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

Police log for February 7–17, 2025

February 7

Hanscom Drive (1:19am) — Hanscom Air Force Base reported a single-vehicle crash near the Sartain Gate. Officers assisted until the vehicle could be removed.

Lincoln Road (7:27am) — An officer assisted a motorist who had pulled to the side of the road.

February 8

Concord Road (12:55am) — An officer checked on a pedestrian walking on the side of the road. The person required no assistance and continued on their way.

Old Sudbury Road (6:58am) — A motorist reported the railroad gates were stuck in the “down” position. Officer remained on scene for approximately one hour until a representative from Keolis arrived and reset the switch.

Lincoln Gas and Auto (11:19am) — Officers responded after the owner called requesting police respond for an out-of-control customer. Officers remained on scene until the customer left.

Lincoln Road (3:30pm) — A resident turned in several model rocket ignitors to the Fire Department. The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad was requested to examine the items. A controlled detonation was conducted a short time later at the DPW.

Reiling Pond Road (6:51 p.m.) — A resident reported their dog was missing. The dog was found safe a short time later.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (11:30pm) — The Lincoln Fire Department responded to the report of a vehicle fire in Lexington.

February 9

South Great Road (7:07pm) — A caller reported a Doordash driver mistakenly drove over their backyard, possibly damaging their septic tank. Police and Fire units responded to the scene.

February 10

Ridge Road (6:27pm) — The Fire Department assisted a resident with a residential lockout.

Minuteman Tech High School (7:45pm) — An officer spoke to a person regarding an ongoing situation.

February 11

Old Sudbury Road (6:25am) — A motorist reported the railroad gates were stuck in the “down” position. Officer remained on scene for approximately 40 minutes until a representative from Keolis arrived and reset the switch.

Transfer Station (7:19am) — An officer assisted the State Police with the transfer of an item.

Ridge Road (1:32pm) — An officer spoke to person regarding an ongoing situation.

Tower Road (3:29pm) — An officer spoke to an individual regarding a possible online scam.

Greenridge Lane (7:43pm) — An officer served court paperwork.

February 12

Wells Road (4:13pm) — An officer served an individual court paperwork.

February 13

Old Sudbury Road (7:54am) — Officers responded for a problem with the railroad gates. They remained on scene for approximately an hour until Keolis reset the malfunctioning switch.

Wells Road (4:43pm) — An officer spoke with an individual regarding an ongoing situation.

February 14

Old Sudbury Road (7:22am) — The railroad gates were malfunctioning again. An officer remained on scene until Keolis arrived to reset the switch.

Conant Road (9:33am) — A vehicle had driven off the road after encountering a large section of the road covered in ice. A tow was required to remove the vehicle.

South Great Road (10:37am) — An officer encountered a large tent that had blown into the roadway. Weston Police were asked to assist.

Lincoln Road (12:19pm) — A motorist called about a person walking in the roadway. An officer spoke to the individual, who had opted to walk in the roadway rather than the ice-covered sidewalk.

February 15

Old Sudbury Road (7:43am) — The railroad gates were stuck in the “down” position for approximately one hour. Officers remained on scene until Keolis arrived.

Minuteman Technical High School (4:30pm) — A motorist reported being locked in the parking lot. An officer was able to respond and unlock the gate.

Concord Road (10:50pm) — Officers responded for a noise complaint and advised the homeowner.

February 16

Bypass Road (11:02am) — A minor motor vehicle crash was reported. The Massachusetts State Police were already on scene and assisting the operator.

Old Concord Road (6:21pm) — A caller reported that a home under construction was causing water to collect in the roadway. An officer checked the areal the road was passable, and the DPW and Building Department were notified.

February 17

North Great Road (9:27am) — A caller reported a one-car crash. The operator was not injured and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

South Great Road (11:56am) — The Lincoln Fire Department responded to a residence for a reported oven fire. The crew was able to extinguish the fire.

Codman Road (6:21pm) — An officer provided a courtesy transport to a resident.

News acorns

Coming up at the library

GearTick robotics demonstration
Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 2:00–3:00pm, Tarbell Room
Come see the Lincoln GearTick and the L-S High School Robotics Team demonstrate their robot creations. Best for ages 5+.

Lincoln Library Film Society: “Neruda”
Thursday, Feb. 20 from 6:00–8:00pm, Tarbell Room
An inspector hunts down Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, who becomes a fugitive in his home country in the late 1940s for joining the Communist Party.

