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How $6.5M in Fire Station savings is dividing Northborough officials
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Vol. 51 | No. 40 | October 3, 2025
‘People just kept coming’
Longtime Grafton church may become daycare center
In the wake of tragedy, Shrewsbury students raise $2,300 through lemonade stand
By Shealagh Sullivan Reporter
Grafton | 2 Sawyer’s owners keep history alive
NORTHBOROUGH — In late March, the Northborough Fire Station Building Committee unanimously voted to approve a contract proposal $6.5 million below the project’s $33.4 million budget. Now, town officials are torn over what the millions in savings means for the town. At the Northborough Select Board’s Sept. 22 meeting, Select Board member Jacob Jones presented what was originally a draft warrant article that would reduce the amount of money
northborough | 12 Brio 33 to open in early October: ‘The countdown is on’
Fire Station | 7
Mark Wahlberg to film new movie in Shrewsbury in October By Evan Walsh Managing Editor SHREWSBURY – Marky Mark is coming to town! The Dorchester native will be in Shrewsbury on October 8, according to location managers. He’ll be filming a major upcoming feature film called “Cheesesteak,” an Apple Studios production written and directed by Stephen Chbosky. The film may be part of “Weekend Warriors,” according to casting calls. Flynn’s Truck Stop will be the filming location. A simulated traffic jam will be in the background of the scene. The shoot will happen rain-or-shine, according to the production’s location crew, which asked local officials for permission to close roads. Mark Fitzgerald, a location manager associated with Apple Studios, told Shrewsbury officials that “Cheesesteak” will be “a great story.” It’s the biggest production to be shot in Shrewsbury in recent memory according to Town Manager Kevin Mizikar, who has been in town since 2017. Wahlberg | 7
westborough | 15 A field hockey renaissance in Shrewsbury
These local students stepped up for a community member. (Photo/Courtesy)
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor SHREWSBURY – A group of local students wasted no time making an impact after a tragedy. After Shrewsbury resident Kevin Doherty, 56, was shot and killed after dropping his child off at Coolidge Elementary School on Aug. 29, a group of seven second- through seventh-grade children – all of whom are current or former Coolidge students – held a lemonade stand that raised over $2,300 for Doherty’s family. “It literally became a place where people were gathering ideas, talking about how they could support. People were having difficult conversations. It was a safe space where people were talking about how they could support the community,” said Reema Raghavendra, a parent who hosted the lemonade stand in her front yard. While the plan was always to support Doherty’s family, nobody foresaw just how popular this stand would become. The stand started at 11 a.m., and the plan was to go to 1 p.m. at the latest. But Facebook posts were made, foot traffic increased along South Quinsigamond Avenue, and even
SHrewsbury | 25
the Shrewsbury Police Department showed up. Hundreds spent parts of their Labor Day Weekend drinking lemonade and matcha. Soon enough, it was 5 p.m. “People just kept coming. We kept making batches and batches of lemonade,” Raghavendra said. The students hoped to raise $400, but ended up with well over $2,000. The money was given to the principal of Coolidge, who promised to give it to Doherty’s family. According to Raghavendra, the lemonade stand that afternoon did more than just help Doherty’s family – it taught the Lemonade | 19
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