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SELECTMAN STEPS DOWN - Selectmen chairman Stanley Kravitz stepped down from that top leadership role at the board’s Oct. 13 meeting, saying that overseeing his farm business was making it difficult to keep up with the responsibilities of the chairmanship. Vice-chairman Christopher Flynn took over, with Kravitz stepping into his former role. Kravitz was elected to his second term as selectman last April. - Christine Legere

RECESSION PRIMER - A public meeting for congressmen and federal banking officials to gather information on the effect of the national financial crisis on area homeowners is set for next Sunday at St. Patrick’s Church on Main Street. US Representative Barney Frank will attend, along with officials from the Federal Reserve, the nation’s central banking system. US Representative Stephen Lynch also has been invited. The Brockton Interfaith Community is sponsoring the meeting. For information, call 508-587-9550. - Steve Hatch

DOODY AWARDED FIRE CHIEF’S JOB - Selectmen unanimously voted Tuesday to promote Deputy Fire Chief Charles E. Doody to replace retiring Fire Chief Thomas Ronayne. Ronayne, who has been a firefighter in town for nearly 40 years and chief for eight, will retire at the end of this month when he turns 65, the mandatory retirement age. Doody, who is in his 15th year on the department said, “I’m excited about the challenge. A little concerned about how the economy will affect the department.’’ Doody, 42, is a 1985 graduate of Canton High. He beat out finalist James Peplau, of Canton, a fire captain with the Waterbury, Conn., Fire Department. Selectmen praised both candidates and said either would serve the town well. The public is invited to a sendoff and open house at the fire station on Tuesday from 1 to 3 p.m. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

OPEN SPACE FORUM - The Carver Planning Department will host part two of a community-wide forum on preserving open space called “Losing Ground: patterns of development and their impact on the nature of Massachusetts’’ on Nov. 5 at Town Hall, beginning at 7 p.m. Representatives from Mass Audubon and the Carver Conservation Commission will discuss how planning rules that save open space, such as transfer of development rights and the state agricultural land tax break program, can help communities preserve the environment. Panel discussion participants will include Carver conservation agent Sarah Hewins and Priscilla Chapman and Stephanie Elson of Mass Audubon. The first session, held earlier this month, looked at land development patterns in Carver, Plymouth, and Plympton. - Robert Knox

TALK WITH MYSTERY WRITERS - The Friends of the Dedham Public Library and the New England Sisters in Crime will share an evening of conversation with New England mystery writers Jan Brogan, Kate Flora, Sheila Connolly, and Ruth McCarty on Oct. 29 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the library at 43 Church St. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Registration is available at the circulation desk at the main library, the Endicott branch, or by calling 781-751-9280. Signed books will be available for purchase at the event that also includes refreshments and prizes. For more information, visit the library’s website at library.dedham-ma.gov. - Michele Morgan Bolton

SCOUTS TO COLLECT FOR FOOD PANTRY - Local Girl Scouts will go door-to-door today “trick or treating,’’ from 2 to 3:30 p.m., collecting non-perishable goods for the East Bridgewater Food Pantry. A bin will also be placed on the town common during the event for drop-off items. Donations of non-perishable items can also be made at other times, either at the public library or at the pantry locations: Union Congregational Church at 105 Pleasant St., or on the porch of St. John’s rectory. - Christine Legere

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST - The Easton Historical Commission is holding a photography competition through Nov. 25. The themes are historic beauty of Easton, natural beauty of Easton, beauty of Easton through its people, and farms of Easton. The farms theme is for the Bank of Easton Excellence in Photography Award and is open to advanced and professional photographers. The winner of the best image award will be printed on the cover of the town report. Photos must be taken in Easton, and only Easton residents may participate. Age categories are grades 4-6 and Grade 7 through adult. All photographs will be displayed at an awards ceremony at the Ames Free Library from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 6. For more information or to register, call Ed Hands at 508-238-3159, Melanie Deware at 508-238-0373, or John Ventresco at 508-238-4413. - Steve Hatch

WARRANT CLOSES TUESDAY - The Board of Selectmen will close the warrant for the Nov. 30 Special Town Meeting at their board meeting on Tuesday, said Town Administrator Andrew Gala. Among those slated for action are a number of articles on zoning bylaws in which the language of titles and sections will be rewritten. Also to be decided are a number of zoning issues, including redefining what sorts of home businesses are allowed and amending the S1 zoning district on Route 1 governing small-sized lots in order to promote development. - Joan Wilder

