DUDLEY - Thomas G. Stemberg told Nichols College graduates yesterday that even as he hammered nails and stocked shelves to open the first Staples store in 1986, he dreamed about the success of the store.

WORCESTER - Letter carriers were carrying a significantly heavier load than normal yesterday as they collected donated food from households throughout the region and across the country in the 16th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

FITCHBURG - Lawrence G. Bell remembers the last time he saw his father alive.

LEICESTER - A man who claimed he was robbed at gunpoint and stripped of his clothing at the intersection of Stafford and streets April 23 will be charged with filing a false report.

WORCESTER - What could have been a violent confrontation between police and a man armed with a shotgun ended peacefully Friday night when the man gave up the weapon and was taken to a local hospital for observation, officials said yesterday.