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Vol. 52 | No. 19 | May 8, 2026
Sharma, Garcia chosen in Shrewsbury Select Board race
Indian restaurant in Westborough to open soon
WESTBOROUGH | 13 White Cliffs has a certain future after a decade of effort
Seeing Double?
NORTHBOROUGH | 17
Anand Sharma (Photo/Evan Walsh)
Kathleen Valenti to retire after 12 years as Neary principal
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor SHREWSBURY — On May 5, Shrewsbury voters reported to the town’s 10 precincts to vote for Select Board, School Committee, Trustees of the Public Library, and Town Meeting members. Of the town’s 26,980 registered voters, 4,186 people voted, a 15.5 percent turnout. This election’s turnout was lower than last year’s mark (17.6 percent), but higher than the 2024 race (10.1 percent). Three candidates fought for two three-year terms on the Select Board, and three candidates campaigned for two three-year terms on the School Committee. But who came out on top? See unofficial results below.
Select Board
(Vote for TWO, three-year terms)
SOUTHBOROUGH | 28
Photos of twins at Shrewsbury High School, starting from the top and moving clockwise: Sam and Lucy Rajwani, Siri and Sagar Srivatsa, Hamza and Ibrahim Frederick, Gayatri and Vaishnavi Iyer, Elliot and Zachary Moore, Daniella and Angelina Terra, Atharva and Ameya Mahajan, Ruth and Alice Young, Urvil and Urav Singh, and Ariana and Christian Valois. Center: Raashid and Khaalid Abdullah. (Photos/Owen Jones Photography)
Anand Sharma — 2266 Carlos A. Garcia (i) — 2252 Beth N. Casavant (i) — 2182
A historic Shrewsbury High School senior class boasts 17 sets of twins
School Committee
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor
(Vote for TWO, three-year terms) Nicole Torres — 2581 Rachel L. Sharifipour (i) — 2333 Michael T. Pacy — 1500
Full election results here
Freshman Kaitlin Ziemba leads Westborough lacrosse to victory
SHREWSBURY – Khaalid Abdullah and his identical twin Raashid are “very, very different.” A member of the varsity crew team, Khaalid lifts weights and participates in a sport, while his brother prefers being indoors. Khaalid lets his hair grow, while Raashid keeps his shorter, always preferring a clean shave. The twins have listened to some of the same music – including Don Toliver, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry – but at different points in their lives. “We have a completely different person-
ality and character,” said Khaalid. The Abdullah twins are part of history at Shrewsbury High School. Typically, graduating classes may have a handful – maybe a half-dozen – set of twins, but on Cypress Avenue, the Class of 2026 has an astounding 17 pairs. With 499 seniors in the class, approximately 7 percent of students have an identical or fraternal twin. “During high school, we branched out and became our own independent people,” said Jadon Dumont, whose twin, Joel, is also a senior. “There are some shared, but also some separate, experiences that have shaped who we are today.” In the busy hallways of Shrewsbury Twins | 6
WESTBOROUGH | 31
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