Holden tax bills to increase an average of $250
HOLDEN — Tax bills are going up. That is not necessarily news, but the average $250 increase “is definitely palatable,” Selectman Anthony Renzoni said as the Select Board voted for a single tax rate.
ADMIN
James A. Cottle
HOLDEN - James A. Cottle, 87, affectionately known as“GPC,” beloved husband of the late Ellen (O’Leary) Cottle, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 7, 2022, at UMass Memorial Medical Center, University Campus. Born in Ardmore, OK, he was a son of the late Stanley and Bessie (Magum) Cottle. After graduating high school in Tulare, CA in 1953, James enlisted in the United States Army and proudly served his country for 28 years in divisions such as the 82nd Airborne and various Special Forces units. Awarded the Bronze Star Medal with a “V” Device for valor, he served in Vietnam with distinction. He also earned an Army Commendation Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster) and a Presidential Unit Citation. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1979 from Central New England College of Technology. After his honorable discharge and military retirement in 1982, James earned his MBA at Anna Maria College in 1985. He then enjoyed a long career with Allegro MicroSystems, retiring after 24 years. Throughout his life, he enjoyed music from country to rock and roll. He was quite the movie aficionado-the old westerns were his favorites. James was also a voracious reader. His home is a media library filled with his collections of albums, books and films. In his spare time, he tended his beautiful flowerbeds and lawn. James was a tremendous sports fan of both men’s and women’s teams. He most enjoyed cheering at the sidelines or from afar for his children and grandchildren. Many will sorely miss his quick wit and country aphorisms. He was a patriot, a man who feared nothing including hard work and loved his family deeply. He will be missed by his daughters Susan Cottle Madden and her husband, Gregory of Silver Spring, MD and Maureen Graffum and her husband, David of Ludlow, and by his son, James Michael Cottle and his wife, Jennifer of Leewood, KS. He is also survived by his two brothers, David and Lesley Cottle and his two sisters, June Yearout and Judy Heaney, all of CA and h
Houghton playground project nears completion
STERLING — The students at Houghton Elementary School are eagerly awaiting the completion of the new playground, a project spearheaded by longtime school parent Stacia Hemphill. Hemphill has lived in Sterling for close to 10 years, and all three of her sons have been Houghton students, including one who is currently attending.
Rutland winter parking ban
RUTLAND — Police Chief Nicholas A. Monaco reminds residents that the town of Rutland winter parking ban is in effect from Nov.
WACHUSETT GOINGS ON
Annual Holden Turkey Trot HOLDEN — Earn your (turkey) wings. Sign up for the 2022 Holden Turkey Trot at www.BeLikeBrit.
LINDA C.BLACK HOROSCOPES
Nancy Black, Tribune Content Agency TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (11/23/22). You’re especially lucky in love this year.
Dig Pink night boosts donations for breast cancer research
HOLDEN — No account of fall sporting events at Wachusett Regional High would be complete without record of Dig Pink night in October. The gymnasium at WRHS was awash in pink Oct.
Wachusett lacrosse player selected to all-state team
BOSTON — Thomas Anderson of Holden, an eighth-grader at Mountview Middle School, was selected to the Mass Bay Colonials boy’s lacrosse team that will travel to Houston, Texas, Dec. 10-11 to compete in the Best of Texas Lacrosse Tournament. Thomas was selected from more than 200 athletes from 125 town lacrosse programs from Central and Eastern Massachusetts.
New trail welcomes visitors to Wachusett Meadow
PRINCETON — On a bright, breezy day in early October, the ribbon at the start of the All Persons Trail at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary was untied. The brief ceremony marked the culmination of several years of work.
Little lamb’s schoolhouse still stands
SUDBURY - Tucked away on a scenic, picturesque road in the Wayside Historic District sits the red schoolhouse of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” fame, one of Sterling’s greatest prides. According to Wikipedia, the well-known and recognizable 19th-century nursery rhyme that told the tale of a young woman whose beloved lamb followed her to school one day was first published in 1830 by the Boston publishing firm of Marsh, Capen & Lyon as a poem by American writer and Mary Sawyer’s teacher, Sarah Josepha Hale.