Gardner MA

Gardner MA Local News and Community Information

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• Heywood Healthcare Update 10-15-25

  

  An Update from Heywood Healthcare

  Heywood Hospital released the following statement about 8:30pm on 10-15-25: “Heywood Hospital, Athol Hospital, and Heywood Medical Group are open and safely caring for patients.

  We continue to experience disruptions to our network. We are actively working to restore services.

  The phone and scheduling system, imaging, and the laboratory remain offline. We have engaged experts who are working in tandem with our internal IT teams to restore systems as quickly and safely as possible, allowing us to return to normal operations in our emergency departments.

  If you have an appointment scheduled with a Heywood Medical Group provider this week and need to reach the practice, please use the Athena portal https://192-1.portal.athenahealth.com/ to communicate.

  If you are unable to access the Athena portal, the answering service is open and will deliver messages to your provider. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we carry out our downtime processes.

  We value the trust of our community. We are committed to serving our community and ensuring your care is our highest priority.”

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• 309 Central Sold

  

  Former Gardner News Building Sold – Again

  Tony Molina’s Molina Realty has sold the former Gardner News Building at 309 Central Street in Gardner to 65 Shawsheen LLC for $2,240,000. Molina had purchased the building just a few years back from former Gardner News owner Alberta Bell for $300,000.

  In September 2025, Molina had announced that he had filled all 9 apartments which had been constructed in the building. The new owner, 65 Shawsheen LLC is a company involved in construction, excavation, and site development.

  A little over a decade ago, Alberta Bell sold the Gardner News to Ganett who did not purchase the building at the time.

  The Gardner News Building was first constructed in 1906, went on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and became part of the West Gardner Square Historic District in 1985

  Unique Architecture: Although renovated inside, the familiar outside of the building remains intact. It is a three-story brick structure, roughly trapezoidal in shape due to its lot configuration, and is adorned with sandstone and brick trim. Its main facade faces roughly south toward Central Street, and is roughly divided into three sections. The outer sections have two bays of windows on the third floor, and projecting bay windows on the second floor. The right section has the main building entrance, while that on the left has a three-part window with stone lintel. The center section of the building has three window bays on each level. There are courses of corbelled brickwork above and below the third floor, and the building is crowned by a brick parapet

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• School 10-14-25

  

  Gardner High School Representative Makes Debut Appearance at School Committee Meeting

  At the Gardner School Committee meeting of October 14, 2025, Gardner High School Student Representative Aiden Lospennato provided updates on various school programs including the Best Buddies program, Early College, and Vocational Opportunities. Listen to the entire meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

  The School Committee also accepted at $16,000 gift from the Steve Ciccolini Music and Education Fund, spoke of the Superintendent’s goals, and ratified the District Improvement Plan. Committee members and the Superintendent shared positive closing remarks about the successful start to the school year and athletic achievements. Some of the items referenced at the meeting are in the packet. Complete Agenda and packet, CLICK HERE

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• School Committee 10-14-25

  

  Gardner MA School Committee Meeting on Day After Columbus Day

  View the packet and agenda, CLICK HERE. Meeting is 6pm October 14th in City Council Chambers

  AUDIO will be provided after meeting is held.

  On the School Committee’s agenda is a recognition of students, approving minutes and warrants (financial expenditures), and discussing new business items such as Superintendent Goals, the District Improvement Plan, and several policy revisions concerning budget adoption and student discipline. Updates are provided from various departments, including the Curriculum Coordinator, Director of Multilingual Learners, Grants Administrator, and Special Education, highlighting efforts to address academic equity gaps and improve school climate. Financial summaries of several warrants, along with a $16,000 donation to the music program, demonstrate the district’s ongoing fiscal operations and community support.

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• Development Review – October

  

  Gardner Development Review Committee Focuses on 2 Separate Site Plans

  On October 10, 2025, the Gardner Development Review Committee reviewed two separate conceptual site plans. Listen to the entire meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

  
  The first review concerns a proposal by McCarty Engineering to construct a 7,400-square-foot structure at 827 Green Street to serve as an office, meeting, and barn area for residents working with support animals, including discussions on site features like parking, utilities, and environmental compliance.

  The second major agenda item is a site plan review for Walmart Real Estate Business Trust at 677 Timpany Boulevard, which involves adding a self-service fueling station with eight multi-product dispensers, a kiosk building, and underground fuel tanks, requiring detailed discussion of zoning, environmental impacts, and various regulatory permits, including those for fire and food safety. Both proposals involve questions from the committee about ADA compliance, storm water management, and adherence to local ordinances.

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• Debate 2025

  Update: 10-13-25 10:18pm – Kimberly Blake has made a post on Social Media claiming she never agreed to the October 21st Mayoral debate. Rebecca Marois from the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce stated otherwise.

  

  This is a screenshot of an email received this morning, a screenshot of which is provided below. Gardner Magazine trusts the veracity of Chamber CEO Rebecca Marois. Based on previous emails, it is apparent that Blake said yes weeks ago and the Chamber was waiting until closer to the date to announce it.

