1. Information We Collect

We may collect a few types of information depending on how you interact with The Town Minute:

• Email address — when you subscribe to our newsletter or sign up through our website.

• Name — if you voluntarily provide it during sign-up.

• Technical and usage data — such as your IP address, browser type, device type, and pages visited. This is collected automatically when you visit our site.

• Engagement data — such as whether you opened an email or clicked a link. This helps us understand what content is useful to readers.

We only collect information that's reasonably necessary to operate this publication.

2. How We Use Information

Information we collect may be used to:

• Send you our newsletter and related updates about local government in Sturbridge

• Understand how readers engage with our content so we can improve it

• Maintain and improve the performance and reliability of our website

• Respond to questions or messages you send us

We do not sell your personal information. Full stop.

3. Email Subscriptions

Our newsletter is delivered through Beehiiv, a third-party email platform. When you subscribe, your email address and related data are stored and processed by Beehiiv. You can review Beehiiv's privacy practices at their website.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any newsletter email. Once unsubscribed, we will not send you further emails.

4. Third-Party Services

We use a small number of third-party tools to run this publication. These may include:

• Beehiiv — for newsletter delivery and subscriber management

• Analytics tools — to understand how our website is being used

Each of these services operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their policies if you have questions about how they handle data. We do not control what third-party platforms do with information once it passes through their systems.

5. Cookies and Analytics

Our website may use cookies — small data files stored on your device — to help the site function properly and to collect basic analytics about how visitors use the site. These may include information like which pages are visited most or how long a visitor stays on a page.

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling cookies may affect some functionality of the site.

6. External Links

Our articles and emails may contain links to external websites — such as official town documents, local news outlets, or government pages. These sites are not operated by The Town Minute, and we are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any external site you visit.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the information we handle — including relying on reputable, security-conscious platforms like Beehiiv. That said, no system or online service is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of any data transmitted to or stored by this publication.

If you have concerns about your data security, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

8. Children's Privacy

The Town Minute is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with their information, please contact us so we can remove it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our publication evolves or as requirements change. When we do, we'll update the effective date at the bottom of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or newsletter after any changes means you've accepted the updated policy.

10. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, you can reach us at:

📧 [email protected]

We're a small, independent local publication and we take your questions seriously.