On Monday, Feb. 25, a Lincoln resident received a phone call from someone claiming to work for Rain Soft. The caller claimed that Rain Soft is working with the Lincoln Water Department to test homeowner’s water for quality and contaminants. One of the Water Commissioners has advised that the Water Commission has not hired this company or authorized it to do the testing. Any resident receiving a call from Rain Soft should note as much information about the caller that they can, and report the call to the Lincoln Police. Residents should not provide them with any personal information. This matter is under investigation by the Lincoln Police Department.
Lincoln obituaries since September 2012
The Lincoln Squirrel will publish links to the obituaries of recently deceased Lincoln residents as we become aware of them. Please feel free to send other notices, links and reminiscences to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Here are links to obituaries compiled since September 2012, listed in chronological order by date of death.
Shirley Hubel (February 17, 2013) – Teacher of pottery and remedial reading
Elizabeth Peavey (January 10, 2013) – Past president of the Lincoln Garden Club
Michael Fusillo, M.D. (January 8, 2013) – Former member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Alfred Seville (December 9, 2012) – Engineer, small business consultant and avid skier
Nadia Gilman (November 1, 2012) – Former Lexington resident
Henry Flint (October 15, 2012) – Ran family farm in Lincoln
Winthrop Harrington Jr., M.D. (October 8, 2012) – Lincoln dentist for more than 45 years
Marcia Bebring (September 20, 2012) – Former administrative assistant to Lincoln school superintendent
Paul DeBaryshe, Ph.D. (September 15, 2012) – Environmental activist, academic researcher, technologist and entrepreneur
Edith Hinds (Oct. 30, 2012) – Middleboro resident, formerly of Lincoln
Norman Jacobs (December 26, 2012) – Had career in marketing and advertising
Margaret Koehler, R.N. (October 1, 2012) – Mother of seven and long-time communicant of St. Joseph’s Church
Max Mason (December 20, 2012) – Architect and artist
Patricia Page (December 10, 2012) – Former director of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Robert Pickett (October 13, 2012) – Worked in finance and investment
Update on the future of farming
The earlier Lincoln Squirrel post neglected to give the time, date and location of the “Future of Farming in Lincoln” meeting. It will be on March 13 at Bemis Hall starting at 7:30 p.m. The Squirrel regrets the omission.
Where are we farming?
Did you know that there are 497 acres of land in active farming in Lincoln—and that there are another 287.5 acres in town that could be farmed? See maps and learn more about this current and potential farmland in Lincoln at the Lincoln Agricultural Commission‘s third annual community meeting, “The Future of Farming in Lincoln: A Community Conversation.” At the meeting, the LAC will to review town farming information with farmers and other landowners and discuss ways we might bring more land into farming in Lincoln. Everyone is welcome.
The LAC was formed by a 2008 Town Meeting vote to preserve and protect Lincoln agriculture. Members representing farms and farming interests in the town are appointed by the Board of Selectmen.
Town asks state to consider “L-shaped” option for school
The L-shaped proposal.
By Alice Waugh
School officials have formally asked the state to approve a new “L-shaped” design for the Lincoln School so the town can still receive $21 million in state aid that was promised as part of an earlier plan approved by the state but which didn’t garner enough resident support at Town Meeting.
The L-shaped proposal advocated by residents including Douglas Adams and Ken Bassett calls for retaining the 1994 portion of the Smith building and demolishing and rebuilding the older portion closer to Brooks, thereby reducing the size of the block of new construction just south of the current Brooks building. Proponents feel this option would retain more of the “campus green” feel by maintaining more physical separation between the younger and older groups of students and making fewer changes to the landscaping.
[Read more…] about Town asks state to consider “L-shaped” option for school
Legislators’ forum at L-S on March 5
The Massachusetts State House
On Tuesday, March 5, Massachusetts State Senators Michael Barrett and Jamie Eldridge and State Representatives Tom Conroy and Thomas Stanley will provide Lincoln and Sudbury residents with an update on the FY14 state budget and its impact on education, green initiatives and legislative initiatives of interest to our towns.
