In recent months, bears have shredded a car’s interior, wandered into a liquor store, even woken residents in their own bedrooms.

BELCHERTOWN — A potentially harmful algal bloom in Lake Metacomet has officials recommending residents stay out of the water until the growth clears. “Basically, I’m advising people to avoid or minimize contact with the water,” said Erica Cross,...

Catch limits for fishermen are often based on where fish have been most abundant in the past. But they have failed to keep up with geographical changes.