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Central Mass Striders duo running a 5K in all 351 Massachusetts towns

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Central Mass Striders duo running a 5K in all 351 Massachusetts towns


On a current stunning spring day, a pair of runners clad in neon yellow windbreakers posed for a photograph in entrance of Scituate Lighthouse.

It was one of many nicest lighthouses they’d seen, one among them stated later, and the photograph was the very best they’d taken of the ocean to this point – and these two have been round.

The runners, Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, of Worcester, and Karen Pajer, of Leicester, are operating 5Ks in each Massachusetts city, a part of their private Massachusetts 351 venture. 

The earlier yr, they participated within the Streets of Worcester Problem the place they ran each single road in Worcester over the course of 5 months, six days, 22 hours for a complete of 733.5 miles.

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Considering they have been carried out, they advised a Worcester Telegram reporter once they completed, they didn’t have another initiatives lined up. Not till Pajer heard a few lady who was operating each city in Rhode Island.

Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester and Karen Pajer of Leicester run down Jericho Road while hitting Scituate, Hanover, and Norwell for their Massachusetts 351 project on Saturday, April 30, 2022. Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester and Karen Pajer of Leicester are running a 5K in every town in Massachusetts in 351 days.

“And I stated, ooh, that feels like enjoyable,” stated Pajer.

The wheels have been turning. How might she recruit her operating accomplice she met by the Central Mass Striders for one more loopy venture?

Karen Pajer of Leicester holds up her hand written notes on how to get to Scituate while hitting Scituate, Hanover, and Norwell for their Massachusetts 351 project on Saturday, April 30, 2022. Both Karen and Scott do not own a smartphone so they have to write down all of their own directions. Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester and Karen Pajer of Leicester are running a 5K in every town in Massachusetts in 351 days.

Persistence paid off for Pajer, and the 2 of them have been off on one other journey.

“I feel when Karen throws down the gauntlet, [I would say stubborn, she would say determined], that it’s going to occur,” stated Schaeffer-Duffy.

Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester shows off a map of the towns that he and Karen have run in so far while hitting Scituate, Hanover, and Norwell for their Massachusetts 351 project on Saturday, April 30, 2022. Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester and Karen Pajer of Leicester are running a 5K in every town in Massachusetts in 351 days.

After asking Schaeffer-Duffy infrequently over the course of six months concerning the venture, Schaeffer-Duffy requested Pajer if he was operating the cities along with her on Halloween. 

As a result of it was Halloween, she thought it might be enjoyable to start out in Salem at dawn and to run 6.67 miles there. (Her spiritual sensibility wouldn’t permit her to run the 6.66 miles that she initially thought can be humorous to do)

Despite the fact that it was early, there have been loads of individuals out with their costumes. Pajer and Schaeffer-Duffy took footage that planted the seed for what their venture would change into.

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Karen Pajer gets a photograph with a few witches in Salem during their first run of their Massachusetts 351 project on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021.

They determined to run a 5K in every city and discover one thing distinctive or attention-grabbing in every city to doc for the venture.

“It’s actually sort of attention-grabbing, the stuff you don’t know,” stated Pajer, “which can be proper in your personal yard.”

For Pajer, that was the caves in Upton Heritage Park, proper subsequent door from Worcester.

Karen Pajer of Leicester poses for a photo inside one of the caves in Heritage Park in Upton that she discovered in her backyard during their run on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022.

“You suppose your state, you suppose your city, there’s extra to see, there’s extra to study, there’s extra on the market than you notice,” stated Schaeffer-Duffy.

They found buffalo in Haverhill, did some studying in Studying, discovered a fish enterprise in Dighton that isn’t match to print, ran by Hopkinton and Ashland through the Boston Marathon, and recreated a scene within the film, “The Proposal,” in Rockport. They just lately found that Uncle Sam was primarily based on an actual particular person in Arlington. 

The South Shore additionally had its memorable moments for the duo.

Karen Pajer of Leicester and Scott Shaeffer-Duffy of Worcester grab a selfie with Christine Becker of Scituate at Scituate Lighthouse which was one of the landmarks they wanted to hit for their Massachusetts 351 project on Saturday, April 30, 2022.

They ran Plymouth the Sunday earlier than Thanksgiving. They explored Gray Seashore in Kingston, checked out the herring run in Pembroke, and located Nathan Cushing’s homestead in Norwell.

Karen Pajer and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy in front of the Mayflower II in Plymouth on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021.

A key factor to the venture that may be lengthy and arduous is having enjoyable whereas doing it, Pajer stated.

“We bicker banter, and complain the entire time, and that’s what makes it extra enjoyable. The extra depressing he’s, the happier I’m.”

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Karen Pajer of Leicester and Scott Shaeffer-Duffy of Worcester grab a selfie at Harbor Park in Marshfield while working on their Massachusetts 351 project on Sunday, April 24, 2022.

Schaeffer-Duffy is completely satisfied to dish it again. He mistook Marshfield for Mansfield on the drive there. He insisted on calling it Mansfield the remainder of the day, and made a degree in informing individuals they bumped into that Pajer thought it was referred to as Mansfield.

To complete the venture in 351 days, they must run three or 4 cities every day of the weekend to be as environment friendly as potential. It took them six hours to do their runs in Scituate, Hanover, and Norwell that day, together with the three hours of journey time from Central Mass to the South Shore. So far, they’ve run 211 of the 351 cities.

Karen Pajer and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester start their run from the parking lot of Scituate Lighthouse while hitting Scituate, Hanover, and Norwell for their Massachusetts 351 project on Saturday, April 30, 2022. Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester and Karen Pajer of Leicester are running a 5K in every town in Massachusetts in 351 days.

