https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefsThe daily local brief for Concord & Carlisle, MA.en-ushttps://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-22https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-22Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Town of Concord, The Robbins House and the Black Heritage Trail Advisory Team will celebrate the completion of Concord's Black Heritage Trail from noon to 1 p.m. today at Monument Square, next to the Catholic Parish Center across from Town House. The free program will recognize 10 new interpretive markers and debut a new walking tour and map, with remarks and song. The rain location is Parish Hall at First Parish.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-21https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-21Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Talk of possible five-story apartment buildings at MCI-Concord drew mixed reactions at an October 6 public session, where one resident called the prospect "terrifying" and urged a three-story limit. State officials have estimated the site could support 800 to 1,000 new homes, but town leaders are rejecting some of the most ambitious estimates as they eye a spring zoning vote. The state owns most of the prison property and plans to hand it to a developer, making zoning Concord's strongest lever over what gets built.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-20https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-20Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Concord District Court Judge Lynn Brendemuehl on Monday placed John Grace on six months of pretrial probation in the case over his alleged placement of scarecrows criticizing schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter. Grace must not commit any offenses and must abide by a harassment prevention order Hunter has against him. Defense attorney George King said prosecutors will dismiss the case if Grace complies, an arrangement that would not require him to admit guilt.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-19https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-19Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Select Board meets in hybrid session Monday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in the Town House, 22 Monument Square, and on Zoom. The agenda includes the timeline for an upcoming special election, an update on the MCI-Concord redevelopment, and committee charges. Public comment at the start of the meeting is limited to items not on the agenda, with up to 3 minutes per speaker.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-18https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-18Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Concord-Carlisle's football team lost 14-6 to Westford on Friday night. The win clinched the Dual County League title for Westford.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-17https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-17Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000O. Mario Favorito, named Concord's Honored Citizen in 2024, died September 4 at age 88 after 56 years in town, including more than 25 years as a Concord Free Public Library trustee. His first contribution came in the early 1970s, when he joined his wife, Corina, on the Bus Transportation Committee. He studied MBTA rules, and the committee ultimately found a way to offer free bus service using school buses three times a week.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-16https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-16Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Concord Art has cut the ribbon on its 2,400-square-foot Keyes Art Barn, built behind its longtime home in the John Ball House on Lexington Road. The new building more than doubles the organization's arts education and studio space. More than five years in development, the barn was funded by hundreds of individual donations, including a $200,000 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant in 2023, and is named for the family of Grace Keyes, who co-founded the Concord Art Association in 1917.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-15https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-15Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000A failed power-protection switch on Main Street near the Sudbury River cut power Wednesday morning to 31.3% of Concord Municipal Light Plant customers. The outage forced police headquarters onto backup power and knocked out traffic lights at multiple intersections, and State Police helped direct traffic on Route 2 at Walden Street and Sudbury Road. Police officers were sent to Alcott Elementary and Concord-Carlisle High School to ensure emergency communication, and officials said power was back for all affected areas by 11:25 a.m.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-14https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-14Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Christine Apollos, who taught kindergarten at Thoreau Elementary School for more than 20 years, filed a complaint September 28 asking Suffolk Superior Court to overturn an arbitrator's decision upholding her August 2025 dismissal. She argues that some evaluations used against her, including Principal Justin Sparks' summative evaluation, may have been AI-generated, citing results from the detection tool GPTZero. Sparks denied using AI for anything beyond grammar checks, and the district does not comment on active legal matters.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-13https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-13Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Construction fencing has gone up at the former E & S Mobile Service site at 166 Commonwealth Avenue, near Laws Brooks Road, and Town Planner Elizabeth Hughes said crews would be breaking ground soon. Town boards approved the project over the summer. Plans from Mendon businessman Kevin Meehan call for revamped gas pumps and a country store selling candy, local crafts and hardware store items, with a landscaped area along Nashoba Brook.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-12https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-12Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Select Board member Mary Hartman has resigned, citing family reasons, in a Saturday letter to Chair Wendy Rovelli. Hartman has served on the board since 2022, and her unexpired term runs to May 1, 2028. The board will discuss the special election timeline at its Oct. 19 meeting, and Rovelli suggested the vote could happen in early January.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-11https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-11Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Concord-Carlisle senior co-captain Sophie Redmond hit holes-in-one on Sept. 17 and Oct. 1, both on the ninth hole at Concord Country Club and both with a 9-iron. The Patriots won both matches. Coach Carl Sweeney called the shots "eerily identical," and Redmond, a past sectional champion, will continue her golf career at Loyola University next year.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-10https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-10Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000New accountants auditing the Concord Municipal Light Plant's 2025 financials found that a formula used since 2021 to account for fluctuating wholesale power costs left the utility about $6.6 million short of revenue. At a September 23 meeting, the Light Board approved recovery charges of $0.00728 per kilowatt hour starting on October bills. That averages $6.74 a month per residential customer for five years, or about $400 total for a household with average electricity use.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-09https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-09Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Concord Police and Fire Departments said Thursday that they were actively investigating an incident at Middlesex School. They said there was no threat to the public at the time of the notice. The dispatch notice did not describe the nature of the incident.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-08https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-08Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Routine soil sampling on a portion of the 2229 Main Street Superfund site near the Powder Mill Woods trail found localized uranium levels as high as 55 milligrams per kilogram, roughly 20 times the site cleanup level of 2.7 mg/kg. A project risk assessor confirmed that, based on the current exposure evaluation, the levels do not present an unacceptable health or safety risk to trail users or nearby residents. The trail remained open Wednesday but will close temporarily while crews remove the tainted soil and cut down additional trees.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-07https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-07Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The town's roadway contractor is scheduled to resume reconstruction on Main Street between Route 2 and Old Bridge Road on Friday, October 9, working 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The work includes utility casting adjustments, pavement milling and possible curb work, with police officers or flaggers on site to direct traffic. Property access will largely be maintained, though residents and businesses may see short delays entering or leaving driveways while equipment works nearby.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-06https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-06Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000At a remote meeting Thursday, October 8, the Planning Board plans to choose one of its members for a newly formed Housing Production Plan Steering Committee. The agenda gave no other details about the committee's charge, membership or timeline. The town's current Housing Production Plan was adopted in December 2022 and expires December 20, 2027, and work on the next plan is scheduled to begin in spring 2027.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-05https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-05Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Select Board meets at 5 p.m. today at the Concord Municipal Light Plant's first-floor meeting room, 1175 Main St., rather than the Town House, and also via Zoom. Topics include long-term liabilities, a town-meeting solar rooftop policy and formal adoption of the 2025 Historic Preservation Plan. Public comment on items not on the agenda opens the meeting and is limited to 15 minutes, with no more than 3 minutes per speaker.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-04https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-04Sun, 04 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000National Grid contractor Neuco Inc. begins replacing gas mains on Bedford Street (Route 62) from Monument Square to Court Lane on Monday, October 5, with night work from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The roughly 650-foot stretch will be closed to through traffic, with a detour via Lexington Road and Old Bedford Street. The work is expected to continue for several weeks, and the schedule is weather dependent and subject to change.https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-03https://nanopress.net/concord-carlisle-ma/briefs/2026-10-03Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Concord-Carlisle High School has launched its first dual-enrollment partnership with Middlesex Community College, and 46 students are earning transferable college credit this fall in Anatomy & Physiology or Introduction to Sociology. The courses are taught at CCHS within the regular school schedule by Rebecca Mahoney and Chris Gauthier, who meet the college's teaching qualifications and whose syllabi the college approved. Eligible students can use grant funding to cover costs.