A year of headlines

Compiled by Matthew Bernat
Turley Publications Staff Writer

What follows is a look back at the stories that defined life in Sturbridge, Brimfield, Holland, and Wales, throughout last year.

January

Local Government

STURBRIDGE – Campaigning under the slogan “A Way Forward for Sturbridge” James Ehrhard announced his candidacy and unveiled an agenda that pushed economic growth by hiring an Economic Development Coordinator and encouraged development along the Route 15 corridor. Former Chair Steve Halterman said he would not seek another term.

People

BRIMFIELD - A Jan. 11 ceremony honored eight members of Brimfield’s Boy Scout Troop 7 who earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
The teenagers that received their Eagle awards from their parents, and likewise pinned awards on their mothers and fathers on a crowded stage, included: John Michael Dunbar, Jacob William Hilker, Michael DiFabio Julian, Sean Thomas Riel, David Matthew Ryan Jr., Gabriel Martin Woolf-Sullivan and Michael Anthony Zollo. An eighth Scout, John Daniel Hulten, was unable to attend the ceremony.

FISKDALE – Knowing Ryan D. Jacque’s family, which includes his wife and two young daughters, were faced with steep medical bills in the aftermath of a hunting accident, the Pioneer Brewing Company established the Ryan D. Jacque Benefit Fund.
On Sunday, Jan. 11, the brewery’s Annual Full Moon Chili Cook Off and Fundraiser was held for the benefit of the Jacque family.

Public Safety

STURBRIDGE - On Nov. 4, Massachusetts became the 12th state in the country to decriminalize marijuana - joining, among others, Maine, New York and Alaska - with a ballot initiative garnering 65 percent of the vote.
Under the new law, individuals caught with an ounce or less of marijuana will not be reported to the state's criminal history board; instead, they could receive a civil fine of $100. The law went into affect Jan. 2.

STURBRIDGE – A Ridge Way home was severely damaged on Thursday, Jan. 15 by an afternoon fire. The home’s owner, Thomas Sisley and his wife, were not home when the fire began. However, two pets - a dog and cat - were killed in the blaze.
Officials said the fire did not appear to be suspicious.

Education

STURBRIDGE – Tantasqua Regional High School student Drew Fuchs started his new year off right when he won the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Annual Voice of Democracy Contest Jan. 4.

Business

STURBRIDGE - With the opening of a new B.T.'s Smokehouse, another place where meat lovers can fulfill their cravings for bona fide smoked, southern-style barbecue came into being.
Consisting of a tiny, wood-frame shack, B.T.'s started smoking up the Yankee Spirits parking lot; the location is a supplement to a main, one-and-a-half-year-old roadside shack at Village Green Campground in Brimfield.

February

Local Government

STURBRIDGE – Residents secured the future of Town Hall and the Center School Feb. 24 after voting to appropriate funds to rehabilitate both buildings.

STURBRIDGE – Selectmen voted to place but not support a warrant article that would rezone land on Route 15 from Rural Residential to Commercial I.
Though the Planning Board voted 4-3 in favor of rezoning the nearly 103 acres of land on Route 15 the article met resistance from Selectmen and Town Administrator James Malloy.

People

STURBRIDGE – Tantasqua Regional High School (TRHS) senior Lauren Boltz learned she would be heading to Providence in a few weeks to perform with the prestigious MENC Eastern Division Conference Chorus. The MENC: National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Conference is a bi-annual conference for music educators, being held this year in Providence, R.I.

Public Safety

REGION – A man in a Florida jail was interviewed in connection with the ongoing Molly Bish murder investigation.
Rodney Stanger was arrested in Florida for murdering his girlfriend one year ago. He moved there from Southbridge in 2001.

Business

STURBRIDGE - Steve Willey, owner of Village Music on Arnold Road, celebrated five years of being in business this month.

