Home Care In West Boylston, MA

If the website for Chill6 is to be believed, the powdered drink supplement that comes in flavors like pink lemonade can cure pretty much anything you throw at it — from anxiety to post-traumatic stress disorder to even alcoholism. But the feds say these claims are untested and want the product gone.

“Within minutes of taking this, I felt an unusual calm overcome me. I didn’t feel spaced out, jittery or any other random, unwanted side effect. I just felt, well, peaceful,” raved Tammy G., a verified buyer, in the testimonials page. “I can’t recommend this product highly enough.”

The product is sold by West Boylston’s own Daniel Marold, and as of Thursday afternoon, all five of its flavors were listed as “Sold Out.”

That could be because of the fans like Tammy, or it could be because the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office has filed a complaint for a permanent injunction to stop Marold “from distributing a product the government contends to be an unapproved new drug and an adulterated food under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”

The drug of concern is Phenibut, which the Chill6 website describes as having “been used safely in Russia for over 50 years … safely treating hundreds of thousands of people for a variety of disorders, including; anxiety, insomnia, mental stress, alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

While Chill6 claims it “uses the smallest, effective dose to provide anxiety relief,” the feds contend that the research is out on whether any dose is safe.

According to the complaint, the Food and Drug Administration conducted a search of available literature and couldn’t find evidence demonstrating that Chill6 is “generally recognized as safe and effective” “for any use.”

A Russian scientist-authored 2001 paper published in CNS Drug Reviews describes Phenibut as “a tranquilizer and nootropic drug” that “was discovered and introduced into clinical practice in Russia in the 1960s.”

Author Izyaslav Lapin of Bekhterev’s Psychoneurological Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, states that the drug acts as a GABA-mimetic — which means it mimics Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, according to the Cleveland Clinic, lessening “a nerve cell’s ability to receive, create or send messages to other nerve cells” — and also stimulates dopamine receptors in the brain.

This effect has made it “widely used in Russia” to relieve the same types of disorders Chill6 claims to be able to relieve.

The compound is readily available on other nootropics- or supplement-oriented websites, from NootropicsDepot.com to LifeMode.com, but both of those sites don’t make the same claims as Chill6’s website. LiftMode, for example, states that “Phenibut is a chemical compound that is not approved for food, drug, or veterinary uses by any US regulatory agency.”

The FDA sent Marold a warning letter in July of last year telling him that “failure to correct these violations could lead to regulatory action, including seizure and/or injunction.” It was a tactic Marold didn’t respond well to.

“Never, ever write me a letter telling me what to do! Are you even serious!” he is quoted in the complaint as responding to the agency in an email. “This isn’t even a dietary supplement and nowhere on the site does it claim that … Never, ever waste tax payer [sic] money sending such nonsense or I’ll have you removed! … If you ever get tyrannical with me, I’ll use my second amendment rights.”

The Herald was unable to reach Marold Thursday. There was no attorney listed for Marold in the filings by Thursday evening.

Pickleball, a racket sport played on a scaled-down tennis court with a plastic ball and paddles, has been the subject of much media attention and growing popularity. Soon, Central Massachusetts will have its own indoor pickleball venue in West Boylston.

Wachusett Plaza at 184 West Boylston St. will be home to Rt.12 Pickle by the fourth quarter of this year, according to a Monday press release from Worcester real estate firm Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates.

The lease for the 30,000-square-foot anchor space makes the plaza 100% leased, according to the real estate firm, the result of a four-year push to fill the plaza which was decimated by a loss of tenants in 2019.

In 2019, the 102,000-square-foot plaza lost tenants Salter College, which closed, and The Peterson School which moved to a Worcester location. The two had been leasing 50,000 square feet of space. Other tenants left during COVID, leaving the plaza about 60% vacant, at its worst.

The plaza’s rebound was due in large part to creativity, said Kelleher & Sadowsky Vice President Thomas Bodden. The plaza is now home to offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Central Massachusetts Safety Council.

[Related: Brokers and property owners use innovative thinking in seeking to keep plazas full]

Three Rivers Nursery School occupies a space in the plaza Bodden said would be difficult to lease for retail because it offers no frontage, but it was desirable for a daycare because the business doesn’t want the kids to be right on the busy parking lot.

The other tenants at the site include restaurants, Froze Zone, which was recently named best ice cream in Central Massachusetts by readers of the Telegram & Gazette, and fitness center Planet Fitness.

Pickleball facilities are strong candidates for retail spaces because they don’t require a lot of buildout, and the number of courts are variable according to how much space is available, as opposed to chain retailers who may have specific requirements for square footage, Bodden said.

The difficult part of finding a space for pickleball is finding a location with high enough ceilings as well as an open space with no support columns, common in retail sites, said Rt. 12 Pickle Founder Ben Minsk.

