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Local business hero Yankee Candle feels effects of far-off restructuring (Editorial)
For years, the rise of the Yankee Candle Co. was the story of a single man, Michael J. Kittredge II. Its growth in the Pioneer Valley reflected a founder’s ambition and drive. Kittredge died a very rich man. The fragrance behemoth he built lives on, pleasing customers around the...
Two Berkshire Peaker Plants Have Been Put in the Past
LEE, Mass. — Two peaker plants in Berkshire County have been out of service for two years and are in the process of demolition. Local environmentalists are rejoicing. "It's phenomenal," said Rosemary Wessel of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team. "To actually see the physical proof of a peaker plant not just shut down but removed is just more than we really expected and it's really great."
Greenfield Public Library offering free access to legal resources
GREENFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The Greenfield Public Library recently celebrated one year since their grand opening in the new building and the community resources continue to grow with a legal kiosk offering free access to legal information and records, applications for free legal help, and completing forms for court. The kiosk was provided by the Western New England University School of Law’s Center for Social Justice who have installed several legal kiosks in community sites around the region.
Palmer crews respond to hay-baler fire
PALMER, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Emergency crews in Palmer responded to a fire on Saturday afternoon. According to the Palmer Fire Department, just before 3:30 p.m. Saturday firefighters were called to Boston Road to put out a hay-baler fire. When crews arrived they found a hay baler completely engulfed in flames....
Kristin Chenoweth Stuns in Tiny Tank Top, Reese Witherspoon Reacts
Broadway and Hollywood star Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, The West Wing) stars in the new musical, The Queen of Versailles, which is based on the true story of Jackie Siegel, wife of Westgate Resorts owner David Siegel, who built a 90,000 sq. ft. mansion in Florida which they called Versailles as it was modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France. Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) plays Jackie’s billionaire husband.
Legal advocates say bill could help homeowners pay past-due property taxes
A group of homeowners and the legal organizations representing them recently voiced support for a piece of proposed legislation that could “drastically” reduce the burden on homeowners struggling to pay past-due property taxes. “This legislation would greatly help people who are house rich and cash poor,” said Todd...
Filmmaker with Valley roots trains his lens on America’s wild horses
Steven Latham knows a thing or two about Hollywood and free-roaming horses. For starters, the Emmy award-winning director, who was born in Springfield, helped care for a pony in Hadley when he was in elementary school. “We adopted a Chincoteague pony when we took a trip to the Virginia coast...
Southwick seeks 3 volunteers to serve on Master Plan Implementation Committee
SOUTHWICK — It’s been more than three months since the Planning Board approved the town’s master plan, Southwick Vision 2040, but it was only last week that the Select Board invited applications for the three seats it will appoint to the implementation committee. “We’d love to have...
Dalton Police Station Gets Asbestos Abatement
DALTON, Mass. — Asbestos abatement in the police station is scheduled for Monday, but more work still needs to be done. The Select Board was notified of the safety concerns in the police station, located in the Town Hall basement, during its meeting on May 28. Issues in the...
Celtics legend Dave Cowens showing off his shooting touch at 67
It had been decades since Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man and Florida State legend Dave Cowens picked up a basketball as a player. But the then-67-year-old Celtics icon put on a shooting clinic in 2016 at his alma mater in Tallahassee, Florida. The two-time Boston champion sank shot after shot without breaking a sweat in this clip embedded below, only missing the first underhanded free throw he attempted, and making up for it with another made shot backward over his head. No word on whether the former NBA Most Valuable Player of 1973 is planning a comeback with that...
Springfield crash leaves 1 dead
SPRINGFIELD — A man was killed in a single-car crash early Sunday morning. The crash took place at about 3:15 a.m. near the intersection of Wilbraham Road and Glenoak Drive in the Sixteen Acres section of the city, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman. The driver was alone in the...
Chester water supply discoloration suspected to be manganese
CHESTER — A Chester water commissioner has confirmed that the town’s drinking water supply is discolored and said that naturally occurring manganese is suspected to be the cause. Commissioner Robert Daley said in an email to The Republican Saturday that the town tested the water supply in June...
Veteran Spotlight: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Lewis
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Michael Lewis served his country in the Navy as a petty officer, second class, from 1977 to 1994. Born in North Adams, he would do his basic training at Great Lakes, Ill. His first assignment would be at submarine school (NAVSUBCOM) in Groton, Conn., then to the USS Pensacola (LSD-38) out of Little Creek, Va.
PETER MOST: It’s complicated
There is a little-discussed social compact between opinion columnist and reader. The columnist agrees to identify, analyze, and solve the issue in about a thousand words, and reader agrees to accept or reject, reserving all rights to comment on the idiocy of the analysis. Forgive me, try as I might to keep my end of the bargain, Monument Mountain High School (MMHS) presents knotty challenges, stymieing any hope of solution in just three easy steps. Still, the conversation is worth having.
Winchendon veterans housing project receives economic boost from Fitchburg bank
A $25 million project to convert two vacant Winchendon school buildings into low-income housing for veterans and their families has received another economic boost. Representatives of the Fitchburg-based Rollstone Bank and Trust dropped by the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center in Gardner to deliver a $15,000 check to go toward the group's plan to redevelop the former Streeter and Poland Elementary Schools into 44 apartments for homeless and high-risk veterans in the community.
Gardner will hold a public hearing on proposed horse track on Tuesday. What to know
Gardner officials plan to hold a public hearing on the proposed Bay State Racing racetrack this Tuesday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. The public hearing will be at City Hall in the Council Chamber. Before the public hearing, there will be a City Council informal meeting between 6 and 7:30 p.m., during which Bay State Racing LLC will give a detailed presentation on the project to transform the current GAAMHA Carl E. Dahl House facility...
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