Author James Parr will discuss his book “World War II Massachusetts,” on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the Adams Center, 33 Summer St., Kingston, at 6 p.m.
Over 500,000 Massachusetts residents responded to the call of military duty during the Second World War, while many of the commonwealth’s citizens fought the war on the home front. Everyone around the state – including pets – found creative and essential ways to contribute to the war effort.
Thousands worked in factories, volunteered for Civil Defense, watched for enemy aircraft, and took part in salvage collections and bond drives, all while dealing with rationing, blackouts, rumors, and a host of other wartime inconveniences. Numerous more served on its military bases that were crucial to the nations defense. Parr reveals the stories of these brave and dedicated citizens – from the famous to the ordinary – as they faced wartime challenges.
Parr taught elementary school in Malden, Needham, and Framingham for 34 years before retiring in 2022. He has been a long-time volunteer at the Framingham History Center, where he created popular programs such as the Haunted Halloween Trolley Tour. His other History Press titles include, Dedham: Historic and Heroic Tales from Shiretown, Framingham Legends and Lore, and Murder and Mayhem in Metrowest Boston (with co-author Kevin A. Swope).
To register for this event, please visit our website at kingstonpubliclibrary.org. For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at smiller@kingstonma.gov.

EASTON – North Easton Savings Bank proudly announces that it is ranked one of the Top Places to Work for 2024 in the mid-size business category by The Boston Globe. This is the 3rd consecutive year the Bank has been recognized by The Boston Globe as a Top Places to Work.
This 2024 Top Places to Work award arrives at the end of an award-winning banner-year for the Bank: Previously winning USA Today’s Top Workplaces USA, Boston Business Journal’s Corporate Citizenship, and Financial Services Industry Top Workplaces Awards in 2024.
The annual study bases the awards solely on employee feedback and surveying and recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state. The survey measures employee opinions about their workplace’s direction, leadership, pay and benefits, commitment to employee well-being, and professional growth, among other criteria.
Rankings are broken into four size categories with North Easton Savings Bank in the mid-size business grouping. The Bank has achieved a top 50 rank each of the past three years.
“For the third year, we are honored to be included on this esteemed list,” said Rich Spencer, President & Chief Executive Officer of North Easton Savings Bank. “Our bank is known for valuing its employees and the diverse perspectives and backgrounds they bring to the team – all with the common goal of helping our customers thrive.”
Added Spencer, “Heartfelt gratitude to our incredible employees across the organization who every day, diligently support our customers and the communities we serve. I thank them for their camaraderie, mutual support of one another, and for creating an exceptional environment where building a career is truly rewarding.”
North Easton Savings Bank offers a full slate of comprehensive benefits, including tuition reimbursement and professional development, employee recognition programs, and an employee assistance program. The Bank has also instituted formal employee feedback loops, multiple annual employee events, and employee led social clubs.
About North Easton Savings Bank
Recognized as the leading alternative to using a big-bank, NESB is an award-winning local bank with over $1.6 billion in assets. Founded in 1864, North Easton Savings Bank has a proven track record of growing the community through fair banking practices, local reinvestments, and philanthropy. All deposits are insured in full at North Easton Savings Bank. North Easton Savings Bank is insured by the FDIC and the DIF and is also an Equal Housing Lender. For more information, please visit NESB.com.

Who was the Virgin Mary before she became the mother of Christ, revered in the Catholic Church? What was her life like as a girl and young woman? How well do we know her and, after the passage of millennia, is it possible to know her now?
“There’s not a lot in the Scriptures on Mary,” screenwriter and Whitman native Timothy Michael Hayes said in an interview Friday, Nov. 26 about the film, “Mary,” making its debut on Netflix tomorrow – Friday, Dec. 6. “When I was asked to do it – my producer approached me and asked me, ‘Would you be interested in writing an original telling of Mary’s story?’ I just saw all the obstacles in that. [But] I said, ‘That’s a challenge. That’s something different, I haven’t heard of that [being done before],’” he recalled. “That idea of that challenge, was like, ‘Yeah, let me take it on. Let me try it. Let me do it.”
