Week in Review: Mansfield Says Goodbye to LTC Michael Greene, Town Unlikely to Move Local Election to US Senate Primary Date, and More

Mansfield Quietly Says Goodbye to LTC Michael Greene

In the end, the activities surrounding the funeral of LTC Michael Greene wasn’t about responding to a hateful message, it was about saying goodbye a member of the community. In response to a threat from the Westboro Baptist Church to picket the funeral, about 50 people stood at the South Common to pay tribute to Greene as the procession left the church and headed towards the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

Plans for the gathering came together on the afternoon of February 17 when Rev. Ted Newcomb of the Mansfield Congregational Church hosted a meeting to discuss a peaceful response to the picket if it were to happen. Slowly during the discussions, the conversation evolved from dealing with an extremist group to paying tribute to a beloved resident.

"I think everybody at the meeting the other day, they heard especially from the friends of the family what was needed for the family, and to be able to do it this way was really helpful,” Newcomb said.

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Cibo Matto in Mansfield Bringing Italian Tradition

Cibo Matto’s Peter Kuplas has been in the restaurant business for over a quarter of a century and he’s brought his experience to Mansfield.

Kuplas said he started working in a pizza shop in South Carolina. Originally, he said he went to school studying aviation science

“As I was finishing school, I was cooking in the early 90s  and I seemed to be good at it and it was very enjoyable,” he said. “I love the fast pace.”

Kuplas said that his grandmother growing up gave his love of food. Both his mother and grandmother were 100 percent Italian.

“Italian food is very second nature to me,” he said. “When you’re a kid and you’re exposed to good food, you understand what good food is.”

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Mansfield Unlikely to Move Town Election to US Senate Primary Date

While towns across Massachusetts are changing the date of their town elections to occur on the same day as the special primary for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry, it is unlikely that Mansfield will take a similar action.

Locally, Wrentham, Plainville and Norfolk have moved their town elections to the same day as the primary. The Foxborough Board of Selectmen plan to take up the issue in the near future.

After looking at the pros and cons of a change at the Feb. 20 meeting of the Mansfield Board of Selectmen, town clerk Marianne Staples could not recommend moving the May 14 town election to April 30, the date of the Special U.S. Senate Primary according to town manager William Ross.

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Coming as no surprise, the Mansfield boys basketball team has been awarded the first seed in the MIAA Division 1 South tournament. The Hornets will play the winner of No. 16 West Roxbury vs. No. 17 Newton South on February 28 at 7:00 p.m. at Mansfield High School in the first round of the tournament.

The winner of the south tournament will face the north champion for the chance to play in the Division 1 state championship game at the DCU Center in Worcester.

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Two Mansfield wrestlers have qualify for the All State Tournament after placing at the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament. Senior Captains Joe Herrick and Sam McLoughlin represented the Hornets in the tournament on February 20 and 21 at Newton South High School.  

McLoughlin (132), was 3-3 and Herrick (145), was 3-3 with one pin, both good for 6th place in the 32 team field. The top six wrestlers in each weight class from each Division (1,2 and 3) will move on to the All State Tournament at Salem High School on February 23. The accomplishment elevates both wrestlers into the highest level of competition in the state.

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