By Gary Larrabee Special to The Sun TYNGSBORO -- The whispers began within the Greater Boston golf community a little less than three years ago, soon after Vesper Country Club had completed a $2 million project to rebuild its 18 green complexes -- putting surfaces, bunkers, chipping areas, mounding and all. The whispers have now turned into legitimate conversation and justifiably so. Vesper, a club established in 1875, is ready to host a national championship, the authoritative voices say. It would be the first in the history of Merrimack Valley/Greater Lowell golf -- a history that goes Continue reading >>>

As the Discovery Museums in Acton celebrate 30 years serving the Greater Boston community, they are planning a major expansion to further that service for the next 30 years. The yearlong celebration began in June with a 30th birthday party for the dinosaur mascot, Bessie, which children have played on since the institution’s beginning. “They’re big fans of Bessie,” Concord resident Katherine Taunton-Rigby said of her two young daughters and several of their friends who visited the museums last week. The Discovery Museums Providing resources that make learning exciting for Continue reading >>>

On Tuesday, Aug. 14, Marblehead residents gathered together to show their support for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and to help recruit volunteers and donors for Little Sisters of the North Shore. The gathering took place at the Eastern Yacht Club on Marblehead Neck with more than 25 attendees. Don and Joan White, longtime Marblehead residents and parents of Big Sister recruitment coordinator Nicole White, hosted the gathering. “Advocating for youth has always been a passion of mine, and at Big Sister I am able to focus on the needs of girls in the greater Boston area,” Nicole Continue reading >>>

The sold-out soccer match between Liverpool Football Club and AS Roma on July 25 at Fenway Park [map] generated an estimated $9.4 million in economic spending — nearly seven times more than the typical Red Sox [team stats] home game, according to the Greater Boston Convention Visitors Bureau. The “Football at Fenway” match drew 37,000 fans and an international media contingent to several days of training and community events. “Fenway Park was a stunning backdrop for this unique match, and we were proud to showcase our ballpark and city to an international audience,” Boston Mayor Thomas Continue reading >>>

Chef Julia Child shows off tomatoes in the kitchen of her Cambridge home in 1992. (AP/File) This week marks what would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday. And though she may have reached millions through television, the fact that she was a friend and supportive neighbor is most evident right here in Greater Boston. From her home in Cambridge, Child encouraged a very nascent food scene, one that almost 50 years later is unrecognizable from the meat-and-potatoes basics of old, but that still bears evidence of Child’s unique touch. Guests: Barbara Haber, food historian Continue reading >>>

By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff The countdown for the 25th annual Walk for Hospice of the North Shore Greater Boston will begin on Aug. 29, with a party in Danvers honoring local residents who have served as co-chairs of the three-mile fund-raising trek. "Celebrating 25" will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Danversport Yacht Club. The cost is $40 per person. Hor d'ouvres, raffle prizes and a silent auction are planned. Proceeds will benefit hospice, a nonprofit that provides end-of-life care for terminally people and their families. It also operates Kaplan Family Hospice House, a Continue reading >>>

“This could have been my daughter,” said Robert Lewis, Jr. the vice president of programming at the Boston Foundation, who held a stand-out Thursday to support the victims and let the neighbors know they aren’t in the battle against violence on their streets alone. “We’re not here to judge, we just can’t keep losing young people. We have to show up because we care.” About 40 service providers, clergy, local organizations, and residents walked along the street Thursday afternoon, talking with each other and with neighbors about ways to curtail the violence. “Everybody is scared Continue reading >>>

“This could have been my daughter,” said Robert Lewis, Jr. the vice president of programming at the Boston Foundation, who held a stand-out Thursday to support the victims and let the neighbors know they aren’t in the battle against violence on their streets alone. “We’re not here to judge, we just can’t keep losing young people. We have to show up because we care.” About 40 service providers, clergy, local organizations, and residents walked along the street Thursday afternoon, talking with each other and with neighbors about ways to curtail the violence. “Everybody is scared Continue reading >>>

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Here's an excerpt from a story posted on Cincinnati.com: Fourteen women went to Cincinnati landlord Henry E. Bailey seeking a secure place to live but instead Bailey sexually harassed them, federal authorities said. Over the course of two decades, Bailey would enter apartments without notice or permission, would touch the women and make unwanted sexual comments, would grant housing in exchange for sexual favors, or would take adverse action against tenants who rebuffed his sexual advances, the release said. If you are wondering, cases of housing discrimination continue to pop up every few weeks Continue reading >>>