On Monday, March 9 the Plympton Board of Selectmen voted to issue a notice of intent to award the Town House Front Entrance Community Preservation Committee renovation project to DDC Construction Incorporated, the low bidder among four submitted bids. DDC’s bid came in at $35,500 — well below the high bid of $63,427, a difference the Town Properties Committee confirmed at its March 11 meeting. The project’s architect reviewed and approved DDC’s qualifications and references before recommending the low bid, which Selectman Nathaniel Sides described as “pleasantly surprisingly low.” The award is contingent on Town Counsel review of the contract documents.
The board also unanimously approved an $8,500 expenditure from Plympton’s opioid settlement funds to support drug prevention efforts at Dennett Elementary School. The funds will cover materials for the LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) educational program being delivered through the police department, a radio communications upgrade for the school resource officer and Dennett staff, and cruiser decals. Chair Dana Smith explained that the police department had applied for a grant to cover the project but was not successful, making the opioid fund an appropriate alternative given the direct connection to drug prevention.
Town Administrator Liz Dennehy noted that Dennett School Secretary Judy Hanson had independently contacted the board Friday about potential grant funding for the same project. If the school secures separate grant money for any portion of the work, Sides confirmed, those opioid settlement funds would remain available for other town uses within the approved scope.
TPC Authorized to Pursue Fire Station Grants
The board approved a blanket authorization for the Town Properties Committee to pursue grant funding and federal earmarks for the proposed new fire station. Dennehy, participating remotely, recommended the broad authorization so the committee would not need to return to the board for each new opportunity, while noting that any award requiring a local match would come back before the Selectmen.
Sides used the item to remind all town board and committee members — flagging correspondence from the TPC that had arrived via personal email accounts — to use their official town-issued addresses for official business. “If there’s a Freedom of Information request that comes in periodically, we need to be able to reproduce those easily,” he said. “If they’re using a personal email address, that could get cumbersome.”
The fire station issue loomed large at the Town Properties Committee’s March 11th meeting two days later. TPC Chair Pierre Boyer reported ongoing code violations at the existing station: an exposed electrical panel at risk of water spray from adjacent pipes, water actively seeping through floor vents, unresolved floor drain issues, and a leaking roof that worsened significantly during the recent blizzard. Boyer said the committee is still awaiting a joint meeting with Town Counsel and the Selectmen to chart a path forward on both the fire station and a separate water infrastructure project.
Boyer laid out the committee’s planning approach: rather than sizing a new building around current apparatus, the TPC intends to first analyze call volume trends by category, staffing models, mutual aid usage, and population projections over a 25-to-30-year horizon before any design work proceeds. He noted that Plympton’s population has declined slightly — from approximately 2,900 to 2,813 as of the 2024 annual report — while total call volume has risen and mutual aid calls now account for 24% of all responses. “The data will tell you the factual story,” Boyer said. He added that a preliminary service-model analysis is expected to be presented to residents in the coming months.
Appointments and Community Recognition
The board unanimously appointed Gabriela Falconeri to the Community Preservation Committee to fill a member-at-large vacancy. The appointment runs from March 9, 2026, through June 30, 2029. The board also approved an Eagle Scout project for interior renovations to the Holt Field Snack Shack, which had received prior Recreation Commission approval and is overseen by Ross MacPherson.
Smith closed open session by praising the highway department’s response to the recent blizzard — which he compared in scale to the Blizzard of 1978 — and by recognizing the passing of Donald Vautrinot, a longtime Plympton resident, Vietnam veteran, former deputy fire chief, and former police officer in Plympton and Carver. “It’s definitely a part of our town that is missed,” Smith said.
Plympton TA Appointed in Easton
The Plympton Board of Selectmen closed their March 9 meeting by voting unanimously to enter executive session to discuss the Town Administrator’s employment contract — several hours before the Easton Select Board returned from its own closed session to formally vote to hire Plympton Town Administrator Liz Dennehy. The dual proceedings underscore what is now a near-certain leadership transition in Plympton.
The Easton appointment did not happen overnight. A week earlier, on March 2, the Easton Select Board had interviewed all three finalists — Dennehy; Jonathan Beder, the current Town Administrator in Avon; and William Chenard, the current Town Manager of Pembroke — before voting 4-1 to select Dennehy pending successful contract negotiations. Avid readers of the Express have seen this situation play out in Halifax and Kingston, who have each hired new Town Administrators in recent months.
