This Week in Worcester County: Jun 8 - Jun 14

25 stories from Worcester County News this week.

Beals Library Sets Summer Reading Kickoff as Town Meetings Fill the Week

A quiet Flag Day gives way to a packed Winchendon week as Beals Memorial Library moves to the center of community life. The library hosts a Community Conversation on its bathroom facilities June 16 and throws its Summer Reading Club Kick Off Party June 18, while the town's meeting calen…

Richard Sugden Library Opens Summer Reading Program for All Ages

Spencer's public library is the day's lead civic story, as the Richard Sugden Library has launched its Summer Reading All Ages 2026 program, inviting residents from Pre-K through adulthood to participate this season. The library, open Monday and Thursday evenings until 7 p.m., is the pl…

Conservation Commission Seeks Volunteers as Town Enters Busy Meeting Week

Southborough's Conservation Commission is recruiting new members, the lead local item on a quiet Sunday. The commission posted its call for volunteers on the town's official website, with no deadline listed; residents interested in wetlands and open-space issues are directed to southbor…

Select Board Calls Special Town Meeting for Tuesday, June 16

Rutland heads into a busy week with a Special Town Meeting called by the Select Board set for Tuesday, June 16, even as the town absorbs back-to-back service reductions: Town Hall and the Town Annex move to reduced hours on July 1, and the Rutland Free Public Library — citing budget res…

Millbury Awarded $229,293 State Fiber Grant to Build Municipal Network

Millbury secured $229,293 in state money Sunday to build a municipal fiber network, the town's headline financial news as its Town Manager Screening Committee prepares to meet Monday, June 15. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts made the award through its Community Compact Fiber Grant pro…

Leominster Schools Warn Families of First Student Bus Strike

A First Student bus strike notice posted by Leominster Public Schools puts district transportation in question during the final stretch of the school year. The district's homepage is carrying a prominent alert directing families to seek updated guidance, though full details were not vis…

Grafton Schools Set June 18 Half-Day Close; Library Seeks Planning Volunteers

Grafton's school year ends in four days as a student transportation neglect finding draws scrutiny. The district, led by Superintendent Dr. James Cummings, closes Pre-K on Tuesday and sends all students home on a half-day June 18, with North Street Elementary's sixth-grade Moving On Cer…

Fitchburg Declares Tourism Marketing District, Extends Landfill Sticker Deadline

Fitchburg advanced a formal tourism promotion framework and extended landfill access through September 30 in a quiet administrative cycle. The city posted notice declaring the organization of a Fitchburg Tourism Destination Marketing District, a governance step that lays the groundwork …

Athol Public Library Launches Plant-Themed Summer Reading Series This Month

Athol Public Library kicks off a plant-themed summer reading season with six events across three weeks. The library's Summer Reading Kickoff — "Plant a Seed, Read" — lands Tuesday, June 23, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at 568 Main Street, followed by Potted Pixel Art Plants and a Plant Propag…