We kicked off this St. Patrick’s Day week with a question: What is the best place in town to celebrate the holiday? Readers voted and the winner was the Main Streets Market and Café. With enrollment concerns from taxpayers in Concord and elsewhere, Minuteman High School proposed changes to capital funding this week. Charlie Sarkis, the mastermind behind establishments like Abe & Louie’s Steakhouse and Joe’s American Bar and Grill, decided to sell his Papa Razzi chain to Rhode Island group Newport Harbor Corp. Concord made Boston Magazine’s “Swanky Town Smackdown” list several times and we …

“Super Tuesday” came to Concord this week with voters choosing Steven Ng and Elise Woodward for two open Board of Selectmen seats, as well as Linda Escobedo for Housing Authority. Concord voters also supported Mitt Romney in his bid for U.S. President. The Concord School Committee issued a detailed statement this week to provide an update on recent school related work. Among the updates were news on school budgets, finding a suitable school bus facility and grants from the Concord Education Fund. Our historical pieces continued this week with the latest Object of the Week on Wednesday, which …

Concord welcomed March with a sight that had been missing from previous winter months: snow. While it wasn’t the blizzard that some had forecast, the storm that made its way through the area this week created a bit of a mess, leaving snow and rain in its wake. Fans of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, which already makes its way through Lowell, Chelmsford, and Westford, found good news this week when the Concord Board of Selectmen agreed to enter into a Right of Entry with Acton. The agreement takes the next step in extending the trail into Concord. Foodies were abuzz this week when we asked who …

  The short week (for some) began with news that MBTA officials will work to avoid cutting back service. Proposals currently call for eliminating weekend trains in Concord. We also introduced Housing Authority candidates Raymond Snay and Linda Escobedo this week. We also spoke with Mara Dolan, who is running for State Senator, and learned about her views on the state of the economy, as well as Concord specific issues like bus outsourcing. Those looking for a swim at the Beede Center this week found that several of the pools had been shut down due to a mechanical problem. The culprit? Sub-…

  It was a happy Valentine’s Day for Concord residents who opposed the idea to outsource school buses. The school committees of Concord Public Schools and the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District voted Tuesday night to delay considering third party buses for at least a year. Earlier in the week, the League of Women Voters sponsored a candidates forum where bus outsourcing and student fees were discussed. The forum also allowed voters a chance to hear from Selectmen Elise Woodward and her two opponents, Dennon Rodrigue and Steve Ng. In About Town features, Maureen Belt talked about …

  Feelings of discontent filled the Board of Selectmen chamber this week as MBTA spokesperson Wayne Miller related proposed cuts in service to the Concord area. Town officials decried the ideas, wondering if they were absolutely necessary, and urged residents to write to state lawmakers to express their own feelings. Those wondering what was happening with the Walden Grille’s liquor license received their answer on Monday night. Jack Grant, who manages the restaurant’s license, told the Board of Selectmen that he intends to sell the license to another buyer. State Senator Susan Fargo …

There was a lot of debate and discussion this past week. Here's a look back at some of the biggest stories on Concord Patch. On Monday, we ran a poll asking your thoughts on the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills. Nearly 200 readers weighed in on the issue. Click here to share your thoughts too. On Tuesday, Maureen C. Belt wished all Concordians a Happy Chinese New Year, and the League of Women Voters of Concord and Carlisle invited voters to a candidates forum coming up in February. On Wednesday, much attention was turned toward the CCRSD administration's recommendation that the Regional School …

  On Monday, people across the nation reflected on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the strides he made for all people during the civil rights struggles of the twentieth century. Patch also took some time to remember Dr. King. Click here to see what MLK Day means in Concord. On Tuesday we met Andy Gish, who is trying to raise $150,000 for the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts and New Hampshire by running in the Boston Marathon in honor of his mother, who is living with the disease. Later in February, Gish will hold a benefit night at the 99 Restaurant in West Concord. Click …

  Concord's Town Caucus was held on Tuesday. Candidates who would like appear on the ballot in the March election may still do so, even if they were not nominated at the caucus, by turning in the proper paperwork to Town Clerk Anita Tekle by Jan. 17. Click here for an introduction to the candidates nominated at the Town Caucus, and keep an eye out for more in-depth candidate profiles in the coming weeks on Concord Patch. Also on Tuesday, a 7-year-old girl on a trip with the Concord Recreational Ski Program fell 17-feet from a chair lift at the Nashoba Valley Ski Area. The girl was taken to …

  The first week of the new year started off on a pretty sad note for many Concordians. On Tuesday, we announced the closing of the Walden Grille, a favored local pub of many people in town as well as visitors who frequented the establishment on trips to Concord. Readers shared their thoughts on the restaurant's closing, and offered up some suggestions on what might be a good fit for the Walden Street locale.Tuesday was also a tragic day for the theatrical community of eastern Massachusetts as Peter Stark, a member of the Concord Players and Sudbury Savoyards was killed in a car accident on …

