The weather outside may be dark and stormy but the weather inside the state house is darker. The Department of Local Services has released its cuts to the FY2009 lottery aid to towns. FY2009 is the current year which started July 1, 2008 and runs through June 30, 32009. Middleborough is slated for a $299,014 reduction in lottery aid from numbers which were budgeted at town meeting last spring. The statewide reductions can be found on the DLS website. The announcement with a link to the aid reductions can be read here. (MiddleboroughNews.com, January 28, 2009)