An 18-year-old man drowned last night in the Sudbury Reservior in Framingham, New England Cable News is reporting.

The man was not breathing when rescue divers pulled him from the water around 8:00 Wednesday night. Officials said that the man's friends had lost track of him about three hours earlier.

GLOBE WEST VIDEO

Christine King's old high school flame, Dave, treated her to a Kanye West concert last week, even though the 28-year-old from Franklin hasn't seen him - or admittedly even thought about him much - for years.

More precisely, it was a 14-karat gold chain he bought her that funded her trip to the Tweeter Center. The necklace had been forgotten since their breakup a decade ago, King said, until the other evening, when she was sitting around lamenting her lack of discretionary income. Then she saw a television news report about the sky-high price of gold, and her relationship with the necklace suddenly had a much happier ending.

With the price of gold near historic highs, more and more suburbanites are selling their old, unwanted jewelry for cash to buy groceries, gas, or just to use as fun money.

The video above was filed by Globe West web producer Ralph Ranalli, who also wrote a recent story about the trend.

-- Ralph Ranalli

Fairfield Residential LLC, a development national company with an office in Framingham, has informed the town of Wrentham that it is no planning to build a 200-unit apartment complex on South Street.

Town officials had expressed concerns about the project, saying it would burden the town by adding children to the school system and creating additional traffic. But since 50 of the apartments were affordable, the developers would have been exempt from some local zoning restrictions under the state's Chapter 40B law.

Chapter 40B allows developers of affordable housing to bypass certain local zoning restrictions in communities that fall short of the state threshold for affordable units. Wrentham is about 180 housing units short of the threshold.

-- Calvin Hennick

Patty and Joel Osborne, photographed with a grave they adopted at St. George's Cemetery, are concerned that a 100-foot cell tower planned for the woods nearby could disturb unkept or unmarked graves in the proposed site.
(Globe staff photo by Wiqan Ang)

FRAMINGHAM

In what is now the oldest, most overgrown corner of St. George Cemetery, Anne Collins buried her 6-month-old son in 1861, and a few months later, her 26-year-old husband. Nearby, in a shady spot now nearly hidden by trees, Patrick Murphy bid farewell to his wife, Bridget, in 1884 with a simple stone carrying a straightforward message: "May her soul rest in peace. Amen."

But that rest may no longer be so peaceful. The cellular giant T-Mobile is seeking to build a soaring 100-foot-tall cellphone tower in a wooded patch at the edge of the graveyard. The Archdiocese of Boston, which owns the cemetery, has approved the plan and agreed to lease the spot to the company.

The proposal - which still must be approved by Framingham's Zoning Board of Appeals - has enraged the Cherry Street Neighborhood Association, a band of several dozen self-appointed guardians who say that installing the planned tower and a surrounding 8-foot-tall fence violates the memories of people buried nearby.

"This is a sacred place," said Margaret Sleczkowski, who has been living in a cottage next to the cemetery for 38 years. Her eyes welled up with angry tears when she talked about the prospect of maintenance trucks driving past the hundreds of old gravestones on the property's only access road to the woods.

Sleczkowski said the cemetery's dead "depend on us to protect them."

The Boston Archdiocese maintains that the proposed tower is disrespectful neither to the dead nor to the living trying to pay their respects.

"We would never do anything to desecrate a cemetery," said Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for the archdiocese. "We are responsible for the perpetual care of the loved ones who are in our cemeteries. Under no circumstances would we tolerate, nor would we act in a way that would break that bond of commitment that we have."

Read more about the controversy over the proposed cemetery cell tower in the online edition of today's City & Region section.

-- Erica Noonan and Manny Veiga

Firefighters battle a blaze at the Jefferson Village apartments in Framingham earlier today.
(Globe staff photo by Suzanne Kreiter)

FRAMINGHAM

Thick, inky smoke flooding the hallways of a Framingham apartment building forced firefighters to pluck residents off balconies with ladder trucks and sent six people to the hospital during a three-alarm fire this afternoon, public safety officials said.

Three residents of the Jefferson Village apartments and three firefighters were transported to local hospitals, but none of their injuries were considered serious, Framingham police Lt. Paul Shastany said. A fourth firefighter was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but returned to duty.

Shastany said, the intense smoke caused a "nightmare" scenario for firefighters by making it tough to find the source of the blaze and slowing efforts to evacuate residents, many of them elderly.

"I have never seen a fire scene in my 32 years where they (firefighters) used up so many air packs," he said. The firefighters who were injured had used up their air."

The first police and firefighters arriving at the scene just after noon were beaten back by the intense smoke from the fire, which is believed to have started on the second floor of the five-story brick building. Two residents were taken off balconies by ladder trucks because officials feared they would be overcome by the smoke if they tried to use the interior hallways and stairwells, Shastany said.

Officials cut power to all 72 units in the building, which is located just off of Route 9, and said residents would have to find another place to stay for at least a few days. Bala Sundaram, a 38-year-old software engineer who lives on the second floor, said his wife Suba and two-year-old daughter Adithya were home when someone pounded on the door and yelled for them to get out.

"We're all OK," he said. "They say we won't be able to get back in for two or three days. We'll go to my friend's house first, then probably to a hotel."

A woman who identified herself only as Jeanette said police removed her 80-old-mother from her first floor apartment by stretcher as firefighters fought the blaze above.

"She's really shaken up," the woman said as she loaded her mother's aluminum walker into the back of an SUV. "Until I can get her back in, she'll stay with me ... for a little tea and sympathy."

-- Ralph Ranalli

Searchers are looking this morning for the body of a man who fell into the Sudbury River in Framingham after a minor car accident last night on a Massachusetts Turnpike bridge over the river, state police said.

A man drove his 2000 Honda Accord into the guardrail on the westbound side of the road at about 8:05. State police have determined that the man accidentally fell into the river after the crash, said spokesman Sergeant Robert Bousquet.

State police and local fire and police departments searched until just before midnight last night. The search resumed at about 8 this morning, Bousquet said.

