November 15, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Westborough High School officials are looking for anyone who may remember the melody to the old school song, "Happy Years" (Not to be confused with the song of the same name by Dave Somerville and the Diamonds or "Happy New Years Baby," by Johny Otis).
The words to the song were recently rediscovered in a yearbook from 1950, but they do not indicate how the melody was sung. The song was composed in 1936 by Gordon Aldrich, and the lyrics were written by Susan Beardslee and Shirley Lawrence.
Anyone with information should contact David Jost in the Fine Arts Office at Westborough High School by calling 508-836-7716 or via e-mail.
-- Denise Taylor
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:40 PM
August 16, 2007
NEWTON
Newton police suspect a man who robbed the Village Bank branch in Nonantum yesterday may be responsible for two other bank robberies in Westborough and Stoughton earlier this month.
The Village Bank was robbed shortly before 3 p.m. when a man police described at 6-foot tall, clean-shaven, and wearing a Red Sox baseball cap, passed a note to a teller demanding money and said he had a gun. Police said the suspect then fled with cash.
Police said they think the same man robbed Citizens Bank branches in Westborough on Aug. 5 and in Stoughton on Aug. 6. Compare suspects for yourself. Police have posted photos from each of the robberies on the links below.
Newton robbery photo
Wesborough robbery photo
Stoughton robbery photo
Anyone with information is asked to call the Newton Police Department Detective Bureau at (617)796-2104.
-- Meg Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:08 PM
August 15, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Police in Westborough are investigating a series of incidents involving rocks hitting passing cars on Route 9, WCVB/NewsCenter 5 and the Bostonchannel.com are reporting.
The news station reported that drivers are being warned to be on the lookout for flying rocks near the Connector Road Bridge about 1 mile from Interstate 495. Officials said drivers traveling eastbound on the road early in the morning have been hit by flying rocks or debris and several have been injured.
They said at least two drivers were hurt by rocks recently while they were traveling on the road between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m.
At least seven vehicles have been damaged since July 11 and one driver was hospitalized after a piece of windshield glass flew into his eyes on Monday.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:19 PM
July 20, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Boston.com is reporting that the right and middle lanes of the Mass Pike eastbound in Westborough are closed due to a fatal motor vehicle crash.
The lane closures are also causing significant delays on Route 495 North and South approaching the Pike.
Travelers are advised to seek alternate routes as traffic is expected to be heavy until the vehicle is removed. This story is still developing.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:42 PM
July 17, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
We're No. 73!
OK, maybe it's not such a hot distinction, unless of course it's your position on Money magazine's 100 "Best Places to Live" in the US. Now it's Westborough's latest claim to fame.
The magazine cited the town's proximity to Boston, its recreational opportunities including the town beach (on Lake Chauncy), its six sites on the National Register of Historic Places, and its town meeting style of government.
"The historic Eastern Massachusetts town of 18,000 was long a Native American settlement before the English began arriving in the late 1600s," the magazine states. "Westborough is run by a system that's pretty unique to small New England towns - the open town meeting - in which residents are invited to comment and vote on all proposed policies."
Westborough was the only Globe West town to make the list. Other Massachusetts towns on the list include Milton at No. 7, Chelmsford at No. 21, Easton at No. 48, and Wilbraham at No. 94.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:43 AM
July 9, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The town has accepted a land gift of 24 acres from a developer building a 300 unit complex near the Commuter Rail station on Smith Valve Parkway.
The Board of Selectmen last month voted unanimously to accept the deed for 24 acres from developer Francis Zarette of Shrewsbury, town officials said. The land on Main Street will be jointly managed by the Westborough Community Land Trust and the Conservation Commission.
Zarette's project, dubbed Westboro Village, has received town approvals, but has not yet been built. Located on the site of a former gravel pit along Gleason Street, it will be a combination of shops, office space, single family homes, townhouses, and condominiums.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:32 AM
July 6, 2007
Westborough High's field hockey team gets pumped up for a game.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
WESTBOROUGH
More than 60 percent of Westborough High School students have consumed alcohol, at least 26 percent have used marijuana or smoked cigarettes, 22 percent have had sexual intercourse, and nearly 10 percent have dabbled in a variety of illegal drugs including ecstasy, heroin and cocaine, according to a just released survey.
