Silly Season

January 30, 2026

Welcome back!

It’s cold enough. It’s snowy enough. It’s icy enough. It’s enough.

Stop It Golden Girls GIF by TV Land

Here’s what we have for you this week:

January 30, 2026 Edition

Let’s get into it!

Heavy Police Activity In Sudbury For High-Risk Warrant

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

Sudbury residents voiced alarm on social media after observing heavy police activity and multiple vehicles reportedly traveling at high speed during rush hour on Friday, January 30.

The Sudbury Police Department issued a community alert on their Facebook page:

“Community Alert: Sudbury PD along with assistance of NEMLEC SWAT is serving a high risk arrest warrant on Boston Post Rd between Horse Pond and Peakham Rd. Route 20 is shut down for the time being, please avoid area.”

The post was later updated to inform the public that the suspect was in custody and Route 20 was reopened.

Four Potential Gaps on Town Election Ballot Remain

Red, White & Blue

NEWS
By the League of Women Voters of Sudbury

Four potential gaps on the Town Election ballot remain with a week and a half to go until the deadline to return papers. 

While people have pulled papers for all the open seats, several have not yet returned nomination papers. The deadline to return papers is Monday, Feb. 9.

The people who have filed an intention to run but have not yet returned their nomination papers with the required signatures are: Charles G. Russo for Select Board, Ryan James Poteat for Park and Recreation Commissioner, Julie Zelermeyer Perlman for Planning Board, and Ellen Lederer-DeFrancesco for Sudbury School Committee.

The Town Clerk’s office certified this week the nomination papers of two people: Liam J. Vesely for Board of Assessors and Julie Leigh Durgin for Sudbury School Committee. They are now official candidates whose names will appear on the ballot.

The Clerk’s office previously certified the nomination papers of Ingrid J. Mayyasi and Elizabeth Mathews Iwasaki for Goodnow Library Trustee, Susan Ruth Sama for Board of Health, and Ravi Simon of Sudbury and Jason McLure of Lincoln for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee. 

Prospective candidates who file an intention to run will not appear on the ballot unless they return their papers with the required signatures and those signatures are certified by the Town Clerk’s office. The deadline to return papers is Monday, Feb. 9.  

You can find a complete list of open positions here. You can find information about how to run for office here, and resources to support a run for office here.

Here are the articles about town election activity to date:  

Proposed FY27 Budget Calls For Nearly $139M

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

The Town of Sudbury has released its proposed Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget. The budget totals out at $138,943,141, which is a 5.42 percent increase over FY26. The 5.42 percent increase is $7,146,334 more than the current fiscal year. That is inclusive of the operating and capital budgets.

The FY27 proposed operating budget totals $132,048,062 — an increase of $5,732,155, or 4.54% over the FY26 operating budget of $126,315,910. Key drivers of the budget increase included insurance and benefits, which now cost the Town roughly $20M just between Town employees and Sudbury Public Schools employees. Those costs increased nearly 10% over FY26.

SPS Summer Programming Remains Undecided, Budget Book Delayed

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

The Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee continued to press the administration to stand up a “bridge” program for summer 2025 during their January 26 meeting. The administration had previously attempted to eliminate the SMILE and Explore summer programs, while restructuring the Extended School Year (ESY) program down to a four-day program.

Feedback from the community led the school committee, in recent meetings, to advocate for the district to maintain some form of summer camp program for one more year, and ideally retain the five-day schedule.

Sudbury Subcommittee Reaches “Peak Bureaucracy” in Email Standoff

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

In a display of administrative grit that would make a Roman Senator weep, the Sudbury Select Board’s Liberty Ledge/Sewataro Subcommittee convened Wednesday night to prove that nothing, not even a lack of shared email attachments, can stop the wheels of local government from spinning in place.

The meeting, held on January 28, 2026, featured a high-stakes psychological thriller centered on the town’s favorite pastime: document version control.

