Search Results

Keyword search: AI

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GREENFIELD — The Green River Festival returned to the Franklin County Fairgrounds for the 39th year, kicking off the summer and showcasing improvements from last year by emphasizing all the Pioneer Valley has to offer in talent — and beer.

High Honors: Autumn Belanger, Katelyn Bozek, William Chadwick, Laurel Colbeck, Sallie Flynn, Augustus Foote, Sienna Franklin, Miley Frey, Elizabeth Gilmore, Raelyn Hildreth, Grayson Johnson, Annabelle Koshinsky, Samantha Krumm-Poulin, Everett Long, Tamsin Macmillan, Cooper Morey, Addison Putnam, Andrew Redeker, Colton Roberts, Bentley Ryan, Kaden Shearer, Zoey-Mae Shearer, Adaline Sullivan, Bruin Thompson, Alaina Toothaker, Gunnar Triggs, Kumar Uriona Farias Gomez and Sadie Wilcox.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — Rural school aid is likely to stay level-funded in the fiscal year 2026 budget, even after more testimony from local advocates on Beacon Hill this month.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

SHELBURNE — A group of Mohawk Trail Regional School District teachers is pondering the question of how to address hate speech in school environments.

By SHERYL HUNTER

GREENFIELD — There will be music, music and more music when the 39th annual Green River Festival returns to the Franklin County Fairgrounds this weekend.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

CHARLEMONT — A local company is lending a hand to make a widespread electric vehicle charging station installation effort blend in with western Massachusetts’ natural environment.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

BUCKLAND — The Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee has rated Superintendent Sheryl Stanton as “exemplary.”

By MARK E. ELLIS

One of my favorite books is a novel by Wm. Paul Young called “Cross Roads.” It is about a man whose life is the embodiment of evil and self-centeredness. He is so evil that after he divorced his wife, he decided he hadn’t hurt her enough. So, he wooed her and married her again so he could divorce her again and inflict more pain and damage on her.

This past week there was a dance performance by the students of Dawn’s Dance Studio in Greenfield. In my 50 years of performing, very few compare to Dawn and her efficiency of the dance process. Dawn’s direction begins with weekly dance classes ending in a joyful performance for dancers and audience alike.Dawn’s family and crew provide a delightful experience where the joy of dance is on full display. Bravo!

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

BUCKLAND — The Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee has approved implementing a child sexual abuse prevention plan that was developed in collaboration with Enough Abuse.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

COLRAIN — A regional ambulance service for western Franklin County may be inching closer to fruition after years of discussion.

By SHERYL HUNTER

When the Whiskey Treaty Roadshow performed at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton in April, it was a good old-fashioned foot stompin’ rockin’ dance party complete with plenty of sing-alongs. Everyone had a great time, and it’s guaranteed to be more of the same when the band hosts their fourth annual Mountain Day festival at Berkshire East Ski Resort in Charlemont on Saturday, June 14, at 4 p.m.

By CHRIS LARABEE

More funding for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) may be on the way in fiscal year 2026, as Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed budget, along with those put forward by the Senate and House of Representatives, all request more money than in FY25.

By THE REV. JASON A. BURNS

I have met people from all walks of life: wealthy, homeless, famous, not-so-famous, and most everything in between. I have had people tell me their life story while sitting at my son’s Tae Kwon Do practice and I still feel the pain of losing someone who didn’t share the more difficult parts of their life with me. The common denominator in my experiencing of people is that we all long for connection. The people who have shared their stories with me did so not because I could do anything about anything, but because they sensed that I was willing to listen, and the truth is that I was and am willing to listen.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

TURNERS FALLS — An equipment malfunction caused FirstLight Hydro Generating Co.’s Turners Falls dam to leak roughly 300 gallons of hydraulic fluid into the Connecticut River this week, marking the facility’s fourth such incident since 2021.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

BUCKLAND — For Mohawk Trail’s Class of 2025, graduation marked the end of 12 years of hard work and learning, and the beginning of their next chapter.

By STEVE PFARRER

Stephen Platt, who teaches 19th and 20th century Chinese history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, made a significant name for himself with his two last books.

By PASTOR BENJIMAN DURFEE

The other day, as the submission date for this column loomed, I opened up the Artificial Intelligence app ChatGPT and asked: “What would readers of a newspaper in Franklin County, Massachusetts want to read in a Faith column written by a Christian clergyperson?”

By CHRIS LARABEE

Two local fairgrounds will invest in infrastructure, while Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) will help local farms connect to consumers with the help of two state grant programs.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

BUCKLAND — There is no threat to safety after a student was expelled for threatening the senior class at Mohawk Trail Regional School, according to Shelburne Police Chief Greg Bardwell.

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — In celebration of National EMS Week, several area paramedics were honored for their lifesaving work over the last year.