In the News

Goat breaks into home, eats cake
What do you get when a goat follows a dog into a house?
For Sherry Shirley of Westford, the answer is a big mess.
When she opened the front door of her home on Lake Road to let her dog in Saturday morning, a full-grown goat burst into the house, jumped onto a kitchen counter and helped itself to a freshly baked chocolate cake, according to the Dodge County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies responded to a call from Shirley at 11:43 Saturday morning, but a neighbor had dragged the goat from the home by its horns before officers arrived, patrol captain Molly Soblewski said.
"The goat didn't do a lot of damage. It knocked some dishes to the floor that broke and began eating the chocolate cake she had just made," Soblewski said.
The chocolate cake caper, however, was far from a perfect crime. Deputies followed the goat's tracks to a nearby farm on Mill Road and had it behind bars by 12:35 p.m. Saturday.
Soblewski said the owners of the goat will not be cited.
"It was just an unfortunate circumstance," she said. "I feel sorry for the lady, but it is kind of funny."
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New Hampshire Family of Four Trying to Live on $1,500 for the Year
A family of four in New Hampshire is trying to spend just $1,500 for their groceries, household items and personal care expenses for an entire year and detail their attempt in a blog.
To accomplish their goal Heather and Bourne Spooner have developed a new system of shopping that includes stockpiling foods and paying close attention to coupons and sales.
"My first inclination was, wow, that’s not that much money,'" Bourne said "But, hey, if we can do it it’ll save us a lot of money."
And save they have. The couple said so far this year their average grocery bill is only $125 a month.
In addition to clipping coupons, the Spooners shop at specific stores for certain items and have adjusted the way they plan meals.
"If I have chicken and ground beef and cucumbers and carrots and peppers that I need to use this week, then I’ll take all of that and I will look for recipes for those items," Heather said.
The Spooners also have sworn off dining out until their wedding anniversary, on Dec. 28.
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