The Los Angeles Times published an article this week highlighting anecdotes about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney from his volunteer ecclesiastical service in the LDS Church from 1981-94. Continue reading >>>

(Courtesy: West Roxbury YMCA)Pictured, The Martha's Vineyard YMCA, is an example of what the new West Roxbury Y will look like after its planned renovation and expansion project. By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent A neighborhood businessman announced this week he will donate $50,000 to kick-start the latest fund-raising campaign to pay for a $13-million plan to overhaul and nearly double the size of the 60-year-old West Roxbury YMCA. The financial pledge from Alan MacKinnon, owner of The Gardens at Gethsemane cemetery and 13-year board member of the West Roxbury Y, will help launch an effort Continue reading >>>

  Now each time Carol Ouellette drives past Town Hall she'll think of her husband, Roger. Carol and 125 other people gathered in the dark Thursday for the Hospice of the North Shore Greater Boston's tree of light ceremony, to remember loved ones who have died. They stood bundled in jackets on the lawn by the big dark evergreen and cupped candles in their hands. Candlelight flickered and played over their faces. Hospice Chaplain Sharon Dunbar-Link said the lights on the tree recall loved ones. "The light that we hold also represents their spirit," she said. She invited them to speak the names Continue reading >>>

  In 2011, the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry distributed approximately 171,000 pounds (85.5 tons) of food in 12,300 bags to clients. That food fed approximately 225 Wakefield families who visited the pantry about 4,182 times during the year for an average of 349 visits per month. So how does it all get done? Through the hard work of a dedicated group of about 40 volunteers, plus many generous Wakefield groups, individuals and business. According to Maureen Miller, Director of Operations, the pantry strives to organize itself around key functions staffed by volunteers who are committed Continue reading >>>

[The following was contributed by the Northeast Youth Ballet.] The Northeast Youth Ballet presents The Nutcracker tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Lynn Memorial Auditorium in Lynn, MA. The Nutcracker is the enchanting journey of a young girl named Clara in 1835’s Germany who embarks on a journey through a winter wonderland to a palace of sugary sweets. Featuring the talents of more than 100 dancers who auditioned from the Greater Boston area, the production is set to be staged once again at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium, Lynn, Massachusetts. The newly renovated Lynn Memorial Auditorium has also hosted Continue reading >>>

Stephen Bebis, founder, president, and chief executive of Canada’s largest golf retailer, Golf Town, has left the company. His departure, several months after overseeing a $25 million expansion into the U.S. market, came as a surprise to analysts in the golf retail industry, and corporate officials would shed no light on the situation. "I can confirm that as of this week, Stephen Bebis is no longer with Golf Town," John Pierce, VP of public affairs with OMERS Private Equity, the pension-fund manager that owns the company, told us in an e-mail on Thursday. "We do not have a statement Continue reading >>>

MEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Century Bank, the largest family-run bank in New England, today announced it was recognized as the “#1 Lender to Veterans for 2011” by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Additionally, Century Bank was presented with a certificate from Senator John F. Kerry for being the number one lender to veteran entrepreneurs in 2011. “Century Bank is proud to provide financial resources and services to men and women before, during and after their deployment.” “Our family and our company Continue reading >>>

Need in Wakefield has increased by 20 percent this year, but that's actually not a surprise, said Maureen Miller, director of operations at the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry. That's because the amount of families who need help putting food on the table has increased by 20 percent or more every year since 2007."We had a large increase for the first time in 2007, then two years in 2008 and 2009 where need increased by 30 percent each year," Miller said. "We keep thinking it's going to flatten out, but it's grown by 20% every year for the last several years." Statewide trendAccording to the latest Continue reading >>>

Welcome to You Asked...Patch Answers where we answer readers questions. We received several questions about the United States Postal Service's current financial situation. Patch readers want to know more about it, and what they plan to do to recover. Here's your answer. 1. Sorting facilities. Why has the USPS put so much money into the expansion of facilities and sorting equipment (like in North Reading) when mail volume has been decreasing?  The USPS put money into the expansion of the North Reading facility on Main Street to accommodate Flat Sorter Sequencing (FSS), which was designed to save Continue reading >>>

  Alan MacKinnon knows about how to treat the dead - and how the living need to treat themselves well, while alive.  MacKinnon, the owner of The Gardens at Gethsemane cemetery, donated $50,000 to support the renovation project at the West Roxbury YMCA. MacKinnon’s gift was a part of campaign to raise $1.5 million toward renovating the 60-year-old YMCA at 15 Bellevue St. “We are maxed out of space in West Roxbury,” said YMCA of Greater Boston CEO Kevin Washington. “Our facilities are not up-to-date with the needs of our 60,000 nearby households. We must prepare the Y for its next generation Continue reading >>>