Holiday Gala to help YMCA

The Downtown Women's Club-Boston North Chapter will hold its annual Holiday Networking Gala and Silent Auction from 7 to 10 p.m. this Wednesday at Serene, a new restaurant in the heart of Andover's business district, at 12 Main St. The event is being sponsored by Footbridge Cos. of Andover and will raise money to support programs at the Greater Newburyport YWCA, including job training, career counseling, child care, and health and fitness programs. Among the auction items: Courtside Celtics tickets, gift certificates to local shops, and works by local artisans. In lieu of an entrance fee, attendees are asked to bring a new, unwrapped child's toy. The toys will be donated to the Y's annual gift program. For more information or to reserve a spot at this year's gala, contact Jennifer Tortorella at jtortorella@footbridgestaffing.com.

- Brenda J. Buote

HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY OPEN HOUSE - The public is invited to an open house to view the renovated high school library at 200 Richardson Road on Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. The space provides students with areas to work collaboratively using tools such as laptops and wireless access. Separate work rooms for group projects are also available. The upgrade began in June and was completed this month.

- Joyce Pellino Crane

FARMLAND PURCHASE - The town is being given more time, until February, to purchase the former Canney Farm property on Lakeview Avenue for recreation space. Following a soil evaluation, small amounts of contamination were found on the site, which selectmen say might come from gasoline tanks formerly used on the farm. Town voters agreed to purchase the land from Lowell City Councilor and developer Alan Kazanjian for $1.42 million. Plans call for the 14-acre parcel of land to be developed into a baseball field, three basketball courts, a practice field, a playground, and walking paths. According to Town Manager Dennis Piendak, the ad-hoc committee overseeing the project must approve the plan passed at the summer Town Meeting, which also includes ample parking and lighting. - Rocco Colella

ACCREDITATION PREPARATION - School officials at the Groton-Dunstable Regional High School are going over curriculum areas this fall, in preparation for an upcoming accreditation review. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges plans to visit the school in 2010 to begin the accreditation process. Local officials are focusing on aligning the school curriculum with state, industry, and college standards. - Matt Gunderson

PTO FUND-RAISER - The Florence Roche/Boutwell Parent Teacher Organization has raised $6,895 so far through its White Envelope drive. The ongoing drive asks parents to send donations to the school in a white envelope. The funds raised go into the organization's general fund, which underwrites the costs of educational programs, teachers' grants, and supplies at the two schools. Checks can be made payable to the Florence Roche/Boutwell PTA and sent in a child's backpack to school, marked with a notation "white envelope." - Matt Gunderson

TWO MORE MAYORAL CANDIDATES - Lawrence now has two more candidates in the 2009 mayoral race. City Council president Patrick Blanchette and state Representative William Lantiuga both confirmed recently that they plan to seek election next November. They follow former city councilor Israel Reyes, who announced his intention to run earlier this year. All want to succeed Mayor Michael Sullivan, who cannot run again due to a two-term limit. - Kate Augusto

CHANGES IN TRASH PICKUP DELAYED - Lowell's new trash pickup program will start March 2, a month later than originally scheduled. Under the new system, residents will pay more for trash collection and face new restrictions on what can be placed at the curb each week. The city adopted the program to encourage recycling and raise money to help offset a deficit for trash collection. The annual household trash fee will increase from $100 to $125. The city will provide a 64-gallon wheeled barrel to each household and all trash must fit in the barrel. If residents have extra trash, they must buy special bags for $1.50 each. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

HONORING LEBANON'S INDEPENDENCE DAY - A Lebanese flag flew outside City Hall last weekend in honor of the anniversary of Lebanon's independence from France on Nov. 22, 1943. The city raised the flag at the request of Ibrahim Hanna, of Andover, honorary consul of Lebanon. Hanna asked for the remembrance as a sign of respect for the thousands of Lebanese living in the Merrimack Valley, according to Monsignor Peter Azar, pastor of St. Anthony, a Maronite church in Lawrence. - Connie Paige

STUDENTS WITH A GIVING SPIRIT - The student-run Community Service Board at Brooks School in North Andover donated more than 50 turkeys for Thanksgiving to low-income families at the Blessed Stephen Bellesini Academy, which is a private Catholic middle school for boys in Lawrence. This is the fourth year in a row Brooks has donated turkeys to Bellesini students. The school's Community Service Board also donated $900 in food and money to the People's Pantry in North Andover, Emmaus Family House in Haverhill and Lazarus House Ministries in Lawrence. - Brad Kane

