Community - Page 28

Java with John: Budgets, buildings, and the everyday work of running Acton

December 20, 2025
On a cold December morning at the Senior Center, Acton Town Manager John Mangiaratti did what he has been doing since 2018: shared coffee, invited questions, and offered residents a candid look at how their town is being run. The December 12 edition of Java with John featured a wide-ranging discussion of budgets, construction projects, housing, traffic, energy, and public safety, grounded, not in abstractions, but in the practical realities of municipal governance. Mangiaratti opened with a reminder that while most residents are thinking about the end of calendar year 2025, town officials are already halfway through Fiscal Year 2026.…

The Bulletin Board

July 26, 2024
Blood Drive, Saturday July 27 (From Project Beacon, founded by an Acton Boxborough Regional High School rising senior) Massachusetts General Hospital is hosting a blood drive at the Acton Recreation Center (50 Audubon Drive) on Saturday, July 27th. Refreshments and free T-shirts will be provided, along with Taylor…
A drawing of a bulletin board

The Bulletin Board

July 19, 2024
The Acton Exchange is developing a calendar capacity which we expect to roll out in the coming months. We are looking for a volunteer editor to update the calendar announcements weekly. In the meantime, please email your announcements to the editors at editors@actonexchange.org by Tuesday at noon for…
This 2006 image depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host through her fascicle, which had penetrated the host skin, was reddening in color, reflecting the blood's coloration through this tubular structure. In this case, what would normally be an unsuspecting host was actually the CDC's biomedical photographer's own hand, which he'd offered to the hungry mosquito so that she'd alight, and be photographed while feeding.

Little buggers

July 12, 2024
Quick, what is the world’s deadliest animal? Bears? Sharks? Mountain lions? Nope. Actually it is the teeny tiny mosquito. That’s right, mosquito-borne diseases are responsible for an estimated 1,000,000 deaths each year. This includes malaria, Zika, dengue, and a little closer to home, West Nile virus and eastern…
Four kayaks (and six kayakers) on a sunny pond.

Live it up at Disability Pride event at Dunn Pond State Park

July 12, 2024
Every summer, longtime independent living and transportation advocate Lisa Franklin encourages fellow Acton residents to join the annual Disability Pride event, or ADA Day, hosted by the Mass. State Independent Living Council at Dunn Pond State Park in Gardner. Franklin, a thirty-plus year stroke survivor, recalls a member…

Opioid settlement will provide nearly $600,000 for Acton

July 12, 2024
Beginning in the 1990s the opioid crisis impacted people throughout the US. Overuse, misuse/abuse and overdose deaths have led to significant medical, social, psychological, demographic and economic consequences. Communities have dealt with these consequences in a variety of ways. According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the leading…
A man wearing a suit and tie stands at a podium. He is presenting an award to a young woman dressed in a t-shirt and sneakers.

Lifeguard saves five-year-old, wins honors

July 5, 2024
Alison Mammola, a nineteen-year-old lifeguard, was honored in Acton Town Hall by local and state officials today for her quick thinking and outstanding bravery in saving a drowning 5-year-old boy on Sunday, June 23, 2024. In the spacious Francis Faulkner Meeting Room, over one hundred people participated in…

July 4 fireworks are back with a bang

July 5, 2024
Acton’s locally renowned fireworks display is back after a four year pandemic hiatus and scheduling issues! With music by the Cars tribute band, Best Friend’s Girl, food trucks, and a fine display of fireworks, Acton’s Independence Day celebrations have returned, better than ever. If you have some great…

English Rose Tea Room opens in Acton Center

July 5, 2024
Pining for a spot of tea? How about a shortbread biscuit? Well, you’re in luck. Acton now has its own English Rose Tea Room. Acton residents Trudy Khosla and Deanna Downs opened a pop up tearoom in the 1829 historic building at 504 Main Street, Acton Center. Inspired…
A man shows an old black and white picture.

Water District leads abutters on preview hike

July 5, 2024
Two families enjoyed an early evening hike on the newly acquired Acton Water District (AWD) land located at 549 Main Street on Thursday, June 28. AWD District Manager Matt Mostoller and AWD Environmental Manager Alex Wahlstrom organized the Public Access Preview event for abutters to the property. Mostoller…
A smiling man and woman stand together. The woman is proudly holding a certificate.

Linda Vieira receives Portuguese Heritage Award

July 5, 2024
Linda Vieira of Acton received a Portuguese Heritage Award at the Heritage Day of Portugal celebration, hosted on June 11 by the Massachusetts Portuguese American Legislative Caucus in the House of Representatives Chamber. Representative Danillo Sena presented the award. Vieira, a resident of Acton and dedicated advocate for…
Two women on a cricket pitch. One is batting, and one is standing behind the wicket (similar to a baseball batter and catcher, but different).

Women’s Cricket in Acton

June 21, 2024
“Batters”, “score runs”, “gloves”, “balls”. You’d think it’s a baseball game being played in Acton on Saturday mornings, but you’d be wrong. Add to these familiar terms, “overs”, “bowlers” and “openers”, and you know it’s all about cricket at Jones Field from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The…
Five women posing in the sun. Four of the women are wearing Helen Roper costumes -- Curly red wigs, bright kaftans, and chunky jewelry. The 5th woman is wearing a straw hat and sunglasses, as befits the perfect weather.

Acton can be proud of this well-attended Pride Fest

June 21, 2024
On Saturday June 15, at NARA Park in North Acton, rainbows were in abundance despite the clear blue sky with nary a single cloud. The second annual Pride Fest, organized by the Acton Recreation Department, welcomed the Town of Westford this year to join in the family-friendly celebration…
A man wearing a green polo shirt stands in front of a screen at the Acton Memorial Library. The screen shows a picture of the Edwards house from many years ago.

A fresh look at an old Acton home

June 21, 2024
Monday evening, June 9th brought MIT Professor and Acton resident, David Hardt, to the Acton 250 Committee with a highly detailed and engrossing look into the ownership, construction, and history of one of Acton’s oldest homes. The Edwards house, located at 328 Pope Road on the Concord border,…
A line drawing with a sailboat pulled up on the shore, the setting sun in the background, and two peope walking towards the sailboat.

Acton Exchange takes a vacation

June 21, 2024
The Acton Exchange editorial team is taking a week off. Today’s issue will be the last one in June. The next issue will be published around July 5. We hope you had and have good celebrations on Juneteenth and July 4. Send us your pictures and stories! This…
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