Teachers cancel open house

Teachers at Andover High School will not take part in an open house for parents that had been scheduled for Feb. 14 because they are upset with ongoing contract negotiations. The open house has been an annual event for at least eight years and typically draws more than 500 parents. Nearly 100 teachers voted unanimously last Monday night to cancel the event. Andover's teachers have been working without a contract since September. The sticking point in negotiations is salary, according to parties on both sides of the talks. - Brenda J. Buote

SELECTMAN CAUTIOUS ABOUT POWER PLANT - Opposition to a proposed natural gas-fired power plant in Billerica is gaining momentum in surrounding communities where residents are asking town leaders for their support. But Samuel Chase, chairman of Chelmsford's Board of Selectman, said he will discuss the matter with Billerica officials before taking a stand. Opponents have voiced concern about possible environmental and health impacts, but proponents say the region needs more power. The application filed by a national energy investment company in 2007 is pending before the Energy Facilities Siting Board at the state Department of Utilities. - Joyce Pellino Crane

BAR BURGLARIZED - Police are warning local businesses to use caution after a break-in last weekend at a bar. On Jan. 27, windows were smashed at Coyle's Roadhouse Tavern on Broadway Road and an undisclosed amount of money was stolen. According to police, the robbery was the first in town in several months. Authorities have asked businesses to make sure cash and valuables are secure before closing for the evening. If cash registers are in plain sight from windows outside, leaving them open and empty is a way to fend off thieves. - Rocco Colella

SNOW REMOVAL FUNDING OK'D - Selectmen and the Finance Committee have approved a $50,000 overrun in the town's snow and ice budget. The overrun was approved at a recent selectmen's meeting in January, where road commissioners explained they had already spent their $91,000 snow-and-ice removal budget for the winter on recent snowstorms. - Matt Gunderson

TOWN WARRANT OPEN - Selectmen opened the town warrant for the annual Town Meeting on Jan. 23 and will leave it open for residents and town officials to submit articles until Feb. 28, according to the town website. Selectmen have scheduled the annual Town Meeting for April 28. - Matt Gunderson

HELP FOR FIRE VICTIMS - Sovereign Bank, in conjunction with state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, has established a $5 million loan pool to assist victims of a recent South Lawrence fire that left nearly 200 people homeless, the bank announced last week. The loans, which will be offered at or below market rates, will be available to all victims to help the city of Lawrence and property owners rebuild in the affected area. Applications for the loans will be available at the Fire Relief Command Center at the Lawrence Public Library. - Russell Contreras

WINTERFEST STARTS TOMORROW - A human dog sled contest, consisting of 60 sleigh teams that will race 200 yards down an icy trail, will be among the many events scheduled for Lowell's annual Winterfest, which begins tomorrow. The two-day downtown celebration will feature free ice skating, face painting, magic shows, rides, and fireworks. The celebration will end with a concert by Jim Pluckett on Saturday, who will perform popular music from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. - Russell Contreras

LUNCH COSTS UP - School lunches will cost more next year in response to rising food costs. Prices for students in kindergarten through eighth grade will jump 10 cents per meal, reaching $2 a meal for elementary students and $2.25 for students in grades 5 through 8, said Wayne Vespa, director of school nutrition services. High school students will pay at least 25 cents more, he said. Their lunches will cost $2.50 for standard meals such as chicken nuggets or pizza, he said, and $3 for fancier items such as chicken marsala or made-to-order deli sandwiches. "The costs of everything have gone up tremendously," Vespa said. "Throughout the country milk prices have gone through the roof." An individual carton of milk now costs 7 1/2 cents more, he said, causing a $63,000 rise in milk costs for the district. The price increases also cover a shift in $135,000 in employee benefits costs, Vespa said. The School Committee approved the increases late last month but they will not take effect until next fall. - Kytja Weir