March

Local Government

STURBRIDGE –The four candidates for the board of selectmen agreed action must be taken to spur the local economy while avoiding rampant sprawl at a Turley Publications sponsored debate. About 40 gathered in the second floor of Town Hall on March 12 to hear candidate opinions and views before making a choice in the upcoming election.

Public Safety

WORCESTER – Randy Stanger plead not guilty to charges of cocaine distribution on March 23 in Worcester County Superior Court. After the prosecutor and defense attorney argued over the amount, the judge ruled in favor of the prosecutor’s suggested bail of $25,000 cash. Stanger appeared to be a key person of interest in the ongoing Molly Bish murder investigation.

Education

STURBRIDGE – Tantasqua Regional High School (TRHS) got ready for big changes as Principal Steven Bliss prepared to say his good-byes. The three-year veteran announced he would not renew his contract with the district.

April

Local Government

STURBRIDGE –The Sturbridge Area Tourist Association was disbanded by a town meeting vote and its budget of nearly $90,000 was handed over to a local board. Sturbridge Host Hotel General Manager Russ Prentiss, Old Sturbridge Village CEO Jim Donahue, and Publick House Marketing Director Michael Harrington expressed their concerns about the proposed changes.
Finance Committee Chair Kevin Smith strongly endorsed the formation of a seven member committee At the time he said, “there’s going to be some bumps in the road along the way” as a new board learns how to manage the budget.

STURBRIDGE – Route 15, empty storefronts and stimulating economic growth were among the issues tackled April 1 when candidates for the Board of Selectmen met for their second scheduled public forum.
Thomas Creamer, James Ehrhard, Priscilla Gimas and Edward Goodwin spoke in front of a mostly pro-business crowd at the Oliver Wight Tavern at Old Sturbridge Village. The event was organized by the Growing Business In Sturbridge (GBIS) organization.

WALES - Veterans Grave Officer, J.P. Charette came to the March 30, Wales selectmen meeting with a proposal that included a drawing and a suggestion to move the three Veteran Monuments located in different areas to one central location.

STURBRIDGE – Voters in the annual town election overwhelmingly chose a retired Marine and Planning Board member as their newest selectman.
Thomas Creamer, of Leadmine Road, won 953 votes to take the seat of departing Chairman Steven Halterman who did not run for re-election.
Incumbent Edward “Ted” Goodwin, earning a second term, narrowly held on to his seat despite strong campaigning from challenger James Ehrhard, a School Committee member and attorney. Fourteen votes separated the two. Goodwin had 837 votes to Ehrhard’s 823. Priscilla Gimas came in fourth with 513 votes.

STURBRIDGE – Town Administrator James Malloy prepared to resign his post and take a job in Westborough as the Town Manager there. Malloy served 15 years as the Town Administrator in Sturbridge. He left town in June.

STURBRIDGE – A groundbreaking ceremony took place to celebrate renovations to Town Hall and the Center School.
The ceremony signaled the end of a long campaign to repair the historic Center School and Town Hall to make both compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and building codes.

STURBRIDGE – Land along the southernmost portion of Route 15 remained zoned residential after voters at town meeting struck down an article that would have made it commercial. The land’s owners, Michael Bergeron and Anthony Grossi of New England Land and Lumber, brought the article forth by petition as they seek to develop adjacent commercial property in Holland and Union, CT.

People

STURBRIDGE - Air Force Airman 1st Class Adam T. Caplette graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Tex. He is the son of Timothy and Thomasina Caplette of Sturbridge and a 2008 graduate of Tantasqua Regional High School.

STURBRIDGE – Lt. Governor Timothy Murray addressed several Rotarians and guests at their weekly meeting. Murray shared initiatives the governor’s team is pursuing to jumpstart the economy. Among them; repair roads and bridges, extend broadband Internet access to all Massachusetts cities and towns, and levy new and increased taxes to balance the state budget.

STURBRIDGE – David Mitchell spent nine dedicated years on the town’s Conservation Commission before retiring this month.