The Arc of the South Shore to Hold April 3 Bunny Bash at Derby Street Shops in Hingham
WEYMOUTH, HINGHAM, MA, – Register now for Friday, April 3, when The Arc of the South Shore, a family-oriented, community-based non-profit providing information, referrals, and community programs for individuals with disabilities and now celebrating its 75th anniversary, will host its fourth annual Easter Bunny Bash in partnership with the Derby Street Shops.
The event will feature an egg hunt, face painting, temporary tattoos, and photos with the Easter Bunny. Two sessions will be offered, with the first starting promptly at 10 a.m. and the second at 11 a.m. Both sessions will be held on the Derby Street Green between the stores REI and Kohl’s. The event is BYOB – Bring Your Own Basket!
The Bunny Bash is supported in part by a grant from the Hingham Cultural Council, a local agency of the Mass Cultural Council.
In case of inclement weather, the Bunny Bash will be rescheduled to April 6 with sessions at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. All registrants will be notified on April 2 if the event is postponed.
Tickets are limited and advance registration is required; tickets are $10 per child. To register, please visit www.arcsouthshore.org.
Special thanks in advance to Bunny Bash sponsors Mass Cultural Council, Hull Cultural Council, Scituate Cultural Council, Quincy Arts Council, Quirk, George Washington Toma TV and Appliance, Infranet Solutions, and Titus Group. Additional event sponsorships are available.
For more information about tickets or event sponsorships, please contact hklingseisen@arcsouthshore.org.
“This lively springtime event brings our community together for sunshine, smiles, and shared family fun,” said Elizabeth Sandblom, CEO of The Arc of the South Shore. “It’s a perfect way to welcome the season and create magical memories.”
Acella Construction Corporation Completes New Emergency Assistance Shelter Program for Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless
ROCKLAND, PLYMOUTH, MA, – Acella Construction Corporation, a leader in construction management throughout greater Boston, is proud to have served as general contractor for the new Emergency Assistance Shelter Program for the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless. The 26-family shelter is located at 54 Industrial Park Road in Plymouth.
The $7 million, 11,230-square-foot new shelter includes 26 bedrooms, a kitchen, dining spaces, laundry facilities, meeting rooms, and reception areas.
The project involved renovation of a vacant industrial park office building; as such Acella’s scope of work encompassed selective demolition, site improvements, new concrete foundations, masonry, structural steel, and complete rough and finish carpentry.
The building envelope was constructed with new insulation, siding, roofing, windows, doors, storefront, and glazing. This was followed by a complete interior buildout, including drywall, flooring, painting, millwork, specialties, and furnishings. New plumbing, HVAC, electrical, fire protection, fire alarm, and generator system were installed, along with a KONE passenger elevator, resulting in a fully code-compliant and operational facility delivered in accordance with the approved plans and specifications.
The Acella team completed the project within a 46-week construction schedule. Architectural design was performed by R2 Architects of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Open as of February 12, the 26-family shelter provides safe, temporary housing for families along with professional case management and support services, including school enrollment, coordinated services, child care, and children’s programming.
“We could not have been more happy partnering with the team at Acella,” said Suzanne R. Giovanetti, CEO of Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless. “Their professionalism, flexibility, and continued communication, combined with their quality construction practices, helped to make this dream of ours become a reality that will help so many.”
“Being part of a project that directly supports families in need was deeply meaningful to our team,” said Ryan LaVangie, vice president of sales and marketing at Acella Construction Corporation. “The Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless does extraordinary work and we’re proud to deliver a safe, welcoming facility that meets the highest standards of quality and care.”
Sandcastles in Plympton: Asher’s Sandbox is Open for Play
Walt Disney was as inspired as he was accurate when he said, “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” Dr. Amber Bartlett can attest to this first hand because her son, Asher, is the one who had the idea for her new business, Asher’s Sandbox, in Plympton. After attending the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, Bartlett told the Express a little bit about her new business and what it brings to the community.
Express: Please share a bit about your inspiration for Asher’s Sandbox.
Bartlett: “I had my son later in life and found myself struggling to connect with other parents in the same stage, and I worried that as an only child my poor kid was stuck with just me and no friends! One day my son saw an ad for an indoor sandbox play park and said “Mommy, you supposed to take me there!”. I filed it away in the back of my head that it was a cool idea. Then I was driving on Main St, two seconds from my house, saw a space for lease and it hit me…it would be perfect to offer a unique option for building community right in my own town!”
Express: How long has this process taken to complete and can you share some insight regarding the design and work that went into starting this business?
