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By CHRIS LARABEE

Just over a month since Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) benefits were cut by a minimum of 50%, local businesses and advocates for the initiative are hopeful that it will be restored, as farmers, vendors and stores are seeing the effects of reduced benefits.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — The Selectboard conditionally approved the renewal of Club Castaway’s licenses Tuesday evening, as the business has paid off the majority of money it owed to the town.

By CHRIS LARABEE

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is seeking information about weather-related losses in 2023 and 2024 from farmers across the state as it prepares to report damages to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will split up $220 million in relief funding among eight states.

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — With screening interviews set for next week, the town expects to have its vacant planning and economic development coordinator role filled in February.

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — With unanimous site plan approval from the Deerfield Planning Board, the 1888 Building rehabilitation and addition project has cleared the last of its major hurdles.The town came before the board on Monday evening for a continuation...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SUNDERLAND — In December 1989, one of the coldest on record in the region, John Sackrey was in Conway with a small team building an addition onto a home.That addition, for an associate working with Berkshire Design Group, kicked off a decades-long...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — After more than three years in Land Court, a judge has ruled in favor of Deerfield in the case of whether the entirety of the length of Steam Mill Road is a public way.The town and the Billings family have been entangled in the lawsuit...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The long-awaited senior housing project that will serve as one of the key slices of Deerfield’s municipal campus will take a major step forward in January, as the Select Board has approved the release of a request for...

By CHRIS LARABEE

From 1952 to 2008, children in Deerfield had an opportunity to write letters to Santa Claus and, after some time, a letter from the big man himself would be sent back to the child.Now, decades later after many of the letters were likely forgotten, a...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SUNDERLAND — In what is becoming an annual tradition for community service, the South County Senior Center and the Sunderland Men’s Club are once again coming together to offer Christmas Day meals to older adults in Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — After a national search, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) has found a new executive director right here in the Pioneer Valley. The agency has chosen Jennifer Core, a Warwick resident and farmer with a background...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — On a recommendation from the Board of Assessors, the Select Board adopted a single tax rate for fiscal year 2025 of $13.25 per $1,000 valuation last week, an approximately 4.3% decrease from FY24.Sticking with past practices, the Select...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — The Select Board adopted a single tax rate for all properties in town of $13.34 per $1,000 valuation for fiscal year 2025, representing a roughly 2.5% decrease from the previous year.The decision came following an extended discussion...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — With folks confined to their homes in the early days of the pandemic, but still looking for local produce, Julia Coffey and her team at Mycoterra Farm branched out to bring products to their doors in the form of Mass Food Delivery.While...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — The site plan review for the 1888 Building rehabilitation and addition project has been pushed to Monday, Jan. 6, as the town works to flesh out the parking and driveway designs.Town Administrator Christopher Dunne said the town is holding...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — With funding for a feasibility study in hand, progress on the former Center School’s rehabilitation will start picking up steam in 2025.With a $14,000 grant match in hand following approval at the Nov. 12 Special Town Meeting, Town...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — With the incoming presidential administration campaigning on transformational changes to the way government functions, the Whately Select Board recently issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to serving residents. Brought forward by...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — After a few months of a temporary closure in which its owner was determining the next steps, Bittersweet Bakery & Cafe recently reopened its doors with a revamped business plan.Laura Thiem, who owns and operates the 6-year-old bakery and...

By CHRIS LARABEE

With bodies of water receding and brush fires throughout the state, it was clearly a dry fall for the Pioneer Valley and new data analysis confirms the season was historically dry for western Massachusetts.Preliminary National Weather Service data for...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — New life may soon be coming to the vacant farmstand at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10 and North Hillside Road.Maple Valley Creamery, the Hadley-based dairy farm that also operates Maple Valley’s Scoop at the Silos, is eyeing the...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — As the town continues to look at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10, North Main Street and Mill Village Road, it has released a road safety audit detailing safety concerns in the area, while also laying out some potential enhancements.The...