October 4, 2007
REGION
The state will begin feasibility studies for local school projects about a month earlier than anticipated, potentially allowing some projects to be ready for Town Meeting votes next spring, staff writer James Vaznis of the reports in the Globe's City & Region Section today.
On Nov. 2, the state School Building Authority will decide which school districts' proposed projects to study first. Other districts will be selected on a rolling basis after that.
Being selected for a feasibility study doesn't automatically guarantee construction funding, but it is a prerequisite. More than a dozen school districts west of Boston are among 161 districts statewide competing for about $500 million in construction funds this year, the first time in four years the state is doling out school construction money.
In choosing which feasibility studies to pursue first, the state has been dispatching inspection teams to analyze building conditions and enrollment trends, visiting 90 districts so far. Those districts include Berlin-Boylston, Franklin, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Maynard, Nashoba, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Shrewsbury, Wayland, and Wellesley.
The resulting studies, which should be completed this winter, will give the state the first glimpse of how much it could potentially cost to do all the projects. In all, 161 districts have expressed interest in 422 school projects.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:51 AM
June 22, 2007
ASHLAND
Superintendent Richard Hoffmann will interview for the superintendent position in the Hudson Public Schools on June 25.
Hoffmann, who has served as superintendent in Ashland since 2000, is one of two finalists for the position.
The other finalist is Nina Schlikin, superintendent of Maine's Union 29 District, who is tentatively scheduled to interview on June 29. School Committee members said they haven't set a date yet for making a final decision on which candidate to hire.
-— Kyle Alspach
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:05 AM
June 19, 2007
HUDSON
A U.S. District Court judge will decide whether to dismiss a lawsuit which alleging Hudson High School violated a former student’s rights by removing posters that advertised a controversial conservative web site.
Judge Patti B. Saris has taken under advisement a motion to dismiss the case filed by the town’s Boston attorney, John J. Davis. Christopher Bowler was a senior and co-president of the school's Conservative Club in May 2005 when he filed the lawsuit against the town, the school, Principal John Stapelfeld, Assistant Principal David Champigny, and Superintendent Sheldon Berman.
Bowler alleged that the school violated his right to freedom of speech by removing posters that advertised the club and included the web address of an affiliated group, the High School Conservative Clubs of America, which at the time linked to videos of beheadings made by Iraqi insurgents. Davis, the town's attorney, has argued that the beheading videos are not protected speech and, even if they are, the school is entitled to take steps to protect its students, some as young as 12 years old.
The court showdown comes after a year of negotiations failed to produce a settlement.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:15 AM
June 7, 2007
HUDSON
A report outlining the environmental impact of upgrading the town’s wastewater treatment plant will be unveiled and discussed tonight in a public hearing.
The public is invited to attend and share their comments on the draft recommendations contained in a comprehensive wastewater management plan. All public comment will be forwarded to the state for review.
The town will spend $16 million to upgrade the plant that discharges into the Assabet River. New requirements from the state Department of Environmental Protection limiting phosphorus discharge are among the reasons for the improvements.
The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the town hall auditorium. For more information, contact Department of Public Works Director Anthony Marques at 978-562-9333.
- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:24 AM
June 6, 2007
HUDSON
The fire department has added four call firefighters to its ranks, bringing the total number of volunteers closer to the town's goal of 15.
The Board of Selectmen recently approved the appointments of David C. Prockett, Mark Exarhopoulos, Christopher M. Devoe, and Craig C. Collins to the department as call firefighters, Fire Chief John Blood said. All are Hudson residents. The department now has 12 call firefighters, who are paid only for the times they show up to a scene or provide back up at the fire station.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:55 AM
May 31, 2007
HUDSON
A screening committee evaluating applications for the next superintendent of schools has been given until June 12 to decide whether to make recommendations to the School Committee or halt the search and hire an interim leader.
The 11-member screening committee has been asked to assess 24 applications and to decide whether any of those candidates would be a worthy permanent superintendent or, if not, to hire an interim superintendent and resume the search next year with professional help, officials said.