GOOD READS WANTED - The town library is seeking nominations for books to be read in its second annual Town Read. Last year, organizers launched the community-reading program in connection with the centennial of Stevens Memorial Library. Adults in town read "My Latest Grievance" by Elinor Lipman, and children read "Parents Wanted" by George Harrar. This year the Town Read Committee plans to select one book each for adults and middle school students plus a picture book for younger children. Marina Salenikas, who heads the library's youth services department, said the committee would accept fiction or nonfiction and contemporary or classic nominations, though she is hoping for books connected through a shared theme. The chosen titles will be read during the summer, she said, with events related to them organized for fall. E-mail suggestions by Feb. 29 to Salenikas at msalenikas@mvlc.org, or mail them to Stevens Memorial Library, attention Town Read Committee, 345 Main St. Suggestions can also be dropped off at the circulation desks in the library. - Kytja Weir

STATE AID MAY RISE - The North Middlesex Regional School District would receive $846,248 more educational aid next year under Governor Deval Patrick's proposed state budget, which was released in January. Most of the extra aid would come from Chapter 70 aid, while transportation aid would see a slight decrease of $11,169. In the current year, the district is receiving $21.9 million in educational aid. - Matt Gunderson

ATM WITHDRAWAL - An automatic teller machine was stolen from the Tewksbury-Wilmington Elks Lodge on South Street late at night on Jan. 27 and then abandoned along Interstate 495, near an off-ramp in Andover. Tewksbury police are working with officers in other communities to determine whether it could be linked to similar crimes in Chelmsford and Manchester, N.H. - Brenda J. Buote

HEALTH POSITIONS OPENING - The three-year terms of Virginia Day and Sheila Perrault are ending on the Board of Health, and so far no one has shown interest in running in the May 13 election. When reached by phone last week, Day said she will not seek reelection. She was appointed to the board in 1998 to fill a departing member's term. She was first elected in 1999. Perrault could not be reached for comment. Nomination papers for all elected positions are due by March 25 at 4 p.m. in the town clerk's office. - Joyce Pellino Crane

RESIDENTS GAIN FREE GIS - The town posted a new online geographic information system viewer last month with user-friendly drop-down menus for access to information about assessed properties. Residents will also find interactive conservation, aerial, flood plain, and topography maps. The site at westfordma.gov can spare residents from making a trip to town departments, said John Mangiaratti, the system coordinator. For help navigating the site or for more information, call Mangiaratti at 978-399-2533 or e-mail him at jmangiaratti@westfordma.gov. - Joyce Pellino Crane

SIT-DOWN WITH GOVERNOR - Town Manager Russell R. Marcoux, Town Council vice chairman Mike Izbicki, and other town officials are scheduled to meet tomorrow with Governor John Lynch. They plan to discuss an amendment to a House transportation bill being prepared by Representative John Graham of Bedford. The goal, according to Marcoux, is for the state to consider adding the widening of Route 101 from Wallace Road to Meetinghouse Road to its 2009 budget. "If it is added, the work we do may be reimbursed," he said. In March, the town will ask voters to approve a road bond for $8 million. If approved, $3 million would be used to complete safety improvements at the intersection of Route 101 and Nashua Road. If the transportation bill is amended, the town may see some of the money back. - Meg Villeneuve

VENDORS UNDER SCRUTINY - An ordinance to regulate the location of vendors was proposed after a recent meeting between members of the Town Council and Town Administrator Gary Stenhouse. The proposal came a week after Derry police arrested a sausage vendor who had set up shop on town-owned land. Thom Soulharis was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing for parking his sausage cart outside the town dump. Soulharis was released on $2,500 personal recognizance and is due to be arraigned Feb. 19 in Derry District Court. "This person has the permission to vend food. He just can't operate on town-owned property," said Stenhouse, who added he was not sure when a draft of the proposed ordinance would be available. - Meg Villeneuve

LIBRARY PROPOSAL - In November, selectmen and library trustees accepted a $4 million donation to build a new library. Now voters will decide in March whether to approve an article that asks residents to sell two housing lots and use the proceeds to help pay for furnishings and move-in costs for a new library on Derry Road. - Meg Villeneuve

MAIN STREET DIRECTOR LEAVING - After three years, Karin Lagro, director of the town's Main Street program and Downtown Ongoing Improvement Team, has resigned. Lagro did not return calls seeking comment, but Kent Chappell, treasurer of the team's board of directors, said Lagro's last day will be Feb. 15. - Meg Villeneuve

