November 30, 2007
NATICK
Residents on Cypress Street in Natick woke up to lots of water in their neighborhood early Friday morning, WHDH-TV/Channel 7 is reporting on its web site.
A water main break on that street occurred around 4 a.m., flooding the street with nearly two feet of water in some spots.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:26 AM
October 18, 2007
NATICK/REGION
Natick-based Boston Scientific Corp., facing flagging sales for its two key product lines, has announced that will eliminate 2,300 jobs, or 8 percent of its worldwide workforce, restructure parts of its business, and go forward with plans to shed some less-critical assets.
The Natick maker of medical devices said it expects the cuts, set to begin this month and be substantially completed by 2008, will help it reduce annual expenses by 12 to 13 percent, boost profits, and make it easier to cope with the firm's crushing $8 billion in debt, staff writer Todd Wallack reported in the Globe's Business section.
Boston Scientific, the state's third-largest life sciences company, behind Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc., did not say where the job cuts will be made. But only 2,400 of its 28,000 workers are in Massachusetts, suggesting that a fraction of the layoffs will be in the Bay State. Boston Scientific employs nearly 1,000 at its corporate headquarters in Natick and about 1,000 at its endosurgery unit in Marlborough, which makes products for minimally invasive surgery.
Another 500 employees work at the Quincy distribution center, but some analysts think Minnesota, where the company's stent business is based, could bear the brunt of the layoffs.
"I don't think it will have a significant impact at all on total employment in the medical device industry in Massachusetts," said Thomas J. Sommer, president of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council.
Read more about the looming cuts at Boston Scientific on Boston.com.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:11 AM
October 12, 2007
NATICK
A Connecticut man has been indicted on charges stemming from his alleged role as a getaway driver for a series of jewelry store robberies, including one in Natick two years ago.
Anthony Curral, 30, pleaded not guilty to an array of charges and was ordered held without bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in a federal court in Connecticut, the Connecticut Post reported on its web site.
The FBI alleges Curral served as a getaway driver for Charles Kertesz, 36, formerly of Shelton and Milford, Conn. in the armed robberies of Hannoush Jewelry, in Natick, in July 2005 and a Lux Bond and Green Jewelry store in South Windsor, Conn. in February 2006.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:05 AM
October 6, 2007
NATICK
The 8th annual Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation 5 K Road Race for autism will be run this year at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Oct. 14.
The race begins and ends at Natick High School (15 West St.) and all proceeds benefit the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. The event, sponsored by Eastern Bank, draws an average of 1,500 runners every year, and since 1999 has raised more than $200,000 for the foundation.
Registration begins at 9 a.m.; the registration fee is $20 in advance or $25 on race day. Runners can obtain more information and even register by visiting the foundation online.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:20 PM
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
October 1, 2007
NATICK/REGION
Central Massachusetts should be fertile ground for luxury retailers and the Natick Collection, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette is reporting.
The Census Bureau estimates Worcester County is home to 110,686 households with more than $75,000 in annual income. An estimated 71,571 of those households, or 25 percent of all households in the county, have more than $100,000 in annual income.
Yet aside from small, independent boutiques or specialty retailers, it’s tough to find brand-name luxury shopping in the Worcester area. Shoppers willing to plunk down $300 or more for a wool sweater generally have to get in their cars and drive — to Newbury Street in Boston or the Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton; to Providence or to New York City.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:46 AM
September 7, 2007
Gucci fans will just have to wait.
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
If your favorite store is Neiman Marcus, or Gucci, or Bottega Veneta, you don't have to feel bad about missing today's gala Grand Opening of the Natick Collection.
They weren't here either.
In fact, a fairly substantial number of high-end stores that will occupy the new wing of the mall won't be making their appearances for weeks, even months.
Neiman's is due in two weeks, but expect to wait longer for Salvatore Ferragamo, Marina Rinaldi, Karen Miller, Ralph Lauren, Thomas Pink, Piazza Sempione, and Links of London. In fact, the north end of the mall, supposedly the ritziest section, was a bit of a ghost town yesterday, with just Tiffany, Louis Vitton, and a piano player bravely trying to draw shoppers in that direction.
Of course, if you're a glass-half-full person, that just means you still have something to look forward to.
-- Ralph Ranalli
This is the last post of the Globe West Updates Natick Collection Blog-A-Thon. Thanks for tuning in.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 05:36 PM
September 7, 2007
Yummm...
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Do those chocolate croissants at Nordstrom's chic espresso bar taste familiar?
That's because they come from the not-so-chic Bakery on the Common in Natick Center, a few miles down the street..
The cafe supplies several baked goods on offer at the mall coffee bar, other noshes like hummus with pita triangles come from Collection restaurants, cafe staff said.
Natick Collection is known for its upscale shops, but happily price inflation doesn't seem to have hit the pastry department. The Nordstrom/Bakery on the Common chocolate croissant was $1.75, plus tax, no more than it costs in Natick center.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 05:12 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
I went on the hunt for best bargains and most egregious splurges. Someone had to do it.
KATE SPADE: The ladies at Kate Spade looked like they wanted to squeal, but refrained as they offered up the Maya bag from the Arabella collection. It is a large, black, patent-finished python handbag with semi -circle beech wood handles. And this super shiny morsel can be yours for only $1,495.
I am a bargain shopper so I will maybe buy the cute yellow and white striped sticky notes for $9. For the low, low price of $8, you can swipe some Spade charm via the refill paper for daily organizers (I know from experience that the paper is standard size and fits non-Kate organizers.)
TOURNEAU: But I did not know splurge until I walked into fancy watch store Tourneau. The very accommodating salesmen there showed me a Patek Philippe watch for just under $60,000. It was "preowned" -- come to find out you can trade in watches there like you do cars-- and it featured a perpetual calendar, black crocodile band, and clear case on the back so you can see it at work. The perpetual calendar is supposed to stay accurate (day, date, and month) until at least the year 2100, according to store manager Bruce Bowman, so you can feel good about handing it down as a family heirloom.
Uh, yeah, I'll take it. And hock it faster than you can say "skinny jeans are so unfair." The best I could come up with at Tourneau for a bargain was the $375 Swiss Army women's tank watch, which I've been eyeing for years.
NORDSTROM: Oddly enough, the Nordstrom splurge came in around the same price, just under $58,000 for a 21-carat deep blue tanzanite pendant surrounded by 43 diamonds. Yeah, it was pretty. Nordstrom does have some lower priced wares in its Brass Plum department, which is geared toward teenaged girls. Jeans there go as low as $42. And there was a lovely wool-blend car coat in Tiffany blue for $78.
ZARA: Although the high-end stores that opened today dominated, there are actually some real gems for people like me -- that is, thirtysomething casual clotheshorse. Zara, a Spanish clothing store for women, has gorgeous silk dresses (my fave was $79) and simple cotton sweaters ($19 for scoop- or V-neck in a zillion colors).
They also had the ubiquitous sweater dress (I swear clingy knit dresses made an appearance in half the stores I visited. The Zara version came in taupe, black, chocolate brown, and cherry red for $59.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 04:59 PM
September 7, 2007
The offending digits: our correspondent is feeling a tad declasse.
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Just a hint: if you're planning on visiting the Natick Collection in its initial days, you might want to dress up.
This advice is offered by a reporter whose outfit's total value was less than most shoppers' shoes. Believe it or not, one Sephora customer with flawlessly French manicured nails literally sneered at this humble correspondent's obviously D.I.Y. pedicure.
A quick search for another member of the fashion proletariat yielded only a woman in mom jeans and a bewildered looking senior citizen in high-waisted pastel pants. It was only as the after-school crowd filtered in from local middle and high schools that the majority of patrons began to look less like socialites at a haute couture trunk sale and more like the customers of a stereotypical suburban mall.
-- Stephanie V. Siek
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:39 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Goodbye Muzak. The musical hipness quotient is off the charts today as a DJ is spinning tunes at Metropark, a store that includes a line of turntable pendants and DJ-themed t-shirts.
Steve Logan, a Natick native, said his shopping mix includes Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and an electronica outfit named Chromeo.
"This store, they like upbeat music like this. Nice hip hop, with minimal swears," said Logan, a Natick native who works as an artist when not spinning Friday and Saturday nights at the store.
Down the hall, Puma also has a spot set up for a DJ, just in time for the after-school crowd.
Downstairs, a pianist plays on a grand piano.
In fact, music is filling about every corner of the mall. But even so, today's musicians are still having a hard timing living up the eclectic standard set at the gala preview event last night, where a flute and harp duo played their own version of "Stairway to Heaven."
What's next, "Freebird" on steel drums?
-- Meg Woolhouse and Stephanie Siek
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:37 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Nobody was anticipating the opening of the new Natick Collection with more concern than Natick Police Chief Dennis Mannix.
He knows that an additional 550,000-square-feet of retail space, 100 new stores and thousands more shoppers descending on the mall means his 53-officer force will be busier. But he doesn't know how much busier.
"I am expecting a significant impact,'' Mannix said this afternoon. ``It's hard to know yet exactly what the strain will be, but there will be more need for services. I foresee in the long-term we will need more officers.''
Currently, most larceny calls and a good number of other disturbance complaints to Natick police come from the mall, the chief said. Suspects are generally booked in Natick's lockup, and arraigned across the street at Natick District Court. However, that system might have to change if there are too many of them, he said.
Increased traffic is also a huge concern. A combination of regular and paid details helped guide opening day customer off of Speen Street in to the 7,000 spaces surrounding the old and new mall buildings.
Mannix is finalizing a holiday mall traffic policing plan, and along with the fire department, expects to be talking to town officials regularly about the toll the new mall is taking on public services.
The townspeople of Natick can expect to see the issue hit them in the same spot the Collection has targeted -- their pocketbooks.
The hundred of thousands in mitigation money the town is receiving from the Collection expansion has been earmarked for new public safety equipment and other budget items, not for salaries, Mannix said.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 03:51 PM
September 7, 2007
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
A stone's throw from the state's first Nordstrom department store is Stil, the only local business to be awarded a spot in the new Natick Collection expansion.
Today was the grand opening of her 1,000-square-foot boutique (named after the Scandinavian word for ``style') and founder/owner Betty Riaz was behind the counter personally helping shoppers choose funky black cocktail dresses and chunky beaded necklaces.