A total of 987 students -- more than 91 percent of the student body -- participated in the anonymous and voluntary Adolescent Health Survey conducted last year by the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation.
Among the survey's other findings:
* 23 percent of students had rode in a car recently with someone who had been drinking;
* 13 percent recently drove themselves after consuming alcohol;
* 25 percent felt very stressed over the previous 30 days;
* 22 percent had been in a physical fight over the course of the year;
* 26 percent had been bullied over the course of the year, and;
* Among those who were sexually active, 73 percent used condoms.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:07 PM
June 22, 2007
Convicted tax evader Ed Brown has become a celebrity on the internet among fringe groups.
(AP photo)
WESTBOROUGH
He has been holed up for five months in his turreted New Hampshire mountain compound with federal prison time hanging over his head. And convicted tax cheat Ed Brown, a handgun tucked in his pants and a hunting knife on his belt, vows that he is not coming out alive.
"They think they can intimidate us," the former Westborough resident Brown said of federal agents. "They can't. Not everyone in the world is a coward. We're men."
The defiant stand by this New Hampshire exterminator and his wife, Elaine, a dentist, over their refusal to pay $625,000 in taxes because they refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the US government echoes previous sieges in Waco and Ruby Ridge.
During a rare and recent interview in his fortified home with Globe City & Region reporter Raja Mishra, Brown ranted about the government and accused President Bush of orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks.
But this standoff carries a new dimension: Brown's antigovernment crusade has rocketed through cyberspace, transforming the once-anonymous couple into a cause célèbre among fringe groups around the world and leaving federal agents wary of turning them into martyrs.
Brown's blog has received more than a million hits in a month. Randy Weaver, who infamously resisted arrest at Ruby Ridge in Idaho in 1992, has joined Brown at his compound to offer his support after word spread online. Supporters from across the country arrive bearing supplies and camaraderie.
Read more about Brown's standoff in the Globe's online edition.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:09 AM
June 20, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A New York man has been selected from more than 20 applicants to serve as the new business director of Westborough’s public schools.
Daniel P. Hendricks of Fairport, N.Y., who will begin the position Aug. 1, has been the assistant superintendent for business in the Gates Chili Central School District for more than a decade, according to Superintendent Anne Towle. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Murray State University in Kentucky and a master of science and a certificate of advanced graduate study from the State university of New York at Brockport.
Hendricks’ full title is director of administration and finance for the public schools, a position created after Assistant Superintendent Les Olson announced he would be leaving to head the Stoneham public schools.
New Assistant Superintendent Marianne O'Connor will handle day to day tasks while Hendricks will deal with the finances.
-- Jen Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:18 AM
June 19, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A new Department of Youth Services lock-up facility designed especially for young women on the grounds of Westborough State Hospital will open at the end of the month.
The Zara Cisco Brough Princess Whiteflower Center for Girls in Westborough, named after a local Nipmuc Tribe leader and activist, will house 25 girls in the statewide Pelletier Assessment Center and 15 girls in the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps Rotenberg School, according to Barbara Morton, the DYS regional director of the Central Region.
The $20 million center will take the place of the Pelletier Center, which was built in 1890 and is no longer habitable, Morton said.
- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:24 AM
June 17, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A local couple has won a lawsuit against a former selectman on charges of slander, loss of business sand emotional distress.
John and Laurie Pardee claimed that former selectmen Joan Bentley Walker in a July 1998 open public meeting accused them of vandalizing the restaurant at Westborough Country Club and not paying rent, according to the couple’s Worcester lawyer, Gary S. Brackett.
The Pardees, who operated the restaurant from 1984 to 1996, were before selectmen for a restaurant lease they did not secure.
A Worcester Superior Court jury on Monday awarded the couple $74,000, but the amount is closer to $125,000 after interest Brackett said.
-- Jennifer Rosnski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:40 PM
June 7, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A local company that provides disk-based computer back-up solutions for companies is on a hiring binge after achieving record growth in the first quarter of the year.
