Ask Aunt Laura
Ask Aunt Laura – Using Your Head with your Key Fob
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This fun fact will help you double the range your key fob will work!
Bedford
Strict Rules for High School Spring Sports
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As Bedford High School coaches and student-athletes prepare for the abbreviated spring interscholastic season, they are discovering that the rules of the contests are almost unchanged from the last time they competed two years ago.
Almost all of the adjustments to the continuing threat of Covid-19 are in the protocols and routines.
Bedford
Planning Board Approves Special Permit for Non-Conforming Facade Size at 310 The Great Road
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The Planning Board has approved a special permit for a non-conforming façade size on a proposed three-story mixed-use building proposed at 310 The Great Road, currently the site of the closed Papa Gino’s.
The special permit waives the minimum requirement for the width of the front façade. As the plan shows, the facade makes up approximately 57 percent of the lot frontage while The Great Road Shawsheen zoning district requires 60 percent.
Board members took the action at an April 13 site-plan review and public hearing. The review is scheduled to continue at a virtual meeting on April 27.
THIS WEEK: Curbside Yard Waste Collection ~ April 20 to 23
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Bedford’s spring curbside yard waste collection begins Tuesday, April 20, and runs through Friday, April 23. Residents should place the yard waste out at the curb in tall paper bags or open barrels with no lids by 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Patriots Day, 2021 ~ An Abbreviated Observance
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On Patriots Day morning, past captains of the Bedford Minuteman Company gathered informally at Willson Park to honor Captain Jonathan Willson, the only Bedford soldier who did not return from the Concord Fight on April 19, 1775.
How did Bedford Residents Weather the Last Year Financially?
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A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey found that 15% of Americans are worse off financially than they were a year ago.
Community News
Rain! Sleet! Snow? SNOW!
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Early morning weather reports predicted heavy rain from a Nor’easter passing through Bedford on Friday, April 16, with snow falling in the higher elevations of Worcester County and into New Hampshire.
The best-laid plans can change, and they did this morning.
Curbside Yard Waste Collection ~ Next Week ~ April 20-23
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Bedford’s spring curbside yard waste collection begins Tuesday, April 20, and runs through Friday, April 23.
Residents should place the yard waste out at the curb in tall paper bags or open barrels with no lids by 7 a.m. Tuesday. Republic’s employees will not remove bags that are line up along a driveway.
Acceptable yard waste for curbside collection consists of leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, garden trimmings, and tree material up to one inch (1”) in diameter.
Bedford
Building Bridges Initiative Works to Connect City Kids, Suburban Kids, and Families
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Six months after its founding by a core of Bedford educators and volunteers, Boston Bridges Initiative (BBI) is already assembling an array of accomplishments.
The nonprofit organization awards grants that support local efforts to create social programs between city and suburban kids and their families. The goal is “to foster lasting friendships and dialogue among students and families within racially diverse communities.”
On the ground floor were former Bedford Superintendent of Schools Jon Sills, METCO Director Akil Mondesir, Bedford METCO parent Jessica Castro, and Kimberley Anderson, co-founder of Bedford’s Parent Diversity Council.
2020 COVID-19
School Committee Praises Superintendent Conrad
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The School Committee Tuesday took a few minutes to laud first-year Superintendent of Schools Philip Conrad for his performance.
After he spent several minutes updating the committee on progress toward professional goals for the year, committee members took turns thanking and saluting Conrad.
Considering that his tenure has been shadowed by the Covid-19 virus and all of its consequences, “I’m impressed that you have managed to get this much done,” said committee member JoAnn Santiago.
Extra, Extra!
An Introduction to Lacrosse for Little Lax’ers
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Bedford Youth Lacrosse / Scoops Lacrosse offer a vacation week introduction to lacrosse for the youngest athletes.
Bedford
A Community Cleanup Day ~ Sunday, May 2 from 2 to 4 pm Coordinated by Revise, Inc.
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A Bedford business is coordinating a community cleanup day, planned for Sunday, May 2, from noon to 4 p.m.
Revise Inc., the Mass Save home performance contractor at 131 The Great Road, has been working with various organizations and arms of town government for several weeks in preparation for the first town-wide cleanup in many years.
2020 COVID-19
Now What? Helping Families Manage Emotionally During Uncertain Times ~ A Webinar for Parents in Two Sessions
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The Health Departments in Concord, Bedford, and Carlisle, in collaboration with the Bedford Public Schools Counseling Department and Center for Parents and Teachers, offer a free parent education program: Now What? Helping Families Manage Emotionally During Uncertain Times! an online webinar presented by nationally renowned author, speaker, and therapist Lynn Lyons, LICSW
2020 COVID-19
Superintendent’s Update ~ New Positive Covid Case at JGMS~ April 16, 2021
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April 16, 2021
* One (1) new COVID-19 positive case at JGMS School (JGMS case #22). No close contacts.