``I'm so excited to be here,'' said Riaz. ``This store is the epitome of what I wanted my store, my brand to be.''
She has opened shops on Newbury Street and at the Chestnut Hill Mall -- but the Natick store has been a real labor of love, she said. With an emphasis on labor.
All her corporate neighbors have teams of high-powered leasing agents, brand managers and real estate attorneys to get their stores up-and running.
Betty, has, well, Betty.
She did it all -- choosing this spot -- nestled behind the Concierge Desk in the busiest crossing in the new wing -- and taking care of all the new-store details personally. She's not too worried about the internationally-known brands, like Michael Kors to her right, and Betsey Johnson to her left.
Since she opened the door at 9 a.m. more than 100 people have come by, about half had shopped in her Newton or Boston stores before, the other half were brand-new customers.
``It's nice to be able to finally show people who don't make it into Boston who were are,'' Riaz said.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 03:47 PM
September 7, 2007
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Fans of the Project Runway reality series know how tough celebrity fashion judge Michael Kors could be on the designer/contestants, particularly when one of them didn't finish an assignment on time.
Oops.
Kors' new boutique in the ritzy Natick Collection was strangely anonymous for the first four-and-a-half hours of the new mall's life, until an employee got a ladder and some press-on lettering and saved the day.
As Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work, Michael."
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:35 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Sure there are lots of frustrated and bored husbands parked on chairs and benches waiting for their spouses to finish shopping.
But they appear to be vastly outnumbered by mother and daughter shopping teams. From Zara to Kate Spade, multi-generational duos are inspecting merchandise and offering each other their frank fashion appraisals.
Nancy Leeser and her mother, Eileen Garber, nibbled on Lindt chocolates as they rode the escalator on their way to Nordie's.
"We're here to window shop," Leeser, 52, said, in a voice that sounded like she was trying to convince herself of what whe had just said. Garber, 81, said she was a veteran of many mall openings, including the opening of the Atrium mall in Chestnut Hill. Like Natick, it began as an ultra upscale hub but has since slipped a bit down-market.
"I wonder what will happen here," Garber said.
-- Meg Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:00 PM
September 7, 2007
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
With over 100 high-end stores, excess has of course been one of the themes of the day. Even the balloon clowns were engaging in a bit of one-upclownship.
While other kids were showing off flowers, animals, and magic wands, 4-year-old Abner Perez of Framingham was the proud recipient of this latex Lexus.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:45 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
The inside of the Natick Collection's new wing is dark wood and stylish tile and glass. Very classy.
But opening day entertainment has more mass-market appeal. It seems they've hired just about every clown in the Greater Boston area for opening day.
There's Davey, who crafts balloon animals and plays the accordion. Jenny the Juggler pained faces. There was even a unicycle-riding, juggling clown. And a rabbit in a box.
Chic or not, the kids are loving it. And shoppers, many of whom have small children, love it, too.
"This is a very kid friendly mall," said Robin Marshall of Sudbury. "He (Davey) was chasing someone with a rubber chicken before. It was pretty funny."
Her young daughter was dancing to Davey's accordion tunes.
"I loveeee it!" her daughter said.
Clowns aren't the only entertainment at the Collection's opening day. An older gentleman played the piano in front of the not-yet-open Neiman Marcus.
He wasn't wearing a tux (and looked kind of rumpled, actually) but everyone seemed impressed with his playing.
Classy, I thought, but then I realized what he was playing. It was the theme from "Sesame Street".
-- Alex I. Oster
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 01:13 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas -- when it comes to parking at the just-opened Natick Collection.
If you aren't interested in paying $10 for a valet to whisk your car away, better wear comfortable shoes.
We tried two labyrinthine Collection garages and several lots before happening upon an SUV pulling away in one of the outer-orbit garages adjacent to J.C. Penny.
Some shoppers were even hiking over from The Container Store plaza.
Of course, it's still possible to park on the Route 9 side of the old mall building, but be warned -- barriers separate the two lots, and ongoing construction makes it a slow commute from one side of the building to another.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 12:38 PM
September 7, 2007
Eat your hearts out, suits
(Globe staff photo by Mark Wilson)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Denise Johnson, 41, was shopping with two girlfriends when she noticed the bare-chested hunk giving out samples inside Fruits & Passion, a Canadian lotions and potions shop.
"That's why we came in here," said Johnson, a Shrewsbury resident. "We saw him from outside."
The model Earl Harried works as a radioactive waste technician at Seabrook. A photographer asked him if women talk to his chest. Yes, the vast majority do, he admitted. (C'mon his pecs are eye level for the average-height woman. What's a girl to do?)
Johnson said she was lured in by the Nordstrom but is having fun seeing some of the other shops that are riding the department store's coattails. "I was impressed," she said of the new Natick Collection. "I was overwhelmed I guess."
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:52 AM
September 7, 2007
Nordstrom employees get fired up
(Globe staff photo by Mark Wilson)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
I've seen tamer crowds at Red Sox-Yankees games. Nordstrom employees cheered, clapped, and chanted as they lined the entryway of the new Nordstrom department store, which opened this morning at the Natick Collection. "Let's go Natick. Let's go," they yelled out just before they counted down the final seconds to the door opening.
Newton resident Faye Goldman was the very first Nordstrom customer. "I waited two hours," she said. "I love shoes."
She was the leader of the pack when Nordstrom opened its door at 10 a.m. Hundreds of women rushed into the store. They briskly walked -- there was no running, please these are Nordstrom customers. Goldman said she was also there for the clothes and makeup but her first love is shoes, she said as she inspected some sporty red slip-ons from Privo by Clark's. She said her husband told her she better not come home with any new kicks, but she made no commitment.
The first name brands inside are Jimmy Choo on the right and Bobbi Brown on the left. Jimmy was showing off patent leather high boots with a flat heel and a shorter version with a spike heel. There were leopard print heels and flats. And apparently pointy toes are still in because they dominated the display.
British skincare company Elemis offered free consultation with a space-age looking giant lighted camera. I offered up my weathered reporter face and got back a printout of six different closeup photos showing my pores, wrinkles, and UV spots. Yikes! More sunscreen for me.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:41 AM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
With a fanfare from the Boston Symphony Orchestra brass section and a blast from air cannons firing red, black, and silver confetti, the Natick Collection officially opened at 9:56 a.m.
General Growth Properties CEO John Bucksbaum cut a huge band of red ribbons (actually, he pretended to while underlings released the ribbons from the wings) on the ornamental staircase in the new wing's main atrium.
The opening has also hit its first glitch, albeit a minor one: the little pieces of silver mylar confetti are so sticky that they're proving almost impervious to the janitorial staff's attempts to sweep them up.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:27 AM
September 7, 2007
Welcome to Globe West Update's Natick Collection Blog-a-thon. Staff writer Lisa Kocian filed this update as the first perfumes were being spritzed and the trumpets were warming up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Throngs of excited Nordstrom fans are crowded outside the store eagerly awaiting the opening this morning of the first Massachusetts store. Drawn by a makeover tailgate party, some of the more enthusiastic shoppers sported hot pink boas given out by staff.
Natick resident Penny Tozier walked over to the brand new Natick Collection, which officially opens in minutes, because she thought it would be easier than driving. (Parking and traffic were actually not a problem between 8 and 9 a.m. when I drove in.)
"Ever since they made the announcement the Wonder Bread factory was shutting down, I've been watching it," said Tozier. "I was able to see the progress weekly."
She was getting a makeover from Estee Lauder makeup artist Brynn Terry, who said she was trying to give her a "Malibu" sunkissed look. It was Terry's tenth makeover of the morning, which started at 8 a.m.
Tozier said she came today specifically for the Nordstrom opening, calling the store her "absolute favorite" because of the high-quality customer service.
Other smiling customers were getting makeovers from Clinique, Trish McEvoy, and Laura Mercier, to name a few.
Wellesley resident Mary Ann Scott was peeking inside the Nordstrom store, where staff were teasing customers by raising and lowering the metal garage-like door hiding the high-end duds. "I can't wait until the store opens," said Scott. She planned to spend and hour or two to "get a good overview today" so she can plot her shopping strategy in the coming weeks.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:18 AM
September 7, 2007
Finally, the computer-generated shoppers will be replaced by the real thing.
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
It's here. The Natick Collection opens today, and the Globe West Updates staff will be bringing you the entire scene with our exclusive Blog-a-thon today, starting with Nordstrom's early morning make up tailgate party. To get things going, staff writer Lisa Kocian filed this report from the gala opening party last night:
NATICK - 9:50 p.m. -- There were break dancers and fortune tellers and glass blowers. You could mix your own perfume or listen to a harpist or sample the oxygen bar. The new Natick Collection opened tonight with a packed gala fundraiser to benefit the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation & The Children's Hospital League.
"I think it's pretty exciting - it'll be great for the economy, great for tourism," said state Sen. Karen Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, as she waited in line to try the oxygen bar.
Hundreds of cocktail-dressed partygoers sipped champagne, nibbled on crab cakes, or sampled black caviar on blini as they meandered through the carnival-like scene. As one wide-eyed reveler put it, "This is an event!"
Sadly, the stores were closed but you could still window shop. Some looked like they were sprinting a little frantically to the finish line. A worker was putting the final touches on a window display at the Louis Vuitton shop.
Nordstrom and most of the 100 new stores at the shopping center formerly known as Natick Mall open tomorrow morning.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:27 AM
September 6, 2007
It's party time on Route 9.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NATICK/REGION
Tonight's debut of the Natick Collection isn't your typical mall open house -- it's a swank $125-per-head gala to benefit Children's Hospital and the Doug Flutie Foundation. Practically anyone who's anyone in the western suburbs will want to see it -- or be seen at it.
Natick Selectman Joshua Ostroff said he'll be at the mall tonight -- even though municipal ethics laws require him to pay for the ticket out of his own pocket. He was not, however, planning to indulge in the $250-per-head Sept. 14 opening of the Collection's Neiman Marcus store, the state's second outlet of the upscale retailer, Globe West bureau chief Erica Noonan reports today.
"I'd love to, but that's a bit north of what I spend on a typical Friday evening," Ostroff said. He also declined to attend Fenway on the Runway, a fashion show featuring the wives of Red Sox players, which is a commanding a ticket price of $350 a head if you want to sit with a wife.