The subcommittee, including Janie Dretler and Dan Carty, is tasked with what can only be described as the easiest middle school civics project of all time. They’re compiling links to existing information and reports that will inform a planning process for the Sewataro property. That may sound simple to the public, but all bets are off when it comes to Sudbury’s third rail.

Almost Famous: Sudbury Was Once Considered For United Nations HQ

FEATURES
By Kevin LaHaise

How a Brief Dustup With the World Shaped the Identity of a Town

Sudbury’s history is filled with the “stranger comes to town” kind of stories. What’s most remarkable is that Sudbury exists as it is today, in part, because of fierce resistance to “outsiders” over the years.

Most residents are familiar with the story of Henry Ford and his ownership of the Wayside Inn. Others know that Ford tried to turn Sudbury into a factory town.

Another remarkable story from that era, the story of the United Nations in Sudbury, flies under the radar.

Lincoln-Sudbury Adjusts Plans For Roof Project

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS) roof is nearing the end of its shelf life, but the previously-approved re-coating project has been shelved.

Following a January 27 report from Jack Ryan, a member of the Building Subcommittee, the full LSRHS school committee agreed to take a new approach.

Rather than restoring the existing roof using a method that the subcommittee deemed to be unproven with the advice of a highly-regarded consultant, the district will evaluate options to prolong the life of the current roof until it is eligible for Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) reimbursement. That won’t take too long, as the roof will reach the MSBA-eligible age within a couple years.

LS Athletics: Warriors Review

SPORTS
By The L-S Athletics Department

Weston Nurseries to Cease Operations at Lincoln Location

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

After a two-year stint at the site of the former Stonegate Gardens, Weston Nurseries has announced it will close its Lincoln retail store. The decision marks the end of a short chapter for the 103-year-old company at this specific location as it shifts its focus toward its other Massachusetts hubs.

The move comes as the company exercises a termination option in its lease. Weston Nurseries originally took over the site in January 2024, following the nearly 25-year tenure of Stonegate Gardens.

Events!

Opinion

You Must Apply to Vote by Mail

NEWS
By The League of Women Voters of Sudbury

If you want to vote by mail in the March 30 Sudbury town election, you must file a 2026 application for a mail ballot with the Town Clerk.

If you checked a box on last year’s application that you would like a mail ballot for all elections, that request expired on Dec. 31, 2025, so you have to apply again for mail ballots for 2026.

The Town Clerk has included 2026 mail ballot applications for up to three voters with the town census mailing, which has been sent to every household in Sudbury.  

Parting Thoughts

You know it’s cold outside when you roll out of bed in the morning and your first thought is “When is Groundhog Day?”

Freezing Sesame Street GIF by Willem Dafriend

We put a lot of faith in these rodents in the winter, only to turn on them when they dig themselves a nice home under our sheds in the summer. But there’s something uniquely silly about Groundhog Day, and groundhogs themselves, that make it all kind of endearing.

The humble groundhog is two things at once — a summer nuisance and a winter amusement. That’s the kind of dissonance that makes human beings uncomfortable. Two conflicting truths really mess with our heads, and there are a lot of conflicting truths in Massachusetts right now.

Affordability is a hot topic across the state. (Spoiler: it’s expensive to live here.) And yet, there are so many more truths about Massachusetts. It’s very good at public education. It has exceptional healthcare and it’s one of the safest states in the country.

Massachusetts is also home to the almighty North Shore Beef sandwich… which really should make it the #1 state in America all on its own. If you haven’t had one, put your chowder down and get in the car. Your world is about to change forever. Remember these words: “Super beef three-way.”

Is Massachusetts a great place to live or a bad place to live? Is it headed in the right direction or the wrong direction? Is it the best or the worst?

Maybe we should be asking different questions about the world around us, because these contrived binaries don’t seem to be helping anyone.

In the meantime, it’s also a beautifully sunny day today. The perfect kind of day to get comfortable by the fire, stare out the window at the frosted landscape, and devour a mammoth beef sandwich that you can’t get anywhere else.

Onward!