nov. 10, 1,393 families...

Phillipston photographer wins in Mass Audubon contest

By MAX BOWEN

PHILLIPSTON — A casual kayak ride on Tully Lake has become an award-winning photo for Norm Eggert.The picture shows Norm’s wife Cheryl near the lake’s boat launch, framed by trees in the morning light, and was chosen by Mass Audubon as the winner in...

Erving, Warwock officials map out goals for 2024

By MAX BOWEN

To kick off the new year, officials in northern Franklin County towns shared their plans for 2024.WarwickThe town will certainly have a full plate in 2024. One of the bigger issues is the continued operation of the town’s new school district, which...

Sportsman’s Corner: Pickup trucks

By Mike RocheThere are few things which serve as a common denominator for hunters and fishermen better than a pickup truck. This writer’s first pickup was a 1974 Chevrolet and, with the exception of a Chevy C10 Blazer when the girls were young, there...

Orange house fires believed to be accidental, says State Fire Marshal

By MAX BOWEN

ORANGE — A fire on Jones Street on Christmas Day is believed to have originated on a stovetop and was accidental, according to the State Fire Marshal’s office.The three-alarm fire, reported at 15 Jones St. at 4:05 p.m., caused significant interior...