Education

STURBRIDGE – For the first time, Tantasqua Regional High School (TRHS) and Junior High (TRJHS) students participated in the John Philip Sousa National Honor Bands - New England Festival.

STURBRIDGE – It was announced that Tantasqua Regional High School History Teacher Mike Lucas would become Interim Principal at the school July 1.

May

Local Government

BRIMFIELD – Charged with delivering the bad news of the state budget, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Ian Bowles visited the elementary school for a Community Forum. There was an audience of about 30 who turned out to hear a brief presentation that delivered the stark news of a state in dire fiscal straits.

WALES – About 150 citizens of Wales, meeting in the first session of the annual Town Meeting on May 20, disposed of thirty warrant articles, tabling five that required town appropriation of funds not yet allocated by the State and passing twenty-one articles unanimously, including the list of 13 town offices to be filled by ballot on Election Day.
A controversial article was withdrawn after spirited discussion.
Passage would have authorized a Debt Exclusion vote to permit borrowing $960,000 for purchase and renovation of the former Tedore’s Restaurant and an adjoining property at 2 Main St. to serve as combined town offices, police headquarters, public library and shared community space.
Critics of the measure prevailed. A substitute motion was passed by the required two-thirds vote.

People

STURBRIDGE – Sturbridge earned the distinction for the twentieth consecutive year as a Tree City. Tree Warden Thomas Chamberland accepted the award, which is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters.

WALES — Ghana is nearly 5,000 miles away, but 15-year-old Abbie Gregory of Wales had it in her sights last summer. The Tantasqua Regional High School sophomore was accepted into the International Teen Volunteer Abroad program coordinated by Cross-Cultural Solutions, a non-profit agency, which took her to the African nation.

Public Safety

HOLLAND - The surprise resignation of Holland Police Chief Kevin P. Gleason on Monday, May 4, came 13 days after the first public hint of trouble. At the close of a 21-minute selectmen’s meeting on April 21, Chairman James Wettlaufer cleared the room of two spectators and the video technicians recording the proceedings, saying only that the board would go into executive session.

Education

STURBRIDGE – Thirty-two students were honored at the Tantasqua Regional High School National Honor Society (NHS) Induction Ceremony and Reception May 11. Business

STURBRIDGE –Todd Sullivan and Tim Daley, owners of Pioneer Brewery, marked the five-year anniversary of being in business.

STURBRIDGE – In a bid to reverse the town’s economic decline Selectman Thomas Creamer brought together business owners, government leaders and residents to rally support for the creation of a Sturbridge Merchants Co-operative.
Creamer described the Co-operative as a union between government and local business leaders to jumpstart the economy through a series of events and discount packages aimed at tourists. The Merchants of Sturbridge would go on to sponsor a number of promotional and holiday themed activities throughout the year, culminating in a new holiday themed campaign in December.

June

Local Government

WALES – A local record for voter turnout was set in the May 26 Town Elections as 613 residents cast ballots in which the incumbent Road Commissioner kept his position. Incumbent Mike Wasiluk won that office with 297 votes to 160 for Mark Valanzola. Other candidates were Paul Bourque, John Griggs, John Lussier and Eugene Randall. The younger Valanzola won his race for Tantasqua Representative, defeating the other caucus nominee for the post, Edward Boyce, by 106 votes.

HOLLAND – At its annual Town Meeting on May 26, the town of Holland postponed action on the proposed FY2010 budget and 15 budget-related articles until the Town Meeting reconvenes on June 18 because the State budget, which provides about 20 percent of the town’s funds annually, had not yet been finalized.
Chairman James Wettlaufer of the Board of Selectmen announced that there would be $90,000 fewer state dollars in the town’s budget for the coming year, but that the town has been awarded one-time Federal Stimulus funds of between $70,000 and $74,000, following the State Department of Revenue’s audit of all the town’s operations.