ExaGrid Systems has reported a record quarter in sales for the time period ending March 31, the sixth consecutive quarter of record sales,
according to the company, which produces cost-effective disk-based backup solutions. Sales in the first quarter of this year were 66 percent higher than those from the same time last year.
The success has sparked ExaGrid to open their doors to jobseekers. The company currently has 15 openings including those for systems and software engineers. Go to www.exagrid.com for more information.
- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:57 AM
June 6, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Residents could have a choice of cable providers if the Board of Selectmen awards Verizon a license next Tuesday night, after holding a public hearing on the matter.
If approved, the license would run for 15 years (CQ), the maximum allowed under state law, and will provide the town with four percent of the company’s revenue each quarter to pay for public, educational, and government programming. The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the selectmen’s meeting room in town hall.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:28 AM
June 5, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Should Mandarin should be added to the curriculum in the Westborough public schools?
That will be one of the questions studied by a newly-created foreign language task force.
The task force will evaluate the districts needs to determine whether French and Spanish should continue to be taught at the middle and high school levels and if other languages should be added, Superintendent Anne Towle said. In addition to Mandarin, there has been talk about adding German and Portuguese.
Also under consideration would be a program in the elementary schools that pair English speaking students with those who are fluent in another language, Towle said. The program, which is already in place in Framingham and Holliston, attempts to help both students gain greater knowledge and understanding of the other’s culture and language.
The task force will begin in the fall and expects to have recommendation by January.
- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:30 PM
June 4, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The beach at Lake Chauncy will be closed to swimmers, boating and fishing this Thursday so a herbicidal treatment can be applied to reduce weeds and nuisance vegetation, town officials say.
Aquatic Control Technology of Sutton will apply the treatment, which the beach receives annually, according to the Recreation Department.
The beach will be back open on Friday, but leave that herd of thirsty cows home for another week. Use of the lake water for drinking, cooking, irrigation and livestock will still be restricted through Wednesday, June 13, officials said.
Officials are urging anyone with questions treatment to contact the Board of Health at 508-366-3045 or the Recreation Department at 508-366-3066.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:35 AM
May 30, 2007
(Somers Congregational Church image)
WESTBOROUGH
A traveling exhibit featuring flags representing Americans who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be on display through the middle of next month on the lawn of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Westborough, where a prayer for peace will also be held.
Field of Flags, currently a collection of 3,718 flags, will be on display in front of the West Main Street church through June 17. The names of the people associated with the flags are listed on a display board and in a notebook, and more flags will be added as fatalities increase.
The exhibit was originated by the Somers Congregational Church in Somers, Conn. and has traveled to Virginia and North Carolina. The church's web site said the exhibit was not conceived as a protest, but as a "silent, patriotic, and poignant reminider of the cost of war."
A service will be held in front of the flags at 7:30 p.m. June 10 to remember the dead and pray for peace.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:57 AM
May 28, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A senior citizen who started a cribbage club and who tirelessly shuttled his peers to medical appointments and the senior center and has been named Volunteer of the Year by the Westborough Senior Center.
Luis Torres of Westborough, a retired U.S. Army sergeant, was one of six people honored at a volunteer breakfast at the center earlier this month, Volunteer Coordinator Patricia Horrigan said. The others honored for their service include Lois and Leonard Anderson, Priscilla Federici, Beverly Johnson, and Cassandra O’Connor.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:30 AM
May 22, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The Westborough School Committee is studying whether to launch significantly increased security measures at the town's schools, including whether to lock all exterior doors and install security cameras.
At the suggestion of Superintendent Anne Towle, a subcommittee to review safety procedures at all six schools in the district. The subcommittee, which will meet quarterly, will include members of the administration, police department, school committee and teachers, Towle said.
The costs to install cameras and change the locking system at the entrances of all six schools – so that all doors are locked to outside visitors who must be buzzed in - will be presented to the School Committee on June 6, Towle said.
If approved, the changes would be funded out of the current budget and completed over the summer. Other measures the School Committee is also considering include enhancing the visitor pass system, setting up cameras in the back parking lot, and installing metal detectors.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:56 AM
May 3, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A political newcomer -- the son of a former town counsel -- defeated a former selectman hoping to return to the board in Tuesday’s election. Timothy Dodd, the son of Alan Dodd, won a three-year seat with 998 votes, according the town clerk’s office.
