sm
Since 1974 fo r
rs
Supp or
Locally owned and operated since 1974
cal Journ g Lo ali tin
ea O ver 5 0 Y
Your community. Your news. Your paper.
Shrewsbury · Westborough · Northborough · Southborough · Marlborough · Hudson · Grafton
100% FREE
New monument to honor Westborough Police Department
Local teams crowned state champions
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor
Sawyer says
WESTBOROUGH – Service. Sacrifice. Community. Those are the words that the Westborough Police Department is hoping to put on a monument outside the Forbes Municipal Building. On June 9, the Select Board voted, 4-1, to allow the monument to be manufactured and placed on municipal property. “The vision for it is creating a permanent tribute, creating a lasting legacy for both our past, present, and future officers. It’s a space for reflection – creating a dedicated environment for remembrance and
goodbye
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor NORTHBOROUGH – The next chief of the Northborough Fire Department is one step closer to being chosen. On June 8, the Northborough Select Board held half-hour interviews with the three finalists for the position: Franklin Battalion Chief Keith Darling, West Boylston Chief Mark Sadowski, and Northborough Deputy Chief Neal Aspesi. A decision had not been made at the time of this article’s publication. The person selected will replace David Parenti, Northborough’s chief for the last 10 years. Parenti retired in March. Darling was raised in North AttleFire Chief | 11
Eagles win state softball championship for first time in program history
MARLBOROUGH | 46
After 29 years, Shrewsbury superintendent reflects on time leading schools
Monument | 11
Three finalists for Northborough fire chief role
Vol. 52 | No. 23 | June 19, 2026
Dr. Joseph Sawyer outside Floral Street School, where he started his career in Shrewsbury.
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor SHREWSBURY — A series of photos hangs in the hallway just outside the cafeteria at Floral Street School. The images, for the most part, have been changed over the years to depict different generations of students as they passed through the school. Except for one. The framed black-andwhite photo closest to the lunchroom depicts a young Dr. Joseph Sawyer eating lunch with students around 1997, when Floral Street School first opened. With a walkie-talkie strapped to his belt, Sawyer, the school’s first assistant principal, was listening intently as students chatted with him during lunchtime. The fact that the photo is the only blackand-white image remaining in the hallway makes Sawyer chuckle — “We did have
color film back then,” he says — and every time he visits the school, he makes a point of asking if it’s time for the photo to be replaced. “They insist on keeping it up, no matter how many times I ask them to take it down,” Sawyer joked. With the Community Advocate trailing him during a May visit to Floral Street School, Sawyer once again sat in the cafeteria as a camera loomed in the background. The students were similarly talkative, the lunchroom looked the same, and Sawyer smiled just as he did in the original photo. But one thing aside from camera technology had changed three decades later: Sawyer was no longer the upstart assistant principal of a new school. Instead, he was an experienced and accomplished leader who had devoted most of his professional life to Shrewsbury students. After 29 years with Shrewsbury Public
Westborough boys’ tennis takes home another state title
WESTBOROUGH | 47
Stay up to date with all the news!
Sawyer | 8
AN ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY
Summer is the perfect time for a change in scenery! Come see what is new! Call or Apply Today. 99 Pleasant Street • Marlborough, MA 01752 • 508-281-8001 • www.christopherheights.com