Pictured at the ribbon cutting event in the front row, left to right, are: Catherine Lawrie Gillespie of State Sen. Richard Ross’s office, Sheila McMahon of Real Living Realty Group, Lisa Perrin of Real Living Realty Group, Mike Colombo of Real Living Realty Group, Matt Kelly of Real Living Realty Group, Arlene Kelly of Real Living Realty Group, Chris Sheehan of Shred-it and Franklin Town Councilor Glenn Jones

The United Regional Chamber organized a ribbon cutting event on Jan. 19 to celebrate the opening of Real Living Realty Group, 233 W. Central Street (Route 140), #2, Franklin. Real Living Realty Group is part of a nationwide network of local experts in real estate and property management. For more information about Real Living Realty Group, visit www.realliving.com. 

Start off the New Year with our new Tutor Refresher Course. Come morning or evening and get reacquainted with adult education. 

You don’t need to participate in all three sessions- sign up for whatever interests you! If you can’t make it to any of the sessions, but would like to resume tutoring, not to worry, just contact volunteer coordinator Beth Gould at bgould@theliteracycenter.com or 508-226-3606 x11.

We hope to see you at the training! Please RSVP by Jan. 13th

Evenings 6:00pm – 8:00pm

 Jan. 17th:  The Adult Learner

 Jan. 23rd:  GED

 Jan. 24th:  ESOL

Mornings:  10am – 12:00pm

 Jan. 19th:  The Adult Learner

 Jan. 25th:  GED

 Jan. 26th:  ESOL 

The Literacy Center
80 North Main St.
Attleboro, Massachusetts 02703
jricci@theliteracycenter.com
508-226-3603

Block Party
Monday, December 26  •  Tuesday, December 27
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Kids mix and match the Museum’s massive collection of colorful building materials!  Stack imaginative blocks of all shapes and sizes to create towering structures, construct room-sized block cities and more.

Sparky’s Puppets
Wednesday, December 28
1:00 & 2:00 PM
Sparky’s Puppets dramatize favorite children’s stories with colorful hand puppets, lively humor and plenty of audience participation.  See playful puppet performances of favorite tales from Aesop’s Fables.  Watch an exciting race between a sassy rabbit and a plodding tortoise.  Meet the country mouse and the city mouse and the grasshopper and the ant.  See what happens to a mischievous boy who cries ‘wolf’ too many times.  Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Rolie Polie Guacamole
Thursday, December 29
1:00 & 2:00 PM
This rock ‘n roll trio from Brooklyn performs humorous original songs from their second album, “Time for Hummus.”  Recommended for ages 3 and up.

The Rhythm Room
Friday, December 30
1:00 & 2:00 PM
The Rhythm Room weaves together the energy and power of world percussion, horns, drums, guitars, piano and keyboard to create rich melodies while providing a visually stimulating experience for audiences of all ages.  Children will be invited to join the band to try out different percussion instruments.  Recommended for ages 3 and up.www.brightnight.org.

Bright Night
Saturday, December 31
Ring in the New Year with Bright Night performances throughout the afternoon!  Sparky’s Puppets perform winter tales at 12:30 & 2:30 PM.  Enjoy concerts by Rock-a-Baby, an interactive and educational music experience for young children, at 1:30 & 3:30 PM.  Museum admission is free for Bright Night wristband wearers from noon to 6:00 PM.  For more information, visit

All programs and performances are free with Museum admission of $8.50 per person; always free for Museum members.  For more information, visit www.ChildrenMuseum.org.

 

Jenna Russell, a 2002 graduate and guidance counselor at Feehan was the very last one in line to have her copy of A Piece of Heaven on Holcott Drive signed by Gazzola.

Bishop Feehan High School longtime English teacher and 1966 graduate Lou Gazzola, took a lunch period during school to sign his collected reflections on Feehan’s first decade entitled A Piece of Heaven on Holcott Drive.

Students, staff, alumni and parents stood in line to have Gazzola personalize each book, many of whom bought multiple copies for family and friends.

“What a tribute it is to the school and to Lou,” said Alumni Director Sue Rojee, “that people took time out of their day to come down to buy the books from Lou personally.” “There are few people who know the history of Bishop Feehan High School better than Lou,” commented good friend and President Chris Servant ‘66, “He has been an integral part of the school’s fifty years.”  

Signed copies are available in the Shamrock Shoppe at Feehan.  

Frederick Moyer

On Saturday, December 10, concert pianist Frederick Moyer makes his debut in the Arts in the Village concert series in Rehoboth. The evening’s program, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will feature beloved classic works by by Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Liszt, among others.

During over 25 years as a full-time concert pianist, Moyer has carved out a vital and unusual career that has taken him to over 40 countries and to such far-flung venues as Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Windsor Castle, and the Kennedy Center. Always creative and engaging, Moyer’s enthusiasm, exacting artistry, and adventurous programming have made him a favorite among audiences of all ages. In recital, his delightful commentary from the stage brings the listeners into the heart of the musical experience.

Moyer was born into an artistic family. On his mother’s side, his grandmother was a poet, and his grandfather Paul Green was a Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright. On his father’s side his grandmother was a singer, and his grandfather was a professor of piano at Oberlin College. Moyer’s father, a trombonist, was a member of the Boston Symphony for 35 years, and his mother was an accomplished pianist, harpsichordist, and singer.

Moyer began playing the piano with his mother at the age of seven. While still in high school, he received a full scholarship to attend the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and later attended Indiana University. Shortly after graduation, a highly acclaimed New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall launched Moyer on a career that has flourished ever since.