-- Globe Staff

FRAMINGHAM

The Town's department of Community and Economic Development is sponsoring a public talk this Thursday about the infrastructure improvement plan for downtown which seeks to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

To accomodate everyone who wishes to attend, officials will hold the talk twice, once from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Blumer Community Room of Memorial Hall at 150 Concord Street, and again from 7 to 9 p.m. at the TD Banknorth building located at 74 Concord Street.

Anyone interested in learning more is urged to call 508-532-5455.

-- Tanya Perez-Brennan

FRAMINGHAM

While officials are counting on the Arcade at Downtown Framingham, a nearly $60 million mixed-use project, to revitalize the town's commercial core, some worry that the project will help push out immigrant businesses.

After nearly three years of negotiations with developers, community leaders are touting the Arcade project, which includes renovation of historic buildings, a new garage, and an apartment complex, as the cornerstone of downtown revitalization, Globe West correspondent Tanya Perez-Brennan reports in today's Globe West.

"I think it's huge," said John Steacie, chairman of Framingham Downtown Renaissance, a coalition of community groups. "It would bring people into the downtown [who] have discretionary income. They'd be willing to spend, so that's a big economic boom."

The project would include 290 one- or two-bedroom apartments, a six-story, 563-space parking garage, and 50,000 square feet of new commercial space. Michael Gatlin, an attorney for developer Framingham Acquisition LLC, said officials are "pretty optimistic" construction could start as soon as early winter and be completed within 2 1/2 years.

Developers are building multimillion-dollar projects in downtowns across New England, including in area communities such as Lincoln, Franklin, and Westborough. But what's happening in Framingham is an early example of a new gentrification trend, one that pushes out immigrant-owned businesses, according to Jonathan Leit, who wrote his master's thesis on the Arcade project for the urban studies and planning department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After the project's completion, commercial rents could double to $18 to $20 per square foot, which has some existing merchants feeling uneasy, and some, including Brazilian business owners, fearing they could be displaced.

Vera Dias-Freitas, an advocate for the Brazilian community and owner of a jewelry store in the existing Arcade building, one of four Concord Street buildings included in the larger project, said the concerns of local businesses are not being taken into account.

Read more about the benefits and pitfalls of Framingham's downtown revitalization in today's Globe West.

FRAMINGHAM

The second public hearing on the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's recent vote to approve toll increases at both the Weston and Allston-Brighton toll plazas by 25 cents each for 2008 will be held on Monday.

Globe West reported earlier this month that western commuters who use the pike will end up paying more than nine times as much in gas taxes and tolls -- the state's two user fees for drivers -- as commuters on the South Shore or in the northwest suburbs if the Turnpike Authority Board gives final approval to the hikes.

A Framingham driver commuting 220 days to Boston now pays a little over $800 in tolls. The increase would bring that annual cost to over $1,000, according to Turnpike board member Mary Z. Connaughton.

This is the last public hearing before the Turnpike board makes its final vote on Oct. 29.

The hearing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Nevins Hall at the Memorial Building at 150 Concord St.

-- Tanya Perez-Brennan

Once a mechanic, Brian Smith of Framingham now works as an auto appraiser.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)

REGION

After surgeons installed two mechanical valves to repair his congenital heart defect, Brian Smith knew he had seen the end of his grease-monkey days. Heavy lifting was out of the question, and he had to avoid sharp objects because his new blood-thinning medication made cuts potentially disastrous.

Unable to work at his former job as a mechanic at a Framingham car dealership, Smith went on Social Security for a few years. By 2002, he had recovered and, no longer qualifying for public assistance, was told to get a job, Globe West correspondent John Dyer reports today.

"They were telling me I could go back to work, but they all agreed I couldn't do what I used to do," said the 49-year-old Bellingham resident. "They were thinking about me selling movie tickets. But I have two kids. I wasn't going to go back to a job for minimum wage."

After a four-year job search, his first in decades, Smith received training in a state program and landed a position as an automobile appraiser for a Mendon company. Now he's a proud earner.

Smith's happy ending is the exception, not the rule. Across the state, disabled people and their advocates say that while progress is being made in putting the disabled onto payrolls, most are still unemployed.

The gap between disabled people and the help they need leaves a hole in the region's economy, in the form of an untapped workforce, they say. Although the Massachusetts unemployment rate is hovering between 4 and 5 percent overall, around 70 percent of the state's approximately 550,000 disabled residents older than 18 don't work, said Charles Carr, commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, the agency that helped retrain Smith.

Read more about how the disabled are being retrained to work in the online edition of today's Globe West.

FRAMINGHAM

A graffiti artist accused of spray-painting on several buildings has appeared in court after being scooped up - blue-handed - by police.

Witnesses called police Monday after seeing a man spray-painting an anti-Ku Klux Klan message on the side of the Standard Electric building, the Associated Press is reporting.

"When the officers confronted him, his hands were blue," said Lt. Paul Shastany, a police spokesman. "He claimed he was an artist and it was just like an addiction, spray painting."

Josh Kirby, 31, of Framingham, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to five counts of malicious mischief causing more than $250 worth of damage. Police said they found similar graffiti on a restaurant, pizza shop and food market in the town.

-- AP

FRAMINGHAM

A baby took a frightening fall out of the window of her parents' apartment yesterday, but survived with relatively minor injuries.

The baby's mother was dressing in the bathroom with her 4-year-old daughter when she noticed that her toddler had fallen out of a window, WHDH-TV/Channel 7 reported on its web site. The 14-month-old girl apparently pushed on the window screen and then fell through. She plummeted three stories to the ground.

The baby remains at Children's Hospital Boston and is expected to be OK. The Dept. of Social Services is investigating the case, but a spokesperson said the agency had never been to the house before.

(AP photo)

FRAMINGHAM

A dedication ceremony will be held Monday, Oct. 15 to officially rename the Town's Public Hearing Room after former State Representative, Deborah D. Blumer.