Bartlett: “I don’t waste time so it went relatively quickly! It started with an idea, then a business plan, then approval from the town for a permit, signing a lease, starting construction and being ready to open. All in all, from idea to opening, took around 6 months. It was so rewarding to take a blank square space and then see the vision in my head become reality.”
Express: What has been the biggest challenge with this project?
Bartlett: “Being my own project manager, along with running two other businesses, wasn’t my smartest move! And getting 80,000 pounds of sand from South Carolina to Plympton, MA took extreme coordination, along with an in-depth knowledge of sand, which I never imagined I’d be an expert in!”
Express: What do you hope Asher’s Sandbox will offer to the community?
Bartlett: “This is what I’m most excited about! I want Asher’s Sandbox to be a place where friendships are made, imaginations are encouraged, and fun memories are made. I really want a place where kids can play and explore and parents can choose to participate or to get some reading done, knowing their kids are in a contained, safe space. I also want it to be a resource of community support – we are currently having local students come in to paint murals on the wall so they can showcase their gifts, and we are planning a big clothing/toy swap event. There are so many more ideas like that in our idea vault’!”
Express: What is the structure of the business in terms of offerings? Is it available to rent out? Do you offer parties or classes or other special services?
Bartlett: “We are really aiming to make this a space for children and adults to enjoy. We offer open play sessions for children ages 1-8. Weekday mornings, open play sessions include a themed activity for younger children: Monday is Storytime, Tuesday is Social Club, Thursday is Music & Movement, and Friday is Adventure Club. We offer activities such as craft workshops, sensory box workshops, holiday events (Easter egg hunt & bunny photos!), various character meet and greets (think princess, Paw Patrol, etc.), educational sessions, and yoga classes. We’ve even had business owners host info sessions for potential clients in our event room, while the clients’ children play in the sand. No babysitter required = higher attendance! We also have a great event room for birthday parties, business meetings, corporate events, networking events, dance classes, etc. The Sandbox Library is also in there, which is a Leave a Book/Take a Book for all children to take advantage of. The ideas are endless!”
Express: What else would you like to tell the community about Asher’s Sandbox?
Bartlett: “We want Asher’s Sandbox to be a place that is known in the community for being supportive, engaging, clean, safe, and FUN! We are intentional about listening to what people want or need in this area of family, children, and community so feedback is always welcome. You can always reach out via email
at info@asherssandbox.com, www.asherssandbox.com is where all info & bookings can be found, and our socials are always full of current info!”
School Bus Breaking Point
In recent years, getting kids to school has evolved from a predictable administrative duty into a fiscal burden capable of triggering structural deficits, service cuts, and Proposition 2½ override battles.
Locally, the Silver Lake Regional School District and Superintendency Union 31 are currently insulated from the absolute worst of the crisis by a competitively bid contract with First Student signed in 2020. Last month, the school committees exercised a Year 7 option with a highly favorable 4.51% increase. But as Plympton School Committee Chair Jason Fraser warned, “We’re going to be in a very interesting position when this contract runs out”. Fraser has bluntly characterized the current school bus market as a “monopoly”.
He isn’t wrong. A February report from the Office of the Inspector General revealed that 67 percent of Massachusetts districts received only one or zero bids in their most recent general education procurement cycle.
When our local contract expires, we will be thrown into a predatory market. Even now, out-of-district special education transportation costs are surging 10 to 21 percent year over year. In Plympton, an $84,000 surge in out-of-district vocational tuition and transportation for just two students essentially wiped out a $93,000 increase in net state education aid.
How did the basic function of getting kids to school become a financial vulnerability? And more importantly, what can our local and state decision-makers do about it?
To solve the problem, we must understand the structural forces driving up the costs:
1. A Disappearance of Vendor Competition: The days of shopping around for competitive bids are largely over. The school transportation market has seen massive consolidation, increasingly dominated by a handful of private-equity-backed national firms. Today, just four companies control over 50 percent of the national market. Without competition, districts lose all bargaining power and are forced to accept massive annual price hikes.
2. The Uniquely High Cost of Special Education Transport: Transporting students to specialized out-of-district (OOD) programs is the primary escalator of student transit costs. Statewide, it costs an average of $13,825 to transport a special education student, compared to just $1,045 for a general education student—a 13:1 ratio. This is exacerbated by Massachusetts’ stringent regulations on “7D” vehicles (typically passenger vans). The state mandates these vans be equipped with features like alternating flashing lights, backup alarms, and child reminder systems. These state-specific modifications add $30,000 to $40,000 in upfront capital expenses per vehicle. Furthermore, they must carry “Pupil” license plates, which legally prevents drivers from using the vans for rideshare services like Uber or Lyft during their downtime, restricting the labor pool.
