Above: The front page of the Southborough Villager on September 21, 2001
Each week we take a look back at the top stories reported in the Southborough Villager 10 years, 20 years, and 30 years ago. Here are the stories that were making headlines during the week of September 19. If you have memories about any of these events, please share them in the comments.
10 years ago: High school hearings to begin
While many articles in the Villager this week continued the focus on the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, another storm was quietly starting to brew in the newspaper’s pages. The Regional School Committee announced a series of public meetings to share information about options for dealing with the space crisis at Algonquin. A special subcommittee was looking at constructing a new building, renovating the existing one, or splitting the district and building a new high school in Southborough. It’s a question that would divide many in our small town leading up to a Special Town Meeting vote later that fall. (Southborough Villager, September 21, 2011)
20 years ago: Chief drops charges against sergeant
In 2010 Southborough had Pizzagate. Back in 1991 they had the “Clambake Case.” The hubbub centered around an allegation by then Sergeant William Webber (Southborough’s future police chief) that a newly-appointed police officer was paid to attend a Massachusetts Police Chief’s Association clambake with then chief William Colleary. The allegations were proven to be untrue, and a disciplinary hearing was scheduled for Webber on charges of conduct unbecoming an officer, dissemination of official police information, and disparaging remarks made against the department. The hearing never took place. Colleary dropped the charges against Webber just moments before it was scheduled to begin. (Southborough Villager, September 19, 1991)
30 years ago: Board of Health holds up hotel plans
Selectmen approved plans for the proposed Red Roof Inn, but the Board of Health rejected them saying more testing on the water table had to be done. Red Roof executives were looking for approval to build a $2M, 109-unit hotel along Route 9 that they said would be geared for “the traveling businessman.” Neighbors expressed concern about construction traffic and lighting. (Southborough Villager, September 25, 1981)
(Original caption for photo above. Click here for a larger version: Southborough Brownie Troop 2805 set up a stand in front of the library to raise money for those affected by last week’s terrorist acts. Behind the table are Brownies Michela Leavitt and Ally Beck, both 8.)
