Thursday, May 22 WILLIAMSTOWN -- St. Raphael's Catholic Church on Cole Avenue could be turned into eight affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments for families and individuals earning between $35,000 and $40,000. Voters overwhelming approved $800,000 in Community Preserva-tion funds for the project at Tuesday night's town meeting, 346 to 38, but not before several neighbors and town   Full Story

Thursday, May 22 CHESHIRE -- Sightings of dozens and even hundreds of dead fish at a time in Cheshire Reservoir aren't a cause for concern according to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife -- they're just a normal part of the change of season. Recently, dead fish have been turning up in droves on the banks of the Cheshire Reservoir, but according to Richard Hartley, an aquatic   Full Story

Thursday, May 22 WILLIAMSTOWN -- Samuel and Elizabeth Smith, longtime community activists and proprietors of Caretaker Farm, received a standing ovation from the more than 400 residents at the annual town meeting on Tuesday after being named the Faith R. Scarborough Award winners for 2008. "You have lived the life that you have advocated for," Town Moderator Stanley Parese told the couple,  Full Story

Thursday, May 22 BENNINGTON, Vt. -- Justin Woodward, 19, of Cider Hill Lane in Pownal, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and reckless or grossly negligent vehicle operation on Tuesday in Bennington District Court. According to an affidavit by Bennington Police Officer Joshua Stemp, Woodward's motorcycle was spotted on Park Street near Mount   Full Story

Thursday, May 22 LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers waited until the third quarter to get going. Once they did, the San Antonio Spurs couldn't stop them. Bryant scored all but two of his 27 points after halftime, including a go-ahead, 10-foot jumper in the lane with 23.9 seconds remaining, and the Lakers rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Spurs 89-85 on Wednesday   Full Story

Thursday, May 22 HATFIELD -- The McCann Tech baseball team's road struggles continued on Wednesday night, when they fell 8-0 to Smith Academy (18-1) in a game that went just five innings due to inclement weather. It was the Hornets' (10-8) second straight loss on their road trip after back-to-back one-run losses earlier in the week.   Full Story

Thursday, May 22 In one sense, Senator Ted Kennedy's malignant brain tumor represents another chapter in a long chain of tragedy for America's first political family that reads more like a dark novel than real life. In another sense, his condition, which may be terminal, will provide another opportunity for the family to display grace under pressure.   Full Story