* There are currently (2) active COVID-19 cases in the JGMS community at this time.
* This case does not appear to be connected or related to previous cases identified in the schools.
* Please consider signing up your child for pooled testing so we can identify asymptomatic cases: Bedford Pooled Testing Sign Up.
Superintendent Conrad’s Friday Update – April 16, 2021
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The Superintendent of Schools’ newsletter update for Friday, April 16, 2021, includes a wide variety of information.
2020 COVID-19
Parents Hear Bedford High School’s April 26 Reopening Plans
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Bedford High School leadership is leaving no stone unturned in its preparation for full reopening planned for April 26.
But there’s only so much school officials can do to deter the spread of the coronavirus. For maximum safety, it will take “collective responsibility.”
That message was delivered during a Zoom webinar for BHS parents and caregivers Wednesday, presented by Principal Heather Galante, Assistant Principals Thomas Casey and Daniel Hudder, and Brian DeChellis of the Counseling Department.
Community News
Patriots Day, 2021 ~ A Virtual Celebration Presented by the April 19 History Coalition
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April 19, 1775, saw the gathering of thousands of Massachusetts militia to repel the march of British soldiers into the interior of Massachusetts in search of a cache of arms and munition. For generations since thousands of Americans have traditionally gathered along this same route to commemorate the events of the day and the sacrifice of those brave men and women who took part.
The Covid-19 pandemic prevents such gatherings for the second time in two years, but a new coalition, the April 19th History Coalition, has formed to engage Americans for the purpose of commemorating the events of that day.
Bedford
Real Estate Transfers ~ March 2021
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Please join us in bidding adieu to the sellers and welcoming Bedford’s newest residents. The Bedford Citizen posts real estate transfers through an agreement with The Warren Group.
Extra, Extra!
The Library’s Great Squirrel Caper
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On a recent Monday morning, staff members were surprised to find a furry visitor in the Children’s room.
How the squirrel got in is somewhat of a mystery but it may have snuck in while the Facilities Department was working on the building.
Good News! Library Planning for Gradual Opening in May
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Director Richard Callaghan outlined plans for “restricted” access to the building at Tuesday’s meeting of the Trustees of the Bedford Free Public Library.
Phase One is to make the computers, printers, and study carrels available to users, with May 13 as the target date for this service. The Library staff is keenly aware of the need to begin providing these services to residents who may not have internet access at home. To make an appointment patrons may call the Library at 781-275-9440 and press 3 for the Reference Desk. Patrons will also be able to email the Reference Department at bedmail1@minlib.net. The hours will likely be mornings from 10 a.m. to noon and afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Director emphasized that safety for both patrons and staff is paramount. Many staff members have not yet been vaccinated, so caution is the watchword. Outdoor curbside pickup of Library materials, which resumed on April 5, will continue into the future. This service has proven so popular with users that Callaghan sees it continuing even though, as the building gradually reopens, the need for it may dwindle over time.
Extra, Extra!
Happy Birthday to the New Kids at Chip-in Farm
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The goat population at Chip-in Farms increased by four when two mama goats each gave birth to twins on April 15. Mamas and kids are resting comfortably.
METCO Program Director Relays Parents’ Concerns to School Committee
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Several parents of Bedford METCO students are anxious that if there is a Covid-19 outbreak in a school, their children will be blamed, program director Akil Mondesir told the School Committee Tuesday.
Particularly when the city was a hot spot, “Even with the understanding and appreciation for all of the principals and teachers, a lot of those concerns grew as the parents saw Boston numbers grow,” Mondesir reported.
He never suggested that there was actual finger-pointing. “A lot of my parents truly appreciate all the work by the administration, the School Committee, and the town. They wanted me to make sure this message is relayed to everyone. Their concerns are the same as everybody else’s.”
2020 COVID-19
School Committee Hears Plans for Elementary Summer School Program
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The Bedford Public Schools will sponsor a four-week morning summer school program for up to 200 elementary school children who are assessed as having suffered “learning loss” during this academic year.
School Committee members heard the details from Assistant Superintendent Tricia Clifford at their meeting Tuesday. And they urged the administration to investigate summer programming for older students as well.
Bedford
Letter to the Editor: Don’t Ban Leaf Blowers!
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It doesn’t really work to ban leaf blowers. People want their walkways and driveways cleared and tidy and a leaf blower is an effective time-saving tool for that job. Even if residents manage to ban leaf blowers for certain times it’s a nightmare to enforce, as evidenced in Newton and Cambridge. So the easiest solution is to replace the noisy gas-powered leaf blowers with quiet electric blowers.
Community News
Tips for COVID-19 Talks with Friends & Family
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COVID-19 vaccines are new, and it’s normal for people to have questions about them. The sheer amount of information and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines can be overwhelming to anyone. You can help friends and family make an informed decision regarding their health by following the tips below.