The new room name, proposed by resident Cheryl Tully Stoll, will be the "Representative Deborah D. Blumer Community Room," said Scott Morelli, assistant to the Town Manager. It is the first time a room in the town's Memorial Building has ever been named after a woman. Blumer, a Framingham democrat, served in the state legislature from 2001 until she died from an apparent heart attack in 2006.

The ceremony includes a reception from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m., guest speakers, and the unveiling of a photo of Blumer from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. There will also be a video tribute from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. The Memorial Building is located at 150 Concord Street.

Officials are urging anyone seeking more information to call 508-532-5400.

-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan

FRAMINGHAM

A study of nearly 4,000 men and women from Framingham, has shown that how often couples fight or what they fight about usually doesn’t matter.

Instead, it’s the nuanced interactions between men and women, and how they react to and resolve conflict, that appear to make a meaningful difference in the health of the marriage and the health of the couple, the New York Times reports today.

The Framingham couples were asked whether they typically vented their feelings or kept quiet in arguments with their spouse. Notably, 32 percent of the men and 23 percent of the women said they typically bottled up their feelings during a marital spat.

In men, keeping quiet during a fight didn’t have any measurable effect on health. But women who didn’t speak their minds in those fights were four times as likely to die during the 10-year study period as women who always told their husbands how they felt, according to the July report in Psychosomatic Medicine. Whether the woman reported being in a happy marriage or an unhappy marriage didn’t change her risk.

FRAMINGHAM

A would-be robber who flashed a pistol and demanded cash from a Framingham grocery store clerk Monday night found himself instead staring at a rude surprise: a bigger gun, police said.

After looking at the robber's .22 Ruger, the clerk at A & J grocery on Kendall Street grabbed a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and loaded a bullet into the chamber, police told Globe correspondent Emily A. Canal for a report in the Globe's Local News Updates blog on Boston.com.

As the failed robber fled, the clerk pulled the trigger, shooting a bullet that missed the man but hit an ATM machine and a door inside the store, police said.

"After the suspect was shot at, he proceeded to flee on foot toward Freeman Street," said Lieutenant Paul Shastany of the Framingham Police Department. "We searched the area to the best of our ability but could not locate the suspect."

Police did not release the name of the clerk, who is in his 40s. The robbery suspect was described as a black male with medium to dark colored skin who was between the ages of 18 and 25. He is approximately 5 feet 8 and 165 pounds and was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

The shooting at about 9:30 p.m. remains under investigation.

(Globe staff photo by Tom Herde)

FRAMINGHAM

For the first time, the town's Conservation Commission is considering allowing bow hunting for deer in Wittenborg Woods and Macomber Woods and is inviting residents to a public forum at Town Hall Oct. 1 to discuss the issue.

The continued growth of the deer population in eastern Massachusetts has led to adverse effects on vegetation and other wildlife, said conservation agent, Michele Grzenda.

"The commission is looking at this strictly as a land management tool," she said. The Town will not impose a fee on hunters, she said.

According to the commission, Framingham has roughly 18-20 deer per square mile, which is twice the density that would thrive in a balanced, natural environment. The Town's proposal would allow 10 bow hunters per parcel from mid-October to mid-December.

The forum will include a presentation by Tom O'Shea, assistant director of wildlife for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. O'Shea will do a slide presentation on deer population trends, issues related to the overpopulation of deer, and offer options for residents.

The commission will vote on the issue Oct. 3 and make a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen, who will make a final decision Oct. 16. The public forum will be held in the Public Hearing Room at Town Hall at 150 Concord St. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Officials are urging anyone interested in more information to call 508-532-5460.

-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan

John Stasik and Carol Getchell, both members of the Friends Of Saxonville, in front of historic Athenaeum building
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)

FRAMINGHAM

The roof and exterior of Framingham's historic Athenaeum Hall were finished this summer, but its makeover is still incomplete and organizers of the restoration are asking residents to once again dig into their pockets.

That's why the Friends of Saxonville will hold a fundraiser on the Athenaeum's front lawn.next Saturday, Sept. 29, said John Stasik, a selectmen and member of the organization. The group is asking people for a $35 donation and hope to raise at least $5,000.

The 1847 Athenaeum, formerly Saxonville Town Hall, was later used as a school and a jail, among other things. Architectural plans drawn up put the cost of restoration at an estimated $2 million, he said, and there have been at least three or four other fundraisers for the building over the past 10 years.

Over that time, the group has raised $60,000 toward the project. A state grant through former representative Deborah Blumer provided $75,000, which went toward the architectural renderings for interior restoration. The Town of Framingham also put $300,000 toward the project for stabilization purposes during the beginning phase of its restoration.

Organizers will provide tours from noon to 4 p.m. followed by a gala from 7 to 10 p.m. Call 508-371-4361 for more information or visit the Friends of Saxonville online.

-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan

FRAMINGHAM

State Senator Karen E. Spilka will hold open office hours from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. next Monday, Sept. 24 at the Framingham Civic League.

The Ashland Democrat senator holds rotating office hours for the 7 different towns she represents, said her communications director, Sarah Blodgett. Constituents are encouraged to stop by and raise any concerns or ask questions, she said.

The Framingham Civic League is located at 214 Concord Street. Blodgett urged anyone seeking more information to call the senator's office at 617-722-1640.

-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan

FRAMINGHAM

Auditions for the Performing Art Center of MetroWest's 4th annual "Holiday Revelry" -- a multicultural celebration honors winter and the holidays in song, dance, story, and theater -- will be held Sunday, organizers have announced.

Directed by Betty Lehrman, the performance includes English Mummer's play, "St. George and the Dragon," along with traditional Jewish and Christmas songs.

The ensemble piece will have about 20 to 30 parts to cast, Lehrman said. Children who are in third grade or higher may audition as well as adults, but tryouts must prepare a song or sing one from the show with an accompanist. Auditions will be from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Framingham Civil League Theater at 214 Concord Street.

Performances will be held on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. Anyone seeking more information is urged to call The Performing Arts Center of MetroWest at 508-875-5554.