STURBRIDGE –– By a vote of three to two, the Conservation Commission gave the go ahead to MassWildlife to ask for funding to remove dams on Hamant Brook.
The decision was up to the Commission because they were put in charge of “care control and custody” of the stream when the town purchased land from Old Sturbridge Village.

HOLLAND - Holland’s June 8 election results revealed few surprises, except perhaps the fact that only 205 total votes were cast. Incumbents who easily won their races against write-in candidates took 11 of 18 slots on the ballot: Christian Petersen, a three-year term as Selectman; Earl Johnson, three-year term as Assessor; David Kowalski, three-year term on the Board of Health; Patrician Caron, three-year term as Cemetery Commissioner; Janet Mullins, three-year term as Library Trustee; Lynn Arnold, five-year term on the Planning Board; Susan Kennedy, three-year term on the School Committee; Michael Kennedy, three-year term as Sealer of Weights and Measures; Steven Anderstrom, three-year term on the Tantasqua School Committee; Linda Blodgett, three-year term as Treasurer; and Brian Johnson, three-year term as Tree Warden. Richard Polverari,

HOLLAND –At the start of the Selectmen’s June 16 meeting agenda, an appointment for Lori Bosquet and her husband Scott to address the meeting resulted in a prolonged exchange between Chairman James Wettlaufer and the couple about their request for a Town Meeting. The Bosquets, citing fears of “prostitution, drugs and waste ending up in [Hamilton Reservoir],” attempted to present a petition with 215 signatures requesting a special meeting on the subject of a rumored Flying J Travel Center/truck stop to be constructed on lands owned partially by Holland, Union and Sturbridge.

People

STURBRIDGE – Former Lt. Governor Kerry Healey spoke locally, acknowledging the lack of open debate on Beacon Hill and hinted at a possible return to the political stage.
Healey spoke at the Sturbridge Rotary Club’s weekly meeting.

STURBRIDGE - Resident Dan Kemp was selected with the 738 overall pick in the 24th round of the MLB first-year player draft by the Boston Red Sox.
“I was really happy when I found out that I had been drafted by the Boston Red Sox,” said Kemp during an interview at Extra Innings. “I would’ve been very happy to have been drafted by any other major league team, but because it was the Red Sox, it just makes it 10 times better for me. It has been my dream to play professional baseball my whole life.”

Education

STURBRIDGE- The Tantasqua Regional High School graduation saw almost 300 students receive diplomas with graduates going on to college, careers or the military.

Business

STURBRIDGE – Lisa Hynes hoped her new business, Awesome Dog Mobile Grooming, would fill a gap in local canine care when she opened shop this month.
“There was a need in this area I didn’t fully recognize until now,” said Hynes. “People find it’s easier to manage with their busy lifestyles.”

July

Local Government

BRIMFIELD - It was smooth sailing as Brimfield residents voted to accept a $7,816,821 operating budget for FY10 at the continuation of their Town Meeting.
The only change was a reduction of $2,000 in the tax collector’s expense account due to the acquisition of new software, which was less expensive.

STURBRIDGE – The Board of Selectmen approved the creation of two committees to guide the recreational development of the 1,200 plus acres of town-owned open space that has been obtained in recent years.
The board voted unanimously to establish a Recreational Trail Master Plan Steering Committee and also reauthorized the Regional Trail Committee at the request of Tree Warden and Veterans Agent Thomas Chamberland.

People

STURBRIDGE - The Bahamas, Barbados, Hawaii - Sturbridge?
That's right. The town became a honeymoon destination.
Well, for at least one couple: Chris Miller and Keri Higgs of Alberta, Canada, who will spend several days of newly-wedded bliss here this August.
"People say, why Sturbridge?" noted 38-year-old Miller, who will say his vows in Edmonton on July 11 and depart on his honeymoon on Aug. 12. "It's new to us."

BRIMFIELD – Hundreds gathered to celebrate the life of two-year-old Eli J. Hoy at the First Congregational Church. The service was planned to console those left shocked and saddened by the toddler’s accidental death.
Eli left his parents, Jordan and Pamela; three brothers, Joshua, Luke and Nathan; and grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and many family friends.