The School Committee recently voted to extend the screening committee's review period until the next school Committee meeting, said Amy Baker, a member of the school and screening committees. The original deadline was this week.
Superintendent Sheldon Berman will leave the district on July 1 to head the Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:52 AM
May 26, 2007
US Representative Marty Meehan will take the helm at UMass Lowell in July.
(Getty images photo by Jamie Rose)
HUDSON/REGION
Health care will be debated at a town meeting style candidate’s debate in the Fifth Congressional District race next Saturday at the Riverside at the Hudson Portuguese Club.
Eileen Donoghue), Jamie Eldridge, Barry Finegold, and Niki Tsongas are among the candidates who have pledged to participate forum, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon and is being presented by the Middlesex & Worcester Democratic Coalition. Candidates will answer questions from a moderator and the audience on the issues of health insurance, prescription medication, and people with disabilities.
Congressman Marty Meehan is resigning effective July 1 to take over as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The fifth Congressional District includes Hudson, Berlin, Bolton, Stow, Sudbury Wayland and Maynard.
For more information, contact event coordinator Kate Hogan by e-mail or by calling 978-897-0821.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:42 AM
May 15, 2007
HUDSON
Voters overwhelmingly approved a one percent Community Preservation Act (CPA) surcharge and re-elected two incumbents in yesterday’s election.
The CPA passed with a vote of 1,042 to 386, according to Town Clerk Joan Wordell. A similar measure failed at the polls by less than 100 votes in 2002.
Yesterday's vote won’t cost homeowners anything for the next five years, however, because town officials have said they will initially stock the new CPA fund with the proceeds of a recent $2.75 million land sale. Without that money, the CPA would have cost the average homeowner $36 annually. CPA funds can be used to preserve open space and historic sites, and to create affordable housing and recreational facilities.
Voters also re-elected Santino Parente and Carl Leeber to the Board of Selectmen with votes of 1,167 and 933 respectively. Challenger Cipriano Pinto garnered 629 votes.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:37 PM
May 10, 2007
The October Glory red maple in all its ... well, you know.
(Oregon State University photo)
HUDSON
The town is offering to give away 30 maple trees, including planting, to the first residents who contact the Hudson Public Works Department .
The 11th annual tree planting program will provide 30 "October Glory" red maples to property owners who pick up tree planting requests and submit signed permission slips.
Requests may be picked up at 1 Municipal Drive from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Anyone seeking more information is urged to call the department at 978-562-9333.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
P.S. The headline is a joke. You need sugar maples to make syrup. Sorry.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:16 AM
May 9, 2007
Hudson voters will decide whether to adopt create a Community Preservation Act fund, which would would be used to preserve open space and historic sites and to create affordable housing and recreational facilities.
(Globe staff photo by Justine Hunt)
HUDSON
Voters in Hudson on Monday will decide the make-up of the town’s Board of Selectmen and Planning Board and whether to finally adopt the Community Preservation Act.
Selectmen Santino Parente and Carl Leeber are being challenged in their bids for reelection to their three-year seats by Cipriano Pinto, who is currently one of the town’s three constables. James Vereault and Stewart Rappaport, meanwhile, are competing to serve one year left of a three-year term on the Planning Board, a vacancy created when Sante Parente died in January.
Voters also will also be asked for the second time to approve a town CPA fund, which would be used to preserve open space and historic sites and to create affordable housing and recreational facilities. It would be funded by a one percent surcharge on property taxes.
Unlike in most towns, however, Hudson homeowners wouldn't see any change in their tax bills for five years, because the town plans to use the proceeds of a $2.75 million land sale to offset the cost to residents. Without that money the CPA would cost the average homeowner $36. The measure was approved at November town meeting.
A three-percent CPA surcharge was shot down at the polls by less than 100 votes in 2002 after being approved at the fall town meeting.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:14 AM
May 8, 2007
HUDSON
Two Hudson High School graduates have been hired as police officers, replacing the pair that resigned in February after deciding they no longer wanted to work in law enforcement.
