PRSRT STD POSTAL U.S. POSTAGE PAID CUSTOMER PERMIT #231 ECR WSS SOUTHBRIDGE, MA 01550 Mailed to every home in East Brookfield, West Brookfield, North Brookfield, Brookfield, Leicester and Spencer Vol. 32, No. 23 COMPLIMENTARY HOME DELIVERY, 75 CENTS ON NEWSSTANDS ONLINE: WWW.SPENCERNEWLEADER.COM ‘Discontent is the first necessity of progress.’ Friday, June 6, 2008 Belanger Locals to vote on new truck launches NORTH BROOKFIELD FIRE SQUAD TO HOLD MEETING BY DAVID DORE Board of Selectmen last week — and will like- the new vehicle. NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER ly deliver to people who attend a meeting next The request will likely be funded through a NORTH BROOKFIELD — If North week. debt exclusion. That means it must be Brookfield residents do not approve the pur- The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. approved at both the June 20 Special Town Senate chase of a new fire truck, their home insur- Wednesday, June 11 in the North Brookfield Meeting (which will also feature the fiscal ance rates will likely go up. Elementary School auditorium, will explain 2009 budget) and a June 30 special election. That was the message firefighters, includ- the department’s need for a new aerial campaign ing Chief James Black, delivered to the pumper truck and how it intends to pay for Turn To FIRE TRUCK, page 8 SELECTMAN IN HAVING FUN AT THE BAZAAR LEICESTER GETS Talking ENDORSEMENTS BY CHRISTOPHER TANGUAY continues NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER LEICESTER — Leicester Selectman Douglas Belanger officially launched his campaign for state Senate Tuesday, May 27. Belanger, a Democrat, and chairman of on new the town’s Board of Selectmen, as well as the former chairman of the Finance Advisory Board, Police Station station Building and Town Hall Renovation commit- tees, kicked off his bid with a day full of LANS IN ORTH events that concluded P N with a rally in Worcester on Tuesday BROOKFIELD INCH night. Belanger’s run is for ALONG Douglas Belanger the seat currently held by Edward M. Augustus BY DAVID DORE (D-Worcester), which NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER covers the Second Worcester district, including Leicester, Auburn, Grafton, NORTH BROOKFIELD — With each pass- Millbury, Shrewsbury, Upton and the ing month, it seems construction of a new Grafton Hill, Vernon Square, Webster police station inches closer to starting. Square and Quinsigamond Village neigh- The Police Building Committee is negotiat- borhoods of Worcester. ing a contract with Hartford, Conn.-based Augustus announced earlier this year he Tecton Architects to draw up plans for the building, and members hope to have a project would not be seeking reelection at the con- David Dore photos clusion of his current term. Belanger is fac- manager on board this week. But, one piece SPENCER — Leo Pepin, top, a of the puzzle still remains: the exact location ing opposition from Selectman Mike Moore parishioner of Mary, Queen of the of Millbury in September’s Democrat pri- of the new station. Rosary Parish, cooks up some In April, the Board of Selectmen voted to mary. sausage, peppers and onions dur- A business agent for the United Food and place it on South Common Street side of the ing the parish’s annual North Brookfield Downtown Development Commercial Workers Union Local 1445 and International Bazaar Friday, May a professional contract negotiator, Belanger Project (the former Aztec Industries property 30. Left, Alice Sullivan of Spencer on Grove Street), behind the North decided to hold his campaign events on the shows off the dancing Santa deadline day for ballot registration for the Brookfield Housing Authority complex. Claus doll she bought at the However, according to Planning Board and Senate election. bazaar. Turn To BELANGER, page 11 Turn To POLICE, page 8 Local ties to Custer’s Last Stand strong ON THE SAME PAGE SPENCER SUN EDITOR PREDICTED MASSACRE BY CHRISTOPHER TANGUAY NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER SPENCER — Wednesday, June 25 will mark the 132nd anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, and although the battle was fought in South Dakota, ties to local residents still remain. According to the Library of Congress, Gen. George Armstrong Custer — the man who at the Appomattox Courthouse accepted the confederate flag of truce from General Robert E. Lee, effectively ending the Civil War — was later asked to lead a scouting opera- tion into the Black Hills in the 1870s. The operation was to locate Chief Sitting Bull of the Lakota-Sioux Indians and drive him and his peo- ple northward away from the Black Hills. This act was in direct violation of an earlier treaty that granted peaceful reign of the Black Hills, an area that had long been a sacred ground to the tribe, to the Lakota-Sioux. That treaty was willfully violated after gold was discovered in the South Dakota mountains in 