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By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — In an effort to promote housing diversity and affordability in town, the Planning Board is proposing a community housing bylaw that mirrors the state’s Chapter 40B process, while preserving local permit control.The board held a public...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — With the rejection of two reuse proposals that involved selling the building, the future of the Whately Center School is now back in the hands of the town, as the Selectboard opted on Tuesday to let the school’s Visioning Committee flesh out...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — Having received two responses to a request for proposals (RFP) for the sale of the Whately Center School, members of the Center School Visioning Committee are asking for more time to come up with an idea to retain the historic building.Jenny...

By CHRIS LARABEE

CONWAY — After a Council on Aging review and months of discussion, the town is putting the prospect of joining the South County Senior Center on hold for now.The main sticking point, Selectboard Chair Philip Kantor said, was there are too many...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Following its presentation earlier this week, the Frontier Regional School District School Committee approved a $12.9 million fiscal year 2025 budget on Thursday evening.The FY25 budget represents a 3.14%, or $395,037, increase over...

Shutesbury hosting pollinator habitat workshop SHUTESBURY — The town is hosting a pollinator habitat planning workshop on Wednesday, March 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., where folks will learn about the importance of pollinators, the habitats they need, and...

Sunderland Democrats to caucus March 2 SUNDERLAND — The Sunderland Democratic Town Committee will convene Saturday to elect delegates to participate in the State Democratic Convention in June.The caucus will be held at the Sunderland Public Library,...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — With its town administrator slated to leave on March 4, Whately began searching for an interim candidate. Unbeknownst to town officials, though, they would end up getting two.In a Feb. 22 meeting, the Selectboard opted to appoint longtime...

Recently a reader wrote in giving extravagant praise for the care she received at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. I wish to second her approbation. I was a patient there last year and I have to say the care I received was wonderful. They are...

By SHERYL HUNTER

Watermelon Wednesdays, the acoustic music series that presents concerts and workshops at the historic West Whately Chapel and the Whately Town Hall, will celebrate its 25th year in 2024. Paul Newlin of Whately, a devout music fan, heads up the series,...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — With the impending departure of Town Administrator Brian Domina, the Selectboard is planning to find an interim solution while the town undergoes the extended process of finding a permanent replacement.Domina, who has served as Whately’s...

By CHRIS LARABEE

Despite the South County Senior Center’s three member towns having received a $75,000 grant in December 2022 to conduct a feasibility study on the South Deerfield Congregational Church to see if it could serve as the center’s long-term home, a study...

By CHRIS LARABEE

Senior centers around Franklin County are preparing to dip their toes into the digital and hybrid worlds thanks to $151,500 in grant funding from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.Through the agency’s Hybrid Programming for Councils on Aging grant...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — As the town prepares to undertake its master planning process to chart out Whately’s next 15 years, it is seeking residents’ input for Phase 1.With the last update to the town’s master plan coming in 2011, Whately, in partnership with the...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — Following several check-ins, the Selectboard has opted to loosen Club Castaway’s police detail requirements to just Friday and Saturday nights.When the club reopened in October, the board opted to require a police detail each Thursday,...

By CHRIS LARABEE

Seven towns around Franklin County are re-examining their town accountant positions due to a change in policies with the current software system contracted through the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG).For nearly 20 years, FRCOG has...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — Joining several neighboring communities in the Pioneer Valley, Whately’s Selectboard has signaled its support to write a letter to the Legislature advocating for legislation that could allow municipalities more control over solar energy...

By JACOB NELSON

‘The best carrots you’ll ever eat are picked in January or February,” says Erik Debbink, owner of Lombrico Farm in Whately. In the dead of winter, their sweetness shines through.Lombrico Farms is one of a growing number of local farms working hard to...

WHATELY — State Police arrested a Springfield man Tuesday night on charges of trafficking fentanyl and illegal possession of a firearm after a traffic stop on Interstate 91.Mathew Lopez, 21, was arrested on the evening of Jan. 2 after State Police...