News - Page 39

Portrait of Sharon Cole

Obituary: Sharon FitzSimons Cole

March 24, 2024

by Family

Sharon FitzSimons Cole, of Acton, passed away at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, March 15, 2024 at the age of 86. Born in Warren, PA to the late Sarah Helen (Gaston) and Ogden FitzSimons. Sharon was the beloved wife of the late Michael Bennett Cole, with…

Boston Area Gleaners truck at the South Acton site

Boston Area Gleaners receives grants to fight food insecurity

March 23, 2024

by The Acton Exchange Team

This article was adapted from a press release from the office of State Senator Jamie Eldridge. State Senator Jamie Eldridge and State Representatives Simon Cataldo and Danillo Sena announced that Boston Area Gleaners of Acton (the Gleaners) will receive two grants from the MA Department of Agricultural Resources…

people in colorful dress on stage

There’s No Place Like our Hometown’s Open Door Theater

March 23, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

Open Door Theater’s 2024 production, The Wizard of Oz, opened on Friday, March 15 at the Dragonfly Theater located at the RJ Grey Junior High School on Charter Road. The matinees on both Saturday and Sunday were sold out, with groups attending from the Perkins School, The Learning…

8 hatchling wood turtles on a person's open hands

Wood Turtles Get a Head Start

March 23, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

On March 6, six volunteers joined Acton’s Land Stewardship Coordinator Ian Bergemann and Zoo New England (ZNE) Field Biologist Jimmy Welch to create habitat for threatened wood turtles, Glyptemys insculpta, along a brook in Acton. ZNE’s website describes the species as “once the most common freshwater turtle in…

Deputy Chief Sammet in a fire station is pinned by his son, Jordan

Select Board Meeting of March 4, 2024: Taking Care of Business

March 23, 2024

by Tom Beals

Opening remarks: In the customary opening remarks to the March 4, 2024 Select Board meeting, Select Board Member David Martin noted the pinning ceremony for Deputy Fire Chief Chris Sammett, and mentioned that a planning meeting had been held for a natural meadow behind the “Red House” on…

Drawing of a hand holding a ballot

Primary Day in Acton

March 23, 2024

by Franny Osman

There are 15,612 registered voters in the Town of Acton. Thirty-three percent of those voters, or 5185, cast a ballot on “Super Tuesday,” March 5, when voters in 16 states and one territory headed to the polls in the largest contest so far in the 2024 presidential primary.”…

Oliver Klein and service dog Quimby, actor Juliana Sena and actor Maddie Freeman (Tin Man)

Open Door Theater Continues to Make Theater Accessible on Both Sides of the Curtain

March 15, 2024

by Michelle Shoemaker

Preparing a typical musical theater production requires an incredible amount of preparation from the cast and crew. Producing a fully accessible theater production includes preparing for many additional details related to special performances and accommodations for cast, crew and patrons. Training the entire cast and crew on best…

Marie Beam, new CEO of Acton Discovery Museum

Discovery Museum: Advancing Learning Experiences

March 14, 2024

by Nancy Knoblock Hunton

When Neil Gordon, the long-time CEO of Acton’s Discovery Museum, announced he intended to retire at the end of 2023, the Board of Directors of the children’s museum launched a six-month, intensive search for his replacement. But like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” they found their “heart’s…

The author lends a hand to a Wood Frog crossing Fort Pond Road in Acton.

Big Night for Amphibian Helpers

March 14, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

After the sun went down on February 28, a wet and unseasonably warm evening, several local residents put on rain gear, head lamps, and reflective vests to report for Amphibian Crossing Brigade duty. This was the earliest such night of assisting road crossings of frogs and salamanders seen…

Pipe connected to water meter

Why Does the Acton Water District Want a Picture of Your Water Pipe?

