Taunton Gazette Top 5 Deep Pond Farm Maureen Drake Helen Cardoso – Taunton Daily Gazette

Before we begin the new week in earnest, we’re taking a look back at the week that was, and the stories that led the news with Taunton Daily Gazette readers.
Top stories this past week included:
A look at the top salaries in Dighton. Which municipal employees in Dighton made the most in 2021? The Gazette analyzed salary data from the town of Dighton and the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District to get the answer. The top 10 is made up entirely of police, fire and school department employees.
Top-selling properties in Taunton continue to soar above half a million dollars. The most recent top-seller was a multifamily home on Somerset Avenue that sold for $675,000. It was built in 1900 and features a bonus two-car garage and a matching play yard. Check out this property, as well as other recent top-sellers, in the latest Greater Taunton real estate report.
These were the Top 5 stories of the past week, according to Gazette readers:
Readers were certainly feeling the holiday spirit this past week, with the news that Deep Pond Farm and Stables has opened to the public for the Christmas season.
Located at 123 Dolan Circle in East Taunton and owned by the Ghazal family, Deep Pond Farm and Stables is offering a country Christmas getaway right here close to home.
They’ve got fresh-cut Christmas trees, handmade wreaths, and so much more, like hot chocolate and visits with the farm animals.
Get in the holiday spirit:Deep Pond Farm offers a country Christmas getaway right in East Taunton
Mulcahey Elementary School second-grade teacher Maureen Drake was known for her love of books.
Although she passed away two years ago, this beloved local teacher’s legacy is living on, through memorial donations made in her name, that have been used to purchase books for students.
Mulcahey has 850 students in pre-kindergarten through grade four, and they are all getting a free book.
A book for every kid:Taunton school honors beloved teacher whose love of reading was ‘contagious’
If you were a customer of School Street Bakery, you’re likely to recognize the grand marshal of today’s Christmas Parade, which kicks off at noon on Broadway.
That’s right: Helen Cardoso, who owned and operated School Street Bakery from 1989-2021, is this year’s grand marshal.
She kept hungry customers from all around Taunton fed and happy for more than three decades, and she continues to look after others, working in the kitchen and function hall of the Ward 5, which she purchased in 2016.
Immigrating to the United States from Portugal when she was 14, Cardoso has spent her life in Taunton also volunteering her time; Mayor Shaunna O’Connell said Cardoso is an “unsung hero.”
Got a sweet tooth?:You might just recognize grand marshal at Taunton Christmas Parade.
Maura Healey is getting help from several leaders on the SouthCoast as she prepares her transition from attorney general to governor.
Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll have announced the full makeup of six “transition policy committees” that will be tasked with translating their campaign platform into governing policies.
The committees, each of which have about two dozen members, include four people with major ties to the SouthCoast.
State news:Maura Healey’s transition policy teams getting help from key players on the SouthCoast
Every week, with the help of the Taunton Animal Shelter, we feature a different pet who is in need of a new home.
Lots of pets have found their forever homes this way, and we’re hoping Tony the Tabby will be no exception.
He’s friendly, sweet, and gentle, and might even get on well with other pets. Learn more about adopting him.
Be sure to check back every Sunday, for the latest Pet of the Week. You might just find your new best friend!
Pet of the Week:Sweet and gentle Tony the Tabby is a cat who needs a home
Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at [email protected]. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

source