North County Notebook: Oct. 7, 2026

Mahar Cancer Fund Fun Run 5K in Orange set for Oct. 17

The Orange-based Roaming Goats Run/Walk Club will participate in the Mahar Cancer Fund Fun Run 5K on Saturday, Oct. 17, to support local individuals impacted by cancer.

Go big or gourd home: After showing at Topsfield Fair, 1,274-pound pumpkin to be displayed in Shelburne Falls for Halloween

Shelburne Falls resident Paul Hollings prepared his 1,274-pound pumpkin for the Topsfield Fair Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and a subsequent Halloween display.

Regional Notebook: Oct. 7, 2026

PVGrows launching campaign to boost community investment fund GREENFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Grows Investment Fund (PVGrows), a program of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation, is launching “Put Your Money Where Your Fork Is,” its new investor drive that seeks to grow the community investment fund from $2.7 million to $5 million. The launch […]

'There's a lot of treasure when shopping in Greenfield': Vintage Fall Stroll returns Saturday

The fifth annual Greenfield Vintage Fall Stroll is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, featuring sidewalk sales, antiques and a screening of the Dolly Parton film '9 to 5'.

Pushback: Ryan Whitney v. Maura Healey: Don't ban natural kratom leaves

On Aug. 13, 2026, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, at the direction of Gov. Maura Healey, issued an emergency regulation under the state’s Controlled Substance Act — on a temporary one-year basis — placing kratom tree leaves on a Schedule 1 banned substance list as an imminent hazard to the public safety. Kratom […]