Fitchburg News

A falling utility pole on Lancaster Street led to a triple transformer fire, a large mineral oil spill into a nearby stream and an hours-long power outage Monday.

A former Fitchburg State University student was arraigned Monday on dangerous-weapon charges stemming from a March 28 incident in which he was allegedly found to possess several knives, a bow and arrows and what campus police believe to be several empty containers of synthetic marijuana and amphetamine-like drugs known as "bath salts," according to ... (more)

An argument over a Fitchburg man's alleged drug use led to him allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face and resisting arrest Sunday evening, according to court documents.

A Leominster man charged in the recent vandalism spree at Laurel Hill Cemetery was ordered by a judge Monday to write a 500-word essay before his next court date and to stay out of all graveyards.

The animal cruelty trial of James Ferreri of Lunenburg was put on hold until September to allow the Supreme Judicial Court to determine if the welfare of animals constitutes an emergency that eliminates the need for a search warrant.

Witnesses said multiple gunshots were fired on Marshall Street sometime before 9 a.m. Monday morning, resulting in police blocking off the street between Jackson and Simonds streets.

Ethan Oliver of Littleton, an eighth-grader at Applewild School in Fitchburg, will go to the National History Day competition in June at the University of Maryland.

The HomeOwnership Center of North Central Massachusetts is hosting a first-time homebuyer class beginning June 11 at the Twin Cities CDC office, 470 Main St.

In collaboration with the Massachusetts Credit Union League, and the Credit Union Community Hope Initiative, IC Federal Credit Union participated in their Children's Book Month during April and collected more than 250 "gently used" children's books.

The city's police are understaffed, overworked and unhappy that Mayor Lisa Wong does not intend to fill two anticipated retirement vacancies in fiscal 2014, according to police union President Officer Keith Bourne.

City councilors are ditching paper at their next two meetings to see if it is possible.

A Gardner man accused of stealing an ATM from a Fitchburg restaurant during a break-in last month was arraigned in Fitchburg District Court Thursday.

Commencement speaker Michael J. Deitemeyer, a 1986 graduate of the university and now president of Omni Hotels & Resorts, urged the students to tackle problems head-on, persevere over long hours and unpleasant jobs to build balanced lives of personal enrichment.

An 18-year-old woman was injured when the car she was driving rolled onto its side along Bank's Corner on Center Street Wednesday afternoon.

Spend 10 minutes with Joe Cappucci of West Townsend and it will soon become clear why the Joseph M. Cappucci Insurance Agency has thrived for more than 25 years, in a time when so many other start-up businesses have failed.

The chicks are a big hit, and the kids all want to hold them. They have names - Herman, Henry, Chickie, Chiquita, Butterscotch.

The Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg & Leominster is hosting a regional art exhibit for club members from throughout the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday, and at least one local artist's work is scheduled to compete in a national exhibit in Atlanta.

Mayor Dean Mazzarella raised the ante in a friendly community rivalry with Fitchburg and Gardner during a Light the Town Purple celebration that bathed City Hall in purple lights Thursday to recognize the upcoming Relay for Life of Greater Gardner.

Three Fitchburg men, arrested in 2012 as the result of a two-year multi-agency investigation into drug dealing and firearms distribution, pleaded guilty to crack-cocaine distribution charges in federal court on Thursday.

Much like the preview spending plan Mayor Lisa Wong gave councilors last month, the fiscal 2014 operating budget she submitted Wednesday avoids layoffs but does not fill public-safety positions that will be vacated through retirements.