Inclusive and diverse book recs
Thursday, Feb. 20 from 7:30–8:30pm, Zoom
Click here for more information, and click here to register for the Zoom link (regustrants will get the list of recommendations). Sign up for one session or for all.

L-S School Committee listening session

The Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee will hold a listening session for students, families, and community members on Monday, Feb. 24 from 7:00–8:00pm on Google Meet. The purpose of the listening session is to give individuals the opportunity to raise items with members of the Committee. In attendance will be committee members Lucy Maulsby and Ravi Simon.

Domestic Violence Roundtable session

On Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:00pm, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host a conversation with a parent whose teen was in a dating relationship with a person who mistreated her. This program will take place at the Goodnow Library (21 Concord Road, Sudbury) and on Zoom — register for the link here. The parent speaker will talk about what she didn’t know to look and listen for, and what surprised her as she learned more about her teen’s relationship.  This program is for parents/guardians/grandparents, educators, coaches, youth advisors, healthcare professionals, and anyone else who has teens or young adults in their life.

Photo exhibit by Lincolnite

Lincoln resident Linda Hammett Ory is exhibiting her photos in Concord Arts 2025 Members’ Juried Exhibition, along with painter Tracey J. Maroni. Linda’s love of nature is her strongest photographic inspiration, and many of the photos in her Hidden Treasure series are taken while exploring the landscape of Lincoln and Concord. The exhibition runs from February 27 to March 27, and the opening reception is on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 5:30pm. Click here for more information.

Conservation summer positions open

The Lincoln Conservation Department (LCD) and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) will be hiring two seasonal field assistant positions to support the management of conservation land this summer. The LLCT will also be hiring one pollinator field assistant. Learn more here.

Service in May for Jack Pugh

Jack Pugh

Alexander L. (Jack) Pugh III died on February 7, 2025 in his mid-nineties.

Jack was raised in Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, Penn. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, studying electrical engineering. His ROTC program led him to Hanscom Air Force Base in Lincoln, a place where he settled. Jack’s love of the nascent field of computer science led him to two master’s degrees in electrical engineering at MIT (SMEE, EE) where he collaborated with Professor Jay Forrester.

With Jay and others, he developed system dynamics, a field of research and practice for understanding dynamic, emergent patterns in our social, ecological, business and political worlds. He and his wife, Julia,  initiated and led the System Dynamics Society for almost 20 years. An entrepreneur in the 1960s, he developed the system dynamics software, Dynamo, while co-founding with MIT Professor Edward Roberts the management consulting firm “Pugh-Roberts, Associates” (now Sage Analysis Group). There he worked until his retirement in 1995.

Jack met Julia (nee Spear) in the MIT Choral Society, and they married in 1962. He was predeceased by his parents, aunts, uncles, and brother, Walter Pugh of Darien, Conn. He leaves behind his wife; children Rebecca, Katrina, and Alexander, and their partners Laurie, Peter, and Anneliese; grandchildren Isaiah (Jessica), Josiah, Sarah, Phoebe, and Benji.

Jack loved sailing, reading, fixing things, and hiking. After he retired, he was on the board of the Lincoln Public Library, the treasurer and webmaster of the First Parish Church of Lincoln, and the captain of his  sailboat, the Mobjack, in which he won races over many years.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, May 10 at 2:00pm in Duvall Chapel at Newbury Court, 80 Deaconess Road in Concord, and in July in Friendship, Maine. In lieu of flowers, please send cards or consider a donation to the Midcoast Conservancy in Maine, midcoastconservancy.org, P.O. Box 439, Edgecomb, Maine, 04556.

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary.  Share a memory or offer a condolence on Jack’s tribute page.

 

My Turn: Ryan seeks support for L-S School Committee

By John J. Ryan Jr.

In times of uncertainty regarding federal funding of public education, federal regulation of public education, and even the existence of the Department of Education itself, experience matters. That is why I am declaring my candidacy for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee.

I have been a resident of Sudbury for 44 years. I have practiced law for decades, including representing a regional school district. I previously served on the L-S School Committee from 1998 to 2010. I also served as chair of the L-S Building Committee, responsible for the design and construction of the new high school and for obtaining substantial state funding for that design and construction. Prior to my service on the committee, I served for seven years on the Sudbury Finance Committee and afterwards served for seven years on the Sudbury Council on Aging.

My wife, Barbara, was a teacher at Curtis Middle School for more than 20 years. I had two daughters graduate from L-S and have two granddaughters now in the Sudbury public schools who will be attending L-S.

