Dudley Charlton School District

All DC school district parents are invited to a special school safety meeting to be held at the Charlton Middle School at 6:00 p.m.  The school committee, administrators, and and local police and fire chiefs will participate in the discussion of safety measures for the schools.

Sales to raise funds to help humanitarian causes locally and internationally.

WEBSTER, Massachusetts (Dec. 10, 2012) — The Rotary Club of Webster-Dudley has teamed up with fellow Rotarian/inspirational contemporary realist oil painter, Renee Dumont, to raise funds to help humanitarian causes locally and internationally.  Beginning with this holiday season, the first in an historical series of postcards created from gorgeous oil paintings expressing  the appreciation of the Native American heritage here on Webster Lake are being sold. 100% of the postcard sales will be donated by the artist.

DUDLEY - Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer and Tom Cafarro visited Dudley Fire Chief Dean Kochanowski and several members of the Dudley Board of Selectmen at Dudley Fire Headquarters last Wednesday to donate a timely piece of life-saving equipment to local firefighters.

Every year, horror stories make their way into the headlines about people who venture out onto unsafe ice only to fall through, jeopardizing their lives and the lives of others who attempt to rescue them from imminent drowning.  Enter the Town of Dudley’s good neighbor, Nichols College.

By Charles Kelleher Harris
Patriot correspondent

DUDLEY-The Board of Selectmen want to make sure that the decision to issue a soil and loam removal permit is made with the community in mind.

At Monday's regularly scheduled meeting, James Pioppi, of Pioppi Construction was present for a public hearing about the permit application.

Pioppi sought a permit for removal at a gravel pit off Fish Road. However, during recent work at the site Pioppi Construction accidentally damaged a portion of the rail trail, which is property of the Commonwealth. Repairs to that area have not yet been made.

DUDLEY -  Shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday January 4, Dudley firefighters responded to a fire in a single family dwelling located at 158 Corbin Road.  The owner and lone occupant of the building, Lawrence Borowski, escaped the building unharmed.

At approximately 7:11 p.m. Dudley Fire Alarm received a 911 call reporting a house on fire at the Corbin Rd. address, and both fire and police units were dispatched to the location.  Initial reports from the Fire Alarm Office reported that the structure was fully involved.  With the home being located in a rural area with no fire hydrants close by, Dudley firefighters immediately called for help from the surrounding fire departments in Webster, Southbridge, and Charlton.  Neighboring Thompson CT fire companies were also dispatched to the fire initially, but were diverted to cover the empty Dudley Fire Station.

By Patriot staff; photos follow

STOW – Three local firefighters graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call Firefighter Recruit Training course in a ceremony held at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow, Mass. in front of a group of family, friends, and coworkers, on Thursday evening, Dec. 20.

For the last four months, these recruits have taken part in a rigorous training program focused on the essential skills needed to become a nationally certified firefighter.  Certified Instructors at the academy provided the recruit firefighters with the knowledge and the hands-on experience that will help integrate each of them into their departments, as well as keep them safe on the job.  During their training, the firefighters learned about fire behavior, ventilation, forcible entry, hose handling, hazardous materials operations, ladders, search and rescue, and a myriad of other subject matter that a firefighter must learn to perform their job in a safe, effective manner.

Dudley Fire Chief Dean Kochanowski  was in attendance to present certificates of completion to Dudley Firefighters Adam Bernard and Charles J. McGowan.  Each recruit had his badge pinned on him by a relative. Firefighter Bernard receiving his badge from his uncle, Worcester Fire Lieutenant Bert Davis, and Firefighter McGowan was pinned by his mother, Jane McGowan.

DUDLEY— Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer recently announced that the College has received an unrestricted gift of $5 million from an anonymous donor.

In making the announcement, Engelkemeyer noted that, along with the opening of The Fels Student Center, “this historic gift from an alumnus has the potential to transform the College and was inspired by the commitment of the entire Nichols community, who continually invest in this special place on the Hill.”

“We are excited to build upon this positive momentum and look forward to creating more opportunities for our students in the years to come,” Engelkemeyer added.

Nichols is working to match the interests of the donor, who is a Worcester native, with any number of initiatives identified in the new strategic plan that will bring Nichols closer to its vision as the school approaches its bicentennial in 2015.

“A gift of this magnitude will have sweeping consequences, not only for the possibilities it opens for Nichols during this important time in our history but also for the potential of this generous investment in the College to inspire others,” noted Nichols Vice President for Advancement William Pieczynski.  “This marks a new and exciting day for Nichols.”

 

by Patriot Staff

Residents from all across Dudley gathered at the Municipal Complex Tuesday evening to hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance of the victims of the Sandy Hook School slayings in Newtown, Conn. last week.  Twenty six people died in the school shooting, twenty of them five- to seven-year old children.

The brief ceremony was initiated by Jonathan Ruda, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, who thanked everyone for coming and stated the importance of the community pulling together to remember those who lost their lives in such a senseless manner.  He was also reflective and thankful of what we have, and wished that no other community would ever go through a similar situation. 

recognize SH football team, review Paula Lane/Circle Drive
EMS coordinator Ceccarelli resigns

by Becky Harvey
Patriot Correspondent

DUDLEY – Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting opened with the request by Chairman Jonathan Ruda to observe a twenty-six second moment of silence in memory of the slain students and educators of Sandy Brook in Newtown, Connecticut. 

Immediately following the opening of the meeting, selectmen invited representatives of the Shepherd Hill Regional High School football team, including coaches and team captains, to come up front for congratulations on their winning season.  Coach Chris Lindstrom commented on the efforts of the team and voiced his thanks for the community’s support.  Both Steven Sullivan and Peter Fox expressed their gratitude for the players’ hard work all year.  They, and Chairman Ruda, offered a citation plaque to the team for their successful season.  Senior captains Chris Dutting, Alex Sinni, Brad Picard and Drew Ravenelle all expressed their thanks to the selectmen and accepted the award with thanks to the community and Board.

Lieutenant sworn in, water storage and sewer connections addressed at Webster BOS meeting.

By Thomas D’Agostino
Patriot correspondent

WEBSTER -  Police Officer Michael Shaw was sworn in as Lieutenant last night before family, friends and the Board of Selectmen. Town Administrator John McAuliffe gave a brief speech commending Shaw’s performance on the force and promotion, calling it “bright leadership.”

Police Chief Timothy Bent stood with Shaw’s mother Jane Cook and his wife Julie, while Town Clerk Robert Craver swore Lieutenant Shaw in. The new lieutenant’s two daughters, Abigail, age 9 and MacKenzie, age 12 had the honor of pinning the badge on Lieutenant Shaw.