--and just in time for Halloween

Local lauthor Chris Denmead (left) with 2011 World Horror convention GrandMaster Award winner Jack Ketchum.

REGION - Chris Denmead lives a life of horror, by choice, and finds the moral at the end of every spooky story. He has just published his first book, called “Give Me Something Good to Eat.” It's a 30-page children's picture book about a pumpkin that eats children who go trick or treating alone on Halloween. He says it's in the vein of Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton, a twisted tale with a happy ending.

Kids in Oxford will have a chance to hear him read the book at the Oxford Public Library on Tuesday, October 23, at 4:00 p.m.

Chris's career after graduating from Oxford High School in 1998 took a few turns. He worked on photography projects for several years, managed a Kay Bee Toys store until the company went out of business, and then sold for Intel Corporation for a time. Last year the economic downturn hit him and he's been working for temp agencies doing a variety of jobs.

But what he really likes to do is write, take pictures, and watch horror movies. In fact, for the last five years he's been Dr. Chris of the Radio of Horror program on WCUW 91.3 FM Sunday nights at midnight. It's a show for fans of horror films, video games, music, toys, and such. It has news, talk, information, and interviews focused on the horror genre. It's geared for people “who like things that go bump in the night.” He's just hosted his 300^th episode of the show. Chris has a blog on wordpress.com called Radio of Horror as well.

For the last three years he's also been a speaker and panelist at Arisia, New England’s largest science fiction and fantasy convention, which takes place in Boston on Martin Luther King weekend every January. Clearly, he’s a horror expert.

Last weekend he participated in the Rock & Shock horror convention at the DCU, where he sold horror items and T-shirts to raise money for Pat Brody’s Animal Shelter and the Scares that Care charity.

The idea for “Give Me Something Good to Eat” began in 2007. He participated in an annual event, a gathering of writers who would create a 24-page comic book in 24 hours. It was hosted by comic book retailer That's Entertainment on Park Avenue in Worcester for a number of years, but is now held at the Worcester Art Museum. He wrote his comic book about a pumpkin that eats children on Halloween.

But then he “just sat on it”; did nothing further until he was challenged by a friend to publish it. He enlisted the help of the Worcester Writers Circle and the New England Horror Writers association. They suggested he work with CreateSpace, an Amazon.com company, which offers printing and distribution services to self-publishers. Books published with CreateSpace are available for sale on the Amazon.com website.

He needed an illustrator for the book and found Boston artist Katie Hickey Schults. He described her artwork as “fluid” and liked the characters she drew based on the story idea.

Chris’s writing career was underway but the road wasn't easy. “After much trial and error, it was finally published,” he said, and called it “a long, dubious process, especially the graphic design element.”

“Give Me Something Good to Eat” is geared to kids age 7 and up. But the tale is so twisted that adults can appreciate it too, he says, comparing it to The Nightmare Before Christmas or Hansel and Gretel. “There is a moral message at the end, a warning for kids not to go out alone on Halloween.” Like Tim Burton's stories, in the end the characters have some heart.

Chris's life is not entirely about horror. He also reads and writes poetry on other topics; you can find him every Sunday evening at the Worcester Poet's Asylum, where he's been going since 1999.

Chris was born and raised in the area, having lived in Oxford, Dudley and Webster, as well as Maryland for a time. He went to Webster Middle School, attended military high school until his senior year, then went on to finish at Oxford High School, where he worked on and took pictures for the yearbook. He now lives in Worcester.

“Give Me Something Good to Eat” is sold on Amazon.com. It’s priced at $13.00.

WATERTOWN, Mass.—MassEcon (The Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development) today announced itsNinth Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Award winners in preparation for its November 20th Awards Luncheon, which will take place at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. Companies from across the Commonwealth will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Massachusetts economy. Over 400 are expected to attend, including featured speaker Governor Deval Patrick.

“The key to our economic recovery is innovation,
and these Team Massachusetts Impact Award winners
exemplify that innovative spirit”

                                               -- Greg Bialecki

The winning companies (listed below) were selected after site visits and a reception with their competitors and judges at an afternoon event at the UMass Club with featured guest, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Greg Bialecki. The reception enabled senior executives from the companies to present their attributes in the categories of job growth, facility expansion, investment, and community involvement since January 1, 2011. Finalists competed on a regional basis, defined as West, Central, Southeast, Northeast, and Greater Boston.