March 14, 2024

by Ron Parenti

You may have recently received an email or letter from the Acton Water District that requested information about the service line that sends water from the District’s water main in the street into your home or business. These mailings ask the occupant to submit information and a picture…

Photo of the new facade of the former K-Mart building

Stop and Shop to open store at K-Mart Site

March 14, 2024

by Jeff Brown

K-Mart closed in May of 2019 and the building has been vacant ever since. Last August a six foot high chain link fence was installed that surrounds the property and the gutting of the interior began soon after. Construction is now well underway on the inside and on…

Badge icon representing Boards and Committees

Board of Health Meeting of March 5, 2024: New Director, Battery Storage, and Wastewater Treatment

March 14, 2024

by D.K. Halley

The March 5 Board of Health Meeting convened at 7:30 PM in Room 9 of the Acton Town Hall. Present for the meeting were Chair Mark Conoby and Members Bill McInnis and Bill Taylor (by remote Zoom). Staff present for the meeting were Interim Health Director Matt Dow,…

Author Martin Gitlin speaks at the Senior Center. Photo credit: Greg Jarboe.

A funny program about funny programs: The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time

March 14, 2024

by Greg Jarboe

On March 7, 2024, award-winning author and pop culture historian Martin Gitlin hosted a fun and enlightening presentation based on his book, The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time. He is the only author to rank the best of the best, including I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Andy…

Photograph of man with Chinese features, formally dressed.

Obituary: Hongxiang (Harry) Chen 陈鸿祥

March 10, 2024

by Family

Following a more than 15-years battle with frontotemporal dementia, Hongxiang (Harry) Chen 陈鸿祥 of Acton, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at the age of 67. He was born on September 14, 1956 in Fuzhou, China to 陈振亚 Chen…

Photo of MCI Concord historical building.

NEWS BRIEF: What’s Next for MCI Concord?

March 6, 2024

by Pat Clifford

On Friday, March 1, the Concord Carlisle League of Women Voters hosted a panel discussion titled “What’s Happening with MCI-Concord” in the Goodwin Forum at the Concord Free Public Library. The Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Concord (MCI-Concord) is the 145-year-old prison adjacent to the Concord Rotary, on the…

A portion of the FEMA National Flood Hazard Map covering southern Acton, from Acton's Stormwater Management Asset Plan

NEWS BRIEF: Town of Acton kicks off Hazard Mitigation Planning Process

March 6, 2024

by Kim Kastens

The Town of Acton has begun the process of revising its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). A municipal HMP documents the types of natural hazards that may harm the community, and details actions the town has taken and is planning to take to mitigate potential damage from such hazards. Natural hazards…

Cover of Clegg and Kennedy’s book on local journalism.

On Local News: Silver Unicorn Bookstore Event

March 6, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

A standing-room-only crowd of more than forty was packed into The Silver Unicorn Bookstore for “Community News Night” on the evening of Friday, March 1. In partnership with this publication, Acton Exchange, the small indy bookseller in West Acton hosted veteran journalists Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy to discuss…

Badge icon representing Boards and Committees

Select Board Meeting of February 26, 2024: More on Finances and Car Dealerships

March 6, 2024

by Tom Beals

he February 26, 2024 Select Board meeting opened as usual by hearing Resident Concerns. Those included the following: In Town Manager and Board Member updates: With an override vote pending, financial issues were again prominent at this meeting. The town continues to update fees for services. Assistant Town…

2024 Lunar New Year Celebration at the Westford Academy.

Celebrating Lunar New Year through Volunteering: A Student’s Perspective

February 28, 2024

by Joanna Dong

During Lunar New Year, my teammates from Shine-A-Light Volunteer Team and I volunteered to promote Chinese culture and celebrate the new year. We held our first celebration at the Acton Memorial Library two weeks before the Lunar New Year. We set up some stations there and, at the…

Shine-A-Light event at Acton Memorial Library

Chinese New Year Celebrations in Our Community

February 28, 2024

Dani FengandKaiping Fu

Chinese New Year isn’t just celebrated in Chinatown in big cities; many Chinese bring their biggest holiday to their adopted home communities, in honor of their indigenous culture. In Acton and Boxborough, the Acton Chinese Language School has made it part of their mission since 2004 to create…

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