Hilltowns
Students show off their pottery at Huntington’s Gray Catbird studio
HUNTINGTON — The Gray Catbird Gift Shop and Pottery Studio at 22 E. Main St., hosted a show of student works on Friday evening, March 22, to signal the end of the winter classes. Proprietor and pottery teacher Dale Rogers of Montgomery said 24 students from...
Otis town election nomination papers available
OTIS — Those who wish to run for local government in the town of Otis have until April 9 to submit the proper forms to the town clerk’s office. This year, candidates will run for a three-year Selectboard term, a one-year moderator term, a one-year tree warden term,...
Maple sap boils to syrup for Chester Elementary STEAM classes
CHESTER — Students in Chester Elementary School spent part of February and March tapping maple trees on school property and making maple syrup over a wood fire from the sap they collected. “We tapped the trees right on the school property, some on the front...
Granville ballot to feature contested Selectboard seat race
GRANVILLE — When residents visit Town Hall on Monday, April 8, to cast ballots in the 2024 municipal election, there is only one contested seat, and it’s on the Selectboard. Current Selectboard Chair Nicole Berndt is being challenged by a longtime member and...
Outside tuitions drive proposed hikes in STGRSD budget
SOUTHWICK — While residents of Southwick and Granville will be asked to increase their annual allocation to the schools for fiscal year 2025, Tolland would pay less. During a March 15 hearing at the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District offices, it...
Sponsors step in to save Westfield River Wildwater Races
After hearing that the Westfield River Wildwater Races would be canceled this year, Jeff DeFeo couldn’t just go with the flow. The Montgomery resident saw the March 8 notice while wintering in Florida. As a competitor in the races since 1974 and a former committee...
Gateway staff share findings from grant-funded school visits
HUNTINGTON — Gateway Regional School District administrators and teachers, who visited schools around the country during the “dream” phase of the Barr Foundation grant, related some of the programs that impressed them during a professional development day for staff...
Blandford voters back library expansion with state grant aid
BLANDFORD — On the Special Town Meeting warrant of March 18 was a vote to move forward with a grant application for an expansion of the Porter Memorial Library, a step that library director Nicole Daviau said the town has been waiting for five years to take. “Every...
Gateway seeks 3.2% budget hike with insurance costs rising
HUNTINGTON — The Gateway Regional School District presented the fiscal year 2025 budget at a public hearing on March 6. Superintendent Kristen Smidy said overall the budget of $17,971,760 reflects a 3.24% increase, which she added is a little lower than...
Southern Hilltowns vote like state to support Biden, Trump in primary
Joseph Biden and Donald Trump widened their leads in the presidential nomination races on March 5, and voters in both Massachusetts as a whole, and the southern Hilltowns in particular, placed themselves firmly in the front-runners’ corners. Both major-party...