-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan

Since her death last October, state representative Deborah Blumer has been honored in a variety of ways
(AP photo)

FRAMINGHAM

Framingham selectmen voted Tuesday to name the public hearing room at Framingham Town Hall after Deborah Blumer, the three-term state representative who died unexpectedly last fall.

Chairman Dennis Giombetti said officials would schedule a dedication ceremony to occur around the anniversary of her Oct. 13 death. In the months that have followed the Democratic lawmaker's passing, several scholarships, awards, internships, tributes have been dedicated in her honor.

-- John C. Drake

FRAMINGHAM

Framingham selectmen say they plan to sign a statement outlining the town's position on limiting the number of social service facilities locating within its borders.

Alexis Silver, the town's human services coordinator, said Framingham is "paying a significant price" in terms of tax-exempt properties and the public services provided to them because of the increasing number of shelters, halfway houses, rehabilitation centers, and other facilities. She also said quality of life in the town has been hurt by crime and panhandling committed by some of the troubled clients of the social service agencies.

Selectmen said that the statement should affirm that town officials believe the expansion of social service agencies is hurting the town and that it will give Silver ammunition as she negotiates for concessions from social service agencies.

The statement, to be drafted by Town Manager Julian Suso, also would form the foundation of a series of proposed bylaws and regulations meant to curb the expansion, selectmen said.

-- John C. Drake

FRAMINGHAM

A Framingham man was operating a power boat with twin, 435-horsepower engines when it struck a smaller boat on Long Lake in Maine, killing two people, officials said Thursday.

Robert Lapointe, 38, of Framingham, Mass., and his companion, Nicole Randall, 19, of Bridgton, Maine, swam to shore Saturday night after being thrown from their 32-foot cigarette boat, the Maine Warden Service and Cumberland County district attorney's office announced. After the crash, the larger boat plowed onto the shore and traveled nearly 135 feet on land before coming to a rest.

Killed were the two occupants of a 14-foot boat, Terry Raye Trott, 55, of Naples, and his companion, Susanne Groetzinger, 44, of Berwick, officials said. Groetzinger died from blunt-force trauma to the head, while Trott drowned, according to the medical examiner's office, which conducted autopsies.

Warden divers recovered the bodies three days after the collision, which happened at 9 p.m. Saturday. Since then, divers have returned to retrieve evidence from the bottom of the lake, said Warden Service spokesman Mark Latti.

It will take several days to a couple of weeks to complete the crash reconstruction, Latti said. Once that's complete, wardens will present their findings to the district attorney, who will decide what charges, if any, are warranted.

-- AP

FRAMINGHAM

Friends and family of an Avon man shot and killed by a Framingham police officer Friday night described him yesterday as a peaceful, considerate man who might have been depressed by his failure to find a job and mend a relationship with a former girlfriend.

Karl Thomsen, 42, was threatening Officer Steve Casey with a knife before Casey fired four shots in response on Concord Street in Framingham, according to a statement from the district attorney's office in Middlesex County. The office and Framingham Police Department are investigating the shooting, correspondent Felicia Mello reports in today's City & Region section.

"He was always a good kid," said his mother, Nancy Tom, 72, sitting in the blue ranch house where Thomsen grew up and spent the last months of his life. "We never had much trouble with him."

Thomsen and his parents were preparing for a cousin's wedding Friday when he left the house, saying he was going to the library to check his e-mail, his parents said. A licensed installer of heating and air conditioning units, Thomsen had been looking for work since moving to his parents' house from Framingham in April.

"Last time I spoke with him, he was a little down in the dumps," said Victor Martelli, who has lived across the street from the Toms for 15 years and said he occasionally shared a beer with Thomsen.

Thomsen also spent time in Framingham with an on-and-off girlfriend, his parents said.

Read more about this story in the online edition of today's Boston Globe.

FRAMINGHAM/SHERBORN

The roar of tailpipes from the horde lf leather-clad bikers descending on local towns Sunday will be music to the ears of a Holliston charity.

The Metrowest HOGs (Harley Owners Group) a nonprofit organization of about 150 local motorcycle enthusiasts, will take to the streets on a poker run supporting the Breezy Hill therapeutic riding program, which provides muscle therapy to handicapped children and adults through horseback riding lessons.

The 48-mile motorcycle ride will begin at the Paramount Harley Davidson store on Route 135 in Framingham at 10 a.m., winding through several local towns for about two hours before concluding at the Millis Boggastowe Fish and Game club for a barbecue and entertainment.

This is the third year the motorcyclists have chosen the Breezy Hill organization as a beneficiary. Organizers are urging anyone interested in more information to call Ray Devoe at 508-400-0198.

-- Alison O'Leary Murray

Several Framingham businesses, including TJX Cos., were encouraged to close their offices for the day following a 12-inch water main break near the Route 30 exit off of the Mass Pike.

About six buildings near Route 30 and Speen Street were without potable water because of the break, said Tom Holder, Framingham's deputy director of public works. TJX, corporate parent of several retailers including Marshall's, has an on-site tank for fire protection, he said. A spokesman for the company could not immediately be reached.

Holder said crews probably would be working to repair the break through late evening. Officials were still investigating the cause of the break, which left a gaping hole along the sidewalk.

The break affected businesses large and small. Employees placed a sign outside a Dunkin Donuts in the area informing customers they could not serve coffee.

-- John C. Drake

FRAMINGHAM

Two college students who stole hundreds of copies of the campus newspaper because they thought they looked fat in a front page photo showing them baring their bellies are paying the cost of reprinting the lost editions, a school official said.

"I know they're going to be repaying something," Framingham State College spokeswoman Mari Megias said, without providing more detail.

The photo in the April 27 edition of The Gatepost shows seven fans at a women's lacrosse game with "I (heart) N-O-O-N-A-N," the name of a friend on the team, spelled out on their stomachs. The women are wearing hip-hugger shorts and tank tops.

Two students eventually owned up to stealing hundreds of copies of the paper. Apparently, they weren't pleased with their appearance in the photo, according to the paper's faculty adviser. They were not criminally charged and the college did not release their names.

