Originally, the Depatment of Transportation planned on having the Downtown Improvement Project for Northborough completed in March. As Town Engineer Fred Litchfield remarked at the Board of Selectmen meeting Monday night, "I don't know who would plan to complete a project in March in New England ... but it is now July." Litchfield, provided an update to the board on the project, which is a multi-faceted effort to reconfigure and update downtown Northborough that began in full force last spring. With questions and confusion from residents ranging from issues on poles in the road, streets …

As we head into spring (though it may not feel like it), families—especially kids—already have their eye on summer. That means cooking outside, vacations and ... summer break from school. But Northborough joined many surrounding communities this school year, having to cancel quite a few days due to snowstorms and the havoc they wreak. So, when, you ask, is the last day of school now? The official word from Superintendent of Schools Charles Gobron: Wednesday, June 26. But it's not as bad as it sounds. With five built-in snow days to the school calendar, originally, Tuesday, June 25, was the …

In August, two suspects pled not guilty to murder charges stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred at Motel 6 in Northborough. James Howze, 20, and Lara Cori, 22, both of 37 Harvard St., Providence, were charged with the murder of Joseph Webster, a Worcester man whose last known whereabouts was at Motel 6 with Howze and Cori in March. Many have asked, "what is the latest on this murder case?" Howze and Cori last appeared in Worcester Superior Court on Feb. 11, and will next appear before the judge on April 29, according to Tim Connolly, spokesperson for the Worcester District …

One reader, a longtime resident of Northborough, said recently, "For as long as I can remember, there has been scaffolding in front of the old town hall at the center of town (where Zem Han Restaurant sits). Others have asked, "Why is it there?" Northborough Patch asked Town Planner Kathy Joubert, who said, "My understanding has always  been the owner of the building (Tony Kwan) puts up the scaffolding around the building in the winter to help break the fall of any ice that comes off the roof in the winter."

After posting the bylaws on shoveling snow recently, readers (some who have mentioned having an "issue" on the subject) asked us, "Who's supposed to scoop the dog poop?" Simply put, bring a bag, or get a fine. The official pooper scooper bylaw, as submitted by Andy Dowd, town clerk: Canine waste removal/disposal; penalties and authorized enforcement personnel. A. Removal/Disposal It shall be the duty of each person who owns, possesses or control a dog to remove and dispose of any feces left by such dog on any sidewalk, gutter, street, park, cemetery, school yard or other public area or on any…

Athens Pizza, which has been closed since last year, will re-open under new ownership at 292 Main St. On Monday, Nikolaos Kakavitsas was unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen for a common victualler license. Athens Pizza will reopen at the property that was originally the home of Bambini's, which moved to 345 Main St., and is now closed. Athens originally opened in 2006 before closing in 2012. 

Barring any more snowstorms, snowblasts, snowthunder, heavy rain, sleet, hail or power outages, the Northborough Public Schools has its last day of school on Monday, June 24. That is a half day of school, as well. 

Why do we have three lights, but two lanes? It's one of many questions that have come up concerning the progress, and strange setup, of the Downtown Improvement Project. While Fred Litchfield, the town's engineer who is most familiar with this project that is headed by the Department of Transportation, wasn't at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday night, Chief Mark Leahy was able to field a question. It's a question many readers have asked, as well, and Selectman Leslie Rutan brought it to the table during her regular report.  "When you're heading down Route 20 going east," she said, "…

Work on the Downtown Improvement Project, conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, will stop through the cold months, and continue through spring, according to an update yesterday from the town. At a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, Town Engineer came armed with a large map. With details of the Downtown Improvement Project at the ready, Litchfield fielded quite a few questions from Selectmen, many of whom were relaying concerns from residents. While Litchfield had responses for all, he repeated two statements: "This is a state project" and "they are still tweaking things…

A new generator at the Melican Middle School won't just power the store; it'll be a source of power for the town during an emergency.  A warrant article to replace the old, inefficient generator at the Melican school was approved by voters during the April 2012 town meeting, for $400,000. And according to an update given at the Northborough-Southborough School Committee, the replacement is in process. The concrete pad for the generator has been poured, and the underground work has been completed. Cheryl Levesque, business manager for the schools, said the generator is on order and …

Musician Bill McCarthy had just kicked off his new series of open mics at Guiseppe's Grille on Wednesday night, only to have to shut down early. Others Tweeted, wondering why their water was weak, and then ... off. Guiseppe's, along with others in the neighborhood, lost its water supply around 10 p.m. after a car struck a fire hydrant on Solomon Pond Road, right near the restaurant. The Water Department is on the scene and repairs are underway, according to Police Chief Mark Leahy, who added that he does not know when the repair will be completed. There were no injuries in the crash. 