One challenge was that they wanted the film to appeal to all denominations and all dogmas. It is also a different kind of genre, which Hayes calls a Biblical thriller, one that’s theologically solid, if that’s what one is looking for – and the film is an attempt to appeal across borders. IMDb cross references the film on its site as a political thriller, an action film and just plain thriller.
A bipartisan approach, if you will.
The call to write this script came in 2018, with the changes that often happen in pre-production.
“It’s a journey, and you go on to other things,” he said. That the film world stutter-start was not unusual and when it was on again, he had rewrites and revisions to do with changing visions of new directors. Hayes pointed to his next project on the life of Milton Hershey is going though that because a new director just came on board.
Lead Producer Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment, with whom Hayes has worked before, was the first person to ask him to write the screenplay.
“Mary,” like most films these days, it seems, has generated a bit of controversy, too, mainly centering on the casting of mostly unknown Israeli and Arab actors from the Middle East, especially Israeli actress Noa Cohen, who had been wrongfully identified as a Palestinian. Only Sir Anthony Hopkins, who portrays King Herod, is a “big name” Hollywood actor.
“If we’re honest about that, to a certain point, controversy is a good thing,” Hayes said. “It generates interest. Netflix’s interest in acquiring it also brought the idea that a lot of people will watch this.”
The production schedule was a rushed one, as filming in Ouarzazate, Morocco only wrapped up in March. “But we knew all along that the goal was holiday 2024.”
If it missed that deadline, it wouldn’t debut until February 2025, with no guarantee it would get the same audience numbers.
The original “Miracle on 34th Street,” hit theaters on June 4, 1947, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” came close, opening on Jan. 7, 1947, and “The Bishop’s Wife,” didn’t hit theaters until Feb. 14, 1948.
“Spoiler alert,” he said. “At the end, the baby Jesus is born, so it’s kind of a Christmas thing. [The Dec. 6 Netflix debut] kind of gives it a three-week run up to Christmas.”
Hayes said he and the producers had always wanted a theatrical release for “Mary.”
“It would have been riskier,” he said. “With Netflix, you have a lot locked in, and the biggest global audience in the world. The key there is global. … Mary’s story appeals across the globe.”
At core, Hayes and his producers set out to explore the notion of doubt in the film, an intention at the root of some of the online “controversy.”
“Certain factions of religion, or religious mindsets, say Mary never doubted,” he said. “That’s just not interesting, nor is it very human. I feel that the more human someone is, the stronger they are in the end – to acknowledge the humanity, what it means to be alive, and come out on the other side, only makes them stronger.”
Confirmed as a Roman Catholic, Hayes said he grew up with a foundational understanding of the “religious” aspects of Mary’s story, including the non-biblical doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
“But because so little of Mary’s early life is found in the canonical Scriptures — beyond key mentions of her in Matthew and Luke — more was needed to tell her fuller human story,” he said, stressing that he has many conversations with faith leaders of all stripes, discussing nuances of belief, interpretation and language.
Hayes, who is the father of four daughters among his five children, said his script emphasizes that Mary was a human being, after all.
“The idea that she’s a pregnant teenager, unwed and didn’t understand why … and she wasn’t scared? That just doesn’t speak to any kind of reality that you or I would know,” he said. “Of course you’re going to be terrified. Of course you’re going to have doubts to work through. It’s a larger metaphor for what we all go through. Doubt is inherent … every day we wake up doubting ourselves.”
He maintains it does not step away from the Devine – it reinforces it.
Hayes said he has also instilled some subtle humor in the film. The early buzz about the film has been great, despite the controversies.
“My job is to write something that other artists will read, actors, directors – keep going, costume designers, set builders, and they will see an opening for their own creativity,” he said. “There’s a way to do it that that script is an open door to other artists. To see all of us come together from across the globe …”
He hints there just might be a sequel if the film is a big enough hit and there is a theme that they see as a good one to explore.
MEET THE
SCREENWRITER
So, one might ask, who is Timothy Michael Hayes?
Valedictorian at W-H in 1988, Hayes then went on to New York University’s film school, where he graduated in 1992. He’s raised his five children in Scituate.
