With an overwhelming majority, David Madigan has been declared the winner in the race for the Board of Selectmen over candidate Paul McCormack. The unofficial tally from the Town Clerk's office has Madigan with 733 votes and McCormack with 314.

Thursday, March 8

11:09 a.m.  Suspicious activity reported on Simmons Drive.

11:34 a.m.  Suspicious activity reported on Congress Street.

2:32 p.m.  911 hang-up call from Mayflower Street.  Spoken to.

7:28 p.m.  Suspicious activity reported on Ledgewood Drive.  Spoken to.

7:57 p.m.  Suspicious activity reported on Washington Street.  Building secure.

Janet R. (Mitchell) Renner, 72 of Duxbury, died Friday March 16. Mrs. Renner was born and raised in New Jersey, the daughter of the late Albert and Jean (Orr) Mitchell, and had lived in Duxbury for 43 years. She was a member of the Newcomers Club, the Garden Club, and was President of the Duxbury Republican Women’s Club. She was also a member of the Duxbury Yacht Club, and active in the Duxbury Boosters.

Gertrude “Gay” (Beichert) Hughes, of Duxbury, Plymouth and Belmont, born Feb. 8, 1928 in Kingston, N.Y., died suddenly in her home in Belmont on March 13.  She was a graduate of the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. She taught kindergarten for many years, and became a librarian, working at Curry College in Milton until her retirement.

Thomas C. Sieminski of Duxbury died March 15 at the age of 69. Mr. Sieminski was raised in Dorchester and was a graduate of Boston English High School. He moved to Duxbury in 1977. He was a retired salesman in the food industry

William L. Handy, 94, died March 16 at his home in Duxbury.  He leaves his wife of 64 years, Grace Mulheron Handy.  They lived in Hingham for 45 years prior to moving to Duxbury in 2004.  Mr. Handy was born March 27, 1917 in Longmeadow. He served in World War II in the Army Air Force.  He was in D-Day as well as many other European campaigns.  After the war, he attended Lowell Tech, which prepared him for a career in the textile industry.  Bill spent the final 41 years of his career at Draper Brothers in Canton serving as vice president as well as a member of the Board of Directors, a position he held well into his retirement years.  He loved people, gardening and restoring his antique home in Hingham.

May (Card) Jessop Crawford of Marshfield died March 16 surrounded by family at home. 

Mrs. Crawford was born and raised in Winthrop, and spent the last 60 years with her family in Marshfield and Duxbury.  She was one of the founding members of the First Baptist Church of Duxbury and actively participated in church activities.  She was active at the Marshfield Council on Aging where she was a dedicated volunteer with the Meals on Wheels program for over 35 years.

As part of ongoing observation of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, The Duxbury Rural and Historical Society offers a glimpse into the lives of Duxbury’s Union soldiers.

Edward Baker – March 21st Friday 1862 – St. Simons Sound, GA
This morning the captain called all hands to muster, and publicly rated Daniel C. Harrington able seaman for his bravery in the boat and also commended the conduct of all the boats crew. ‘Twas a very trying position to be placed in. Young Harrington receives his honors very modestly.

The Board of Selectmen recognized outgoing Selectman Christopher Donato at his last meeting Monday, presenting him with a proclamation honoring him for his three years of service to the town.

Selectmen thanked Donato for his distinctive service to Duxbury and recognized his accomplishments as a selectman.

The Duxbury Water Department will commence flushing the water distribution system on March 26, 2012. This activity may cause varying degrees of discolored water and pressure fluctuations.  Users should check both the hot and cold water before use, especially for laundering purposes.  All supplies will be chlorinated during the flushing operation. The flushing of water mains is a necessary function to improve the water quality to all of our customers.  As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please call the Water Department at 781-934-1100 ext. 129 or 130.

The 375 Committee is sponsoring an essay contest for all Duxbury students, grades 2 through 12 (regardless of where they attend school) to commemorate the long and rich history of our town.

The theme “What Makes Duxbury Unique to Me” could reflect: our history from our Pilgrim roots/our founding days/earliest settlers; the contributions of our ancestors; the scenic beauty of our town; or the development of our town into a thriving suburb of Boston

After years of fiscal belt-tightening, Duxbury’s financial outlook is slowly brightening as shown by next year’s budget, which has expanded by over $2 million.

At the Annual Town Meeting March 10, voters approved Duxbury’s fiscal year 2013 budget of $57 million, which includes two new positions, evidence that the hiring freeze instituted by the town manager in recent years has thawed.

Town officials were cautiously optimistic about this budget, which becomes effective July 1, but said it has taken a lot of hard work and sacrifice by every town department, including the schools, to get to this level.

“Parenting” magazine announced that ML Nichols of Duxbury has been selected to represent Massachusetts at the third-annual Mom Congress on Education and Learning conference in Washington, D.C. this April 29 through May 1. Nichols was chosen for her outstanding contributions and dedication to improving local schools.

A total of 51 delegates, representing each state and the District of Columbia, have been selected by “Parenting” from a record setting number applications submitted through Parenting.com. Each will receive an all-expense-paid trip to D.C. for the event, where they’ll have the opportunity to connect with national leaders in education, “Parenting” editors, and past Mom Congress delegates to exchange ideas on how to improve our nation’s schools.

Duxbuy High School graduate and Lehigh University freshman, Kara Falcone knows how to balance work and play. As campus correspondent for Lehigh’s branch of Her Campus, an online magazine geared toward college-age girls, Falcone has learned a lot about time management. When she’s not volunteering with her sorority, studying or having fun with friends, Kara is knee-deep in articles on fashion, spring break and fitness. She took some time out of her busy schedule to tell us more about herself and Her Campus.

How did you get involved with Her Campus?

At the beginning of the year, I noticed that Lehigh did not have a Her Campus branch. One of my good friends here at school had also mentioned Her Campus to me, so the two of us decided to start a branch together. There was an application process where we had to send in writing samples, resumes, etcetera and went back and forth with some of the national Her Campus reps. Eventually we got approval to start our branch.

Selectmen celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts this week with a proclamation honoring the organization.

Girl Scouts of all ages filled the selectmen’s meeting Monday night for the ceremony. Selectmen Chairman Shawn Dahlen read the proclamation and then he and Selectmen Ted Flynn and Chris Donato presented a plaque recognizing their centennial to the Girl Scouts.

“We pause with pride for this moment in recognition that the Girl Scouts of today will be the leaders of tomorrow, and in the hope, that they will serve the town of Duxbury, the United States of America, and the world,” read Dahlen