That was nearly 200 votes more than Denzil Drewry, who served on the board for four terms until he was ousted by former School Committee member George Thompson last year. Incumbent Leigh Emery was re-elected to the board for another three years with 1,012 votes.
In the only other contested race, Joanne M. Mallozzi was elected to a one-year seat on the Planning Board with 629 votes, defeating Robert Amey, 436 votes; and Kenneth Ferrera, 378 votes. Of the town’s 11,158 eligible voters, 15 percent showed up at the polls.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:05 PM
April 24, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The Rotary Club’s first annual bake-off, a road race, and a fishing program are among the events featured at the Westborough Spring Festival this weekend.
The two-day festival will kick off at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Westborough High School with a fundraising walk to benefit a state Department of Social Services pilot program that helps foster babies.
Other events on Saturday include a learn-to-fish program offered by the Westborough Community Land Trust will and a spaghetti dinner sponsored by the Lion’s Club. Sunday’s programs include the bake-off, a 5K road race for dogs and their owners, a dog show, and Historical Society walking tours.
For more information, visit the festival's online site.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 05:32 AM
April 18, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Governor Deval L. Patrick got the opportunity to show his commitment to business and the environment yesterday, when the state revealed it had bested bids from North Carolina to Mexico to build a solar-panel factory that will create as many as 375 jobs, the Globe reports today.
The $150 million plant, to be built by Evergreen Solar Inc. in Westborough, will receive more than $44 million in state and private grants and loans. Patrick disclosed the winning bid yesterday with Evergreen chief executive Richard M. Feldt and NStar senior vice president Joseph Nolan, who said the electric utility will begin working with Evergreen to help it target customers willing to buy and install solar panels.
"The message to the state and the nation is clear," Patrick said. "We want Massachusetts to be the home of clean energy technology."
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:32 PM
April 9, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
After 17 years as second-in-command, Westborough Assistant Superintendent Les Olsen will be given the chance at a top job as he takes over the Stoneham schools come July 1.
Westborough Superintendent Anne Towle said she will use Olsen's departure as an opportunity to convert his old position from assistant superintendent to director of administration and finance.
The new director will have 28 responsibilities including payroll and contract negotiation. The district began advertising the position this week with a salary range of $90,000 to $110,000.
Olson was hired by Westborough in 1990 as a business manager and became the assistant superintendent four years later. The Newton resident had previously worked for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as an associate director of evaluation.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:57 AM
April 4, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen in this May’s election will include an incumbent, former selectman and the son of a former town counsel.
Current Selectmen Leigh Emery is seeking a second three-year term on the board, according to the town clerk’s office. The other contenders are Denzil Drewry, a selectman for 12 years wholost his bid for re-election last year and Timothy Dodd, the son of former Town Counsel Alan Dodd. The elder Dodd who was reinstated to the bar last May after a one-year suspension for mishandling funds.
Current Selectmen Chairman George Barrette has already announced he will not seek re-election because of a promotion that places more demands on his time.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:47 PM
April 1, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A Milford couple once joked as they ran about opening their own running specialty store.
In December 2004, Jessica and Richard Allen acted on their dreams, opening PR Running on Lyman Street.
The store has become a hub for serious runners and walkers, The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reports today.
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:52 PM
March 29, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Westborough-based American Superconductor said Thursday that it plans to restructure its operations and cut its workforce by 13 percent, the AP reports.
The company, which employs 238 people, plans to cut 37 jobs in Massachusetts.
-- AP
Posted by Martin Finucane at 05:02 PM
March 23, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Westborough police charged a 46-year-old man with assaulting a child after he allegedly attacked a 10-year-old hockey player as he skated off the ice.
Richard Rosenberger is scheduled to be arraigned today in Westborough District Court on charges that also include assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to a police press release, Rosenberger attacked the boy at the Northstar Youth Forum Ice Arena on March 3. "The victim alleged he was kicked and struck with a closed fist repeatedly causing him physical harm," police said in the release. The hockey player was not identified.
-- Globe City & Region staff
Posted by Martin Finucane at 12:35 PM
March 20, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Plans to build a combined police and fire complex on land the town bought last year may not be possible because the site has been deemed too small.