3. A Severe Labor Shortage: The industry relies on part-time, split-shift workers. However, the booming logistics and delivery sectors (Amazon, UPS) have lured away drivers with flexible, year-round work that doesn’t require managing children. To drive a yellow bus, applicants must obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), requiring 60 hours of training and passing a daunting “under the hood” engine components test—a requirement critics argue is absurd since modern drivers are strictly forbidden from performing mechanical repairs.
4. A Reactive and Broken State Funding Model: Massachusetts is a national outlier. It is one of only six states that relies on a reimbursement model for transportation, and one of only three that provides zero transportation aid to districts during the year the expenses are incurred. Under the Special Education “Circuit Breaker,” districts must front the entire cost of expensive OOD transport and wait until the following fiscal year for partial reimbursement. Worse, the state habitually underfunds its promises. While state law (M.G.L. c. 71, § 16C) legally obligates the Commonwealth to reimburse 100 percent of regional school transportation, the state has not honored this commitment in over 15 years, hovering around 87 percent in FY2025. Furthermore, non-regional municipal districts—like the elementary schools in Kingston, Halifax, and Plympton—receive zero state reimbursement for regular day transportation, leaving local taxpayers to foot the entire bill.
With contractor prices soaring, some districts try to take back control. Brockton Public Schools made headlines in 2021 by purchasing 64 buses for $5.4 million to build an in-house fleet, estimating it would save millions. It was a disaster. A 2024 internal audit revealed a dysfunctional department with a “stunning lack of mechanics”—just three mechanics for 140 vehicles. The district faced rampant driver absenteeism, had no spare vehicles, and had to rapidly hire private vendors at premium rates to cover dropped routes. Brockton is now considering relinquishing control of the buses and returning to outsourcing.
To survive this crisis, action must be taken immediately. Here is a guide for our local School Committees and our state legislators on Beacon Hill.
For Local School Committees:
Aggressively Pursue the Regionalization Study: In January, the UMass Boston Collins Center launched an 18-month study to examine folding our three elementary schools into the Silver Lake Regional district. If the elementary schools join the regional district, their current transportation costs become eligible for the state’s regional reimbursement program. This single administrative change could save local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually and relieve pressure on the town budgets.
Coordinate OOD Special Education Routes: Do not send a half-empty 7D van to a specialized school if a neighboring town is doing the same. Expand partnerships with educational collaboratives to co-route students across district lines. Sharing a van can reduce the base cost of a run by tens of thousands of dollars.
Demand Itemized Invoicing in the Next Bid: When the First Student contract finally expires, do not accept flat “daily rates” per bus. Require bidders to provide unbundled, itemized cost data detailing labor, fuel, maintenance, and profit margins. You cannot negotiate effectively if you don’t know what is driving a vendor’s 15 percent rate hike.
For State Legislators:
Pass Pending Relief Legislation: Rep. LaNatra has already co-sponsored H.513, which would create an “Extraordinary Routes Relief Fund” to help districts with severe bus, fuel, and driver costs. Rep. Badger has filed House Bill 4066 to combat predatory pricing by vendors. These bills must be prioritized in the current session.
Transition to Same-Year Funding: The state must abandon the archaic reimbursement-only model. Transitioning the Special Education Circuit Breaker and transportation aid to a proactive, same-year funding system will immediately relieve cash-flow strains on municipal budgets.
Create a Centralized Contract Database: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) should host a public repository of all school transportation bids and contracts. Currently, districts negotiate in the dark. Allowing our business officials to instantly compare contract terms and daily rates with neighboring towns will eliminate the asymmetric information advantage held by national bus companies.
Review “7D” Vehicle Mandates: The state must evaluate whether the strict customization rules for special education vans provide measurable safety benefits over standard federal regulations. Relaxing these rules could lower capital costs for vendors and allow drivers to use the vehicles for ridesharing during off-hours, attracting more workers to the profession.
Fully Fund the Promises Already Made: The Legislature must honor its statutory commitment to reimburse 100 percent of regional school transportation (passing H.697/S.328).
The era of cheap, reliable school busing is over. If we want to keep Silver Lake’s education dollars inside the classroom, officials must stop treating transportation as an administrative afterthought and start managing it as the systemic financial crisis it has become.
OCES Employees Honored with Milestone Awards
BROCKTON AND PLYMOUTH, MA – Old Colony Elder Services (OCES) honored 24 staff members, including their Chief Executive Officer Nicole Long, with milestone awards during their annual staff meeting in January.
