Author visit and reading with Tinky Weisblat

ATHOL — On Thursday, April 4, the Athol Public Library welcomes back the “Diva of Deliciousness.” Join Tinky Weisblat, “the Diva of Deliciousness,” as she discusses her passion for life and cooking. Weisblat will talk about her newest book, “Pot Luck: Random Acts of Cooking.” In it, she celebrates the seasons of New England and takes a few detours to muse on American history and popular culture. The pages include produce-centered recipes like spinach-and-caramelized-onion dip, rhubarb cheesecake, corn fritters and apple pizza.

The book also features dishes appropriate for both religious and secular holidays, from a king cake for Epiphany to chili peanuts for Kwanzaa. It offers culinary tributes like peanut brittle for agricultural innovator George Washington Carver, sponge cake for suffragist Susan B. Anthony, and spaghetti sauce for silent-film star Rudolph Valentino.

Weisblat is a writer and singer. She has a masters degree in journalism and a Ph D. in American studies. She tries to combine heart and humor in her writing and in her life. Weisblat lives in Hawley, a tiny hill town, with a cat named Rhubarb and a dog named Cocoa. She writes a weekly food column for the Greenfield Recorder and the Athol Daily News. Copies of the cookbook for sale at the event. Learn more info from Tinky at tinkycooks.com.

This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Athol Public Library and is free and open to the public. Registration is required and can be done at https://tinyurl.com/4884we8s or by calling, 978-249-9515. Those who register will receive an email confirmation and a reminder 24 hours before the program.

The future ofRoyalstonpolicing public meeting

ROYALSTON — There will be a public meeting at Town Hall on April 11, 7-9 p.m. concerning the future of policing in Royalston. At this meeting there will be presentations on how policing has occurred in town. There will be an explanation of how changes in the requirements for police training have caused many small towns in the state to change the way policing is conducted.

This will be an opportunity for residents to give input on what they value about the current policing model in Royalston and what they wish to see continue, or change, in the future.

There will also be a preliminary projection of what the new options will cost the residents in coming years. There will be a presentation on past actual costs, projected (preliminary) costs of a full-time police force in Royalston, and projected (preliminary) costs of using an Intermunicipal Agreement Force with a neighboring town’s police force.

The new state regulations mean that changes to policing in small towns are inevitable. The public’s voice is very important as the town navigates how these changes will affect policing in Royalston.