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About the Times
Early
into the new millennium, the Turley Publications family
of Palmer felt that Wilbraham and Hampden should have
their own weekly newspaper that would exclusively highlight
what was going on in the towns. The first edition of the
Wilbraham-Hampden Times, started by Turley marketing
director Keith Sykes, debuted after the 2002 Peach Festival
on Labor Day that year. The Times is direct mailed
to all homes and businesses.
From the beginning, our goal has been to focus on the
quality of family life in our towns. Along the way, we
added departments and features that cover everything from
town meetings to Minnechaug sports to suburban living.
In 2004 and 2006, the Times was given the C.
Bruce Murray Service Above Self Award for public service
to the community. In 2005, we created the Editorial Advisory
Board to take the pulse of the community and take a stand
on the issues of Wilbraham and Hampden.
The paper has always made space available for “citizen
journalists” and “citizen photographers.”
With constructive opinion on town issues, we take very
seriously our role in analyzing the concerns facing our
towns.
Meet
the Staff
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Email
Charlie |
Charles
F. Bennett
Editor
Charlie,
a Wilbraham native, began in the newspaper business as a staff
member of the first issue of the Smoke Signal, the
newspaper of Minnechaug Regional High School, in 1959. After
graduating from Northampton Commercial College, he worked
in the Eastern Edition headquarters of The Wall Street
Journal in Chicopee, Mass. and became the Assistant Advertising
Production Manager. After 19 years, he left to publish and
edit The Jewish Weekly News of Western Massachusetts,
which won Best Front Page in Mass. Press Association competition
in 1987. After selling the weekly, he did media consulting
and became public relations director of Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Hampden County. He covered the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen’s
meeting when the Wilbraham-Hampden Times was born
and became its editor in 2003. He is a past president of the
Valley Press Club, board member of the Advertising Club of
Western Mass. and serves on the board of the Hampden-Wilbraham
Chamber of Commerce and Wilbraham-Hampden Rotary Foundation.
Charlie has been married to Susan for 42 years. They have
two grown sons, Greg and Clarke. Charlie enjoys reading, cooking,
kayaking, tennis and music. |
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Tim
Kane
Executive
Editor, Turley Publications
A 16-year veteran of the newspaper industry, Tim
has been a part of the Turley team since 2005. He entered
the trade with the goal to make a difference in the world
by serving as a public informant and seeking the truth—and
continues to work by that guiding principle today. His favorite
assignment was breaking a series of stories in Ashland,
Mass. about one man's battle with cancer and his quest to
uncover the truth about a former manufacturer's decades
of hazardous waste dumping in town. Tim has a BA from Fitchburg
State College and attended the American Press Institute.
Tim lives in Brookfield with his wife, Danielle, and their
two sons, Timmy Jr. and Christopher. His pastimes include
songwriting, drumming, writing fiction, cross-country skiing,
hiking, trail maintenance, and volunteering for the Boy
Scouts. |
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Dave
Forbes
Sports
Editor, Turley Publications
A
lifelong sports fan, Dave figured a career covering sports
would be the next best thing to playing them. The Chicopee
resident is new to the Turley team but brings seven years
experience in journalism, most recently as sports editor for
nearby Stonebridge Press. His favorite assignments have included
covering the Tantasqua boys' varsity basketball team during
the 2006-2007 season, not to mention the 2003 New England
Patriots Super Bowl Championship parade and the 2004 Boston
Red Sox World Championship parade. Dave is a 2000 graduate
of Westfield State College with a major in Communication. |
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Jocelyn
Walker
Sales Representative
Jocelyn grew up in South Hadley and has been resident of
Belchertown since 1984. She has a degree in retail management
and worked in the retail industry for 10 years before transitioning
into sales. She joined Turley Publications in 2005. “Not
many people can say they love their jobs, but I do! I have
the privilege of meeting and working with wonderful people
in the community and helping to make a difference in the
success of their businesses,” says Jocelyn. Jocelyn
has been married to Dan for 21 years. They have two children,
19-year-old Brendan and 15-year-old Brynn. |
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Katie
Breault
Staff Writer
A recent addition to the Turley team, Katie covers the Hampden
Board of Selectmen and is a full time reporter for our sister
paper The Register in Ludlow after a brief stint
at the Belchertown Sentinel. Upon graduating from
Westfield State College with a degree in mass communications,
she knew she wanted an exciting career in journalism. Katie’s
favorite part about writing for our newspaper is meeting new
people and learning something new with every assignment. Her
experience as a staff writer has also spawned an interest
in photography. Katie’s other interests include reading,
watching movies and trying new foods. |
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Michelle
Aveyard
Correspondent
Michelle joined the Wilbraham-Hampden Times in December 2007.
Growing up in Springfield, she attended Salve Regina University
in Newport, R.I., and graduated in May 2007 with a bachelor’s
degree in English communications and a minor in interactive
communication technology. At Salve Regina, she was a choreographer
for the SRU Dance Team. Michelle enjoyed her internship with
the Newport Gallery Organization as its public relations representative.
Michelle is enjoying her reporting for the Times and is looking
forward to working further with folks in the community. |
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David
Miles
Photographer
Veteran photographer David Miles has been shooting for the
Times for four years. The Korean War combat veteran
has practiced his photographic arts for over 50 years. Dave
is a member of the Springfield Camera Club and an active member
of the Valley Photo Center in Springfield. His work has been
published in National Shutterbug Magazine. Dave is
well known around Wilbraham and Hampden and covers large events
like the Peach Festival. He lives in town with his wife Joan
and they have two grandchildren. |
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