Area Briefs: HCC annual ‘Trunk or Treat’ set for Friday

Shutesbury dog that attacked neighbor’s pet twice must be muzzled, leashed under board order

SHUTESBURY — The owners of a dog that twice attacked a neighbor’s dog on Leonard Road, causing about $1,000 in veterinary bills, must pay the remaining costs and take steps to prevent future attacks. The Select Board voted 2-0 on Oct. 13 to declare Roxy, a black-and-white Australian shepherd mix, a dangerous and a nuisance dog. The board ordered owners Kristin Mattocks and Kim Callicoatte to better restrain Roxy. On June 8 and Sept. 2, she got loose on the street and attacked Lucia, a 22-pound dog owned by neighbor Christine Marglin. Marglin described the first incident as a “horrific attack.” […]

Pelham mail-in ballots missing page two; town clerk offers replacements before Nov. 3 election

PELHAM — After requesting a mail-in ballot for voting in the Nov. 3 state election, Bob Andres received a package from the town clerk’s office giving him the opportunity to vote for candidates and decide referendum questions. Yet what he found inside the mailing was two identical cards, both featuring the first page of the ballot. The second page — including the last two referendum questions — was missing. Andres soon discovered he was not alone with the problematic mail-in ballot, as the packages both his wife and a few neighbors received had the same issue. “So the ballots are not […]

Book Review: In 'Original City, Original Sin,' Marty Dobrow amplifies long-unheard voices of civil rights leaders

“1963 is not an end, but a beginning,” — Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream” A shoebox-sized tape recorder often accompanied Marty Dobrow to English class in the 1980s. At Wesleyan University in Connecticut, he carried it by the handle like a briefcase, setting it down on his desk to capture a favorite […]

Shirley Slahetka

<html><head></head><body>SHIRLEY SLAHETKA<br /><br />Montague, MA - Shirley M. Slahetka, 85, will be remembered for more than 40 years of friendship, hospitality, and dedication to Pine Grove Golf Course, where she and her longtime partner, Gil Verril ...

Dr. Mark Anthony Casey

<html><head></head><body>Dr. Mark Anthony Casey of Fairfield, CT and formerly of Northampton, passed away peacefully on September 24, 2026, with his family by his side. He was 76 years old. Mark was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to M. Kathleen (Sca ...