October 1979
At a School Committee meeting a parent argued that eliminating interscholastic sports in the middle school, in favor of intramural sports, would give more students a chance to participate in sports of their choice, and would help the fuel shortage by reducing the need for transporting students to games.
School Committee members discussed the possibility of curtailing bus routes to help save on gasoline costs.
At a Special Town Meeting, 38 townspeople voted in 17 minutes to unanimously approve exceeding the town’s spending cap by more than $100,000.
The Conservation Commission announced the second woodcutting day of the season at the Scorgie-Tufts conservation land.
In a move to help save energy, selectmen closed the second floor at Town Hall for the winter.
Congressman Robert Drinan hosted a two-day conference titled, “The Energy Crisis: How to Cope.”
The Longest Yard, Starting Over, and The Muppet Movie were playing at local movie theaters.
October 1989
A Republican state representative, whose constituency included Ayer, Harvard, Littleton, and Westford, announced his opposition to a 240-megawatt coal-fired cogeneration plant planned for an area off Route 2A near the Littleton town line. He said the plant “posed a serious threat to public health and to the environment of our communities,” adding that the local threat was only part of a “massive global assault on our environment.”
Youngsters selling “cow chip bingo” tickets as part of a fundraising drive to support school sports were reportedly sworn at and otherwise subjected to verbal abuse by some residents.
The Board of Selectmen agreed to reaffirm its stance against alcohol and drug use at town functions, in response to a challenge from the chairman of the Harvard Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
The Harvard Schools Trust held a “formation meeting” to elect a nine-member board of directors to oversee the activities of the newly formed nonprofit.
October 1999
An earthquake measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale was felt by residents in Harvard and Bolton. Asked if the event signaled the advent of more seismic activity, a seismologist at MIT’s Earth Resources Lab said that the few minor quakes in the area since the mid-1980s offered too little data for accurate prediction.
A letter-writer urged readers to embark on a letter-writing campaign to voice opposition to a large auto-unloading facility being proposed for Ayer by Guilford Rail Systems, Inc.
Another letter-writer urged readers to support a proposed ballot initiative to ban dog racing in Massachusetts.
Heating oil was advertised for $.899 per gallon by a local supplier.
Harvard was reportedly ranked 31st in the state for real estate taxes, ranking behind the nearby towns of Concord (7th), Boxborough (13th), Acton (15th), Bolton (25th), and Stow (27th).
Based on reports in the old Harvard Post.
