Tewksbury residents learned over the weekend that it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Hurricane Irene churned up the East coast on Sunday, bringing with her heavy rain and tropical storm-strength winds. An estimated 22 people died in the storm, and Irene cause substantial flooding in Vermont, as well as an estimated $7 billion in damages, according to an L.A. Times article. For Tewksbury residents, the effects were much less severe. Many residents who shared their thoughts felt that Irene didn't pack the punch they had initially thought she might. Irene felled trees across …

School is fast approaching. All Tewksbury schools open August 30, just 12 days away, if you happen to be counting. This means several things; summer is drawing to a close, the free time of adolescents will be greatly diminished in less than two weeks, and the free time of parents (the stay-at-home variety) will possibly increase. Most children dread the end of summer vacation and the start of another school year. A few Tewksbury mothers, however, said their children were excited to see all their friends again and settle into the structured schedule of school. Whatever the emotions may be, the…

The roller coaster nature of the stock market is no secret. On Thursday the U.S stock market fell about 6.5 percent, enough to be called a "panic," this according to dailymarkets.com. Forced selling by hedge funds and "panicky selling by people who watch too much TV during the day" were to blame for the drop, according to the site. The good news is that on Friday the Dow rebounded to close with a gain of 125 points. Regardless of the week ending on a gain, people have been paying attention to market fluctuations, specifically pertaining to how they affect 401Ks and retirement plans. Tewksbury…

As most of us are aware, tonight's Stanley Cup Final Game 6  is a must-win for the Bruins, with Vancouver holding a 3-2 series lead over Boston. Tewksbury residents, however, remain loyal Boston fans, giving predictions on tonight's game, and even going as far as to predict the outcome for Game 7.

As was reported by many news organizations across the nation, Osama Bin Laden is dead. The leader of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs during a nighttime raid of Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, a Pakistani army city north of the capital Islamabad, according to the Los Angeles Times. Bin Laden had been in hiding for almost ten years because of  Al Qaeda's role in the September 2011 terror attacks. Patch spoke with residents attending the Town Meeting to see how the news of the terrorist leader's death had affected them.

Gas prices continue to climb. Throughout Tewksbury and surrounding towns, it's not uncommon to see gas prices now above $3.75 per gallon. Summer usually means a spike in fuel costs because of increased travel. Because of this, Patch spoke with customers of Petroil on Main Street to see how far they think prices may climb and how it may affect them. Even though opinions varied about lifestyle or travel plan changes, most residents saw gas easily rising above $4.50 per gallon by the summer.

Excitement in the Boston area is reaching a fever pitch for the Red Sox 2011 baseball season to be underway. With the Red Sox's recent acquisitions of free agent Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez through trades, Red Sox fans have high hopes for the team this year. Analysts predict the Red Sox to do well this year as well. In a recent poll, 33 out of 45 ESPN staff members selected the Red Sox as the favored 2011 World Series victors. Fans no longer have to wait. The Red Sox open the regular season on April 1 at 4:05 p.m against the Texas Rangers with Jon Lester on the mound. Patch polled …

The multi-state lottery MegaMillions jackpot is reaching a staggering number, estimated now at $312 million. A $312 million windfall is enough to not only spend the rest of your life in the Caribbean, but to buy a chain of the islands for yourself. Whatever you choose to do with the money, it is enough to keep one (or many) people happy for a very long time. Patch caught up with residents outside of Galloway's Grocerette to see what they would do if they won MegaMillions.

Tewksbury is in the crosshairs of yet another in a seemingly endless series of January snow storms. The northeast is also feeling its most potent cold spell of the winter, with daytime temperatures staying in single digits and teens, and night temperatures dropping to well below zero. Given these variables, and the quirkiness of New England weather, Tewksbury Patch spoke with residents to get their opinions on the snow and the coldest part of the year.