He has appeared as piano soloist with orchestras including the Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Minnesota Orchestras; the St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Houston, Boston, Singapore, and Dallas Symphony Orchestras; the Buffalo, Japan, and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras; and the major orchestras of Australia.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Rehoboth Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

This concert will take place on Saturday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m., at Goff Memorial Hall, 124 Bay State Road, in Rehoboth, MA. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and $6 for students and children. Cash and checks only. First come, first seated. For information, please call 508-252-5718; www.carpentermuseum.org/Arts.htm.

The Cancer Center of Memorial Hospital of RI medical staff: Sabrina Witherby, MD; Anthony Thomas, DO, Chief of Hematology/Oncology; Iole Ribbizzi-Akhtar, MD and Adam Olszewski, MD.

Pawtucket, RI – The Cancer Center of Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island has been recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). This program provides a three-year certificate for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet the highest standards for quality cancer care.www.mhri.org.

“This commendation demonstrates our commitment to excellence and compassionate cancer care for our patients,” said Anthony Thomas, DO, Chief of Hematology / Oncology at The Cancer Center of Memorial.

“Cancer patients and their families should expect nothing less than accountability and the highest standards from their cancer care providers,” said Allen S. Lichter, MD, CEO of ASCO and President of the QOPI® Certification Program. “QOPI® participation reflects a commitment to quality of care that leads to fundamental changes in the clinical practice of oncology. Oncology practices that commit to quality and safety are those that provide the most optimal cancer care. The Certification Program helps practices determine whether they are providing the best treatment and care possible to their patients.”

The Cancer Center offers a range of treatment options for oncology and hematology diagnoses. Cancer in adults, including prostate, breast, lung, bladder, ovarian, colon, leukemia as well as patients with immunological diseases and blood disorders can be evaluated and treated. The Center is staffed by a team of four hematology and oncology specialists, nurses certified in oncology, nursing assistants, clinical research associates and other trained specialists. The Center’s collaborative clinical program includes the support of surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, social workers, nutritionists and physical, occupational and speech therapists.

The Center and its staff offer patients some of the latest treatment options available through participation in clinical trials. The telephone number is (401) 729-2700. To learn more, visit

 

Matthew Castro (Attleboro) was lucky enough to have all four grandparents attend.  From left, Phil and June Robillard, Matthew Castro, Clara and Thomas Castro.

Bishop Feehan High School recently hosted its 8^th Annual Grandparent’s Day.  Over 200 grandparents and their freshmen grandchildren attended the presentation and luncheon in their honor.  Principal Bill Runey, V.P. Academic Affairs Ann Perry, V.P. Student Life Al Svendsen, and President Chris Servant spoke about the importance of the role of grandparents in a child’s life while expressing the school’s gratitude for everything they do. 

Erin Lynch (Mansfield) poses with her grandparents Joan and Bill Lynch

After the lunch, grandparents were offered tours of the school.  Servant commented, “The joy that emanates from the relationship of our grandparents with their grandchildren was truly uplifting.”

I opened my Attleboro city utility bill recently and after picking my eyeballs up off the table and putting them back in my head, made a side by side comparison to the one that I received last quarter.

I realized that it was almost double what I had previously paid for water and sewer costs. The likely culprit: watering my lawn for one hour a day.   

When I bought my house I agreed to do my best to keep the property looking nice. That would include watering the lawn, one would think, but with bills like this it no longer makes sense. It’s easy to see why many lawns in the city aren’t kept up or watered. It just costs too much money. I might just spray-paint it green, next year.   

I often hear the Mayor say that he’s a ratepayer, too. Maybe this water and sewer bill seems affordable on his salary, but it’s not on mine. I’d be interested to know why these rates continue to go up and exactly what the administration is doing to protect homeowners from this continued burden.     

Mark C. Ambrose

Attleboro, MA 02703

The city’s legal costs need to be monitored closely. Fiscal Year 2011’s actual expenses totaled $306,000 or nearly $200,000 over Budget. Of this amount $106.000 was spent on ARA issues. Recent appeals made by former City employees to the Civil Service have resulted in the Civil Service Commission overturning decisions made by the City. This has cost or will cost the City significant amounts of money over and above legal costs when a final accounting of these cases is made.

It is self evident that the City Administration and the Municipal Council needs to determine what went wrong in these cases and recognize that more attention must be made to ensure that Civil Service procedures are properly followed before terminating or disciplining City employees.

The FY2012 Approved Budget includes an amount of $200,000 for legal costs without a plan as to how to reduce these expenses from the FY2011 amount of $306,000. In fact the Council’s Budget Chairman, as reported in the Municipal Council Minutes dated June 23, 2011 indicated that Legal Costs are under budgeted for FY2012. Where will the additional money needed come from?

 City Ordinances call for a report from the City Solicitor on an annual basis in January of each year. The report due in January 2011 has not yet been submitted. The Mayor’s approach here seems rather casual and indifferent. More openness, transparency and candidness is required on these issues or the City will keep spending unnecessary funds for legal services.

Ronald M. Churchill

Candidate for Mayor of the City of Attleboro

Visit TLC and the Attleboro Public Library Saturday, September 10th to celebrate International Literacy Day and kickoff The Big Read “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” celebrations.  TLC will have used books to give away to adults and children.  Games will be set up for kids as well.  The Library will accept canned goods for the “privilege” of painting a piece of the fence.  Fun for the whole family.  9am – 11am.  Visit The Big Read booth Saturday at the Farmer’s Market for more info on “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”.