$500,000 bail for Sunderland man held in sex crime case

GREENFIELD - A Sunderland man was held on $500,000 bail Friday after being arraigned in Greenfield District Court on charges of child rape.

Philip N. Hepburn, 48, of 352 Montague Road, Sunderland, has been charged with three counts of rape of a child and one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years of age. He pleaded innocent to all of the charges.

Sunderland man held on child rape charges

SUNDERLAND - A Sunderland man has been arrested and is being held on $500,000 cash bail on charges of multiple counts of rape and assault of children, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Police said that Philip N. Hepburn, 48, of 352 Montague Road was arrested at approximately 5 p.m. Thursday as a result of an investigation by the Hampshire County Detective Bureau.

Sunderland library could be forced to cut hours

SUNDERLAND - Fewer hours, reduced staffing and fewer materials may be in store for the Sunderland Public Library if its budget is cut any further, according to Sheila McCormick, the library director.

If the library budget is reduced by 10 percent, it will force the library to cut staffing, which would result in a reduction in operating hours, she said.

Arrests in grave thefts: Montague brothers charged in cemeteries case

Two Montague men were arrested Tuesday and charged with stealing bronze veterans' flag holders from cemeteries in Franklin and Hampshire counties. Police from Amherst, Montague and Greenfield and state troopers conducted raids at several places Tuesday morning, and arrested Mark E. Kuklewicz, 32, of 26 Lake Pleasant Road, Lake Pleasant, and Stanley Kuklewicz, 37, of 38 E. Main St., Millers Falls.

Around Sunderland: Town lands $97K energy grant

The town has received $97,000 in federal stimulus funding to help make thermal efficiency improvements at the public safety complex and the elementary school.

Pedestrian hit Friday in Sunderland on the mend

SUNDERLAND - The woman hit Friday by a pickup truck near the 7-Eleven parking lot on Route 116 was listed in good condition Monday by Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

The location has been the scene of pedestrian accidents and public safety concern in recent years - and was recently equipped with a stoplight pedestrian crossing.

Sunderland expects budget shortfall

SUNDERLAND - Officials here have decided to ignore the governor's recent proclamation that local aid would not be cut in the coming fiscal year, as they prepare a budget that projects a 20 percent decrease in state assistance to the town.

That decision leaves Sunderland facing an expected shortfall in excess of $200,000, said Sunderland selectmen's Chairman Scott Bergeron.