  We have asked for a copy of Blake’s original debate confirmation to the Chamber. and will post it when available.

  

  Below is a screenshot of the Press Release which was planned before Kimberly Blake canceled her participation in a Mayoral Debate scheduled for October 21, 2025 from 6-7pm at Perry Auditorium.

  

  Blake Bows Out of Mayoral Debate After Agreeing to it Weeks Ago

  Gardner Magazine has learned that the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce received commitments to participate in a Mayoral debate weeks ago from Incumbent Mayor Michael Nicholson and Challenger Kimberly Blake. However, just as the Chamber was going to put out a Press Release this morning on Columbus Day, Chamber President Rebecca Marois informed us that Blake has changed her mind and would not be participating. This is what Marois stated, “The Chamber was planning to host a debate on 10/21 at Perry Auditorium. Unfortunately, Kim emailed me this morning to let me know that she is going to plan her own “Meet & Greet” because she did not like the restrictions we had in place.”

  The planned Press Release was to announce “a live Mayoral Debate on, October 21 from 6-7pm at Perry Auditorium, located behind Gardner City Hall. The debate was to be conducted in a controlled environment with a neutral moderator from outside the Gardner community. Questions would not be shared with candidates in advance and responses would be limited to a set time. Both Mayor Nicholson and Blake had agreed to the rules of the debate. For more details, CLICK on the IMAGE for a larger view or to see a screenshot of the Press Release which was planned. CLICK HERE.

  History Repeating Itself: During the last election in 2023, Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson had agreed to debate Kimberly Blake. However, Blake first had agreed and then objected to various dates. When Mayor Nicholson called her bluff and had stated he would make any date at any time, Blake bowed out. Unfortunately at the time, Blake misstated the facts and also attacked a non-profit which then gave her a scathing rebuke on Social Media.

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• Code Black – Heywood

  

  Heywood Hospital and Athol Hospital under “Code Black Diversion”

  This was posted by Heywood Hospital just after 3pm on October 13, 2025: “Important Update: Heywood Hospital and Athol Hospital are currently on Code Black Diversion due to a network outage affecting phones and internet. Our teams are working diligently to resolve the issue and ensure that patient care remains our top priority. We appreciate the patience of our community and the dedication of our staff during this time.” Yesterday, Heywood Hospital also experienced a network issue which placed it on Code Black diversion for a period of time. According to Heywood, Athol Hospital remained operational throughout yesterday, but is affected today.

  Explanation: In Massachusetts, “Code Black” is an internal hospital status which means the Emergency Department is closed to all incoming patients due to an internal emergency. Code Black allows for the closure of the Emergency Department itself. However, hospitals must have a plan to screen and treat anyone who arrives and they are not allowed to turn away ambulances if the hospital is capable of providing care.

  Update as of 10-14-25 8:28am – This is the latest post from Heywood: “Network Outage Update Heywood Hospital and Athol Hospital are managing a network outage impacting several systems. Our teams are working hard to restore operations quickly. Patient care continues, and both hospitals remain open for walk-ins while ambulances are temporarily diverted. We appreciate the patience of our community and the commitment of our staff as we focus on patient safety.”

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• Interview – Dana Heath

  

  The Interview – Dana Heath – Councilor Exposes Actions of Kimberly Blake – “It’s insane!”

  Gardner Magazine Publisher Werner Poegel had the honor of speaking with Gardner Ward 2 Councilor Dana Heath on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Listen to the entire interview on any device, CLICK PLAY.

  Heath spoke very negatively about Kimberly Blake. In the nearly 1 hour interview, we focused on a number of topics: Councilor Heath confirmed that the Social Media posts regarding Waterford were inaccurate. Councilor Heath spoke of details regarding what he says Kimberly Blake attempted to do to him and his family trying to affect his livelihood by false statements made to the employers of both himself and his spouse, and to affect his standing in the Flag Football League with false statements. According to Heath, Kimberly Blake has directly caused conflict between his kids and his ex-wife. According to Heath, Kimberly Blake even contacted his sister in Texas and shared false photoshopped items.