BRIDGE RENOVATION HEARING PLANNED - A public hearing on plans to renovate the historic Elm Street Bridge, which has been closed to trucks, school buses, and fire trucks for more than 2 1/2 years, is likely to be set for next month. “The fact that MassHighway is going full tilt with finalizing designs for this is very, very encouraging,’’ said Selectmen chairwoman Jean Fox. Fox said the project is expected to cost about $2 million, and a public hearing will be held when the 25 percent phase of the design is completed later this month or early November. The triple-arch stone bridge was found unsafe for vehicles that weigh over six tons in the spring of 2007. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO SERVE - The selectmen are looking for volunteers to fill several vacancies on boards and committees. Those include the Americans with Disabilities Act Commission, Beautification Committee, Cable Advisory Committee, Central Plymouth County Water District Advisory Board, Cultural Council, Finance Committee, Halifax in Lights holiday committee, Historic District Commission, Historical Commission, Insect and Pest Control Superintendent, Master Plan Study Committee, Municipal and School Building Committee, and Assistant Veterans’ Agent. For more information, call the selectmen’s office at 781-294-1316. - Christine Legere

ADMINISTRATOR SEARCH NARROWS - The search committee for the new town administrator last Tuesday recommended three finalists for the position: Paul Boushell of Canton; Robert Canevazzi of Plymouth, and Rene Read of Duxbury. A municipal consultant, Boushell served as town administrator in Tyngsborough from 1997 to 2005, and as interim town administrator in Ashburnham in 2006 and in 2007-2008. Canevazzi served as town administrator in Dennis from 2001 to 2008. Before that, he was assistant town administrator in Dennis from 1998 to 2001, and school business manager in North Attleborough from 1996-98. Read has been assistant town manager in Mashpee since 2006. Before that he worked in Harwich as assistant town administrator from 2002 to2006, and as acting town administrator in 2006. Selectmen plan to interview the finalists at their meeting Nov. 3, and then to consider an appointment at their meeting Nov. 10. - John Laidler

TAX BILLS DUE - Second-quarter property tax bills for fiscal year 2010 are due by Nov. 2, said tax collector Gary J. Carreiro. Taxpayers may make payments online at www.marionma.gov through eBill with payments directly withdrawn from their checking or saving accounts. Payments may also be mailed to the Town of Marion, 2 Spring St., Marion, MA, 02738, or made at the Marion Town House Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday until 3:30 p.m. Anyone unable to locate his or her payment coupon should call the tax collector’s office, Carreiro said, at 508-748-3504. - Paul E. Kandarian

SUPERINTENDENT SELECTED - Douglas White has been named the new superintendent of schools for the Old Rochester Regional School District, which includes Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester. White will replace William Cooper, who is retiring later this year. The other finalist was Mary Canole, curriculum supervisor at Johnson and Wales School of Education in Providence. The ORR school board split in initial voting over the selections, and was contacting each candidate to schedule more interviews when Canole withdrew from contention, telling officials she would agree to take the position only with unanimous support. White, currently superintendent of a school district in Henniker, N.H., will now enter into salary negotiations with the ORR district. - Paul E. Kandarian

HOMEOWNERS WORKSHOPS PLANNED - The Community and Economic Development office has scheduled workshops on Nov. 1 and 2 to discuss low-interest loans and grants available to eligible homeowners and investors for property renovation. Repairs can include items such as weatherization, window or roof replacement, and renovations to improve handicapped accessibility. The money for the program comes from the state’s Community Block Grant fund. The Nov. 1 workshop will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the selectmen’s meeting room at Town Hall. The Nov. 2 workshop will take place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the Community Development office on the third floor of the Town Hall Annex. For more information, call 508-946-2402. - Christine Legere

VOTERS TO DECIDE ON TRANSFER - Officials have scheduled a Special Town Meeting for Nov. 18 so voters can authorize a transfer of $500,000 by the water department from its surplus budget to keep this year’s budget in the black. The department was unaware the transfer required Town Meeting approval. Norton officials recently held the Fall Town Meeting. - Christine Legere

NEW RECORDS SYSTEM - Norwood Hospital has fully implemented an electronic medical records system that allows real-time communication between doctors and patient care staff. Under the program, physicians can place online orders for medication, lab and radiology tests, and consultations while also accessing data from anywhere in the hospital, their offices, and homes. Nurses have used the system for more than a year, hospital president Margaret Hanson said. A 2008 study by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and New England Healthcare Institute found that computerized physician order entry in Massachusetts community hospitals could reduce errors by 70 percent and save $2.7 million a year per hospital. “EMR will soon become the standard for hospitals throughout the country, and our hospitals are among only a handful of Massachusetts community hospitals to have adopted it so far,’’ said Todd Rothenhaus, Caritas Christi Health Care System’s chief information officer. - Michele Morgan Bolton

