Approval for local meals tax in Andover

NEW PRESIDENT FOR HOSPITAL CHAIN - Ken Hanover has started his new position as president and chief executive officer of Northeast Health System Inc. He will oversee Beverly Hospital, Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, and BayRidge Hospital in Lynn. Hanover holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master’s degree from Cornell University. He succeeds Stephen Laverty, who resigned last year.

DEMOCRATS GATHERING FRIDAY - US Representative John F. Tierney is among the Democratic officeholders and candidates scheduled to be on hand at an Oktoberfest celebration being hosted by the Danvers Democratic Town Committee from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Polish Club, 12 Cheever St. Others expected at the public event include the state Senate majority leader, Frederick E. Berry, state treasurer candidate Steve Grossman, Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett, and John Walsh, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. The Democratic candidates in the special election for US Senate have been invited. Participants are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food or personal item to donate to the drive by Berry’s charitable fund to help fill the six largest food pantries in his district. - John Laidler

STAGE FORT PARK CLEANUP - By the end of today, Stage Fort Park coould be spotless. More than 200 Girl Scouts and adult volunteers are expected to take part in a cleaning mission from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in conjunction with the state-sponsored Coastsweep program, which is coordinated by the University of Massachusetts at Boston. For details on the Girl Scouts’ role in the cleanup, call 857-453-5314.

OPENINGS ON TRAIL TASK FORCE - The city has purchased the old rail line in its Bradford section, a transaction made possible by a $400,000 Open Space grant from the state, and is in the process of establishing a new Rails to Trails Task Force. The task force will be charged with determining how best to convert the old rail line, which runs from the Basiliere Bridge to a point just short of the Comeau Bridge, into a walking and bicycling trail. Mayor James J. Fiorentini wants to apply for additional grants and state transportation money to fund the project. Anyone interested in serving on the task force is urged to contact his office at mayor@cityofhaverhill.com.

PLAZA ADDS TARGET STORE - A new Target department store has opened on Plain Street, just off the Lowell Connector, at the site of the former Hannaford supermarket. Currently employing 160 people, the store could bring on up to 40 additional workers for the busy holiday season. Included in the approximately 150,000 square feet of space are 14 checkout lanes, as well as an in-store Pizza Hut and Starbucks. The Target now stands as the anchor store in the newly named Meadow Brook Center plaza, which also includes a Blockbuster Video, an A.J. Wright, and a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. The space had been vacant since 2006, when Hannaford moved to a Route 38 location. - Karen Sackowitz

AN EARLY HALLOWEEN TREAT - Want to get into the Halloween spirit early? The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Trick or Treat afternoon on Oct. 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. in downtown Marblehead. Participating businesses that will pass out treats will have “Happy Halloween’’ pumpkin posters displayed in their windows or on doors. For more information, call 781-631-2868. - Steven Rosenberg

NOCK TO HOST MAYORAL FORUM - The Nock PTO will host an education-focused debate and question and answer session for Newburyport’s two mayoral candidates at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 in the Nock Middle School auditorium. The public event will give candidates Donna Holaday and James Shanley an opportunity to express their views on school issues. They will also face questions submitted by residents, with the questions to be selected at random that night and read by a moderator. To submit a question, e-mail info@nockpto.com or mail to Nock PTO Mayoral Debate, 70 Low St., Newburyport 01950. All questions will be read anonymously. - Brenda Buote

WINDRUSH REACHING FOR GOAL - Organizers looking to permanently conserve Windrush Farm as open space still need to raise a little over $100,000 by Oct. 31. Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation and the Trust For Public Land, a national nonprofit conservation organization, have been working to raise $250,000 to complete the $1 million in private donations necessary to protect the farm in North Andover and Boxford. People with disabilities and veterans of war have benefited from horse-assisted therapy at the 195-acre farm since 1964. Owner Marjorie Kittredge agreed to sell 160 acres of the property to North Andover and 35 acres to the horse-therapy operation for $3.5 million. Voters at North Andover’s May 12 Town Meeting approved $2.5 million in Community Preservation Act funds for the purchase. The Essex County Greenbelt Association, a regional land trust, would hold the farm’s conservation restriction on behalf of the town and the Windrush Farm group. For information about making a tax-deductible donation, go to www.windrushfarm.org. - Katheleen Conti