Town meeting last year paid $1.14 million for a one-story brick building and a plot of land that sits next to the Milk Street fire station, in hopes of creating a joint police and fire station. The only problem is that the Municipal Building Committee's consultant has since determined the land is too small to fit a large enough building and adequate parking, member Dexter Blois said.
The committee now will ask town meeting for up to $125,000 to demolish the building already on the Milk Street property and another $125,000 for a space needs analysis of all town facilities except the school and library, Blois said.
An alternative plan under study would use the Milk Street land to build a new fire station and expanding the police department within the Forbes municipal building on West Main Street, Blois said.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:23 AM
March 13, 2007
HOPKINTON/WESTBOROUGH/REGION
A truck driver was killed overnight when two tractor-trailers crashed on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Hopkinton, State Police reported.
The two tractor-trailers were traveling near the Hopkinton-Westborough town line at about 11:19 p.m. when a cargo truck rear-ended a car carrier, police said. The cargo truck burst into flames and the driver was unable to escape. Police did not release the driver's name.
The operator of the car-carrier, Tyronne Gadsen, 44, of Charlotte, N.C. was not injured. Officials said the crash remains under investigation.
The crash forced the closure of the westbound lanes for three hours. The left lane of the westbound Mass. Pike opened at about 2 a.m., but other lanes remains closed into the morning rush.
-- Globe City & Region staff
This story was first reported in the Local News Updates blog.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:40 AM
March 12, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A local man who underwent stem cell transplant in hopes of treating a rare autoimmune disease now plans to start an organization to help others with life-threatening illnesses navigate their own medical care.
David Rubenstein returned home to Westborough in February after undergoing the experimental procedure to repair his immune system at MaineGeneral Medical Center. The father of two has diffuse systemic scleroderma – a disease that leads to the overproduction of collagen and the hardening of connective tissues and organs.
The 52-year-old is now watching and waiting to see if the treatment has helped. Meanwhile, he has pledged to form a non-profit to help those with serious illness manage their health care.
Rubenstein said his experience has shown him you have to be the captain of your own medical ship, and he is working with an attorney to craft his new project organization.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:00 AM
March 7, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
MassWildlife's Field Headquarters in Westborough will host an Angler Education Instructor Workshop this Saturday, the Berkshire Eagle reports.
The event will take place at 1 Rabbit Hill Rd., Westborough, MA.
Participants will be certified to offer fishing clinics and classes throughout the state.
We still wish they'd called it "Angler Management", though.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:06 PM
March 5, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
An Infiniti showroom may soon join the Ford dealership Herb Chambers operates at the intersection of Route 9 and Otis Street.
Herb Chambers has filed an application with the Westborough Planning Board to build a 34,098-square-foot glass showroom on a portion of the 6.7 acres site, which is home to the 18,727-square-foot Ford dealership and an 8,910-square-foot collision center. The expansion is expected to add 28 car trips during morning peak traffic hours, 45 car trips during afternoon hours, and a total of 121 parking spaces to that portion of Route 9.
For the project to proceed, it must be granted three special permits because there will be shared parking, a shared driveway and a change of use, Town Planner Jim Robbins said. The Board of Selectmen will have a public hearing on the water tank issue at 8 p.m. on March 13 in the hearing room of the Town House.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:05 AM
February 25, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The town's budget for fiscal 2008 will jump 5.2 percent to $77.9 million, with fixed costs of like insurance and the cost of funding student attendance at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough accounting for most of the increase, according to a budget summary prepared by Town Coordinator Henry L. Danis Jr.
The budget is $3.9 million more than the current year, but would give less money to the Westborough schools than Superintendent of Schools Anne L. Towle has requested. Danis’s proposed school budget is $35.2 million, while Towle has asked for $35.7 million.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:48 AM
February 19, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Senior citizens can now use the Westborough High School fitness room on weekday afternoons thanks to a grant from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation of Framingham.
The fitness room - and its trainers - at the West Main Street high school is available to seniors from 4:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
To register, complete a form that is available at the senior center, school department offices, library and town hall. For more information, call Westborough public schools’ community education at 508-836-7766.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:34 AM
February 17, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The town’s new and improved web site is now live and will soon offer residents complete results of town meting.
