Andover MA News

08/26/2026

📬🏛️ **This Day in Andover History: Aug. 26, 1990**

On this day in 1990, a branch of the **Andover Post Office opened in Old Town Hall**, bringing postal service back to a building that had housed the post office more than a century earlier.

Andover's post office originally operated in the Town House—today's Old Town Hall—from **1859 to 1897**. After several moves over the following decades, the main postal operation eventually relocated to Stevens Street in 1989.

The opening of the Old Town Hall branch the following year brought the post office full circle, returning postal service to one of downtown Andover's most recognizable landmarks.

It's another example of how the uses of Andover's historic buildings have changed over the generations—even as the buildings themselves remain familiar parts of the community.

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08/26/2026

An Andover firefighter and paramedic is facing assault and child endangerment charges in New Hampshire involving a 3-month-old baby.

Adam Cole, 33, of Londonderry, turned himself in after police obtained a warrant for his arrest. The investigation began after authorities were notified that the baby had been taken to a hospital.

It was not immediately clear whether Cole remains on active duty with Andover Fire Rescue.

Read more on Andover News.

An Andover firefighter and paramedic is facing assault and child endangerment charges in New Hampshire involving a 3-month-old baby.

08/26/2026

A Boston man has been indicted on manslaughter and drunken boating charges in the May crash that killed 24-year-old Andover resident Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert.

Prosecutors allege Lawrence Shieh had been drinking before taking Dankert and two friends out on a boat he did not own, then crashed into a Logan Airport pier while traveling about 36 mph.

Dankert, a Central Catholic graduate and former Union College soccer player, was killed. Her two friends were seriously injured.

Read more on Andover News.

A Boston man has been indicted on manslaughter and drunken boating charges in the May boat crash that killed 24-year-old Andover resident Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert.

08/26/2026

🚨 PUBLIC SAFETY NOTEBOOK: Three dirt bike riders allegedly fled an attempted traffic stop Tuesday night, with police reporting red-light violations, illegal passing and speeding as they headed into Lawrence.

Also Tuesday: A woman said a man she met online followed her home and blocked her car in her driveway, a separate road-rage incident ended with another driver following a woman home, an e-bike and vehicle collided on River Road, and responders dealt with a car that somehow ended up perched on a tree stump.

Read the latest Andover Public Safety Notebook on Andover News.

Dirt bike riders fleeing police, two separate reports of drivers being followed home, an e-bike crash and a car left perched atop a tree stump highlight Tuesday’s Andover Public Safety Notebook.

08/25/2026

🚧 Big changes are getting closer for Elm Square.

Andover's downtown intersection redesign is now out to bid, and construction could begin as soon as this fall. The project includes longer pedestrian crossing times, a diagonal crosswalk, redesigned turns and other safety improvements — but town officials warn the work will be disruptive.

Read more on Andover News.

Andover’s long-planned Elm Square redesign is out to bid, with construction potentially beginning this fall and major pedestrian safety changes coming to the downtown intersection.

08/25/2026

A 21-year-old man accused of causing the fiery North Reading crash that killed an Andover father and his 8-year-old daughter was ordered held on $250,000 bail Monday.

Prosecutors say Matthew Sweeney was driving about 100 mph before the crash, while his attorney raised concerns about Sweeney's mental health and competency. He has been sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for further evaluation and is due back in court Sept. 11.

We've updated the story on Andover News with what emerged at Monday's arraignment:

The 21-year-old driver accused of causing the North Reading crash that killed an Andover father and his 8-year-old daughter was ordered held on $250,000 bail and sent for further psychiatric evalua…

08/25/2026

🚨 PUBLIC SAFETY NOTEBOOK: An Andover police officer witnessed a motorcycle crash Monday that injured the rider and led to criminal charges related to the motorcycle’s registration, insurance and the operator’s license status.

Also Monday: A 6-year-old was injured when a dirt bike reportedly crashed into a tractor, a domestic disturbance ended in an arrest, a Good Samaritan stopped to help an elderly woman walking along Route 28, and a lost iPhone led police to a Chandler Road home.

Read the latest Andover Public Safety Notebook on Andover News.

A motorcycle crash that led to criminal charges, a 6-year-old injured in a dirt bike accident and a domestic disturbance that ended in an arrest highlight Monday’s Andover Public Safety Notebook.

08/24/2026

🚔 **Andover Police Log: Aug. 11–23, 2026**

A raccoon trapped inside a home, two people mistaken for carrying a machete while walking to work, a woman in a swimsuit found lying on a River Road lawn, and a vehicle reportedly left running for several days were among the more unusual calls handled by Andover police.

The two-week log also included several OUI arrests.

Read the full police log, including arrests and daily highlights, at Andover News.

See the calls that kept Andover police busy over the past week.

08/24/2026

🩷⛳ Look out below: 1,000 pink golf balls will be dropped from a helicopter over Sarkisian Farms on Sept. 13.

The third Pink Golf Ball Drop will benefit the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Fund, which has awarded nearly $800,000 in scholarships to 147 future teachers and leaders since 2014.

Golf balls are $20 each or three for $50, with a $5,000 cash prize going to the winner.

Details at Andover News.

The third Pink Golf Ball Drop will send 1,000 golf balls from a helicopter over Sarkisian Farms on Sept. 13 to benefit the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Fund.

08/24/2026

**This Day in Andover History: Aug. 24, 1842**

On this day in 1842, **Peter D. Smith** was born in Andover. He would go on to become a Civil War veteran, veterans advocate and member of the Andover Board of Selectmen.

Smith enlisted in the Union Army at age 18 and served with the **1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery**, eventually rising to second lieutenant. He was seriously wounded during the fighting at Spotsylvania in May 1864, losing two fingers, and was later discharged because of his injuries.

After returning home, Smith devoted much of his life to fellow veterans. He was active in the Grand Army of the Republic, served for 12 years as president of the trustees of the Soldiers' Home in Chelsea and later served on Andover's Board of Selectmen from 1890 to 1893.

His story is another reminder of the Andover residents whose lives were shaped by the Civil War—and who returned home to serve their community.

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