(WJAR) — Massachusetts law enforcement officials announced that the body of a 4-year-old boy was recovered from the Merrimack River in Tewksbury on Friday had been reported missing on April 19 after he accidentally fell into the river in Lowell Massachusetts State Police said their off-duty lieutenant who was on the river in his personal boat located what appeared to be a body near the Trull Brook Golf Course Authorities were able to recover the body and identify the boy Ricky Tewksbury gathers shopping carts during his shift at Shaw’s on Thursday Tewksbury has been rounding up shopping carts from the Shaw’s parking lot for the last 39 years and that will end when the store closes this month Ricky Tewksbury gathers shopping carts during his shift working at Shaw’s on March 27 Tewksbury has been returning shopping carts from the Shaw’s parking lot for the last 39 years but that will end when the store closes this month Ricky Tewksbury gathers shopping carts during his shift working at Shaw’s on Thursday Tewksbury has been returning shopping carts from the Shaw’s parking lot for the last 39 years and that will end when the store closes this month Ricky Tewksbury gathers shopping carts during his shift working at Shaw’s on Thursday at Dunkin’ Doughnuts after his shift at Shaw’s As customers loaded groceries into cars at the Shaw’s parking lot in Fort Eddy Plaza Ricky Tewksbury circulated to round up scattered shopping carts greeting him by name and stopped to chat for a few minutes He amassed a line of carts and pushed them into one of the corrals before scouting for more to be returned It’s a routine he’s honed over the past four decades that he has worked at the grocery store easily his favorite place for as long as he can remember “I just know I like to be there and that’s it,” said Tewksbury Tewksbury experienced a brain injury at birth that led to a developmental disability Doctors told his family early on that they should send him to the Laconia State School a state-run institution for children and adults with disabilities Tewksbury’s parents refused and raised their son in Concord determined to give him the best life they could He started pushing shopping carts at age 12 and was hired by Shaw’s when he was in his late 20s. Now, with the store slated to close in mid-April the 69-year-old Tewksbury must say goodbye to the job and the people he’s come to love “I like to be there and I like to know the people.” The store is selling merchandise at 70% off trying to get rid of everything it can before the final day on Friday The closure means early retirement for Tewksbury who was originally set to retire after hitting 40 years in the fall While Shaw’s offered him a job at their location in the Heights he and his family decided it wouldn’t work for him to transition to a new work environment “It would have meant an entirely new routine that could be dangerous,” said his sister “It’s a really heavy traffic parking lot with lots of cars They wouldn’t be looking out for him in the same way.” His family said Shaw’s has looked out for Tewksbury since he started they only allow him out so long and then he comes in and they hand him water,” said his brother-in-law they bring him back in and make sure he warms up before he goes back out again.” Tewksbury’s sister said he first began at the store through an employment program that eventually ended Shaw’s reaffirmed its dedication to creating job opportunities and its desire to keep Tewksbury on the staff He experienced bullying growing up and the job proved to be a source of empowerment for him “We have come a long way,” Dorothy Steenbeke said “Places like Shaw’s in Concord have played a huge role in that Forty years ago it was unheard of to work in public.” Tewksbury said the people he works with feel like family He mentioned that his colleagues get him a cake each year on his birthday and celebrate every work milestone with him He even received a shopping cart trophy to commemorate his 25th anniversary at Shaw’s He now has a drawer full amassed in his many decades on the job Tewksbury’s face breaks into a smile when he talks about collecting carts “I line them up and take as many as I can at a time,” he said He also notes where cars park when customers arrive and automatically memorizes people’s license plates Whenever someone can’t quite remember where they parked “If they have a new car and try to fool me When the store announced its impending closure The Monitor reached out to the store’s corporate office but they declined the request for an interview “It will leave a gap in his life,” said his friend and former speech therapist Janet Jillette He just enjoys talking with people and being around people,” she said He was always friendly and pleasant to people and I think that’s a really important attribute for someone who is working in the public sector.” Since he won’t get to reach the official 40-year mark Shaw’s presented Tewksbury with his 40-year pin several months in advance He was so excited that he went home and immediately called his sister and brother-in-law He’s going to miss his routine of waking up taking Concord Area Transit’s paratransit bus to work spending several hours in the parking lot with the carts and customers and then returning home to do puzzles and word search puzzles before watching the news Tewksbury said he wants to spend more time with family – he has 15 grand-nieces and grand-nephews – do more word puzzles walk around downtown Concord and be outside His final day at Shaw’s looms as the shelves grow emptier When it comes time for him to collect the final cart he knows what he wants to tell his customers and colleagues Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users 2025 at 10:19 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Police are advising drivers to avoid the area Wednesday morning (Patch Graphics)UPDATE: The road reopened around 10 a.m. MA — Police are advising drivers to avoid Pinnacle Street between Lancaster Drive and Judique Road The road was shut down for a serious motor vehicle accident reported around 9 a.m. Wednesday, police said in a Facebook post Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. 