Although Megias did not say how much the two students would repay, the editor in chief said shortly after the thefts that a press run of 500 copies costs $630.The Gatepost refused to print an unsigned apology from students who admitted pilfering the paper after learning the statement was actually written by college administrators.

-- AP

FRAMINGHAM

Twenty members and associates of a Framingham gang that allegedly recruited new members over the Internet to terrorize the community with beatings, stabbings, and shootings have been indicted on federal and state charges of selling crack cocaine, according to law enforcement officials.

Globe City & Region section reporter Shelley Murphy reports that the the Kendall Street Thugs gang had its own page on MySpace, which it used to promote itself and recruit new younger members, according to US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan.

One of the photos posted on the MySpace page showed a 9-year-old boy, who is not believed to be a gang member, posing with known gang members, Sullivan said. Authorities have alerted social service agencies to investigate the boy's situation, he said.

"It is just another reminder obviously to all of us as parents to make sure we are monitoring where our kids are going, in terms of the Internet," Sullivan said during a press conference today at the federal courthouse in Boston announcing the indictments.

The charges follow a three-year investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administrations' South Eastern Massachusetts Gang Task Force, in which undercover officers and witnesses made more than 50 crack purchases from those who were indicted, according to officials.

-- Globe City & Region staff

REGION

Several local schools won 'Green Team' awards from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs following a program to reduce pollution and protect the environment.

The Globe West area schools honored were:

• Berlin Middle School in Berlin
• Fowler School in Maynard
• Marion E. Zeh School in Northborough
• Melican Middle School in Northborough
• Beatrice H. Wood School in Plainville
• James Fitzgerald Elementary School in Waltham
• Hemenway School in Framingham
• Mary E. Stapleton School in Framingham

Schools that won awards received recycling equipment to make their individual programs more effective.

-- Adam Sell

WATERTOWN, N.Y.

A woman who claims she was used as unknowing bait to catch a man taking photographs up women's skirts is suing retailer T.J. Maxx. Svetlana Van Buren said store personnel surreptitiously videotaped a man taking photos up her skirt while she was shopping for coffee at the company's store in Watertown on June 14, 2006.

It was only after the man committed the crime that store personnel told her the photos had been taken and that the act was caught on tape, said Van Buren, a psychologist who was working at a state-run facility for youths at the time and now lives in Omaha, Neb. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the Jefferson County Clerk's office.

Officials at TJX Companies, Inc., of Framingham, Mass., which operates the T.J. Maxx chain, were not immediately available for comment.

The lawsuit contends that the store and law enforcement officials knew the man "secretly stalked" female customers for the purpose of taking upskirt photos, but did nothing to prevent it from happening to Van Buren.

T.J. Maxx should have used either a private female detective, a policewoman or a female employee who consented to being photographed to set a trap for the man, the lawsuit said.

Van Buren claims the incident has caused her physical and psychological pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. She said she has experienced sleeplessness, anxiety, depression and feelings of stress and violation, prompting her to seek professional help.

She blames T.J. Maxx for, among other things, making her the victim of a crime without her consent and violating her privacy rights. She claims the store failed to provide her with a safe environment and failed to stop a crime from being committed against her when it could have.

Her suit does not specify an amount in damages being sought.

The lawsuit does not name Jeremiah Williams, a Watertown man who was arrested outside T.J. Maxx the same day Van Buren was photographed. Williams was sentenced in February to two to four years in state prison for second-degree unlawful surveillance. Police accused Williams of taking more than 700 upskirt photos of women in public places with plans to start an Internet business with the shots.

- Associated Press

FRAMINGHAM

Framingham Town Meeting has approved a 2008 school budget that calls for eliminating eight teaching positions and increasing athletics and bus fees.

The $83 million budget approved last night will hit some parents in the wallet. The annual school bus fee will increase from $180 to $270 a year, and the athletics fee will increase from $100 a sport to $150 a sport.

"This is another year of reducing services and adding fees and freezing position that we were hoping we wouldn't have to," said Christopher Martes, schools superintendent.

Other cuts include freezing several custodial vacancies, and eliminating a secretary and a teacher's aide position. Textbook purchases will be reduced as will professional development opportunities for teachers. Additionally, elementary school buildings will be closed early after the school day several days a week to save energy.

Martes said most of the staff cuts will be accomplished through attrition though he said one or two layoffs may be necessary.

-- John C. Drake

MILFORD/FRAMINGHAM

A 16-year-old boy drowned yesterday after plunging into a water-filled quarry that attracts young people despite warnings from authorities to stay away.

Brian Kerr of Framingham was hanging out with friends at the edge of the quarry about 3:30 p.m. when he apparently tripped, said fire officials. Kerr apparently struck his head on an outcropping of rock before hitting the water, officials said.

A team of State Police divers searching the quarry's waters recovered Kerr's body on an underwater ledge about 40 feet below the surface, the officials said.

He was pronouced dead at Milford Regional Hospital at 5:10 p.m.

Fire officials said the quarry, located behind Louisa Lake and an apartment complex, is 120 feet deep in places. It is filled with underwater ledges that make diving and swimming precarious. Even hiking around the quarry is forbidden by local authorities.

Read more about this story in the Local News section of Boston.com.

-- Michael Naughton and Raja Mishra, Globe Correspondent and Globe Staff

FRAMINGHAM

Mansfield mom and disability educator Kim Piro, founder of The Jamie Fund and ICARE, will speak in Framingham on June 6.

Her talk, titled ``Disability Awareness Through Reading'' will discuss how schools can use books and classroom discussion to educate children about their classmates with special needs.

Piro, who has a daughter with autism, has worked in the Mansfield schools since 2002 teaching kids about challenges faced by their peers with the disorder.

The talk is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Criterion Middlesex Early Intervention Center, 651 Franklin St., Framingham.

-- Erica Noonan

FRAMINGHAM

Twenty people, maybe.

That's all Nicholas Paganella was expecting would sign on for last year's Memorial Day bus trip to Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

He couldn't believe it when the phone started ringing off the hook.

This year, 100 people -- mostly World War II veterans -- are going and organizers had to turn away dozens more.