Ostroff said he was driven to buy a ticket to tonight's soiree by the desire to see the culmination of years of work by town officials. And a high-profile party to celebrate more than a year of elaborate construction on the 550,000-square-foot expansion was too exciting an opportunity to pass up.
"I want to see the mall, which is very important to the town," Ostroff said. "Thousands of people involved with the Planning Board and community development offices have worked very hard to make sure the expansion was well planned and well built."
Read more about the festivities leading up to the much-anticipated Grand Opening of the new Natick Collection in the online edition of today's Globe West.
Also, we strongly suggest that you put Globe West Updates into your browser's bookmarks as well, so you'll have easy access to our Natick Collection Blog-a-thon. Our reporters and photographers will be bringing you reports and vignettes from the big events throughout the day.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:41 PM
September 5, 2007
Shirts await shoppers at the Nordstrom in the new Natick Collection, which opens Friday.
(Globe file photo)
NATICK/REGION
Editor's note: Globe West staff writer Lisa Kocian got a sneak peek inside the new Natick Collection today and filed this dispatch. Stay tuned to Globe West Updates all day Friday for our Natick Collection Blog-a-thon, when we will be filing a steady stream of reports and dispatches from the much-anticipated grand opening.
I have seen the new Natick Mall -- sorry, The Natick Collection -- and it's pretty cool.
The new stores, including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, open Friday but reporters were allowed in today for a sneak peek. I shudder to think what the traffic will be like in two days -- let alone in December --but before I start critiquing, allow me to ooh and ah for a moment.
I like to shop. I'm usually a bargain shopper (after all, I make my living by writing) but I can still swoon over the high end stuff. The way it's set up, the stores work their way gradually from economical at the pre-existing Sears end to luxury retail at the Nordstrom/Neiman Marcus end. My personal favorites: vintage-y clothing and home store Anthropologie, which recycled the wood from an antique barn for its new store's interior and Sel de la Terre, a French brasserie that will open early for coffee and baked goods on an outdoor patio when the weather allows.
The Collection stores displayed varying degrees of readiness for Friday's opening. At body products store L'Occitane, workers unpacked shopping bags. Handbag giant Kate Spade was still under construction, with not a kelly green bag or dress in sight. Martin + Osa, a new store from the folks that brought us American Eagle, already has mannequins dressed, one in women's dark wash skinny jeans and another in a men's olive green puffy down vest.
The new two-level space -- which features more than 100 shops -- is light and airy. There is such an abundance of skylights that the addition actually seems to have a glass ceiling. Synthetic birch trees reach up toward the natural light, but instead of leaves there are metallic, primary green leaf-shaped cutouts. I'm not so sure about those; my first thought was of a kindergarten classroom and construction paper when I saw them.
Mall owner General Growth Properties aggressively courted retailers in the United States and Europe to get the best for shoppers, according to Michael McNaughton, vice president, of asset management for GGP's Northeast region.
For example, Williams-Sonoma and Coach were both prior mall tenants, but will be re-opening in the new addition with their largest prototype stores, he said. GGP was gunning for big, McNaughton said, like the new Hugo Boss store, which will be the only one in the Boston area to sell both men's and women's clothing.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:43 PM
September 2, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Pat Greenhouse)
NATICK/REGION
Staffing a brand-new store is tough enough. But just try recruiting at the same time as 100 other nearby stores -- including giants like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus -- all angling to hire the same top sales associates from one area.
Then try to do it without having an actual store to show potential employees, Globe West staff writer John C. Drake reports in a front-of-the-section story today.
"It's hard when we're outside of our venue," said Dawn Sereda, store manager of Brighton Collectibles at Burlington Mall. She'll be the manager of a new Brighton Collectibles store at Natick Collection when it opens Friday with the mall expansion.
"We're all drawing from the same well" of potential employees, she said. "There are names out there everybody knows and are attracted to."
She rattles off popular store brands like Tommy Bahama, Tiffany's, and Nordstrom.
"These are names they see at other locations and have been following for years," Sereda said. "It's really hard to compete with that."
Two years after construction on its 550,000-square-foot expansion began, Natick Collection, formerly Natick Mall, is set to open its new luxury wing and Nordstrom department store on Friday. About 70 percent of the 98 stores planned for the new wing will open their doors that day, said Jim Grant, vice president of development for mall owner General Growth Properties. Neiman Marcus plans to open Sept. 15, and most of the new stores are expected to be up and running by the holiday shopping season.
Read more about the Natick Collection opening in the online edition of today's Globe West.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:13 PM
August 23, 2007
NATICK
Natick's Morse Institute Library is looking for more residents to participate in its ongoing effort to catalogue the stories the town's veterans.
The Veterans Oral History Project is a collection of videotaped interviews with residents who served in the military from World War II through the Gulf War.
The town is continuing the effort with a $30,000 grant from the state, and put out a call this month for more participants. Residents who are interested can call Joan Craig at (508) 647-6524.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:45 AM
August 21, 2007
No cars, please
(Globe staff photo by Mark Wilson)
NATICK
Some Natick motorists are apparently a little too eager to see the town develop a rail trail.
Acting Town Administrator Martha White this week told selectmen that the town has received complaints from neighbors and seen evidence that some vehicles already are traveling a section of CSX right-of-way where the railroad recently removed rails and ties.
"It's a public safety issue, it's a disturbance to the residents, and we're going to take steps to stop it," she said.
Selectmen appropriated $5,000 Monday night to purchase additional concrete barriers to cut off access. "We tried to get CSX to deal with it, and they're not being responsive at all," White said.
She said the town also would install gates where the trail intersects with roadways. The town is in the process of negotiating with CSX to build a rail trail over the abandoned rail line through town.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:32 AM
August 9, 2007
NATICK
Natick selectmen plan to interview five finalists for town administrator during the first week of September.
The finalists, announced Monday night by a town committee, are: Paul Fetherston, chief administrative officer for the town of Canton, Conn.; Michael Jaillet, town administrator in Westwood; Steven Ledoux, town manager in Westford; Jodi Ross, town administrator in Bolton; and Martha White, Natick's acting town administrator.
White had been deputy town administrator for about eight months when Phil Lemnios left the town's top administrative post to become town manager in Hull in April.
Carol Gloff, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said the board will interview the finalists over the course of several days beginning with the scheduled Sept. 4 meeting. She expects the board to make a decision by the end of September.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:20 AM
August 8, 2007
NATICK
The town of Natick has granted a temporary certificate of occupancy for the expansion of Natick Collection. Stores in the mall expansion now are free to bring in merchandise and non-construction employees as they prepare to open on Sept. 7.
Nearly 100 new stores are included in the mall expansion, and about 70 percent are expected to open in time for the September grand opening. The rest of the stores should open in time for the holiday shopping season, the mall's developers have said.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:13 AM
July 12, 2007
NATICK
Many of the new shops planned for the expansion of Natick Collection won't be ready in time for the Sept. 7 grand opening.
Jim Grant, vice president of development at mall owner General Growth Properties, said the Nordstrom department store and about 70 percent of the 98 planned new stores will open that day. That should increase to between 85 and 90 percent by the time the holiday shopping season begins after Thanksgiving, he said. A Neiman Marcus is projected to open on Sept. 15.
"September's kind of a dicey month for openings," Grant said. "A lot of stores would prefer to open for the holiday season."
He said some stores had simply not planned well enough to open on time, others will be waiting on merchandise and still others had their construction delayed by work on the parking garage underneath the expansion.
Still, he said, the grand opening will be impressive for customers.
"All the common area, exterior and interior, will be done, 100 percent. Whatever's going on in the tenant spaces will be pretty well disguised," he said. "They'll see our best face on Sept. 7."
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 11:14 AM
June 15, 2007
Governor Deval Patrick called yesterday's defeat of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage "a helpful outcome," saying getting past the divisive issue will allow time to focus on other "more pressing issues."
Patrick spoke to reporters today after touring the Army's Soldier Systems Center in Natick.
"There was a decisive vote in favor of laying to rest the question of marriage equality and moving on," he said. "There are many more pressing issues around affordable housing and economic development and education and so on that we need to move on to and wouldn’t be able to move on to were this question going to be on the popular ballot."
Lawmakers voted yesterday to reject placing before voters a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
At the Army facility, known locally as Natick Labs, Patrick heard a pitch from Brigadier General R. Mark Brown to strengthen ties among its researchers, private industry in the state and law enforcement. Many of the technological innovations developed for soldiers can be used by local and state law enforcement, Army officials said.
"We want to find ways to transfer technology and technological know-how in and out of this facility, because it's important for our economy," Patrick said.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 01:56 PM
May 24, 2007
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
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:46 AM
May 22, 2007
The Natick Neighborhood Bus
(Globe file photo)
NATICK
The town of Natick will consider selling its Natick Neighborhood Bus fleet to the new MetroWest Regional Transit Authority but continue running the buses as a contractor to the Authority.
Natick selectmen discussed the option at the board's meeting Monday night as members try to determine what the town's level of involvement will be with the regional bus system. The board agreed that the town would join the Authority at a meeting last month, but, "joining doesn't necessarily define the level of service that we would negotiate with them," said acting town administrator Martha White.
White said the town will need to settle the issue by July 1, which is when the new RTA is set to begin operation and when the town's new fiscal year begins.
Also at Monday night's meeting, the board re-established a financial planning committee to make long-range recommendations on Natick's financial picture. Natick, which narrowly avoided placing a proposition 2 1/2 override before voters this year, could ask voters for a tax hike as early as next fall.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 11:42 AM
May 9, 2007
NATICK
Hail Flutie! The little quarterback who made a career of proving doubters wrong is now a Hall of Famer. Natick's own Doug Flutie was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame today in his first year of eligibility, joining Ahmad Rashad and 10 other players honored by the National Football Foundation.
The 5-foot-10 (barely) Flutie won the Heisman Trophy in 1984 for Boston College and threw one of the most memorable passes in college football history. His 48-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan as time expired gave the Eagles a 47-45 victory over Miami. The desperation 'Hail Flutie' toss and the sight of him leaping in the air as he sprinted down field to celebrate with his teammates has become timeless.
"I guess I did more than just throw one pass," Flutie said during a news conference at a Manhattan hotel to announce the newest Hall of Fame class.