“The key to our economic recovery is innovation, and these Team Massachusetts Impact Award winners exemplify that innovative spirit,” said Greg Bialecki, the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development. “Continuing to support and grow the innovation economy is one of the central goals of the Patrick-Murray Administration's economic development plan, and we look forward to seeing these companies continue to grow in the future.”

“MassEcon is proud to celebrate these companies for staying and growing here. We appreciate the commitment and investment these companies have made in Massachusetts. It’s especially gratifying to see growth occurring in all regions of the state,” stated Susan Houston, Executive Director of MassEcon.

Lead sponsors of the event include WPI, Citizens Bank, Cutler Associates, NAI Hunneman, Richards Barry Joyce & Partners, and MassDevelopment.

For more information about the event, email Trina Aitken at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Drew Ravenelle (#11) looks for an opening

by Steev Riccardo

DUDLEY - The Shepherd Hill Rams overcame a shaky opening quarter and went on to defeat the Bartlett Indians 40-14 in the two schools’ annual gridiron meeting on Friday night.

It was a pretty good game for a half. In fact, with a little over three minutes left in the first half, the Rams held a slim 16-14 lead, but the Indians couldn’t take advantage of some opportunities and were no match for the Rams in the second half.

Senior co-captain Akeem Belnavis gave the Indians excellent field position with a 56-yard return to the Rams 29- yard line on the opening kickoff, but the Indians couldn’t capitalize, fumbling inside the ten-yard line.

Moments later, after moving the ball effectively on long runs by Brad Picard and quarterback Drew Ravenelle, the Rams fumbled the ball right back.  Indians Sophomore A.J. Caddell picked up the Rams mishap on the 18-yard line.

The Indians failed to capitalize again and punted the ball away after three plays, but it seemed like no one wanted the ball as the Rams fumbled again. Bartlett’s Andrew Dellisle picked up the ball and scampered 41 yards before finally being tackled on the 9-yard line.  Two plays later sophomore James Patterson scored on a 1-yard run, giving the Indians a 6-0 lead.

The Rams then put together an impressive 7-play 63-yard drive culminating in a Picard 18-yard touchdown run. Picard added the two-point conversion and the Rams led 8-6 as the opening quarter came to a close.

The Indians failed to move the ball on their next possession and were stopped on a costly fourth down play, giving the Rams the ball with excellent field position on the 42-yard line. Six plays later Tyler Simmons scored on a one-yard plunge and Picard tagged on two more points, giving the Rams a 16-6 lead with 8:01 left in the half.

The Indians scored on their next possession when junior quarterback Ricky Spooner connected with Belnavis on a nifty 27-yard pass play. Spooner hit Belnavis again for the two-point conversion and the Indians were hanging tough trailing by 2, 16-14.

Matt Vertucci gave the Rams excellent field position with a 20-yard kickoff return and three plays later Drew Jean-Guillaume broke free from the pack and scored on a 30- yard run and Jake Gelb added the conversion, making it 24-14.

After going three and out on offense, Indians’ senior Chris Vosburg made a huge defensive play, recovering the Rams third fumble of the half and giving his team great field position with 1:28 left on the 21- yard line.

Spooner connected with Belnavis on first down putting the ball inside the ten-yard line. Alex Givens-Perry picked up gains of three and four yards, but the Rams forced consecutive incompletions by Spooner and the Rams took a ten-point lead into the locker room at the half.

On the third play of the third quarter Jake Gelb went 47 yards giving the Rams a 32-14 lead and the game was essentially over, as the Indians could not get anything significant going offensively in the second half.

Kyle Amico scored a two-yard run to round off the scoring for the Rams, who are now 5-1 on the season.

“Bartlett plays hard, they have some tough warriors over there,” said Rams head coach Chris Lindstrom.  “They have some ballplayers and they are dangerous and we kept making mistakes and we were laying the ball down and you can’t do that. That is uncharacteristic of us and we were a little sloppy in that regard. It’s fortunate that we got it going though.”

The Indians, at 2-4, had their chances early but couldn’t take advantage of them. “We got worn down physically and they started breaking some big runs on us and we left some points on the field in the first half,” said head coach Dane Laboissonniere. “On the opening kickoff we left the ball on the 7-yard line and at the end of the first half we left the ball on the two. Conceivably we are talking about being in the lead at the half but it didn’t happen that way and hats off to Shepherd Hill. They played a great game.”