OCES is the largest provider of in-home and community-based services for older adults and people living with disabilities in Southeastern Massachusetts. With locations in Brockton and Plymouth, the organization employs 270 full- and part-time staff members.
Awards for 20 years of service were presented to Nicole Long of Plymouth, Rochelle Sugarman of Canton, and Jean Sibley of Hanson.
Awards for 10 years of service went to Zonya Williams of Rhode Island; Ines Veira of Taunton; Kori Pickett of Plymouth; Ken Gomes of Fall River; Elga Miranda, Sosha Michel, Stacy Vaughn, Maryanne Whalen and Shirley Smith of Brockton; Carolyn Brown of Easton; Ariola Sina of Hanover; Christine Thompkins of Halifax; Colleen Joyce of Stoughton; and Carol Cedrone of Randolph.
Awards for 5 years of service were presented to Jessica Mahoney of Brant Rock; Rosemary Gordon and Christine Kent of Taunton; Ifeanyi Oli, Kamal Alleye, Lisa Lopes Patterson, and Theresa Martyr-Johnson of Brockton.
“It is a great pleasure to recognize employees for their dedication to our organization and the community. We appreciate the efforts of all our employees, their contributions and commitment to our mission,” said Rob Buckel-Gillis, Human Resources Director.
OCES aspires to be a culturally diverse and inclusive agency that removes barriers, creating equity for all by empowering individuals and communities to thrive, age in place, and reach their highest potential.
Just Beyond the Garden Gate: Reconnecting with the Power of Plants
Henry David Thoreau mused, “A man may esteem himself happy when that which is his food is also his medicine.” Plants have been a part of the earth’s ecosystem since the Ordovician period, 470 million years ago. They evolved from the simplest forms of algae to the complex, vast, and multifaceted life forces we know today through intrinsic, unhurried evolution that resulted in genetic complexities and variations we are still not in full grasp of today.
Closer to the human scale of the earth’s history, plants were the first food, the first medicine, the first symbolic embellishment for life. Our ancestors knew the herbs and flowers and trees of their regions, what they were capable of, and how to use them. Foraging was a necessary way of life and ailments or maladies were faced independently by the individual, or a local practitioner who had the ancient knowledge and experiences needed to provide aid and comfort. Somewhere along the way to industrialization, modernization, colonialization, and isolation, we have largely lost that connection and knowledge that had been both inherited and inherent.
“On so many levels, herbalism is about human autonomy. It is a tool of the people and our birthright as participants in the earth,” says Stephanie Hardie of Gate and Garden Herbal Apothecary in Weymouth. “We are part of this world, not on top of it -one string in the web of life and learning to connect ourselves as such can bring us, not only improved health and wellness, but aliveness.”
Hardie’s journey with herbalism began as a curious pursuit for answers to her own health questions that she felt were being dismissed. She was also dissatisfied with doing socially normative things and felt drawn to find her own path in life. After embarking on in-depth research for her autoimmune struggles, and finding the support and alleviation she needed through herbs, she began to make products for her family and friends.
Hardie had also previously purchased a home with garden space and began to fill it with the herbs and flowers she felt drawn to. Ironically, her first garden plantings were purchased and planted with no agenda other than to enjoy looking at them. “I was at a home improvement store and saw lavender, rosemary, and thyme plants and felt strangely compelled to get them. I brought them home, planted them, and they became so abundant that I was drowning in them! I thought, ‘What am I going to do with all this?’, so I started looking into recipes and uses for them and I kind of fell down a rabbit hole of learning that I am still in.”
Hardie found that herbalism also provided a connection that had been missing between medical and spiritual wellness. “Health is more than being free from sickness and pain,” Hardie explains, “It is more than the practical application society defines as good-health, it is abundance, fulfillment, autonomy, and aliveness. I found, for me, that herbalism provided so many answers and connections that I had been looking for.” Once Hardie found relief in her own body and mind with the implementing and use of herbs, she began to seek further in-depth knowledge.
Hardie began with self-study through time-tested books on herbalism and then started entry-level courses with reputable experts in the field. “Because I didn’t have an in tact lineage of herbal knowledge when I began, I had to start from scratch and tackle, what was, a very foreign vocabulary to me,” Hardie recounts. “I studied as much as I could on my own, but because I thrive with structured learning, I realized self-study could only take me so far, and I began to take entry-level courses.”
