Sentinel and Enterprise

12 hours ago | sentinelandenterprise.com | Nick Mallard

LEOMINSTER — Osiris Lopez has taken a major step in his football career. And that big step will send him south. The Leominster High junior declared his intentions for college on Wednesday afternoon, making a verbal commitment to Coastal Carolina University in front of dozens of classmates, coaches and school administrators in the school’s gym.

17 hours ago | sentinelandenterprise.com | Mike Stobbe |Geoff Mulvihill

By MIKE STOBBE and GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated PressThere were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years.

1 day ago | sentinelandenterprise.com | Cheryl A. Cuddahy

FITCHBURG — The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), along with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and the Fitchburg Health Department, hosted an informative Mental Health Awareness program last week, with over 30 people in attendance. Sue Christensen, who represented the Fitchburg Health Department, welcomed the attendees and introduced Fitchburg City Councilor Elizabeth Walsh, also the Constituent Services director for state Sen.

1 day ago | sentinelandenterprise.com | Sally Cragin

For the first time in my work as a journalist, two beats have fused into one! Every Sunday I write “Pet Talk,” and answer questions from kids and adults about taking care of pets. And every Wednesday, I write this column, and explore the history and meaning of human culture through the lens of what we eat — and why we eat it.

1 day ago | sentinelandenterprise.com | Nick Mallard

As he has for each of the last three years, Noah Gray will return to Doyle Field this summer. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end will once again host a football clinic at the field that was his home during his high school years, holding a pair of sessions at Doyle Field on June 7. The former Leominster High gridiron standout will lead drills with the help of area coaches, as well as college coaches. The two sessions will be divided based on the age of participants.