Rt. 12 Pickle will have eight courts, with a championship court at the center for tournaments. The location will offer drop-in play and court rental. The facility will offer beer, wine, and snacks, but no kitchen as Minsk wants to complement rather than compete with neighboring restaurants in the plaza.

Minsk retired from a career in sales and took up pickleball about a year and a half ago.

“It’s a fun, social sport, easy to pick up and play,” said Minsk,” and you don’t have to be a super athlete to be good at it.”

He saw a strong potential market in the Worcester area, with 2,000 Worcester County Facebook users a part of pickleball groups on the site. He hopes the area’s roughly 8,000 college students will want to play, plans to offer college discounts, and stage college nights.

The plans for the business will continue to develop as Minsk builds out the site in anticipation of a November or December opening. He intends to hire a director of pickleball operations to help with the particulars of how the location will run.

The brokerage team of Principal Will Kelleher, and Vice Presidents Tom Bodden, and Mark Johns Kelleher & Sadowsky represented the landlord Surabian Realty Co. of West Boylston in the Rt. 12 Pickle transaction, and Associate Joe Laursen and Will Kelleher represented Rt. 12 Pickle.

The Division 8 MIAA Super Bowl will be played on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.

Read on for a preview and prediction of the game.

Here’s a look at the full schedule.

WEST BOYLSTON (12-0) vs. CARVER (11-1)

When: Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.

Where: Gillette Stadium

How to stream: Patriots.com; YouTube.com/@Patriots; Nfhsnetwork.com

Coaches: West Boylston — Michael Ross (9th season, 82-16; career 188-70). Carver — Ben Shuffain (2nd season, 14-9)

Scoring: West Boylston — 44.4 ppg.; Carver — 41.7

Defense: West Boylston — 9.5; Carver — 14.7

The heavies up front: West Boylston — Jake O’Brien (5 feet, 9 inches, 210 pounds); Carver — Nathan Dirado (6-2, 220)

Stat check: West Boylston senior Connor Muldoon has rushed for 1,050 yards and 20 touchdowns on 66 carries for the Lions, who like to ground-and-pound opponents in their double wing-T offense. Seniors Jamie McNamara (16 rushing TDs, 800 yards), Jackson Caramancia (11 TDs, 500 yards), and John Ruas (10 TDs, 450 yards) provide West Boylston with three additional end zone threats. Senior linebacker Brian Smith anchors the defense with a team-best 65 tackles. Carver’s high-flying offense runs through the right arm of senior quarterback Tyler Lennox (149-of-208, 2,711 yards, 37 TDs, 4 INTs; 5 rushing TD). His favorite targets: seniors Robbie Peterson (51 catches, 925 yards, 18 TDs) and Derek Lopes (28-765-8 TD). On the ground, seniors Pat Attaya (56 carries, 600 yards, 9 TDs) and Jameson Helms (65-471-9 TD; 4 TD catches) lead the way.. Defensively, Helms (90 tackles), senior linebacker Tyler Swain (89 tackles), and Peterson (5 interceptions) are the leaders.

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The captains: West Boylston — OL/LB Brian Smith (Sr.), QB/LB Luke Foley (Sr.), OL/DL Jake O’Brien (Sr.), FB/DE Jamie McNamara (Sr.); Carver — QB Tyler Lennox (Sr.), WR/DB Robbie Peterson (Sr.), RB/LB Jameson Helms (Sr.), OL/DL James Callahan (Sr.), WR/DL Jack Balzarini (Jr.).

Seniors on roster: West Boylston — 13; Carver — 16

Last Super Bowl appearance: West Boylston — 2022 (Division 7); Carver — 2000 (EMass Division 4)

Riding a 13-game win streak that began with a 29-6 victory over St. Bernard’s in last year’s Division 7 Super Bowl — the program’s first state title since 2012 —West Boylston won’t stray too far from its identity against Carver, which is playing in its first state final in 23 years. The Lions pride themselves on being physical, and they welcome the opportunity for a game decided at the line of scrimmage. “The line put a lot of work in in the weight room during the offseason,” Carver coach Ben Shuffain said. “Without them, we’re a 2-8 team at best. It’s more than the quarterback and the skilled guys — it’s the whole program.”

Although West Boylston has scored at least 40 points in all but two games — including 50 or more in five contests, like the 50-20 win over Maynard on Thanksgiving — it hasn’t faced a team that has the high-scoring offense and stout defense that Carver boasts. Until somebody slows down Carver’s passing game, it’s hard to pick against the Crusaders.

Carver 43, West Boylston 38

When the last licks were done in the Telegram & Gazette’s search for Best Ice Cream Stand in Central Massachusetts, West Boylston’s Froze Zone was the clear choice of taste-testing readers.

