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Remembering Donald Desorcy

Jeff Raymond remembers former Chief of Police Donald Desorcy.

SCENES FROM THE SECOND PARISH: Facebook FOMO, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Disconnect

Jeff Raymond didn't disappear. He's just not on Facebook.

NAFFBLOG: Why I’m Leaving the Board of Selectmen

Chris Naff recaps his tenure on the Millbury Board of Selectmen.

Former School Committee Member & Business Owner Nick Lazzaro Running for Millbury Select Board

The Bramanville Tribune will gladly publish any press releases or other major communications for candidates running in local elections. Please reach out to editor@bramanvilletribune.com for more information. Since announcing his candidacy for Select Board January 12, former School Committee Member Nick Lazzaro has already collected more than the

Highlights from the 8 August 2023 Select Board Meeting

The Board of Selectmen hosted a full house for a variety of topics at their 8 August 2023 meeting.

Millbury's Link to Professional Basketball's Integration Efforts

Author Chris Boucher profiles Millbury resident Bill Horne, a turn-of-the-century professional basketball player.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: The Town Manager Hunt Revisited

Given that we're going back to the drawing board to find a Town Manager, here are excerpts from a couple columns I wrote for The Millbury-Sutton Chronicle back in 2020 when we last went through this dog-and-pony show. First column was originally published on 10 September 2020, the

DEVELOPING: Town Manager Sean Hendricks Resigns

The town manager served for nearly three years and resigned in a surprise announcement today.

Small Town Throwdown

Jeff Raymond tries that in a small town.

What We've Learned From the POST Records (So Far)

The POST records provide a treasure trove of insight into modern policing in the Commonwealth.

Budget Blues: Dudley and the Danger of Municipal Budget Failures

I'm not saying Millbury is on the same financial path to ruin as Dudley is, but I am saying that it isn't impossible.

Big Plans

While it's been quiet at the Tribune, it's not due to a lack of activity.  More coming in the next few weeks... I spent my Monday afternoon at the Asa Waters Mansion for the library's Summer Reading kickoff. My usual route into the center

Highlights from the Town Meeting Warrant...

The warrant this year is a microcosm of what's both good and bad about Millbury.

A Disaster in the Making

The Massachusetts Police Officer Standards and Training Commission is blowing it, with help from municipal police departments and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and causing everyone more work as a result.

Unofficial Municipal Election Results

We have the unofficial results for the Millbury Town Election from Tuesday.  Please note: all figures are subject to change; and ones marked with a star are subject to a possible recount. NOTE:  The emailed version of this post had incorrect numbers for the School Committee write-in outcome. That has

It's Municipal Election Day!

It's your civic duty to come out and be one of the 10% or so of townspeople who come out to vote on municipal election day. You can find a sample ballot here, but the contested races of note include: * Planning Board - vote for 2: Terry Burke

THROWBACK TUESDAY: The Getaway Plan

I originally published this in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle last February, but with town elections next week and two Planning Board seats up with one challenger to the incumbents, I felt like it was worth re-posting. I still stand by every word. I had a plan for February, but then I

Millbury Needs More Housing

There's no dancing around the facts, and Jeff Raymond believes a moratorium on multi-family projects sends the wrong message. We're fully in election season in Millbury, and while we have some general thoughts on the upcoming board races in town, the other item on the docket

NEW PROJECT: POST Commission Records

The Tribune does what the state does not. While our main focus is Millbury, the fact of the matter is that what happens around us impacts what happens here in town. One statewide issue with local relevance is the establishment of a Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, better known

It's Been a Minute...

Turns out trying to launch a newspaper is harder than we thought. So we've been quiet.  A lot of reason for that, although if you know Chris and I, it's because we don't have any ability to say no, and we both kind of

SCENES FROM THE SECOND PARISH: Sinners, Saints, and Fools

Let 'em laugh while they can Let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends And the joke's on them -- Brandi Carlile, "The Joke." Last Friday night, I was

Today in Town - 10/21/22

Been a busy week thus the lack of posts.  Hope to pick things back up next week. On the site this week: * Throwback Tuesday revisited Dave Dwinell's chat about Millbury and professional wrestling. * Scenes From the Second Parish took a few trips around the rotary. In other news.