Hardie trained with some of the most trusted and respected herbalists of our day with institutions such as the Herbal Academy and CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism. Hardie then branched out in her studies and certification to earn her Master of Science: Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Bachelor of Science: Mental Health Counseling with a holistic psychology focus, and became a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), a Certified Functional Nutrition Coach, a Certified MindBodyGreen Health Coach, and a Certified Homeopathy Specialist.
With her knowledge growing in abundance and her thirst for learning endless, Hardie felt that the academics were still not enough to truly learn about the amazing herbs she knew so much about. She began in earnest to plant the things she was learning about and make her own products. This required developing personal relationships with plants. “I could not just keep it to the information stage of plant knowledge, I needed to have dirt under my nails. I wanted to touch the plants, talk to them, observe them and have a relationship with them of cultivation but also respect. Each herb has its own sort of personality -likes and dislikes, combinations it works well with and things it doesn’t work well with. I had to plant them to know them.”
Hardie found the merger of her vast knowledge and qualifications, met with increasing hands-on experience, left her with such a wealth of products, solutions, and offerings that she began Gate and Garden Herbal Apothecary. She registered as an LLC with little to no expectations of success, but after surpassing her net-sales goal with five times the predicted sales she knew she was onto something transformative not just for herself, but for others.
Now, Hardie tends to her home garden and has turned in in-law suite in the garage into a certified processing kitchen, an office for shipping her many online orders, and an apothecary that is occasionally open during events to purchase products. Hardie also attends outdoor markets and vendor festivals where she is well-known and sought after by locals -both new and returning customers. Gate and Garden has reached the point where some crops are now sourced from local farms where space is more abundant for a harvest that keeps up with demand. “I responsibly forage for some plant ingredients, and I grow most in my garden, but I do source from local, sustainable farms for things like California poppy and calendula -calendula is in basically everything,” Hardie jokes about the common, multi-use flower, “The only things that are not local, but still responsibly sourced are things not native to this bioregion like cinnamon.”
Though herbalism has opened up a business opportunity for Hardie, her core philosophy always goes back to helping others through sharing knowledge and helping them explore and learn about the world around them and how they fit into it. Gate and Garden’s mission statement: Sharing health, wellness, connection, and reciprocal relationships with nature, others, and self, through informed and devotional herbal products, guidance, 1:1 support, sacred community gatherings, and education. Hardie has become a sage in the community for the spread of knowledge in a non-judgmental, all-inclusive way that makes herbalism not only intriguing, but approachable.
“Using herbs in your life is good for us on so many levels,” says Hardie, “Both in monumental ways, but also in small, day-to-day ways. If you just want to start adding some herbs to your soup because they smell and taste good or if you want to use them in a big, clinical way, they offer something for anyone who uses them. There are entire herbal protocols to support diagnosis’ but there are also herbs that can be used to scent and soften skin -all levels of use and application exist.”
Hardie offers a word of caution, however, to anyone planning to implement herbalism into their lives. “Herbalism is an unregulated field so you need to get to know the plants you are working with and you need to get to know anyone you are taking advice from. Ask tons of questions about their background and training and about why they are suggesting certain applications in your life. Find herbalists that are very transparent about their process. If you have a hard time getting straight answers that is a red flag. Also, there should be no wild claims for cures. We are not doctors and we can’t promise things. That is not how herbalism works anyway. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”
There is also a lot of misconception about herbalism and it takes a bit of self-guided research to find the truth. “The biggest misconception about herbalism is that it is not real. People think that because it is rooted in things so basic as every day plant material, that it is inflated in potential and purpose. Luckily, we live in a time where there are a lot of credible scientific studies being published that often support, rather than contradict or discredit, the ancient wisdom and applications of herbs. They are even becoming ingredients used in some main-stream medical treatment and medications.”
Hardie also offers a basic encouragement for anyone to start reconnecting with nature and learning about plants. “Just go outside! Listen! Begin by trying to learn about some of the plants you see around you -be it a dandelion in a city sidewalk or a St. John’s Wort on the side of the road -there is always something green outside your door. Learn its name, its region, its properties. You will be amazed at what properties every day plants hold in their DNA. Plants have a language all their own. This is how you begin to rebuild your connection and reestablish your birthright to plant knowledge.”
Though she has a business and life philosophy rooted in ancient plant wisdom, Hardie realizes that individual choice and freedom to choose and follow ones’ unique path is the best life medicine of all. “I don’t care if everyone uses herbs or not. Plants are incredible -they have quite literally changed by life, but that might not be your thing. Your doorway to connection might be panting, breathwork, singing, yoga, or something you can’t name yet. The thing itself doesn’t matter as much. What matters is that it connects you to your body, to the world, to compassion, to something ancient and alive and meaningful.”