The Board of Selectmen has approved the appointment of Jesse Hayden, 26, and Shamus Veo, 24, who both became reserve officers in May of 2006, Police Chief Richard Braga said. Hayden has a criminal justice degree from Saint Anselm College and Veo is working on a criminal justice degree at UMass Lowell.
Their first day on the job will be May 21 at the MBTA Police Academy in Quincy. Veo and Hayden replace Justin Bush and Robert Rego, who submitted resignation papers after their first day at the academy.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:33 PM
April 23, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Janet Knott)
HUDSON
Gov. Deval Patrick will be pressing the flesh, sharing his priorities and answering questions in Hudson tomorrow evening as part of the sixth community event to he held since his January inauguration.
The event will kick off at 6 p.m. with Patrick’s brief opening remarks in the Intel Theatre at Hudson High School on Brigham Street, according to Stephen Crawford, a spokesman for Patrick’s political committee, which is sponsoring the meetings.
“It’s a setting that he particularly enjoys and he began a series of these as part of his governorship,” Crawford said.
Patrick is expected to outline his plans for state and talk about the issues shared by residents during his campaign, including adding more police, property tax relief and expanding full-day kindergarten. He will then field questions until roughly 7:30 p.m.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:23 PM
April 8, 2007
HUDSON
For $10, residents can buy one of more than six dozen old street signs the town has replaced.
Public Works is selling the signs on a first come, first serve basis with preference given to those who live on the street whose sign they are seeking. The signs were removed from poles around town to make way for new larger signs required by the federal government.
Residents can purchase the signs at the Public Works office from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Anyone interested is urged to call 978-562-9333 for more information.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:59 AM
April 6, 2007
Sheldon Berman
(Globe staff photo)
HUDSON
Hudson Superintendent of Schools Sheldon Berman will soon be calling Kentucky his new home after accepting a contract today to run the Louisville school district, one of the nation’s largest.
The 58-year-old will move his wife and three sons to Kentucky by July 1, when he will officially begin his new job. He has been at the helm in Hudson for 14 years, during which time he was named Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year.
The seven-member Jefferson County Board of Education unanimously voted this morning to offer Berman a four-year contract with a $260,000 a year base salary. He made $190,000 last year. Berman was the sole finalists after two others dropped out.
Jefferson County Public Schools is the nation’s 31st largest district with 98,000 students. Hudson has 2,900 students.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:23 PM
April 4, 2007
HUDSON
Habitat for Humanity is coming to Hudson to build a home for a low-income family and the details of the plan will be unveiled at a meeting Tuesday night.
Habitat for Humanity of North Central Massachusetts will unveil how the house will be planned, financed, and built as well as share a slideshow presentation. The process of selecting a family will also be outlined.
A local committee is raising donations, which will be matched up to $8,500 by the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the church on the corner of Main and Church streets. Anyone seeking more information is urged to call volunteer coordinator, Emily Moyer, at 617-257-5951 or visit the organization online.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:26 AM
March 30, 2007
HUDSON
Three members of a Kentucky school board will visit Hudson next week -- the final phase of interviewing Superintendent Sheldon Berman for the top job in a school district of nearly 100,000 students.
The Jefferson County Board of Education voted today to continue with Berman as the sole candidate, district spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said. A final decision is expected by the end of next week.
Three of the board’s seven members will travel to Massachusetts and spend Tuesday visiting Hudson and its schools, Roberts said. Those members are Linda Duncan, Carol Haddad and Debbie Wesslund.
Berman spent Monday and Tuesday in Louisville, Ky. meeting with education and community leaders, who are wary of his lack of experience leading a large and poverty-stricken urban district.
A recruiter asked Berman to apply for the job, the only position he has sought in his 14 years at the helm of Hudson’s schools. Berman has been credited with creating the Virtual High School program and making a national name for Hudson, known for its service learning and community service curriculum.
The 58-year-old, honored in 2003 as superintendent of the year, has said he was intrigued by the possibility of influencing such a large district.
The Jefferson County district is the 30th largest school district in the country with 98,000 students in 157 schools, 5,700 teachers and an $890 million annual budget. It is 36.6 percent African-American.
Hudson’s district includes 2,882 students in six schools, 217 teachers, and a $26 million annual budget. It is 1.6 percent African-American.
- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Martin Finucane at 07:49 PM
March 28, 2007
HUDSON
Hudson Light & Power this month joined forces with Mass Energy to give customers the option of giving to the New England Wind Fund, which promotes the development of wind power, manager Yakov Levin said. Customers can make one-time or monthly donations, all of which are tax-deductible.
Levin said the program began after a local environmental group, the Hudson Area Climate Action Network, met with the Hudson Municipal Light Board to discuss global warming. Light & Power currently buys 2 percent of its energy from hydroelectric power plants, and a total of 43 percent of Light & Power’s energy resources have been certified as not contributing to global warming.
Anyone interested in more information is urged to visit the power company online for more information or stop by the Light & Power office at 49 Forest Avenue or mail-in forms.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:46 AM
March 22, 2007
HUDSON
Superintendent Sheldon Berman will meet with educators in Louisville, Kentucky Tuesday as the lone finalist for the top job in the Jefferson County public school district, officials said.
The district picked three finalists, but its web site said this week that two of them - most recently Martin Brooks, the superintendent of the Plainview-Old Bethpage school district on Long Island, NY - had withdrawn their names from consideration.
Berman, a former Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year who has been in Hudson since 1993, will meet with the school board for a second interview and attend a reception to meet with staff, parents, and community leaders. School officials in Louisville plan to make their selection final by March 30, with the new superintendent taking over by July 1.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:37 AM
March 21, 2007
BERLIN
Berlin is the latest of three communities along Route 495 to be hit by a robber wielding what is believed to be a blood-filled syringe.
A man wearing a black ski mask and black jacket and brandishing the syringe walked into the Shell gas station on Central Street last Wednesday evening and screamed for money, Police Chief Otto F. Rhode Jr. said. The man grabbed the entire cash register drawer and ran away. A state police K-9 unit tracked his cent to a Rte. 495 on-ramp, where police believe a car was waiting.
Rhode said the robbery may be linked to similar thefts in Marlborough and Hudson last month.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:46 PM
March 19, 2007
The Rev. Thomas Curran
(Globe Archive photo)
HUDSON
The former priest of St. Michael’s Parish has been cleared of two allegations of sexual abuse that dated back more than 25 years.
The Archdiocese of Boston has announced that the claims against Rev. Thomas Curran have been found to be “unsubstantiated,” according to a press release. Curran has been removed from administrative leave and placed on permanent disability, but his ministry will be restricted to sacramentalal celebrations with members of his own family, church officials said.
Curran, who was assigned to St. Michael’s in 1996, was placed on leave in August 2002 after the first allegation was reported. The second allegation was reported in March 2004. The allegations that Curran abused a boy and introduced him to the Rev. Paul R. Shanley date back to the 1970s when Curran was assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Cambridge.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:18 AM
March 13, 2007
HUDSON
A local boy has donated $220 collected at his seventh birthday party to the town for the renovation of South Street park.
Dakota Antelman asked the 11 guests at his party to bring money for the park instead of gifts for his birthday, town Assistant Administrator and Director of Community Development Michelle Ciccolo said. Two bricks will be installed in the park in his honor. One will read, “Dakota and Keegan Antelman love to play here. May everyone share this space and have fun.”
The new park, funded primarily with a state Department of Housing and Community Development grant, will have a playground, skateboard area, and water splash feature.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:40 AM
March 7, 2007
HUDSON
A Hudson bar will appear before the Board of Selectmen this Monday night to face its seventh liquor license violation over the past five years, town officials say.
The Santa Barbara Pub is accused of over-serving a customer on December 3, 2006, Executive Assistant Paul Blazar said. The unnamed customer, an out of state resident, said he had his last drink at the bar when he was arrested on drunken driving charges.
The town’s guidelines call for punishments that range from written warnings to revoking the liquor license. Town records show that the School Street bar has six prior violations on its record since 2002, ranging in severity from over-serving patrons to assaults at the bar to serving minors.
- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:09 AM
March 5, 2007
HUDSON
Town officials hope to win almost $1 million in state grant money to pay for several projects, including the design of the renovation and addition of the senior center.
