The ONLY local coverage in Sturbridge – Brookfield – West Brookfield – East Brookfield – North Brookfield & New Braintree Connect with us online TURLEY PUBLICATIONS CURRENT Quaboag Current Newspaper NORTH BROOKFIELD STURBRIDGE SPORTS Opinion 4 Emergency Squad Cornerstone Bank No spring sports Sports 9 p? p9 Classifieds 15 says thanks p5 donates Volume 13, Number 28 Friday, May 1, 2020 Lake Wickaboag eagles captured on film By Eileen Kennedy Henderson said this is the Staff writer third year the eagles have nest- ed there, although they don’t WEST BROOKFIELD – stay all year. The adults leave It’s that time of year for many after the eaglets leave the nest. birds and animals, and pho- “While they really love hav- tographer Anna Henderson ing the eagles nest on their captured a bald eagle and its property, by the time they chick recently, which happens leave the residents are ready to be one of her favorite activi- for them to go,” she said. ties: photographing birds. Many times partial carcasses “This is the first time I’ve are dropped from the nest, and TURLEY PUBLICATION gotten eagles,” she said in an they must park their cars away COURTESY PHOTOS BY interview Monday. “I know from the nest so those items ANNA HENDERSON the people whose property the don’t land on them. “They A bald eagle in its nest nest is on and they said I could also find cool things the birds on Lake Wickaboag in come anytime and take pho- West Brookfield. tos.” Please see EAGLES, page 7 Sarah Duff works Stitch in time fills a need By Ellenor Downer Facebook group, “The Masked donations of some elastic and on COVID-19 unit Staff writer Makers,” she said. “I had never cotton fabric. “Some sewers are run a Facebook group before hugely productive and others HOMETOWN HEROES REGION – When she so there were a few start up sew what they can, when they heard of the mask shortage, issues but we’ve been growing can,” Sansoucy. “All sewers are Editor’s Note: Do you Juli Sansoucy decided to con- ever since.” welcome. Everyone has their know someone in the Quaboag tact several members of the or- “Masked Makers” quick- own level of sewing comfort Current’s coverage area who is chestra she conducts, who work ly grew to approximately 20 and people self-select when it a hometown hero these days as at UMass Memorial Medical sewists, a supply person and comes to mask difficulty.” a first responder, nurse, doctor, Center, about making masks. established pick up and drop grocery worker, transportation Cloth masks are unaccept- off points. The group received Please see STITCH, page 10 worker or in some other capac- able for those dealing directly ity? If you do, send their name with COVID-19, but docu- and how to contact you and mented research said that a the person you think should be cloth mask is 50 to 60 percent featured to ekennedy@turley. effective. The masks are even com. more efficient with a filter. Later that day, Dr. Jeff By Curtis Fraser Baxter, a bassoonist in the or- Special correspondent chestra, said he could use the masks. Baxter oversees Spec- WORCESTER – Nor- trum Methadone clinics across mally at this time of year, the state and he was going Worcester State University ju- to have to ration his N-95s to nior Sarah Duff would in the TURLEY PUBLICATIONS COURTESY PHOTO screen those coming into the the midst of her field hockey Sarah Duff, in her personal protective building. He had none for the team’s non-traditional spring gear as she works in a COVID-19 ward rest of his staff. at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Sansoucy took on the chal- practice schedule, perhaps Worcester. Duff, a Quaboag Regional running sprints on Coughlin Middle High School graduate, is lenge. She called a quilter Field, leading her team in a attending Worcester State University friend, who offered to help and where she is studying nursing, and is to start recruiting volunteers. TURLEY PUBLICATIONS COURTESY PHOTO Please see DUFF, page 6 scheduled to graduate in 2021. “The next day I started the Nurses wear masks made by Masked Makers, a group of volunteers, who sew masks. DON’T FORGET TO INSPIRE OTHERS Fire damages West Brookfield Road home NORTH BROOKFIELD – bringing other fire departments A house at 38 West Brookfield through mutual aid, he said. Road was badly damaged Sat- The residents exited the home, urday afternoon when a fire be- but reported their cat and dog gan in the basement, according were still inside. Firefighters to Fire Chief Joseph Holway. got the pets out of the home, It started near the wood he said. stove in the basement and Brookfield, Spencer and spread to the floor joists around Barre fire departments helped the bathroom on the first floor, out at the