Did he ever. Flutie threw for 10,579 yards in his college career and led BC to a 10-2 record and Cotton Bowl victory during his Heisman season.
"It's my whole life of being the little guy and having a little chip on my shoulder, from year to year trying to prove myself, and at the end of the day to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame is very special honor for me," he said.
-- AP
Posted by Martin Finucane at 10:53 PM
May 8, 2007
(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
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:07 PM
May 7, 2007
NATICK
The contrasts couldn't have been more striking.
After a close election in the race for town moderator led to a dramatic recount and ultimate tie, the board of selectmen was forced to step in. The process took longer than a month.
Monday night, four selectmen heard from three candidates for the post, placed their signed votes on slips of paper, and unanimously selected Frank Foss to be the moderator until the next townwide election in March. Foss immediately took the oath of office, seconds after the vote was announced.
"Now the work begins," Foss said after the vote. He's got less than a month to prepare to lead Town Meeting.
The choice was hardly a surprise. Before voting, all of the selectmen, on the advice of the town's attorney, publicly disclosed that they had supported Foss over incumbent Paul Connolly in the town election. Their support ranged from contributing cash to his campaign to holding signs on Election Day.
"I didn't expect them to change their minds," Connolly said.
Both Connolly, and a third applicant, John A. Merritt, offered the board a chance to avoid the appearance of throwing out the will of half the town's voters. Connolly offered to serve half of the one-year term and then step down in September, creating a vacancy that the selectmen then could fill with Foss. Merritt offered himself as an interim moderator who would commit to not serve past the one year, allowing Connolly and Foss to run again with a clean slate.
In the end, the four selectmen remained loyal to the man they had supported in the election. A fifth selectman, Charles Hughes, recused himself from the vote because he had provided legal advice to Foss.
Connolly, an 18-year incumbent, said he has not decided whether he will run for the post next March.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 09:10 PM
May 4, 2007
NATICK
John A. Merritt, who has applied for the post of Natick town moderator, says it would be unfair for selectmen to choose either of the two men who tied in the previous election.
Citing his love for the town, Merritt said, in a letter to the selectmen "I firmly believe that appointing either candidate who ran for the position would be inappropriate in that it would disregard half of the people who voted in this race and give an unfair advantage, to the one you appoint, in the subsequent election."
Merritt added that he has no intention of running in the next election for moderator, which is scheduled for next March.
The full text of Merritt's letter follows...
152 North Main Street
Natick, MA 01760
April 30, 2007
Joshua Ostroff, Clerk
Natick Board of Selectmen
13 East Central Street
Natick, MA 01760
Dear Mr. Ostroff:
Pursuant to the notice, cited below, I am writing to express my interest in being considered for the Moderator vacancy and will appear before the Board to be interviewed on Monday, May 7, 2007. I am offering my services for two reasons. First, I have an abiding respect for and love of the Town Meeting process, which I participated in actively for over 20 years previously, and am willing to help support that process through this unexpected period. Second, whether the Board chooses me or another candidate that did not run in the election, I respectfully urge that it is the better course. I firmly believe that appointing either candidate who ran for the position would be inappropriate in that it would disregard half of the people who voted in this race and give an unfair advantage, to the one you appoint, in the subsequent election.
Finally, while I suspect it is not a requirement you would formally place on any candidate applying for the vacancy, I want to stipulate explicitly that I have no intention to seek and will not seek the Moderator position in the next election.
Sincerely yours
John A. Merritt
Posted by John C. Drake at 03:03 PM
May 4, 2007
NATICK
A third man has entered the fray in the battle to become Natick's town moderator.
John A. Merritt, a former chairman of Natick's finance committee, has applied for the moderator's post, according to the Board of Selectmen's office. The only other two applicants are longtime incumbent John Connolly and challenger Frank Foss, who tied in the town election.
The unlikely 1,772-1,772 tie set up a complex debate in town about how to fairly choose a moderator. The town charter requires selectmen to choose someone to serve until the next town election, and officials decided they needed to allow anyone to apply. The deadline for applications was yesterday.
The applicants will plead their cases to selectmen Monday night, when the panel is expected to choose a moderator who will serve at Town Meeting on May 29.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 12:22 PM
May 3, 2007
Rabbi Kushner at Temple Israel in Natick
NATICK
When Rabbi Harold S. Kushner steps out in public, almost inevitably someone comes up to him and says, "Your book changed my life."
It's been that way since 1981, when he published "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," a memorial to his only son, Aaron, who died in 1977 at age 14.
In it, he reassured victims of tragedy with the then-revolutionary idea that God was not punishing them. Rather, God gave people spiritual tools to cope with disaster and to comfort others in suffering.
The book stayed on The New York Times best-seller list for more than a year, turning Kushner into one of the most beloved and best-known rabbis in the country.
Now 72, Kushner could be called the grandfather of the religious self-help genre -- a niche that today sells millions of titles every year, including blockbusters such as "The Purpose Driven Life," by Christian pastor Rick Warren.
In his most recent book, "Overcoming Life's Disappointments," Kushner uses the biblical story of Moses to inspire people to find lessons from their experiences even when things do not turn out as they had hoped.
Read more of this story in today's Globe West.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Martin Finucane at 05:44 PM
April 25, 2007
NATICK
A tie in a town election? It may not be as unlikely as it seems.
The two candidates for town moderator in Natick tied in the March 27 election, with each man receiving 1,772 votes.
Elections observers in the state said in a story in today's Globe that they could not remember a previous election that ended in a tie and said, while certainly possible, it would have to be a very rare occasion.
MIT computer science professor David Karger says in an e-mail to the Globe today that the likelihood of a tie in Natick, given the town's recent voter turnout, is about 1-in-75.
"Since candidates nowadays tend to do a pretty good job of splitting the vote, it seems reasonable to
assume that each voter is equally likely to vote for each candidate, as if they were tossing a fair coin," he said. "Under these circumstances, assuming I've done my math right, the probability of a tie among 3,544 voters is about 1 in 75. So, those voters had better plan for another tie sometime in their lifetimes."
But has it happened before? It has.
Swansea reader Patrick Higgins points out that residents in the town split 984-984 in a vote for a selectman during their April 9 election. But that's still preliminary. A recount is set for this week in that town.
In 2002, a tie in a Milton School Committee race was broken when a Superior Court judge threw out a single ballot that she ruled had been improperly included in the tally.
And there are more historical examples.
In 1991, a tie in a Quincy School Committee race was broken by a combined vote of the City Council and the School Committee, according to a Globe story.
An Arlington reader remembers a tie in a selectman's race there that was settled in court some 30 years ago.
Nevertheless, considering the thousands of positions up for grabs each year in elections in Massachusetts' 351 communities, a tie remains clearly a rare occurrence.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 11:07 AM
April 12, 2007
The Natick condos under construction earlier this year
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NATICK
Those two tall structures rising next to Natick Collection on Speen Street? They are the luxury condos the mall's developers are building to make a community out of its 500,000-square foot retail expansion.
Many potential condo buyers apparently don't realize that, said Claude Hoopes, of Boston's Otis & Ahearn residential marketing firm. The firm is handling the marketing of the Nouvelle at Natick residences for General Growth Properties, the mall developer.
"Without exception, when they look at those towers, they have no idea there's condos being built in those towers," he told Natick's Planning Board last night. "They don't understand where the Natick Collection ends and the Nouvelle at Natick begins."
So, he's asking for permission to have a 100-foot long banner placed atop the still-under-construction tower that faces the Massachusetts Turnpike, to drive the point home.
That General Growth Properties needs to aggressively market the condos bothered some planning board members who said they remembered the developer stating in earlier hearings that the high demand for luxury residences in the area would make keeping the towers full no problem.
"Why do you have to advertise this," asked Julian Munnich, a member of the planning board.
Hoopes said the confusion about the location, along with a slowing housing market, have hurt sales. He said about 20 of the 215 condo units have been pre-sold, so far. The company hopes to begin initial occupancy of the condos in June 2008.
The board put off until May 9 a decision on allowing the banner.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 03:42 PM
April 12, 2007
NEEDHAM
Gov. Deval Patrick offered Needham High School students a pep talk this morning, accepting an invitation from school officials to lift the senior class's spirits after the loss of some classmates to suicide.
Students received a lesson in resiliency and perspective, said students who attended the assembly, which was closed to the public.
During the senior class's four years at the school, four teenagers from the town have died of suicide. In response, the community has conducted suicide prevention programs, and the school has reached out to neighboring Wellesley, where a student died of suicide last month.
"I talked to them about the importance of perspective," Patrick said in a brief interview with Globe West Thursday. "Any senior year is a whirlwind with college decisions and the exams and the prom coming up, and then they've had this profound loss as well, and they've been managing through that."
Kelly Reckert, an 18-year-old senior, said the governor told students "even though tragedies can happen, you can still bounce back."
-- John C. Drake and Adam Sell
Posted by John C. Drake at 02:41 PM
April 12, 2007
NATICK
A day after the House released a budget proposal that scaled back many of his priorities, Gov. Deval Patrick said his administration would continue to fight for his initiatives.
"We submitted a balanced and responsible budget that had no gimmicks and no patches and plugs, and the House has submitted a different kind of budget where they haven’t made those hard choices," he said.
The governor, in an appearance in Natick, also reacted to the controversy surrounding comments made by radio host Don Imus about the Rutgers women's basketball team last week.
Patrick said he was frustrated with "toxic and corrosive" public discourse.
"I am so tired of words that cut, the careless and offhand comment that somebody thinks is funny and is, in fact, hurtful," Patrick said. "I think it has absolutely nothing to do with political correctness. I think it has to do with respect."
Patrick also said the comments illustrate the challenge black parents face preparing their children for racism in society.
"Parenting is tough all around, but we’re having to teach our kids all the time to learn to love across differences, to steel themselves against the careless remark, and to keep going and to try to see and look for the best in other people and expect that in return."
The governor spoke in Natick at the headquarters of Boston Scientific after meeting with executives at the medical devices maker, which is one of the state's largest corporations. He was on a swing through the suburbs west of Boston that also included appearances in Framingham and Needham.
The House budget eliminated funding for 250 new police officers and cut $5 million in property tax relief proposed by Patrick.
"It's the beginning of a process," Patrick said of budget deliberations. "We have our proposal. We are going to fight for it. The House has its proposal. The Senate's will come next month.