HELPING THE HOMELESS - The annual Giving Tree Program, a donation drive for homeless families across the region, commenced last week at the North Middlesex Regional High School and will continue until Dec. 17. This year, program organizers have committed to sponsoring 120 people from two local homeless and transition shelters. Organizers anticipate that they will need a total of 500 donated items for the drive. People interested in donating or finding out more can e-mail Raymond Kane at rkane@nmiddlesex.mec.edu. - Matt Gunderson

EMERGENCY GEAR - The town's first responders now have access to a portable shelter system and personal protective gear that will help the police, fire, emergency management, and public health departments be better prepared to handle a large-scale emergency. The shelter, an inflatable unit manufactured by Federal Fabrics Inc. of Lowell, is a military-grade chemical-, radiological-, and biological-resistant facility that can be used as an emergency shelter or operations center. It was purchased by the public health departments in Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, and Westford with a $76,000 grant from the Northeast Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council. The council encompasses 85 communities, stretching from Ashby and Hopkinton to the Atlantic coast.

- Brenda J. Buote

LONGER SCHOOL BREAK - The School Department will be closed Dec. 19 to Jan. 5, extending the holiday break by two days, but allowing officials to save on heat and electricity costs for four extra days, according to Superintendent Darrell Lockwood. When the four school buildings close on the Friday before Christmas, the heat will be turned down to night temperatures and remain low until school resumes after the New Year, he said. The belt-tightening may be grim, but students could find silver lining: They get a 17-day break from school.

- Joyce Pellino Crane

CELEBRATIONS ABOUND - Holiday festivals and celebrations begin this week. The tree lighting ceremony takes place today at 4 p.m. in the Town Common at Boston Road and Main Street. The First Parish Church United will hold a Holiday Greens Festival on Saturday, from 9 to 3 p.m., 48 Main St. Also on Saturday, Westford Academy holds its annual holiday bazaar beginning at 10 a.m., at 30 Patten Road. That evening an ancient traditional holiday concert will be performed by Nowell Sing We Clear, at 7:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, 10 Church St.

- Joyce Pellino Crane

DIALING UP RODENTS - More than 50 Fairpoint Communication customers in the town were without phone services for several hours recently when rodents ate through wiring in the area, a Fairpoint spokeswoman said. Jill Wurm said this type of outage is rare for the company, but that it can happen - especially in areas with older wiring. The rodents apparently took up residence in a box of wiring near Stearns Road and Boston Post Road long enough to chew their way through, she said. Service was restored within hours of the outage. - Melanie Plenda

COMMUNITY TV REAPS HONORS - Despite stiff competition throughout New England, Bedford Community Television took home the most honors from the Northeast Alliance for Community Media awards, according to a press release issued by Bedford Town Manager Russ Marcoux. According to the release, more than 400 programs were submitted to the alliance for consideration. The Bedford Station took first place in the Community Impact category for the New Hampshire Animal Rescue League show "For Pets' Sake." Other programs that received recognition were "Camp Allen - Where Miracles Happen," "Bedford Polls Presidential Primary Election," "The Paul Bordeleau Show," "Terri Screech and Friends," "An Introduction to Acupuncture," "Autism Awareness," and "Mizero - Children of Rwanda."

- Melanie Plenda

FATAL FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION - Fire officials are investigating the cause of an apparent explosion and subsequent fire that killed an 85-year-old man, said Hollis Fire Chief Rick Towne. On Nov. 22, neighbors reported hearing an explosion coming from the single-family home at 53 Iron Works Road, Towne said. When firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed in flames. Once firefighters were able to get into the house, they discovered the body of Donald Purcell, who lived in the house. Officials believed the fire started in the home's garage, Towne said.

- Melanie Plenda

SO YOU WANT TO BE A BRIDE? - A Milford woman was one of eight finalists chosen for the New Hampshire-based reality game show "Iron Brides," said George Jobel, executive producer for the show. Tarryn Brandl, 26, will compete against other brides-to-be in a variety of challenges to win a $9,000 wedding photo and video package, Jobel said. - Melanie Plenda

RIVER CONTAMINATION - State environmental officials are working to contain and clean up about 55 gallons of creosote that leaked into the Merrimack River from a former industrial site on the northern end of the waterway, state environmental and local fire officials said. The chemical, which was used on the site to pressure-treat railroad ties, went into the river after ground water containing the contaminant ran over a retaining wall, said Mike McCluskey, project manager for the N.H. Department of Environmental Services. - Melanie Plenda