Lynnfield Mourns Longtime Resident Paul Francis O'Brien
LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield is mourning longtime resident and devoted family man Paul Francis O'Brien this week, with tributes surfacing in a Patch morning roundup and a Boston Globe-published obituary. Town Hall, meanwhile, opened a push to fill Department of Public Works positions and flagged an upcoming highway ramp closure for area drivers.
TOWN HALL The Department of Public Works is looking to fill Bus Driver, Truck Driver, Equipment Operator, and Skilled Laborer vacancies effective immediately, according to the town's News Flash listings.
Separately, the town issued a traffic alert noting that MassDOT and its contractor, McCourt, are planning a ramp closure on Interstate 95. Residents who rely on the affected ramp should expect delays as the work proceeds.
COMMUNITY & ARTS The Lynnfield Public Library has three concrete programs on the calendar this week. Teen Seashell Painting runs Monday, Aug. 17, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Summer Story Time for children ages 0 to 5 follows Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 10 to 10:30 a.m., and Terrific Tuesdays with the North Suburban Child & Family Resource Network meets that same afternoon, from 4 to 4:45 p.m.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS "🌱 Patch AM: Lynnfield mourns longtime resident and devoted family man Paul Francis O'Brien": Patch's morning roundup for Lynnfield noted the town is remembering O'Brien, described as a devoted family man and longtime resident, as neighbors share condolences this week, per Lynnfield Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/lynnfield).
"Paul O'BRIEN Obituary (2026) - Lynnfield, MA - Boston Globe - Legacy": A Boston Globe-published notice on Legacy.com states that funeral and guestbook arrangements for O'Brien are being handled by McDonald Funeral Service, with a memorial tree-planting option offered to mourners, according to the Boston Globe (read it at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bostonglobe/name/paul-o-brien-obituary?pid=212048915).
"Massachusetts Issues Emergency Order Restricting Sale Of Kratom": State regulators cited safety concerns raised by the Mayo Clinic in issuing the order, which could affect retailers that sell the herbal supplement statewide, Lynnfield Patch reports (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/lynnfield).
COMING UP The Select Board meets Monday, Aug. 17. The Conservation Commission meets Tuesday, Aug. 18, the same evening the Library Foundation holds its meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Planning Board meets Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.