The Indians are now faced with some must- win situations if they want to get back to the District playoffs, starting with a key conference battle with the Millbury Woolies on Friday night at home.

The Rams will meet the undefeated Northbridge Rams at home on Friday night.

For more on high school football, check out View From The Sidelines every week in the Patriot and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ViewFromTheSidelines or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your feedback and comments.

mosquito control, AP courses

By Janet Stoica
Patriot Correspondent

REGION - Superintendent Sean Gilrein reported on the 2013 mosquito control program at Wednesday's Dudley-Charlton Regional School Committee meeting. Mr. Gilrein sought the committee's approval to gather information about outdoor-spraying guidelines such as the types of spraying materials to be used (organic vs. non-organic) and final costs to be considered.

School Committee member Pauline Aucoin mentioned that her concern was for the “Green Program” where organic spraying materials would be used, although costs would be higher. Other members asked questions about the proximity of artesian well-heads and the necessity of keeping those areas safe and non-toxic.

Mr. Gilrein offered to speak with the Charlton and Dudley town administrators as well as John Lafleche, Superintendent-Director of Bay Path Regional High School, to determine if there was interest in a group contract, thereby saving on costs associated with such a project to protect the health and wellness of all school students.

New business included information relative to a 3-day staff conference in August 2013 with the Gateway Institute, which would plan and develop high-quality curriculum with technology usage. The Institute was looking for 4-6 teachers to attend and Mr. Gilrein said that there are actually 8-10 staff members who are very much interested. The committee then unanimously voted for Mr. Gilrein to begin planning for the 2013 conference.

Mr. John Smolenski of the Massachusetts Math & Science Inititiave (MMSI) gave a presentation on AP programs. MMSI is a privately-funded organization devo, to puted to increasing math, science, and English advanced placement (“AP”) courses for high school students. It was noted that Shepherd Hill students have been doing very well in attaining goals in the AP course areas. Mr. Gilrein commented, however, that he had learned that “60% of incoming freshmen at Worcester State are taking remedial math courses.”

Mr. Smolenski then stated that “MMSI’s goals were to not only assist those students who were in the top tiers of the high school’s academics but to also reach the next 25% of the student body to push and pull them up to higher math, science, and English achievement. The more rigorous courses you take, the better the student’s chances of being accepted into the college of their choice, he said.  “There is an impact on admissions’ acceptance, an impact on college scores.” Following Mr. Smolenski’s presentation, the committee voted unanimously to support the MMSI goals.

Superintendent Gilrein also advised the committee on the upcoming accreditation of the Charlton Elementary School, noting that the accreditation team would be visiting/evaluating the school no later than March 30, 2013. He also thanked committee members for their upcoming participation in the Community Reading Week (Oct. 15-19) to be held at all K-8 buildings and offered a public reminder of the Charlton Middle School’s Fall Family Fest to be held on Friday, Oct. 19^th. “Come out and support your Charlton PTO, put on your costumes and come hungry,” Mr. Gilrein stated.

A discussion was held on the Rubrics Guides for Superintendents, Administration, and Teachers. Rubrics are assigned expectations for focused feedback and grading purposes, allowing all those involved to be aware of those goals in their areas of expertise.

By Patriot staff

REGION – Harrington HealthCare System this week laid off 12 people, reduced hours for a dozen others and eliminated nine vacant positions, after a “challenging” fiscal year 2012 that ended September 30.

President and CEO Edward H. Moore said the staff reductions would not affect the quality of patient care.

He gave a perspective on the decision, noting that Harrington grew quickly and almost doubled in size between 2007 and 2011 and now has 1300 employees. In fact, he said, “The Worcester Business Journal has us at the top of the list of the fastest-growing non-profits in Central Massachusetts, which will be published in an upcoming issue.”

Harrington HealthCare System has expanded its operations in Webster and Charlton in recent years and is continuing to expand in other areas, including Spencer.  It has also just announced a new program for seniors with the Fallon Senior Plan, which will bring more patients into the system.

“In 2012 the world started to change,” said Mr. Moore, explaining the need to reduce staff. “The economy has hurt people, and when they are asked to make higher and higher co-pays, they avoid getting care. And Medicare reimbursement rates went down.”

Harrington is not unique in experiencing this, Mr. Moore noted. Other medical facilities in the state have had to reduce staff as well. “We've been able to shield ourselves with growth, but the growth has slowed.”

