The joy of cherry tomatoes

Franklin Hampshire unemployment rate drops to 3.8% amid shrinking labor force

The Franklin Hampshire region's unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in June 2026, even as experts noted a shrinking labor force driven by an aging population and housing shortages.

Shutesbury Select Board seeks new permit conditions after solar project fire

SHUTESBURY — An April fire at a large-scale solar project on Pratt Corner Road is prompting town officials to seek changes to its special permit conditions, aimed at improving safety and offering more protections to the town. Members of the Planning Board told the Select Board Tuesday that they support the concept of reopening the […]

Greenfield Notebook: Sept. 22, 2026

Sept. 22: Greenfield to test voting equipment GREENFIELD — The City Clerk’s Office will conduct a test of the optical scan voting equipment on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in advance of the Oct. 6 election to vote on the new Franklin County Technical School building. The test will begin at 10 a.m. at the City Clerk’s […]

Retired astronaut urges voters to protect democracy at UMass

AMHERST — Five seconds after Columbia Space Shuttle STS-93 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center, Catherine “Cady” Coleman felt her stomach lurch. The retired NASA astronaut heard her commander Eileen Collins announce that an electrical short took out two engine controls. A hydrogen leak in the main engine also slowed the shuttle’s velocity, throwing […]

My Turn: A city behind the times

Another year of living in Greenfield, and what can I say, nothing has improved for our family. We are simply the home-owning, tax-paying residents seeking viable retail options. I try to write to your left-wing newspaper maybe once a year with my assessment of the landscape in town from the perspective of a mom with […]