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Shrewsbury · Westborough · Northborough · Southborough · Marlborough · Hudson · Grafton
Proposed 270-unit Shrewsbury development met with skepticism at first public meeting By Evan Walsh Managing Editor SHREWSBURY – As snow started falling on Jan. 6, about 200 Shrewsbury residents gathered at the Shrewsbury Senior Center to voice their opinions about a proposed project on a 24.5acre lot at 335 Maple Avenue, the former site of a bottling factory.
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Vol. 52 | No. 3 | January 16, 2026
‘They are not just customers, they’re like a family’
Westborough’s digital billboard debate to return
WESTBOROUGH | 5
A group of Dunkin’ regulars bands together to support manager’s family
Swim school to make splash in Shrewsbury’s White City
SHREWSBURY | 16
The plans Developer Sam Adams – represented by Prince Lobel Tye LLP attorney Mark Borenstein – walked residents through plans. The property has been subdivided into two lots: a 400,000-square-foot Lot 1, closest to
Shrewsbury school went from idea to open in nine months
Skepticism | 6
Without successful override, Grafton may cut 18 ed. staff By Evan Walsh Managing Editor
SHREWSBURY | 19
Members of the Dunkin’ Roundtable meeting at their usual spot on Cordaville Road in Southborough. (Photo/Leighah Beausoleil)
GRAFTON – On Jan. 6, Grafton Superintendent James Cummings continued discussing the fiscal 2027 school budget. Though it’s only January – and discussions are still preliminary at best – town leaders are sounding the alarm that the upcoming budget cycle might be “catastrophic” for Grafton Public Schools. Grafton is anticipating a $1.4 million budget shortfall; about $1 million to $1.2 million of that would affect the schools. A level-service budget – one that keeps the district’s quality of education consistent – would run the town about $50.5 million.
By Leighah Beausoleil Assistant Editor SOUTHBOROUGH — Every Dunkin’ has its regulars. But few are seen as frequently as these Southborough residents. Each morning for the last 25 years, a group of friends from Southborough can be spotted gathering in their usual place: a round table at the Dunkin’ on Cordaville Road. With coffees in hand, they chat and joke, swapping stories from over the years and sharing the latest developments in
their lives. The group – known as the Dunkin’ Roundtable – has changed in composition over the years, but its place for a morning get-together has remained the same. Over their many mornings spent at the Dunkin’, they’ve come to know its employees. A few years ago, the group began hosting an annual event to raise money in an effort to recognize the establishment’s rookie, employee, and manager of the year. John Dunne, who calls himself the group’s “ringleader,” was a “blow in” to Southborough in 1998, but he’s found
Override | 4
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SOUTHBOROUGH | 27
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Roundtable | 6
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