CARVER, KINGSTON, PLYMOUTH, MIDDLEBORO, LAKEVILLE, and PLYMPTON, MA, ISSUED OCTOBER 24, 2025… Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth (HFHGP; www.hfhplymouth.org), a nonprofit organization with a mission of providing decent affordable housing for low income households in the region, is now accepting applications from income-qualified local residents who wish to own an affordable 3-bedroom home, with mortgage, in Carver.  Selection for this opportunity will be made by lottery, with a first preference for          U.S. military Veterans with honorable discharge.
Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership for households earning 30 – 60% of the area median income (AMI).  Applicants should either work or live in one of the affiliate’s service area towns—Carver, Plymouth, Kingston, Plympton, Middleboro, and Lakeville—and must meet income guidelines required to be a Habitat for Humanity homeowner. Household size should suit the size of this modest 3-bedroom home without overcrowding. Applicants must also agree to Habitat’s model of putting in ‘sweat equity’ hours helping to build their own home alongside volunteers and/or helping the organization in other ways.
This is a partnership project between HFHGP and the Town of Carver, with a goal of providing housing to a military Veteran and family.  All qualified applicants will be placed in a lottery drawing. Habitat homes are not gifted; once finished, HFHGP will sell the home to the selected homeowner, who will hold a mortgage for $242,848.  The property will be deed restricted as an affordable unit in perpetuity. Important details about eligibility, requirements, income limits and the application process can be found at www.hfhplymouth.org/own-a-home.
Anyone interested in learning more are strongly encouraged to attend one of the two upcoming public information sessions:  Saturday, October 25 at 4 pm at the Habitat ReStore, 160 N. Main Street, Carver; and Wednesday, October 29 at 5:30pm at the Carver Public Library, 2 Meadowbrook Way, Carver.  There is no advance registration for Info Sessions; attendance is not required to apply but it is highly encouraged to learn about the many details involved in Habitat homeownership.
The deadline to submit completed applications is December 4, 2025 at 5 PM; applications can be dropped off at the Habitat office or ReStore located at 160 N. Main St., Carver, or mailed to HFHGP, PO Box 346, Carver, MA  02330; email is not permitted.  Applications are available for pick up at the Habitat ReStore (160 N. Main St., Carver) and at any of the public libraries or Veteran Service Officer offices in HFHGP’s service area (above); or by downloading from www.hfhplymouth.org/own-a-home.  Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth is an Equal Housing Lender.

MARSHFIELD, BROCKTON, Road to Responsibility (RTR; http://roadtoresponsibility.org), one of the region’s largest and most successful nonprofit organizations supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announces the opening of a new residential program, located on Wendell Avenue in Brockton, Massachusetts.
The residence was formerly used to house Boston College graduate students participating in a teaching program at a nearby Catholic school. The 16-bedroom, 7-bathroom home includes three kitchens and a garage used for storage for a church-run food pantry. Following the dissolution of the teaching program and the departure of its final resident, the house was made available to RTR by a private owner.
The food pantry operations will continue from the garage, and the home will now provide a nurturing environment for five young adults with Autism and complicating needs.
While this marks the 52nd residence operated by RTR, this is the first home located in the city of Brockton, expanding the reach of the organization to provide more services to more people.  Similar to other RTR residential programs, the Brockton home offers a supportive environment with a wide range of services, 24-hour staffing, and independent living options including smart technology.
“This residence is a powerful example of how spaces can evolve to meet changing needs,” said Christopher T. White, Ed.D., president and CEO of Road to Responsibility. “We’re deeply grateful for the opportunity to repurpose this home and continue our mission of empowering individuals to live with dignity, support, and connection, and to bring our services to the great city of Brockton.”

