Our Lead Stories

6/23/09: Hollywood comes to Canton: Actress stays close to home
Actor Cindy Lentol is an independent contractor, living where she chooses – Canton – and running her own career, from a leading role in a 15-minute short to a small part in the multimillion-dollar “The Departed,” alongside such A-list actors as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg.

6/16/09: Daughters find support and inspiration from their dads
From young adults to grandmothers, women cherish their fathers in many ways. We asked a variety of women to reflect on their relationships with their dads.

6/9/09: Romance is a recession-proof genre - 91-year-old novelist publishes 13th book
Riley, a retired psychiatric nurse, just published her 13th romance novel featuring African-American characters.

6/2/09: Quincy chocolate maker wows Martha Stewart with creation
Quincy is renowned as the birthplace of two presidents. But soon it will also be known as the birthplace of P2C2, a sweet-salty, crunchy-chewy chocolate bark created by local chocolatier Christina Bartkus.

5/26/09: Blogger-turned-cookbook author serves up a heaping helping of healthy eating
Lisa Lillien, the woman behind the Hungry-Girl.com phenomenon, is a cooking whiz, “not a nutritionist” she says, who has a knack for trading full-fat recipe ingredients for things such as Splenda, Cool Whip Free, egg substitute and sugar-free syrups to whip up sweets and drinks.

5/19/09: Personal trainer encourages cancer patients, survivors
Breast cancer survivor, Darlene Maggio of Quincy, sought out a cancer exercise specialist, which is a new specialty certification for fitness professionals. She found Laury Hale at Fitness Unlimited in Milton.

5/12/09: Women's chorus sings love songs to offer hope in hard times
“The songs are an antidote to hopelessness,” said Lynne Wilkinson, music director of Persephone's Daughters. The concert, “Day & Night: The Love Songs of George Gershwin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter,” will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Plymouth.

5/12/09: Woodward School for Girls in Quincy honors two 'great contributors to the South Shore'
Attorney Katherine Hesse and Marianne Peak, superintendent of Adams National Historic Park, received the school’s Women of Distinction Award at a ceremony and dinner last week at Granite Links Golf Club.

5/5/09: Give mom an experience she'll remember
If you really want to let mom know how much she means to you, let her leave behind the brood and broom and encourage her to do something she ’ll fondly remember during the rest of the busy year. We’ve compiled a list of ideas for moms whatever their interests – some for events this weekend with and without kids, others for future weeks.

4/28/09: Sacrifice and commitment make 55-year-old Carver mom a winning bodybuilder
It was 1 a.m., about five hours before Elizabeth Rohde had to rise to prepare for her latest bodybuilding competition. The 55-year-old mother of two was fixated on how she would appear to judges, themselves veterans of the bodybuilding world, as they scrutinize every detail of her carefully-honed physique.

4/14/09: Hingham author hits home run with book on baseball song
Amy Whorf McGuiggan has a passion for baseball. Her love for the sport and her curiosity about the origin of the catchy tune “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” led her to write a book about how the song became a time-honored tradition.

4/14/09: South Shore group offers support and friendship to moms of twins, triplets and more
Scituate-based Seaside Mothers of Multiples offers support beyond monthly meetings. New members are immediately partnered with someone of similar circumstances – twins, triplets or adoption.

3/24/09: With one click photographer Daphne Nichols turns fantasy into reality
Daphne Weld Nichols is a photographer whose goal is more ambitious than simply taking flattering pictures of her clients. She was a traditional portrait photographer when she started her business in Wollaston in the late ’70s. But Nichols recalled: “I had an epiphany one day. A client asked if it would be all right if she dropped the strap of her dress. I told her I loved the idea.”

3/24/09: Weymouth mother of seven finds time to train, raise funds for her 7th Boston Marathon
Mae Connolly, marathon runner and Weymouth mother of seven, is used to the question, "How do you do it?''  Training to run her seventh Boston Marathon, Connolly, 46, shrugs off the "how'' and prefers to talk about the "why.'' That’s especially true this year because she is running to raise money for the organization Bottom Line, which helps disadvantaged Boston and Worcester students apply to and complete college.

3/17/09: Braintree dance instructor passing on prom dresses - and lessons in philanthropy
Melissa Kelley Clark remembers how it felt. Now a mother and business owner, with a few years between her and her high school days, she hasn’t forgotten the thrill of slipping on the dress, stepping into the shoes, fastening the accessories and making that rite of passage that is the high school prom. It was a desire to make this kind of cherished recollection possible for others that has turned her Washington Street studio into an impromptu closet.