“I could have probably gone anywhere, but I didn’t apply anywhere else,” he said of NYU. “I applied early admission. I was always interested in everything. I love to write. I love music and grew to love photography – and where can you do all three of those things in one place?”
An early influence was the Cohen brothers, [“Blood Simple,” “Raising Arizona”] whose editor was the elder brother of Hayes’ roommate and filmmaking partner. Thatconnection helped bring theCohen Brothers to his senior thesis bay to view their senior film and offer comments.
His “big, happy detour” was meeting someone from the Massachusetts South Shore and returning to get married. His wife was a dancer, and the couple opened a dance studio in Scituate.
He also goes into Scituate High each year to help teach a Literature to Film class.
“I kind of stopped doing film for a little bit,” he says as he kept the books and did customer service for the studio. “Life has these interesting journeys.”
His writing process, now that he’s back in film, is different for each film, Hayes said, but most are historically based.
“I’m a lover of history,” he said. “At W-H, that was my passion.”
He is typically hired to either adapt a book or historical incidents that have no specific book for reference, and you do your own reference work. Films like “Mary.”
When adapting a book, he thoroughly notates it with three pens – black, red and blue. The black ink tracks reflections of the original idea; blue notes if there is a running theme at work and red is for the “big highlight” moments.
“I notate everything I read,” he said. That includes performance programs.
Everyone’s life is a story, Hayes believes.
“To me, stories are the essence of what it means to be human,” he said. “We do it every day. … and you’ve got to hook them, which is so prevalent now, in the streaming age on TV.”
He said it has always been true in cinema, especially in the past 20 to 30 years, when scripts outlining the first act of the film has to be done in 22 pages instead of 25, as action has been key.
His main professional goal right now is moving more into controlling his own properties.
“I’ve been a gun-for-hire since I got back into this,” he said. “It’s more than a full-time job. It’s really seven days a week, 24 hours a day, because I love it. I always have pages [to revise].”
His college roommate has helped with that – he wrote a little film called “Elf.”
And, what’s next after “Mary?”
Hayes is also in the midst of an adaptation of Norman Rockwell’s autobiography into a five-season series.
“For me, his story is the story of the 20th century,” he said of Rockwell’s work. “When you’re living it, which is why I love what I do, I’m living it. You’re balancing so many things at one time.”
He’s also working on a “fantastical biopic” on the life of chocolate king Milton Hershey for Dandelion Media, and most recently began work on “Box of Light,” a feature adaptation of Evan I. Schwartz’s biography of Philo T. Farnsworth, the true inventor of television.

Alan Ingram
Express correspondent
Kingston residents narrowly approved a controversial zoning change Nov.19, creating a district of potential multi-family housing development near the town’s MBTA station. The article passed 192-167 at a special town meeting, with supporters arguing it was necessary to maintain access to crucial state grants.
The new MBTA Communities Multi-family Overlay District (MCMOD) allows for higher-density residential development in two areas: near existing businesses along Marion Drive and at the struggling Kingston Collection mall. The bylaw change complies with a 2021 state law requiring MBTA-adjacent communities to zone for multi-family housing or risk losing eligibility for certain state funding programs.
Town Planner Valerie Massard presented the proposed district, emphasizing that Kingston negotiated a unique arrangement with state officials to focus development at the mall rather than within a half-mile of the train station as typically required.
“We know that our mall is failing. We know that Macy’s is going to close soon,” Massard said. “We asked the state, is there a possibility that we could waive that requirement and move some of this zoning so that it would be over top of the mall to help incentivize redevelopment of the mall? And they said yes.”
The plan allows for up to 15 dwelling units per acre in one subdistrict and 16 units per acre at the mall site. It also counts 282 existing apartments toward the town’s required total of 805 units.
Debate centered on balancing economic benefits against concerns about rapid growth and strain on town services. Selectman Tyler Bouchard, who initially opposed the concept, urged passage to maintain local control and capitalize on state grants.
