The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

Police log for Aug. 12–22, 2026

August 12

Andrew Avenue, Wayland (3:25am) — An officer assisted Wayland police Department with a mutual aid request during the arrest of a suspected murderer. See this Wayland Post story for details.

Baker Bridge Road (2:38pm) — An officer spoke to a person about damage to a motor vehicle caused by a piece of landscape machinery.

Concord Road (9:20pm) — Officers responded to a report of a single vehicle crash near Baker Bridge Road. Michael Mathes, 42, of Cambridge, Mass., was arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and a marked lanes violation. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

Concord Road (10:18pm) — Officers responded to a one-car crash. The driver, who was cited for a marked lanes violation, was transported to the hospital and the vehicle was towed.

August 12

Heritage Road, Hanscom AFB (11:24am) — An officer spoke to a person about a civil matter.

Wells Road (1:30pm) — The fire department responded to the parking lot for a motor vehicle lockout.

Donelan’s Supermarket (3:28pm) — An officer responded to collect an item left behind and brought it back to the station.

Chestnut Circle (5:42pm) — An officer spoke to a person about possible harassment.

Harvest Circle (6:53pm) — A person spoke to an officer about a possible fraud incident.

August 14

Winter Street (5:04am) — An officer provided directions to a party who had gotten lost while trying to get to Waltham.

South Great Road (10:00am) — An officer checked the area for the report of a motor vehicle that appeared to be having difficulty in an intersection but was unable to locate the described vehicle.

Todd Pond Road (2:50pm) — A caller reported the use of a gas-powered leaf blower in violation of the bylaw. An officer responded to the area.

Twin Pond Lane (4:43pm)
An officer helped a person contact a member of their family.

Concord Road (8:04pm) — An officer assisted a resident with the removal of a bat from inside their residence.

August 15

Harvest Circle (1:30pm)
An officer helped the Massachusetts State Police locate the operator of a vehicle involved in an incident outside of town.

Baker Bridge Road (4:46pm) — A parking citation was issued to a vehicle that was illegally parked.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (6:38pm) — Officers assisted the Massachusetts State Police with a motor vehicle crash.

Lincoln Gas and Auto, South Great Road (7:19pm) — An officer transported a motorist to their residence.

August 16

Old County Road (3:52am) — Officers checked the area for the report of loud music. No loud music was heard.

Chestnut Circle (10:44am) — A lost item was turned in and was returned to its rightful owner that night.

Indian Camp Lane
An officer conducted a well-being check on a person. The person was OK. (9:03pm)

Lincoln Road (10:25pm) — An officer discovered some vandalism to several planters outside of a business. An investigation is ongoing.

August 17

Lincoln Road (9:05am) — An officer conducted a follow-up to a previous incident.

North Commons (12:38pm) — Officers checked the area for the report of a male who had walked into a residence looking for a person who doesn’t reside there, but they didn’t find anyone.

Old Bedford Road (4:18pm) — A person asked an officer about a past hit-and-run to their motor vehicle.

Heritage Road (6:14pm) — An officer gave court paperwork to a person.

Tower Road (7:20pm) — A caller reported a low-hanging wire near the roadway. A check confirmed the wire belonged to Eversource, which was notified.

Mary’s Way (9:57pm) — An officer spoke to a person about an ongoing matter.

August 18

Todd Pond Road (3:48pm) — A caller sought assistance in locating a lost item. The officer was able to locate the item and notified the person.

North Commons (8:53pm) — An officer responded to a residence for an ongoing incident.

August 19

Lincoln Gas and Auto (7:00am) — An officer accompanied an outside agency to a business at their request for a mutual aid response.

Bedford Road (7:41am) — A caller reported a wire down in the area. The wire appeared to be part of the service to a residence. Eversource was notified.

North Commons (9:02am) — An officer responded for a disturbance between neighbors.

Lincoln Road (10:49am) — A person spoke with an officer about a fraud scam.

Hanscom Drive (2:05pm) — Cody Antonucci, 33, of Canterbury, Conn., was arrested at the Hanscom Air Force Gate for an outstanding warrant. He was booked and released after being ordered to appear in court the following day.

