‘Perfect for the job’...

Dec 12, 2019 by

Community celebrates Bernard’s final School Committee meeting Published December 12, 2019 By JILLIAN STRING NORTH READING — “Eat a lot of pizza,” Hood School first graders advised Superintendent Jon Bernard at his final School Committee meeting Monday evening. These words of wisdom regarding retirement, presented in a book created by Hood School first grade teacher Andrea Slaven, were just a few of the many tributes and gifts Bernard received during the meeting. Present and former School Committee members, Select Board members, and community members attended the meeting to share memories and well wishes for Bernard. “Your support of inclusion at the high school and the community that you enabled there at the high school was incredible,” parent Geof Simons said. Inclusive practices, as well as strong community engagement and communication were two of the...

read more

Town’s plastic bag ban goes in effect Jan. 1...

Dec 12, 2019 by

Published December 12, 2019 By MAUREEN DOHERTY NORTH READING — June Town Meeting may seem like a lifetime ago as we become fully engulfed in the holiday crunch of activities, but it is important to remind all residents that the town’s voters approved a ban six months ago on single-use plastic bags at the check-out counters of local retail stores. Passed as a change to the town’s General Bylaws, it was approved by the the Attorney General’s office in September and it goes into effect on New Year’s Day, January 1. Although lawmakers on Beacon Hill have been discussing their own version of a state-wide plastic bag ban, nothing has been passed yet and signed into law by the governor. The town’s bylaw leaves the matter of whether to charge a customer a fee...

read more

Morton & Co. donates $10,000 to Transcript’s Neighbor Fund...

Dec 12, 2019 by

Published December 12, 2019 By MAUREEN DOHERTY NORTH READING — We’re speechless. It’s only the second week of the 2019 Neighbor Helping Neighbor Fund (NHNF) Christmas drive and already donations this past week totaled $11,730. Combined with the $1,400 donated the previous week, we have surpassed the $13,000 mark. The fund received a huge boost in its second week with an extremely generous $10,000 donation from Morton & Company, Inc. of Wilmington. This company has supported the NHNF for many years with the single largest donation the fund receives. We still have three weeks remaining in our 30th annual drive and we would love to surpass last year’s total of just over $36,000 to mark this milestone. Donations of any denomination are welcome. It all adds up. Since 1990, the Transcript’s Neighbor Helping Neighbor...

read more

‘Sad to see them leave’...

Dec 12, 2019 by

Hornet coaches react to Masconomet’s Cape Ann League exit Published December 12, 2019 By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI BOXFORD — The Cape Ann League will look different next September as one of North Reading High’s biggest rivals, Masconomet, will be moving to the Northeastern Conference. Masconomet was in discussions with the NEC for six months and, in mid-October, the league principals officially extended the invitation. Masco, which has dominated the league in most sports, has the CAL’s largest student enrollment of 1,145 students — 391 more than the second largest school and more than double the enrollment of half the schools in the league. Masco’s enrollment, heading into this fall, would be the fifth largest enrollment in a 12-team NEC so it seemed a natural fit. The Chieftains tried to get into the NEC back in...

read more

NRHS varsity sports schedule

Dec 12, 2019 by

Published December 12, 2019 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12 Swimming: vs. Shawsheen Tech, 2:30 p.m. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14 Indoor Track: MSTCA Winter Festival, 10 a.m. (Reggie Lewis Center) Wrestling: vs. Hopkinton/Whittier, 10 a.m. Swimming: CAL Dive Meet, 2 p.m. (Peabody-Lynnfield YMCA) Boys’ Hockey: at Bedford, 8 p.m. (Edge Rink) Girls’ Hockey: vs. Masconomet at Haverhill, 7:15 p.m. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17 Boys’ Basketball: at Amesbury, 6:30 p.m. Girls’ Basketball: vs. Amesbury, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18 Wrestling: at Pentucket, 6:30 p.m. Boys’ Hockey: at Triton, 7 p.m. (Henry Graf Skating...

read more

Maria Lucia DeSousa, 88

Dec 12, 2019 by

Immigrated from Portugal in 1966 Published December 12, 2019 SOMERVILLE — Maria Lucia “Lucy” (Faleiro) DeSousa, 88, of Somerville passed away on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. She was the beloved wife of the late Eduardo C. DeSousa and the devoted mother of Edward X. DeSousa of North Reading and Stephen P. DeSousa and his wife Lara of Lexington. She was the cherished grandmother of Edward and Kristine, who she helped raise as children, and Melina and Adriana. She was also the adored great-grandmother of Ashley, Lucia, Noah and Matthew, and the dear sister of the late Maria Jose Bento, Marquelino Faleiro, Jose Faleiro, Francisco Chico Faleiro, Maria Luisa and Alfredo Faleiro. Lucy also loved her sister-in-law Liliana as her daughter and was thankful to her brother-in-law, Fernando, who helped her and her husband establish...

read more