He compared it to what it's like at home, when your expenses exceed your income. You can't keep losing money, you have to do something to correct it. “It would be remiss of me to ignore this. It's better to deal with it immediately. That being said, I'm happy to say that Harrington is in good financial shape,  positioned well for the future, with a strong balance sheet and $46 million in reserves.”

by Janet Stoica
Patriot Correspondent

REGION – Webster and Dudley voted yes for the Bay Path Regional Vocational School at Thursday’s special district wide election; Oxford voted against the $73.8 million expansion/renovation project, but the yes votes prevailed.

Overall, votes tallied were 5,303 for the renovation (58%) and 3,836 against (42%) in the 10-town district.

In a statement released to the local media after the vote, John Lafleche, Bay Path’s superintendent-director, said, “The Bay Path community is grateful to all residents of the 10-town district who came out and voted in today’s special election. We are excited that a majority of those who voted supported our addition/renovation project.  The School Committee, School Building Committee, and administration of the school will begin working toward the selection of a Construction Manager at Risk immediately so that construction can begin during 2013.

“Once completed, our project will insure that we have state-of-the-art vocational and academic classrooms and shops in a building large enough to educate our 1,100 students. There is no doubt that the approved project is the most educationally sound and fiscally responsible way to provide vocational education in Southern Worcester County for the next 50 years. Bay Path appreciates the strong support of its communities’ leaders, especially the Boards of Selectmen and Town Councils. In addition, we extend a special thank you to the Town Clerks and their staffs for running a very professional election.”

Steven Maher of Auburn, who headed up a Vote No to $73M committee, issued a statement, saying, “We congratulate the victors and will do nothing to further oppose this project. The voters have spoken and we accept their decision.”

The Massachusetts School Building Authority will reimburse towns for 63% of the $73.8 million project, leaving the towns to contribute $27.3 million proportionally to their student population.

Individual Town vote counts were as follows: Auburn-Yes 684, No 508; Charlton-Yes 1,015, No 311; Dudley-Yes 542, No 470; North Brookfield-Yes 170, No 515; Oxford-Yes 534, No 538; Paxton-Yes 238, No 239; Rutland-Yes 310, No 285; Southbridge-Yes 957, No 388; Spencer-Yes 488, No 340; and Webster-Yes 395, No 242.

out-of district tuition change, upcoming  renovation vote

by Janet Stoica
Patriot Correspondent

REGION - The Bay Path school committee Monday night discussed proposed state policy changes to out-of-district vocational school tuition scheduled to go into effect for the 2013-2014 school year. Recently, a Dudley student began attending school in Norfolk and an amendment to Section 89 of the state’s fiscal 2013 budget would make Bay Path responsible for the out-of-district tuition in lieu of Dudley.

A letter from State Senator Stephen Brewer’s office stated that “The changes to out-of-district vocational student tuition included in the budget are intended to make the tuition system more sensible, while minimizing unexpected spikes in tuition for individual communities…..and our staffs and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recognize that we have not yet arrived at the right solution. The first step to finding that solution is to ensure that no policy changes to out-of-district vocational tuition are implemented in the 2013-2014 school year. To that end I am committed to amending the FY 2013 budget so that outside Section 89 does not go into effect for next school year.”

Transportation reimbursements for students attending out-of-district schools will be paid out of existing reimbursement programs for FY 2014. Superintendent Lafleche expressed support that details will be worked out for all towns’ benefits.

Commencing with Mr. Lafleche’s comments regarding the renovation project that Bay Path is awaiting voter approval on this Thursday, almost all school committee members spoke about the positive feedback and support they had received for the renovation. Mr. Lafleche stated that “many of you deserve a tremendous amount of thanks for all you’ve done over the past several months. We’ve been challenged on our facts and figures and the truth has prevailed.

However, if the vote does not go through, we would not be able to take advantage of any additional Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”) funds as MSBA would not offer to throw good money after bad. In this case, the many building code issues that the current school faces are asbestos removal, water supply/storage, etc.”

Mr. Lafleche cited a local paper’s reporter who had contacted an MSBA representative who had indicated that because of the MSBA’s positive and favorable outlook on the anticipated 50-year life of the new renovation project and their equally favorable view of the expected graduation of hundreds of students due to the anticipated renovation, this meant that any piece-meal funding requests would have to start back at Stage 1. Because of the student overcrowding issues as well as the extraordinary amount of repairs necessary to the roof, windows, and boilers, repair funds would not be readily available even under an “accelerated repair” program.

