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By SAM DRYSDALE

The state’s emergency assistance shelter system cannot insist that families provide third-party verification of certain information – like proof of their family ties or whether at least one of them is a Massachusetts resident – before immediately...

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Athol’s Selectboard has given the Town of Phillipston until early May 2025 to decide if it wants to assume ownership of the nearly 150-year-old Bates Powers Dam.The dam, constructed in 1876, and the reservoir it created sits entirely within...

By ALEXA LEWIS

The 15th annual March for the Food Bank with Monte Belmonte will once again traverse the 43 miles from Springfield to Greenfield over Monday and Tuesday.The march has become known not only for the creative costumes donned by marchers pushing decorated...

By ALEXA LEWIS

While many families are gearing up for their holiday feasts, a large number of Massachusetts residents are struggling to put food on the table. Amid unusually high prices and the conclusion of many pandemic-era supports, local food banks and survival...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey’s office intends over the next roughly 19 months to phase out the use of hotels and motels for emergency shelter, seek a legislative change to boost rental assistance for needy families, create a reserve account for shelter...

By GREG VINE

ATHOL — Several teachers came before the Athol-Royalston Regional School District School Committee Wednesday night to report that the morale of teachers is at rock bottom.Teachers listed multiple reasons, including out-of-control students and the...

By Mike RocheIt is time for this writer to turn the page on his hunting activities from upland hunting to deer hunting. It has indeed been a great ride this “bucket list” fall, beginning with a trip to northern Vermont for the upland opener on Sept....

By DOMENIC POLI

WENDELL — A battery energy storage bylaw that voters overwhelmingly approved in May has been rejected by the state Attorney General’s Office for failing to comply with procedural safeguards embedded into state zoning laws.Wendell residents voted 100...

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Area residents will have the chance over the next few Sundays to drop off donations of food, socks and money to be distributed to the local Salvation Army, Community Food Bank at Athol High School, and The Worcester Fellowship.This year marks...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Gov. Maura Healey spent months clamoring for lawmakers to finish work on a sweeping jobs package she filed in March, and she wound up needing only about 60% of the time allotted for her review before making it law.Healey on Wednesday signed her...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – There is a clean energy bill sitting on Gov. Maura Healey’s desk and Beacon Hill’s calendar for this week includes an array of energy-related events and reports. But there are also mounting indications that the federal government could change...

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GREENFIELD — In the days following the presidential election, local LGBTQ organizations began hosting support sessions to help foster community amid rising fears that a second Trump administration will rollback the progress made on rights and legal...

By GREG VINE

ATHOL – Following six years in Athol – during which he strongly advocated for overrides to increase the Fire Department’s staff – Fire Chief Joseph Guarnera is stepping down.At Tuesday’s meeting, the Selectboard briefly discussed the unexpected...

By MAX BOWEN

ATHOL — Though it’s been about a month since Cindy Kennedy returned from her deployment with the Salvation Army to assist with the response to Hurricane Helene, she said those impacted by the storm may need a year or two to get back on their...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Campbell, readying her office and Massachusetts for potential threats posed by Donald Trump’s win, told health regulators last Thursday she’s concerned about preserving access to reproductive and gender-affirming...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

State officials characterized the drought in Massachusetts as being in a “critical” stage across most of the state Tuesday.The state environmental affairs secretariat said precipitation was “at an unprecedented low over the last three months,” and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In preparation for a change in presidential administrations at the federal level, international students, faculty and staff on University of Massachusetts immigration sponsorships, who may be traveling abroad during winter break, are being...

By GREG VINE

PHILLIPSTON – Peter Morin is bringing his many years of experience in municipal government to the role of interim chief administrative officer.Morin was chosen Monday by Phillipston’s Selectboard to fill the office left vacant when former CAO Melanie...

By DOMENIC POLI

Joshua Jay Dostis, better known locally as the politically charged jester Waffles T. Clown, died on Nov. 9. He was 83.Friends in Franklin County are mourning the loss of the New York City transplant and longtime New Salem resident who spent his final...