NEIGHBORS.

Seventy volunteers joined forces Oct. 28 to clean the banks of the Mumford, West and Mill rivers during the Blackstone River Watershed Association's Blackstone Valley Riverways Cleanup Day, part of the national "Make a Difference" campaign.

The cleanup took place at seven locations in five towns: Blackstone, Douglas, Hopedale, Northbridge and Uxbridge. The day ended with volunteers gathering at the River Bend Farm Visitor Center in Uxbridge for pizza and refreshments provided by the Blackstone River Watershed Association.

Volunteers included local schoolchildren, Scout groups, and concerned citizens who helped pick up trash such as tires, air conditioners, microwave ovens and booms found in and along the three rivers.

The towns of Blackstone, Douglas, Hopedale and Northbridge provided trash removal at the six sites in those towns. Lynch's Riverview Wine & Spirits allowed the use of their Dumpster for trash disposal in Uxbridge.

As part of the cleanup, volunteers separated all nonreturnable bottles and cans (such as bottled water, juice, ice teas and sports drinks) from returnable (deposit) containers. The number of nonreturnable exceeded the number of returnable (deposit) containers collected by nearly 3-1.

The Blackstone River Watershed Association's name will be added to the list of organizations that agreed to tally returnable and nonreturnable beverage containers to encourage legislators to expand the Massachusetts Bottle Deposit Law to include such beverages as bottled water, juice, ice teas and sports drinks.

The Blackstone River Watershed Association, established in 1976, is dedicated to restoring, enhancing and preserving the Blackstone River, the Blackstone River system and its watershed. Their goal is to transform one of the most polluted rivers in the United States into a jewel of the Blackstone Valley.

For more information about the association, or to volunteer, call the Blackstone River Watershed Association office at [phone], send an e-mail to [e-mail] or visit the Web site at www.thebrwa.org.

Lorrie Langille, who served as technology director for the Northbridge schools for the past 12 years, has joined the senior staff at The Center for Educational Leadership and Technology, a Marlboro-based national information technology architect which handles learning/business systems integration, technology planning, and network communications services for learning organizations at all levels.

Ms. Langille will serve as program coordinator for the company's Integrity programs and services, which provide schools, libraries, town governments, and nonprofit organizations with broadband Internet access, firewall security services, remote backup solutions, emergency notification systems, and Internet-based collaboration tools such as e-mail, Web hosting, shared calendars, and teacher Web sites.

Ms. Langille has more than 25 years' experience in designing, implementing, and managing successful technology programs. As technology director for the Northbridge schools, she planned and built a comprehensive technology program that includes a new high school, a fiber optic wide-area network, a comprehensive Pre-K-12 technology curriculum, an extensive teacher training and support program, and appropriate systems management policies and procedures to address technical support, staffing models, inventory controls, and disaster recovery planning.

"Lorrie is a valuable asset to our Integrity staff. She has a wealth of knowledge about K-12 technology programs and the unique challenges these customers face," said Jeffrey Bajgot, executive vice president of Network Communication Services, in a prepared statement.

Ms. Langille holds a bachelor's degree in business/technology from the University of Lowell and a master's degree in business administration degree from Babson College. She is a past president and member of the board of directors of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation. Before working in education, Ms. Langille worked for 12 years as vice president of research and development and product management for BayBanks.

Lori Bebick of Grafton, a member of the Massasoit Art Guild, will exhibit her work during November at the Richard Sugden Library in Spencer.

Ms. Bebick enjoys doing wildlife pictures and nature scenes. She does a lot of colored pencil work, but also paints in watercolor and acrylic. She also has done pet portraits.

Ms. Bebick has studied at the Worcester Art Museum and has a natural science illustration certificate from the Rhode Island School of Design.

The Hannaford store in Uxbridge, located at 158 North Main St., has undergone extensive remodeling and added several new departments over the last few months. The store celebrated with a grand re-opening Nov. 3 that featured product samplings and a number of promotions and activities for customers, including a free gift for the first 1,000 shoppers to enter the store.

The new features of the supermarket include a new pharmacy, full-service butcher shop, an increased selection of organic and natural items, and a larger deli. The store also features an enhanced produce department, specialty cheese, a salad bar, more lunch options and a new rotisserie.

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Girl Scouts from various area troops collected more than 400 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for the troops. They sold them outside of local businesses and asked people to donate a box or two to the troops. Additional money was collected to help pay for postage. The girls helped the Uxbridge Supports Our Troops group pack the cookies into large boxes and ship them to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. First row from left, Elizabeth Simonds, Keryn Moriarty, Elizabeth Davidson, MacKenzie Van Lingen, Amanda Alves, Kasey Gariepy and Lacie Kraich. Back row from left, Lilli Ebbeling, Jessica Deira, Samantha Mitchell, Melinda Metzger, Ericka Mitchell, Stefania Prosser, Julia Turgeon, and Troop Leaders Lisa Gariepy, Danielle Patterson and Lori Basiner (2) NORTHBRIDGE - The man known as Mr. Hubcap, who keeps his store at the Northbridge Antique and Flea Market, sits and reads on the steps of his business at 2273 Providence Road

PHOTOG: (1) COURTESY PHOTO (2) T&G Staff Photo/MARK C. IDE