Kingston, Mass. — Plymouth songwriter and musician Michael Shea will present “The Rise of the Singer/Songwriter in American Music: From Bob Dylan to Joni Mitchell to Billy Joel” on Tuesday, October 14 at 6p.m. at the Kingston Council on Aging (30 Evergreen St., Kingston, MA).
Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Shea will trace the development of the unique self-contained performer (lyricist, composer, singer and instrumentalist) in American popular music from 1952 through the present. This phenomenon grew out of Folk Revival of the 1960s, developed beside and against all other genres while continuing to flourish for decades. Lyrics influenced by poetry, structures borrowed from folk, country, blues, and traditional music accompanied with vocals, subjects and themes that reflected a more personal and intimate (sometimes autobiographical) vision or experience together are characteristics that distinguished the movement.
The 75-minute set will be comprised of songs that include many of the following well-known artists including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Greg Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Jim Croce, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel and many others. Preluding each piece will be biographical facts and anecdotes about the artists and their songs.
Shea is a professional guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has performed for four decades at numerous venues, such as Bridgewater State University, the Blackthorn Tavern, the South Shore Folk Music Club, the Spire Center for the Performing Arts, and the annual Falmouth Arts Alive Festival. Most recently, he was half of the successful duo Lewis and Shea that performed “Songs and Stories of the American Folk Revival” at local senior centers and libraries on the South Shore during the spring of 2024.
This program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Kingston Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
To register for this event, please visit – https://kingstonpubliclibrary.org. For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at smiller@kingstonma.gov.

For almost two decades, I have been deeply involved in town government including 12 years serving as a selectman and 15 years as chair of the Community Preservation Committee. As the sale of my home at Just Right Farm is imminent, I write today to let you know that effective Friday, Sept. 26, I am resigning from the Plympton Board of Selectmen, Plympton Community Preservation Committee and Area 58 Board of Directors.
It has been a great honor and privilege to serve the unique little town of Plympton. Throughout, I have tried as much as possible to encourage and foster civility and transparency in town government, and especially to encourage the preserving of Plympton’s charm and unique rural character…all this while remaining ever cognizant of the substantial tax burden our citizens must bear. It is a challenging and endless battle to keep our tax rate under control while still delivering essential services.
Of the many projects in which I have been involved, I particularly savored the opportunity during my tenure to be part of the creation of three protected areas (Churchill Park/Cato’s Ridge, Two Brooks Preserve and Turkey Swamp). Each of these projects exemplifies what can be accomplished with creative, collaborative multi-sourced funding which minimized cost to taxpayers. Each, though arduous, was a fascinating and thoroughly rewarding exercise. The end result was several hundred acres preserved in perpetuity at very modest cost.
I am deeply appreciative of the chance to serve and am so very thankful for the opportunity to be purposeful. Even with the occasional bumps and inevitable bruises that are an integral part of town politics, it has been rewarding beyond measure.
While no longer living here, Kim and I will not be so far away and we will surely be rooting from the sidelines. I heartily encourage others to get involved, continue the work and make a difference even if it means stretching a little (or a lot). Don’t miss the opportunity!

Heartfelt thanks,
Mark Russo

KINGSTON, MA, ISSUED SEPTEMBER 4, 2025…Come one, come all! Members of the Kingston Agricultural Commission are looking to build upon 2024’s successful Agricultural Fair, and what better way to do that than to host another one! The 2025 Kingston Agricultural Fair will take place on Sunday, September 21, 2025, from 1 to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Kingston Town Hall, 26 Evergreen Street.
Admission to the event is free. Come and see what the fair has to offer including 4H members with their animals, local farmers and their animals, informational tables, the chance to see antique equipment, wooden items from locally harvested trees, alpaca products, fresh vegetables and representation from a number of Kingston Town Departments. There will be a variety of food trucks on site. There will be a drawing for a special prize as well, for a handmade braided rug by Sandy O’Fihelly. For the children there will be a clown and facepainting.
In addition, the Silver Lake Regional High School students are presenting a “Cow Plop” fundraiser which will be held during the fair. Grid tickets for the Town Hall land will be available for $20 through the school, and on the day of the fair. If a cow “goes plop” on a certain grid, the winning prizes includes a JBL speaker, $100 worth of gift cards, or $500 in cash. Monies raised will help with the cost of the senior picnic, senior dinner dance, senior prom and a class gift. The cows are provided courtesy of the 4H Club.
“2024 was a huge success and we’re hoping for another great turnout,” said Debra Mueller, the Town’s Animal Inspector. “It’s a great chance to see firsthand the importance of agriculture in our lives, and to have some fun at the same time.”
Admission is free. For additional information, please contact Agricultural Commissioner Jean Landis-Nauman, jln12@comcast.net or (339) 832-0782.