An application for $261,105 to pay for the design of a new senior center is included in the $988,000 the town is hoping to win from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, which gives out block grants annually, Town Planner Jennifer Burke said. A feasibility study calls for adding onto the back of the Church Street building and adding an elevator to make it handicapped accessible, a project expected to cost roughly $3.2 million.
The town is also asking for $561,500 to reconstruct the South Street parking lot and $100,000 to upgrade downtown building facades. Even if the town wins the grant money it can apply again next year for up to $800,000 in construction funds.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:26 AM
February 25, 2007
HUDSON
The Conservation Commission is seeking a seventh member to fill a vacancy created when the board’s newest appointee resigned last year. Realtor Mike Berry was the last person appointed to commission by the Board of Selectmen in April, but he resigned in August when he realized he could not make the time commitment.
Hudson residents with experience or expertise in conservation, wildlife, planning and botany, among others, are encouraged to apply, Conservation Agent Katrina Proctor said. The term expires Dec. 31, 2008 and anyone interested is urged to call the conservation office at 978-562-2020 for more information.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:05 AM
February 21, 2007
HUDSON
Many of Hudson's senior citizens will enjoy natural views of historic farmland for years to come -- thanks to a woman who could be old enough to be their mother.
Mary Sauta, 96, has agreed to place a conservation restriction on the remaining portion of the family’s farm -- 7.5 acres off of Brook Street, which is located near a development of homes for those 55 and older. According to her son, Charles Sauta. The Sauta family sold more than 25 acres almost two years ago to Midland Development, which is constructing 66 units of age restricted housing.
Mary Sauta still lives in the farmhouse on the land, where a barn also sits.
“She wanted it always to be kept as farmland forever, so we said, “fine, we’ll do it.’ ” said Charles Sauta, 72, who lives across the street from the farmhouse.
A conservation restriction is a permanent deed restriction placed on privately-owned land that protects it from development. The Hudson Board of Selectmen and Conservation Commission have approved the restriction, which now must be approved by the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Charles Sauta said.
The land would still be owned by a Sauta family trust, but the town would oversee the property. Towns typically have to pay landowners the worth of the land without developmental rights in exchange for a conservation restriction, but Mary Sauta didn’t want the money, Charles Sauta said.
“She has everything she needs. It would only be a few more bucks,” said Charles Sauta, who estimated the land is worth $600,000 to $800,000. “We’re just going to let it go the way she wants.”
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:46 AM
February 15, 2007
Hudson Executive Assistant Paul Blazar
(Globe Staff photo by Janet Knott)
HUDSON
The school department’s fiscal 2008 budget request, which if kept in tact would require a property tax override, will be the topic of discussions between Executive Assistant Paul Blazar and Superintendent Sheldon Berman over the next several weeks.
The preliminary school budget is asking the town to pony up $26.4 million, a 7.5 percent ($1.84 million) increase over last year’s budget. But Blazar said the town can only afford to handle a 4.5 percent ($1.1 million) increase. Anything above that amount would require voters to approve a tax override.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:26 PM
February 12, 2007
HUDSON
Two police officers hired in December resigned after their first day on the job late last month saying they no longer wanted to work in law enforcement.
Justin Bush and Robert Rego both submitted resignation papers on Jan. 29, which would have been their first day at the MBTA police academy in Quincy, Hudson Police Chief Richard Braga said. Both men said they were having second thoughts about becoming police officers. Rego, a former security guard, worked as a reserve officer for two years and Bush, small a business owner, for just about a year before they were hired as full-time police officers on Dec. 4, 2006, town officials said.
Braga said he will now seek to hire two replacement officers off the state’s civil service list.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:25 PM
February 10, 2007
HUDSON
The death of Sante “Santino” Parente, who succumbed to liver cancer last month at the age of 60, has left both a hole in the social fabric of Hudson and an opening on the town's Planning Board.
Parente, who was born in Italy and came to the United States in 1974, was the father of Board of Selectmen Chairman Santino “Sonny” Parente and the owner of a local auto repair shop and gas station. His term on the Planning Board would have expired next year.
