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Brewer Delivers $10,000 for Maher School Study Sen. Stephen M. Brewer announced that the state Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has awarded the Mahar
Regional School District $10,000 to study K-12 expansion in
Orange and Petersham. Mahar Regional presently serves
grades 7-12. This is
one of eight planning grants totaling $450,000 in
regionalization planning and implementation grants that will be
distributed to eight school districts statewide. The grants will
help school districts explore efficiencies in budgeting through
expanded partnerships and increased capacity to improve teaching
and learning in schools. "This grant award will allow Mahar Regional
School District, in collaboration with the Towns of Orange and
Petersham, to explore the expansion of the regional system to
include kindergarten through sixth grade. Regionalization has
the potential to reap great benefits, not only in providing
cost-effective services but also in expanding current
opportunities for our school children. I applaud the Mahar
Regional School District, the Towns of Orange and Petersham, and
the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for
recognizing the potential to maximize scarce resources and for
taking this necessary first step in the regionalization
process," said Senator Stephen M. Brewer. The planning grants being distributed are
supported by funding from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund as
part of the $1.8 billion that Massachusetts received through the
federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Home Heating: Mandatory Upgrades Coming In 2008, the Massachusetts legislature passed a law requiring that all fuel lines connecting home oil tanks to furnaces be protected with a plastic sheath to cut down on fuel line failures and residential oil leaks. New construction since 1990 has followed the rule. The new law affects homes where the new-style fuel lines have not been installed. The change was favored by the oil heat industry. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the new rules this week. Everyone is required to comply by July 1 at an estimated cost of from $150 to $350. Huhtala Oil, one of our region's largest oil companies said it will not deliver oil to homes that have not made the upgrade by the start of the 2010 heating season and others may follow. Michael J. Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Oil Heat Council, an industry group, said, "Many audiences were concerned about the high cost..." of cleaning up residential oil spills which are typically excluded from homeowners' insurance policies. He said some 100,000 of the state's 960,000 oil heating customers will have to make the upgrade. The law also requires insurers to offer oil spill coverage at "a reasonable cost." Because the regulation was just published, the industry is seeking an extension of time to get the work done. He said the industry "embraced" the new rules and that, "Most people are saying 'come on in" and do the work. This is good for consumers," Ferrante said. Ferrante said residential oil leaks can cost from $15,000 to $500,000 to clean up. Neither Ferrante nor Edmund Colletta, spokesman for the DEP could say how many residential leaks happen each year. They are not counted separately from delivery spills, Colletta said. There are provisions in low- income fuel assistance programs to help cover the upgrade cost, Ferrante said. River Rats Dreams turn toward spring
2009 Race: Ryan Lyesiuk of Gardner and Matt Rudnitsky won handily as more than 275 canoes swept down the Millers River from Athol to Orange. The 46th River Rat Canoe Race started below Athol's South Main Street bridge because of construction at the bridge, and headed for Hachey’s Landing and the new riverfront park in Orange. Continuing something of a tradition, John Berry of Petersham and Brent Lyesiuk drew Starting Number 262. The pair managed to pass 251 other canoes to finish 11th. Steve Drew in the Mount Tully Kennel canoe came in 17th. Gary G. Pond - Skydiver - 1955-2010Service: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 - 2:00 p.m. Jumptown Northampton Animal Auction Weekly Report Don't Believe a Word You Read in Your E-mail Flurry of Spam Targets the FBI Consumers continue to be inundated by spam purportedly from the FBI. As with previous spam attacks, the latest versions use the names of several high ranking executives within the FBI and even the IC3 to attempt to defraud consumers. "It's a scam. We don't send e-mail to people. If we want someone, we just show up at their house," an FBI spokesman in Boston said. Another likely scam showed up in the inbox today, this one claiming to be from the IRS and offering a chance to claim a small tax refund. But the web site link to claim the refund appears to be in Czechoslovakia, hardly and IRS address. Selectmen's Agenda and Minutes What's Going on at the Library? Digital Brochures from roynilson.com New England Equestrian Center Calendar