The session, which is hosted by the L-S School Committee, will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. in the library of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.The public is encouraged to attend, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Storm-chaser to share experiences in Feb. 25 talk
Tornadoes as seen by storm-chasers. (Photos courtesy Chris Curtis)
By Brett Wittenberg
The van barreled down I-44, its occupants’ excitement reaching a fever pitch. The chase that had started that morning in Oklahoma had traveled a serpentine route across much of Kansas, and by the time they crossed the Missouri border, the chasers had almost caught up with their prey—a giant tornado.
One of the “storm chasers” in the van was Concord resident Chris Curtis, who will give a talk about his experiences on Monday, February 25 at 12:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall.
On that day in May 2011, Curtis and his team could tell by radar that their prize was only a few blocks to their north, but in the limited visibility of the accompanying rainstorm, they had yet to actually see the Class EF5 multiple-vortex tornado. But the radar clearly showed a huge tornado with a cloud of swirling debris, and it looked like it had stopped on top of Joplin, Missouri.
[Read more…] about Storm-chaser to share experiences in Feb. 25 talk
Bingo Night nets big bucks for PTO
With an expanded array of bingo and raffle prizes, Bingo Night netted about $3,500 for the Lincoln PTO earlier this month.
Hundreds of people packed the Brooks gym on February 1 to compete for a roster of prizes topped by an iPod Touch. The PTO sold 440 bingo cards and more than 1,500 raffle tickets. “After the initial push, two ‘floaters’ walked between tables and sold additional tickets. The crowd also devoured 65 pizzas (though the last few were sold near the end of the evening at a discount).
Lincoln groundhog prediction comes true in spades
Looking back from the vantage point of the Blizzard of ’13, it looks Ms. G. was right when she predicted six more weeks of winter.
Ms. G, Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog, emerged from her carrying crate on February 2 and saw her shadow, a prediction contradiction with her better-know fellow woodchuck, Punxsutawney Phil. But the dozens of observers gathered around her on the bare frozen ground didn’t mind — they showed their appreciation in the usual way, though the applause was considerably muffled by mittens and gloves. Before her pronouncement, some even briefly chanted, “Six more weeks! Six more weeks!”
 Ms. G clambers aboard her stump as she prepares to make her prediction. (Photo: Alice Waugh) |
 The crowd, some with “Ms. G for State Groundhog” signs, wait for her pronouncement. (Photo: Alice Waugh) |
Mish Michaels, Ms G’s campaign manager. (Photo: Alice Waugh)
The morning was also a campaign event for Ms. G., who is running hard for the post of Official State Groundhog with the backing of former local TV meteorologist and environmental reporter Mish Michaels of Wellesley. Michaels is helping children at the Hunnewell School as they try to move a bill through the state legislature that will, if approved, give statewide stature to the Lincoln groundhog.
“I’m her campaign manager at this point,” said Michaels, who sported a groundhog hat and campaign sign.
In addition to her political/rodential work, Michaels is creating on a children’s book with her young daughter called “A Groundhog’s Shadowy Road to Fame” and running an online children’s clothing business called Natural Cloud Cover (“organic clothing for the weather watcher in every kid!”).
After a few minutes of watching Ms. G. clamber over a tree stump in the frigid air, many of the children and their parents trooped inside to get their weather questions answered by a panel of local meteorologists. Inevitably, one of the kids asked whether we would have any more snow this year — a reasonable question during what had been an almost snowless season.
The short answer, said WBZ-TV’s Joe Joyce, was yes, though neither he nor his colleagues could predict when. “We keep getting it inch by inch. It’s been a frustrating season,” he said. Little did he know…
Library closed; extra police on duty
This is from the Lincoln Police Department’s Facebook page:
“Residents are advised to remain in their homes and off the roads for the duration of the blizzard. Your home is the safest location to ride out the storm. In the event your home becomes unsafe or uninhabitable, contact the police station (781-259-8111) and we will assist you. Both the Police and Fire Departments have additional staff at the ready to ensure the safety and security of Lincoln’s residents. In the event of a power outage, contact NStar at 800-592-2000. Please check on elderly/disabled family and neighbors.”
Police also noted that the Lincoln Public Library will be closed on Friday and Saturday, February 8-9. “There will be a dispensation on overdue books for 48 hours but not one minute more,” the post says. No word yet on possible arrest warrants for massively overdue books 🙂