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Vol. 47 | No. 39 | September 24, 2021
Westborough police chief, deputy chief discuss understaffing
Applefest celebration returns
By Stuart Foster Contributing Writer WESTBOROUGH - Understaffing issues continue in Westborough as the Police Department is not on track to meet a recommended hiring benchmark initially proposed in 2019, Deputy Chief Todd Minardi told the Select Board, Sept. 14. Joined in his presentation by Chief Jeffery Lourie, Minardi referred to a staffing study conducted by Municipal Resources Inc. at the request of the Westborough Police in 2018. When WPD presented their findings in Jan. 2019, Minardi said, they recommended hiring five patrol positions immediately and adding a total of 15 by 2024. “We are not close to that,” Minardi said. “We started with two. The following year we did two, and then we did one. We’re not going to reach 15 by 2024, we understand that. That’s just the nature of where we’re at.” Understaffing limits ability to be ‘proactive,’ deputy chief says Minardi said that, as a result of understaffing, the Westborough Police have a day shift that is one officer short. Some other shifts are regularly at their minimum staffing threshold. There is generally a lack of station coverage, he said. Minardi said that this can result in officers being Police staffing | 7
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Attendees bring their own lawn chairs to view this year’s Applefest fireworks display in Northborough.
NORTHBOROUGH - Applefest returned to Northborough this past weekend with a full slate of inperson events in multiple locations across town. A year after the festivities were transitioned to a virtual format due to COVID-19, and two years after the outbreak of EEE forced changes to 2019’s Applefest, this year’s schedule featured old favorite attractions as well as new events and plans. Local business owner and longtime selectman Dawn Rand served as the event’s Grand Marshal alongside Former Police Chief Kenneth Hutchins, who served as honorary Grand Marshal after passing away earlier this year. See coverage on page 11...
Narzwen watches her daughter Emily, 4, get a temporary glitter tattoo from a student of Diane Cournoyer Dance Center.
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