Bedford Road (7:06pm) — A person reported damage to their vehicle after striking a deer several weeks prior.

Concord Road (9:14pm) — A caller reported a person walking in the roadway. The area was checked but no one matching the description was found.

August 20

Codman Road (10:23am) — A person asked to speak with an officer about a past incident.

Bedford Lane (1:16pm) — A person spoke to an officer about an item that may have been delivered to the wrong residence.

Cedar Road (1:43pm) — A caller reported a landscape company using a leaf blower. Contact was made and the landscapers were made aware of the existing bylaw.

Lincoln School (6:26pm) — A caller reported an overdue family member. Due to poor cell service, contact was made in person when the family members were reunited.

August 21

Birchwood Lane (9:25am) — A person spoke with an officer about suspicious emails.

Lincoln Road (1:30pm) — An officer spoke with a person who reported their bicycle was missing.

Concord Road (2:38pm) — A caller reported past damage to a utility pole.

Lincoln Road (3:07pm) — A caller reported the possible theft of a previously delivered package.

Lincoln Town Hall (3:39pm) — A caller reported a possible unsecured door at the Town Hall. An officer checked the building and nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

Codman Road (3:51pm) — An officer checked on a person lying by the side of the road. The party refused all offers for assistance.

Virginia Road (7:38pm) — An officer assisted the Concord Police Department with a mutual aid request.

August 22

Stonehedge Road (1:49pm) — A person requested to speak with an officer about suspicious text messages.

Mount Misery parking lot (4:57pm) — Officers spoke with a person after receiving reports that they were attempting to start a camp fire alongside a trail. The person was advised that the attempted activity was prohibited.

Marconi’s Auto (7:17pm) — A caller reported seeing a raccoon in the area acting unusual. An officer checked the area but was unable to locate any raccoons acting unusual or otherwise.

Lincoln Road (8:54pm) — Officers checked on a person who refused all assistance.

Legal notice: Property Tax Classification Hearing

 

LEGAL NOTICE — SELECT BOARD

Property Tax Classification Hearing

The Select Board of the Town of Lincoln will conduct a public hearing on Thursday evening, September 10, 2026, at 6:30 pm for the purpose of determining for fiscal year 2027 the percentage of the real estate property tax burden that shall be borne by the residential and commercial classifications of property respectively.

General inquiries prior to the hearing may be directed to the Assessors’ Office, Lincoln Town Offices (781 259-2611).

Pursuant to the extension of the remote meeting authorization of the Open Meeting Law through June 30, 2027, under Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, this meeting of the Select Board will be conducted as a hybrid meeting, providing the public the opportunity to participate in-person or remotely.

Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the Town of Lincoln website at www.lincolntown.org.

Topic: Lincoln Select Board Meeting

Time: September 10, 2026, 6:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Resident at The Commons honored with a rose from her caregiver

Anna Feirick of Executive Home Care Northeast Greater Boston presents Caroline Steim witj a rose. On the background is the painting whose story Steim often tells.

Caroline Steim, a resident of The Commons in Lincoln, was presented with a rose by caregiver Anna Feirick of Executive Home Care Northeast Greater Boston as part of its Roses for Resilience campaign, an initiative recognizing the resilience, wisdom, and contributions of seniors throughout Massachusetts.

“The day I met Caroline was a rough one,” Feirick said in a press release. “She had just taken a bad fall, and her face had an array of colors from the bruising. What weighed on her far more than the fall itself was the transition from independent living to assisted living. At 90 years old, she had managed to remain independent far longer than most.”

Steim was once an avid painter, but with macular degeneration, she can now see little more than shapes and light. “Yet that hasn’t stopped her from proudly telling the story of the painting she created on the night of her fiftieth wedding anniversary. Her children had surprised her and her husband with a stay at one of Boston’s finest hotels, where they also gave her a beautiful arrangement of roses. She was so captivated by their beauty that she simply had to paint them that very night,” Feirick said.

