Latest News



Athol boards wary of new high school plan
ATHOL – Members of the Selectboard, Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee, and Capital Program Committee met Tuesday night to discuss the possibility of constructing a new Athol High School.

Greenfield Community College expands associate degree options with new majors
GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College opened four new associate degree majors this academic year, allowing students to enroll in programs such as environmental conservation and human services.
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Sports

UMass men’s basketball: Davidson’s Reed Bailey scores 21 points as Wildcats take down Minutemen, 77-68 (PHOTOS)
AMHERST — Through about 13 minutes of action, it looked as if the UMass men’s basketball team was going to do something very few teams have done all season: shut down Davidson forward Reed Bailey, who leads the Atlantic 10 in points per game (20.0) this year.

Opinion

My Turn: Celebrating real civic work and spirit
I have waited in vain for over a week to see what response there would be, in the letters and from our town offices, to the truly extraordinary front-page article from Jan. 22, that told of the upgrades completed on the Police Department’s dispatch center, the heart of our community’s emergency response system [“Police dispatch upgrades complete,” Recorder].




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 Jan. 16 to Feb. 2, 2025
2:31 p.m. - Party calling about witnessing a vehicle all over the road on Templeton Road, almost hitting another vehicle head-on after crossing lanes. Officer spoke with operator and passenger. No sign of impairment. Operator stated he dropped a cigarette and was picking it up off the vehicle floor.




Arts & Life

Sounds Local: Do It Now to perform in Wendell on Feb. 15
Combine John Sheldon’s extraordinary guitar playing with the powerful words of Beat Poet Laureate Paul Richmond and Tony Vacca’s excellent percussion skills, and you have the makings for a special night of words and music.
Obituaries

Kittery Point, ME - Dane Royal Parker - Born November 16, 1957, in Athol, Massachusetts to Marilyn (Kingsbury) and Dane Parker, passed peacefully, surrounded by his family, on February 1, 2025, after a hard-fought battle with Cancer. ... remainder of obit for Dane Royal Parker

Joan E. (Cox) O'Brien ORANGE, MA - Joan (Cox) O'Brien died peacefully February 8, 2025. She was born on July 13, 1935 in Highlands of Lowell MA to the late James Cox and the late Lillian (Locke) Cox. In June of 1959, she married Robert ... remainder of obit for Joan E. O'Brien

Cynthia R. (Butler) Barnes ATHOL, MA - Cynthia R. (Butler) Barnes, 94, of Daniel Shays Highway, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, February 9, 2025, with a loved one by her side, at Baldwinville Nursing Home in Baldwinville, MA. ... remainder of obit for Cynthia R. Barnes

Petersham, MA - Barbara Armstrong, age 81, of 53 Shaw Road, Petersham, MA, passed away on January 31st after a brief illness. Born in New Hampshire on June 28, 1943, she was the daughter of Arthur and Helen (Morton) Bowers. Barbara gra... remainder of obit for Barbara B. Armstrong