1874. Because of colonial encroachment and trespassing onto the American Indians’ land, in early June of 1876, the nation was on the precipice of yet another Christopher Tanguay photo war. NORTH BROOKFIELD — Nick McElroy helps Chelsea Staney rehearse her graduation address moments before taking the stage Christopher Tanguay photo James Pickup, then-editor of the Spencer Sun, the leading newspaper of the Spencer area for the time, in the North Brookfield Elementary School auditorium Sunday, June The headstone for the Donnelly family in Holy Rosary and St. Mary’s Cemetery 1. Complete coverage of local graduations will be included in a spe- in Spencer contains the name of Timothy Donnelly, who died in the Battle of cial supplement to be published Friday, June 20. Little Bighorn in June 1876. Turn To BIGHORN, page 11 INSIDE THE NEW LEADER ON PAGE A2 ON PAGE A5 Calendar .......................B5 Police Logs .................A14 Classroom Corner ...........A6 Public Meetings .............A3 Millbrook to Selectmen split Obituaries......................B2 Sports ....................A12-14 stay open on liquor license Our Towns .....................B4 Viewpoint ....................A10 2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, June 6, 2008 NEW LEADER ALMANAC QUOTATION OF THE WEEK “They’ve done everything but stuff old Volkswagens in those damn potholes.” — Leicester Selectman Thomas V. Brennan Jr., speaking of deep potholes on Route 9 westbound in his community. THE STATS PER CAPITA INCOME BY RACE/ETHNICITY ($) Town Per Capita Income (Asian) Auburn 23,829 Brimfield 35,667 Brookfield 0 Charlton 0 Douglas 15,966 Dudley 17,841 Holland 12,689 Leicester 16,124 Christopher Tanguay photo Northbridge 30,191 An official at United Natural Foods, parent company of Millbrook Distribution Services in Leicester, said last week, “There is nothing in Oxford 25,349 our plans currently that has the Leicester facility closing.” Southbridge 19,621 Spencer 7,157 Sturbridge 33,792 Uxbridge 23,633 Wales 0 Shamber: Millbrook to stay open Webster 28,804 DUFFY’S CLOSING WORRIES LOCAL RESIDENTS SUNRISE/SUNSET BY CHRISTOPHER TANGUAY and ethnic foods, had been the pro- individual, via e-mail, with a letter Saturday, June . .5:13 a.m. .8:22 p.m. NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER prietor of Duffy’s Discount since the that questioned the fate of Sunday, June 8 . .5:12 a.m. .8:23 p.m. LEICESTER – Despite rumors fly- 1960s. Duffy’s was a longtime staple Millbrook. That letter was not Monday, June 9 . .5:12 a.m. .8:23 p.m. ing in the wake of Duffy’s Discount of Route 9 East (first in Worcester, responded to. Tuesday, June 10 . .5:12 a.m. .8:24 p.m. closing, Millbrook Distribution then in Cherry Valley), selling over- According to Shamber, the address Wednesday, June 11 . .5:12 a.m. .8:24 p.m. Services is not on the chopping stock and returned items at bargain line of the e-mail indicated that let- Thursday, June 12 . .5:12 a.m. .8:25 p.m. block. prices. ter had also been sent to the Board of Friday, June 13 . .5:12 a.m. .8:25 p.m. At a meeting of the Leicester Duffy’s was closed for good in early Selectmen, leading him to believe Board of Selectmen Monday, May 19, May, igniting rumors that Millbrook that was the origin of the rumor. Selectman Thomas Brennan Jr. said was next to go. Shamber also explained that the REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS the board would pursue a dialogue Mark Shamber, chief financial offi- decision to close Duffy’s was made with United Natural Foods of cer for United Natural Foods, did his because many of the household BROOKFIELD Dayville, Conn., parent company of best to quell any rumors in a tele- items that were sold in the store $179,000, 8 Pleasant St., Paul J. Thibeault to Nathan C. and Shawna Millbrook Distribution, which is phone interview last week. came from a location in Arkansas. S. Riendeau. located on the Huntoon Memorial “We’ve said nothing of the sort,” The distance the wares needed to Highway portion of Route 56. Shamber said. “There is nothing in travel, with gasoline prices LEICESTER The conversation would attempt to our plans currently that has the approaching $4 per gallon, and the address rumors that the Millbrook Leicester facility closing.” extremely low prices of items sold at $12,095, Marshall Street, Margery B. Morgan to Bernard A. facility would also be closing in the Shamber speculated that the con- Duffy’s simply did not make any Lempicki and Gail M. Morgan. near future. Brennan said that if fusion emerged from an e-mail sent business sense, and the company was $100, 142 Willow Hill Road, David B. Liberty to Liberty Family there were any validity to the rumor, to United Natural Foods from a losing money, according to Shamber. Trust (David B. Liberty, Trustee). the town would try to work with Duffy’s patron, dismayed at the clos- Brennan said that as of Monday, $60,500, 42 Redfield St., James A.