“If they go 40B, we are in deep trouble,” Bouchard said, referring to the state’s affordable housing law that can override local zoning. “ And on top of that, there’s going to be a bunch of towns that don’t go for this thing. So why don’t we go and get every single grant we can over the next two or three years while the doors open to the Bank of Massachusetts. Let’s bum rush it.”
Opponents raised concerns about school overcrowding, traffic congestion and loss of community character. Selectman Kim Emberg spoke against the measure, arguing it represents an unacceptable loss of local control.
“At the end of the day, I’m opposed to this article because I refuse to support the loss of local control. We, the voters of Kingston, establish our zoning bylaws based on how we want to grow sustainably and how we want to build our community,” Emberg said. “I say no to state overreach. I say yes to Kingston.”
The zoning change opens the door for future development proposals but does not approve any specific projects. Any multi-family or mixed-use developments would still require site plan review by the Planning Board.
Massard noted the town recently lost access to some grant programs due to outdated zoning language and stressed the importance of maintaining eligibility for infrastructure funding.
“We rely heavily on it here in Kingston,” she said. “We received $8.28 million in the last 10 years in order to do our sewer and water infrastructure to support Lowe’s, Amazon, Elevated Roots, and the apartments at the Kingston Collection.”
Town Administrator Keith Hickey emphasized the potential financial benefits of mall redevelopment. He said property tax revenue from the site has plummeted from $98 million in 2009 to just $9 million today.
“When you add the taxable revenue that we’ll receive from the redevelopment of the mall along with the apartments that will be constructed, we aren’t in a revenue deficit. We’re a revenue surplus, and we need to look at this in the bigger picture. “ Hickey said.

No overnight on-street parking will be permitted on any street in the Town of Halifax effective November 1st, 2024, through March 31st, 2025.
Residents must remove all basketball hoops, hockey nets etc. from within the town layout (i.e.: the side of the road). This will prevent them from being damaged when plowing occurs.
A warning will be issued for first-time violators. Vehicles will be ticketed or towed, if necessary, for repeat offenders.

Plympton Fire Department Tanker 1 has responded to Middleton as part of the Statewide Fire Mobilization Plan, activated to assist local firefighting efforts in combating significant outdoor fires across the state.
October saw an unprecedented spike in wildland fires in Massachusetts, with nearly 200 fires reported – far surpassing the average of 15 for the month. According to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, preliminary information suggests all these fires were started by human activity.
Current weather conditions have placed all Massachusetts communities at an elevated risk for brush fires. As we continue to support our neighboring towns, we urge residents to remain vigilant.
𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬
• Open burning is prohibited statewide through January.
• Refrain from outdoor cooking and heating. Sparks and embers from chimineas, fire pits, and grills can easily ignite dry vegetation, debris, and overhanging branches.
• Use caution with lawnmowers, leaf blowers, all-terrain vehicles, and other power equipment. Hot engines, sparks, and spilled gasoline can ignite dry leaves and grass.
• Dispose of ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves in a metal can, douse them with water, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. These ashes can remain hot enough to ignite combustibles long after the fire goes out; never dump them outdoors or in the trash.
• Extinguish smoking materials in a sturdy ashtray with water or sand. Never toss cigarette butts, matches, or other smoking materials over the edge of a balcony, stub them out on stairs or railings, or toss them in dry vegetation or debris.
“As we respond to assist other communities in their time of need, it is crucial we all take proactive measures to keep our own community safe,” said Chief Cheryl Duddy. “Together, we can minimize the risk of fire and protect our homes and families.”

Halifax Board of Select-men met jointly with the Finance Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 22, to discuss the beginning of what is anticipated to be a difficult budget season.
Town Administrator Cody Haddad addressed everyone saying, “If you’ve spoken with me regarding the financial picture of the town since I’ve been here, you know that I’ve been saying fiscal 2026 is going to be the start of a challenging couple of years for the town. When you look at new growth projects that we have coming down the line, it’s limited.” He continued, “To give you somewhat of an idea, new growth three or four years ago was around the $300,000 range; this year, for fiscal ’26 we’re anticipating about $80,000 in new growth, so that’s a huge reduction.” Had- dad said that a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and School Committees will take place on Thursday, Dec. 12.