"Then we will all work together toward what I am counting on being a very purposeful and forward-looking set of compromises."
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:56 PM
April 5, 2007
NATICK
Faced with the prospect of convening Town Meeting next week with the validity of its election in dispute, Natick selectmen opted to seek a new election and postpone the assembly.
Qualified candidates for a pair of Town Meeting precincts were inadvertently left off the March 27 ballot. While the candidates had not asked for the election to be conducted again, selectmen decided last night that it was best to re-do the election in those precincts lest someone challenge a Town Meeting action based on problems with the election. Chairwoman Carol A. Gloff said members wanted to ensure the community had confidence that Town Meeting was elected fairly.
The ballot listed 21 candidates for the 16 available seats in the two seats, combined. Candidate Jamie Magee was left off the Precinct 8 ballot and Rick Smudin's name did not appear on the Precinct 9 ballot.
Since the selectmen do not have the authority to conduct a new election itself, the panel voted to ask a court to authorize the do-over. If a judge approves the board's plan, the new election would be held May 22, and Town Meeting would follow on May 29.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 02:29 PM
April 2, 2007
NATICK
Several homes were evacuated this morning when a Natick Collection contractor hit a gas line near the intersection of Speen and Hartford streets in Natick.
The incident occurred shortly after 8 a.m. and gas in the immediate area was shut off, affecting eight homes, said Mike Durand, spokesman for NSTAR. By 11:30 a.m., gas had been restored to three of them, though Durand said that full service should be restored by the end of the day.
Natick Fire Department Deputy Chief Ed Connelly said that 12 homes were evacuated, but residents were allowed to return after only a short wait.
An independent contractor was working in the area, installing new crosswalk lights for the Natick Mall mall expansion project when the 2-inch intermediate-pressure line was struck, Connelly said.
Speen and Hartford streets were reopened by 10:30 a.m., Connelly said.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:55 PM
March 29, 2007
An accounting class at Natick High School, where many students bring their own laptops.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NATICK
Some students in Natick bring their laptops to school because the district is short on computers equipped with the latest software, the Globe reports today.
The state Department of Education says that roughly a quarter of all school districts are not meeting the state's goal of one computer per five students.
-- Kay Lazar
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:44 AM
March 28, 2007
NATICK
Natick Town Moderator Paul E. Connolly has a one-vote lead over challenger Frank Foss, according to official results from last night's town-wide election. Connolly received 1,760 votes to Foss' 1,759 votes, according to the tally.
Natick Town Clerk Jane Hladick said candidates have ten days to file for a recount, but that she expects the request to come sooner than that.
Hladick could not say how long the recount would take.
"I'm sure they're going to want every precinct, so it will take a while," she said.
Hladick's replacement also was decided last night. Judi Kuhn, an administrative assistant in the clerk's office, defeated Diane Packer with 56 percent of the vote to take over the $73,000-a-year job. Hladick, who is retiring, will remain on the job until Apr. 10.
Two new members are joining the School Committee. Anne E. Blanchard and Anne LaPlace Zernicke won election along with incumbent David J. Murphy in the six-person race for three seats on the panel.
And in an uncontested race, Kristine M. Van Amsterdam claimed a seat on the Board of Selectmen along with incumbent John Ciccaariello.
Voter turnout in Natick was 19 percent. Here are the official results.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 12:06 PM
March 28, 2007
NATICK/REGION
For all its traffic headaches and other issues, commercial development in Natick has always had a silver lining: it has helped the town avoid overrides.
But now, like municipalities across the state, Natick is putting the pressure on state lawmakers for more aid to fund rising school costs, reporter Lisa Wangsness reports in today's City & Region section.
Representative David Paul Linsky said town officials figured out a way to avoid a $1.9 million override vote this year, but expect to face a $4 million to $5 million budget gap and an override vote next year. It's a very unusual situation, he said.
"It's finally catching up with us," Linsky said.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:05 AM
March 26, 2007
NATICK
What sets Jill Hourihan's current job apart from the post in corporate America she previously held? In this job, she says, "my clients are so happy to see me that they jump up and give me a kiss."
Hourihan, 28, of Natick, owns Running the Pack, a dog-running service, and holds one of several dream jobs featured in the Your Life section at boston.com.
Read the story here.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 01:31 PM
March 20, 2007
NATICK
Well, they said upscale.
Natick Collection -- as the expanded Natick Mall is now referring to itself -- will include a 5,300-square-foot Tiffany & Co. jewelry store.
The New York City-based retailer announced plans today to join the lineup of high-end stores that will be part of the 500,000-square-foot expansion of the mall.
The mall is aiming upscale with new anchors Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom leading the charge.
The new store will feature all of the renowned jewelers' staples: diamond engagement rings, rare pearls, china, crystal and other gifts to impress that special someone.
Beth O. Canavan, executive vice president of Tiffany & Co., expressed the firm's conviction that the mall will attract the necessary customer base.
“The Natick Collection is positioned to become a premier destination for shopping and will also provide the region’s upscale clientele with the consummate lifestyle,” she said.
And General Growth Properties, owner of Natick Collection, was glad to welcome the jeweler.
“Tiffany & Co. exemplifies the new identity and unparalleled shopping and lifestyle experience we are creating," said Lori Pawley, vice president of fashion retailing at the mall's owner.
The Natick site will be the third Boston-area store for Tiffany & Co. Its other locations are at Copley Place in Boston and Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 08:22 PM
March 20, 2007
For most adults, last Friday's snow was a big pain involving long, treacherous commutes and arduous shoveling.
But for the kids, things are different. Staff photographer Bill Polo caught 6-year-old Eric McDaniel of Natick getting a little boost from his father, Eamon, at City Golf in Natick on Saturday.
Posted by Martin Finucane at 12:53 PM
March 20, 2007
NATICK
Natick selectmen voted last night not to ask voters to support a $2.1 million Proposition 2 1/2 override for 2008.
The decision spares the town a potentially divisive override campaign this cycle, which would have had school officials appealing directly to voters for increased funding. But it sets up an even costlier request for 2009.
Read more about the town's decision in the new Override Central blog and in Thursday's Globe West.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 08:10 AM
March 19, 2007
SOUTHBOROUGH/NATICK
A Natick man who owns land on Route 9 has filed plans to build a four-story apartment building in the Fayville section of town under the state’s affordable housing rules.
Robert Heavey wants to construct Woodland Meadows at the corner of Woodland Road and Rte. 9. Under state regulations, 20 percent of the 44 units must be offered as affordable housing, but in return, Heavey will qualify for some leeway from local zoning restrictions.
The project must go before the Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Commission for approval and will require at least one waiver because it surpasses the town’s 35-foot height limit. The state Housing Partnership must issue the project a permit approving the site before it can go before the ZBA, Town Administrator Jean Kitchen said.
Town Conservation Administrator Beth Rosenblum said Heavey has had a history of failing to comply with notices of conditions the Conservation Commission has issued for the installation of septic systems near wetlands. In 1998 Heavey was also forced to pay a fine to the state Department of Environmental Protection after he modified a wetland without permission.
-- Jennifer Rosinski
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:29 AM
March 19, 2007
NATICK
Natick selectmen are expected to vote tonight on whether to ask voters to approve a Proposition 2 1/2 override to cover increased school costs.
The override would raise an additional $2.1 million over the town administrator's proposed budget, which School Department officials say would require deep cuts in education services.
The fiscal 2008 budget approved by the School Committee is 8.8 percent higher than this year's budget and incorporates hikes in special education funding and teacher salaries.
School Committee Chairman Henry Haugland has said the override would cost the average taxpayer an extra $12.50 a month. The selectmen meet at 7 p.m. Monday at Town Hall, 13 E. Central St.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 07:07 AM
March 15, 2007
NATICK
The U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center will hold a public hearing tonight to discuss a proposed environmental cleanup plan at the military installation.
The Army is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to clean two warehouses where hazardous materials were stored in the past. The Army also is working to clean up an undeveloped lot previously used for a variety of purposes, including as a parking lot and helicopter landing pad.
The cleanups are the latest in the ongoing effort to clear potentially hazardous material from the 78-acre property, which was declared a Superfund site in 1994. Members of the public can ask questions about the cleanup plan at the public meeting and hearing, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Natick Police Station, 20 E. Central St.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 12:27 PM
March 14, 2007
Doug Flutie playing a different sport than usual -- for charity
(Photo courtesy of the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism)
NATICK
Doug Flutie's team lost the championship, but his charity won big time.
The Natick native's 8th Full Court Charity Challenge raised more than $200,000 to benefit autism services and a Massachusetts General Hospital learning center for children and adults with developmental disorders.
The March 3 benefit featured a round robin basketball tournament at Basketball City in Boston. Team Flutie advanced to the finals of the tournament but fell to a team sponsored by Tudor Investments.
In its eight years, the basketball charity event has raised more than $1 million for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism and MassGeneral's Learning and Development Disabilities Evaluation and Rehabilitation Services program (LADDERS). The Heisman trophy winner and his wife, Laurie, started the autism foundation in 1998 to honor their son, Doug Jr., who was diagnosed with autism at age 3.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 12:11 PM
March 13, 2007
Sheldon Adelson
(AP Photo by Kin Cheung)
NATICK
A little-known foundation in Natick is going to spend some of the money amassed by one of the world's richest individuals.
Sheldon Adelson is the third-richest man in America with $26 billion in his wallet. The former Dorchester resident chose Natick as the site of one of his new foundations, the Sheldon and Miriam Adelson Foundation, Globe columnist Steven Syre writes.
Adelson, chairman and majority owner of Las Vegas Sands Inc., made a chunk of his wealth in Needham with the now-defunct Interface Group, a company that staged trade shows.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:41 PM
March 6, 2007
On the heels of a decision by the Natick School Committee to part ways with its controversial "Redmen" mascot, a national sociology group says other communities should follow suit.
The American Sociological Association joins a long list of organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, in calling for an end to Native American-themed mascots, nicknames and logos.
In a statement coinciding with the release of the group's resolution, association member Laurel R. Davis-Delano said "... the stereotypes reinforced by the mascots create barriers to real understanding of Native peoples, and this limited understanding hinders the development of policies and practices that help rather than harm Native Americans."