“I’ve heard the story more times than I can count, yet I never tire of it. Each time she tells it, I can almost see her reliving the memory — visualizing the flowers in her mind’s eye and finding joy in them all over again. Watching her do that reminds me that resilience isn’t just about enduring loss. It’s about finding ways to hold on to beauty, even when you can no longer see it.”

Tickets on sake for TEDx Walden Pond

TEDx Walden Pond returns to Lincoln in October on the theme of “The Courage to Pay Attention” with nine speakers exploring ideas ranging from artificial intelligence and the power of praise to play, attention, nature, artistic failure, and what the dying can teach us about living.

The independently organized TEDx event will take place Wednesday, Oct. 21 at the Stone Church (14 Bedford Road). Early-bird tickets are available for $50 through Aug. 31. Beginning Sept. 1, tickets will increase to $75.

“TEDx Walden Pond brings together thinkers, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, scientists, and community members in the spirit of TED’s mission of sharing ideas worth spreading,” according to a press release. “Rooted in the intellectual and cultural legacy of Walden Pond and the surrounding community, the event creates a space for big questions, unexpected connections, and ideas capable of traveling far beyond the room.”

This year’s speakers are Pradnya Cowlagi, Liane Davey, Kaye Kelly, Andi Hess, Erica Key, Molly Tsongas, Kathy Pham, Elisabeth Swan, and Kishori Gopi. The 2026 event will be professionally filmed, with talks eligible for publication through TED’s global digital platform.

TEDx Walden Pond, which debuted in 2023, welcomes community sponsors and donations of any size. Anyone interested in supporting this year’s event should contact Jessica Cooper Morgan at jesscoopermorgan@gmail.com.

Groups continue pressure on ICE activities, private jet expansion at Hanscom Field

In an effort to more closely monitor ICE activity at Hanscom Field, the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission (HFAC) has asked Massport to provide publicly viewable webcams to record transfer of detainees and the vehicles involved, similar to what’s already in place at King County International Airport/Boeing Field in Washington state.

The move would “make it possible for the public to understand the breadth and specifics of how ICE is using Hanscom,” according to the Aug. 14 letter sent by the HFAC to Hanscom Field Director Christopher Willenborg at Massport. The letter also asks Massport to tell state police and other security staff that it “respects the right of observers to watch and record ICE actions as long as they stay within areas that are open to the public.”

At the HFAC’s Aug. 11 meeting, according to an Aug. 13 story in the Bedford Citizen,  Tom Kimball of Ground ICE said Massport and state police have been “consistently violating” the First Amendment right of observers to photograph objects in plain view from any publicly accessible property, that, unlike protests, is not subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.

Groups of area residents including the De-ICE Hanscom coalition, which includes LincolnWitness.org (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 9, 2026), have staged protests at the entrance to the civilian air field.

“If they’re going to allow families to do plane-spotting, then they’ve got to allow concerned citizens to do ICE-spotting,” HFAC member Christopher Eliot of Lincoln said at the Aug. 11 meeting, according to the Bedford Citizen.

Private jet expansion

Hanscom Field is also the focus of attempts to block an expansion project that would significantly increase the number of private jets using the facility. Stop Private Jet Expansion has been holding standouts and organizing petitions and letters to state officials protesting the proposal.

Most recently, they have published responses by candidates running for state and federal office to questions about their positions on private jet hangar expansion and tax subsidies for private aviation. Among those who responded are three who are running to represent Lincoln in the state legislature: incumbent state Sen. Michael Barrett (Middlesex 3rd District); Ravi Simon, who is running for the seat being vacated by state Rep. Carmine Gentile; and incumbent state Rep. Alice Peisch (Norfolk 14th District).

Legal notice: Historical Commission – Sept. 1 hearing (208 South Great)

LEGAL NOTICE — HISTORICAL COMMISSION

The Historical Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, to consider the application of The Massachusetts Audubon Society, 208 South Great Road, M/P 172-12-0 for determination of the significance of an existing structure/s in connection with an application for demolition. Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter should be present at the designated time and place.

You can find Zoom link information on the Town of Lincoln Historical Commission website.

Join Zoom meeting

Meeting ID: 983 9661 4379       Password: 167620

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

News acorns

Primary voting information

Election day for the state primary on Tuesday, Sept. 1 takes place from 7:00am–8:00pm in the Reed Gym.

