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Saturday, October 3, 2026

Whitman freezes new hiring through January as town confronts costly school debt vote.

From Whitman News

• Whitman OKs unpermitted auto shop storage building. Whitman's Conservation Commission took up Columbia Auto Realty Trust's Temple Street storage building, built without prior review, as an engineer proposed signage over fencing along the wetland buffer and neighbors raised drainage and paint odor concerns.Whitman News
• Select Board convenes town's committee chairs. Whitman's Select Board gathered two dozen committee chairs to meet new Town Administrator Sabrina Chilcott and hear grievances, including a library funding shortfall that could risk state aid and a Hobart Dam Replacement Committee weighing a 330 year old dam's fate.Whitman News
• Whitman recreation pool fund nearly wiped out. Whitman's Recreation Commission heard the town pool budget line stayed at zero for a second year, with Director Kathleen describing a revolving account drained to roughly $23,000 before summer costs even began.Whitman News
• Whitman Health Board backs regional waste depot. Whitman's Board of Health weighed joining a 12 town hazardous waste depot after a September pop up collection day drew 62 cars and burned through the town's entire hazardous waste budget, Health Agent Dan Kelly told the board.Whitman News
• ZBA grants garage variance, bars dwelling use. Whitman's Zoning Board approved a garage variance on Washington Street and continued review of a Rye Hill Street duplex redesigned from seven buildings to six, pressing for a wider fire truck turnaround before the hearing resumes.Whitman News
• Assessors to seek state fix for garage error. Whitman's Board of Assessors is pursuing a state approved fix after resident Therese Kohler said a 2018 abatement for her garage was never entered into the system, leaving it taxed as living space for years afterward.Whitman News
• Whitman imposes hiring freeze ahead of debt vote. Whitman's Select Board halted new municipal hiring through January as the town heads toward a January 30 debt exclusion vote for the new South Shore Technical High School, with the Plymouth County retirement assessment also set to climb.Whitman News

Today in Whitman

• Library holds Community Quilt Day. Whitman Public Library hosted a Community Quilt Day in its Community Room Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Whitman Public Library

Coming up

• Mon, Oct 5, 7 p.m.: Zoning board resumes Rye Hill duplex hearing. Whitman's Zoning Board of Appeals meets Monday at Town Hall to continue its review of the Rye Hill Street duplex project and other pending business.Town of Whitman
• Tue, Oct 6, 6 p.m.: Friends of the Library meet Tuesday. The Friends of the Whitman Public Library, a nonprofit that raises money for library programs and services, meets Tuesday evening in the Community Room.Whitman Public Library
• Tue, Oct 6, 7 p.m.: Select Board meets Tuesday at Town Hall. Whitman's Select Board convenes Tuesday at Town Hall, its first regular session since voting to freeze hiring and join a regional hazardous waste agreement.Town of Whitman
• Tue, Oct 6: Conservation board opens wetlands bylaw hearings. Whitman's Conservation Commission holds the first of three public hearings this month on a proposed bylaw requiring review of pools near wetlands and a $500 fine for illegal discharges.Town of Whitman
• Tue, Oct 6: Whitman-Hanson volleyball hosts Duxbury Tuesday. MaxPreps lists a Whitman-Hanson Regional volleyball match against Duxbury on Tuesday as part of the team's conference schedule.MaxPreps
• Tue, Oct 6: Whitman-Hanson girls soccer hosts Pembroke Tuesday. MaxPreps shows Whitman-Hanson Regional's girls soccer team facing Pembroke in a conference match Tuesday.MaxPreps
• Wed, Oct 7, 5:30 p.m.: South Shore Votech advisory panels meet Wednesday. Three South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School panels, the school council, general advisory committee and fall program advisory committee, hold separate meetings Wednesday evening in Hanover and Whitman.South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School
• Thu, Oct 8, 2 p.m.: Library offers Microsoft Word class Thursday. Whitman Public Library holds an Introduction to Microsoft Word class Thursday afternoon, with registration limited to five patrons through Assistant Library Director Steven Miller.Whitman Public Library
• Sat, Oct 10, 2 p.m.: Library runs Monster Mash mystery room Saturday. Whitman Public Library hosts Big Ryan's Traveling Mystery Room: Monster Mash Saturday afternoon in the Community Room, a team puzzle event that requires registration.Whitman Public Library
• Sun, Oct 11: Library closes Sunday and Monday for holiday. Whitman Public Library will be closed Sunday, October 11, and Monday, October 12, according to its online calendar.Whitman Public Library

Recent editions

• Thursday, October 1, 2026 — Whitman Public Library kicks off Banned Books Week with an all-day read-in Tuesday
• Tuesday, September 29, 2026 — Whitman-Hanson's junior varsity field hockey team hosts Duxbury in a non-conference matchup Wednesday afternoon
• Monday, September 28, 2026 — Whitman News logged 14 property transfers this week, only five with sale prices disclosed so far
• Wednesday, September 23, 2026 — Whitman Conservation Commission plans public information sessions on newly proposed wetlands protection bylaw
• Monday, September 21, 2026 — Whitman News found a dozen recorded deeds with half still missing sale prices in its latest real estate roundup