News
Narcotics Dog Takes a Bow at Nashoba
By Ann Needle
The human cooing that greeted a guest canine at Nashoba Regional High School on March 4 could make an unsuspecting visitor believe they were dropped into a dog show. Actually, it was a show—state police were recently showing off just how a narcotics-sniffing dog can, very effectively, hunt down illegal substances at the high school.
Nashoba Approves the Budget
By Ann Needle
After a public hearing that drew few comments, the Nashoba School Committee officially approved its proposed budget last night, which comes in now at under $50 million. Meanwhile, some parents — especially in Stow — continue to question one of those spending items.
School Needs Discussed at Tri-Town
By Ann Needle
The short- and long-term needs of the Nashoba Regional School District were the spotlight of last Wednesday’s Tri-Town meeting at Thayer Library in Lancaster. Officials from Nashoba’s three towns, along with several Nashoba School Committee members, also heard highlights of some major financial changes in store for Minuteman High School.
Forecast Calls for Cleanup, Conservation
By Rob Kean
March has arrived roarless but bearing an ice-covered mane just the same, a lion merely halfway between groundhog and lamb. Still, with talk of spring being right around the corner, several Stow groups are already looking ahead to what lies beneath the snow when it finally melts.
Nashoba Looks at Trimming Budget
By Ann Needle
Talk of compromise and reductions for the proposed +$50 million school budget filled last night’s School Committee meeting. Both the school administration and the Committee searched out other routes to savings for 2014/15.
Weather Dissected
By Nancy Arsenault
Polar Vortex. Snow & Ice Account. Mesoscale Banding. Yes, those are all terms that should be familiar to readers by now – well, maybe not mesoscale banding.
Nashoba Kindergarten to Go Full Day
By Ann Needle
A busy Nashoba School Committee meeting last night was highlighted by a decision on whether to make all district kindergarten classes full day.
After almost 90 minutes of debate among Committee and audience members, the Committee voted 5 to 1 (plus 2 abstentions) to fund the cost for converting all Nashoba kindergarten classes into full-day sessions. Though Nashoba has offered full-day kindergarten for the past few years, some kindergarten classes were still half day. Meanwhile, the waiting lists grew for full day spaces.
Gun Laws Explained at TAGSC Meeting
By Ellen Oliver
The details and intricacies of Massachusetts gun laws, including the possession, transportation and storage of guns in the Commonwealth, were explained on Thursday night at the South Hangar of Minute Man Air Field in Stow.
The information was presented by Jon Green, Director of Education and Training of the Gun Owners’ Action League (GOAL) and sponsored by The Assabet Gun Safety Coalition.
Nashoba Calls for 3.7% Budget Hike
By Ann Needle
Nashoba District administration proposed a $50.5 million budget for the 2014/15 school year at last night’s School Committee meeting. This would be a hike of just over 3.7% from the current year’s budget, not including offsets such as grants.
The proposed hike is slightly less than the 3.9% hike proposed for 2013/14. However, as in previous years, the final budget for this school year ended up with a smaller increase of 3.14% once staff and the School Committee finished compromising over the numbers.
New Coalition Hosts Gun Safety Seminar
By Nancy Arsenault
There’s a new organization in the area determined to make a public statement regarding gun control and gun safety. “We are not all criminals because we have guns,” said Stow resident Craig Schomp, who feels gun legislation should not be designed in a manner that automatically treats gun owners as if they are criminals or suspected criminals. “We are people who like to hunt, trap, shoot clay pigeons and we have families and jobs just like everyone else.”