Town official said that anyone interested in finishing Parente's term should submit a cover letter, resume and board and committee interest card to the selectmen’s office on the third floor of town hall by March 1. The board plans to interview candidates at its March 20 meeting. The new member would be appointed until the May election.
Anyone interested can contact Town Planner Jennifer Burke by e-mail or by calling (978) 562-9963.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:44 PM
February 8, 2007
HUDSON
A young Hudson man has been arraigned on aggravated drunk driving charges in a late December crash that killed his best friend, the Nashua Telegraph reports.
Gabriel King, 19, was driving a 1999 Toyota Camry on Dec. 28 when he crashed into a tree in Hollis, N.H., near the Nashua line. Jared Nathan, 20, was killed.
Prosecutors say that the aggravated DWI charge carries a maximum of seven years in prison, but they may decide to charge King with negligent homicide, which carries a 15-year maximum jail term.
Nathan was a former child cast member of the PBS show "Zoom."
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:20 PM
January 26, 2007
HUDSON
Former Massachusetts governor Paul Cellucci told the Globe yesterday that he is supporting former New York City mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani for president over Mitt Romney -- even though Romney called Cellucci and asked for his endorsement in a meeting two weeks ago.
Cellucci, who lives in Hudson, called Romney, who served one term as Massachusetts governor, a "capable leader" and said there was no snub intended. "This is not anti-Mitt. This is pro-Rudy," Cellucci said in an interview with the Globe.
Nonetheless, Giuliani's staff, which is preparing for the former mayor's debut on the New Hampshire campaign trail tonight, was quick to tout the endorsement as a sign of Romney's weakness and Giuliani's growing appeal.
-- James W. Pindell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 09:37 AM
January 23, 2007
HUDSON
A 16-year-old Hudson girl has been arraigned on charges she threatened to stab two 13-year-old Northborough girls during an online chat last weekend.
The alleged victims, students at Melican Middle School, were chatting with a Hudson boy Sunday evening when the girl butted into the conversation and began making the threats, including stabbing the girls with a knife, Northborough Det. Sgt. William Lyver said.
Police do not know the motive for the threats, but say it has nothing to do with the boy. The 16-year-old girl, who is not enrolled in any school, does not know the 13-year-olds.
One of the Northborough girls was chatting from her stepfather’s Marlborough home. She told her stepfather about the threats and he in turn notified Marlborough police. Marlborough police passed the information on to Northborough about 9 p.m. that night.
The girl was arrested at 2 p.m. yesterday outside her Hudson home and was arraigned in Worcester Juvenile Court later that afternoon on two counts each of threatening to commit a crime, assault and battery, and threatening to commit a crime, murder, Lyver said.
A uniformed officer was stationed at Melican Middle School yesterday as a precaution.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:05 PM
January 7, 2007
HUDSON
Kenneth White, 65, of Hudson was killed while trying to cross Washington Street in his hometown just before 6:30 p.m. Friday night, Hudson police said. Marya Snow, 44, of Hudson, was driving a 2001 Toyota Sienna south when she allegedly struck White.
Emergency workers called for a medical helicopter, but because of overcast conditions the aircraft were grounded, said Fire Lieutenant David Prockett. White was taken by ambulance to UMass Medical Center in Worcester, where he was pronounced dead.
-- Michael Naughton
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:43 AM
December 30, 2006
HUDSON
A 19-year-old Hudson man is facing drunk driving charges after a car crash in New Hampshire killed the friend who was riding with him.
Gabriel King is facing a charge of aggravated drunken driving. He was released on $500 cash and $1,500 personal recognizance bail.
Jared Nathan, 21, a former cast member of the PBS children's television show "Zoom," was killed in the crash. Friends said King had been Nathan's roommate at the Walnut Hill School in Natick.
Nathan, who lived in Nashua, N.H., was a third-year acting student at the Juilliard School in New York, friends said. He was home on Christmas break.
The Toyota Camry driven by King crashed into a tree and overturned early Thursday in Hollis, N.H., authorities said.
