News

News

Need new Halloween duds? Costume swap Oct. 5

MIDDLEBORO — The annual Halloween costume swap returns to the Middleboro Public Library Saturday, Oct. 5. Participants are encouraged to donate outgrown costumes and dress up clothes. Anyone who donates clean, gently used children’s costumes...

Teen readers couldn’t bee any more successful

MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro teens read some books and created some buzz this summer. The Middleboro Library’s Summer Program ended with 82 teens reading for 2,793 hours and raising $500 for the program’s “Read to Bee the Change’’ sponsor, the Rotary...

Eagle Scout revamps state park trails

LAKEVILLE — A portion of trails at Massasoit State park have gotten a makeover, thanks to the work of Eagle Scout Aneil Barnick. Barnick is a sophomore at Apponequet Regional High School, who recently completed a project to revitalize the trails...

Middleboro submits argument against MBTA zoning requirement

MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro has officially joined the fight against state-mandated housing requirements near mass transit stations. The town has approved a legal argument stating that Middleboro is already home to more affordable housing than the state...

Sip n Stroll Harvest brings ‘hallmark’ moment to Middleboro

MIDDLEBORO — Not an inch of green was visible on Middleboro’s Town Hall lawn the evening of Saturday, Sept. 14, as shoppers, vendors and food trucks came together to take part in Sip & Stroll’s fall event. Valerie Rufo, who helps coordinate Sip...

A day of family fun at Lakeville Fall Festival

LAKEVILLE— The Lakeville Lions Fall Family Festival had it all, save fall weather. The eighth iteration of the fall celebration brought dozens of vendors, petting zoo animals, a bounce house, a dunk tank, hayrides and more to the Lakeville Lion’s...

Tax error affected 358 Lakeville properties, town administrator says

LAKEVILLE — The number of inaccurate tax bills sent to Lakeville residents earlier this year was more than what the town’s contracted assessor stated, according to Interim Town Administrator Robert Nunes. While Regional Resource Group, the firm...

Girl scouts help beautify Freetown Lakeville Middle School

LAKEVILLE — With the help of members of the Parent Teacher Organization, local girl scout troops and faculty, grounds at Freetown Lakeville Middleboro School received some tender loving care the weekend of Sept. 7 and 8. Members of the Parent...

Middleboro senior shares how faith, happiness got her to 101

MIDDLEBORO — For those concerned about the inevitable wrinkles that come with age, Ruth Calhoun has a piece of advice: “Let them be.” Calhoun celebrated her 101st birthday on Friday, Sept. 13 at Nemasket Healthcare Center in Middleboro, where she...

Middleboro residents want a ‘smarter’ housing plan than 40B

MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro residents want to see more parks, trails and different affordable housing solutions, according to what they shared at a Master Plan Workshop held Wednesday, Sept. 11. “We want to see how we can move towards the future and...

23 years later: Lakeville Police and Fire honor events of 9/11

On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 11, Lakeville first responders stood at attention during a ceremony remembering the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001 However, according to Lakeville Fire Chief Michael O’Brien, many of those...

Carver town official joins race for 2nd Plymouth seat

When Carver Select Board member Sarah Hewins learned that longtime 2nd Plymouth district representative Susan Williams Gifford lost her reelection campaign to primary challenger John Gaskey, she was “really surprised.” According to Hewins, Gaskey’s...

Freetown Town Administrator accused of seeking information under ‘fake name’

LAKEVILLE — Retrieving, reviewing and supplying 770 emails in response to a public records request takes an exorbitant amount of time, attention and money, according to Freetown-Lakeville School District Superintendent Alan Strauss. Strauss shared...

ARPA money pays for drinking water at Clear Pond

LAKEVILLE — A water line providing access to drinking water will soon be installed at Clear Pond. Plymouth County Commissioners presented a $454,930 check to the Lakeville Select Board at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 9. This money was funded through...

Middleboro voters asked to support tax break for new company

MIDDLEBORO— Voters at the Oct. 7 Special Town Meeting will be asked to approve a tax break averaging 56% over 10 years for a manufacturer looking to construct a $33 million facility in town, Town Manager James McGrail told Select Board members at...

Fire station, accessory dwelling units likely on November town meeting warrant

LAKEVILLE — Funding to construct a new fire station and rules regarding accessory dwelling unit legislation are a few of the items that Lakeville voters could be asked to weigh in on later this year. A Special Town Meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov...

