Latest News
‘Lorna’s Law’ gets an airing: Mother whose daughter died in Holyoke marijuana facility backs bill for better worker safety
Jobless benefits ride on rosy jobs picture
North Quabbin Notes, April 20
Bill would allow Chapter 61A exception for renewable energy at farms
Athol Royalston recognizes Students of the Month
Sportsman's Corner: Catch and release turkey hunting
Massachusetts bill bans cooperation with federal health care investigations
Free jail calls stressing sheriffs’ budgets, staff
State senators organize Trump defense: Comerford a leader on Response 2025 initiative
‘A pope of hope’: Local Catholic community remembers Pope Francis
A wave of mourning rolled through the local Catholic community on Monday following the news of Pope Francis’ death at the age of 88.
Mini Game Con this weekend at Athol Library
ATHOL – From the classic to the contemporary, gaming fans will have plenty to choose from at Mini Game Con 2025, this Friday and Saturday at Athol Public Library.
Most Read
Athol awards contract for Lord Pond project
Reported cuts to Head Start program have Community Action worried about consequences
Massachusetts health benefits agency running out of money
Athol School Committee reviews budget proposal
Epsom lawmaker proposes slot machines in restaurants and bars to boost state revenue
North Quabbin Notes, April 20
Editors Picks
Athol School Committee reviews budget proposal
AG pledges to help fight opioid crisis in visit to Greenfield
Massachusetts health benefits agency running out of money
Catholic Charities loses funding for refugee programs, shifting focus under new leader
Sports
HS Roundup: Smith Vocational baseball pulls ahead late to defeat Franklin Tech, 6-3
NORTHAMPTON — A fast start by the Smith Vocational baseball team proved to be too much for Franklin Tech to overcome on Tuesday at Arcanum Field.
HS Roundup: Mohawk Trail softball earns first win of the season following 16-4 victory over Mahar
Weekend roundup: Caleb Thomas tosses gem in Greenfield’s 4-0 win over Frontier; plus GMLB opening day results
UMass football: Minutemen cap successful camp with annual Spring Game at McGuirk
HS Roundup: Frontier girls tennis wins fourth in a row following 4-1 victory over LeeOpinion
Columnist Judy Wagner: April showers of protest
It’s not possible to protest the weather. March is officially the unsettled lion/lamb month, so we mostly give it a pass. With April we attempt to gloss over its tendency to be damp (“April showers bring May flowers”); still frustration builds after some number of grey and chill days with only a few bedraggled daffodils brave enough to show their faces. On top of the more familiar seasonal anomalies, we are hearing about many “out of season” events — too much rain, twisters, snow and sleet — all vagaries related to climate disruption. While we may feel like sounding off, we know we won’t find much relief hollering into the wind.
Kathryn Levesque: A gardener’s lesson for the current administration
Erica Avery: A safe city for all
Ferd Wulkan: FCCPR publicizes new rebates for electric bike purchases
Amy Battisti: Hilchey ‘gets things done’
Your Daily Puzzles
An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."
A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.
Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.
Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.
Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
Police Logs
Athol Police Logs, March 1 – March 17, 2025
12:40 a.m. - Party over 911 stating he believes his wife has an infection in her mouth and is in a lot of pain. When reporting party was advised dispatch would be sending an ambulance, he declined.
Athol Police Logs: Feb. 6 – Feb. 27, 2025
Athol Police Logs Jan. 16 to Feb. 2, 2025
Orange Police Logs: Dec. 31, 2024 to Jan. 10, 2025
Orange Police Logs, Nov. 14 - 18, 2024
e-Edition
Arts & Life
Speaking of Nature: Fascinated by ferns: Ferns figured out how to say goodbye to the aquatic environment hundreds of millions of years ago
It was a morning in early April and Nature was playing tricks on us. The weather had been cold and raw for days, but then suddenly there was a break from the trend and the temperature soared into the high 60s. There was no threat of rain, but there was a blanket of high clouds shielding us from direct sunlight. It was bright without any shadows – perfect conditions for photography.
Fascinated by the seemingly infinite uses of eggs: Creamed eggs are an easy and delicious post-Easter nursery food
From corsets to Spanx: Historic Deerfield opens the season with ‘Body by Design: Fashionable Silhouettes from the Ideal to the Real,’ May 3
Bach and better than ever: UMass Amherst biennial Bach Fest returns April 25-27 with a multitude of concerts and symposia
Squarely a good time: There’s a resurgence of square dancing in the hilltownsObituaries
Dale A. Berry
Greenfield, MA - Dale A. Berry, 82 passed on February 27th 2025 of an illness at Baystate Franklin hospital. Born in Lyndonville, Vermont on September 25th 1942 to Maynard and Arlene (Jesseman) Berry. He was one of 11 brothers and siste... remainder of obit for Dale A. Berry
Barbara A. Bacigalupo-Sawicki
ERVING, MA - Barbara A. Bacigalupo-Sawicki, 57, of North Street, died early Thursday morning, April 10, 2025 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Born in Montague on May 13, 1967, she was the daughter of Daniel E. and Minnie E... remainder of obit for Barbara A. Bacigalupo-Sawicki
Irene A. Cullen
Templeton, MA - Irene Annie (Pietrowsky) Cullen, went home to be with the Lord on March 29, 2025, at Alliance Health at Baldwinville, in Templeton, MA. Irene was born on May 14, 1932, in Athol, MA to Walter and Mary (Szymcik) Pietrowsky... remainder of obit for Irene A. Cullen
Cicely M. Sawin
TURNERS FALLS, MA - Cicely M. Sawin, 48, of J Street, died on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield following an illness. Born in Greenfield on February 13, 1977, she was the daughter of Larry and Sharon (... remainder of obit for Cicely M. Sawin