-- AP
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:19 PM
December 22, 2006
HUDSON
A Hudson man who swindled 41 people out of a combined $255,000 in an online scam in which he sold Super Bowl tickets he did not have has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison.
Michael R. Deppe, 20, was also sentenced yesterday to three years of probation and was ordered to pay $12,500 in fines and $520,000 in restitution, which includes other online scams.
Deppe was convicted in May of three counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud.
He had previously pleaded guilty to another scheme in which he received about $115,000 for selling electronics and Rolex watches online that were never delivered.
Deppe and another man partnered to sell tickets over online auction site eBay to the Feb. 3, 2005 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles in Jacksonville, Fla.
The tickets were never delivered to the customers who ordered them and their money was never refunded, prosecutors said.
The other man was not charged.
-- AP
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:17 AM
November 28, 2006
HUDSON
The Rev. Steven Poitras, associate pastor of St. Michael Parish in Hudson, has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation of an allegation that he sexually abused a child in 1994, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston announced yesterday.
The Massachusetts attorney general's office and the Essex district attorney's office have been notified of the accusation, the archdiocese said in a statement; an internal investigation has also been launched.
"The decision to place Father Poitras on administrative leave does not represent a determination of his guilt or innocence," the archdiocese said in a City & Region story today.
-- Charles Radin
Posted by Martin Finucane at 08:31 AM
November 25, 2006
HUDSON
When you get to 110, maybe a facelift isn't such a bad idea.
Renovations of the 110-year-old Hudson Savings Bank – intended to both modernize the building and enhance its historic flavor - are underway and should be complete by the spring, bank officials say.
The two stage $800,000 project includes removing two of seven teller stations, upgrading heating and air conditioning systems and opening up the lobby portion of the Main Street building, President and CEO Mark O’Connell said.
O’Connell said brass gates in front of the safety deposit box area will be cleaned and restored and all the original windows will be replaced with new ones that are historically correct. The bank has been in existence in Hudson since 1869 and been in its current Main Street location since the building opened in 1895.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:41 AM
November 17, 2006
The Hudson firefighters union has changed its mind and wants residents to shoot down the town proposal to remove the fire chief and deputy fire chief from Civil Service.
Members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1713 voted to take a neutral stance on the matter in June, but took a second vote in September to oppose the measure, which will go before residents for the second time in almost a decade at special town meeting Monday.
“The body felt the chances of the chief coming from within were diminished” if removed from civil service,” said Hudson firefighter and union president Dennis Griffin.
Executive Assistant Paul Blazar said he was shocked by the union's turnabout, which he only just learned about from a third party.
“I find it distressing,” he said. “In labor relations, people's word and an atmosphere of trust are critical between the parties.”
Special town meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the high school auditorium. There are 14 articles on the warrant, which can be accessed at www.townofhudson.org under meetings and events.
- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by smaas at 05:30 PM
November 13, 2006
HUDSON
Broken down cars, rusty commercial equipment and eyesore homes will be subject to $200 fines if Hudson Building Commissioner Jeffrey Wood has his way.
Tired of receiving the same complaints about a handful of problem properties in town and worried that their number will grow, Wood is proposing that a general nuisance bylaw at this spring’s town meeting in May.
Similar to one already in effect in Marlborough, the bylaw would prohibit homeowners from storing items like car engines and refrigerators on their front lawns, Wood said. The bylaw would also require homeowners to perform general upkeep on property or face fines of up to $200 per day.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:12 AM
October 30, 2006
HUDSON
Interested in owning property but too lazy to build a house? Has Hudson got a deal for you.
Next Wednesday, Nov. 8, the town will auction off four properties that owe more than $70,000 combined in back taxes. The catch? All four pieces of vacant land have been deemed unsuitable for building, Treasurer/ Tax Collector Stephen W. Price said.
The smallest piece of property is less than a tenth of an acre on Cox Street with $496.34 in overdue taxes last owned by Richard Munroe. The largest parcel is more than 3.5 acres on Forest Avenue with $52,865.60 in back taxes last owned Andrew J. Lane of Country Estates Realty Trust | 