Haddad said that they are asking the departments to pro-vide them with a level services budget. This includes salary increases, etc. that have to be included in order to maintain level services. The town is also asking departments to provide a version of the bud- get with a ten percent cut that reflects a reduction with the least impact.
Haddad said that one of the reasons for the deficit this year is that Silver Lake used one-time funds last year in the amount of $750,000 from excess and deficiency. The schools represent roughly 55 percent of the town’s total budget. “They did that because… with the amended regional agreement, they are going to get what’s called Circuit Breaker funds which is a reimbursement from special education from the three school districts… what that means is they’ll be okay, but that revenue is coming from the towns so we’re going to lose that revenue which is going to create somewhat of a fiscal cliff for the towns,” Haddad said. He continued saying, “on top of that, Halifax Elementary School, last year, also used ap-proximately $50,000 of school use/building utilization funds, so basically you rent out the gym and pay a fee; there was $50,000 built up… so between those two areas, you’re needing to make up those one-time fund increases this year on top of whatever increase they bring forward.” Following the conversation on the bud-get, the Finance Committee adjourned and the Selectmen continued with their meeting.
Jeremy Gillespie appeared before the Board to request changing the Alewife Restoration Committee name to the River Herring Restoration Committee. Alewife are a type of fish known as river herring. Haddad said that in partnership with the Department of Marine Fisheries, Halifax was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Taunton River Watershed Alliance. Haddad said the end goal is to restore efforts of migratory fish.
The Selectmen held a joint meeting with the Zoning By-law Review Committee to dis-cuss the timeline for proposed amendments and feedback from the MBTA zoning public forum. Haddad said they had discussed just bringing the MBTA zoning bylaw changes to Special Town Meeting while Selectmen Chair John Bruno, who was joining the meeting virtually, said that they were discussing putting specific zoning changes on the Town Meeting warrant while other zoning changes would be on the annual Town Meeting warrant. “Most of the stuff in the zoning bylaw change is, I don’t think, controversial… and I wouldn’t add a controversial issue like the MBTA issue override the careful con-sideration of the zoning bylaw changes,” Bruno said distinguishing between the two.
They also discussed the MBTA zoning in greater depth. The MBTA Communities Act asks communities to designate a zoning ordinance or bylaw which would allow for multi-family housing. Communities that do not come into compliance stand to lose grant funding. Bruno said, “I’m recommending that we take out the provisions that put in affordable housing and 40B requirements for any new building and also the mixed commercial use part of it.”
A member of the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee spoke saying, “I don’t necessarily believe that the option for mixed-use should be taken out as we just talked in the budget piece that we had no new growth here or very little.” Haddad clarified that the affordable housing com-ponent of the MBTA Communities Act is actually not 40B. “The affordability requirement is just an affordability requirement… it’s another form of affordable housing, but it’s not 40b,” he explained. He continued, “If you left the afford-ability requirement in this and someone built that, it would not be a 40b, it would just be one unit out of every 10 would have to be affordable.” Select-man Jonathan Selig said that he does think he agrees with leaving the mixed-use component. The Selectmen voted to remove the ten percent afford-able housing component of the MBTA 3A zoning changes.
The Board of Selectmen approved two Eagle Scout projects. Aiden Merry plans to create a new Police Station sign that will stand up to the elements. Additionally, a new flower bed will be created. Shane Devaney plans to replace the three wooden benches near the HOPS play-ground. Both Scouts plan to fundraise for the cost of materials. “These three benches might be the most prime spot in town. They really are beautiful, they’re under the trees – you have a beautiful view right down the soccer field, you have families sitting there; I’ve seen countless people sit-ting there having lunches and I think at least one of them is pretty rough,” Selig said.
The Selectmen accepted a $10,000 donation from Mac-Donald Industries for Holidays in Halifax on the second Saturday in December. The donation will be used to put on the fireworks display.
Haddad told the Select-men that they have received a $50,000 grant from the Department of Energy and Resources to fund feasibility and engineering design for the electrification of Halifax Elementary School. He said that this grant would allow for even more grant funding to complete the various projects, when the time comes.