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A Tewksbury Township dentist and his wife have filed suit in federal court against the Tewksbury and Bridgewater police departments claiming their civil rights were violated and were falsely imprisoned in a custody dispute over their granddaughter Samuel and Jodie Pennella have also named eight police officers and Hunterdon County Assistant Prosecutor Christina Ludwig in the suit filed on Jan Tewksbury and Bridgewater have not yet filed a response to the suit in federal court The lawsuit arises from a series of events in December 2023 at the Pennellas' home in Tewksbury and the Hampton Inn in Bridgewater when three Tewksbury officers arrived at the home and demanded that Mrs Pennella and her son turn over her son's daughter The son and his daughter had been living at his parents' house More: Hunterdon woman settles lawsuit for $1.6M after crash with police car traveling 89 mph Pennella and her son told the officers that the child was not there but was with her grandfather at a local diner The officers then arrested the son on a contempt of court charge Pennella closed and locked the door to her house believing the encounter with the officers was over Pennella could not understand what the officers were saying She then called 911 after she heard noises downstairs The officers had entered the home by damaging the front door She was detained at police headquarters for several hours and then was released with a summons to appear in court The suit alleges that Ludwig "mis-advised" the police officers that they could enter the house without a warrant to retrieve the child the court order did not authorize the officers to break into the house to retrieve the child a practicing dentist who was 76 years old at the time Pennella ended up taking his granddaughter to the Hampton Inn on Route 22 in Bridgewater where he awaited advice from his attorney he was unaware of any court order involving his granddaughter More: Middlesex man asks for $5M in false arrest, lawsuit against Edison police Pennella spoke to a police officer and told him that his attorney would contact police and that his granddaughter was "just fine." two Bridgewater officers "barged into the hotel room with guns drawn," the lawsuit alleges Two other Bridgewater officers and a Tewksbury officer were also present The officers took the granddaughter and arrested Mr Bridgewater police then charged him with contempt of court and "non-crimes," including refusal to answer pedigree questions Because a prior court order had granted the Pennellas' son physical custody of the child "there was no basis for retrieving the child nor any exigent circumstances justifying taking her from her home or from Dr Pennella was kept in jail for five days before a court appearance Pennella's civil rights," the lawsuit concludes the Family Court awarded the son full custody of the child who now continues to live with the family Pennella were "humiliated and traumatized," with Mr Pennella fearing that his dental license had been placed in jeopardy the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office dropped all charges against Mr 2025 at 7:52 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Police said they believed the threat was not credible but were taking precautions MA — Police responded to a threat made at a Tewksbury school Police said they believed the threat was not credible but were taking precautions Police wrote the following in a Facebook post: the after-school program at The Center School reported hearing unexpected chatter over the AlphaBest walkie-talkie frequency The chatter included threats made toward the school by a young child While we do not believe these threats to be credible including a thorough sweep of the school and campus and there will be an increased police presence at the school tomorrow as a precaution Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Tewksbury Police Department Cannabis company's second location maintains full control from seed to sale – ensuring quality innovation and exceptional customer service 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Lazy River Products a fully integrated and locally owned cannabis company today announced the opening of its new cannabis retail dispensary in Tewksbury This expansion marks the company's second location following the success of its flagship dispensary and manufacturing operation in Dracut The new 9,000-square-foot Tewksbury dispensary staff areas and one of the largest cannabis retail stores in the state offering customers a state-of-the-art retail experience Designed to accommodate both newcomers and seasoned cannabis enthusiasts the facility features interactive educational displays and technology stations to enhance customer engagement and knowledge "Our mission has always been to provide premium small-batch cannabis to our customers while staying deeply connected to the communities we serve," said William Cassotis "Opening a second location in Tewksbury is a significant milestone for us," said William Cassotis "Our mission has always been to provide premium small-batch cannabis to our customers while staying