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Vol. 52 | No. 20 | May 15, 2026
A semi-sweet ending
Fresh plans proposed for abandoned Grafton restaurant
How the disappearance of a cookie came to define the school year at Algonquin Regional High School
Ostiguy, Rutan win Select Board seats
GRAFTON | 3 Lifeguards to return to Lake Chauncy after long absence
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor NORTHBOROUGH – Who won on Election Day in Northborough? On May 12, Northborough residents cast their ballots at the Senior Center. This election cycle featured contested Select Board and Moderator races. Lawn signs were placed throughout town. Jeffrey Ostiguy and Leslie Rutan earned seats on the Select Board, according to unofficial results calculated on Election Night, ousting the two incumbents. In the Moderator race, incumbent Frederick George secured his 24th consecutive term.
WESTBOROUGH | 5 Candidates thank voters after Shrewsbury election wins
SHREWSBURY | 14
SELECT BOARD (Vote for TWO, three-year terms)
Jeffrey Ostiguy — 1,078 Leslie S. Rutan — 1,057 Laura Ziton (i) — 713 Jacob C. Jones (i) — 571 MODERATOR (Vote for ONE, one-year term) Frederick A. George (i) — 892 Aaron Hutchins — 873 QUESTION 2: Zeh School Roof Shall the Town of Northborough be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition two-and-one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to pay for the costs of final roof design, project management, and construction services for the Marion E. Zeh Elementary School Roof Recovery Project? YES — 1142 NO — 578 Scan for full election results.
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor NORTHBOROUGH – This is a story of resilience, of perseverance. A story of loss, heartbreak, and ultimately redemption. For months, an important piece of Algonquin Regional High School was sorely missing — only for the school to be made whole once again. This is the story of the Algonquin chocolate chip cookie. For years, the lunchroom staple was a signature part of the Algonquin experience. Over 500 cookies were made from-scratch each morning, according to student newspaper The Harbinger, which wisely chronicled the creation of the cookies over the course of several articles. The Harbinger reported that,
over the span of three months in 2016, the cafeteria sold over 12,000 cookies. Algonquin alumni who graduated as far back as the 1980s recall enjoying the school’s cookie offerings, though the recipe has surely changed over the years. At the peak of the cookie craze in 2022, cafeteria staff revealed the confections were concocted with semi-sweet chocolate chips, ground oats, and lemon juice — which supposedly made them softer in the middle. Whatever the recipe, Algonquin students were hooked. “There was something about the cookies that you could go anywhere on this earth and you wouldn’t find anything like it,” said 2022 alum Owen Jones. “I’ve
In tear-filled meeting, community thanks Sandra Fryc for service
SHREWSBURY | 19
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