Saturday, March 30, 2013
School board chairman responds.
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Saturday, March 30
To the Editor: I thank the public for your interest in the news media’s story about Westborough’s Entrance Age Policy. Unfortunately, there are some misconceptions about the factual basis for the discussion, which I hope to clear up by this letter. Westborough’s Entrance Age Policy reads: ENTRANCE AGE Kindergarten: A child may enter kindergarten if he/she reaches the age of five on or before September 1 of that calendar year. In accordance with state statute, a child must attend school beginning in September of the calendar year he/she attains the age of six. First Grade: As of the 1999-2000 school year, a child may not be admitted into the first grade until he/she has attained the age of six on or before September first of the calendar …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Westborough's next collection day is March 23/
- OPINION
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Tuesday, March 12
To the Editor: Westborough will be holding its third PS 6 foam (Styrofoam) recycling event on March 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tufts Machine Lot on East Main Street. For the second time, Central One Federal Credit Union will sponsor the event. Residents from Westborough and surrounding communities can bring PS 6 (Styrofoam) gift packaging, egg cartons, coffee cups without wraps, coolers, meat and veggie trays, take-out containers and any other foam product with PS 6 on it. In March of 2012, Westborough held its inaugural “Reduce, Reuse, ReFoamIt!” event and filled a trailer truck with several hundred pounds of foam. It was a successful event, with 146 cars from 16 different communities -- from as far away as Cape Cod -- stopping by …
Monday, March 11, 2013
The scouts are working on the Animal Helpers Badge.
To the Editor: Westborough Girl Scout Cadette Troop 30507 has been learning about how animals help people by working on the Animal Helpers Badge. In addition to researching animal heroes and presenting the information to one another, we also were visited by a seeing eye dog, Chica, and her human, Pam Loch. As the culmination of our badge, on Friday, March 1, we visited NEADS (www.neads.org) in Princeton to learn about how assistance animals are trained to help deaf and disabled americans, especially veterans. The highlight of our visit was playing with the bouncy, mischivious puppies. The girls learned a lot and many of them hope to go back and visit NEADS again. Westborough Girl Scout Cadette Troop 30507
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The annual town election was Tuesday.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, March 6
To the Editor: I wish to thank all 430 voters that voted for me for selectman. Particularly, I am indebted to Vinnie Borkowsky and many other supporters who stood out in the cold to send a message to our voters, or wrote letters of support. We were able to connect with senior citizens, young families and people who are having trouble making ends meet in this terrible economy. They are the ones most impacted by the overspending in progress. I believe our message has been heard. While we are a minority right now, I think the numbers will grow and become louder. As I have stated, we must energize all 11,000 voters to not just leave town and give in to a small minority but stay and join our effort. We will eventually succeed in coming years as…
The annual town election was Tuesday.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, March 6
To the Editor: Thank you to the residents of Westborough for allowing me to serve on your board of selectmen for the past few years, and for reelecting me to a third three-year term on the board. Over the course of the campaign, I had the opportunity to reconnect with many of you and to meet several of you for the first time. I wish that I had the opportunity to meet more of you, and I hope to meet you and work with you over the coming three years. As we all know, we are in an unprecedented time of economic difficulty. All of us have known people who are unemployed or underemployed, who are struggling to put food on their table, and who are worried about the future for their children. Now is the time to come together to work towards the …
Monday, March 4, 2013
The annual town election is Tuesday.
To the Editor: My name is Craig Goldman, I have lived in Westborough for over 16 years and I am supporting Stephen Faris for selectman. I believe Steve is the right person to help lead this town through the current fiscal constraints and into the future. I run a small electronics design company in Westborough. I met Steve Faris five years ago; Steve was project manager for a medical pump upgrade that I worked on. He impressed me by his commitment to listen to all parties involved in the project, understand their issues and guide a resolution to conflicting requirements. We have been friends since then. I am appalled that the town budget has increased substantially over the past decade while the average family income is down. Many …
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Have you seen it?
To the Editor: The Westborough Garden Club is missing one of their “sandwich board” signs. This sign was last seen advertising our annual plant sale. If you know of its whereabouts, please leave a message at 508-366-0067 and let us know where we can pick it up, or just drop it off at 211 West Main St.,Westborough. No questions asked. We would very much like to have our sign returned. Your help is appreciated. Thank you! Westborough Garden Club
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The annual town election is Tuesday.
- OPINION
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Saturday, March 2
To the Editor: We’re supporting Tim Dodd for selectman in the upcoming town election. Tim has six years experience as a selectman, and is uniquely qualified to continue to help lead Westborough into the future. Tim is third-generation Westborough and cares deeply about our community. He has experience with public service in Washington and Boston as well as in our own town. This gives him an informed perspective on how government programs work at all levels and positions him to bring new ideas to the forefront. Tim has been the selectmen’s liaison to the school committee, investing his time to thoroughly understand the complexities of maintaining educational excellence in Westborough. Tim’s priorities have included …
The annual town election is Tuesday.
- OPINION
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Saturday, March 2
To the Editor: If you own a single family house in Westborough, I am sure that you have noticed the massive increases in your property taxes over the last four years. If you happen to live in my neighborhood (typical four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths) your taxes have gone up by at least 33% over the last four years. I am certain it is the same in similar neighborhoods. Meanwhile, based upon the future construction and renovation projects described by the town manager in his Master Plan (Fire House, Town Hall, Forbes Building, Middle School, et al), our taxes are bound to increase at an even higher trajectory. Ugh! Exploding property taxes threaten our schools and our property values. “Why not buy in Shrewsbury or Grafton, same house, …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Consumers would have financial incentive to eat healthier.
To the Editor: The rate of childhood obesity is growing to critically high levels. Much of this is from the excessive consumption of sweets and soda. Currently, soda and candy are grouped in the same category as food, and are exempt from sales tax. As a leader of prevention and wellness, the Massachusetts Public Health Association supports the proposal by the governor, legislators, and other community advocates to end the sales tax exemption on candy and soda. This legislation aims to invest the revenue raised from the end of the exemptions into the state’s Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund. Not only is this good public policy, Massachusetts residents will have a financial incentive to buy non-taxed, healthier foods over soft drinks and …
Parent
6:44 am on Thursday, April 11, 2013
Parent, I have one more question for you. Are you concerned at all about your children being in classrooms with children who will be, in some cases, nearly 18 months or so older than your children? I can believe that one or two may be able to handle the workload but find it hard to believe that all could. more ›