Still, if you are carbon-based and a resident of planet Earth, herbs would likely be a better fit for you than you think. Being able to walk out the door and recognize that the flowers of the late-summer tufts of goldenrod lining the path can be dried and seeped in a tea to help your unsettled stomach, or that the unruly mint you foolishly planted outside of a container can be used for large, scented bouquets next to your bedside to calm your nerves at night, gives one such a satisfying sense of being a participant of this earth that it is well worth beginning your own curious investigation into herbalism, or paying a visit to the garden gate of Stephanie Hardie to find out more.
Here are the upcoming events of Gate and Garden Herbal Apothecary this year:
Please visit: www.gateandgardenherbals.com to find out more.
Wild Heart Herbalism Program: Gate & Garden’s flagship teaching, Wild Heart Herbalism is a unique & immersive journey into the art of intuitive & applied plant medicine magick. Learn virtually beginning in May 2026 and/or in person beginning in June 2026.
Earthwoven Seasonal Rituals: Community gatherings with the mission to nurture authentic community through spaces where witchcraft, ritual, and coven-connection intertwine, reminding us that we are each a living thread in the great web of the earth.
3/20/26
5/1/26
6/19/26
8/7/26
9/18/26
10/28/26
45 Local Firefighters Graduate from Massachusetts Firefighting Academy
STOW—State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy leadership today announced the graduation of 45 firefighters in western and southeastern Massachusetts from the 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program.
“Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. “The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”
“Massachusetts Firefighting Academy instructors draw on decades of experience in the fire service to train new recruits,” said MFA Recruit Program Coordinator Dean Babineau. “Through consistent classroom instruction and practical exercises, today’s graduates have developed the tools they’ll need to work seamlessly with veteran firefighters in their home departments and in neighboring communities as mutual aid.”
Two recruit classes graduated today. The 24 members of Career Recruit Class #BW38 trained in Bridgewater and were expected to graduate last week – but the ceremony was postponed after the Blizzard of 2026 dropped more than 30” of snow on the campus. They represent the fire departments of Bourne, Braintree, Cohasset, Duxbury, Fall River, Hanover, Harwich, Kingston, Milton, North Attleboro, Provincetown, Rockland, and Scituate.
Career Recruit Class #S44 trained in Springfield. Its 21 members represent the fire departments of Agawam, Holden, Marlborough, Monterey, Northampton, Palmer, Pittsfield, Springfield, Stockbridge, and Turners Falls.
The Richard N. Bangs Outstanding Student Award is presented to one recruit in each graduating career recruit training class. The award is named for a longtime chair of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council and reflects the recruit’s academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the 10-week program. The award for Class #BW38 was presented to Firefighter Jacob Warmington of the Duxbury Fire Department, and the award for Class #S44 was presented to Firefighter Maurice Jarmman, Jr, of the Marlborough Fire Department.
Basic Firefighter Skills
Students receive classroom training in all basic firefighter skills. They practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation, and fire attack. Fire attack operations range from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multiple-room structural fires. Upon successful completion of the Career Recruit Program, all students have met the national standards of NFPA 1010, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, and are certified to the levels of Firefighter I/II and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, which is accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications.
Today’s Firefighters Do Much More than Fight Fires
Modern firefighters train for and respond to all types of hazards and emergencies. They are the first ones called to respond to chemical and environmental emergencies, ranging from the suspected presence of carbon monoxide to gas leaks to industrial chemical spills. They may be called to rescue a child who has fallen through the ice, an office worker stuck in an elevator, or a motorist trapped in a crashed vehicle. They test and maintain their equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), hydrants, hoses, power tools, and apparatus.
At the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, recruits learn all these skills and more, including the latest science of fire behavior and suppression tactics, from certified fire instructors. They also receive training in public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquids, stress management, and self-rescue techniques. The intensive, 10-week program involves classroom instruction, physical fitness training, firefighter skills training, and live firefighting practice.
The MFA provides recruit and in-service training for career, call, and volunteer firefighters at every level of experience, from recruit to chief officer, at campuses in Stow, Springfield, and Bridgewater.
Franklin and Weymouth Food Pantries “SOUPer Bowl 2026” Scores More than 16,000 Heartwarming Cans
FRANKLIN and WEYMOUTH, MA – The 2026 “SOUPer Bowl” stirred up friendly competition between the Franklin Food Pantry and Weymouth Food Pantry, collecting over 16,000 cans of soup to help fight food insecurity in their communities.