SCENES FROM THE SECOND DISTRICT: The Time is Now

Been a busy week in what's been a busy month, so I know news is slow this week. We'll be back on the saddle next week. A few trips around the ol' rotary today... I had a few people reach out about the digital changes

THROWBACK TUESDAY: The Saturday Lunchtime Wrestlers

This column was originally written for the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle in March 2021. With Dave Dwinell appearing at Asa Waters Mansion on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at noon to discuss his book, Ringman, I thought it was worth sharing again. When I was nine years old, I saw my first professional

Today in Town - 10/14

Nothing new on the site today, but we had a busy-ish week here. So in case you missed it: * There was a townwide-yard sale last weekend. * The Society of St. Vincent de Paul spoke to us about their work. * The Board of Selectmen touched on a number of topics... * ...including

SCENES FROM THE SECOND PARISH: Mix All the Satellites

It all started when Google canceled Stadia... Actually, it all started when Google announced that they would transition Chrome to Manifest V3... Now that I think about it, I think it was when Google canceled Reader... Of the 200 or so of you who read this, maybe 25 of you

Board of Selectmen Consider 40B, 40U, but Yield on Howe and Millbury Ave Changes

NOTE: Founding Editor Chris Naff is a member of the Board of Selectmen. Naff has no editorial input on Board of Selectmen news or information in regard to the Bramanville Tribune. The Board of Selectmen held a meeting on October 11, 2022. Mary Krumsiek, Scott Despres, Katie McKenna, and Chris

Building a Society

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is quietly building the infrastructure of giving back beneath St. Brigid's. For many of us, a church hall holds many memories. Maybe it was school lunch, maybe a play, maybe bingo night or "coffee and" after mass. For others,

Today in Town - 10/11/22

A few new posts on the site today: * A profile of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul at St. Brigid's Church. * In anticipation of what might be an explosive Board of Selectmen meeting, Throwback Tuesday looks back at the 40B process and what it looked like earlier

THROWBACK TUESDAY: 40B and Me

I originally wrote this in February of 2022, following the Planning Board's denial of a housing project off Rice Road. Many believed that the Planning Board was the final step, but others were sure the developer would move toward an affordable housing build. With the Board of Selectmen

Treasures Galore at Millbury's First Annual Townwide Yard Sale

The Friends of the Millbury Public Library organized Millbury's first town-wide yard sale on Saturday, October 8, 2022. Jeff Raymond (full disclosure: Jeff Raymond is president of the Friends) visited a number of the locations and provides some dispatches. On Riverlin Street, two families came together to sell

Today in Town - 10/10/22

On the site today: * Dispatches from the first annual town-wide yard sale. * Naffblog is back with the only thing he believes is worse than a NIMBY. In other news... * Millbury Memorial Junior-Senior High School is a finalist for the Saint Gobain's "Sustaining Futures Raising Communities" grant,

NAFFBLOG: Worse Than the NIMBYs: The NIMTOOS

▪️"Our greatest political problem in society is political correctness, properly understood." - Peter Thiel The most important goal of public discourse should be to have real conversations about real issues. If we cannot adequately discuss items like housing, zoning, tax rates, and growth we will never be able

Community Calendar - 10/7-10/14

The Trib has been quiet this week due to some scheduling conflicts and real-world events, but we'll be back at full-ish speed next week. Events this week: * Hope Reformed Church's "Dinner and a Movie" program tonight features Is Genesis Real, begins at 5:30pm.

Today in Town - 10/2/22

Nothing new on the site today, but a lot going on. In the news: * The big, statewide story is the situation on Millbury Ave. Reports from across the media spectrum describe a crime scene with one individual dead and another injured; the latter, who allegedly called 911, was later arrested

RECAP: Board of Selectmen - 9/27/22

NOTE: Founding Editor Chris Naff is a member of the Board of Selectmen. Naff has no editorial input on Board of Selectmen news or information in regard to the Bramanville Tribune. The Board of Selectmen met at Town Hall at 6:00pm. Mary Krumsiek, Katie McKenna, and Scott Despres attended

Today in Town - 9/30/22

The end of September is upon us.  On the site today: * A recap of the Board of Selectmen meeting. * A recap of the School Committee meeting. In case you missed it... * A recap of the Planning Board meeting. * Scenes from the Second Parish is a roundabout affair. * Throwback Tuesday revisits

RECAP: Millbury School Committee - 9/28/22

The Millbury School Committee met on September 28, 2022. Present were Jen  Nietupski, Christopher Wilbur, Julia Lagerholm, and Nicholas Lazzaro. In the Superintendent's Report... * Superintendent Greg Myers introduced the student representative, Fatma Al-Bargash, of the class of 2023. * Student council members Gabby Girard and Kaitlyn Garden provided a