  • The last day to register to vote for is Saturday, Aug. 22. Register at Town Hall or by clicking here.
  • The deadline to submit an application to vote by mail is Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 5:00pm. Apply online here. If you have applied to vote by mail and have not received your ballot, call the Town Clerk’s office at 781-259-2607. Independent/unenrolled voters in Massachusetts may can choose a Republican or Democratic ballot, but this will not register you as a member of that party and you do not need to remove yourself from that party after the election. 
  • Early voting in person begins Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9:00am–3:00pm at Town Hall. This will continue Monday through Thursday, Aug. 24-27, from 7:00am-5:00pm.  

Anyone who has questions or needs assistance may call the Town Clerk’s office at 781-259-2607.

Outdoor movie night: “The Lorax”

Join the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust for a family-friendly outdoor screening of “The Lorax” on the lawn at Lincoln Station on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7:00pm. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from the Tack Room. Come early for family-friendly activities and to meet the Lorax himself. Free, but registration required.

Sonnenfeld at next LOMA

Craig Sonnenfeld will be the headliner at the next Lincoln Open Mic Acoustic (LOMA) on Monday, Sept. 4 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. in Bemis Hall (doors open at 6:30pm, featured performers play from 8:30-9:00pm). Sonnenfeld’s style on songs like “Midnight Train” dwells in Delta blues and American folk. LOMA is a monthly open mic night event with mics and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style. Come and perform (email loma3re@gmail.com to sign up) or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word. Free admission.

Coming up at Codman Community Farms

Summer tomato galette workshop
Wednesday, Sept. 9 from 5:00-7:00pm
Make a buttery, versatile pie dough perfect for galettes, pies, and quiches after a trip to our tomato greenhouse, harvesting tomatoes to use in a rustic summer galette. Buy tickets here.

“Do Bees Pee?” story and scavenger hunt
Saturday, Sept. 12 from 11:00am-noon
Linda Booth Sweeney will read her new book “Do Bees Pee? The Curious and Amazing Ways Nature Avoids Poo-lution” before families can join a farm-wide scavenger hunt exploring how pollinators connect to flowers, crops, soil, and compost. Also on hand will be the CEO of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Co. Free, but registration required.

Lincoln history: Did you know…

Some say “Tra-PELLo,” some say “TRAP-elow,” but only in Lincoln? Read more on the Lincoln Historical Society website.

Charles ‘Lem’ Kusik, 1934–2026

Charles “Lem” Kusik

Charles “Lem” Kusik, a devoted husband and father, accomplished engineer, lifelong adventurer, and endlessly curious student of the world, died on August 14, 2026, at the age of 92.

Lem was born in New York City on April 24, 1934, and spent his early years in New York, Estonia, and Richmond, Mass. His childhood in the Berkshires helped foster a lifelong love of the outdoors. He joined the Boy Scouts at age 12 and quickly embraced camping, hiking, orienteering, and wilderness skills, ultimately earning the rank of Eagle Scout shortly before his 15th birthday. Scouting also sparked interests that stayed with him throughout his life, including mineralogy, birding, skiing, and a seemingly inexhaustible appetite for adventure.

Lem possessed an extraordinary intellect and an equally strong desire to put it to use. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a bachelor of science in chemical engineering in 1956 and then a master of science in nuclear engineering in 1959. He continued his education at New York University, where he pursued graduate studies in engineering and earned his doctor of science in engineering in 1961.

While pursuing his education, Lem also served his country. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve in 1956. During the Berlin Crisis in 1961, he was called to active duty, and his service was subsequently extended during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He completed his military service as a first lieutenant in 1963. While in the Army, Lem also joined a flying club and learned to pilot airplanes — another pursuit that suited both his curiosity and his adventurous spirit.

Lem went on to build a distinguished career as an engineering and management consultant. In 1964, he joined Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Mass, where he would spend nearly four decades. His work took him around the world and involved projects for private industry as well as major governmental and international organizations, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. His consulting work spanned industries including steel, chemicals, mining, energy, and manufacturing.