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 05:47 PM
March 6, 2007
NATICK
Natick athletes will no longer be called the Redmen.
The School Committee voted 4-3 last night to end use of the controversial team name starting with the 2008-2009 school year, rejecting a proposal to put the issue before a committee of students and educators before making a final decision.
A debate that began with a single alumna's complaint and led the chief of the Natick Praying Indians to make an emotional plea to the School Committee ended at a public hearing just three months after it began.
School Committee member Dirk Coburn, who has said he thinks the team name is problematic, voted against dropping it last night. He said he would have preferred involving the community in the discussion.
"I wish we had done what we did another way," he said.
He is worried community animosity about the School Committee's decision could affect an expected Proposition 2 1/2 override vote to raise more money for the school system.
Now that the vote has been taken, he said he wants to "make sure that people who might wish that something had happened differently don't take that out on the children and teachers."
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 11:20 AM
February 28, 2007
NATICK
A man's legs were injured when he was trapped under a pine tree that he had been cutting this afternoon, Natick officials said.
Rescuers were summoned to the scene at around 3:30 this afternoon, and it took them about 15 minutes to free the victim's legs, said Deputy Fire Chief Mike Slattery.
Slattery said the victim, who has not been identified, appeared to have suffered broken legs in the mishap.
The accident happened on Indian Rock Road along the Natick-Weston town line on wooded private property adjacent to Camp Nonesuch. The children's camp near Lake Cochituate is owned by The Rivers School.
It was not clear whether the victim was the property owner or a contractor.
The Natick Fire Department used chainsaws to cut away tree limbs and airbags to lift the tree off of the man, who Slattery said was grimacing in pain when officials arrived.
"The work was slow," Slattery said. "We didn't want to injure him more."
The victim was transported to Leonard Morse Hospital, which is the Natick campus of the MetroWest Medical Center.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:41 PM
February 28, 2007
NATICK
Judi Kuhn, an administrative assistant in the Natick Town Clerk's office, received a majority of votes in the preliminary election yesterday to replace retiring clerk Jane Hladick. She'll face Diane Packer, who received the second-most votes, in the March 27 town election.
About 2,000 people, less than ten percent of registered voters, cast ballots in the preliminary election, which only featured the four-way race for clerk. Jeffrey M. Phillips, who received 15 percent of the vote, and David Ordway, who got 9 percent, were eliminated.
Here's the final tally:
Judi Kuhn: 55 percent (1,102 votes)
Diane Packer: 21 percent (420 votes)
Jeffrey M. Phillips: 15 percent (292 votes)
David Ordway: 9 percent (172 votes)
In addition to the clerk's race, the town election will have two other competitive races. Six candidates are vying for three seats on the School Committee, and two people are running for town moderator.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 11:59 AM
February 27, 2007
NATICK
Local bulk retailer BJ's Wholesale Club is off the hook from mushroom-borne E. Coli viruses, Newsday reports.
Recent tests indicated that Wellsley Farms brand mushrooms had trace amounts of the bacteria, but follow-up tests have proven the initial results incorrect. BJ's issued a voluntary recall of the products after the initial tests last week.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:36 PM
February 27, 2007
NATICK
There is an election taking place in Natick today, but not many people seem to have noticed.
Four candidates are running in a preliminary election to replace retiring Town Clerk Jane Hladick. The top two vote-getters will be on the March 27 town election ballot.
Ninety-six people had voted by 1:30 this afternoon at Natick's Morse Institute Library, said John Crisafulli, a poll worker there. That's out of 2,089 registered voters in the 9th precinct. Polls close at 8 p.m.
Turnout has been "low and slow," Crisafulli said as two other voters prepared to cast their ballots at the library. "We'll be lucky to get 10 percent."
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 02:17 PM
February 20, 2007
NATICK
General Growth Properties Inc. has settled on a new name for the expanded Natick Mall. The 1.7 million-square-foot retail complex will be called "Natick Collection," the holding company said today.
"The Natick Collection name and logo represent our intention to gather the finest stores and designers together, as well as providing a one-of-a-kind lifestyle destination," said Jim Grant, General Growth's vice president of development.
The search for a new identity came after Natick town officials objected to the mall's plans to refer to itself as "Natick."
The mall's owners are seven months away from completing a 555,000-square-foot expansion that will add 100 new stores and restaurants, plus an attached condominium complex.
The mall also announced five new stores Tuesday for the mall's new wing.
They are...
Burberry -- men's and women's apparel
Betsey Johnson -- women's designer clothing
Anthropologie -- home-furnishings and women's clothing
Hanna Andersson -- baby and children's clothing
Puma -- sports apparel
--John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 12:36 PM
February 16, 2007
NATICK
A series of single-car crashes this morning in Eastern Massachusetts left two women dead and two teenagers with life-threatening injuries, according to the State Police, the Globe reports.
Authorities said it is too early to determine if icy roads played a factor in any of the wrecks, but excessive speed is being considered as a factor in one of the fatalities. All four victims were drivers and there were no other occupants in the vehicles.
One of the crashes occurred in Natick when A 19-year-old man driving east on Bacon Street lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line, and hit a snow bank. Authorities believe the vehicle went airborne before it hit a tree in the front yard of a house. The victim, whose name was not released, is in critical condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
-- Brian Ballou
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:58 PM
February 15, 2007
REGION/NATICK
Someone in cyberspace is trying to pull some funny business with the Better Business Bureau.
Area companies are receiving fraudulent emails claiming to be from the Bureau, a spokeswoman for the organization says.
The emails, which come from the address operations@bbb.org, say that the Bureau has received a complaint about the business.
The emails contain a link to supposed documents that relate to the case. But Paula Fleming, a spokeswoman for the Bureau that covers eastern Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont, said the organization feared the link was actually a mechanism to spread a computer virus.
"We are telling people not to take the risk by clicking on the link," Fleming said.
"It is deceiving," she added. "It does look like an email from us."
Fleming said her office in Natick has fielded dozens of calls from people confused about the emails.
The fraudulent emails have been sent to businesses nationwide, Fleming said.
Better Business Bureaus are business-backed nonprofits that help consumers settle disputes with companies and make more informed purchases.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:08 PM
February 14, 2007
NATICK
Does your child have an artistic streak? Or do you just want to give them somewhere to draw their masterpieces other than on the wall?
Nordstrom is inviting children ages 5 to 12 to hand-paint tiles that will be permanently placed along the floors in the aisles connecting the children's departments of its new store, which opens at Natick Mall in September.
But parents will have to pay $50 for each child registered and drive to Boston to participate. The first 200 registered children will be accepted to participate in painting sessions at the New England Aquarium Ocean Center at Central Wharf in Boston. Proceeds will go to the New England Aquarium Community Outreach Programs.
A tile artist will teach children the proper way to paint a tile for posterity, according to a news release from the department store. Parents interested in signing up their children can call (617) 973-5206.
Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and dozens of other stores will open as part of the Natick Mall expansion, set to be complete in September.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 02:27 PM
February 14, 2007
Route 27 in Natick
(Globe West Staff photo)
NATICK
Schools are closed today and Natick center is an icy snowscape. Kids on sleds zip down the hill at the Johnson Elementary School -- moving considerably faster than the traffic on slippery, snow-covered Route 27.
Plenty of people were still working, though. For some shopkeepers, it was, by default, Take Your Child To Work Day. At George's Pizza, the son of one of the employees sat hunched over a Game Boy as men tossed pizza a few feet away. Lola's Italian Harvest owner Anthony Matarazzo was accompanied by his son, also home for the snow day.
But hanging out with dad was no holiday. When a customer came in seeking fresh cannolis for Valentine's Day dinner, Anthony Jr. was speedily put to work helping out.
Commuters won't be getting much of a break this afternoon either. Forecasters continue to predict sleet and freezing rain, heavy at times, through the evening commute.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:15 PM
February 13, 2007
NATICK
Already tired of presidential politics? How about a town clerk's debate to bring matters a little closer to home?
The Natick League of Women Voters is putting on a debate tonight featuring the four candidates vying to be Natick town clerk. The debate begins at 7:30 tonight at the Morse Institute Library, 14 E. Central St.
The four candidates will face off in a preliminary election Feb. 27 that will choose the two candidates who will appear on the March 27 general election ballot.
The candidates are Judi Kuhn, an employee in the clerk's office; David Ordway, a member of the Recreation and Parks Commission; Diane Packer, a former member of the School Committee; and Jeffrey Phillips, a member of Town Meeting.
Town Clerk Jane Hladick is retiring this spring.
The clerk handles important town documents like wedding and birth records, runs the town elections, and handles the release of public records, among other duties.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 03:45 PM
February 2, 2007
NATICK
"I'm not trying to be the next Michelle Wie," says Susan Choi, Wellesley College grad and Natick resident.
Choi, ranked 39th in the Golfweek/Titleist amateur women's national rankings, told the Globe that she's thought about going pro, but focused on academics at Wellesley.
Choi, 22, plays in amateur events whenever she can, and has succeeded frequently. She was fourth in the South Atlantic Amateur Championship, and third in medal qualifying for the Doherty Championship.
She's planning on keeping a busy schedule over the summer and then trying to qualify for the LPGA Tour.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:00 PM
January 18, 2007
NATICK
Natick Mall is moving quickly to phase out references to the complex that refer to it simply as "Natick."
Yesterday, mall owners bowed to pressure from Natick town officials to cease use of a logo that omits the word "Mall." Today, on the mall's Web site -- once you get through a lengthy flash intro -- the site reads "Experience The New Natick Mall Arriving September 2007." Just yesterday, it read "Experience The New Natick Arriving September 2007." (If you're reading this at work, be aware that the mall Web site plays music.)
And if you look closely, during that flash intro, a rendering of the expanded mall pops up showing a sign that reads "Natick Mall." Yesterday, it just said "Natick."
But it's still a work in progress. The logo in the upper left corner still shows the controversial "N Natick" logo.
Read today's story in the Globe about the name controversy.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:07 AM
January 17, 2007
An artist's rendering of how the mall expansion will look
NATICK
With upscale stores, towering luxury condos, and swanky restaurants all planned for an expanded Natick Mall, the owners decided they needed one more thing: a new name.
They decided to streamline their existing name, chopping off "Mall" and referring to the shopping center as simply "Natick."