fire while Rutland he said. and Oakham fire departments The call came in at about 1 helped cover the Fire Station p.m, and the Fire Department while the fire was being fought, Tantasqua Regional High School’s sign gives warrior-like advice to all students. TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNEDY quickly called a second alarm, he said. PAGE 2 The Quaboag Current • www.quaboagcurrent.turley.com I Friday, May 1, 2020 - community - TURLEY PUBLICATIONS We would love to give you or your kids a fun little project each week. DON’T INCLUDE ME Find TURLEY (the turtle) our new mascot within the paper. Have fun and count how many times you find Turley. Email your results along with your name, town and turtle count from what paper to [email protected]. Thank you to healthcare workers by Zachary TURLEY PUBLICATIONS COURTESY PHOTOS We will post your name and count in the Deremian A cat by Zachary Deremian Owl by Brandon Deremian following weeks paper. Correct answers will be submitted for a monthly drawing and a chance to win a prize. Follow Turley on @TurleytheTurtle Turley the turtle is sponsored by CALL TODAY! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR TURLEY IN YOUR LOCAL PAPER 800-824-6548 Harry Potter by Brandon Deremian A bunny by Zachary Deremian Panda by Brandon Deremian WANTED West Brookfield brothers get busy with art WEST BROOKFIELD – Brothers Brandon Der- Zachary gave a shout-out to healthcare workers, a cat TO BUY emian, a third-grade student at West Brookfield and a bunny. Nice work! Any students in the Quaboag • Firearms Elementary School, and Zachary Deremian, a sec- Current’s coverage area of Sturbridge, East Brook- • Old Ammo ond-grade student at WBES, have been busy while field, Brookfield, North Brookfield, West Brookfield • Sporting & Military they’ve been home these past few weeks. Brandon and New Braintree are encouraged to send in their created the owl, the panda and Harry Potter while artwork, photos or writing to [email protected]. Discreet PHONE Appraisals 413.967.3505 Fax: 413.967.6009 TURLEY PUBLICATIONS Call 413-436-5885 Read or subscribe to the Quaboag Current online at: Subscriptions: 413.283.8393 quaboagcurrent.turley.com EMAIL Advertising Sales Dan Flynn NOTICE [email protected] ERRORS: Each advertis- er is requested to check Tim Mara Turley the their advertisement the [email protected] first time it appears. Turtle count Managing Editor This paper will not be Eileen Kennedy Kathy Lipovsky, responsible for more [email protected] of West Brookfield, than one corrected in- counted 7 turtles. sertion, nor will be li- WEB Paula Slade and able for any error in www.quaboagcurrent.turley.com family, formerly of the an advertisement to a Brookfields but now of Springfield, counted 8 greater extent than the @QuaboagCurrent TownCommonNewspapers turtles. cost of the space occu- pied by the item in the The Quaboag Current and Town Common advertisement. newspapers are published by Turley Publications, Inc. • www.turley.com We thought we would give you a quick update. First, we are happy to re-introduce weekly sales. We are cautiously optimistic that the market will slowly return back to its pre-Corona days. Until then our frozen items are proving to be the best value. We encourage you to give these items a try! Second, we have posted throughout the store, on our website and on Facebook our health and safety rules. We kindly ask that you adhere to these in order to protect our customers and hard working staff. If you don’t have access to or forgot your gloves no worries here! We are providing a pair of free gloves to each shopper as they enter the store. We are all in this together! Be well and stay safe! Your Family at 90 Meat Outlet BUSINESS USDA INSP. Turley Publications is liberal with regard to BUY DIRECT FRESH AMERICAN AND SAVE its business coverage polices, but we do have USDA INSP. FRESH USDA INSP. FROZEN BONELESS & SKINLESS some standards folks need to understand. First, ¢ LAMB LEG 5 LB ¢ PORK SHOULDER PICNIC .. 89lb CHICKEN WHOLE LEG MEAT ........BAG 79 lb local businesses and merchants are just as much $ 46 institutions in our towns as the library and schools. USDA INSP. FRESH lb USDA INSP. FROZEN $ 19 3 ¢ Without them, there are no towns. PORK END CHOPS .......... lb USDA INSP. WHOLE CHICKEN .............. 69 lb 1 FRESH BONELESS We will feature coverage of local businesses USDA INSP. FROZEN USDA INSP. FRESH $ 89 BEEF TENDERLOIN ¢ that are new, have a major expansion, moving, PORK SIRLOIN CUTLETS .. 1lb WHOLE TURKEY ................... 79 lb closing, under new management or ownership, CUT $ 99 celebrating a milestone anniversary, or have USDA INSP. • BUTCHER WAGON $ 99 FREE 5lb USDA INSP.