West County Notebook: April 1, 2026

Keeping Score with Chip Ainsworth: Thoroughbred Nation converges on Saratoga for Belmont Stakes showdown

Good morning! The heart and soul of Thoroughbred Nation is 100 miles west of us in Saratoga where nine three-year-olds will go to post at 7:04 p.m. this evening and race for $2 million in Belmont Stakes purse money. The brief five-day meet began on Wednesday when almost 12,000 fans came through the turnstiles and […]

GCC announces balanced FY27 budget, without cuts to teaching positions

Greenfield Community College's state aid funding is expected to be $300,000 higher than originally budgeted, allowing the college to balance its budget for FY27 without laying off any union personnel.

Green Ribbon award in hand, Warwick Community School celebrates a delayed Earth Day

Warwick Community School celebrated Earth Day with a radio transmitter hunt, a Green Ribbon award ceremony, and an Earth Day plant sale to raise money for a new playground and nature discovery yard.

Whately voters approve new cruiser, school playground revamp

Whately voters passed nearly every article at the Annual Town Meeting, including a $120,293 renovation of the Whately Elementary School playground and a new bylaw regulating battery energy storage systems, while rejecting a proposal to switch the town clerk from an elected to an appointed position.

Beacon Hill Roll Call: May 25 to May 29, 2026

Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on the only roll call from the week of May 25 to May 29. There were no roll calls in the House last week. The battle over a legislative audit (S 3104) The latest chapter was written in the ongoing saga regarding whether State Auditor Diana DiZoglio […]