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Dave Watkins

West Newbury Select Board Bans Anticoagulant Rodenticides on Town Property

WEST NEWBURY -- April 30, 2026, West Newbury Select Board adopts anticoagulant rodenticide ban and clears nine other votes in wide-ranging session. The board, consisting of Chair Wendy Reed and members Barry Fogel and Christopher Wile, unanimously passed a new policy prohibiting anticoagulant rodenticides on all town-owned property, with

Swampscott School Committee Approves 3.25 Percent Budget, Creates Naming Rights Committee

SWAMPSCOTT -- April 30, 2026, Swampscott School Committee seats two new members and confirms 3.25 percent budget increase for fiscal year 2026. The board welcomed Katie Arrington and Martha Caesar at its April 30 meeting at Swampscott High School, with Chair Glenn Pastor noting that 40 percent of the committee

Swampscott Finance Committee Defers $3.5 Million Sewer Project, Backs Solar Canopy Design

SWAMPSCOTT -- April 30, 2026, Swampscott's Finance Committee deferred a $3.5 million sewer main rehabilitation project to December Town Meeting and reversed an earlier vote to recommend a $300,000 solar canopy design article at its April 30 meeting. Town Accountant Patrick Cunningham walked the committee through a

Wilmington School Committee Advances Cell Phone App Pilot for Fall 2026 School Year

NORTH ANDOVER -- April 30, 2026, Wilmington School Committee hears youth survey showing sharp substance use drop, weighs cell phone app pilot. The committee received results from the 2025 Wilmington Public Schools Youth Health Survey at its April 29 meeting, finding that high school lifetime substance use fell by more than

Wilmington School Committee Advances Cell Phone App Pilot for Grades 6 Through 12

NEWBURYPORT -- April 30, 2026, Wilmington School Committee hears alarming mental health gaps for LGBTQ+ students, advances cell phone app pilot. The committee received results from the district's 2025 Youth Health Survey showing that 50 percent of transgender and gender diverse middle school students reported being bullied on school

Newburyport Panel Withdraws Ordinance 218, Sets Five Workshops Before Zoning Vote

NEWBURYPORT -- April 30, 2026, Newburyport's Planning and Development Subcommittee voted unanimously to withdraw Ordinance 218 and extend deliberations on the broader Ordinance 221 through a five-workshop series, with a joint public hearing set for July 15. Chair Ben Harmon outlined the workshops, spanning housing needs, dimensional requirements,

North Andover District and TA Union Square Off Over Hours, Pay in Contract Talks

North Andover's School Committee Negotiations Subcommittee and the teaching assistant union exchanged competing priorities — district flexibility versus living wages — in a second bargaining session April 29.

Wenham ZBA Continues Gordon College Music Center Hearing Pending Drainage Peer Review

WENHAM -- April 29, 2026, Wenham Zoning Board continues Gordon College music center hearing, orders $4,900 drainage review. The Wenham Zoning Board of Appeals heard an initial presentation on Gordon College's proposed Adams Center for Music, a 15,200-square-foot building with a 500-seat performance hall

Newburyport School Committee Approves $47.35 Million FY27 Budget

NEWBURYPORT -- April 29, 2026, Newburyport School Committee approves $47.35 million FY27 budget on a 6-0-1 vote after months of cuts. The committee voted April 29 to send the fiscal year 2027 school budget to Mayor Sean Reardon, setting the city appropriation at $41 million, a 3.88

Hamilton Planning Board Continues Garage Permit, Seeks Legal Clarity on Town Center Bylaw

HAMILTON -- April 29, 2026, Hamilton Planning Board continues its first town center nonconformity case, seeking legal guidance before ruling. The board, newly led by Chair Marnie Crouch and Vice Chair Amel Dahlquist, both elected unanimously at the April 28 meeting, voted 6-0 to continue a special permit application from

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