‘Love is where the joy is,’ Travis Roy tells students...

Dec 13, 2018 by

Published December 13, 2018 By GAIL LOWE NORTH READING — Faced with the prospect of spending the rest of your life as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair would send many people into an abyss of self-pity and despair, but there are other stout-hearted souls who would use this unfortunate set of circumstances to help people. That’s what Travis Roy did following his accident on Oct. 20, 1995 while playing ice hockey for Boston University. Eleven seconds into his first game, he slammed head first into the boards and fell to the ice. The accident severely damaged his fourth and fifth vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. He was 20 years old at the time. He is now 43. Roy visited North Reading High School Dec. 5 as part of an enrichment program...

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Little School Pre-K open house and registration 2019-20...

Dec 13, 2018 by

Published December 13, 2018 NORTH READING — The public is invited to an open house and registration for the North Reading Public Schools’ pre–kindergarten program on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the E. Ethel Little School on Barberry Road. This is a perfect opportunity to meet the staff, explore the classroom, visit the gym, discover the library and register for the 2019-2020 school year. Required at time of registration: $100/$200 deposit, (check or money order only), a copy of your child’s birth certificate, and proof of residency. Call 978–664–7823 for more information. Please note, enrollment is not provided on a first­-come, ­first-served basis. Availability is filled by...

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Ratepayers OK  $250K water study...

Dec 13, 2018 by

Published December 12, 2018 By DAN TOMASELLO LYNNFIELD — In the wake of mounting pressure from angry ratepayers and local officials, the Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) Board of Water Commissioners withdrew its multi-million dollar treatment plant proposal at the standing-room only special district meeting at the Lynnfield Middle School cafeteria on Monday. The water commissioners scheduled the special meeting in order to ask ratepayers to approve the $5.25 million greensand filter treatment plant project for the Glen Drive well field as well as to allocate $250,000 for a supplemental water supply study. The commissioners proposed the treatment plant project in order to treat iron and manganese, which has caused discolored water in a number of homes. Board of Water Commissioners Chairwoman Connie Lecesse made a motion about 15 minutes into the meeting requesting...

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Three candidates vying to be next library director...

Dec 13, 2018 by

Published December 12, 2018 By DAN TOMASELLO LYNNFIELD — The Board of Library Trustees is looking to appoint the next director of the Lynnfield Public Library later this month, Interim Library Director Nancy Ryan said in an interview with the Villager. The library is searching for a new library director in the wake of former Director Holly Mercer resigning in early June in order to become the director of the Southwest Kansas Library System. Ryan, who was Mercer’s predecessor, has served as interim director since June. According to Ryan, the library had 40 candidates apply for the job and three finalists were named. The finalists are Pelham, New Hampshire Library Director Rita Gavelis, former Boston Public Library Public Services Chief Jennifer Inglis and Stephenson County Historical Society Activities Director Laura Keyes. “The trustees have not...

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Improbable Players talk of substance abuse dangers at LMS...

Dec 13, 2018 by

Published December 12, 2018 By DAN TOMASELLO LYNNFIELD — Seventh and eighth grade students were given a crash course in the dangers of substance abuse while watching a performance by the Improbable Players on Dec. 7. The Improbable Players use theater performances and workshops in order to raise awareness about the negative affect of substance abuse. Lahey Health and A Healthy Lynnfield sponsored the performance. Actors Christian Santilli, Meghann Perry, Zac Stone and Ryan Beard used their past experiences battling alcohol and drugs in order to illustrate the damage substance abuse causes people and their families. The troupe began the performance with a couple of short skits about drinking and vaping before undertaking a 30-minute play. The play was about a family who is coping with a mother’s addiction to alcohol and prescription medication,...

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Maio gives overview as budget season looms...

Dec 12, 2018 by

Published December 12, 2018 By MARK SARDELLA WAKEFIELD – Wakefield is in good financial shape heading into FY 2020 budget preparations. That was the message from Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio as he provided the Town Council with a Fiscal Year 2020 budget preparation overview at Monday night’s meeting. Soon after the start of the New Year, the town will begin preparing budgets for FY 2020, which begins on July 1, 2019. Maio admitted that at this early date, there were still a lot of unknowns, including levels of state aid and new growth. He started with the known quantities. Maio noted that the town has $3 million in the Stabilization Fund. There is $6 million in Free cash and $300,000 in the Reserve Fund. Water and Sewer Reserve Funds total $1.6 million. There is...

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