That didn't go over so well with local officials and residents in the town of Natick where the mall is located, who felt the mall was stealing their community's name.
"The new mall is many things," said Joshua Ostroff, a member of the Natick Board of Selectmen. "It is residents, it's shopping, it's a transportation hub. But it's not the town of Natick."
With town officials gathering signatures on a petition and preparing to fight the mall's trademark application for a new logo (which showed a stylized "N" over the single word "Natick"), mall officials today changed their tune.
"We really regret that our intent was badly misunderstood by people inside the town of Natick," Stephanie Gambino, senior marketing manager for Natick Mall, said. "We are no longer going to refer to ourselves as 'Natick.' We're trying to be good neighbors."
"Our desire was to honor a town we were proud to call home," she said. " We love this place."
In a related story, apparently there was no truth to the rumors that the owners of the Silver City Galleria were planning to change the name of their mall to "Taunton" ...
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 06:25 PM
January 16, 2007
(AP Photos by Steve Senne)
NATICK
The compromise that allowed Natick to officially be designated the "Home of Champions" settled a long-simmering dispute between Natick and Brockton, the Associated Press is reporting.
The governor signed the bill Dec. 31 giving the state's seal of approval to Natick's longtime slogan while also letting Brockton continue to lay claim to its "City of Champions" moniker. It was no small accomplishment.
As heavily as Natick promotes its connection to Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, Brockton hails its association with hometown hero boxer Rocky Marciano.
Natick state Rep. David Linsky says area lawmakers did not back down. "You fight tooth and nail," he told the AP.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:46 PM
January 12, 2007
NATICK
Natick selectmen approved a $15,000 raise for Police Chief Dennis R. Mannix this week.
Mannix will make $150,800 a year with a three-percent raise for each year of the three-year contract running through Dec. 31, 2009.
The Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 on the new contract, with outgoing Selectman John Connolly dissenting.
Connolly said he believed Mannix was doing a good job but that he could not support such a large raise for a department head, given the town's tight budget conditions.
The town's preliminary budget calls for leaving vacant a sergeant and patrol officer position and cutting 15 overtime shifts.
Other selectmen said the raise was necessary to keep Mannix in Natick.
"I don't feel, even though we have a budget crisis, that we can get another chief of great quality to want to be the chief of Natick for bottom-line prices," said Selectman John Ciccariello.
-- John Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:35 PM
January 12, 2007
NATICK
A 27-year-old Belmont man faces four drug charges after a Natick bust that netted nearly 300 pounds of marijuana.
Natick police, working with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and state police, arrested Boey Bertold around 1:40 p.m. yesterday after observing him receive two shipments of marijuana, said Natick Police spokesman Lt. Brian Grassey.
Acting on a tip, authorities recovered 293 pounds of marijuana from the car Bertold was driving. The pot had an estimated street value of $500,000, Grassey said.
Bertold is charged with two felony counts of trafficking in marijuana, and, if convicted, faces three to fifteen years in prison on each charge. Additionally, since the alleged incidents happened near Natick Centre, Bertold was charged with two counts of a drug violation near a school or park, also a felony which carries a sentence of two-and-a-half to 15 years in prison.
Bertold is being held at the Middlesex County Jail in Cambridge in lieu of $50,000 bail. He is set to return to court on Jan. 22.
"It would appear ... he's not a low-level participant and that he's along the lines of a middle-man," Grassey said. "There are larger fish out there. [But] this person is certainly intricately involved in this operation."
Grassey called the bust likely the largest marijuana recovery ever for the Natick police department.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:39 AM
January 11, 2007
NATICK
Ever get the urge to shop late at night? No problem.
If your shopping impulse hits you earlier or later than the average person, Natick Mall's got a solution.
The mall is permanently extending its hours to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Also, it will open at 8 a.m. every Saturday.
The mall says its research shows 65 percent of costumers wanted extended hours.
"Consumers' shopping habits have changed," Stephanie Gambino, the mall's senior marketing manager, said in a statement. "We're confident the added convenience of an additional one to two hours on the weekend at opening/closing will make a difference with our shoppers."
Here are the new hours:
Friday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Monday to Thursday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 05:11 PM
January 11, 2007
NATICK
A Natick business has found something in kids' hair, but it's neither dirt nor bubble gum. It's profits.
Snip-its, the kids' hair salon chain, announced recently it has opened up its 52nd franchise.
Joanne Meiseles, founder of the lucrative chain, said in a news release that the services Snip-Its offers don't stop with simple haircuts.
"Snip-its makes grooming enjoyable with fun mini spa treatments, birthday celebrations and even 'Glamour parties' where children receive a full celebrity-style pampering, from hair-dos and make-up to dress-up and fingernail polishing," she said.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:04 PM
January 9, 2007
NATICK
Natick-based Boston Scientific Corp. said it will eliminate 500 to 600 jobs from its cardiac rhythm division, with most of the cuts coming at a Minnesota-based office the company acquired in its $27 billion acquisition of Guidant Corp. last spring.
Boston Scientific also announced after markets closed Monday that it has seen a recent uptick in sales of so-called cardiac rhythm devices such as defibrillators, which had recently slumped after safety recalls involving Guidant products.
In morning trading Tuesday, shares of Boston Scientific rose 44 cents, or about 2.5 percent, on the New York Stock Exchange.
The job cuts, affecting about 2 percent of Boston Scientific's 29,000-person work force, will take effect in the first three months of the current year.
-- AP
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:01 PM
January 6, 2007
NATICK
In the purplish predawn darkness, Natick native Ed Walsh introduces himself to Greater Boston.
"Happy new year! Good morning. Thirty-four degrees. Light rain falling. I'm Ed Walsh. This is what we're following on this first day of 2007 at the WBZ-AM (1030) newsroom."
It is the start of his show and the start of his new job. Walsh is delivering the news from the two-story WBZ studio in Brighton, where he took over this week as the morning news anchor, one of the more high-profile and coveted jobs in radio, the Globe Living/Arts section reports today.
-- Johnny Diaz
Posted by Martin Finucane at 09:26 AM
January 5, 2007
NATICK
Since Natick School Committee members said they would consider dropping the Redmen nickname out of concern it could offend Native Americans, many have said they want to know where the local Praying Indians tribe stand.
The tribe has been silent on the issue so far, but Praying Indians Chief Caring Hands tells Globe West that she plans to attend Monday's School Committee meeting to address the matter.
The School Committee plans to vote at its Feb. 26 meeting on whether to keep the nickname and has invited members of the public to weigh in at any of the panel's meetings before that date.
The issue already is the topic of conversation at Natick High School, where many students say they fear ditching the nickname will erase a half century of tradition.
Read more about what Natick students have to say about the Redmen nickname in Sunday's Globe West.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:20 AM
January 3, 2007
NATICK
Natick Town Administrator Phil Lemnios has informed the board of selectmen he intends to accept an offer to return to Hull as that town's manager.
Hull's selectmen offered Lemnios the position Tuesday evening. He had held the post from 1992 to 2003.
"I've been very satisfied with his tenure, and I'm sorry to see him go," Charles Hughes, chairman of the Natick selectmen, said of Lemnios' four years with the town.
John Reilly, chairman of the Hull selectmen, said he expected contract negotiations with Lemnios to be complete within about 10 days. Hughes said Lemnios makes about $133,000 a year in Natick, where he is in his second three-year contract.
Hughes said Lemnios, who has not returned phone calls from the Globe, seemed to have his mind made up. Asked if the Natick selectmen had considered a counteroffer, Hughes said, "I don't think it's going to make any difference."
Hull Town Manager Christopher McCabe announced last summer that he would retire in spring 2007, Reilly said.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:28 PM
January 3, 2007
NATICK
Natick town administrator Phil Lemnios is in contract negotiations with Hull to be that town's manager -- again.
Lemnios was Hull's town manager from 1993 until 2002, when he accepted his current position in Natick. John Reilly, chairman of the Hull board of selectmen, said the town hated to see Lemnios go four years ago, and were eager to see if he would be willing to return.
Lemnios did not return a call to his office today.
The five-member board of selectmen voted unanimously to offer Lemnios the position last night. Reilly said Lemnios did not formally accept the offer pending a conversation with the Natick selectmen, but Reilly said he expected that Lemnios will be Hull's new manager.
"I expect the negotiations to be complete within ten days," Reilly said.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 12:46 PM
January 3, 2007
NATICK
Paul Murphy of Natick, shown holding a cross up to the fence, was among those demonstrating at the Statehouse yesterday in support of putting a same-sex marriage bill to a referendum vote.
(Globe Staff Photo by David L. Ryan)
Posted by Martin Finucane at 10:38 AM
January 2, 2007
NATICK
Natick Town Administrator Phil Lemnios is interviewing in Hull tonight for the job he left in 2002.
Hull Selectman Ronald Davy said the town is still trying to determine what process it will use to hire a new town manager. But he said the public meeting with Lemnios -- who held the post until he accepted a similar position in Natick in 2006 -- is the only interview that has been scheduled so far.
Lemnios did not immediately return a call seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.
Natick Selectman Carol A. Gloff said Lemnios informed the board that he had accepted an interview in Hull.
"I think they pursued him, and he felt a need or obligation perhaps to talk to them and hear what they have to say," Gloff said.
"He's done a very good job for the town of Natick," Gloff added. "I think it would be a significant loss if he made a decision to leave."
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:43 PM
December 27, 2006
NATICK
The town has been using the slogan "Natick: Home of Champions" since local firefighters won a prestigious skill competition sometime in the 1800s.
With hometown hero Doug Flutie's NFL success and a series of championship runs by local athletic teams, the name has become more dear to the hearts of local residents.
Area state lawmakers have advanced a bill that would officially designate Natick as the Home of Champions.
As part of a compromise, the legislation would designate Brockton as the City of Champions, a moniker the city has used for some time. The bill has yet to receive final approval.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 07:17 PM
December 24, 2006
NATICK
Crews of Scouts and parents -- 22 in all -- fanned out across Natick recently to do the bidding of 17-year-old George Weithman.
The Eagle Scout candidate had considered carving walking trails out of lakeside land but settled instead on a more obvious project: sprucing up 33 of the fire department's emergency call boxes.
The project required adding nine new wood strips, each painted red and white, on each of 33 telephone poles that host a call box. The effect dramatically increases the visibility of the devices, which can be used to summon help in an emergency.
