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Category Archives: Hometown News

December snow brings community outdoors

This snowboarder drew plenty of intrigued looks every time he went off a jump he’d made at Needham High.

By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter

Because of COVID-19 and the subsequent social distancing protocols enacted to slow its spread, this year, partaking in outdoor...

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Backyard Files: who?

By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Editor

Before I start, I'm going to have to apologize in advance for the amount of onomatopoeia in this story. Typically, I'm not one who relishes rendering (or reading) abstract sounds in print, but really, there's no other option here. How else is one to describe...

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Hometown Weekly voters head to polls

A Biden supporter stands just outside of the senior center on Ice House Road.

By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter

While record numbers of Bay Staters voted in the November 3 election by mail due to COVID-19, scores of voters still headed to the polls...

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A Different Kind of #MeToo

As Bob Dylan presciently sang so many years ago, “the times they are a changing.” Our times have certainly changed in so many ways as of late. We can engage in fair debate whether all of these changes are for the better, but one such awareness, that of sexual predation in our society,...

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Northeast Coonhound Rescue reacts to pandemic

By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff

When the coronavirus first hit Massachusetts, many rescues realized that they would have to change their normal line of operations until conditions allowed them to resume a semi-normal state. However, as the rest of the world has shifted, so has the day to day work...

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Social Distance Files: Independence Day

By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Editor

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;

For years, July 4 has lulled us into a sense of almost patriotic routine. We know the day, its festivities and rituals so well that its trappings have...

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Social Distance Files: one for the birds

'I have a local resident through which you can live vicariously this summer: the ruby-throated hummingbird.'

By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Editor

Social distancing and quarantining were always going to be difficult. 

It was far easier to stomach, though, during the gray,...

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Local seniors graduate amid pandemic

By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff

Graduating seniors around the country have watched as traditional celebrations, graduations, and even their final days of school have been cancelled as a result of COVID-19. But like everyone, they have grieved, persevered, and created new ways to celebrate amid the ongoing situation. It is...

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‘We Did It For You!’ to live-stream

The California cast of “We Did It For You!” stands behind the play’s creator, Thea Iberall.

The coronavirus has changed the way we interact with each other. Theatre is no different. As a result, the producers of "We Did It For You! Women's Journey Through History" have...

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Summer American Legion baseball cancelled

By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor

The sports world continues to take hits every day due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, it was announced that the state of Massachusetts has cancelled the 2020 summer American Legion baseball season, effective immediately. Legion coaches were notified via email on Monday. 

Relay For Life going virtual

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, previously-scheduled Relay For Life live events across Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire through June have suspended. Many now have moved online, and are participating on Sunday, June 7, in a virtual experience called Hope From Home. Participants may register for their local event at http://RelayForLife.org and then on...

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NAMI announces virtual Family Support Groups

The virtual NAMI Family Support Group will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. using zoom.us, so the next one will be on Tuesday, May 12. NAMI will offer this until in-person meetings are again possible. This group is for caregivers of persons with mental illness. Visit namimass.org...

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Social Distance Files: a new normal

By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Editor

April 29.

A little over a month ago, just as social distancing in Massachusetts became the law of the land, I set out for a drive around Hometown Weekly’s communities. The aim was to take in the changes that had occurred, and...

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STC schedules May 6 webinar

Save the Children (STC), Boston Leadership Council has announced a live webinar on Wednesday, May 6, from 7:00-7:45 p.m., to raise critically needed funds for the U.S. and global response to COVID-19.

The Boston Leadership Council will welcome three experts from Save the Children to lead the discussion: Carolyn Miles,...

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MIAA spring season officially cancelled

By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor

Governor Baker announced on April 21 that all K-12 schools and non emergency childcare programs will remain closed until at least the end of the school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes all public, private and charter schools in the state of Massachusetts (MIAA, ISL,...

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Real estate evolves during coronavirus crisis

By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter

From sports to restaurants, hospitals to universities, every business in America has been significantly altered by COVID-19 and the social distancing rules it’s necessitated. Real estate has been far from immune from these radical changes, with agents significantly altering the ways they buy and sell...

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Pet rescues face COVID challenges

By Amelia Tarallo

Hometown Weekly Staff

Many events, activities, and businesses have been closed as a result of the COVID-19. While most people seem to be aware of the things that affect their day-to-day life, the absence of some other services may have gone completely unnoticed to...

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Caregiving and COVID-19

Tips for people with vulnerable family members

(BPT) - COVID-19 has dramatically shifted daily life for many people around the world. Nobody is immune, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and older adults and individuals with chronic health conditions are at higher risk of getting very...

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Cunning local foxes thrive in winter

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By Lisa Moore Hometown Weekly Correspondent As winter’s icy grip keeps a stranglehold over the region, it is hard to imagine how the many animals that call Massachusetts home survive the winter months when food is scarce and temperatures plummet. One such critter is the wily fox. Two species of fox live and breed in Massachusetts, the...
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The historic cemeteries of Hometown Weekly

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By Amelia Tarallo Hometown Weekly Special Correspondent To many, cemeteries can be haunting places, where constant reminders of mortality loom. To others, cemeteries are places of history, like outdoor museums of sorts, free to those who choose to take a walk around them. Different styles of engravings gives clues about how our ancestors approached death....
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