SCENES FROM THE SECOND PARISH: Ramblin' Round Your City

I don't open Facebook too too often, but seeing yet another post decrying roundabouts, this time about the traffic circle going in at the McCracken/Greenwood intersection, made me want to open that can of worms once more. Plus, if you watched the Planning Board meeting earlier this

THROWBACK TUESDAY: Sweet Leaf

A look back at the 2019 opening of Nature's Remedy

Today in Town - 9/27/22

A couple items on the site today: * A recap of last night's Planning Board meeting, which featured the initial public hearing for Wonderland Cannabis Company (who held their public impact meeting last week) and a wide-ranging discussion on the MBTA zoning changes. * Throwback Tuesday provides look back on

RECAP: Millbury Planning Board - 9/26/22

The Millbury Planning Board met on September 26, 2022. Richard Gosselin, Paul Piktelis, Bruce DeVault, Terry Burke Dotson, and Francis DeSimone present. There was a public hearing regarding Wonderland Cannabis Company's special permit for a marijuana dispensary at 11 McCracken Road. Mike St. Onge of Grafton, co-owner, represented

Today in Town - 9/26/22

Nothing new on the site today, but a few things cooking this week. In other news... * Millbury Police receive nearly $30,000 in Municipal Road Safety grants. (Millbury-Sutton Chronicle) * Millbury High Boys' and Girls' Cross Country both lost to Grafton (Telegram & Gazette / T&G), Millbury High

Wonderland Cannabis Company makes their pitch to the public

Wonderland Cannabis Co. held a public meeting to answer questions from the public regarding their upcoming cannabis dispensary.

Today in Town - 9/23/22

Cannabis, Chronicle, and calendars. Happy Friday!

SCENES FROM THE SECOND PARISH: Banned From the Roxy

Nothing new on the site today, but it's Banned Books Week, so I am sharing this column I wrote for the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle in April about a failed censorship effort at our hometown library. The situation received regional attention both positive and negative, and while the books were

Scales Seafood and More announces their closure

In a Facebook post on September 20, 2022, Shari Hanson announced that, after 11 years, Scales would be closing permanently. "It is with a very heavy heart that I have had to make the decision to close Scales permanently," she wrote, adding "I also have to thank

Today in Town - 9/21/22

On the site today... * Scales Seafood and More is closing after more than 20 years on River Street. In other news... * Millbury High School football coach Ray Richards is closing in as the all-time leader in wins as a Woolie head coach. (Telegram and Gazette). * Speaking of Woolie Pride, Millbury

Today in Town - 9/19/22

Nothing new on the site today, but a reminder to everyone that we are working on building out a freelance roster and that we want to be on your distribution lists for information. In other news... * Rep. Jim McGovern faced protests and criticism surrounding his votes on aid in the

Today in Town - 9/16/22

All the stuff you need to know to end your week.

RECAP: Redevelopment Authority and School Committee

The key highlights of the recent Redevelopment Authority and School Committee meetings.

Today in Town - 9/15/22

On the site today... * Recaps of this week's meetings of the Sewer Commission and the Fire Headquarters Building Committee. * Jeff Raymond's latest Scene From the Second Parish goes down the rabbit hole. In case you missed it... * A recap of this week's Board of

SCENES FROM THE SECOND PARISH: Follow the White Rabbit

I think my favorite part of living in a small town with a rich history is the nearly countless number of rabbit holes you can fall into, and the things you find as a result. On my laptop, I have a lot of internet browser tabs open, either with research

Recap: Sewer Commission and Fire Headquarters Building Committee

Notes and information from the two recent meetings at Town Hall.

Recap: Board of Selectmen - 9/13/22

The Millbury Board of Selectmen met at Town Hall on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.

Today in Town - 9/12/22

Today's news to get your week started right.

Scouting Report: Troop 65081 Take On the Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors Challenge

The inaugural Scouting Report highlights the Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors challenge.

NAFFBLOG: A Selectman’s Love Letter to the NIMBYs

Chris Naff's blog launches today with a letter to (some of) his fellow residents.

"Humans of Millbury" seeks to tell the stories of our hometown

Jeff Raymond talked with local photographer Penny Johnson, who is using her talents to highlight residents and their tales.

Today in Town - 9/9/22

Your morning headlines to start the day.

SCENES FROM THE SECOND PARISH: August and Everything After

Jeff Raymond's new column for The Bramanville Tribune debuts with a treatise on small towns, Slush Puppies, and the importance of a local news outlet that is willing to cover them both.

Local News is Back!

Chris Naff and Jeff Raymond introduce you to a new media effort for the Town of Millbury.