Franklin County

It is hard to escape the sound of running water in Franklin County. This saddle-shaped patch of 26 communities between Worcester and Berkshire counties lies just south of the Vermont border in hilly terrain known as the Western Highlands. The Connecticut River watershed, the largest in New England, engulfs the county. Tributaries - the Deerfield, Millers, and Green rivers, to name a few - tumble down to the mighty Connecticut. Hundreds of streams feed the tributaries, which is why traveling the length or breadth of any town in these parts entails crossing at...

Authorities say an Ohio mother has been arrested on charges accusing her of injecting her teenage children with heroin before sending them to school. The Hocking County Sheriff's Office says 35-five-year-old Shantel Parker, of Laurelville, was arrested Friday at Ohio State University hospital on warrants charging her with two counts each of felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs and endangering children. Investigators say Parker has been providing heroin and other drugs to her children, ages 14 and 16, for several months.

Authorities say an Ohio mother has been arrested on charges accusing her of injecting her teenage children with heroin before sending them to school. The Hocking County Sheriff's Office says 35-five-year-old Shantel Parker, of Laurelville, was arrested Friday at Ohio State University hospital on warrants charging her with two counts each of felonious assault, corrupting another with drugs and endangering children. Investigators say Parker has been providing heroin and other drugs to her children, ages 14 and 16, for several months.

ST. ALBANS, Vt. - The city of St. Albans is planning to challenge a US Census Bureau finding that the community lost almost 10 percent of its population and more than 4 percent of its housing units in the last decade, officials said. Information from the 2010 US Census found that the number of people living in the Franklin County city went from 7,650 in 2000 to 6,918 in 2010, a decline of 9.6 percent. The same figures found the number of housing units in the city dropped by 4.3 percent.

- A number of communities promote themselves as examples of the "Old Florida," before a swarm of developers descended on the state. Franklin County, however, is the real thing. So is Apalachicola, the county seat. "People who come here want to get away," Anita Grove, head of the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, said recently over lunch at the Owl Cafe, a popular restaurant. "They don't want outlet shopping and water slides. We could be like anywhere else, but we've chosen not to be. People like the scale of it. We're not overrun with tourists.

Taste the sweet richness of New England's pomological heritage at the November 5 and 6 CiderDay festivities in Franklin County. At farms in and around Colrain and Deerfield (see ciderday.org for schedules and addresses), sample slices from dozens of varieties with names like King David, Roxbury Russet, and Westfield-Seek-No-Further. Stock up for the winter with apples by the peck, as well as jams, jellies, honey, cider and West County Cider's hard ciders. Hurry, though - rooms get snapped up. In Deerfield, try the Deerfield Inn (800-926-3865, www.deerfieldinn.com , from...

ST. ALBANS, Vt. - The city of St. Albans is planning to challenge a US Census Bureau finding that the community lost almost 10 percent of its population and more than 4 percent of its housing units in the last decade, officials said. Information from the 2010 US Census found that the number of people living in the Franklin County city went from 7,650 in 2000 to 6,918 in 2010, a decline of 9.6 percent. The same figures found the number of housing units in the city dropped by 4.3 percent.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The body of a 14-month-old boy was cremated by mistake in a morgue mix-up, leaving distraught family members critical of the coroner, who has apologized, placed an employee on leave, and begun making procedural changes. An initial review indicated the body of Jaylen Talley was released to the wrong funeral home because a forensic technician did not follow proper procedures, which include opening the body bag, looking at the body, and matching up paperwork with toe and ankle tags, Franklin County coroner Jan Gorniak said.

A Jay man has been indicted on several sex charges involving minors. A Franklin County grand jury on Thursday indicted 21-year-old Joshua Welch on one count of gross sexual assault and 10 counts of unlawful sexual contact against two children under age 14. The Sun Journal (http://bit.ly/AEbWD6) reports that Welch was arrested by local police last August on two counts of unlawful sexual contact. The indictment says the alleged abuse occurred from Jan. 1, 2007, to Aug. 15, 2011.

This story was reported by Globe Spotlight Team members Marcella Bombardieri, Jonathan Saltzman, and editor Thomas Farragher. It was written by Farragher. First of three parts. The case appeared airtight. The driver, by just about every measure, was drunk. As a police officer watched, he sped down Southampton's College Highway at 2:30 one morning, twice drifting over the center lines. The 26-year-old railroad worker's speech was slurred, his eyes were bloodshot, he smelled of booze, the officer said.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The body of a 14-month-old boy was cremated by mistake in a morgue mix-up, leaving distraught family members critical of the coroner, who has apologized, placed an employee on leave, and begun making procedural changes. An initial review indicated the body of Jaylen Talley was released to the wrong funeral home because a forensic technician did not follow proper procedures, which include opening the body bag, looking at the body, and matching up paperwork with toe and ankle tags, Franklin County coroner Jan Gorniak said.

- A number of communities promote themselves as examples of the "Old Florida," before a swarm of developers descended on the state. Franklin County, however, is the real thing. So is Apalachicola, the county seat. "People who come here want to get away," Anita Grove, head of the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, said recently over lunch at the Owl Cafe, a popular restaurant. "They don't want outlet shopping and water slides. We could be like anywhere else, but we've chosen not to be. People like the scale of it. We're not overrun with tourists.

It is hard to escape the sound of running water in Franklin County. This saddle-shaped patch of 26 communities between Worcester and Berkshire counties lies just south of the Vermont border in hilly terrain known as the Western Highlands. The Connecticut River watershed, the largest in New England, engulfs the county. Tributaries - the Deerfield, Millers, and Green rivers, to name a few - tumble down to the mighty Connecticut. Hundreds of streams feed the tributaries, which is why traveling the length or breadth of any town in...

Taste the sweet richness of New England's pomological heritage at the November 5 and 6 CiderDay festivities in Franklin County. At farms in and around Colrain and Deerfield (see ciderday.org for schedules and addresses), sample slices from dozens of varieties with names like King David, Roxbury Russet, and Westfield-Seek-No-Further. Stock up for the winter with apples by the peck, as well as jams, jellies, honey, cider and West County Cider's hard ciders. Hurry, though - rooms get snapped up. In Deerfield, try the Deerfield Inn (800-926-3865, www.deerfieldinn.com , from...

Officials say excessive speed is to blame for an all-terrain vehicle accident that injured a Massachusetts man. The Maine Warden Service says 23-year-old Ryan Murray of Lowell, Mass., was hospitalized with a possible leg fracture after the ATV he was a passenger on landed on top of him after hitting an embankment and flipping over Sunday morning in the Franklin County town of Industry. Wardens say the ATV driver, 22-year-old Justin Messina of Tewksbury, Mass., was thrown clear of the machine and managed to roll the ATV off Murray.