Funding scare rattles behavioral health providers

Sportsman's Corner: October, the best month

This writer loves October. The weather and the opportunities to hunt and fish make it the best 31 days of every year. It also has some great birthdays as my mother, my daughter Jen, brother Chris, bird dogs Lily and Laney, and yours truly are all October-born. The long weekend, which will always be Columbus […]

‘$72.80 isn’t enough’: College student uses new podcast to advocate for vulnerable nursing home residents

Noah Daube-Valois, a Vassar College student, has launched the '$72.80 Project' podcast to raise awareness about the stagnant personal needs allowance for Massachusetts seniors in long-term care facilities.

‘It’s not sustainable’: A look at school staffing after FY27 budget cuts

Public school districts across Franklin County implemented significant staffing and programming cuts for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to address rising operating costs and revenue shortfalls.

My Turn: Paving paradise to put up a parking lot

It’s exactly what will happen if the fabric of Pioneer Valley Regional School District is dissolved in the name of merging with Gill-Montague Regional School District and possibly Warwick School District on Oct. 6 to create the Great River Regional School District. Have the possible consequences of the merger been discussed candidly and transparently with […]

Athol Fire receives grant for training, equipment purchases

ATHOL – The Fire Department has received a grant of $197,400 that will be used for new equipment and training programs. The department was recently notified it has been awarded the FY25 Assistance for Firefighters Grant, overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. According to the FEMA website, Athol is one of 1,399 agencies nationwide […]