From January 8 through February 8, residents, local businesses, schools, and community leaders took the competition for a cause to heart, resulting in a combined total of 16, 246 cans of “mmm, mmm, good.” The final tally was Weymouth 9,960 cans and Franklin 6,286 cans.
The rivalry was a rematch of the 2025 face-off, which saw a combined total of 4,967 cans collected and found Franklin securing the title by a narrow margin. This year’s turnout more than tripled those numbers, soaring past 16,000 and reflecting how both communities have embraced the meaningful competition.
“This year, Weymouth rallied the community in a big way,” said Pamela Denholm, executive director of the Weymouth Food Pantry. “We are incredibly grateful to all who supported this uplifting rivalry, one that not only raised awareness but brought communities together in solidarity against hunger.”
“This event demonstrates the power of collective action,” said Tina Powderly, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “Every can of soup represents a neighbor helping another neighbor and that’s what makes this competition so special.”
There were many MVPs in this year’s match, including:
– Dennis Brooks, who launched his own “Weymouth Polar Plunge for Soup,” raising over $2,500 and delivering 2,549 cans
– Weymouth Public Schools, Town Hall, Tufts Library, and the Weymouth Police Station with a combined collection of over 1,200 cans
– BJ’s in Weymouth collected 782 cans, donating soup for the “SOUPer Bowl” kickoff and held a friendly competition with Franklin’s BJ’s, which edged them out by 12 cans
– Archbishop Williams High School ran a schoolwide competition, donating 700 cans
– Clean Harbors collected over 600 cans
– Shaw’s Supermarket in Weymouth set up soup at every register and collected over 550 cans
– Saint Francis Xavier School collected 145 cans
– Immaculate Conception Church collected 100 cans
Community leadership played a standout role during the 2026 competition.
Weymouth Mayor Michael Molisse and his Chief of Staff, Ted Langill kept energy high by creating graphics and posting frequent updates throughout the month-long event. State Rep. James Murphy and Franklin’s State Rep. Jeff Roy also championed the effort, and invited Pamela Denholm and Tina Powderly to the State House for the official winner reveal. By coincidence, students from Pingree School in Weymouth were visiting the State House the same day and joined in the excitement by helping to announce the winning pantry. To add to the hometown flavor, Rep. Roy sported a Weymouth T-shirt that read “Just a Kid from Weymouth.”
Soup Drop-off locations for this year’s competition included the Weymouth and Franklin food pantries, BJ’s, Shaw’s, Tufts Library, Weymouth Police Station, Grille 151, Town Hall, Curtis Liquors, South Shore Bank, and Rockland Trust. Many supporters also ordered directly from an Amazon wishlist.
“The 2026 SOUPer Bowl” may be over, but the fight against food insecurity continues,” said Denholm, citing statistics that 1 in 3 people in Massachusetts are currently facing nutritional hardship.
To make a difference in the struggle against hunger, please consider:
– Donating food
– Donating funds
– Organizing a food drive
– Volunteering at a local food pantry
46 Local Firefighters to Graduate from State Fire Academy Next Week
BRIDGEWATER—State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy leadership will present certificates of completion to 46 graduating recruits next week at the Department of Fire Services’ campuses in Bridgewater and Springfield.
The members of Career Recruit Firefighter Training Class #BW38 represent the fire departments of Bourne, Braintree, Cohasset, Duxbury, Fall River, Hanover, Harwich, Kingston, Milton, North Attleboro, Provincetown, Rockland, Sandwich, and Scituate. Their graduation was postponed for one week due to storm recovery efforts following the Blizzard of 2026.
Date: Friday, March 6, 2026
Time: 11:00 am
Place: 911 Conant Street, Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Location Note: There is no access via Flagg Street. Use Rte. 18 to State Farm Road.
The members of Career Recruit Firefighter Training Class #S44 represent the fire departments of Agawam, Holden, Marlborough, Monterey, Northampton, Palmer, Pittsfield, Springfield, Stockbridge, and Turners Falls.
Date: Friday, March 6, 2026
Time: 11:00 am
Place: 100 Grochmal Avenue, Springfield, Massachusetts
Video of both ceremonies will be posted to the Department of Fire Services’ YouTube channel following their conclusion.
The MFA has trained Massachusetts firefighters at every level of experience, from recruit to chief officer, since 1971. It serves about 13,000 students each year at three regional campuses and at local fire departments.
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