Local Nature Web Site Millers River Environmental Center
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Fun for Free at the Wheeler
Library
Starting Thursday Sept. 16 from 4:00 to 5:00, Four Weeks For Fun For Free for Fourth Graders Up will begin at the Wheeler Memorial Library. In the first workshop art educator Nina Wellen will start students in the construction of wire based sculptures that will then be covered with plaster. Then on Sept. 23 from 4:00 to 5:00 the sculptures will be finished by painting. Come engage your creative energy and get messy at the library during these first two of four fun workshops. There is a limit of 15 participants for this event. A third workshop will take place on Thursday September 30 from 4:00 to 5:00. Bernadette Christian will bring her Radical Reptiles from Randolph. Participants will be able to learn about the wonders of snakes, tegus, chameleons and other creatures as they watch them up close. There is a limit of 25 participants for this event. The series of 4 weeks of Fun for Free will wrap-up with Julie Bell Davis teaching how to UPcycle an old sweater into a unique pair of mittens and/or a hat. All necessary materials will be provided but favorite old sweaters are welcome if you bring them to the library by Sept 30. It may be hot right now but before long it will be cold, cold, cold again. This is New England! There is a limit of 15 participants in this event. Registration is recommended for all of these activities. Call 978-544-2495 x103. Quabbin Historians in Orange Sept. 25
Elizabeth Peirce, curator of the Swift
River Valley Historical Society, will speak at “Farm, Field
and Forest: Living with the Land” event starting at 2:00 pm
on Sept. 25 at the White Elephant, 19 East Main Street,
Orange, MA.
Peirce is the author of two books, “Quabbin
Valley: People and Places,”
and “The Lost
Towns of the Quabbin Valley.”
Both books present rare photographs of town life and
stories of how these people lived, worked, and played from
1750 to 1938.
Following Peirce’s presentation,
Athol Daily News columnist and author, Allen Young will lead
a discussion on life in the
“Farm,
Field and Forest: Living with the Land” will take place in
two locations – starting at 9:00 a.m. at the
If you are an artist or photographer interested in exhibiting at the White Elephant for the one-day event, contact Marie MacDonald at (978)-249-6879. For further information, contact organizer Genevieve Fraser at (978) 544-1872, or visit www.FarmFieldForest.org Ashburnham Republican Challenges Brewer Daniel Dubrule of Ashburnhan announced he is running against State Sen. Stephen Brewer in this fall's election. The Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Senatorial District covers 29 towns and includes Barre, Petersham and Orange. Announcing his bid for election Dubrule said he hopes to balance one-party rule in Boston, fight for lower taxes and against wasteful state spending and foster economic growth. He was born in1967 and graduated from Leominster High Scholl in 1987. He sells insurance and is a former state corrections officer, and served eight years in the US Army reserves. He is a member of the Ashburnham Republican Town Committee and has attended GOP Conservative campaign academies. He is a member of the American Veterans (AMVETS), the Catholic War Veterans, the National Rifle Assn., Citizens for Limited Taxation, the Ashburnhan Lions Club, the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Independence Day Tea Party and the state and national GOP. For more information, visit www.StateSenatorMa.com or write to the Daniel D. Dubrule Committee, P.O. Box 336, Ashburnham, MA 01430 or call (978)-827-0326. Route 32
Work Inches Forward
Sen. Stephen M. Brewer (D-Barre), Rep. Anne M. Gobi (D-Spencer)
and Rep. Christopher J. Donelan (D-Orange)
announced that the Massachusetts Department of
Transportation’s (MassDOT) Project Review Committee has approved
a project to resurface Route 32 from one mile north of Route 101
in Petersham to Route 2A in Athol. “I am pleased to learn that the Route 32 resurfacing project is moving forward,” said Brewer. The improvements to the local infrastructure will increase accessibility and safety to citizens traveling on this road. I applaud the efforts of MassDOT and the Towns of Petersham and Athol as they continue to work towards improving the roads in the community.” “Route 32 is a main connector for many of the communities in the North Quabbin area and this long-awaited road project will ease transportation and make it easier for highway maintenance,” Rep. Gobi said.
