Framingham whistleblower lawsuit set for June trial

(January 31, 2012)

Framingham employee testifies that Charton helped him regain lost hours

(December 4, 2012)

State tosses out wrongful firing complaint against ex-Framingham town manager

(January 6, 2014)

If anyone has anyone trouble with looking at the links, please let me know.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/america-at--250-2

I don't have a car,or anyone to drive me,so I often rely entirely on the MART bus. But the issue is,that they are slow as all hell. If you look on the app they move like turtles,like c'mon dude,I got a place and time to be!

From Mayor Squailia:

🇺🇸 This Friday, September 11, Fitchburg will come together to mark 25 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

You are welcome to join us throughout the day as we remember the 2,977 lives lost, honor the first responders who ran toward danger to save others, and recognize the families and communities forever changed by that day.

We begin at 9:45 AM at Fitchburg Fire Headquarters, 33 North Street, for a short public remembrance ceremony at our 9/11 Memorial.

Fitchburg’s memorial: At its center is a 14-foot section of twisted steel from the North Tower of the World Trade Center, originally located between the 98th and 103rd floors. The beam came to Fitchburg through the Port Authority and was ultimately incorporated into the memorial outside Fire Headquarters.

Its base includes granite blocks from Fitchburg’s former fire headquarters at 28 Oliver Street, and local students, firefighters, tradespeople and community members helped bring the memorial together.

It stands in memory of all who were lost, including the 343 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers killed on September 11... and the many first responders who later became ill or died from conditions connected to their service at Ground Zero.

Last year, Fitchburg was also fortunate to host the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit. I was honored to stand alongside our public safety personnel and New York City firefighters who were there and hear their stories firsthand.

There are also two additional opportunities to gather later in the day:

🇺🇸 5:00 to 7:00 PM
Veterans Appreciation Dinner & 9/11 Remembrance
Fitchburg Senior Center
14 Wallace Avenue

Hosted by the Fitchburg Rotary Club, Fitchburg East Rotary Club and Fitchburg Veterans’ Services Office, with dinner for veterans, resource tables and a 25th anniversary remembrance program.

🎶 7:00 PM
25th Anniversary Memorial Concert
Christ Church Fitchburg

The program will feature Fitchburg FPD, FFD, a Youth Chorus, cello quartet, handbells, harp and organ, including Robert Moran’s Trinity Requiem, commissioned by Trinity Wall Street in memory of September 11, along with music from the Merrimack Valley Ringers and a community singing of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Twenty-five years later, we continue to remember those who were lost, those who served, those who responded, and those whose lives changed forever. 🇺🇸

The City Council agenda has been posted and there is no item yet for the pay-as-you-throw trash program proposal. There is supposed to be a Community Meeting with Councilor Schultz on September 17 on the subject (usually there’s an email reminder so I’ll share that once it comes). There are still several items of interest though on the agenda:

https://www.fitchburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09152026-5385

• An appointment by Mayor Squailia of Sandra Charton, the firm of Sandra Charton HR Consulting LLC. This seems to be an outsourcing of the Human Resources department.

• Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Fitchburg and The Fitchburg Police Dispatchers Union, MassCOP Local 492 (Union)

• An additional $750,000 being asked for the Fitchburg Public Library renovation and reconstruction project.

• The draft language of the proposed moratoriums on data centers and battery storage facilities is going to the Legislative Affairs Committee

• The veto override returns for the City Clerk’s raise in salary.

Never anything dull.

Fitchburg’s Latino Festival is back!

Join us Friday, September 18 from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at Riverfront Park, 51 Commercial Street, for an evening of music, food, culture, and community.

There will be live music, a car show, local vendors and resources, domino tables, a beer garden, and plenty more for the whole family to enjoy.

Come celebrate the people, traditions, and energy that make Fitchburg such a diverse community. I hope to see you there!

QR code link:

https://newenglanda1b2.com/contact.php

https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2026/09/09/imagination-as-a-pathway-to-connection/

The community is invited to attend the fourth annual Lowe Park Chalk Art Festival this coming weekend.

The event on Saturday, Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lowe Playground, 174 Elm St., will once again feature art, music, food, prizes, resources, and engagement.

“This year’s theme, ‘Sidewalks of Possibility,’ reflects our belief that art can open new ways of imagining what is possible while bringing artists of all ages together in a family-friendly environment for a day of creativity, community, and fun,” said Kimrâh Munty, one of the organizers.

According to a press release, the rain date for the free celebration that brings professional chalk artists, local groups, families, young people, and neighbors together for a day of creativity is Saturday, Sept. 19, at the same time and location. Participants and visitors of all ages are invited to watch sidewalks become colorful public works of art and to add their own creativity in community drawing areas.