I ask for your support for my candidacy for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee so we can keep L-S the great school it has been.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Correction

Due to an error on the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee web page, the February 12 article headlined “Four candidates vying for seats on Planning Board” mistakenly said that Lucy Maulsby is the only Lincoln resident on the committee. In fact, Catherine Bitter is also from Lincoln. The table of candidates should also have indicated that Ray Shepard, a candidate for Trustees of Lincoln Library, is an incumbent. The article and table have been corrected.

Four candidates vying for seats on Planning Board

(Editor’s note: this article as updated with corrections on February 13.)

Sixteen Lincoln residents have filed to run for town office in the March 30 election — and four of them are competing for two openings on the Planning Board. 

Board Chair Margaret Olson is running for reelection to another three-year term. Also on the ballot are Robert Ahlert, Susan Hall Mygatt, and Suzanne Parker. Ephraim Flint is not running for reelection. That panel is often the most competitive; in 2024 amid the Housing Choice Act rezoning controversy, incumbent Gary Taylor beat out Sarah Postlethwait by a margin of 952-699. In 2023, incumbent Lynn Delisi and newcomer Craig Nicholson won the two openings in a three-way race with Mark Levinson.

In the other contested race, three Sudbury residents (Charles Morton IV, Eric Poch, and John J. Ryan Jr.) are competing for two openings. The two Lincoln residents on the committee, Catherine Bitter and Lucy Maulsby, are not up for reelection this year. 

BOARD/COMMITTEECANDIDATES
Board of Assessors (one seat)Bruce Campbell*
Board of Health (one seat)Steven Kanner*
Cemetery Commission (one seat)Conrad Todd*
Commissioner of Trust Funds (one seat)Douglas Harding*
LSRHS School Committee (two seats)Charles Morton IV (Sudbury)
Eric Poch (Sudbury)
John J. Ryan Jr. (Sudbury)
Parks and Recreation Committee (one seat)Thornton Ring*
Planning Board (two seats)Robert Ahlert
Susan Hall Mygatt
Setha Margaret Olson*
Suzanne M. Parker
School Committee (three years)Kenneth Lepage
School Committee (two years)Abbey Salon
Select BoardJim Hutchinson*
Town ClerkValerie Fox*
Trustees of Bemis FundSara Mattes*
Trustees of Lincoln LibraryRay Shepard*
Water CommissionSteve Gladstone*

* asterisks indicate incumbents

My Turn: Food pantry thanks Boy Scouts

By Ursula Nowak

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston is grateful to Boy Scout Troop 127 for their generosity in supporting our food pantry. The troop was given a grant from a local charity to help families in need, and they voted to support the SVdP Food Pantry.

In the process of providing this thoughtful donation, they were able to experience the gift of helping others in need by providing foods essential to a balanced and healthy diet. They donated close to $1,000 towards our monthly dairy order, helped bring the food into the pantry and stocked it on our shelves. We are very grateful for their financial support as well as their help in the pantry. 

If you are interest in learning more about the Boys Scouts in Lincoln, you can find more information here.

Nowak is secretary of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Police log for January 27 – February 6, 2025

January 27

South Great Road (9:54am) — A caller asked to speak with an officer regarding threatening email.

Lincoln Road (7:49pm) — A caller reported seeing a fire behind the Masonic Hall. Police and fire units responded. The fire was contained and not an issue.

Lincoln School (9:01pm) — A caller spoke with an officer regarding an incoming email.

Wells Road (9:56pm) — An officer conducted a well-being check at the request of a family member.

January 28

Wells Road (11:40am) — An officer spoke with two people regarding a noise complaint.

North Commons (11:49pm) — An officer responded to a residence for an ongoing situation.

January 29

Lincoln Road (2:12pm) — An officer responded for a report of the railroad gates stuck in the down position. Keolis was notified and asked to respond.

Lincoln Gas and Auto (6:44pm) — An officer assisted a person with a civil matter.

January 30

Lincoln Road (12:50am) — An officer moved a deceased raccoon from the roadway.

North Commons (1:58am) — Officers responded to a residence for an ongoing disturbance.

South Great Road (8:43am) — A motorist reported striking a deer. There was no damage to the vehicle. Both the deer and the motorist were gone upon the officer’s arrival.

Concord Road (12:13pm) — A caller spoke with an officer regarding a possible phone scam.