Approval of the Project Review Committee is not a
commitment of state or federal funding to the project.
MassDOT will work with the Montachusett Metropolitan
Planning Organization to evaluate transportation needs and
priorities as the project progresses.
Brewer Announces 65th Citizens' Legislative Seminar
Overrides Pass in Orange
Voters approved
Proposition 2 1/2 overrides to keep streetlights on, the
transfer station open and to fund the Wheeler Library budget
and Council on Aging at a special election Monday. But they said
"no" to paying for $132,000 for clerical assistants with
Proposition 2 1/2 override money.
Orange
Libraries Summer Reading Program
Walking
the Quabbin
A WALK
FOR MASSACHUSETTS FORESTS - PART I – QUABBIN WALK will be held
from May 17-23, 2010 from Orange to New Salem, Massachusetts.
The
Walk will begin May 17, 2010 at approximately 10:15 after a
Gathering and speak-out at 9 AM at the peace statue in Orange
and a press conference at 9:30 AM. The walk is sponsored by
MA Interfaith Coalition for the Forest and Clean Air.
Potluck discussions will take place in each community along the
route, providing an opportunity for dialogue on issues
vital to the health of our planetary home and the potential for
a healthy quality of life of our grandchildren.
The
goal is to educate citizens across the Commonwealth about the
effects of commercial logging on public lands including the
Quabbin Reservoir Watershed, the drinking water supply for
Boston and more than 2 million Massachusetts residents. WALK
SCHEDULE Monday, May 17 – Press conference at Orange
Common at Water & So. Main Streets. at 9:30 - Leave Orange at
approximately 10:30 AM Overnight at Earthlands in Petersham after pot
luck and program at the Davis Memorial Hall located next to the
Unitarian Church in Petersham Center.
Broken Paddle Stymies 2010 Local River Rat
Favorites Matt and Andy Rudnitsky of Unadilla, NY beat a persistent headwind and came from a starting position of 132 to win this years race. Matt was in last year's winning canoe with Ryan Lyesiuk of Gardner. More than 289 canoes were entered in the race from the Main Street Bridge in Athol to Hachey's Landing in Orange. Library Unveils Two New Web
Site Features Brewer Is YMCA Legislator of
the Year Massachusetts' efforts to raise money by increasing the taxes collected from cigarette sales are having mixed results at best. A combination of federal and state tax hikes over the past two years have raised the per pack price of major brands in Massachusetts from around $5 to $8 per pack. By the carton in New Hampshire, cigarettes currently retail for about $50. Robert Bliss, communications director for the state Department of Revenue said Dec. 3 that state tax revenue from cigarette sales was $47.5 million in October, 2009. In October of 2008, tax revenue from single pack sales was $51 million. Sales of the tax stamps that are affixed to each pack sold were flat at 19 million tax stamps in both October 2008 and October 2009, down from 25.8 million in October of 2007, Bliss said. He said a combination of internet sales and sales by New Hampshire retailers likely accounts for the numbers. "New Hampshire keeps raising its cigarette tax, but they keep a healthy margin below Massachusetts," Bliss said. The number of packs sold keeps going down. It's not just New Hampshire. It is internet sales, too, he said. Bliss said there is no reason to think that smoking cessation programs account for the decline. On a recent trip to New Hampshire we saw five cars in the parking lot of a cigarette vendor. All five had Massachusetts license plates. Massachusetts does try to bill its residents for taxes on internet sales of cigarettes from Indian reservations. The cigarette excise tax that tobacco companies must pay the federal government rose in April by 61.6 cents per pack, or $6.16 per carton. The tax now comes to about $10.10 per carton, or $1.01 per pack. The Massachusetts tax is now $2.51 per package of 20 cigarettes or $25.10 per carton. Monument will Move to Park A new granite veterans Honor Roll will be erected in Memorial Park. The monument will replace the original honor roll, which is made of wood. The first monument has been moved to the Historical building for safekeeping and preservation.
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