3/10/09: Arts advocate works to expand the North River Arts Society
Ginny Glickman, 91, heads  the campaign to make space for more artists and classes at the North River Arts Society.

3/3/09: Shopaholics find deals too sweet
Mental health professionals say bargains make it hard for true shopping addicts to change their spending habits.

2/24/09: Weymouth's Purdy-Quinlan casts her net wide
Jodi Purdy-Quinlan, 47, of Weymouth, is the go-to person when casting companies and directors need extras for films shot in Boston and beyond.

2/17/09: Forty-four year old Oscar party still a night of fun for Hingham woman and her friends
Hingham woman brings Hollywood home as she hosts an Oscar party for the 44th year

2/10/09: What women crave for Valentine’s Day
If you want to get to the heart of what women really want, think simple: A home-cooked meal. A quiet night with a movie rental. A single flower. A handwritten note.

2/3/09: EYE CANDY: Creams and serums help aging eyes
First impressions start at the eyes – they’re what sparkle when you smile. There’s a price for that, though: The skin around the eyes isn’t particularly well-equipped for all that attention (or the lines that are a side effect of smiling). The skin is thinner and more delicate than the rest of your face, and aging leads to a loss around the eyes of collagen and elastin, which are like the springs that move skin back into shape.

1/27/09: Salon owner strikes balance by moving business into her Abington home
The salon is buzzing with lively chatter on a Saturday morning. The air smells of hair products. Foils are ruffling in the background. But this is no chi-chi salon. Run out of the basement of Gayle Cronin’s Abington home, Studio 23 is more “Steel Magnolias” than Newbury Street.

1/20/09: Photographer's work focused on women in Afghanistan
Paula Lerner, a freelance photographer who traveled to Afghanistan four times between 2005 and 2007 to photograph women there, has photos on exhibit at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham through Jan. 30.

1/13/09: Canton woman teaches balance through health, nutrition and counseling
Betsy Cohen, founder of Whole Health for Women,   is part life coach, part nutritionist, part counselor, all in the name of striking that elusive balance in life.

1/06/09: Quincy's Spring Sirkin has found success on the Great White Way
Sirkin founded Chamber Theatre 30 years ago to bring literature to life for schoolchildren, and went on to a career as a successful Broadway producer.

12/23/08: What's new in 2009?
Were you paying attention this year? To the election? To the Olympics? To the recession? If you were, you might have some insight into trends for 2009. That’s when these big stories will play out in everyday life.

12/9/08: Music therapist brings harmony to disabled children and adults
For the past four years, certified music therapist Eve Montague  has been  using song and sound to open the world to disabled individuals at the Duxbury campus of the South Shore Conservatory.

12/2/08: For Michelle Obama, great expectations
Sure, there’s plenty of pressure on Barack Obama. But imagine being his wife.

11/25/08: Social work professor from Hingham helps couples cope with breast cancer
Hingham professor develops therapeutic program to help couples cope with breast cancer here and around the world.

11/18/08: Women find friendship at local gym
Women lose weight, gain friends at women-only gym.

11/11/08: 'MOMologues' show helps moms find the funny
Hear sympathetic and comedic tales of motherhood Friday night at Scituate High School.

11/4/08: Women and politics: We've come a long way
Voters could elect the first female vice president today.  Sure, Sarah Palin has attracted a ton of attention, but she’s only part of a growing group of women in American politics.

10/28/08: Headhunter helps mom find jobs
Mom Corps is a staffing agency that specializes in finding  flexible, family-friendly work settings for stay-at-home moms.

10/21/08: Filmmaker's documentary reveals strength that can arise from devastation
"Beyond Belief" is Beth Murphy's film about American and Afghani women who have lost their husbands to violence and hate.

10/14/08: All-women crew building Habitat house in Hingham
A 1,200-square foot home in Hingham is one of two female-driven Habitat projects  under way on the South Shore. Another house, in Kingston, is part of Habitat’s Women Build initiative, and is being erected by the Greater Plymouth Habitat for Humanity.

10/7/08: OCTOBER: The month to buy pink
Manufacturers and retailers are contributing a portion of their sales of designated products this month to organizations supporting breast cancer awareness, research and programs for women undergoing treatment.

9/30/08: Wardrobe wizards
When Catherine Dyroff of Duxbury shops for clothes, it’s in a basement – but not the sort you’d associate with discount prices and bins of sweaters, pants and tops.

9/23/08: Women feed their souls at annual retreat
The Haven for Healing Mind, Body & Soul Eighth Annual Retreat for Women at Camp Kiwanee in Hanson is designed as a one-day getaway where women can pamper themselves by attending a variety of wellness workshops.

