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   Renowned artist Judith Barker Carducci, Walpole native and member of Walpole High School’s Class of 1952, will be inducted into the Walpole High School Hall of Fame during 2009 graduation exercises on June 7.
   While in town, Carducci has generously offered her fee for one of her portraits to the Earthquake Fund Drive being conducted by the Italian American Club of Walpole. The fee schedule for portraits, from charcoal sketch to full body pastel portrait painting, is available by contacting the club at 508-668-9862. The fee from the highest bid during her stay in Walpole the week of June 7 will go toward the Earthquake Fund.
   During her long career, Carducci’s works have been selected Best of Show many times. Her works are in museums and private collections.
   “Xanadu,” a Best of the Show winner selected by the former curator of the Smithsonian, is on display at the institute’s Renrick Gallery.
   Anyone wishing to contribute to the Earthquake Fund should make donations payable to: St. Leonard’s Church, c/o Italian American Club, 109 Stone St., Walpole, MA 02081.
   Visit www.judithcarducci.com …

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As the count of American schools closed because of swine flu reached nearly 300 yesterday, local education and health officials said they were taking necessary precautions – but they do not foresee shutting the doors of their facilities.

That would change if there is a confirmed case of swine flu in a school.

If that were to happen in Norwood, "We would look to the Department of Public Health to make the recommendation," said Stacey Lane, assistant director of the Norwood Health Department.

Lane said while Norwood is not now planning on closing its schools, families should talk about contingencies should the situation change.

"They want people to have this conversation now and plan in case the schools are closed. I think that’s an important message," she said.

"We just want to stop the spread (of the disease), so practice good hygiene – if your child’s sick, keep him or her home from school. And if people do that, hopefully it won’t happen in our schools in Norwood," Lane said.

In Massachusetts, the Associated Press has reported that Boston public health officials say a student at the Harvard School of Dental …

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   When the girls’ tennis season started, Coach Bill Powers admitted he didn’t have a true ace like former star Amy Shaw, but also declared that this was the deepest teams he ever had and that team balance might allow it to surprise some people.
   The Rebels did just that Monday when they shocked perennial Bay State Conference and state power Brookline on its own courts, 3-2.
   The balance and depth showed when the match came down to third singles and Julia Frankel kept her unbeaten record intact with a victory in the pivotal showdown.
   The win moved the Rebels to a 4-1 record, trailing unbeaten Wellesley in the Bay State Herget standings. After chasing the Red and Blue to the wire in a 3-2 match at Natick to start the season, the deep Rebels are one match loss from a perfect record nearly a third of the way through the year.
   “That was a big, big win,” declared an elated Powers, who also topped another perennial league power, Newton North, earlier in the year. “The depth helped us out today.”<br …

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In what they hope will be a "worst case scenario" reduction, School Committee members last night agreed they would cut another $840,000 for next year’s School Department budget.

    Members called the cut a "tentative reduction" that could cost the job of 29 staffers, including 20 classroom teachers.

    In two rounds of cuts earlier this year, the board had already sliced $2.5 million off next year’s expense, costing 14 staffers their jobs.

Last night’s cut, which would leave the schools with $29.9 million spending plan for fiscal 2010, is considered tentative because there is the still the possibility the state could hike its aid total to the town.

    "The district will not be the same this year as it was last year," school Superintendent Lincoln Lynch said after he read each cut.

    The bulk of the $840,000 budget reduction would come in the form of about 20 teachers and nine instructional aides losing their posts, said Lynch.

    Some teachers who lose full-time status could be offered work part-time, he said.

    Most of the teachers cut will come from elementary schools because of their high percentage of enrollment, …

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   Like so many teams in the Bay State Conference, non-league foe Mansfield High discovered Saturday that Walpole High’s baseball squad is not a team you want to go into extra innings with.
   Taking advantage of relief pitcher Tom Savageau’s wildness in the extra frame, the Rebels were able to win via a literal “walk-off” run as pinch hitter Adam Nichols became the fifth Rebel to walk in the eighth, forcing home Craig “Hammer” Hanley and snapping a 6-all tie to hand the host team a 7-6 win while upping its season slate to 6-1. Mansfield dropped to 4-3 with the loss.
   The victory was the fifth already this year by one run, three of those coming in extra frames. Although played at Eldracher Field, the game was played by Hockomock League rules, which employ aluminum bats and seven-inning games.
   Three keys led to an ultimate Rebels victory, which came despite the high-octane Hornets outhitting them 14 to six. The first was Savageau being unable to …