NORTHBOROUGH LOCAL NEWS & EVENTS, MA

Northborough - Community volunteers and members of the Northboro Junior Woman's Club planted an unusual garden March 30 at Town Hall. A thousand pinwheels were plunked into the soil, each one representing a donation to Massachusetts Citizens for Children. As a whole, the garden of spinning, flashing blue "Pinwheels For Prevention" will bring awareness to National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. According to Lori Hagen, treasurer or the Northborough Junior Woman's Club, which spearheaded the fundraiser, almost $1,000 was raised for Citizens for Children, exceeding last's year's amount by about $250.

Northborough ?The Rotary Club of Northborough, Inc. will be hosting its annual Scholarship Breakfast on Sunday, April 7, at the Lincoln Street School. This year's breakfast will be the 42nd time the club hosts the popular event. Rotarians will serve up a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausages and drinks from 8 a.m. to noon that day. Another feature of the breakfast will be musical performances from Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) students.

Northborough ??" Unrelenting snow and ice do not just break plows and shovels - it also breaks the bank. Specifically, Northborough's snow and ice removal budget, which is running a deficit, thanks to wintry weather that continued past the first day of spring.

Northborough - There's an "800-pound gorilla in the room," according to Northborough Town Administrator John W. Coderre, and the best way to tame it is with a town tax on hotels and meals. During the Board of Selectmen's March 25 meeting, the board agreed with Coderre and voted to include a tax proposal on the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) warrant.

Northborough - For 122 years before it closed its doors in 2007, Northborough Grange, a local chapter of the National Grange, was an active part of the town's culture. It was known for its dinners and dances, as well as its involvement in community activities. In its heyday, the Grange boasted nearly 100 members who attended events at the organization's hall on School Street. But with the changing times, membership fell off, the group disbanded and the building was sold.

Northborough – The Northborough Moms and Tots are in the final days of their spring cookie tray fundraiser. For only $10 you will receive? a...

Northborough/Southborough - Under the direction of math teacher Eileen Palmer and guidance counselor Jason Lessard, Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) Community Action Program (CAP) students have spent the last month holding technology seminars for seniors at both the Southborough Senior Center and the Northborough Senior Center. The tech-savvy teens have made great strides in closing any technology generation gaps, showing seniors easy ways to mute their phones, text, change ring tones, take pictures or download a book on a Kindle.

Northborough - Each year, Lions clubs around the world proudly sponsor the Lions International Peace Poster Contest in local schools and youth groups. This...

Northborough – "You need to help them. You as a board need to help them." The words of small business owner John Fouracre seemed to echo the consensus of those gathered at the Northborough Planning Board meeting on March 5, where the board heard residents and fellow business owners express their concerns to a proposed change in the zoning by-laws that would limit the way businesses can use temporary signage in town.

Region - When most people think about the American Cancer Society (ACS), they see it as a fundraising organization. The ACS does fundraise, but in addition, they are a tremendous resource for families and caregivers dealing with a cancer diagnosis. In addition to a range of informative literature and services, they also have an array of programs available to cancer patients, including "Look Good?Feel Better (LGFB)."

Northborough - The Board of Selectmen continued its discussion on proposed changes to the town's sign bylaws with several other town officials during its Feb. 25 meeting. The proposed amendments, which will be on the warrant for the Monday, April 22, Annual Town Meeting, will first be discussed during a Planning Board public hearing Tuesday, March 3.

Northborough - Many area schools celebrate the 100th day of the school year by featuring the number 100 in student activities. For example, students may create a picture using 100 items, or find 100 similar objects to bring into school for show and tell. Third-grade teacher at Peaslee School Melissa Farrell wanted to do something different: she suggested the students participate in a food drive to collect much-needed items for the local food pantry.

Northborough – Town Administrator John Coderre presented a draft of the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) at the Feb. 25 Board of Selectmen's meeting. There are currently 52 potential articles on the warrant, he said. "A number of these are very little more than placeholders," he noted. "There are no citizen petitions at this year's meeting. We don't have anything else that I'm aware of that is not included in this draft."

Northborough - The Northborough Board of Selectmen discussed amendments to the town's sign bylaws during its Feb. 11 meeting.

Northborough – The Northborough Recreation Department has announced that registration for its 2013 summer camp has begun. A new program brochure will be available...

Northborough - The Board of Selectmen approved $70,000 in deficit spending to cover the costs of snow and ice removal required after the Feb. 8-9 blizzard at its Feb. 11 meeting. The post-storm cleanup cost the town approximately $72,000 in total, officials said.

Northborough – The generation of baby boomers is reinventing concepts of work, and creating new definitions of "senior" and "retirement." Local boomers over age 50 met Jan. 29 at the Northborough Senior Center for the first of a three-part series of workshops titled "Baby Boomers Shifting Gears."

Boston - Governor Deval Patrick officially swore in John W. Polanowicz as Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (HHS)...

Northborough – At the Board of Selectmen's Nov. 19, 2012, meeting, the board and Police Chief Mark Leahy advised the owner of the Motel 6 that measures needed to be taken to improve security at the motel. A number of improvements are now in place, Jayesh Patel told the board at its Jan. 14 meeting, including the addition of 16 security cameras on the premises.

Northborough - The Friends of the Northborough Senior Center will be holding its ninth annual "Chocolate Spectacular" this year but with a twist. This...