STURBRIDGE - Sturbridge, East Brimfield and Westville Lake Park Ranger Tom Chamberland was awarded the New England District’s “Interpreter of the Year” award. Tom was nominated by Buffumville Lake Park Ranger Jean Hixson, Chair of the Corps District Interpretive Committee.

Public Safety

WALES - Selectman Chairman Michael J. Valanzola attended the graduation ceremonies of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on June 30, 2009 at Palmer High School. The ceremony marked the 28th graduation of the Call/ Volunteer Firefighter Training Program. The Town of Wales joined several other towns throughout Western Massachusetts at the ceremony, and graduated three of its members from the program.

HOLLAND - Acting Police Chief Bryan Haughey brought to the July 7 Board of Selectmen’s meeting a proposal to organize all departments at town-level to respond to possible future emergencies in a coordinated way.
Haughey said he would like to see the Town’s police, fire, highway, health and cable resource groups, as well as the Council on Aging, the Town’s Web site and the new reverse 911 capabilities included.

BRIMFIELD — Police expected more charges to be filed in connection with counterfeit bills that were passed at a lemonade stand at the Brimfield Antique and Collectibles Shows.
A Ware teenager was arrested and charged Saturday, July 18 when he allegedly tried to buy lemonade with a fake $20 at a lemonade stand at Shelton’s Antique Field. He was arrested and brought to the Palmer Police station where he was interviewed by Special Agent Mark Eberheart of the Secret Service.

Education

STURBRIDGE – Three beloved and longtime Burgess Elementary School teachers retired this year. Mary Blanchard, Nancy Castendyk and Veronica Spokis said their goodbyes when school ended a few weeks ago.
Blanchard, who taught third grade, has been teaching at the school for 26 years and Nancy Castendyk, who teaches art, has been teaching at the school for 32 years.

Business

STURBRIDGE - Children's Crossing, a gently-used clothing store in Sturbridge, celebrated its one-year anniversary.

August

Local Government

STURBRIDGE – The Board of Selectmen voted against allocating sewer capacity for a hotly debated gas and service station construction proposal, and instead approved flow for a planned micro-brew and restaurant.
The board voted 3-1 during their Aug. 17 meeting against allocating 607 gallons per day to JCJ Realty Trust’s proposed service station.
A proposal that would bring Pioneer Brewery to Main Street was awarded the flow.

WALES –Ongoing problems concerning the Wales Senior Center dominated the Aug. 18 meeting of the Board of Selectmen. The first problem resulted from a serious error in the contractor’s understanding of the architect’s design for the Senior Center parking area.
The project’s architect discovered that Garland Construction, “did not construct the lower parking lot according to plan.”

People

STURBRIDGE – 92-year-old Mabel Silverberg retired from volunteering for the Meals on Wheels on program. Silverberg had served the program since 1977.

STURBRIDGE – Nine local families opened their homes to 10 Bavarian teenagers and a chaperone over the course of 18 days last summer.
Monday Aug. 17 marked the end of their three-week stay in the United States, which included visits to New York City, Boston, Six Flags New England and local landmarks.
Their journey was possible through Operation Friendship (OF), an exchange program that fosters international camaraderie among high school students.

Public Safety

HOLLAND – At the Aug. 4 Selectmen’s meeting, Chairman Jim Wettlaufer revealed an incident that occurred on the evening of July 24, the dramatic rescue of a ten-year-old Holland child with Down’s syndrome. The child walked away from his home in a hilly section of Holland, apparently following his pet dog. The dog returned but the child did not. When the boy’s parents were unable to find him they called the Holland Police Department at 6:47 p.m. The boy was found and returned shortly after.