  Happy New Year everyone! Here's a look back at this past week on Concord Patch. On Monday, we featured a poll asking folks what they got for Christmas. The poll has generated quite a bit of buzz — some positive, some negative. Take a look, weigh in on the poll, and add your two cents. Just please remember to keep it civil. On Tuesday, we featured your selections for Concord's Teachers of the Year. See who your neighbors named the top teachers, and add your own choice for teacher of the year.Being the one-year anniversary of a major snowstorm, Tuesday also saw some photos of the aftermath of…

  Last minute shopping; preparing holiday dinners; getting ready to travel — it's a bustling time of year. Here's a look back at the past week on Concord Patch.Last weekend, we put out reminders to our readers to get suggestions in for the teacher of the year and athlete/team of the year. Add your choices now, and we'll feature all of the responses this week. On Monday, we featured another handful of gift ideas from the Concord Indies — this time, for that person who already has everything. We also asked readers to weigh in on a poll about holiday spending. On Tuesday, Stefanie Cloutier told …

  There's only a few days until the start of Hanukkah, Christmas falls a couple days after that, and Kwanzaa immediately after that. So we know the coming week is going to be a hectic one. Here's a look back at this past week on Concord Patch.At the end of last weekend, we featured a video highlighting Concord Firefly's horse and buggy rides around West Concord Village. Mary Klinoff of Concord Firefly said the rides were a way to say thank you to the community and remind people to shop at Concord's many independent businesses. The Concord Light Plant sent us some photos and a story on the …

It's been a very festive week, from Santa Claus' grand entrance into town on a fire engine, to old fashioned horse and buggy rides on a crisp evening. Here's a quick look back at some of the top stories from this week in Concord. On Monday, incumbent State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, let constituents know she is unfazed by competition in next year's election. Click here to see what Fargo had to say.Also on Monday, we featured a video highlighting Concord's annual Christmas  parade and tree lighting. Click here to take a look at all the holiday fun.On Tuesday, we posted a list of some of the …

  From the gridiron to gift wrap, there was a lot going on in Concord this past week. Here's a look back at the week's top headlines.The biggest story of the week is, without a doubt, the the CCHS Patriots' Eastern Mass Div. III Superbowl Championship. The Patriots defeated the Oliver Ames Tigers 42-9 on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. Patch featured live coverage of the game with an interactive blog posted in both Easton and Concord. Take a look at these video highlights and interviews from the sidelines of Gillette Stadium and read the game recap if you missed it this weekend. The victory was…

Between preparing Thanksgiving dinner and getting your holiday shopping underway, it was a busy week here in Concord. Here's a look at some of this past week's headlines.On Monday, we saw a preview of the annual Holiday House Tour, hosted by the Guild of Volunteers of the Concord Museum. Click here for more information on where to get your tickets for the tour, scheduled for this Saturday, Dec. 3.Chief Barry Neal of the Concord Police Department also announced on Monday that his department will be conducting alcohol compliance checks at all licensed establishments now through the end of the …

It was an historic week in Concord, with passage of the biggest school project in the town's history. Let's take a look back at some of the top headlines from last week.On Monday, we featured a video of the town's Veterans Day celebration at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Take a look at the flag raising, Concord Independent Battery cannon salute, and the annual American Flag retirement ceremony. A number of local businesses launched holiday promotions this past week. On Tuesday, we featured a story about Mahoney's Garden Center and their participation in Trees for Troops, through which local …

What a week it was. Hopefully last weekend's snowstorm — and the chaos that ensued thereafter — was not a preview of events to come this winter. For now, here's a look back this past week's top headlines.On Monday, we posted a photo gallery of the impact the unseasonably early storm had on Concord. Readers posted their own photos from around town as well. Being Halloween, Patch's creative costume contest drew to a close Monday night. The grand prize winner was "Headless Boy" by Jack Hagan of Wyckoff, N.J., shown here to the right. On Tuesday, we saw how the men and women at Concord Park …

This week started off with a video of Carlisle teacher Marcella Pixley reading an excerpt from her new book "Without Tess," at the Concord Bookshop. We also saw a gallery of images from last week's annual Drop Off, Swap Off, where residents got to recycle and/or trade home items with their neighbors.On Tuesday, we had a report of the Board of Selectmen's preliminary vote to support the proposed CCHS building project. Chairman Elise Woodward said taking such a vote before hearing all of the debate on the project was a bit unorthodox, though everyone on the board is in favor of it going into …

As usual, it was a busy week here in Concord. Here's a look back at this week's top stories. On Monday, we heard about the Legislative Breakfast, during which Minuteman Career and Technical High School and its plan for reconstruction was a topic of dissuasion for both state and local officials. As Minuteman works on a new regional agreement with their 16 member towns in order to move forward with their reconstruction plans, officials said changing the school to replicate modern work environments is essential to its success. They also said a reconstruction would be necessary to attract …