Representative Jennifer Benson

invites you to a

Regional Economic Development Forum

Friday, January 26, 2018 – 1:30 ^to 3:30 pm

The Bull Run Restaurant

215 Great Road – Shirley, MA 

Speaking guests include:

Speaker Robert A. DeLeo

Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Secretary Jay Ash

Secretary of Housing and Economic Development

Commissioner Jennifer Flanagan

Cannabis Control Commission

Light refreshments will be served

To RSVP, please contact my District Director, Joshua Bedarian,

at 978-582-4146 x4 or [email protected]

The Fitchburg Historical Society will welcome Fitchburg State University Associate Professor Kisha Tracy on Thursday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m. for a talk on cultural heritage called Cultural Heritage: Finding the Ancient and Medieval in Fitchburg. The talk is structured around photographs taken in central Massachusetts that illustrate aspects of our historical memory and cultural heritage. Our experience of Fitchburg’s local history can be more fully understood in the context of ancient and medieval history, which will also be illustrated through photographs taken by Professor Tracy in the course of her medieval researches in Europe.

Cultural Heritage: Finding the Ancient and Medieval in Fitchburg is free and open to the public; Professor Tracy will speak on Thursday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Fitchburg Historical Society, Phoenix Building, 781 Main Street, Fitchburg. The talk is one part of a larger project created by Professor Tracy and her students, who are curating photographs of local history and ancient culture in an online gallery, as they also research their historic subject matter.

“The focus of this project is photography of ancient and medieval cultural heritage stories from other countries, and local cultural heritage stories in New England and Fitchburg,” says Kisha Tracy.  “Cultural heritage is the manifestation of common human experiences, and, by drawing these parallels, we can emphasize the connection between the distant past and more recent, local history.  We end up learning more about our shared need for preservation and historical study.”

Kisha Tracy is an Associate Professor of English Studies, and Co-Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning, at Fitchburg State University. She received a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Connecticut in 2010. She has written the book Memory and Confession in Middle English Literature, and is developing a new book entitled Students Are People Too. She is the Book Review Editor for Currents in Teaching and Learning and on the board of the New England Faculty Development Consortium and the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning.

“This is a very exciting project,” according to Susan Navarre, Executive Director of the Fitchburg Historical Society. “It encourages today’s college students to think about the meaning of their local history in the context of world history. And at this talk, the audience will have an opportunity to see how Professor Tracy and her students interpret Fitchburg artifacts and history. After the talk, attendees can also see online and real world exhibitions that the students curate under Professor Tracy’s tutelage.”

Exhibitions of photographs from the Cultural Heritage Through Image Project will take place at the Fitchburg Art Museum and the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library at Fitchburg State University. More information on the Cultural Heritage Through Image project may be found at http://culturalheritagethroughimage.omeka.net/.

The Fitchburg Historical Society is fully ADA accessible, with a parking lot and plenty of on-street parking. For directions, visit https://www.google.com/maps/place/781+Main+Street,+Fitchburg,+MA+01420/@42.5850813,-71.8062273,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e3e656ca72ce63:0xcb20840fa007311a!8m2!3d42.5850813!4d-71.8040386?hl=en.

For more information, call 978-345-1157 or visit www.fitchburghistoricalsociety.com.

Michael D. Hewitt, President of Hometown Bank Community Foundation, Inc., announced today that a contribution in the amount of $5,000 was presented to NewVue Communities, formerly known as Twin Cities CDC.

NewVue Communities is a non-profit organization, located in Fitchburg, MA, that serves 22 communities in central Massachusetts.  Since its founding in 1979, NewVue Communities has endeavored to improve local communities and the lives of their residents, regardless of their background.  The contribution from Hometown Bank Community Foundation helps to support the various programs and services provided by NewVue Communities, including affordable housing, financial literacy, education and foreclosure prevention.  It also helps with small business technical assistance for the creation and retention of jobs.  Marc Dohan, Executive Director of NewVue Communities, stated that NewVue Communities “envisions healthy neighborhoods where residents choose to live, work and invest.”

Hometown Bank Community Foundation, Inc. was formed in early 2016 by bankHometown, a state-chartered cooperative bank headquartered in Oxford, Massachusetts with $730 million in assets.  Christina DiRusso, assistant vice president of commercial lending for bankHometown, serves on the board of NewVue Communities.  In addition, a number of bankHometown employees also serve as speakers at NewVue’s first-time homebuyer seminars.

bankHometown has served its communities since 1889 and operates thirteen full service branch offices; eight located in central Massachusetts and five located in northeastern Connecticut.  Depositors of bankHometown have their deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for amounts up to $250,000 with amounts in excess of $250,000 insured in full by the Share Insurance Fund, a private excess insurer.

Now that the frigid Arctic air has left (albeit temporarily), it’s time to schedule classes so that people can apply for their LTCs and learn how to defensively protect themselves and their families.  Also, learn how to better your chances of survival in the event of an active shooter event wherever you might be.  With that said, following are the latest scheduled classes.  More to come as the weather gets warmer.

CLASS:           Active Shooter/Civilian Response

WHEN:          Saturday, February 17, 2018

TIME:            9 am to 12:15 pm

LOCATION:   Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce

670 Linwood Ave., Bldg. A

Whitinsville, MA 01588

COST:             $45 (payable by credit card, check or cash)

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CLASS:          Home Firearm Safety with Live Fire

WHEN:         Saturday, February 24, 2018

TIME:            9 am to 4:30 pm

LOCATION:  South Fitchburg Hunting & Fishing club

60 Warren Road

Townsend, MA 01469

COST:           $125 (payable by credit card, check or cash)

Call A+ Firearms Training of MA to register for a class or acquire more information.

Leominster Credit Union is collecting new blankets for the annual blanket  drive to provide warmth and aid to families in need in our local communities.  The blanket drive is in partnership with Massachusetts Credit Unions and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.  Donations may be dropped off at any Leominster Credit Union office through Friday, January 26, 2018. For more information contact Rachel Terrell at 978-466-7221 or .  Blankets and clothing will be distributed to area shelters and organizations to help those in need.

Fundada en 1954, Leominster Credit Union (LCU) es una cooperativa financiera sin fines de lucro, de propiedad de sus socios, que ofrece una gama completa de servicios de depósito, crédito y otros servicios financieros. Con sede en Leominster, Massachusetts, LCU se enorgullece de contar con casi 50,000 socios y más de $600 millones en activos. LCU cuenta con siete sucursales en Leominster, Worcester, Clinton, Holden, Sterling y North Leominster, todas ellas con servicios de cajero automático. LCU también ofrece servicios bancarios las 24 horas a través de sus servicios móviles y en línea. Visite leominstercu.com o llame al 800-649-4646.