Easthampton’s Precinct 5 candidates share their top priorities at forum

Developer seeks $700K in CPA funds for affordable housing

HADLEY — A Hadley developer is seeking $700,000 from the town’s Community Preservation Act account to offset the cost of providing seven affordable, two-bedroom units at a 55-and-over development planned for the Village Barn Shops. The request from the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, to help with construction of its planned three-story, 50-unit apartment building at 41 Russell St., is one of four applications, totaling just under $1 million, that the CPA Committee is reviewing. The committee is expected to act on the requests at its Sept. 14 meeting. Other projects seeking funding are for designing a multi-use path that would run […]

Chesterfield eyes new rules for battery energy storage systems

CHESTERFIELD — After the state announced new measures for the building of large-scale solar arrays set to take full effect on Oct. 1, the Planning Board is set to establish local rules for battery energy storage systems, also known as BESS. With a draft prepared, a public hearing was held Thursday night to air out […]

Holyoke man pleads guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material

SPRINGFIELD — A 25-year-old man from Holyoke pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in federal court in Springfield, following a federal investigation. A registered sex offender from Holyoke, Justin Ouimette pleaded guilty earlier this month after he was identified as the owner of a Dropbox account […]

Speaking of Nature: Tracking a brilliant songbird

The most vivid memory that I have of seeing a Canada warbler is an old one, all the way back to the end of the 20th century. I was on a springtime hike up the mighty Mount Monadnock, one of New Hampshire’s great hiking destinations. I was still in my 20s and so I thought […]

A Look Back, Sept. 1

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