deeply connected to the communities we serve This expansion in Tewksbury will allow us to bring our passion for craft cannabis and an exceptional customer experience to even more people." Lazy River Products holds three state licenses—cultivation and retail—enabling complete control over the production process This vertical integration ensures top-tier quality craft approach guarantees that customers receive the freshest has established Lazy River Products as a leader in the Massachusetts cannabis market The addition of the new Tewksbury location not only broadens the company's reach but also contributes to local economic growth by creating over 30 new jobs Lazy River Products remains committed to setting the standard for cannabis By adhering to the highest standards in cultivation the company ensures that every product meets rigorous quality benchmarks Customers visiting the new Tewksbury dispensary can expect a wide selection of small-batch flower all crafted with meticulous attention to detail The convenient location offers ample parking and easy access making each visit enjoyable and stress-free Lazy River Products has donated $100,000 to local initiatives and communities including Afro American Collaborative Community Lazy River Products is a vertically integrated cannabis cultivation and product development company based in Dracut Dedicated to producing the highest quality cannabis and cannabis-related products in New England the company upholds the highest standards in the cannabis industry With a focus on craft quality and customer education Lazy River Products aims to provide an unparalleled cannabis experience Media ContactErin Farrell-Talbot, Lazy River Products, 1 9172329309, [email protected], https://lazyriverproducts.com Do not sell or share my personal information: Trailing No. 5 Tewksbury by six points early in the fourth quarter of the Division 4 Round of 8 game at John F it appeared Raiders quarterback Brendan McDonald had enough for a first down on a fourth-and-2 play the ball was short the nose of the football It was the first stop of the contest for either side That defensive stand ignited two late scores for the Redmen who iced the game and went on to beat the Raiders "We fought and fought tonight," SBR senior Kaven DosSantos said "We have a great team and I think we played our best game But it's hard against a team like that who made big play after big play." Tewksbury (8-2) averaged nearly 40 points per game during the season including 37 points in the playoffs against Westwood the Raiders were within striking distance to make it a game "We had them pinned but unfortunately there were some execution issues on defense," SBR head coach Nick Freitas said "It happens in big games and the ball bounces in a funny way This is a game of inches both ways but I'm proud of the kids." DosSantos had a big game for the Raiders (7-3) had a big catch that set up another score and a collected a key sack in the first half "He played good and the kids balled out tonight," Freitas said SBR took the opening kickoff and took most of the time off the clock in the first quarter McDonald connected with DosSantos from 14-yards out for the score Tough running by senior captain Manny Mengata (three touchdowns) enabled the Redmen to get on the board to close the lead to 7-6 McDonald capped another drive by the Raiders with a 1-yard score to make it a 14-6 game after DosSantos' extra point But Tewksbury senior quarterback Vincent Ciancio scored from a yard out to make it a 14-12 game at halftime Finn Crook broke up a two-point conversion pass the Redmen took their first lead of the game on Mengata's second touchdown The Raiders lost senior Finn Bjork (10 carries for 58 yards) on their first possession of the second half after he rumbled for 16 yards But SBR still capitalized on the drive without their star player when McDonald hooked up with Liam Meehan for a 27-yard touchdown to give the Raiders the lead at 20-18 Junior running back Nicky Desisto gave Tewksbury the lead back with a 7-yard score with 1:51 remaining in the third quarter That set the stage for an intense final quarter "It's a great season so far," Freitas said "I did not think walking in here would be an upset We have one more game left and we look forward to playing that." Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Chezsports This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 2025 at 3:03 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Tewksbury Police Honor Guard stands in front of the police station MA — The Tewksbury Police Department "will now accept applications from a larger pool of potential police officers" by dropping the civil service examination requirement Town Meeting approved a warrant article in 2023 petitioning the governor and Legislature to remove the department from hiring restrictions of the Massachusetts Civil Service Law "This change will streamline our hiring and cut down on the difficulties of navigating the Civil Service hiring system," Police Chief Ryan Columbus said in a statement "Hiring police officers has become more challenging for a number of reasons and this will allow us to attract a wider range of candidates from inside and outside the state." Tewksbury police will offer its own hiring examination in place of the civil service examination There will also be a physical fitness examination with preference given to Tewksbury residents and military veterans The police department will continue to use civil service examinations for making promotions and officers will continue to have civil service protections once they have completed their one year of probationary work with the department The change