9/16/08: The Emmy-nominated show 'Mad Men' maddens and fascinates women
 With philandering husbands and rampant workplace harassment, ‘Mad Men’ has today’s women examining how far they’ve come.

9/09/08: Writer reveals struggle with chronic illness
After spending the first two decades of her life enduring multiple hospitalizations but receiving no definitive answers, Edwards was finally diagnosed with several diseases, including primary ciliary dyskinesia, a rare, cystic fibrosis-like genetic respiratory disorder. But it was not until it came time to turn in an idea during a master's program at Emerson that she turned to a familiar topic - her life with chronic illness.

9/02/08: Norwell mother and executive dreams big and helps others reach their goals
Norwell mother and executive came to Massachusetts from Barbados and keeps alive the American dream for herself and for others.

8/26/08: Back-to-school shopping with a teenaged daughter can be a snap
Sydney Carey of Hingham started SOS – Shopping, Organizing, Service – several years ago to help women organize their closets, their wardrobes and their lives. When a client asked her to help out with her teenage daughter, Carey found herself busy with girls who wanted to shop for back-to-school clothes.

8/19/08: South Shore screenwriters looking for happy ending at Feel Good Film Fest
A screenplay written by two South Shore women  has been chosen as a finalist at the Feel Good Film Festival, a festival devoted to movies  that make a positive and uplifting contribution to the world. The festival takes place later this month in Hollywood.

8/12/08: Sex Talk: Certified sex therapist offers advice on Marshfield radio show
Dr. Julie A. Johnson is the South Shore’s own Dr. Ruth. Like the popular Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Johnson is a certified sex therapist who hosts a radio show, “Sexually Speaking,” on WATD-FM in Marshfield. She co-hosts the 30-minute show at 6:30 p.m. Sundays with Beth Kelley.


8/5/08: To serve, to protect and Women who answer the call
In Southeastern Massachusetts, women have taken on public safety roles, leading and protecting our communities, patrolling our streets and highways, responding to fire emergencies, managing our harbors and guarding inmates. But while women in such jobs have come a long way, there is still a ways to go, according to local experts.

7/29/08: Finding her focus
Women's rights filmmaker Liane Brandon, one of the first independent women filmmakers has been awarded grants from the Women's Film Preservation Fund to restore two films she made in 1971 and 1972, while a teacher at North Quincy High School.

7/22/08: Pack your manners when you go to the beach
A little etiquette goes a long way at the beach. Have fun, but don’t treat it like your private playground.

7/15/08: Abington artist explores women's roles with humor
Artist Candice Smith Corby expores women’s roles in an exhibit at Brandeis University and balances many roles in her own life.

7/8/08: Norwell gym is health haven for mothers
Mamas Move, a new fitness and wellness center in Norwell caters to new, expectant and veteran moms and their kids.

7/1/08: Work of quilter and illustrator meet at Duxbury Art Complex show
Joan Paley's children's book illustrations inspired her friend Alice Means to create a quilt and now the two are exhibiting some of their creations at the Duxbury Art Complex.

6/24/08: Sisters run a successful spa and still remain close
Karen and Tinamarie Lungari are not just business partners. They’re also sisters, which might explain why they don’t go more than an hour without talking to each other.

6/17/08: Scituate author Claire Cook spins a fresh tale of love and lipstick in latest novel ‘Summer Blowout’
Claire Cook publishes a new novel and fans find she is as fun to be around as it is to read about her characters.

6/10/08: Tour group caters to women who want to travel
Wacky Women Wanderers are a local travel group that inspires women to experience exciting destinations they might never see on their own.

6/3/08: Homeless children get academic help from volunteer tutors
Tutors help children in homeless shelters thanks to a program started by Easton resident Cheryl Opper.

5/27/08: Cosmos anyone? They put the 'X' in Sex
So high is the anticipation for Friday’s release of “Sex and the City” that one of Stephanie Atkinson’s friends sent out a formal e-vite to a group of gal pals to save the date.

5/20/08: Faithful female fans help fill Fenway game after game
Kathy Boluch’s conversations about the Red Sox with her mother and sister include discussions about the players’ facial hair and spitting habits.

5/13/08: Scholar says maternity leave benefits ‘not expanding’ or ‘worsening’
"They’re not expanding, and they’re worsening in some cases,'' said Linzy Brekke-Aloise, a women’s history professor at Stonehill College.