Wells Road (4:20pm) — An officer spoke with a person regarding harassment.

Cottage Lane, Concord (11:26pm) — Lincoln firefighters helped knock down a house fire along with fire departments from Acton, Bedford, Lexington, Sudbury, and Wayland, More information here.

January 31

Nothing of note.

February 1

Concord Road (12:26am) — A vehicle drove off the road as a result of a flat tire. The operator made arrangements for a towing company to remove the vehicle.

North Commons (5:04am) — Officers responded to a residence for an ongoing disturbance.

South Great Road (7:30am) — A motorist slid off the roadway and struck the guardrail. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

Wells Road (9:21am) — An officer spoke to a person regarding an ongoing situation.

Concord Road (1:19pm) — A caller reported striking a wooden pylon on the shoulder of the road and then continuing on their way.

Bypass Road (6:49pm) — Officers checked the area for a missing dog.

Ridge Road (7:13pm) — The Fire Department responded to a residence for a lockout.

Bedford Road (10:38pm) — A motorist flagged down an officer for engine issues. However, the vehicle seemed self-correct and the driver continued on their way.

February 2

Nothing of note.

February 3

Care Dimensions Hospice House (6:52am) — An officer performed a well-being check on a resident. Everything appeared normal.

Lexington Road (2:11pm) — An officer checked on a person who reportedly fell while walking their dog. The person reported no problems and continued on their way.

Indian Camp Lane (4:46pm) — An officer served an individual with court paperwork.

February 4

Tower Road (6:30am) — An officer performed a well-being check on an occupied vehicle stopped along the roadway. The operator, Selvin Garcia Rodezno, 29, of Arlington, was arrested on an active warrant out of Chelsea District Court. After being booked, he was transported to Concord District Court

Wells Road (11:57am) — Officers performed a well-being check on an individual. The person in question was transported to the hospital.

Lincoln Road (5:03pm) — An officer responded after a person asked about workers in the area.

February 5

Stone Church (2:14ppm) — An officer spoke to a person regarding possible email threats.

Sandy Pond Road (2:47pm) — A wallet found on a conservation trail was turned in.

February 6

Sandy Pond Road (11:07am) — An officer spoke to a person regarding possible email harassment.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (12:40pm) — Lincoln police assisted Massachusetts State Police with a motor vehicle crash.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (1:59pm) — A call was transferred to the Massachusetts State Police for a road rage incident.

Walden Pond Boat Ramp (2:50pm) — A caller reported that a vehicle had driven off the road by Walden Pond. The operator was not injured but was cited for unlicensed operation and a marked lanes violation.

South Great Road (3:21pm) — The railroad gates were malfunctioning at the Route 117 and Old Sudbury Road crossings. Officers remained on scene until Keolis arrived to fix the problem.

South Great Road (6:40pm) — An officer removed a dead coyote from the roadway.

News acorns

Hanscom anticipates increase in traffic

From a press release from Hanscom Air Force Base: As a result of a recent federal policy change, a significant number of base personnel currently teleworking will be required to return to in-person work no later than Thursday, Feb. 6, and all employees will return to work by Monday, Feb. 24. This change will increase the number of personnel commuting to and from the base during the work week, and likely result in delays and traffic congestion at the Sartain Gate at Hanscom Drive in Lincoln and the Ruiz Gate, at Hartwell Avenue in Lexington during peak commute times.

Hospice organization seeks volunteers

Care Dimensions, the nonprofit organization that operates the hospice house in Lincoln, will hold online training classes for those interested in volunteering. You can make a difference in a patient’s life by:

  • Engaging in a shared interest or hobby
  • Helping with letter-writing or life review
  • Visiting with your approved dog
  • Reading to the patient
  • Listening and by providing a supportive, comforting presence

Volunteers visit patients in their homes, in facilities, and at the hospice houses in Lincoln and Danvers. If patient visits are not the right fit, you can volunteer in other ways, such as providing administrative office support or making check-in phone calls to current patients or bereaved family members. The 16-hour training will be held via Zoom on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00–11:00am from March 3–26 (register by February 21). For more information or to register, click here or email volunteerinfo@CareDimensions.org.

First Parish in Lincoln welcomes atheist chaplain

On Sunday, March 2 at 10:00am, Greg Epstein will serve as guest preacher at the First Parish in Lincoln. In a forum following at 11:30am, he will talk about his new book, Tech Agnostic: How Technology Became the World’s Most Powerful Religion and Why It Desperately Needs a Reformation. Click here to order his book at a 50% discount off the cover price. Epstein serves as the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and also serves the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as humanist chaplain and as Convener for Ethical Life at the MIT Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life.

