Episodios

  • Things that don’t last forever, and stories that feel like they do
    Dec 9 2025

    Catching up after a little gap, Sarah and Mike recap a potpourri of stories from the last 6 weeks:

    • Permits don’t last forever! A prospective solar development in Wendell whose permit was approved in 2018 hits yet another snag— will this be the final blow?
    • Industrial buildings don’t last forever! We get an update on the ongoing Strathmore mill demolition saga.
    • Police chiefs don’t last forever! Montague is getting a new one.
    • Dogs sometimes don’t last forever when they are deemed dangerous by the town selectboard and that is sad for everyone (but all dogs considered in the recent hearings are still around!)
    • Empty lots in the Patch don’t last forever! New apartment buildings are going up!


    Montague Reporter T-shirts don’t last forever! Support the paper and buy yours now! https://montaguereporter.org/

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    31 m
  • Crabs in a Barrel: local struggles over school districts and solar batteries against the national backdrop of austerity and media suppression
    Oct 17 2025

    Smoke from a downtown Turners Falls fire still hung in the air as Sarah and Mike sat down to record this episode on Friday October 10th. They dig into the politics surrounding a postponed vote on the proposed six-town regional school district and also discuss another nearby regional school district that made the news. Then, after an update on solar regulations in Wendell, Mike debriefs an interesting meeting he had with folks from a locally headquartered media advocacy group.


    Check out our previous episode on the six-town regionalization proposal for more background on that story.


    Subscribe to the Montague Reporter at https://montaguereporter.org/subscribe/


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    38 m
  • Back to the Grind: early fall stories of school district regionalizaion and EBT theft reimbursement efforts
    Sep 24 2025

    In this episode, after an Ask the Editor question about censorship goes existential, Mike and Sarah discuss a plot twist in the six-town school regionalization saga and revisit an EBT theft story that began in May. Plus: melons, blue comics, pessimism frosting, newspaper-themed weddings, and poetic indices. Intrigued? Confused? Listen to find out!


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    37 m
  • Ice cream and other topics: towns grapple with health insurance increase, Wendell budget & batteries, cop drama
    Aug 19 2025

    After an ode to ice cream and popsicles, Sarah and Mike cover a few irksome news items of the summer. They discuss the potential impacts of a regional health insurer’s sudden rate increase and the results of a recent tax vote in Wendell, as well as a pending solary array development in that town. They then give a very humane, un-sensationalized recap of recent churn in the Montague Police Department. Plus, school merger fantasies and BULBS BULBS BULBS!


    Read, support, and check out the fall bulb fundraiser at https://montaguereporter.org/

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    46 m
  • Summer Catch-up: events calendar highlights, river stories, and new battery
    Jul 22 2025

    River-related news has dominated the pages of the Montague Reporter so far this summer. Mike and Sarah discuss the recent drawdown of the Turners Falls dam, the vintage graffiti it revealed, and a new tax deal negotiated between the town and First Light Power. Plus, an update on a battery storage facility approved to be built outside Judd Wire. But first, learn how you and your little ones can fit fecal education and a Kate Bush flash mob workshop into one fun-filled day next week!


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    41 m
  • Late Spring Sampler Platter: Pizza! Turnovers! Asparagus! and much more!
    Jun 25 2025

    Catching up with the cornucopia of late spring news, Sarah and Mike offer a smorgasbord of the major stories that have been reported since mid-May. They cover the turnover of both the Gill-Montague School District’s current superintendent and its graduating high school seniors, as well as write-in candidate Marina Goldman’s last-minute victory in the Montague selectboard election. Other topics include the Turners Falls Thunder’s victory in the state softball championship, Ben Gagnon’s series of articles on local food producers, and the opening of a new playground in Montague Center.


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    37 m
  • EBT Theft; Annual Town Meetings; AmeriCorps Cuts
    May 21 2025

    In a sleeper hit of a 100th episode (!), Sarah and Mike debrief some heavy losses suffered by both SNAP recipients and youth service workers in Franklin County, and recap the highlights of annual town meeting season. Plus Mike finally reveals his favorite village in the town of Montague-- his answer will shock you!


    Subscribe to the Montague Reporter newspaper at https://montaguereporter.org/subscribe/

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    42 m
  • Trees, Trees, Trees; WQCs; and a totally non-sensational non sequitur about the Montague PD
    Apr 29 2025

    Sarah and Mike discuss several arboreal stories, as well as the denouement of the First Light hydroelectric relicensing saga, and a candidate's forum hosted by the Montague Reporter. Plus, Mike recaps a juicy scoop from the April 10th edition.


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    39 m
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