A number of readers have messaged and Tweeted us, asking, "NorthboroPatch what was that giant convoy through downtown all about just now? 30+ cruisers blocking traffic, tractor trailers, etc." Checking with Northborough police, the department said perhaps the traffic was related to an incident involving a woman who accidentally drove on to the railroad tracks. Nope. It was more than that, insisted readers. There were little yellow escort cars, state police blocking traffic, and a "line of cruisers." The escort, according to Massachusetts State Police, went through Northborough on Monday, Dec…

National Grid is ready to respond to any power outages that may occur as aresult of the high winds, heavy rain, and even some heavy wet snow from a nor’easter that will affect Massachusetts and Rhode Island today and overnight tonight, the company stated in a press release issued on Wednesday. It added that "more than 500 National Grid and supplemental line and tree crews are available and ready to respond quickly to any storm-related outages, along with more than 200 'wires-down' personnel. With the first snowflakes headed our way, and off the heels of yet another power-knocking storm two …

When a lot of us were growing up, trick-or-treating was always on Halloween, and always after-dark. But many communities now celebrate the holiday on different nights, depending on the weather, or the day of the week that Halloween falls on. And the start time seems to be shifting closer to daylight hours. A reader recently asked the obvious question: what time and date is Trick or Treating in Northborough? The answer: it's on Halloween, which this year falls on Wednesday, Oct. 31. And if you're like many parents of small children, you'll start them out about 6 p.m. And if you're like most, …

On Wednesday morning, Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as email, buzzed with the question, "Why are there helicopters overhead? What is going on?" Some mentioned that the helicopters were over the Melican Middle School, certainly always a cause for concern ... or curiosity. Northborough police noted that National Grid had sent an alert indicating the company would be doing fly-overs to check power lines on Wednesday. A call to National Grid contradicted the information, as a spokesperson indicated that, "We had nothing in the Northborough area today. There were some in Lawrence, but not …

Those who drive Route 20 are wondering, "What is that building that is going up across from Freshway Pizza?" Northborough doctor John Stevenson is moving his practice, which includes a small staff of three to four people, to the location at 162 Main St. In March, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the demolition of the structure that previously sat there to make room for this one-story medical office building. Hours of operation will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the entrance and parking will be located at the rear of the building.  Let Patch save you time. Get great …

The Downtown Construction Project, while upon completion will bring a more easily navigated, slicker, center area to town, has certainly slowed traffic and caused some gridlock. People who frequently travel through want to know, "When will it officially be completed?" Dawn Rand, selectmen, asked the same thing during a board meeting this week. "Most of the inconventient work will occur and be taken care of through the fall," said Town Administrator John Coderre, "but there will be some final work in the spring." There you have it. Completion of the project is planned for spring of 2013. The …

Submitted by AT&T  AT&T has turned on its 4G LTE network in Worcester and a number of surrounding communities, including Northborough, bringing customers the latest generation of wireless network technology. Several of the benefits AT&T 4G LTE provides include: ·       Faster speeds. LTE technology is capable of delivering mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. Customers can stream, download, upload and game faster than ever before. ·       Cool new devices. AT&T offers several LTE-compatible devices, including new AT&T 4G LTE smartphones and tablets, such as the HTC One™ X, …

A series of critical violations during a health inspection last month forced Health Agent Jamie Terry to close down Sea Dog Steak & Ale for a day. Terry identified ten health code critical food violations, which included cockroaches, cross-contamination risks and stale foods, as were identified in a report filed on July 19. "I noticed cockroaches in two different locations," said Terry. Closing the establishment immediately, Advanced Pest Solutions was called right away and came in to de-fog. A follow up on July 20 revealed that there were "no visible signs of cockroach activity, and all …

First, some wondered what was going to happen to the beatiful stones from the wall in front of Trinity Church after it was dismantled as part of the Downtown Improvement Project presently happening in and around the center of Northborough. That has been reconstructed, as promised. Northborough Patch readers have now been wondering, "What's happening with the telephone poles in front of the church?" One reader wrote, "I rather suspect someone did a bad measuring job for the location of the new rock wall in front of the church parking lot. They just relocated the new telephone poles so that …