SENIORS GIVE TO TROOPS - A Coast Guard official recently presented an American flag and certificate of appreciation to residents of the Peabody House, a senior housing building on Walnut Street, for a drive they recently conducted to collect items for Coast Guard troops stationed in Kuwait. The drive was spearheaded by Regina Blanchard, a resident whose grandson, Sean Blanchard, is stationed in Kuwait with the Coast Guard. After he mentioned to his parents that the military store near him had a limited inventory, Regina Blanchard responded by calling on her fellow seniors at Peabody House to help her put together care packages with items ranging from trail mix to baby wipes. The drive amassed enough to send eight boxes to her son’s unit. The flag, which had flown over a Coast Guard patrol boat in the Persian Gulf in August, and the certificate were presented to the residents on Oct. 8 by Coast Guard Lieutenant Kelley M. Turner. - John Laidler

McDONALD DRIVES FOR A CURE - Local resident Eddie McDonald will drive a Go Green Racing entry Saturday in Tennessee for the Kroger on the Track for a Cure 250, which benefits breast cancer research and awareness. “We are very happy to have Eddie driving the No. 39 car for us at Memphis,’’ said Go Green president Archie St. Hilaire. McDonald is also excited about making the move up to the next level in auto racing. “This is a great opportunity for me and the Go Green crew to test ourselves against some of the best drivers in the country, with Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Dave Gilliland already signed up for the race,’’ he said. Sponsored by the Kroger grocery store chain, the race is being held at the Memphis Motorsports Park. - David Cogger

LESSONS IN CONSERVATION - The National Park Foundation recently awarded a $20,000 grant to bring a conservation education program for children to the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. The First Bloom program teaches urban children about native plants as a way of encouraging them to protect the environment in national parks and their own backyards. The Salem project is a collaboration among the Essex National Heritage Commission, the National Park Service, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem. A team of fourth- to sixth-graders from the Boys & Girls Club will design and plant a section of the garden at Salem Maritime’s 18th-century Derby House. Participants also will post accounts of their activities on a website and take field trips to natural areas and farms across Essex County.

- John Laidler

DETAILS ON POLICE STATION PLAN - At its Tuesday meeting, the Board of Selectmen signed the warrant for the Nov. 16 Special Town Meeting, which will feature a vote on a proposed police station to be built on Humphrey Street. The Police Building Study Committee, along with an architect from the Carell Group of Hopkinton, will give a presentation on the project, including a cost estimate, Thursday at 7 p.m. at the high school. - David Rattigan

NO-GO ON SHARED POLICE - Following nearly two hours of discussion at Tuesday’s Special Town Meeting, residents voted against an article asking that the town reopen its consideration of sharing police services with Hamilton. The vote ran 102 against, 80 in favor, according to Town Clerk Fran Young. Wenham has scheduled another Special Town Meeting for Nov. 12 to consider whether to support a $1.5 million project to replace the 57-year-old heating system at the Cutler School in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District with a computerized energy-management system designed for greater efficiency. The state has promised to reimburse 42.58 percent of the project’s costs. - David Rattigan

MEDICAL-WASTE DISPOSAL DAY - Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield residents are invited to participate in a medical-waste disposal program, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 31 at Masconomet Regional High School, 20 Endicott Road in Topsfield. Hypodermic needles and syringes will be accepted provided they are delivered in sturdy plastic containers with lids, such as detergent bottles, coffee cans, or similar nonreturnable containers. Proof of residency is required to take part in the event, being sponsored by the towns’ boards of health and the Medical Waste Disposal Co. For details, call 978-887-1520.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPENS AT PEASE - Great Bay Community College has opened its new facility at Pease International Tradeport. Governor John Lynch attended the ribbon-cutting for the $10 million building, which has room for 4,000 students. The college has undergone several incarnations over the years. It opened as the State Trade School in 1945 with a class of 130 World War II veterans in the former Morley Button Factory in Portsmouth. The institution was later named New Hampshire Vocational Technical Institute, and became New Hampshire Community Technical College when it moved to Stratham in 1995. - Tom Long

LOCATION FOR DOG PARK - The town’s Dog Park Committee has suggested setting up a playground for pooches on town-owned land on Back River Road near Camp Road. If approved by the Board of Selectmen, the 6.5-acre park could open next year. The search for a suitable location for a dog park began after a new leash law went into effect on Sept. 1.

FREE JOB WORKSHOP - A free career and employment workshop will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Burlington Public Library, 22 Sears St. To register, call 781-270-1691. - John Laidler