For Lem, however, work was never confined to an office. His career gave him the opportunity to pursue one of his greatest passions: seeing and understanding the world. Over the course of his life, he traveled to more than 70 countries across nearly every continent. Whether an assignment brought him to Botswana, Morocco, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Peru, Australia, Japan, Russia, Nepal, or elsewhere, Lem rarely passed up an opportunity to stay a little longer, explore somewhere nearby, meet people, or discover something new.

Adventure was a defining theme of Lem’s life. He hiked mountains, skied throughout the United States and abroad, flew airplanes, and continued seeking new experiences well into later life. His adventures occasionally placed him in situations that, in retrospect, even Lem admitted were perhaps more daring than sensible. He survived close calls on mountains, ski slopes, and in the cockpit, and later recounted them with characteristic humor and an appreciation for just how fortunate he had been. Reflecting on some of those experiences, Lem once jokingly wondered that if a cat had nine lives, how many he might have left.

Behind those accomplishments and adventures was a man with an abiding curiosity about the world around him. He loved learning, traveling, nature, birds, minerals, skiing, and the outdoors. He maintained a life list of more than 200 species of birds, kept track of the countries he had visited, and accumulated a lifetime of stories along the way. As Lem himself once wrote, “My whole life has been an adventure.”

Among the most important chapters of that adventure was the family he built.

Lem married Wendy Palu in 1984. Together, they eventually made the deeply considered decision to become parents through adoption. Lem believed strongly in the importance of opportunity. It had shaped his own life through education, hard work, travel, and the freedom to pursue his many interests, and he wanted to give children the same chance to discover who they could become.

In 1999, Lem and Wendy adopted Lida and Aleksander, a sister and brother from Russia. With their arrival, Lem began an entirely new adventure: fatherhood.

He brought to being a father many of the qualities that characterized the rest of his life. He believed in education, independence, curiosity, perseverance, and experiencing the world firsthand. He wanted his children to have opportunities, to think for themselves, and to pursue lives and ambitions of their own choosing. Most importantly, he wanted them to grow up knowing they had a family that loved them and believed in what they could become.

For a man who traveled to more than 70 countries and spent a lifetime seeking out new places and experiences, some of Lem’s most meaningful years were ultimately centered on home and family. Becoming a husband and father was not separate from his life of adventure and discovery; it became one of its most important parts.

Lem leaves behind far more than a remarkable list of professional achievements, degrees earned, countries visited, mountains climbed, or adventures survived. He leaves the example of a life lived with tremendous curiosity, determination, courage, independence, and an eagerness to see what might be around the next corner.

From his early days in New York, Estonia, and the Berkshires, to the classrooms of MIT and NYU, from military service during pivotal moments in American history, to an engineering career that carried him around the globe, and from the many adventures he collected along the way to the family he and Wendy created together, Lem packed an extraordinary amount of living into his 92 years.

He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his wife, Wendy; his children, Lida and Aleksander; and the family, friends, colleagues, and countless others whose lives intersected with his during a long life spent exploring, learning, and embracing the world around him.

The Lincoln Review wants YOU! 👩‍🎨

Get creative, Lincoln! The deadline for submitting stories, poetry, artwork, photos, and other creative work for the next issue of the Lincoln Review is Tuesday, September 15. It’s now free to all — just click that link to see the Summer 2026 issue.

Email your stuff to lincolnmareview@gmail.com to share your work and have it preserved online in the Lincoln Review. Anyone who has a Lincoln connection (current or former residents, extended family, employees, etc.) may submit — for details, click here. Questions? Send an email that address or call 617-710-5542. We look forward to seeing your work!

Legal notice: Historic District Commission – Sept. 1 hearing (15 Bedford)

LEGAL NOTICE — HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION

The Historic District Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, to consider the application of the Lincoln Cemetery Commission, 15 Bedford Road for a Certificate of Hardship to support vaults in the cemetery which appear to be unsafe.
Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter should be present at the designated time and place.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 983 9661 4379
Password: 167620

You can find Zoom link information on the Town of Lincoln Historical Commission website.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.