VOTERS TO ADDRESS SHORTFALL - The Nov. 9 Special Town Meeting warrant includes an article dealing with an anticipated $100,000 cut in state aid, since the governor is expected to announce reductions to those allotments by the end of this month. According to Town Administrator Randall Buckner, free cash will be used to cover the shortfall, “although those are precious dollars we can’t afford to spend.’’ Buckner said the town has about $200,000 in available cash right now. The meeting is set to open at 7 p.m. in the middle school. A quorum of 50 voters is needed for action on the articles. - Christine Legere

REZONING, SCHOOL RENOVATION ON AGENDA - Voters face two key issues tomorrow at a Special Town Meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Rochester Memorial School. The town’s planning board recently approved rezoning 26 acres owned by the R.F. Morse company at County Road and Cranberry Highway to general commercial. If approved by voters, the move would let Morse sell the land to Saxon Real Estate Partners, which is seeking to build a large commercial development. Voters tomorrow will also be asked to approve renovating and expanding Rochester Memorial School, a roughly $25 million project that would require a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override to fund it. The state has agreed to $14.6 million in reimbursements for the project. If voters approve the school project tomorrow, it would then need to pass a special election Oct. 31. - Paul E. Kandarian

COLLECTING TREATS FOR TROOPS - This Halloween, Sharon residents Pam Berman and Wendy Harsfield aren’t looking for candy. As part of Sharon Gives, Berman and Harsfield are collecting nonperishable items to send to local soldiers, Berman said. This program, in its third year, is called Treats for Troops, and this year they are expanding programming by adding three more drives. She said they hope to send at least 100 packages this Halloween. They have reached out to Hanscom Air Force Base to get the names of local soldiers, and will take additional names from others as well. For more information, visit www.sharongives.com. - Kate Augusto

STANKIEWICZ ONE VOTE SHY - Town Manager Mark Stankiewicz will remain at the helm in Stoughton - at least for now. A finalist for the town manager’s position in Plymouth, Stankiewicz last Tuesday night came within a single vote of being chosen by the five-member Board of Selectmen. Stankiewicz received three votes, one vote short of the tally required by Plymouth town bylaws. Plymouth selectmen will hold another vote, possibly as early as this week. Stankiewicz took over as Stoughton town manager in 2003. - Robert Carroll

TOWN MEETING CONTINUES - Walpole Town Meeting, which began last week, will reconvene tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., with two articles remaining. The most contentious issue - involving changes to the use tables in the rewritten zoning bylaws - was withdrawn by the Board of Selectmen, said Assistant Town Administrator James Johnson. The use tables govern which activities manufacturers may legally undertake. The article was withdrawn after local companies complained that some of the proposed changes would put them out of business. - Joan Wilder

CELEBRATE NEW TRAIL - On Oct. 31 the Wareham Land Trust will celebrate the grand opening of the Agawam River trail and kayak launch. The Land Trust is inviting the public to tour the riverfront at 10 a.m. on Halloween morning. “This is our favorite kind of event, one where we can show off the great results of collaboration between the land trust and our friends and supporters,’’ said board member Nancy L. McHale. The entrance to the Agawam River conservation property is at 12 Knowles Ave. in East Wareham. Those who plan to attend should register at 508-295-5564 by Oct. 29. A rain date has been set for Nov. 1. - Emily Sweeney

TAXES DUE SOON - The office of Treasurer/Collector John Duggan is reminding residents and businesses that their fiscal 2010 second-quarter property tax bill payments are due Nov. 2. The treasurer/collector’s office mailed the bills at the beginning of July along with the first quarter bills. Payments can be made at the collector’s office in Town Hall, online at www.town.west-bridgewater.ma.us, or during non-business hours in the locked mailbox at the entrance to Town Hall. For more information, call the treasurer/collector’s office at 508-894-1203. - John Laidler

TAX BILLS ISSUED - Second-quarter real estate tax bills for fiscal 2010 have been issued and payment is due Nov. 2. Bills may be sent to the Collector’s Office, 580 High St., Westwood, MA 02090 or paid in person at Town Hall on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Online payments can be made on the collector’s page on the town website, www.townhall.westwood.ma.us. Click on “Online Bill Payment.’’ An additional fee is calculated for credit card payments. For more information, call 781-320-1015. - Michele Morgan Bolton