Westford Reporting Hate Crimes To DA + Local Bus Driver Shortage

Morning, Chelmsford! Here's everything you need to know to get this Thursday started off right.

First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy and breezy. High: 59 Low: 53.

Here are the top stories today in Chelmsford:

1. Westford among communities reporting hate crimes to DA's database (Wicked Local)
2. Are the daily bugle calls heard from Hanscom AFB live or recorded? (wgbh.org)
3. Lowell health board’s myopic mask mandate (Lowell Sun)
4. Burlington Police Investigating Anonymous Instagram Threat Against High School (NBC10 Boston)
5. Lowell City Council seeks translation services at Police Department, City Hall (Lowell Sun)
6. The North Andover village of Ballardvale is home to an elusive white squirrel population (WCVB Boston)
7. Duda: Dracut time capsule holds history lessons for future (Lowell Sun)
8. Tewksbury man arrested on drug, gun charges after search| (Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News)
9. Bus driver shortage to blame for significant pick-up, drop-off delays in Lowell| (Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News)
10. Coronavirus Cases Up 26 Percent Recently In Middlesex County: CDC (Chelmsford Patch)
11. These houses in Massachusetts have some of the most festive holiday light displays (MassLive.com)
12. 5 Things To Do In Wilmington On Wednesday, December 15, 2021: School Committee, Board Of Appeals & Housing Authority Meetings (wilmingtonapple.com)
13. Wilmington School Committee To Discuss FY23 School Budget, Changes To WHS Curriculum, Principal Search, COVID-19 Vaccination Rates & More At December 15 Meeting (wilmingtonapple.com)
14. BUSINESS BRIEF: Wilmington Robotic Company Symbotic To Go Public In $5.5 BILLION Deal (wilmingtonapple.com)
15. Fire Closes Holiday Inn Express In Chelmsford (Chelmsford Patch)
16. Pet Adoption In The Chelmsford Area: See New Dogs, Cats (Chelmsford Patch)
17. Concord Select Board appoints Finance Director Kerry Lafleur as interim town manager (Wicked Local)

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From my notebook:

• Chelmsford Police Department: "Great teamwork with Officer Nick Thayer, who was on scene in just over two minutes! Chelmsford Fire Department Trinity EMS Inc. Lowell General Hospital - Paramedics" (Facebook)
• Chelmsford Public Library: "Join us for stories, songs and yoga for the last PJ Storytime of the year! (We will be back in January, 2022!) Put on your jammies and enjoy." (Facebook)
• Chelmsford Public Library: "With school vacation just two weeks away, don't forget that we have discount passes available for over a dozen museums and educational institutions, including the New England Aquarium and Zoo New England! Reserve yours now: chelmsfordlib..." (Facebook)
• Byam School Association - BSA: "Looking forward to a fun and festive week next week! ❄️" (Facebook)
• Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce: "𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐! At the GLCC, we cont..." (Facebook)
• Chelmsford Public Schools: "ATTENTION CHS STUDENTS: The deadline to enroll in a dual enrollment course(s) is Friday, Jan. 28 at Emerson House: https://chelmsfordschools.org/dual-enrollment-at-chelmsford-high-school/" (Facebook)
• Chelmsford TV: "In this episode of CTM NewsBreak, Chelmsford residents enthusiastically return to an in-person Holiday Prelude - Paul Cohen, Elizabeth Silva, Jillian Lattimore, health officials remind us that we're not out of the woods when it comes to ..." (Facebook)
• Chelmsford TV: "Dean Contover of The Current Buzz talks with Senator Diana DiZoglio." (Facebook)
• Chelmsford Public Schools: "MassHire Lowell Career Center's 'Connecting Activities' Helps CHS Students Find Their Niche: https://chs.chelmsfordschools.org/masshires-connecting-activities-program-helping-chs-students/" (Facebook)
• Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce: "𝐓𝐚𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰! Don’t panic… there’s still plenty of time to get your holiday shopping done. Support small businesses that live, work and play in our community. Here are some i..." (Facebook)
• Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce: "We'll be at Soup and Shop on Friday! Mask up and join us so you can find the perfect holiday gifts for everyone on your list. Register here (or just show up!): https://bit.ly/3pZNYbU" (Facebook)
• Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce: "This looks like a great job opportunity for the right person!" (Facebook)
• Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce: "𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨!" (Facebook)
• Nextdoor Neighbor, South Chelmsford: "I decided that going up on the roof myself to blow the leaves off was a bad idea. - The person who I hired to complete this task cannot do it. Does anyone know of a reliable person or company who provides this service and the cost invol..." (Nextdoor)

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Events:

• Holidays Under The Umbrella (December 17)
• Good Pickin' Farm's Festival of Lights! (December 18)
• Outdoor Live Nativity at UMC Westford (December 19)
• Donate Blood DONATE LIFE * Community Blood Drive (December 20)
• Brighten The First Day Of Winter With 15 Percent Off FTD’s Sunniest Blooms (December 21)
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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next update.

— Annie Sandoli

About me: Annie has been a Boston-based writer since 2018, after graduating with her BA in Social Thought and Political Economy from UMass Amherst and ALM in journalism from Harvard University. She has worked as a freelancer throughout Massachusetts and as part of an editorial team in London, UK. Her interests include music and the arts, creative writing and literature, and topics of social and political justice. Annie covers Brookline, Newton, Waltham, Chelmsford and Westford. Email news tips to annie.sandoli@patch.com.