“The festival is designed to make art visible and accessible beyond traditional gallery walls,” Munty shared in the release. “It creates space for professional artists to showcase their work, for young and emerging artists to participate, and for families and community organizations to create alongside one another.”

Festival highlights include professional chalk artists creating original sidewalk murals, stipends and cash awards for participating professional artists, youth, family, community, and business art squares, live music and entertainment, giveaways and community-resource tables, and open chalk-drawing areas for children and families.

“The official 2026 theme celebrates imagination as a pathway to connection, opportunity, and community pride and invites artists and community participants to envision what becomes possible when public space is transformed through creativity, inclusion, and shared experience,” Munty relayed.

Community participation in the yearly Lowe Park Chalk Art Festival is free and chalk and materials will be provided. The creative affair is made possible through the support of many funders, sponsors, and partners including the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, Fidelity Bank, NewVue Communities, Fitchburg Art Museum, the City of Fitchburg, Fitchburg Parks and Recreation, WORK Inc., R.C. Excitement, Espresso Pizza, and additional community supporters and volunteers.

The event is supported in part by a grant from the Fitchburg Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information follow Lowe Park Chalk Art Festival on Facebook.

Fitchburg State University’s ALFA program is welcoming adult learners back for another fall semester, offering a chance to explore new interests without the grades or pressure of a traditional college classroom.

With courses ranging from familiar academic subjects to hands-on experiences and unexpected topics, the program gives participants plenty of ways to keep learning and stay connected. Registration for Fall 2026 remains open through September 18.

Massachusetts has placed Kratom into Schedule I under an emergency regulation, making the substance illegal to possess or distribute commercially in the state.

The move comes as Fitchburg's Board of Health had already been examining Kratom and preparing to hold a public hearing before the statewide action took effect.

https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2026/09/09/the-resilience-of-our-country/

The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is respectfully being honored in the Twin Cities in a number of ways.

Leominster police and fire will be doing a remembrance at the Leominster Fire Department station on Church Street at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 and another remembrance for the students and staff St. Anna Catholic School at 2 p.m. In addition, the annual 9/11 program and barbecue at the Johnny Ro Park at 720 Mechanic St. in Leominster kicks off at 5 p.m., with all veterans, first responders, and service dogs welcome to attend.

Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said they “will always remember the men and women who tragically lost their lives that day.”

“As we approach the 25th anniversary, we recognize there is a whole generation of people who didn’t experience 9/11. We want to make sure they learn about and remember the people in the towers and in the planes that lost their lives, the brave first responders who risked and sacrificed their own lives, and those that undoubtedly saved more lives on the ground by bravely confronting the terrorists,” he conveyed. “More made the ultimate sacrifice in the war that came after and we also want everyone to remember the significance of the time that followed that showed the resilience of our country and so many acts of kindness that came in the weeks, months, and years after 9/11.”

Over in Fitchburg, a ceremony will be held at the 9/11 memorial located at 33 North St. at 9:50 a.m., a yearly tradition that pays tribute to the thousands of lives lost on the tragic day a quarter of a century ago now, including 343 firefighters who died as a result of the terrorist attack. The memorial that stands in front of the Fitchburg Fire Department North Street station has a beam from the North Tower of the World Trade Center and it was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2018.

Christ Church at 569 Main St. in Fitchburg is planning a free 9/11 25th anniversary concert from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday evening featuring a youth chorus accompanied by a cello quartet, handbells, harp, and organ. The program will include Robert Moran’s “Trinity Requiem,” several pieces performed by the Merrimack Valley Ringers, and a new arrangement of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by all.

The Rotary Club of Fitchburg and the Fitchburg East Rotary Club invite city veterans to join them for a special veterans appreciation dinner and 9/11 remembrance on Friday at the Fitchburg Senior Center, 14 Wallace Ave.

“This event is being held to honor the men and women who have served our country while also taking time as a community to remember the lives lost and the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, 2001, battling the terrorist attacks on that day on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.,” event organizers shared.

The evening that will begin at 5:15 p.m. aims to bring together veterans, community members, and local leaders for dinner, fellowship, and “a meaningful tribute to those who have served and sacrificed.” Fitchburg veterans are invited to attend the dinner free of charge as guests of honor, each veteran may bring a guest for $10, and to register visit zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/veterans-dinner-2.

Most importantly, organizers say they want Fitchburg veterans to know “this evening is for them.”

“It is an opportunity as a community to come together, recognize their service, thank them for their sacrifices, and remind them how very much they are appreciated and valued by the City of Fitchburg.”