During first look at wildfire rubble, residents in a daze

By ADAM BEAM and JONATHAN MATTISE

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Residents and business owners in Gatlinburg got their first look at the wildfire destruction on Friday, and many walked around the once-bustling tourist city in a daze, sobbing.They hugged each other and promised that they would...

A new vocation: Jay Healy talks about life at the Sawmill

By ANDY CASTILLO

CHARLEMONT — Former state legislator and Agriculture Secretary Jay Healy stands in cascading sunlight, pouring through a small window in a storage barn at The Sawmill at Hall Tavern Farm, just off Route 2.“We have some of the best pine trees in the...

Man charged with attempted murder in Turners Falls stabbing

By ANDY CASTILLO

TURNERS FALLS — A man charged with attempted murder in connection to a cocaine-related knife stabbing on L Street around 7:30 p.m. Halloween night was arraigned in Greenfield District Court Tuesday afternoon.Bail was set at $10,000 for Christopher...

District Court Logs, Oct. 4 to 11, 2016

Greenfield, Oct. 4, Judge William Mazanec III Norman T. Plausky, 45, of Water Street, Greenfield. Pleaded guilty to shoplifting, third offense, at Big Y Supermarket in Greenfield, sentenced to six months in the house of correction, suspended, placed...

Tree service gets noise complaints

By AVIVA LUTTRELL

GREENFIELD — Jim’s Tree Service has been ordered to have a sound engineer assess the level of noise being produced at the business’ Wells Street location after neighbors complained about “horrendous” noise, sometimes as early as 7 a.m.Owner Jim Elwell...

Districct Court: Sept. 26 - Oct. 3

Greenfield, Sept. 26, Judge William Mazanec III Ayla K. Pierzchala, 27, of Hope Street, Greenfield. Pleaded innocent to operating a motor vehicle with license suspended, in Whately by state police, released on personal recognizance, continued to...

District Court Logs: Sept. 9 to 14, 2016

Orange, Sept. 9, Judge William Mazanec III Bryce M. Cass, 26, of Old Keene Road, Athol. Charges of trafficking in 18 grams or more, or less than 36 grams of heroin, morphine, or opium, and conspiracy to violate drug laws, in Orange by state police,...

Yankee Rowe was a powerful piece of history

By DIANE BRONCACCIO

ROWE — Although it happened 24 years ago, Leonard Laffond clearly remembers when the Yankee Rowe nuclear power plant announced it was closing for good.“That was the fateful day,” he said, finding a copy of the Feb. 27, 1992 Recorder, with its headline...

Hallmark school to close in October, state says

By ANDY CASTILLO

TURNERS FALLS — There won’t be as many student photographers looking for photo opportunities throughout Franklin County after October, when Hallmark Institute of Photography says goodbye to graduates for the last time.On Tuesday, the state confirmed...

New book covers centuries of Gill history

By JACK EVANS

GILL — Dinosaur tracks. A once-legendary fishing spot. Burned buildings, diary entries and the horrific massacre of 300 Native Americans. These seemingly disparate threads weave together in a new book detailing centuries of local history.For...

Deerfield Academy settles sexual abuse lawsuit

By TOM RELIHAN

DEERFIELD — Deerfield Academy has settled a federal lawsuit filed by a former student who accused a former mathematics teacher at the prestigious private school of sexually abusing him.The victim, referred to in the lawsuit as “John Doe” and who was...

New detox center expected to open Monday in Greenfield

By TOM RELIHAN

GREENFIELD — A long-awaited substance abuse treatment center in Greenfield that’ll expand the region’s detox capacity by 64 beds is expected to take its first patients on Monday.The center, which has been under construction since the winter, will...

Orange man faces kidnapping charges

ORANGE — An Orange man faces charges after allegedly trapping his girlfriend in the bedroom of the residence they shared and threatening to hurt her.Devin M. Hurlburt, 24, pleaded not guilty in Orange District Court on Friday to charges of assault and...

3 teachers at 1 Pa. school charged with having sex with students

PLUM, Pa. — The legal and emotional casualties keep piling up in a Pittsburgh suburb where two high school teachers have pleaded guilty to having sex with students, a third is awaiting trial and a fourth is charged with trying to intimidate one...

Body recovered from Connecticut River in Gill identified as murder suspect Tyler Hagmaier

By AVIVA LUTTRELL

GILL — The body recovered from the Connecticut River in Gill Monday has been identified as 24-year-old murder suspect Tyler Hagmaier, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office. The cause of death will be determined by the medical...

District Court Logs May 16 to May 20

Orange, May 16, Judge David S. Ross Jeremiah Gonzalez, 36, of Fish Street, Athol. Pleaded innocent to operating with suspended license, and failure to stop or yield, released on personal recognizance, continued to 7/5/16 for pretrial conference....

Lifelong passion behind new Turners Falls gun store

By LISA SPEAR

Lifelong passion behind new Turners Falls gun store- TURNERS FALLS — “Clink, clank” goes the sound of a shotgun barrel as Norm Emond Jr. demonstrates how to load and unload a gun. He is standing in front of a row of semi-automatic weapons in the Gun Rack, a shop that opened just a few days ago at 157...

Fire sale: Greenfield department to sell old call boxes

By AVIVA LUTTRELL

Fire sale: Greenfield department to sell old call boxes- GREENFIELD — For many years, the Greenfield Fire Department used a wired fire alarm system with red, metal boxes attached to buildings and telephone poles throughout town with handles that could be pulled in case of an emergency.Now, the department is...

Gill vet Patrick Cotter enjoys the peace, quiet and animals

By LISA SPEAR

Gill vet Patrick Cotter enjoys the peace, quiet and animals- GILL — A new veterinarian practice in town is dedicated to keeping four-legged friends healthy while keeping their owners’ wallets in tact. After living and working in New York City for about 40 years, Patrick Cotter opened a new small animal practice...

Road to ruin: A nurse's story of addiction

By TOM RELIHAN

Road to ruin: A nurse's story of addiction- GREENFIELD — The mix of rain and sleet that buffeted Daniel Herlocker’s car the night of Dec. 9, 2014, was no match for the tears that streamed from his eyes as he made his way slowly home from Greenfield to Brattleboro, Vt.Earlier that night, he’d...