5/6/08: Though they’re fictional, TV’s moms reflect changing roles of motherhood
“I think times have changed. I don’t think that most people want to be June Cleaver anymore.”

4/29/08: Fundraiser fights breast cancer with desserts
When Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer takes place May 5-11, more than 160 restaurants and bakeries will sell a special dessert and donate all the proceeds to breast cancer research and trials at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

4/22/08: Women are chipping into the poker craze
In a game predominately played by men, an increasing number of women are ponying up to the tables with aces up their sleeves.

4/15/08: South Shore female motorcycle club lets the good times roll
The next time you see biker dudes rumbling down a South Shore highway, be sure to look twice. They may be biker dudettes.

4/08/08: Bridal gowns take another spin down the aisle
“I said, ‘What am I ever going to do with this dress that I spent all this money on?’ I figured when everyone had one I should have a party,” Goodman said.

4/01/08: Mount Kilimanjaro is the latest summit a Holbrook woman has conquered
“Beautiful, oh, beautiful,” said Lashley of Holbrook, about her view from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. “It was everything I hoped for and more.”

3/25/08: Salon owner offers the right TLC for those who’ve experienced the trauma of hair loss
“Most people really and truly want to look like themselves,” Wrixon, 66, said. “I have a really good friend with a beautiful blond wig and people are always saying to her, ‘I love your hair. Who colors your hair?"

3/18/08: Clubs offer stress-reducing support and fun for mothers
Today, with many mothers working full-time and fewer close-knit neighborhoods, women find mothers’ groups like Mom’s Coffee Break to be a new way to connect with each other.

3/11/08: Celebrate Women’s History month with a look at historic South Shore figures
"Remember the ladies,” wrote Abigail Adams in a famous letter to her husband, John, a delegate from Massachusetts to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

3/4/08: Casting call brings out aspiring models
Tiera and Tatiana practiced their runway walk regularly in preparation for an audition to be on the television show “America’s Next Top Model.”

2/26/08: Don’t just dump your stuff - Freecycle it
When Debra Betz wanted to get rid of the outdoor play set her children had outgrown, she turned to Freecycle.org - an online swap site where people exchange items for free.

2/19/08: Fashion food facials fitness and finances all under one roof at upcoming Expo
Life coach Susan McIntosh works with people - many of them entrepreneurial women - who aren’t satisfied with their work, yet need help figuring out what to do next and the steps necessary to get there.

2/12/08: Be your own Cupid this Valentine’s Day
They say misery loves company, so if you’re single on Valentine’s Day take solace knowing that there are 89 million other Americans just like you.

2/05/08: Radio host Jeanne White ‘promotes businesses and causes’ on WATD in Marshfield
“It’s inspirational to hear what people are doing, and Jeanne gives people this opportunity to be heard ... and give people that exposure and encouragement.”

1/29/08: Catch Shakespeare’s great heroines all on one stage
The show recreates the voices and styles of famous Shakespearean actresses in the roles of some his greatest women characters.

1/22/08: Killer hair color paints your whole world bright
You won’t find too many mothers-to-be in their hair stylist’s chair the day before they are scheduled to give birth.

1/15/08: Mom authors relate publishing a book to giving birth
Kathryn Mahoney says she “couldn’t stop grinning for about a month after delivery!”

1/8/08: Scituate native draws from real-life experiences in latest book
Many of us dream of quitting our jobs and selling our houses on a whim, maybe taking off to an exotic country in hopes of escaping the real world with its endless mortgage payments, work hassles and winter doldrums. Few of us, however, follow through on that dream.

12/18/07: Holiday fashions get fancy and bring sheer joy
Fashion is never so glamorous as during the holidays.

12/11/07: A generation of women find wheel camaraderie in roller derby
The fleet skater hits stride before she's flattened by an opponent's well-timed shoulder and elbow.

12/04/07: Being a soldier makes her a better teacher
When Elizabeth Burnham talks about her service in Iraq, she surprises most people with positive stories of rebuilding and goodwill.

11/27/07: Holiday helpers keep children busy elfing around
Lisa Huckemeyer wanted to give her children a unique holiday experience – something fun, interactive, and with a bit more wow-factor than an Advent calendar.

11/20/07: Strategies for surviving one of the most popular shopping days of the year – the day after Thanksgiving
It’s become tradition. Every Thanksgiving evening after the turkey is polished off and the plates are cleared, Cathy DiCecca sits down for tea and pumpkin pie with her oldest daughter Marissa, and the two women huddle over newspaper fliers as they make some very important decisions: Where will they start shopping when they hit the stores at 4 a.m. the next day, and what do they have to have?