Patriotism is alive and well in Framingham, Paganella says in today's Globe West.

-- Erica Noonan

NATICK/FRAMINGHAM

A 40-year-old woman and three girls are facing assault and battery charges in connection with what police are calling a "group beat down" of a 16-year-old girl at a mall in front of dozens of onlookers.

Marilyn Camacho, 40, of Framingham and the girls, ages 16, 13 and 12, were arrested following a fight at the Natick Collection on Monday that left the victim unconscious and requiring hospitalization, Lt. Brian Grassey said. Police did not disclose the girls' relationship to Camacho.

The victim, whose name was not made public, was taken to MetroWest Medical Center's Leonard Morse campus for treatment.

Camacho and the three girls came upon the victim walking through the mall at about 5 p.m. One of the alleged attackers and the victim had fought in the past, Grassey said. There was an argument, followed by a fight, police said.

"This was an absolute group beat down," Grassey told The MetroWest Daily News. "It's an extremely unsettling event. The level of violence in this defies logic.

The suspects stomped on the victim's legs, back and face, police said.

"They collectively grabbed her and pushed her into the glass window of one of the stores," Grassey said. "All four started punching her, pulling her hair. They knocked her to the floor where all four continued to punch and kick her."

At least one onlooker tried to stop the fight, which was eventually broken up my mall security guards. The incident was captured by a surveillance camera, he said.

Camacho and the three girls were charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disturbing the peace and affray. Camacho was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

-- AP

MIT researcher Laurie Boyer
(Photo by Sam Ogden, courtesy Whitehead Institute)

FRAMINGHAM

MIT stem cell researcher Laurie Boyer will speak to graduates at Framingham State College, her alma mater, during Sunday's commencement ceremony, the school said today.

Boyer, who graduated from Framingham State in 1990, conducts embryonic stem cell research at MIT's Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where she is completing a post-doctoral fellowship. In 2006, the journal "Scientific American" named Boyer to its annual list of 50 leading scientific researchers. She lives in Westborough.

Commencement is 2 p.m. Sunday at the Village Green (also known at Framingham Centre Common) on Edgell Road.

-- John C. Drake

(AP photo by Nanine Hartzenbusch)

FRAMINGHAM/NATICK

The O.J. Simpson case launched a lot of new careers. Lawyers from the case became high-paid legal commentators. Kato Kaelin became a pop culture oddity. O.J. himself became a professional pariah. And Denise Brown, the sister of victim Nicole Brown Simpson, became an advocate against domestic violence.

For that work, Brown will receive the Voices Against Violence Award and serve as the keynote speaker at a gala event for the Framingham-based Metrowest domestic violence and sexual assault services provider. Voices Against Violence will hold its annual Barbara Gray Humanitarian Award ceremony this Thursday evening at the Crowne Plaza in Natick.

The Barbara Gray award, presented to someone who continues to fight for the dignity and humanity of every member of the community, will be given to attorney Lauren Stiller Rikleen who helped establish the first domestic violence shelter in the Metrowest.

Organizers are asking anyone who wants more information to email Carol McKean Events or call 781-925-3459.

-- Susan Lebovits

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Framingham is one of 200 churches across the country to have hosted a U2charist. (Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)

FRAMINGHAM

The crowd clapped, sang , and danced, swaying and waving cellphones in the air like lighters at a rock concert.

"In the name of love, what more in the name of love " -- the U2 song "Pride" blasted over the audience members, whose voices reached higher with each lyric they read off a screen, the Globe reports.

Up next on the playlist: "One," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

It may have sounded and looked like a U2 concert, but the house this music rocked is one of God -- specifically, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Framingham. On Sunday it held a wildly popular U2charist -- short for U2 Eucharist -- a traditional service set to U2 songs that carry spiritual messages to raise awareness about global poverty and AIDS.

-- Johnny Diaz

FRAMINGHAM

He's been on the job for about eight months, but Framingham State College president Timothy Flanagan has been without an official welcome to the school, until now.

Gov. Deval Patrick administered the oath of office to the college's new leader -- it's 15th since opening in 1839 -- this afternoon at an investiture on campus.

"We need to work hard on our own behalf to improve Framingham State College," Flanagan said at the ceremony, describing the five key areas of focus for the campus.

He called for focusing on ensuring student success, building up faculty and staff, strengthening diversity in the student body and curriculum, remaining responsive to community, needs and being resourceful in spite of limits on funding.

On the last point, Flanagan said: "We don't want a stripped-down, bargain-basement experience."

-- John C. Drake

REGION

Unemployment rates dropped last month in all three Central Massachusetts labor market areas, the state Division of Unemployment Assistance reported yesterday.

The March jobless rate in the Worcester metropolitan area was 5 percent, down from 5.3 percent the same time last year. Joblessness dropped to 6.2 percent from 6.7 percent in the Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner area. In the Athol area, the March rate of 5.8 percent was down from 6 percent over the year.

The rates were not adjusted for seasonal employment swings. During March, the statewide unemployment rate was 4.8 percent.

The state reported that all Massachusetts metropolitan areas reported lower unemployment rates in March, with the Framingham area reporting the lowest jobless rate of 3.8 percent.

-- Telegram and Gazette of Worcester

FRAMINGHAM

Gov. Deval Patrick said today he will ask state employees to help clean up state parks next month.

The remarks came as Patrick makes a swing through communities west of Boston this morning. He started with comments on civic engagement in a talk to Leadership MetroWest's Annual Forum in Framingham.

"Next month, we intend to invite all state employees and anyone else who is willing to come and join us in a cleanup of state parks and beaches, just to get us on the right foot this spring," Patrick said.

He also offered a tribute to the late state Rep. Deborah D. Blumer, of Framingham, who died of a heart attack last year.

"Deb was one of the earliest and hardest-working supporters during the campaign," Patrick said. "I think Deb would be proud of what we've done so far and I aim to make her proud."

From there he headed to Needham High School, where school officials had asked Patrick to offer a morale boost. Four teenagers from the town died of suicide between 2004 and 2006, and the school has reached out to nearby Wellesley High School, where three students have taken their own lives in the last three years.