Education

STURBRIDGE – The Tantasqua Regional School Committee voted unanimously to send the issue of whether or not to bring back a School Resource Officer to their Study Committee following an hour-long discussion between committee members, the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee and Police Chief Thomas Ford.
While most agreed an SRO on campus would undoubtedly benefit student safety, funding the position became a point of contention.

STURBRIDGE – Tantasqua Regional Junior High School students Thomas Cloutier and Torin Reilly got a true hands-on learning experience last summer when they discovered actual fossils during a 10-day camping excursion and learning experience in South Dakota led by Science Teacher Robert Jefferson. Their finds were recognized by the United States Department of the Interior.

STURBRIDGE – Tantasqua Regional High School Guidance Counselor Steve McGuiness was hired as the school’s new guidance director. McGuiness replaced Christina Pelouze, who retired at the end of last year after 22 years as director.

September

Local Government

STURBRIDGE – Four members of the Town Administrator Search Committee resigned, citing a lack of direction from selectmen and saying their reputations - in the community’s eyes - would be tarnished if they continued.
Committee Chairman Reed Hillman, Barbara Barry, town finance director, Anthony Celuzza, resident representative, and Kevin Smith, chairman of the finance committee resigned at the selectmen’s Sept. 8 meeting.

STURBRIDGE – At a public hearing, the board of selectmen unanimously agreed to change the town’s tax classification from a split to a single rate.
The split rate allowed selectmen to transfer some of the weight borne by residential taxpayers to commercial and industrial rate-payers.

People

STURBRIDGE - Local resident Brenda Boltz prepared to participate in the 21st annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, a 26-mile course that would prove to be a mental battle.
To propel herself toward the finish line, she kept one thing in mind: If millions of people can battle and beat cancer, she can make a few more strides, go on a few more feet, until the finish line.

Education

STURBRIDGE –Jack Canavan became the new Burgess Elementary School Assistant Principal. Canavan spent 23 years at Tantasqua Regional Junior High School teaching seventh-grade math.

Business

BRIMFIELD – The Brimfield Antiques Show celebrated its 50th anniversary this month.

STURBRIDGE – A new floral and gift boutique announced its opening in the Bedrock Plaza at 139 Main. St., Sturbridge.
Alba Rosa Florist opened its doors Aug. 22 of this year, blooming shortly after the idea for the shop was established in owner’s minds.

STURBRIDGE – After building their business for 27 years servicing and selling appliances and lawn equipment, Russell and Terry Penney saw a significant portion of that business reduced to ashes.
The blaze at 171 Charlton Road gutted the showroom of Penney’s Appliance and Lawn Equipment. But the Penney’s did not wait to rebuild. As Russ said, “I’ve got customers. I've got to take care of them."

FISKDALE – Sturbridge Country Inn owner Kevin MacConnell recruited Copper Stallion Pub owner Joni Light to celebrate the anniversaries of their businesses. The Country Inn turned 20 and the Copper Stallion celebrated five years in business.
To mark the occasion the owners held the inaugural Fiskdale Fest which included live music, carriage rides, hot air balloon rides and face painting. Both hope the event will become an annual one.

October

Local Government

STURBRIDGE – In 1988, there were 2,249 fewer people using local schools, infrastructure and utilities. Wal Mart and other shops in Hobbs Brook Plaza had yet to be built. Local landmark Rom’s Restaurant was still open for business.
Nineteen eighty-eight also marked the last time the town’s Master Plan was revised.
That changed as the 16-member Master Plan committee held its inaugural meeting Tuesday, Sept. 29. The session provided an overview of the upcoming process.

STURBRIDGE - The Burgess Elementary School building project passed its first hurdle.
Voters at a special town meeting approved town spending for the $46.9 million project.

STURBRIDGE – More than 1,200 voters cast ballots in the Burgess Debt Exclusion vote. Of those, 961 favored a measure that was the final hurdle for the Burgess School Building Committee before putting the $46.9 million project out to bid.