FUTURE OF ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL - The School Board will meet Feb. 13 to discuss the future of the city's alternative school, the Academy of Learning and Technology. The school may have to leave its current home in the basement of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua because the club needs the space. The school serves 100 middle and high school students who are considered "at risk." The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the lecture hall at Nashua High School North. - Meg Villeneuve

HOUSING LOTTERY - The town will hold a lottery for three new town homes for eligible first-time home buyers. An informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 in Town Hall. The two-bedroom home costs $154,400 and the three-bedroom homes cost $171,700. The buyers must meet income and asset requirements to be eligible to participate in the lottery. The application deadline is March 14, and the lottery will be held March 26. For more information and an application, e-mail lotteryinfo@mcohousingservices.com or call 978-456-8388. Applications also are available in the clerk's office at Town Hall and at town libraries. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

REVERSE 911 COVERAGE - Selectmen have authorized the town's participation in a countywide reverse 911 emergency notification system overseen by the Worcester County sheriff's office in West Boylston. Initially, joining the service will be free, according to Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski, and officials will have to designate agents who will be trained. The town will be fully linked to the system within a couple of months. The system was put into place with a $250,000 federal Homeland Security grant. In the case of an emergency, homes with a standard telephone in participating communities would be notified. If the federal grant expires, it would cost roughly $1,000 annually for the town to continue participation, Suhoski said. - Taryn Plumb

FIREFIGHTERS HONORED - Eleven Medford firefighters last week received the department's Warren W. Thompson Award for bravery and heroism, given by Chief Frank A. Giliberti Jr. at a ceremony hosted by Mayor Michael J. McGlynn. Captain John K. Small, lieutenants James P. Brennan and Michael R. Craven, and firefighters Charles T. Casella, Steven W. Cronin, Stephen J. Doherty, Richard D. Murray, Thomas J. Murray, Joseph G. Rosa, Richard P. Tetrault Jr., and William P. Young received the award. Craven, Tetrault, and Casella were honored for helping to stabilize and defuse a situation in 2005 in which a mother threatened to kill her infant with a carving knife, Giliberti said. Craven was honored again, along with the others, for preventing a 2006 carjacking and detaining the suspect while responding to a separate emergency call, the chief said. The names of the 11 will be inscribed on plaques in the department's hall of fame at fire headquarters. - Eric Moskowitz

IMPASSE ON COMPLAINT - A tentative agreement in an age discrimination complaint between a police officer and a selectman fell apart last week after mediation failed, leaving the officer pledging to continue with his case. Stoneham Safety Officer Larry Rotondi had filed a complaint in October with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination against the town and Board of Selectmen chairman George Seibold. In the complaint, he charged that Seibold discriminated against him because of his age when the two had a run-in that month in which he said Seibold accused him of sleeping on the job. Rotondi, whose brother Paul also serves on the Board of Selectmen, told the Globe that "bad blood" started with Seibold a few years before the incident. Rotondi, 60, said in his complaint that he thinks Seibold and the town are harassing him to get him to retire. He has served in the Police Department for 33 years and is eligible for full retirement benefits. Both sides met Thursday in mediation. Seibold told the Globe on Friday that the two sides had reached an agreement but it could not be formalized until this week because of a mandated grace period. However, Rotondi said Friday that he was not pleased and plans to continue with his case. "We thought we had a deal, and it fell through," he said. - Kytja Weir

NEW LOOK AT CITY'S ROOTS - Kathy Lucero, vice president of the Woburn Historical Society, is putting the finishing touches on "Woburn: A Leather City," a DVD with interviews and photographs about Woburn's tannery history. The movie, which Lucero is compiling with fellow board member John McElhiney, tells the story of tanning in Woburn from the 1700s through the 1970s, including the history of the tanneries, the leather barons who owned them, and the immigrant families who labored in the tanning industry. It will be shown Monday at 7 p.m. in the First Congregational Church, 322 Main St. Doors open at 6:30. For more information about the society, which holds monthly events, visit woburnhistoricalsociety.com. - Eric Moskowitz