Get ready for eighth annual Lakeville Lions Fall Family Festival

LAKEVILLE — The days are winding down until this year’s Lakeville Lions Fall Family Festival. The festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lakeville Lions Clubhouse, located at 170 Main St., Lakeville. Lions club...

New school year has students and parents excited

MIDDLEBORO — Summer was officially over for Middleboro students as they hopped out of cars or strolled across the elementary school parking lots on Wednesday, Sept. 4, touting backpacks that, in some cases, were larger than they were. It was the...

Middleboro business keeps guitars, and their stories, alive

MIDDLEBORO — The only time Ben Sangiolo doesn’t feel anxious is when there is a guitar in front of him. The way his face glowed as he stared at the red semi-hollow guitar in his Middleboro-based guitar repair shop, indicated the validity of his...

Freetown Lakeville Superintendent rated as 'proficient' in evaluation

LAKEVILLE — Freetown Lakeville Superintendent Alan Strauss wrapped up year two of his contract with good grades, as articulated by the School Committee during his evaluation at the committee’s Sept. 4 meeting. With the exception of one school...

Ng censured by School Committee after leaking confidential student information

LAKEVILLE — The Freetown Lakeville School Committee voted to publicly censure member Crystal Ng for sending confidential information about a student to a member of the general public. “I don’t know how I can go into negotiations with teachers and...

Gaskey, Pacheco come out on top in State Primary in Middleboro

This story will be updated as more towns in the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth District and the 2nd Plymouth District release their results. Middleboro voters made their voices heard in the State Primary Election on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Republican...

Cannabis Delivery Service opens doors in Middleboro

MIDDLEBORO — In addition to Amazon packages, groceries and last-minute dinners, Middleboro and Lakeville residents can now have marijuana delivered to their doorstep. Gas Bus, a cannabis delivery service based out of Middleboro, opened the doors of...

Lakeville at 'moderate' risk for EEE, West Nile Virus, residents advised to take precautions

LAKEVILLE — The Lakeville Board of Health recommends residents stay inside during peak mosquito activity hours, use insect repellent with DEET or other EPA-registered ingredients and follow other state guidelines to protect themselves against...

Middleboro officials urge residents to take EEE risk 'seriously'

MIDDLEBORO — The state and the town are urging Middleboro residents to take serious precautions due to the elevated risk of contracting mosquito-borne illnesses in the area. The town is currently at a ‘high’ risk for contracting the Eastern Equine...

4-H fair participants raise animals and agricultural awareness

MIDDLEBORO — Tom Brady may wear the title of Greatest of All Time but to six-year-old Nora Pelletier, the title equally applies to her sidekick Frankie. Unlike the former Patriots quarterback, Frankie, after all, is a real-life goat. “My nana says...

School Committee member denies allegations of harassment

LAKEVILLE — The Freetown-Lakeville School Committee will address “serious allegations” brought against four committee members by way of an Open Meeting Law Violation at the committee’s next meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 4, said School Committee Chair...

State senate candidates make their pitch to community

With the State Primary Election quickly approaching on Tuesday, Sept. 3, four candidates running to be the new face of the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth senate district made their pitch to voters and gave their take on affordable housing, state aid for...

Middleboro Public Schools staff makes heartfelt donation to food pantry

MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro faculty and staff started off the new year on the right foot. Among the briefcases, bins and portfolios they already carried in on convocation day, they found room on their forearms for grocery bags filled with food to donate...

Free-Lake's over $800,000 budget deficit reconciled, finance director says

LAKEVILLE — A budget deficit of over $800,000 in the Freetown Lakeville School district’s 2025 has been accounted for, according to Director of Finance Operations Jack Higgins. Higgins confirmed at the Freetown Lakeville Regional Finance...

Subcommittee charts next steps for Freelake budget audit

LAKEVILLE — The Regional Finance Subcommittee has decided more guidance is needed before the group can determine more specifics on how to conduct an audit of the Freetown Lakeville School district. Freetown Lakeville School Committee members and...

Two run to represent Republicans in 2nd Plymouth District race

Representative Susan Williams Gifford, the incumbent in the 2nd Plymouth District, will face a Republican challenger, John Gaskey, in the race to retain her seat. No Democratic or Independent candidates have entered the race. This district includes...

School committee members accused of 'harrassment,' asked to resign

This article has been updated to include comment from Freetown-Lakeville School Committee Chair John Burke. LAKEVILLE — A Freetown-Lakeville School Committee member has called for the resignation of four other committee members for...

