Library's holiday book program

The Acton Memorial Library's holiday book program has started its 15th year. Under the program, library users purchase preselected books to add to the collection. The library's wish list includes books for all ages, reference books, and audiovisual equipment. The program will continue until the end of December or until all titles are purchased. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

CITIZENS, WORKERS HONORED - Selectmen on Nov. 29 bestowed awards on citizens and employees who have made significant contributions to the town in the areas of patriotism, or social, cultural, educational, political, or philanthropic service. Residents Dr. Robert Carey, Richard Duffy, James P. McGough, Geraldine G. Tremblay, Joseph G. Keeffe Sr., and Edmund R. Mahoney each received awards, as did the members of the town's Transportation Advisory Committee: Edward Starr, Elizabeth Carr-Jones, Jeffrey Maxtutis, Howard Muise, Scott Smith, Michael Rademacher, Paul Conroy, and Laura Wiener. Municipal employees Donald Boudreau, James Dodge, Maryann Orlando-O'Brien, and Pasquale Tassone were also honored. - Brenda J. Buote

MEETING DATE CHANGED - The date of the Special Town Meeting that will ask voters to approve a 20-year tax increment financing proposal for two divisions of the L-3 Communications corporation has been changed to Dec. 17. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Ayer Middle-High School auditorium. Wolf Coach, an Auburn mobile telecommunications manufacturer, and Essco, a Concord company that makes high-tech antennas, have shown interest in a 216,000-square-foot warehouse on Nemco Way. As part of the agreement, the two firms would receive an 85 percent exemption from annual property taxes in 2009. The exemption would gradually drop to 5 percent by 2028. The firms' annual tax bill would correspondingly increase from $7,242 to $73,324 over 20 years. - Taryn Plumb

HI-TECH COMPANY ENROUTE - A Waltham-based company that makes inkless printing paper plans to put its headquarters in Bedford, Town Manager Richard Reed said. Zink Imaging has applied for a special permit for aquifer protection because it plans to move to a site on Crosby Drive. Reed said the company would make paper that prints color images through heat sensitivity rather than ink at a plant in North Carolina. He said it needs the local permit because the company plans to do development and testing at the Bedford location. The hearing for the permit is scheduled for Dec. 17. - Kytja Weir

INCREASED TOWN BUDGET PROPOSED - - Town Administrator Thomas G. Younger presented the Board of Selectmen with a proposed $43.1 million town services budget for next year, which is a 3.7 percent increase over this year. Assistant Town Administrator Jeffrey Conti said the budget would allow the town to keep services level and make some small additions. For example, the budget proposes hiring a part-time worker at the Department of Public Works to oversee street-opening permits requested by utility and cable companies. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

NO WEAPONS DISCOVERED DESPITE THREAT - Members of the School Threat Assessment Response System swept through the high school last Sunday with dogs trained to detect firearms. The search took place after a threatening message was discovered on a lavatory wall the previous Friday. The threat indicated a gun would be brought to school last Monday. Once the building was secured, its doors remained locked until Monday morning when students arrived, according to an online posting by principal Kevin Soraghan. The students passed through metal detectors, and their backpacks were X-rayed. No weapons were discovered and no incidents occurred during the school day. - Joyce Pellino Crane

BOARD REVIEWING HOUSING PROPOSAL - The Zoning Board of Appeals will meet Dec. 18 and Jan. 8 to review a draft decision granting a special permit for a proposed 244-unit housing project off Route 111. The Gutierrez Co. has applied for a permit to build rental units there under the state's affordable-housing law. The board will keep the public hearing open while it reviews the conditions of the permit with the developer. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

PARKING BAN IN EFFECT - The Police Department's Traffic Division is reminding residents that the town's winter parking ban is now in effect through April 1, in accordance with Burlington bylaws. On-street parking is prohibited between 2 and 8 a.m. throughout the winter, regardless of the weather forecast. - Eric Moskowitz

GREEN ELECTRICITY AVAILABLE - Starting early next year, a limited supply of environmentally friendly electricity produced at a local dam will be available to Concord residents and business owners. The cost will be slightly higher than traditional electricity. Electricity generated from hydroelectric power stations produces minimal pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Residents and businesses can purchase up to 100 percent green electricity through the town's local utility. To sign up, call Dale Cronan at the Concord Light Plant, 978-318-3102, or by e-mail at dcronan@concordma.gov. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT LEAVING - Executive assistant Valeska Ross, who has survived three town administrators, countless selectmen, and hundreds of meetings during nearly 11 years of service, will leave on Dec. 20. Ross, who has worked for Harvard since May 1997, has accepted a position as an executive support specialist in the legal department at Nypro, a plastics manufacturer in Clinton. The town is working to fill her position, she said; the hope is to have someone on board before Dec. 20 so she can assist with training. Beyond that, she will temporarily maintain a part-time position to complete Harvard's 2007 town report. - Taryn Plumb