The new site will also broadcast emergency bulletins on the home page when needed, town technology coordinator Joe Lawrence said. The site is hosted by Virtual Town Hall of Portland, Maine, the same company the town has been using since it first went on-line in 2002.
In response to resident requests, the site will include a complete listing of all town meeting articles and their positive or negative votes beginning with this year’s May town meeting. The site also allows residents to request email notifications of town news and meeting agendas.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:25 AM
February 15, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
The restoration of Gilmore Pond, a once popular fishing hole, is getting a kickstart via a $2,000 donation from the Westborough Civic Club, a local non-profit group says.
The Westborough Community Land Trust will match the donation with its own funds and use the money to bring the pond, which is located off Gilmore Farm Road in the southwest corner of town, back to life. The pond is on 35 acres of open space donated to the trust by the developers of the nearby Orchard Hill Estates.
Don Burns, the trust’s stewardship chairman, says the plan calls for improving the pond’s water quality so that it can again be a fishing destination, removing invasive plants, erecting benches and improving trails. The project is expected to take three to five years to complete amd will be presented in the coming months to the Conservation Commission for approval.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:55 AM
February 13, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
George Barrette, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, says has decided not to run for re-election because of a recent job promotion that has reduced his free time.
Barrette has been named vice president of sales and marketing for the East Coast at Spectera, a Baltimore-based company that markets vision and eye-care plans.
"I don't have any interest in being a selectmen in name only. That's not my style," says Barrette, who is serving his second term on the board. "I am absolutely not retiring from public service. Once my schedule settles down I'll re-involve myself in Westborough."
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:04 PM
February 13, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Election season is officially under way in Westborough.
For the Board of Selectment, so far only Leigh Emery has submitted papers to run for re-election of his 3-year term. Denzil Drewry, who lost his seat last year to former School Committee Chairman George Thompson filed papers to get it back. Current Chairman George Barrette so far has not yet filed his papers.
In all, there are nine open seats in town government, including two on the Board of Selectmen. The other open positions are one 1-year slot and one 5-year slot on the Planning Board, two three-year seats on the School Committee and three 3-year positions on the Library Trustees.
Officials are urging any resident interested in running for office to pick up nomination papers at the town clerk’s office anytime before 5 p.m. March 12. The papers must be returned to the town clerk no later than 5 p.m. March 13 along with the signatures of at least 50 registered voters.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:03 AM
February 10, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
If you think culture is something besides the active ingredient in yogurt, the Westborough Cultural Council wants to hear from you.
The council is inviting all residents to share their thoughts and ideas at its annual community input meeting next week, where feedback will be sought on current activities as well as suggestions for future events.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 20 in the second floor Historical Commission meeting room of the Forbes Municipal Building in downtown. Anying interested in more information can contact council member Pamela Kapitz at 508-366-0089.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:57 PM
February 8, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
Change is underway in the Westborough school department, with a new principal taking the reigns at the high school and the assistant superintendent vying for a new job in Milford.
John G. Smith has been named the new principal of Westborough High School by Superintendent Anne Towle, who made the announcement last week. Smith, currently the principal at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton, will start his new position on July 1. The Shrewsbury resident replaces John Pierce, who will retire at the end of the school year after seven years as principal.
In other news, Assistant Superintendent Les Olson, also the district’s business manager, is one of eight semi-finalists for the job of Milford Superintendent. He will be interviewed next week by the Milford School Committee, who will then narrow down the field at their Feb. 15 meeting.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:35 PM
January 11, 2007
WESTBOROUGH
A Westborough medical oxygen distributor was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison yesterday for defrauding the government's Medicare program and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts out of almost $1 million.
In addition to handing down the sentence, United States District Court Judge Patti B. Saris ordered the defendant, James Taylor, 67, to pay $636,088 in restitution. Taylor had previously paid $279,560 in restitution as part of a related civil settlement.
Authorities said Taylor billed Medicare and Blue Cross for oxygen equipment that was never delivered to patients' homes, or billed for more expensive equipment than was delivered.
The sentence was announced by US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan , and Joseph C. | 