People

WALES – Some seniors in town were up in arms about the recent vote to disband the Wales Senior Association. But most didn’t seem to care at all. According to Wales senior citizens Charlcia Fisher and Joan Markert, that’s precisely the problem.
“I think people aren’t aware that one person does make a difference,” Fisher said. “I didn’t even know what [the Wales Senior Association] was or that we had one. I wasn’t aware until they were going to disband.”
The officers of the association have been in their positions for many years, and were ready to step down.

Public Safety

BRIMFIELD – In July, the Brimfield, Holland and Wales Tri-Town Domestic Violence Task Force lost state funding, but those who rallied Sunday, Oct. 4 for “Stepping Out Against Domestic Violence” showed fiscal constrains would not silence their message.
This year, the Domestic Violence Task Forces of Warren, Ware and Palmer stepped in to sponsor the event so approximately 150 people could get the message that domestic abuse will not be tolerated across during the 1.6 mile walk and fundraiser.

Business

STURBRIDGE – The move of Pioneer Brewing into the former Basketville building on Main Street was stalled this month as the owners learned they would not get the loans needed. While an earlier report quoted a selectman as calling the potential relocation, “the single most important economic development project,” such optimism was dashed when the financing for the move fell apart.

November

Local Government

STURBRIDGE – A letter from spurned town administrator candidate Charlie Blanchard sparked a verbal firestorm among selectmen that featured accusations of lying and tampering with the search process.
In the letter, Blanchard said his information to the committee was submitted confidentially, but was leaked by “an unidentified source.”

People

HOLLAND - On Sunday Nov. 1, more than 60 people gathered at Holland Elementary School to attend the Eagle Scout ceremony held for brothers Ethan and Aaron Anderstrom of Holland.

PLYMOUTH - Christine Bronson, formerly of Sturbridge, and Kevin Kelleher, of Plymouth, announced their marriage to take place May 1, 2010.

STURBRIDGE – Long time Joshua Hyde Library Director Ellie Chesebrough announced her retirement this month. Chesebrough served for 17 years.

Public Safety

STURBRIDGE - A 26-year-old man was arrested after allegedly raping a 13-year-old boy in the JCPenney dressing room.
On Nov. 24, around 6 p.m. police received a phone call report of the incident from one of the boy’s parents. Responding officers were told that a JCPenney employee had entered the dressing room when the boy went in to try on clothes.

Education

STURBRIDGE – Burgess Elementary School was recognized by the state Department of Education for being one of the schools that made the most growth for children who are in the low-income category, Assistant Superintendent Beth Schaper reported to the Burgess Elementary School Committee.

STURBRIDGE - A group of alumni and faculty got together to fund a scholarship that will support Tantasqua graduates in the name of former educator Robert Bombard’s name. All contributions may be sent to the Robert Bombard Alumni Scholarship Fund, Southbridge Credit Union, P.O. Box 307, Fiskdale, MA 01518.

Business

STURBRIDGE – The owners of Holden’s Playa Del Carmen Mexican restaurant announced they would be opening a second location in the former Rom’s building.

STURBRIDGE – This month, the 17-year-old Subway franchise moved from its longtime location on 505 Main St. to The Sturbridge Marketplace at 559 Main St.

December

Local Government

STURBRIDGE – A contentious search process, tainted with back and forth accusations of tampering, found a new chapter.
On Monday night, as the Town Administrator candidates awaited their finalist interviews, Interim Town Administrator Michael Racicot revealed that Selectman Tom Creamer had reached out to candidates without the support of the board to do so. Later in the month the Board would reject three finalists presented to them and ask the search committee to come back with three more after Jan. 1.
People
STURBRIDGE – Thanks to a letter written by town resident Anne Chojnicki, one of the most iconic team of horses in the country – the Budweiser Clydesdales – appeared on Route 20 last weekend.
The team arrived in the parking lot of the Sturbridge Host Hotel around 2 p.m. and soon after residents and visitors alike gathered to snap photos of the eight-horse team and their familiar red beer wagon, which was in tow.
Public Safety
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