will have no impact on current employees The town will take into consideration candidates that took the most recent civil service exam Officers who are hired will still have to complete a Massachusetts Police Training Commission-approved police academy and undergo a 12-week field training program "We believe this change will enable us to recruit and evaluate even more talented candidates from a wider pool of applicants which will be extremely useful in this challenging environment," Columbus said in a statement "We are able to make this change while maintaining a preference for Tewksbury residents and military veterans We think this will be a big win for our effort to recruit talented candidates." Tyler Bourgea and Jake Civitarese each scored twice as Tewksbury advanced to the MIAA Boys Division 2 Round of 16 defeating Westfield 7-1 on Thursday night at Breakaway Ice Center “I thought we were the better team out there But anything could happen when you saw them score the first goal deflected in and then nobody panicked.” said Tewksbury head coach Derek Doherty “We just went out there and stuck to our game plan and we knew eventually we’re gonna stop popping the puck in there.”  taking six shots in the first four minutes Ryan Garvey took a shot that beat goaltender David Karlberg putting the Bombers ahead 1-0 with 10:15 left in the first period The Redmen quickly responded with two unanswered goals Jake Cunha and Jack Ryan both found the back of the net giving Tewksbury a one-goal lead as they headed into the second period “It give us a spark,” said Bourgea of the Bombers scoring first “Just had to keep playing our heart out and just capitalizing on all the opportunities that we got.” the Redmen continued to push for an increased lead Bourgea took a shot that was saved by Evan Mastroianni keeping the score 2-1 in favor of Tewksbury Tewksbury applied pressure with pucks and bodies around the net playing like a completely different team compared to the first even if it didn’t immediately show on the scoreboard Bourgea had a one-on-one opportunity with Mastroianni but the goaltender made a pad save as the puck remained loose and Tewksbury missed another golden opportunity Bourgea maneuvered past a defender on the left side and scored The Bombers started the final period with a power play it turned into a 4-on-4 situation when Westfield’s Christian Andwood was penalized for tripping Tewksbury defenseman Anthony DiFranco scored 21 seconds later from the right side of the net as Bourgea netted his second of the night just 30 seconds later Bourega expressed what was working well for him throughout the game He then tallied his second goal of the game just over a minute later skilled players on the team and a lot of them have been here before Frustration mounted on the faces of the Bombers as Tewksbury held on for the victory advancing to the next round of the playoffs The Redmen will host Duxbury on Sunday at 5pm in a Round of 16 battle P: (978) 682-2425E: info@playhnib.com Judy Kelly Tewksbury died peacefully on December 30 FL following a courageous battle with cancer during the first in a series of memorable storms that dumped a total of 72 inches of snow on Pulaski over the following six weeks Judy graduated from Pulaski County High School in 1978 and earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and business administration from Emory & Henry College She went from there to earn an MBA from the University of Tennessee Judy worked her entire career in the non-profit arena bypassing more lucrative jobs in the private sector to work with those who needed help the most Her first job was with the Cerebral Palsy Center in Knoxville where she was instrumental in starting a group home for those challenged with the disorder she went to work for the Red Cross in Tampa Her most recent employment was as the Fiscal Manager for the Health and Human Services Department of Polk County where she administered grant funds and other support for the elderly She is survived by her husband of 42 years A celebration of life for the family will be held at a later date donations can be made in her memory to commemorate her lifelong love for animals: Raining Cats and Dogs Shelter Plant City FL; Pulaski County Animal Shelter Hate to hear this Judy was alway such a sweet person when we went to school together Even in high school Judy was so bright and mature beyond her years The patient and caring sister that sat back and watched her four brothers Went to school with Judy and also grew up in the Robinsontract are where Judy was raised Judy was a really nice and very intelligent person as was her whole family Pulaski, Grayson, Floyd & Wythe Giles County Police, Fire, EMS Montgomery County Blacksburg Rescue Riner Fire Shawsville Rescue TEWKSBURY - A minor earth tremor was reported in the township this morning not far from the epicenter of the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Central Jersey on April 5 According to the United States Geological Survey the 1.8 magnitude tremor occured at 8:26 a.m near Cold Spring Lane and Homestead Road a few miles northeast of Oldwick Last year's earthquake was centered near the intersection of Old Turnpike Road and Hill and Dale Road a few miles northwest of today's tremor The tremor happened about 90 minutes before a tree fell on a school bus on Fairmount Road Reaction from NJ earthquake: 'It was 7 seconds but it felt like 15 minutes' People usually do not feel earthquakes below 3.0 magnitude A 3.0 magnitude is about 15 times stronger than an 1.8 magnitude quake according to the United States Geological Survey Last year's earthquake was about 1,000 times stronger than today's tremor