Month: September 2025

WBZ

By Juli McDonald

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    FRANKLIN, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The grass sure is greener when you’ve got the cutest landscaping crew around. “Lambscaping” actually, and this hungry herd is on the job in Franklin, Massachusetts this week.

“I tell people when this is done, an area that was full of thorns and poison ivy, you’ll be able to walk through in your flip flops. And you don’t have to do anything! If it’s a normal area that a normal mower can fit, I’m probably not the cheapest. If it’s like this, rocks and terrain and just really ugly brush, then they do a great job,” said Russ Jennings of Lambscaping RI.

This fun fluffy idea was born during the pandemic – but not as a business. Russ who works in IT had more time at home, and figured he’d get a couple sheep to help maintain his own property.

“I’d always heard the White House used sheep to mow the lawn during the Great Depression. I had all the brush that everyone in New England does, poison ivy and the bittersweet. They would follow me and eat it. And then it was gone. After a while there was no more brush left to feed them!” he said.

He wondered if people would pay for this. The only problem: he drove a Prius! So, Russ found an agricultural hauler and worked the delivery fee into his pricing.

Exciting and successful business

“We spent the first year booked solid and it’s been busy ever since. In that time, I’ve been able to get a truck, a trailer, I’ve expanded. I started with two sheep and two goats. Now I have 10 sheep and five goats,” Jennings said.

Jobs range from a couple of days to a couple of weeks; Jennings sets up fencing, drops them off, then checks daily on their wellbeing and progress. It’s been exciting and successful – a lesson to anyone with an idea and some initiative.

“I’d been an IT guy my whole life,” Jennings said. “Sheep are about the farthest thing from an AI powered supercomputer and that’s what I was messing with. I like having animals. I do miss having horses growing up. I figured let’s just try it. Let’s get two sheep and see what happens!”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Juli McDonald

Click here for updates on this story

    FRANKLIN, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The grass sure is greener when you’ve got the cutest landscaping crew around. “Lambscaping” actually, and this hungry herd is on the job in Franklin, Massachusetts this week.

“I tell people when this is done, an area that was full of thorns and poison ivy, you’ll be able to walk through in your flip flops. And you don’t have to do anything! If it’s a normal area that a normal mower can fit, I’m probably not the cheapest. If it’s like this, rocks and terrain and just really ugly brush, then they do a great job,” said Russ Jennings of Lambscaping RI.

This fun fluffy idea was born during the pandemic – but not as a business. Russ who works in IT had more time at home, and figured he’d get a couple sheep to help maintain his own property.

“I’d always heard the White House used sheep to mow the lawn during the Great Depression. I had all the brush that everyone in New England does, poison ivy and the bittersweet. They would follow me and eat it. And then it was gone. After a while there was no more brush left to feed them!” he said.

He wondered if people would pay for this. The only problem: he drove a Prius! So, Russ found an agricultural hauler and worked the delivery fee into his pricing.

Exciting and successful business

“We spent the first year booked solid and it’s been busy ever since. In that time, I’ve been able to get a truck, a trailer, I’ve expanded. I started with two sheep and two goats. Now I have 10 sheep and five goats,” Jennings said.

Jobs range from a couple of days to a couple of weeks; Jennings sets up fencing, drops them off, then checks daily on their wellbeing and progress. It’s been exciting and successful – a lesson to anyone with an idea and some initiative.

“I’d been an IT guy my whole life,” Jennings said. “Sheep are about the farthest thing from an AI powered supercomputer and that’s what I was messing with. I like having animals. I do miss having horses growing up. I figured let’s just try it. Let’s get two sheep and see what happens!”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Nicky Zizaza

Click here for updates on this story

    SPARKS, Maryland (WJZ) — Maryland resident James Riordan assumed the mole on his cheek was harmless until his wife pointed it out and encouraged him to have it examined.

“I pointed it out to my dermatologist, and she probably would’ve seen it anyway,” Riordan said. A few days later, the biopsy came back as melanoma.”

Detecting melanoma

Dr. Kate Viola, a dermatologist at Dermatology Partners in Sparks, Maryland, said Riordan’s story is becoming increasingly common.

“About 100,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a melanoma this year, and over 8,400 of those patients will die,” Viola said.

She said people with a family history of melanoma, fair or light-colored skin, blonde or red hair, and blue or green eyes face a higher risk of developing the cancer. Patients with many moles or atypical moles, and those who are immunocompromised, are also more vulnerable.

Viola advises patients to use the “ABC” method to recognize a possible melanoma.

A is for asymmetry; when one side of a mole does not match the other B is for border; when the edges of a mole appear jagged or blurred C is for color; when a mole shows multiple shades instead of one

Catching cancer early

Riordan said he was shocked to hear the word melanoma because he has had moles all his life. His cancer was caught early, measuring just 0.3 millimeters.

“There was a little part of me that was scared,” Riordan said. “However, when she first called me and told me how deep it was, I knew we had caught it early.”

Although he initially put off the biopsy for a few months, Riordan said he immediately wanted it removed once he got the results.

“I wasn’t in a hurry to get it checked because I didn’t think it was going to be anything,” he said.

“But when I came in and got the results, I wanted it off as soon as possible,” Riordan added.

Now cancer-free, Riordan carries a small scar on his face, which he considers a reminder of a life-saving decision.

“I love that it’s gone,” he said. “It’s well worth getting rid of the cancer.”

Viola said annual skin checks and daily sunscreen use are critical to preventing melanoma.

She stressed that people should not wait if they notice something unusual.

“Don’t put it off,” she said. “If something looks off, get it checked.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.