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By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — Community and nonprofit leaders convened at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments’ offices this week to share an update on advocacy efforts for some of the most vulnerable populations: children and caregivers.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

With all Institute of Museum and Library Services having been placed on administrative leave and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners announcing cuts to services and grants on Wednesday, local librarians are anticipating continued uncertainty heading into fiscal year 2026.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — Two Franklin County Technical School seniors recently took a deep dive into their underwater welding education.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

As schools across the country grapple with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), new policies are being introduced to govern its use in classrooms, with a goal of balancing innovation with concerns over privacy, equity and academic integrity.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More stringent oversight of spending on salaries, capital projects and various non-personnel expenditures at the University of Massachusetts, and both reducing graduate admissions in some departments and notifying some prospective graduate students that they will not be able to study in Amherst, are underway, according to a letter sent to the campus from UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes.

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — Interim Franklin County Sheriff Lori M. Streeter has announced plans to run for sheriff and seek the Democratic nomination on the November 2026 ballot.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Five years after its approval, legislation aimed at improving K-12 education statewide known as the Student Opportunity Act is not infusing school districts in western Massachusetts with much-needed additional funding as promised.

By EMILEE KLEIN

HADLEY — U.S Fish and Wildlife Service employee Jackie Stephens starts her day at the Cronin Aquatic Resource Center in Sunderland by checking her email to see if she’s been fired.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

HADLEY — Irate farmers, waving signs and pitchforks, gathered in front of Town Hall on Sunday afternoon as tractors rolled in and the Expandable Brass Band played at the start of an “Attack on Small Farms” protest.

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — Two men were arrested Sunday afternoon after gunshots were fired as a result of “severe recklessness,” according to the Orange Police Department.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Though Massachusetts is not one of at least six states that will lose out on $500 million in food deliveries promised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the leader of the region’s largest food bank remains concerned about future cuts.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — In his address to food cooperative members at the 14th annual Neighboring Food Co-op Association meeting, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern rallied his constituents to fight back against federal cuts to food and agriculture programs under the Trump administration.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GILL — The Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority is applying for $900,000 that would be used to preserve or rehabilitate homes in Gill and New Salem to meet building and sanitary codes, and to improve accessibility.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — A feasibility study is underway through the Massachusetts School Building Authority to explore the possibility of building a new Franklin County Technical School or renovating its existing building.

By ALEXA LEWIS

NORTHAMPTON — Amid cuts comprising about 82,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees and form emails being sent en masse to federal employees asking for five weekly bullet points justifying their work, William Cutler is just trying to care for veterans and get to retirement.

By DOMENIC POLI

A clause in the new state gun reform law preventing 18- to 21-year-olds from carrying certain firearms has gun enthusiasts, including those in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region, asking a rhetorical question: Is there an age requirement for the Bill of Rights?

By CHRIS LARABEE

WARWICK — With a $100,000 state grant, Warwick Community School will continue to lay down the foundation for its comprehensive behavioral and mental health services program.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — “Nobody knows how to start a revolution better than us,” said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey Sunday afternoon at Pulaski Park, where more than 800 people came to collectively ignite the sparks of revolution against what they described as President Donald Trump’s “technocratic dictatorship.”

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — The town is using grant money to task the Franklin Regional Council of Governments with conducting a slum and blight inventory to determine if Orange qualifies for Community Development Block Grant funding for infrastructure upgrades and other improvements.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Natural Resources Conservation Service office for Massachusetts, located at 451 West St. since 1980, could close as part of 748 lease terminations posted online this week by the Trump administration.