The school asked that the governor's talk to the student body be closed to the media.

"He was asked to speak to the students to lift their spirits," said Jose Martinez, a spokesman for the governor.

Around noon, Patrick will tour Boston Scientific, the Natick-based medical devices company.

-- John C. Drake

FRAMINGHAM

Framingham superintendent Christopher Martes has accepted an offer to lead the school system in Foxborough, Beverley Lord, a member of the Foxborough School Committee, said.

Martes, who has led the Framingham Public Schools since 2003, was interviewed by the Foxborough School Committee last night after being named the sole finalist by a 13-member search committee. The decision to offer him the position was unanimous, Lord said.

"He was head-and-shoulders above all the other applicants," she told the Globe today.

Martes, who was not immediately available for comment Friday, will be returning home with his new position. He graduated from Foxborough High School in 1971 and began his teaching career in the district.

Phil Dinsky, chairman of the Framingham School Committee, said this morning Martes had not yet informed him of his decision, but that the committee was well aware of the possibility.

FRAMINGHAM

A 12-year-old Framingham boy is being charged for vandalizing and setting fires in St. Stephen's Church.

The boy, whose name was not released, used a candle and matches to start a fire at the Concord Street church on March 18 and another fire at the church on Sunday during a Palm Sunday Mass, police said.

He also allegedly broke the fingers off a statue of Mary and broke an arm off of a statue of Jesus on the cross. Police said the Department of Social Services and the district attorney's office are investigating.

-- Michael Naughton

MILFORD

Christopher Hoyt, 55, of Congress Street, was uninjured when Framingham police picked him up around 11 p.m. Sunday at the Sheraton on Route 9, 12 hours after he went out for a walk in the morning in his neighborhood, Milford Police Officer Frank Minichiello said yesterday. Police and community members searched the area for Mr. Hoyt most of Sunday afternoon, Officer Minichiello said.

“How he made it out there, we don’t know,” Officer Minichiello said. “But we don’t think there was any foul play.”

Officer Minichiello said Milford police traveled to Framingham to return Mr. Hoyt to his home. Mr. Hoyt told police he did not remember how he got there, Officer Minichiello said. He said family members told police that recent medical issues may have caused him to become disoriented.

-- Telegram & Gazette of Worcester

FRAMINGHAM

Framingham High School's run in the statewide drama competition ended Saturday night at the state final level. While there was no repeat of last year's state championship performance, several Framingham students were recognized.

Nick Sulfaro, a senior, won first place prize scholarship for a monologue competition, his second place prize scholarship for a set design competition, and an All-Star Company award for his work in Framingham's entry, Stories Gone Wilde.

Also honored were Emily Craver, a senior, with an honorable mention in the monologue competition, and Sabrina Schwartz, a senior, with third place in the monologue competition. Anthony Tofani, a junior, was recognized with an All-Star Company award.

While Framingham's run came to a close, one Globe West school may have the chance to continue. Wellesley High School was named as an alternate should either of the state's winners, Joseph Case in Swansea and St. John's Prep in Danvers be unable to go.

-- Adam Sell

FRAMINGHAM

Students and parents packed the School Committee meeting last night to make their voices heard in the debate over budget cuts.

Framingham's school district has a $1.9 million gap to make up. Proposals include cutting the district's gifted and talented program, eliminating 22 custodial positions, and reducing the number of full-time librarians and library aides.

The public split on the potential for a Proposition 2 1/2 override, with some suggesting that it may be necessary, and others rejecting the idea. One person said a tax hike would be a "band-aid on a hemorrhage."

State Representative Pam Richardson, Representative Tom Sannicandro, and Senator Karen Spilka, all Democrats, attended and said they are working to bring more money to Framingham. Spilka said there could be a bill outlining additional funding to local communities as soon as next week.

-- Adam Sell

FRAMINGHAM

Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray will speak tomorrow at the Memorial Building on brownfields revitalization projects.

The National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals is hosting the event, for which Murray will give the keynote address.

The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Town Hall. Murray is scheduled to speak at noon.

-- Adam Sell

FRAMINGHAM

Incumbents Charles Sisitsky and Ginger Esty held off challenger Christine Long to retain their seats on the Framingham Board of Selectmen. Esty and Sisitsky received 2,961 and 2955 votes respectively in yesterday's town-wide election, while Long received 1,869 votes in the race in which the two top vote-getters earned seats.

Adam Blumer will join the Framingham School Committee after finishing first in a three-way race for two seats. Blumer is the son of former Democratic state Rep. Deborah D. Blumer, who died of a heart attack late last year. Incumbent Cesar Monzon also retained his seat, finishing ahead of Steve Hakar, whose petition campaign has forced a Special Town Meeting to deal with funding for special education.

Voter turnout was 14 percent, according to the Town Clerk's office. Full election results are available here.

-- John C. Drake

FRAMINGHAM

Framingham town officials want to honor military personnel from the community who have served in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But first they need names.

Anyone from Framingham who is a veteran of these wars or knows someone who is serving is asked to contact the selectmen's office at (508) 532-5400 or by e-mail at selectmen@framinghamma.gov by Apr. 9.

The names will be displayed on a banner -- donated by Sign-A-Rama owner Jeffrey Newman -- at the annual Town meeting on Apr. 24.

-- John C. Drake

Members of U2 at a recent concert
(Reuters photo by Stephen Hird)

FRAMINGHAM

The Irish rock band U2 will have a place at the pulpit on April 29 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Framingham.

Its one of a growing number of Episcopal churches hosting "U2charist" services, which weave in recordings of hit U2 songs with a spiritual bent, such as "Where the Streets Have No Name," "One," "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "Yahweh," into the traditional liturgy.

Song lyrics will be displayed on a large screen, so that congregants without the band's hit already in their iPod can join in.

About 200 Episcopal churches in the United States and overseas have hosted a U2charist, and reported attendance figures rivaling, even exceeding, traditional Sunday morning services.