CPA APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED - The Community Preservation Committee has received 24 applications for funding for fiscal 2009, which begins July 1. The nine-member committee is expected to review each request, weigh public input, and recommend a list of projects to Town Meeting for its consideration. This year's funding requests range from $8,000 to replace infested Norway maples with new, native trees on Belfry Hill to $470,000 to establish a homebuyer assistance program to help income-eligible first-time homebuyers and town employees purchase homes in Lexington. - Brenda J. Buote

SESSION ON INTERNET SAFETY - Teenagers and their parents are encouraged to attend a seminar on Internet safety at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Littleton High School. As part of the school's ongoing Issues in Parenting series, this special program features Katie LeClerc, former Internet safety specialist for the attorney general's office, who will talk about the particular concerns and potential hazards that web surfing, online communication, and various forms of social media pose to teens. - Nancy Shohet West

PUDDING AND FRUIT CAKES AVAILABLE - Medford Vocational-Technical High School's culinary arts students are using a digital forum to peddle some Victorian treats. To raise money for school programs, the students are selling handcrafted figgy pudding and "heirloom-quality" fruitcake via eBay. The holiday treats, which weigh two pounds each and are made with high-quality ingredients on vintage molds and cooking equipment, are available through the "Buy It Now" feature on eBay for $19.99 apiece through tomorrow afternoon. The cakes and puddings can be shipped or picked up at the school. To find them, visit ebay.com and search for Medford culinary arts. - Eric Moskowitz

WORLD CAFE MEETING PLANNED - Town officials have endorsed a World Cafe meeting in Reading. The goal is to encourage an alternative channel for residents to get involved and outline their thoughts on the town, said James Bonazoli, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. The World Cafe Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes dialogue in communities across the world. The conversations are marked by open-ended questions designed to bring people together to talk about what is important to them. The event, which is scheduled to take place Feb. 23, will be held at the Reading Memorial High School field house, Bonazoli said. - Laura M. Colarusso

MONEY RAISED FOR SKATEBOARD PARK - The students who are trying to build a skateboarding park in town have already raised $8,000 of the $30,000 they need, selectmen learned at their meeting Monday. Selectmen commended the nine boys and girls from the Skaters of Shirley group for their efforts, said Selectman David Swain. - Julie Masis

CHANGE CENTER'S FUNDING SOURCE - Stoneham officials are looking to shift operation of the town's senior center to a nonprofit as a way to save tax dollars. The center on Elm Street costs the town about $160,000 a year, said Town Administrator David Ragucci, but Stoneham is facing an estimated deficit for the coming fiscal year of $800,000 to as much as $2 million. Selectmen want the center to continue offering the same free services, he said, but a nonprofit group could do so with more flexibility. - Kytja Weir

SENIORS SIGN UP FOR TAX RELIEF - Wilmington officials have selected about 20 senior citizens from the town to participate in a senior citizens work program, an effort designed to help elderly residents pay their property taxes, said Town Manager Michael Caira. Between Jan. 1 and June 30, these residents will work up to 80 hours at jobs within the town government, library, and School Department for $8 an hour. To qualify, applicants must be 60 or older and own a home in Wilmington, Caira said. - Laura M. Colarusso

SKATERS SKIP TO ST. PAUL - Two Winchester siblings have qualified to compete at the US Figure Skating Association's National Championship in St. Paul next month. Chris and Molly Schleicher competed in the championship in 2005 as novice pairs but did not qualify last year. Now they will compete in the junior pairs division after coming in fourth place last month at an event in Wake Forest, N.C. Money is being raised for Chris Schleicher, a junior at Harvard University, and Molly Schleicher, a Winchester High senior, to travel to the championships through the New England Amateur Skating Foundation. Tax-deductible donations can be made to the NEASF on behalf of the Schleichers at P.O. Box 6881, Providence, RI 02940. - Kytja Weir

MAYOR MAKES PERSONNEL MOVES - Mayor Thomas L. McLaughlin made a series of personnel moves recently, on the cusp of starting his second term. He appointed his assistant, Vincent Ferlisi, to be the new superintendent of the Department of Public Works; he named Charles Culhane, previously the city's veterans services agent, to be his new assistant; and he named Ralph Garvey Jr. as the new veterans agent, effective last Monday. - Eric Moskowitz