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Without override, Grafton schools will cut 11.5 full-time roles, slash programs By Evan Walsh Managing Editor GRAFTON – A 5-year, $5 million override will appear before Grafton residents at Town Meeting and at the ballot box. In the event the override does not pass, Grafton is preparing a “reduction budget” that would take into account the town’s $1.1 million budget deficit. To solve for the delta, Superintendent James Cummings went before the School Committee on April 7 with a plan to cut 11.5 full-time positions throughout Grafton Public Schools if the override effort fails. Cummings, clearly dismayed at the potential Grafton Cuts | 9
Two options proposed for landmark building in Downtown Northborough By Evan Walsh Managing Editor NORTHBOROUGH – A Northborough landmark sits largely vacant. But after the Select Board meeting on April 6, it appears that Northborough’s most-recognizable building — outside of White Cliffs, that is — might have a future. Northborough received two responses to an RFP (Request for Proposals) from firms interested in developing 4 West Main Street, a brick building off of Route 20. The first option would turn the building into “Northborough Market and Lofts.” The ground floor would become a neighborhood restaurant,
‘She inspires us all’
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor SHREWSBURY – Between calculating carbohydrates, checking glucose levels, and deciding where to place medical equipment on their bodies, it’s estimated that people with Type 1 diabetes make approximately 180 additional health-related decisions per day. All the extra choices can become overwhelming, but Catherine Kelleher doesn’t fret. Despite dealing with a life-changing diagnosis in September, the Oak Middle School eighth-grader has hardly missed a beat, continuing to thrive academically and athletically
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Catherine Kelleher (Photo/ Courtesy)
SOUTHBOROUGH | 18 The start of a new final resting place in Westborough
WESTBOROUGH | 20 In memory of his wife, a Grafton man raises alpacas
while managing all that comes with the condition. “It comes down to faith,” Kelleher told the Community Advocate. “I saw it as something positive, in a way. It was a challenge. I read my Bible every night, so I was thinking that God wouldn’t give me a challenge He knew I couldn’t handle.” Catherine was a happy middleschool student when medical issues began to arise. She wasn’t growing or gaining weight, and though her family — including her mom, Kate, and father, Will — traveled to medical experts throughout the region, answers were difficult to find. Catherine started to feel Kelleher | 5
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Sally Watters has become a marathon mainstay
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CommunityAdvocate
Vol. 52 | No. 16 | April 17, 2026
With a positive spirit, this Shrewsbury eighth-grader is successfully managing Type 1 diabetes
4 West Main | 9
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Westborough pole vault coach is nationally recognized
WESTBOROUGH | 31
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