The committee also approved the SPED program improvement grant; approved  field trips for Health Assisting, Cosmetology, English, and Soccer Team Banquet; surplus equipment disposal; as well as acceptance of the superintendent’s goals. Additionally, the committee approved an outside masonry project for the Southern Worcester County Visiting Nurse’s Assoc. in Webster MA. The repair costs for two stonewalls will be borne by the VNA.

Thursday vote decides expansion and renovation

By Patriot staff

REGION – Voters of the ten towns in the Bay Path Regional Vocational School district will go to the polls on Thursday to make the decision on a $73.8 million expansion and renovation  project. The expansion plan calls for the addition of 50,000 square feet for new classroom space and seven science labs to accommodate a student population that has increased to more than1,100 from 850 when the school was built 40 years ago.  The renovations are needed to upgrade existing shops, classrooms, library and media center. The building also needs roof repairs, new HVAC systems, new windows, modification for handicapped accessibility, hazardous materials abatement, and code and energy updates.

The Massachusetts School building Authority (MSBA) will reimburse 63% of the cost, leaving the ten towns in the district to pay the remaining $27.3 million. The towns are expected to raise the money with a debt exclusion.

Webster's share will be $3.36 million, which is calculated to cost the average homeowner $10.97 in fiscal year 2014 and rising to a maximum of $33.73 in future years. Webster has 131 students attending Bay Path. The costs are based on a conservative 5% interest rate.

Dudley's share is $2.83 million, with an average homeowner cost cost of $16.15 in FY 2014, rising to a  maximum of $49.64. The town has 128 students attending Bay Path.

Oxford's share is $3.31 million, with an average homeowner cost of $12.90 in FY 2014, rising to a maximum of $33.73 in future years. Oxford has 143 students at Bay Path.

Selectmen in Oxford have said they back the project. In Dudley, selectmen have said they support the project personally, but will let residents make their own decisions. In Webster, chairman of the Board of Selectmen Don Bourque has stated that he supports the project. In the spring, seven of the ten towns, including Webster, Dudley, and Oxford, rejected the proposal at their town meetings, leading to tomorrow's district-wide election.

Not everyone agrees that the project as planned is the right one. A Vote No to $73M committee, founded by Steven Maher of Auburn, maintains that the cost is excessive and that many of the repairs needed can be done through a recently established MSBA program called Accelerated Repair. This program provides funding reimbursement for major repairs such as new roofs and heating systems. The scope is broad enough to encompass some of the needed repairs at Bay Path, but it is not clear that it could include all aspects, the handicapped accessibility requirements, for example.

In answer to a request, Dan Collins, spokesman for the MSBA, said that the MSBA has approved only the $73.8 million capital project, and that it could not address “what if” questions should the project fail to receive the necessary majority vote.

The cost for the basic necessary repairs is estimated at $15.8 million, which, without including any state contribution, would cost the towns half of the larger capital project. However, it would not address the much needed expansion for the increased enrollment. Mr. Maher suggested that modular classrooms could be utilized. However, their average life is just fifteen years, and the issue would have to be  addressed again then.

John Lafleche, superintendent of Bay Path, has said the comprehensive project will serve the ten communities' need for vocational education for “another 50 years.”

The polls will be open from noon to 8:00 p.m. in Auburn, Charlton, Dudley, North Brookfield, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer, and Webster.

SOUTHBRIDGE, MA. Kathleen Walker of Charlton, candidate for the 6^th Worcester District state representative’s seat last week sent a letter to Representative Peter Durant (R-Spencer) challenging him to four debates – one in each town in the District: Dudley, Southbridge, Charlton, and Spencer.

Rep. Durant said he is willing to debate Ms. Walker, and that their offices are negotiating the details of a debate scheduled for Oct. 9 in Charlton. Mr. Durant said he will insist the that the campaign mutually agree on an independent  moderator and that questions be screened by that moderator.

In her request, Ms. Walker wrote, “On behalf of my desire to see that the voters in this district have the best possible information with which to choose who should represent them at the State House in Boston in the coming term, I challenge you to four debates – one to be held in each of the communities in our district.”

Walker added that she is looking forward to a clean, fair, issues focused campaign and hopes that no one gets in the way of voters seeking to cast their ballot at the polls on November 6.

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