Collections taken during the special U2 services go to charities fighting poverty, famine, and HIV/AIDS. Participants are also asked to sign on to the ONE Campaign e-mail project, which mobilizes members when foreign aid bills go before Congress.

Read more about U2charist services in today's Globe West...

-- Erica Noonan

FRAMINGHAM

A federal judge has ruled that Framingham's board of selectmen was wrong to deny Wayside Youth and Family Support Network a permit to build a driveway for a facility for adolescents with emotional and learning disabilities.

Calling the board's May 2006 decision "arbitrary and capricious," US Magistrate Judge Leo T. Sorokin ordered selectmen to work with Wayside to develop a traffic plan that will allow the facility's construction to go forward.

The board's May ruling overruled a recommendation by the town's director of public works to grant the organization a permit to access the public way from its property.

In a series of public hearings, neighbors said they worried about the impact the facility would have on traffic. They also said they were concerned about allowing a center for troubled teens into their neighborhood.

In its complaint challenging the board's decision, Wayside alleged that the town was discriminating against the disabled and that its decision violated Dover Amendment protections for educational facilities. The complaint also alleged that the board's decision violated Wayside's right to have access to the street from its property

The judge did not address the discrimination issue and did not rule on whether the facility was protected by the Dover amendment. Still, Sorokin ruled that the board's permit denial was not supported by evidence. He ordered both sides to report back on their progress toward reaching an agreement by May 22.

-- John C. Drake

Amanda Kearns prepares for her role in Framingham's play
(Globe Staff Photo by Bill Polo)

FRAMINGHAM

The signs that declare Framingham High School is a state champion are scattered all around town.

But look again, the signs aren't talking about a sports team. They're talking about the school's drama company.

Last year, Framingham was one of the two champions in the statewide drama competition. This year, they're defending their title on home turf.

Read more about Framingham's quest for drama honors -- and see a slideshow with more pictures -- in today's Globe West.

-- Adam Sell

FRAMINGHAM

With all the billions spent on the Big Dig, could it be that some secret project was budgeted into it?

Did the government build something beneath it that we're not supposed to know about? And, on another note, if you're unarmed and attacked by assassins wearing night-vision goggles, what's the best way to fight them off?

These are the kinds of questions that romp through the mind of A. David Lewis -- at night. That's when he turns up his Bruce Springsteen CDs, scoots up to his desk, and churns out suspense-filled, action-packed comic books like his new series, "Empty Chamber."

Released by Silent Devil comics last month, the series tells the story of a conspiracy-theory-obsessed Boston student who finds himself caught up in a terrorist plot. When a friend sends Matt Mahtganee a clue that could foil the attack, Matt winds up running all over town trying to elude the bad guys.

"I wanted to set an adventure in Boston that made use of Boston's landmarks and mysteries, and the Big Dig just screamed mystique," said Lewis, a 29-year-old Framingham native who lives in Allston. "It's everyday mystique -- something we see every day and get so used to that we stop even looking at it."

Read more about Lewis' flights of imagination in today's Globe West.

-- Denise Taylor

FRAMINGHAN

CompUSA Inc. says it will close its Framingham store and five of its six other stores in Massachusetts by May 31.

The closures are part of a restructuring plan that calls for shuttering more than half its stores, company spokeswoman Jessica Nunez said.

Chief executive Roman Ross cited "changing conditions in the consumer retail electronics market."

In Massachusetts, the chain also plans to close stores in Woburn, Braintree, Danvers, North Attleborough, and Brighton. The Holyoke store will remain open. Closing 126 shops will leave the chain with 103.

-- Globe staff and wire services

FRAMINGHAM

Discount retailer TJX Cos. yesterday said computer hackers may have gained access to its consumer data in 2005, a year earlier than it had previously thought, potentially exposing millions more customers of stores such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls to identity theft.

The disclosure comes a month after the Framingham retailer reported that credit- and debit-card information dating to 2003, along with some driver's license data, may have been compromised during an unauthorized intrusion into its computers. Customers have reported fraudulent use, and the company faces a slew of lawsuits from individuals and banks that issued the cards.

Separately, a spokesman for MasterCard International Inc. said yesterday that at the time of the breach TJX did not meet a data-security standard set by card companies. TJX spokeswoman Sherry Lang declined to respond to MasterCard's assertion.

Read more about the TJX security breach in Ross Kerber's story in the Globe's Business Section.

FRAMINGHAM

A man living in Framingham was arrested Sunday after it came to light that he had been convicted of murder in Brazil, the AP reports.

Vander Pedro Silveira, 42, is being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Silveira was convicted in absentia in 2004 of a murder he committed in 1999.

Silveira is the third convicted murderer in the last three years to be arrested in Framingham.

-- Adam Sell

WELLESLEY

Bella Wong was offered the job of Wellesley superintendent this afternoon after a unanimous vote by the School Committee.

Wong, 46, has been assistant superintendent in Wellesley for six of the last nine years. Calling her a better fit, four of the five committee members said she was their first choice over the other finalist, Christopher Martes, who is Framingham superintendent.

Marlene Allen switched her vote after more than an hour of discussion to make the decision unanimous.

“I was hoping for a breath of fresh air,” said Allen, who added that there would likely be an “uproar” from the community over the process.

Member Suzy Littlefield said she was concerned about how long Martes would stay in the job, as his track record was four years in most posts.

Wong, who lives in Weston and served on the School Committee there from 2003 to 2006, practiced law before she switched into education. She would replace Matthew King as of July 1. Details of her salary still have to be negotiated.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Wong, about an hour after being offered the job. “I really love the community.”

–- Lisa Kocian

FRAMINGHAM

Wayside Youth and Family Support Network has cleared a legal hurdle in its bid to build a school and six townhouse-style group homes for teenagers with learning disabilities in Framingham.

A land court judge sided with town planners and Wayside in a lawsuit filed by nearby residents in the Lockland Avenue neighborhood challenging the town's decision to approve the center.

While the decision, dated Tuesday, settles the zoning dispute, a separate lawsuit filed against the F