Fire extinguished at home under renovation in Huntington

HUNTINGTON - It took 30 firefighters from five area towns about an hour to knock down a Friday afternoon blaze that damaged a home in the midst of renovations.

Huntington Fire Chief Gary Dahill said the cause of the fire hadn't been determined, but it appeared to be electrical in nature.

Honoring emergency medical services workers for their heroism

NORTHAMPTON — Joshua Keeney could have died last June, yet there he was Thursday night shaking hands with the very people who saved his life. He would have died, in fact, had it not been for the dogged persistence of a few people who happened by his horrific motorcycle accident and the quick action of the first responders of the Cummington Fire Department. "They were fast, professional and good at what they do - or I wouldn't be alive right now," said Keeney.

Valley's CSA farms a model for growth

When Brookfield Farm in Amherst became one of the first farms in the country to adopt the Community Supported Agriculture model 25 years ago, not many people knew what the acronym "CSA" stood for.

Hilltown CDC loan key to affordable housing grant

CHESTERFIELD - The Hilltown Community Development Corporation took a step toward obtaining a $2.4 million housing grant last week when it was awarded a $75,000 pre-development loan from the Boston-based Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.

Trial over boating death in Huntington scheduled for June 18

NORTHAMPTON - The trial of a Westfield man accused of killing a 10-year-old boy with a boat in Huntington is set for June.

The August 2010 boat crash claimed the life of Augustus "Gus" Adamopoulos of Ludlow who was fishing from a kayak with his father on Norwich Lake. The father, James Adamopoulos, 53, was also hurt.

Hilltown brief

PRESCHOOL SCREENING: Parents living in the Hilltowns of Blandford, Chester, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Russell and Worthington are invited to register their 3- and 4 year-old children for a developmental screening, provided at no charge by the Gateway Regional School District. Preschool screenings will be held at Littleville Elementary School on Monday, May 7, from 8:30 a.m.

Huntington motorist in fatal accident faces new charges

HOLYOKE — A 24-year-old Huntington woman charged last year with vehicular homicide in the deaths of an Easthampton couple faces new drug and trespassing charges in Holyoke.

Andrea E. Waldo, of 25 Russell Road, Apt. 7, was charged last week with possession of cocaine and trespassing during an ongoing investigation into narcotics trafficking by members of the Holyoke Police Narcotics/Vice Unit and FBI Gang Task Force in the South Bridge Street area.