Franklin Tech superintendent retires early following complaints over religious remarks in graduation speech

Palmer named president and CEO of Newspapers of New England

NORTHAMPTON — Shawn Palmer, publisher of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Greenfield Recorder and Athol Daily News, is set to add being president and chief executive officer of Newspapers of New England to his responsibilities. Palmer on July 5 officially succeeds Chuck Goodrich, who is retiring after five years in the role for the family-owned company […]

Greenfield School Committee addresses calls for improved communication, procedures after school intrusion

The Greenfield School Committee is pushing to improve communication and address how facility problems are reported after an individual gained access to Federal Street School last week.

Farmworkers hope pay bill emerges in late-session legislative harvest

Farmworkers are hoping lawmakers will advance legislation that raises their pay almost 50% to match the state minimum wage and grants them overtime.

Despite statewide decline, opioid deaths remain level in Franklin County, North Quabbin

Opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts dropped below 1,000 individuals in 2025 for the first time since 2013, but statistics for Franklin County and the North Quabbin region remained level, with 12 deaths in 2024 and 2025 — still representing a 75% decline from 2021.

My Turn: Democracy on a rainy day in Wendell

On a recent gray, rainy Saturday morning, with the temperature hovering around 43 degrees, I found myself driving the winding roads through Sunderland, North Leverett into Wendell. As I entered town, American flags hung from utility poles, stirring gently in the damp breeze. Ahead stood the white Town Hall, modest and unassuming, the kind of […]