Do the math and you'll find Weithman had about 300 36-inch wood strips painted. He then he created a template and set of instructions for each crew doing the work, ensuring uniformity in the finished product.
The challenging part was that Weithman wasn't allowed to do any of the work himself. "I'm not technically allowed to do any of the work," he said in a telephone interview. "It's a leadership project so I told everybody what to do and they did it."
On the fourth day of the project -- after the painting crews were done -- Joseph Zanchi, 11, and Chris Jamieson, 15, were out attaching the strips of wood to poles. It took about a half-hour per pole, the boys said.
With the project complete, Weithman said he's still busy. He has to write a report on the project before he can become an Eagle. Then he can go back to being just the captain of the high school ski team and first chair tenor sax in his school's jazz band.
-- Alison O'Leary Murray
Posted by Martin Finucane at 10:31 AM
December 20, 2006
NATICK
Natick Town Meeting members said last night they've got one Main Street, and they want to keep it that way.
The developers of Natick Mall are pitching the idea of creating what they call a "Main Street concept" on a portion of the expanded mall site. That rubs Craig Ross, a leader of Natick 360, which is developing a long-range planning document for the town, the wrong way.
"If there's going to be a Main Street developed on Natick Mall, I don't want it called 'Main Street Natick'," Ross told fellow Town Meeting members last night. "We already have one of those."
Members unanimously approved a resolution requesting that the Natick Planning Board "review and approve all site names and/or identifiers which may be applied to any part of the Natick Mall as part of its special permitting process."
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:54 AM
December 18, 2006
NATICK
The Natick Retirement Board has defended its spending on travel in a memo to retirees and active members of the system, saying it was a necessary cost of educating members.
"The purpose of attending these conferences is twofold -- to receive education and trainining regarding investments and benefits," the memo said.
The board also said it's not their fault that the events are held in nice locations, such as the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (shown above).
"Clearly, to encourage attendance, the conference planners select venues that are appealing and facilities that can accommodate hundreds of people from around the country," the memo said.
From 2003 to 2005, board members and staff took six out-of-state trips and eight within the state. Selectmen said in a Globe West story yesterday they want to talk with the board about their travel spending.
Posted by Martin Finucane at 07:10 PM
December 14, 2006
NATICK
Earlier this fall, before the controversy hit, some fans wore headdresses to the Thanksgiving Day game
(Globe Staff Photo by Matthew J. Lee)
Natick's athletes could have a new nickname by sometime next year.
After 50 years as the Redmen, Natick school leaders are saying it may be time to follow the lead of other school's with Indian-themed nicknames, and choose a mascot with less potential to offend.
They want to settle the matter in two months.
Read what School Committee members had to say about the issue in today's Globe West.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:46 PM
December 12, 2006
NATICK
Boston Police announced this afternoon that they have charged a Natick man in the stabbing death of a nightclub bouncer.
Oscar Rosa, 20, surrendered at Boston Municipal Court this morning and is to be arraigned later today in Roxbury District Court in the death of Craig Viera, 32.
Viera was stabbed at about 2:15 a.m. Nov. 26 on Lansdowne Street and died Friday. Police say Rosa was seen discarding a knife. He was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
-- Globe City & Region staff
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:16 PM
December 12, 2006
NATICK
At a practice earlier this year, Natick players wore helmets bearing the letter "N", but their T-shirts said, "Redmen."
(Globe Staff Photo by Bill Polo)
Natick school officials say it's time to consider ditching "Redmen" as the nickname for the district's sports teams.
"At best, the name 'Redmen' is offensive" to Native Americans, said Ted Wynne, a School Committee member.
The school no longer allows use of an Indian headdress logo on official materials or uniforms, and the district has no mascot, but fans still do the "tomahawk chop" during football games.
"The Natick Redmen logo is offensive," said 1997 Natick High School alumna Erin Miller, who lives in Boston. "Native voices have been telling us this for years. Natick deserves to have a logo that they can embrace fully. It's time for a change."
A majority of School Committee members agreed with that sentiment last night, and planned a vote on getting rid of the Redmen nickname for Feb. 26. In the meantime, town residents are being asked to contact School Committee members or show up at their meetings to offer their opinions.
But officials seem close to having their minds made up.
"If we get 400 people at the next meeting urging us not to change the name, it may make it a more uncomfortable decision, but it will not make it less right," Wynne said. "If the name were Natick Yellowmen or the Natick Blackmen, we would have changed it years ago."
Superintendent James J. Connolly said it would cost about $6,000 to change the teams' uniforms to display a new nickname. He said it would not be difficult for the district to make a change.
"I told the athletic director, 'I don't care what you're called, as long as you're winning,'" he said.
--John C. Drake
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:49 AM
December 11, 2006
NATICK
A Natick man is being sought by the Boston police today after the death of a man he allegedly stabbed on Lansdowne Street in November.
Oscar Rosa, 20, is facing murder charges in the stabbing of Craig Viera on Nov. 26 at about 2:15 a.m. Patrol officers spotted a fight on Lansdowne Street and discovered that Viera had been stabbed. Officers chased several men who ran from the scene and arrested Rosa after he allegedly discarded a knife.
Rosa was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and released on bail.
Viera was taken to Boston Medical Center. He died Friday and the charges against Rosa were upgraded to murder.
The police are asking for the public's help in finding Rosa.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at 617-343-4470 or 1-800-494-TIPS.
-- Globe City & Region staff
Posted by Martin Finucane at 05:16 PM
December 9, 2006
NATICK
A Natick man already faces charges for allegedly knifing a bouncer outside a Boston nightclub. Now the bouncer who was stabbed on Lansdowne Street has died, Boston police said.
On Nov. 26, police arrested Oscar Rosa, 20, and charged him with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Police said Rosa was observed discarding a knife as he fled. The bouncer, whose name was not released, was taken to Boston Medical Center.
"Once the cause of death is determined, that will either bring forth further charges or not," said Boston police spokesman David Estrada.
-- Globe City & Region staff
Posted by Martin Finucane at 12:37 PM
December 6, 2006
NATICK
A sample of Spillane's wares
(Globe Photo by Wiqan Ang)
Jonathan Spillane had been a carpenter for the past 22 years, but decided he needed a change of pace.
He's now the owner of Cocoapelli Chocolates, and has a 350-square-foot kitchen in his Natick garage. Every day is devoted to making a different type of chocolate, the Globe reports.
How exactly did he go from being a carpenter to chocolatier?
"I have always loved food," he told the Globe in a story today. "Wherever I travel, I buy whatever chocolate I find."
-- Erica Tochin
Posted by Martin Finucane at 10:47 AM
December 5, 2006
NATICK
You can probably get there from here. The question is, do you want to?
Natick Center Associates is hosting a forum tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Morse Institute Library on the town's public transit options, including the town's Neighborhood Bus system and Lift Bus.
Should they run more frequently, on different routes, or should access be improved for elderly and handicapped?
There will also be a presentation about new opportunities available to towns interested in expanding public transit. Towns were until recently required to provide funding to the MBTA whether service was available to residents or not. Now, many towns -- including those with commuter rail service like Natick -- are allowed to spend some of that MBTA funding on local needs.
-- Alison O'Leary Murray
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:23 PM
December 4, 2006
NATICK
While many people who have started their own businesses have found success, a lot of them encounter the same problem: where to find affordable health care?
Josef Blumenfeld, who owns a global public relations firm in Natick, pays more than $16,000 annually for health care for himself and his family.
"Health insurance has become our second-largest expense behind our mortgage," he said. "It's definitely causing me to consider going back into the job market."
Blumenfeld was interviewed for a story on entrepreneurs and the rising cost of health care by the Indianapolis Star.
-- Erica Tochin
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:03 PM
November 27, 2006
NATICK
Grace Kelly, the saxophone phenom from Brookline, has already appeared at various jazz clubs, played with accomplished professionals, and received awards from DownBeat magazine.
Just think how good she'll be a year from now -- when she gets into 10th grade!
... In the meantime, Kelly is planning a CD release party Friday at 8 p.m. at The Center for Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick.
Posted by Martin Finucane at 06:17 PM
November 24, 2006
Flutie cocks his arm to throw "The Pass."
SPORTS
Twenty-two years after he launched "The Pass" in the Orange Bowl, No. 22 still is asked about it on average once per day.
And Natick's Doug Flutie is OK with that.
Thanksgiving Day was the 22nd anniversary of Flutie's game-winning touchdown pass into the awaiting arms of Boston College teammate Gerard Phelan in the end zone.
Boston College 47, Miami 45.
"Even though I had a ton of comeback wins in the Canadian Football League, and a bunch more in the NFL, this is my trademark, the one people remember," Flutie told Peter Kerasotis, a columnist at Florida Today of Melbourne Beach, Fla. in a column published Thursday. "It's good to be remembered for something."
Flutie was back in Miami last night as an analyst for ESPN's Boston College-Miami game.
-- Craig Larson
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:29 PM
November 23, 2006
Theo McCummings and Natick ran a step ahead of Framingham.
(Globe Staff Photo by Matthew J. Lee)
SPORTS
FRAMINGHAM -- The 100th Framingham-Natick Thanksgiving football matchup was a twin effort and much, much more.
Junior fullback Thad McCummings punched in the go-ahead score with 5:11 remaining on a 9-burst while his twin brother, Theo, Natick's starting quarterback, rushed for 116 yards on 18 carries to lift the unbeaten Redmen to their 26th straight win, a gritty 10-7 victory over host Framingham on a cold, raw and rainy morning before a crowd of 3,000 at Bowditch Field.
Bay State Herget champ Natick (11-0) will play Middlesex League champ Burlington (11-0) in an EMass Division 2 playoff Tuesday night at Acton-Boxboro at 7.
While the McCummings' brothers piled up the yards on the muddy turf, Mike Russo was immense with both his feet and his hands. The junior booted a 33-yard field goal, set up by his own 40-yard punt pinning Framingham on its own 5-yard line and picked off a pair of passes, including the clincher with 3:14 left in the game.
Alan Williams had given Framingham (6-5) a 7-3 lead in the third quarter with a 53-yard scamper down the left sideline.
Natick nows leads the overall series, 67-29-5.
-- Craig Larson
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:52 PM
|
