Kimberly McGrath, beloved daughter, mother

MIDDLETOWN, Conn.- Kimberly McGrath, "Kim," 41, of Middletown, beloved mother of Alexa Rae Esposito, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, after a courageous four-month battle with cancer.

In Our Opinion: Highway to future?

Flyover ramps? Though a year and a half have passed since the last meeting of a group tracking a major reconstruction of Interstate Route 91 in Northampton, don't count this project out.

National Adoption Day: In a courthouse in Hadley, 14 children and their families formalize their bond

HADLEY - The Blair family keeps on growing. Friday, Martha and Wayne Blair of Leeds officially adopted 3-year-old Savannah. It was a big to-do, attended not only by mom and dad, her big sister and two big brothers, but also by the people she calls grandma and papa and uncle and aunt. And there were plenty of stories just like Savannah's: Adoptions for 13 other children from Hampshire and Franklin counties were finalized at the courthouse Friday as part of National Adoption Day.
--Judge cites desperate need in region for foster families
--Trumpeting the value of foster care adoption

Kenneth McKown, 89, WWII veteran

NORTHAMPTON - Kenneth T. McKown, 89, of South Street, died Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, at his home.

In Our Opinion: Fix sewer backup

Fall ends Dec. 20. That's the new date by which the Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center promises to solve a long-standing problem with sewer backups in its Bridge Road neighborhood.

Judge cites desperate need in region for foster families

HADLEY - "We need - desperately, desperately need in this region - foster families," Judge Lillian Miranda told a crowd gathered Friday to celebrate National Adoption Day at Franklin/Hampshire Juvenile Court.

Although virtually anyone can be a foster parent, the judge said, it takes "commitment and selflessness."

'Food insecurity' real, but not hunger

This week an Agriculture Department study showed that 16.4 million U.S. households containing 49.1 million people experienced "food insecurity" in 2008, up from 12.2 million households containing 36.2 million people in 2007. Fortunately, Congress has already addressed some of the problem with a significant food-stamp boost in the stimulus package adopted in February.