After more than 135,000 votes and countless spoonfuls, the heated, frozen-treat competition saw Froze Zone coast past Trombetta’s Farm of Marlborough, the other finalist.

Owned and operated by the 29-year-old gelatician Anthony Surabian, the 6-year-old Froze Zone scooped it out against a strong lineup of tasty destinations throughout the region, with readers having the final say.

Froze Zone topped Trombetta's with 58% of the 135,034 total votes. The count was 78,793 to 56,241.

The bracket-style contest began with 16 stands and included four knockout rounds, with Froze Zone and Trombetta's squaring off for weeklong voting that ended at 6 a.m. Monday.

Trombetta's is a 45-year-old family business started by Charles Paul Trombetta Sr. and carried on by his three children, Charles Paul Trombetta Jr., Anthony Trombetta and Laura Barsamian.

Monday, Surabian said he feels his customers made the difference.

“I have customers that absolutely love my product, appreciate what myself, my wife and my team do,” Surabian said. “I’ve had so many come in and saying, ‘We’re rooting for you.’ I think that’s what made the difference.”

The search for the best stand in the region was a spirited one. Some readers offered a chilly reception to Froze Zone being listed as a contestant, citing its specialty of gelato and other non-traditonal ice cream offerings. We gave it a spot because of its standing as a destination for a summer treat.

“Gelato is a form of ice cream," Surabian said. "The only difference is butter fat levels are lower, which makes it healthier.

"To me, it’s just ice cream, just better. It’s creamier and stronger in flavor.”

Surabian said one the key factors that helped establish his name recognition and build a loyal fanbase was opening a stand at the Worcester Public Market.

“It gave me a lot of foot traffic of people trying my product because it’s people from all over Worcester, especially in the beginning, especially on the weekends, go in there,” Surabian said.

For those wondering what victory tastes like, Surabian - who was getting together frozen treats for a wedding he was catering Monday - said he might whip up a special gelato in recognition of being named the Best Ice Cream Stand in Central Massachusetts.

Surabian woke at 7 a.m. Monday to a barrage of congratulatory text messages.

“For everyone who voted for me, I appreciate taking the effort in doing that,” Surabian said. “And anyone who voted against me or never tried it, I hope this gives them a reason to stop in the store and see what we’re talking about.”

And Surabian had nothing but nice words for the competition’s runner-up, Trombetta's Farm.

“Any shop, especially who makes its own ice cream, I know how hard it is to make it and keeping up with making it,” Surabian said. “And I know Trombetta's Farm is a great ice cream shop that a lot of people love.”

FOXBORO — Utilizing a dynamic rushing attack, West Boylston was able to emerge victorious over Carver, 41-7, to win the Division 8 state championship.

This was the second straight state title for the Lions, as the team took home the Division 7 championship in 2022.The offense produced 413 total yards, with 359 coming on the ground. The defense limited Carver to just 122 yards.

“Our goal was to get pressure on that quarterback,” Lions coach Mike Ross said. “We got a lot of pressure and made him uncomfortable. On offense, we’re tough, we wanted to keep them off the field and grind the ball and that’s what we did.”

The Lions started with the ball, but Carver was able to force a quick punt. After this, the Crusaders marched down the field and took a 7-0 lead via a pass connection from Tyler Lennox and Robert Peterson.

The Crusaders forced a fumble on the ensuing drive and looked poised to extend the lead. Instead, a great defensive stand followed, with a sack from Jake O’Brien providing a huge momentum swing towards the Lions.

“They scored and it didn’t scare us at all,” O’Brien said. “We knew our defense was stellar all year and we knew if we stopped them right there, they weren’t going to score again.”

This is when the rushing attack really began as the Lions marched methodically down the field and got on the board at the start of the second quarter via an eight-yard run from quarterback Luke Foley.

Carver would be forced to punt on the next drive and the Lions made them pay once again. West Boylston utilized a drive that exceeded eight minutes and capped it off with a Connor Muldoon touchdown. This would take the game to halftime with a score of 12-7.

Carver would have possession to open the second half but the Lions’ defense once again stood strong. Another scoring drive would follow, this one capped off by a Jackson Caramanica touchdown.

The Crusaders would punt once again on the next drive and the Lions elected to pass shortly into the next possession. It worked, as Foley connected with Muldoon for a 54-yard touchdown.

Jonathan Ruas would also get in the end zone before Muldoon capped off the scoring with his third touchdown of the day, which went along with his 116 yards of total offense.

“I was just running hard,” Muldoon said. “I was hitting all of the gaps that I wanted. Everyone was doing their job.”

As the clock hit zero and the Lions rejoiced, Muldoon said that a sense of accomplishment for finishing the job was the team’s main point of pride.

“This has been the goal all season,” Muldoon said. “We came out and we did exactly that. We hit our goal.”