Also at the First Parish: “Women Mystics” on Tuesdays, February 25, March 11, March 25 at 7:30pm on Zoom. Click here for more information and email Sarah Klockowski for the Zoom link. Visit www.fplincoln.org/events to view more upcoming programming.

News acorns

Six more week of winter, says Ms. G.

Ms. G, the official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, saw her shadow on Sunday, Feb. 2 while venturing outside at the Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, which means six more weeks of winter. This is the first time in five years that Ms. G saw her shadow, eliciting groans from more than 100 people who braved single-digit temperatures to celebrate at Drumlin Farm. Now in her eighteenth year of prognosticating, Ms. G has evenly split her predictions—nine times calling for an early spring and nine extended winters. She also agreed with her slightly more famous Pennsylvanian woodchuck colleague, Punxsutawney Phil, for the second year in a row. Click here for more details and photos of the event.

LLCT events on carbon sequestration, rodent control, trees

Learn how disturbances such as climate change, urbanization, and invasive insects impact forest ecosystems in the northeastern U.S. and their ability to grow and store carbon on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 7:00pm on Zoom. Ph.D. candidate Emerson Conrad-Rooney will share highlights from their research on how climate change throughout the year — both warmer summers and less snowpack in winter — affects forest ecosystems. Register here to receive the meeting link.
 
Next month, the LLCT will host two more events: “A Forum for Safe Rodent Control” on March 10 at 7:00pm (Zoom, and in the Lincoln School Lincoln Learning Commons), and “Protecting Our Canopy: The Critical Role of Tree Preservation” (March 13 at 7:00pm, Zoom only).

Volunteers needed on historical boards

The Select Board is seeking a volunteer member and alternate member for the Historical Commission (LHC), Historic District Commission (HDC), and Brown’s Wood Historic District Commission (BWHDC). The LHC, HDC, and BWHDC meet monthly. The assesses whether a building or structure proposed for demolition has historical, cultural, and architectural significance to the town. The HDC and BWHDC assess whether proposed alterations to the exterior of buildings or structures in one of the town’s historic districts are appropriate based on the history and architecture of the building or structure. For more information, click here and contact Peggy Elder, administrative assistant in the Select Board’s Office, elderp@lincolntown.org or call 781-259-2601.

Apply for scholarships

High school seniors in Lincoln are invited to apply for merit-based and need-based scholarships and awards from the Lincoln Scholarship Committee. These include the Lincoln Community Scholarship ($1,000–$2,000), the Ogden Codman Scholarship ($7,500, renewable for four years), the Codman Opportunity Scholarship ($5,000, renewable for four years), the Harriet Todd Scholarship ($5,000 renewable for one year), as well as the Fanny Campbell Award for Academic Achievement and the Sumner Smith Award for Community Service ($500 each). Click here for more information and an application. The deadline is March 29. 

Coming up at the library

Click here for details about all events at the Lincoln Public Library.

Historical Fiction Book Recs with Author Jane Healey
Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6:30pm, Zoom (click here for details and registration)
 
Thriller/Horror Book Recs with Bookstagrammer @redreadreviews
Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 7:30pm, Zoom (click here for details and registration)
 
Author Talk: Rich Higgins on Thoreau’s God
Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7:00pm, Tarbell Room (click here for details)
 
Pop-Up Art School for Ages 11-19: Felted Landscape
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2:00–3:30pm, Tarbell Room (click here for details and required registration)

COA&HS activities in February

Here are some of the February activities hosted by the Lincoln Council on Aging and Human Services. Most events are open to Lincoln residents of all ages. For a full list — including clinics, exercise classes, regular meetings of interest groups, and online chats with town officials — see the COAHS’s newsletter page. Call 781-259-8811 or email gagnea@lincolntown.org for Zoom links and other information.

Classic Love Songs
Friday, Feb. 7 at 12:30pm, Bemis Hall
 
Fantastical Folklore of Flowers
Friday, Feb. 14 from 12:30–2:00pm, Bemis Hall (click here for details)
 
Film: “The Six Triple Eight”
Friday, Feb. 21 at 12:30pm, Bemis Hall
 
“Entangled Lives, Black and White” with Lincoln historian Don Hafner
Friday, Feb. 28 at 12:30pm, Bemis Hall