Operating is an efficient metaphor for all times, in response to Schaeffer-Duffy.

“You set effort in, you do one thing, you get an unlikely response as a rule,” stated Schaeffer-Duffy.

Operating has supplied them a option to be more healthy, unimaginable adventures exploring Massachusetts, and most of all, friendship and numerous tales to inform.



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Massachusetts

Winning $50,000 Powerball ticket sold in Massachusetts

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Winning ,000 Powerball ticket sold in Massachusetts


A lottery player won $50,000 playing Powerball in Massachusetts on Monday.

The winning numbers for the Powerball drawing on Nov. 11 were 3, 21, 24, 34, 46 and Powerball: 9. The multiplier was a 3X.

The $50,000 ticket sold in Massachusetts matched four of the first five numbers, and the Powerball number. It was sold in Waltham at a 7-Eleven.

Overall, at least 200 prizes worth $600 or more were won or claimed in Massachusetts on Monday, including eight in Springfield, seven in Worcester and 20 in Boston.

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The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.

So far, the largest lottery prize won in Massachusetts this year was worth $1 million a year for life.

The prize was from the lottery’s “Lifetime Millions” scratch ticket game. The winner claimed their prize through a trust on July 10, and opted to receive a one-time payment of $15.4 million.



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Schools closed in 3 Massachusetts communities Tuesday as teacher strike continues

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Schools closed in 3 Massachusetts communities Tuesday as teacher strike continues


GLOUCESTER – Still at a deadlock, 10,000 students in three North Shore communities have classes canceled on Tuesday, as the teacher strike continues in Gloucester, Beverly, and Marblehead.

The three unions spoke together Monday night, accusing their school committees of digging in their heels at the bargaining table while school leaders accused the unions of colluding to drag negotiations.

All three teacher union contracts expired on August 31st, 2024.

“It is not a coincidence, it’s a message that these issues are felt widely and deeply across the North Shore,” said Andrea Sherman, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association.

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“It is the school committee and their attorneys for all three districts that are colluding together to draw this out,” said Jonathan Heller president of the Marblehead Education Association.

Teacher Strikes Massachusetts
Teachers and supporters display placards during a rally, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in Gloucester, Mass., held to call attention to pay, paid parental leave, and other issues.

Steven Senne / AP


In Gloucester, right now, school leaders say the town and teachers are $800,000 a year apart on salaries alone, plus school officials said under the union’s proposal 24 teachers would be laid off over three years.

“We are committed to mediating long into the night, but our teachers should be in the school during the day with their students,” said School Committee President Kathy Clancy. “That is unacceptable and most definitely not in the best interest of our students.”

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“To meet their proposal would mean either a tax override resulting in a permanent increase to taxes or cuts to services to our taxpayers and residents,” said Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga.

Striking teachers rally together  

Monday afternoon, teachers on the picket line from each district rallied with their biggest goals in mind: better wages for underpaid paraprofessionals and safer schools.

“It feels amazing because we have seen so much community support and this is just really empowering us to continue to do right by our students,” said Beverly Teacher Lauren Lauranzano.

Since teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts, a judge had ordered the Gloucester and Beverly teachers to be back in the classroom on Tuesday, but now they’ll be headed to court.

Marblehead will start it’s strike which was announced on Friday after failed negotiations.

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The president of the state teacher’s union is in solidarity with the teacher unions, saying these are issues educators face statewide.

“Our members are saying get to the bargaining table, let’s stay all night, lets resolve these issues. These are not new issues, all of these locals have been bargaining for months and months,” said Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. 

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Crews from Maine, N.H. help Massachusetts firefighters battle brush fires across state

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Crews from Maine, N.H. help Massachusetts firefighters battle brush fires across state


NORTH ANDOVER – Crews from Maine and New Hampshire are making the trek down to Massachusetts to help the state battle large brush fires.

Crews coming from Maine and New Hampshire

On Monday the National Guard was helping firefighters battle brush fires by dropping buckets of water from the air on Boxford State Forest in North Andover.

“We just are fortifying that perimeter, just making sure that we’re working 20 to 30 feet in soaking it down incredibly basically turning it to mud. The unburned side we are using leaf blowers and rakes to blow everything away and wetting that down,” North Andover Deputy Fire Chief Graham Rowe said.

Rowe says the biggest challenge with this brush fire is poor cell reception in the area and accessibility to water.

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“We have running tankers our closest fill-up station is about half a mile away so they have to rotate in to fill up the tankers. Cell service is bad and radio communication because of the thick brush,” he said.

Brush fires have been raging across Massachusetts for three weeks. The state is currently experiencing a severe drought.

Brush fire near golf course

About 10 miles away from the North Andover fires, grounds crews at the Gannon Golf Course in Lynn were busy keeping a close watch on the brush fires that closed down the greens.

“It sort of popped over from the other side of the reservoir you can’t quite see it in through here because there’s no water anymore it’s all dry. It sort of jumped and then it started and made its way up and to the middle, to the 13th hole,” Gannon Golf Pro David Sibley said.

Golfer Lisa Franklin is making the most of it despite only being able to play the first nine holes.

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I say hats off to all the firefighters that are doing such a great job,” Franklin said.

Red Flag warning 

The National Weather Service issues a red flag warning for all of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut for Tuesday due to the new fires, high wind gusts, and dry weather. They also advise people to avoid any outdoor burning.

If you see a brush fire near you call 911.

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