News
Groton’s Donna Nowak was honored on November 17, 2025 at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall with the Department of Correction’s Beyond Excellence Volunteer of the Year Award, recognizing years of service at MCI Shirley that officials said have made a lasting and meaningful impact on incarcerated...
Donna Nowak. Photo by Steve Lieman
Shorty: For more than a decade, Donna has been walking through steel gates not to fix anyone, but to show up. “Watching men suddenly believe they can have positive experiences in life—even if they are lifers—is extraordinary,” she says. And in case that sounds small, she adds: “Supporting someone...
The Groton Conservation Commission showed uncommon unanimity of opinion on January 13, voicing skepticism over a proposed house addition that would place substantial permanent structures within protected wetland buffer zones.
The commission challenged a proposal for 26 Indian Hill Road that...
by Susan Hughes and Jodi Valenti
The wild and scenic Nashua River winds through the heart of our region. For generations, its quiet strength has shaped the identity of this corner of the state, nourishing farms, forests, wildlife, and the communities along its banks—at a moment when statewide...
Photo of Chief Luth presenting the Traffic Cameras initiative to the Select Board, Town Manger and the public in February 2025
Shorty: Did you know Groton’s traffic cameras have actually been up and running since November? Some folks only realized it after spotting one at Route 119 and asking questions online—about data, access, and how all this was approved in the first place.
by Connie Sartini
Recent online...
Shorty: Did you notice the town’s new water superintendent was gone almost as soon as he arrived? After two quiet months and no public explanation, Groton is back in interim mode — leaning on a longtime insider while officials regroup and try again this spring. In a department known for decades of...
In the previous installment of this series, the Groton Herald explored how persistent fiscal pressure may be shaped less by tax rates or annual spending decisions than by how many households are available to share the cost of largely fixed public systems, including schools, roads, and core...
Groton Animal Control calls were low on December with a total of 14 in the following categories;
Dogs lost and/or found; 10
Goats on the run: 2
Horses on the run; 1 (by the way, at a gallop, at one point all four feet are off the ground)
Raccoons; 1, likely with canine distemper
Turkeys; 1, one,...
From Beacon Hill Roll Call News Service
If approved by voters and later implemented by the Legislature, a newly certified statewide ballot proposal would replace locally developed zoning plans with uniform statewide standards, bringing potential changes to Groton and other Massachusetts towns.
A...
Construction on the planned UMass Memorial Health satellite emergency facility in Groton is already visible, and the project is moving quickly through the local permitting process, Planning Board members learned at their January 8 meeting.
Planning Board Administrator and Land Use Director...