  About the specific attacks made by Kimberly Blake and others even revealing that Kimberly Blake falsely claimed to be a parent in Heath’s Flag Football program and detail of what else Heath says she did: “But with those people in particular, you know, they’ve made attacks to me and my family that I haven’t necessarily spoke about out publicly. And what I’ll say is, you know, I run a youth league through the NFL. They contacted the NFL with false information talking about my brother. …Because of their phone calls, you know, I had to be investigated through the NFL to go ahead and go see. Well, based off of one picture from three years ago, they went ahead and, I will say, Kim Blake, went ahead and put an investigation on me saying that she was a concerned parent and acted as if she had a child in my program….. They didn’t only attack my Flag League, and again, it came back false, …I can confidently say she (Kimberly Blake) was the one who led this. They also contacted my wife’s realtor board. They also contacted, we’ve recast, they went ahead and they went to go after the license. They contacted my personal job. They did everything possible to stop any type of income that was within my household. So, and again, I don’t get paid for doing the Flag football. I’m saying that they attacked every source that we had to try to make us look like we’re bad people. They also got in touch with my ex-wife. Now, for those that know, you know, me and my ex-wife, we had a very difficult, you know, relationship. And with that being said, that’s why she’s my ex-wife. I wish her nothing but the best. You know, she’s there for the kids when they need her,.. but they went ahead and they used her rage to their advantage. They used it. They went ahead and made it very, very, very difficult for my kids to even want to have a part of her life. My kids live with me. But my kids literally stopped talking to her. One of them still doesn’t talk to her. The other one talks to her in very small, you know, amounts, which, you know, there’s no secret. I don’t necessarily, you know, care for my ex-wife, but I care for my kids and I care that that’s their mother. …And I feel like, you know, as much as my fiancee Tiffany, is the best stepmother that you can go ahead and ask for. And my kids absolutely love her, but they only have one mother and she (Kimberly Blake) took that away. She took away their bond. She took away a lot of their connections and it hurts them.” According to Dana Heath, Blake even reached out to his sister in Dallas with false, photoshopped information. Health also related story repeated many times by others: when people came to his defense and told Blake things weren’t true, she blocked them from the group. Councilor Heath detailed other actions of DeMeo, Blake and others who have attacked other officials with false allegations which Heath called “bully tactics.”

  Success of the City: During our interview, we discussed the many successes of the City of Gardner and went over a number of issues. When asked what he would do with a $5 million blank check that had to be used for something to benefit the City, Heath brought up the idea of an indoor sports facility where people could enjoy various sports every month of the year.

  Very involved with his constituents: Dana Heath is proud that he is directly involved with his constituents and gave out his phone number several times, stating that he welcomes phone calls. “I will go ahead and entertain their call and address the situation….If I don’t know something, I’ll tell you I don’t know. But I’m willing to go ahead and go find out.” That phone number is (774) 242-3751

  Additional Resources:

  In the interview, Councilor Dana Heath spoke about a previous incident which occurred when Kimberly Blake was accused of acting inappropriately at Gardner City Hall. Here’s a link to the article from June 2024, CLICK HERE. You can also watch a video which documents the accuracy of the article, CLICK HERE.

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• 11-4-25 Election Details

  

  Gardner MA Election is November 4^th – Here are the Details

  Voters will decide the following contests:

  Mayor: (2 year term): Current Mayor Michael Nicholson vs. Kimberly Blake

  Councilors at Large (2 Year terms): There are 6 seats to be decided. Incumbents are Calvin Brooks, Craig Cormier, Brad Heglin, Elizabeth Kazinskas, Judy Mack, and George Tyros. Jeffrey Palmieri also secured a spot on the ballot with the appropriate certified signatures and there are some write-in candidates.

  Ward Councilors are running unopposed (2 year terms): Ward 1: David Thibeault Munoz, Ward 2: Dana Heath, Ward 3: Paul Tassone, Ward 4: Karen Hardern, and Ward 5: Aleksander Dernalowicz. There are also some write-in candidates for some of the wards.

  There are 3 seats open on the School Committee (terms are 4 years and the other 3 seats will be on the ballot 2 years from now) Candidates running unopposed include incumbents Anne Hurst and Jennifer Pelavin and newcomer Paul Cormier Sr. Shannon Ward-Leighton did not seek reelection.

  Deadlines: The last day to register to be eligible to vote in the City Election is Saturday, October 25^th at or before 5pm. The last day to request a mail-in ballot for the City Election is Tuesday, October 28^th at or before 5pm.

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• This Week 10-10-25

  

  Our Weekly News Magazine – This Week in the Chair City for Friday, October 10, 2025

  Listen to “This Week in the Chair City” for October 10, 2025 on any device, CLICK PLAY.

  Hispanic Heritage Month Event – Columbus Day – Winter Coat Drive – Reading at Library – Waterford Update – Master Plan – City Council Meeting – Ad Hoc Compensation Meeting – Driver Under the Influence – El Coqui open again – Encampment Site Cleanup – Economic Development – Upcoming meetings

  Contact Gardner Magazine via email: News@GardnerMagazine.com or leave a voicemail at (978) 632-6324

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• Various Links to Various Content

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Here is something we are working on: A new and improved Greater Gardner MA Photo Gallery.

  

  

  
  All Sports Page features 8 categories of sports – Major League Baseball, NFL Football, NBA Basketball, National Hockey League, College Football, College Basketball, Professional Golf. CLICK HERE.

  

  
  Here are the State News pages on Gardner Magazine: — Massachusetts 1, — Massachusetts 2, — New Hampshire, — Connecticut, — Vermont, — Rhode Island, — and Maine. — Plus, California, — New York

  

  
  Here are the various news pages on various U.S. Topics including: Capitol Hill — , Lifestyle — , Financial — , Technology —, Showbiz —, Top U.S. Stories —, U.S. Debt Clock — , Economy —, United States News. —

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Around the Community of Gardner MA

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