Pipe Band wraps up 2024 season on high note

LAKEVILLE — With just a few weeks of competition remaining, the Old Colony Highlanders bagpipe band is finishing the 2024 season strong. The band, which practices in Lakeville, placed first overall at the Vermont Scottish Festival and Games that...

Town planner role to be explored in Lakeville

LAKEVILLE — As Lakeville faces an increasing number of development proposals, Select Board members agreed Aug. 26 to form a working group to study the potential hiring of a town planner. The decision followed a conversation with Planning Board...

Aerial spraying to combat risk of EEE in parts of Middleboro, Rochester, Wareham

Aerial spraying will be conducted in parts of several towns in Plymouth County including Middleboro, Rochester and Wareham to mitigate the risk of contracting the mosquito-borne illness Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Spraying is scheduled to...

Athletes triumph at Cranberry Trifest Triathlon

LAKEVILLE — For the 23rd year, triathletes came from all over the country to participate in the 2024 Cranberry Trifest Triathlon held at Ted Williams Camp in Lakeville on Sunday, Aug. 25. Athletes started off the morning with a swim in Loon Pond,...

'Old-fashioned' traditions take center stage at Agricultural Fair

MIDDLEBORO — The depth of Middleboro’s agricultural roots were on display Saturday, Aug. 24 in the form of picture-perfect potatoes, innovative floral arrangements, robust garden tomatoes and other items at the 66th annual South Middleboro Grange...

Wareham YMCA celebrates 20 years creating community

Twenty years after the Gleason Family YMCA was built, the non-profit has successfully fulfilled the mission set forth by Dr. Charles “Sherm” Gleason and Dr. Betty Gleason, who donated the land for its construction. “It did exactly what Sherm and...

New Lakeville location gives art studio a sense of 'permanence'

LAKEVILLE — Lakeville artists of all ages and abilities now have a new space to hone their craft. The Heart in Art, an art studio whose mission is to make the arts accessible to people of all mental and physical abilities, opened the doors at its...

Developer asked to explore school traffic impact from project

LAKEVILLE — The developer of a proposed 200-unit housing development on Freetown Street has been asked to re-do a study to determine the impact the traffic from the project would have during peak school hours. The request was made during a public...

Opioids are key in treating opioid addictions, doctor says

LAKEVILLE — Opioids, it turns out, are one of the best ways to treat opioid addictions, according to local physician Bob Friedman. Friedman, who has specialized in treating patients with substance use disorders over the last eight years, shared this...

Middleboro schools to feature 3D printers and PFAS-ridding water filters

MIDDLEBORO — While Middleboro students have been away for the summer, the school district has been busy with facility updates that include improvements to the high school’s Innovation Lab, classroom carpet removal and the installation of filters...

Improvements to Lakeville schools 'serve students of today,' staff says

LAKEVILLE — New elective courses, libraries outfitted with green screens and expanded STEM programs are just some of the changes that Freetown Lakeville students will see in the coming school year. The majority of students will return to school on...

Cranberry growers wade into ‘solid’ expected harvest

Soon, bogs throughout the South Coast will be running red with berries as cranberry growers in southern Massachusetts could expect to see a “solid” harvest this season, according to data released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service...

Worth barking about: Middleboro shelter expanding play area

MIDDLEBORO — Dogs at the Middleboro Animal Shelter will soon have a larger and more comfortable space to play in. Animal Control Officer Kevin Racicot hopes the pups will not need to use it for long. Finding good homes for the animals at the shelter...

Middleboro Town Manager receives new three-year contract

MIDDLEBORO — The Middleboro Select Board unanimously approved a new three-year contract starting Sept. 1 for Town Manager James McGrail at their Aug. 19 meeting. McGrail is now under contract through Aug. 31, 2027, with a possible extension through...

Pokemon league brings together players from 'all walks of life'

MIDDLEBORO — “Alana, do you want to battle again?,” Collin Menard asked his playing partner after losing a game of Pokémon. Collin Menard and Alana Noe were two of the players engaged in the iconic trading card game on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Bulldog...

Middleboro celebrates over 70 years of Summer Olympics

MIDDLEBORO — The Summer Olympics had just wrapped up, but the spirit of competition lingered in Middleboro. Last week, the town staged it’s own Summer Olympics, as it has done for more than 70 years. The decades-old tradition this year featured...

Middleboro’s finances in solid shape, Town Manager says

MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro has received $225,000 more than anticipated in school aid from the state, which will help offset the six percent budget increase the school district received, according to information presented at a financial forum held...

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