December 4, 2007
NEWTON
The city's finance board is pursuing an automated trash collection system that officials say could save taxpayers $2.5 million over the next five years.
"It's more financially responsible and ecologically a better way to go," said Sydra Schnipper, chairwoman of the Public Facilities Committee, which approved the contract 5-2 this week.
The proposed system would provide each household with a single 64-gallon trash container that would be collected each week by a truck with a single driver and automated arm. Currently, there is no limit to the amount of trash residents can dispose of each week and two drivers are required to collect it.
The new contract must be approved by Dec. 31, Finance Committee chairman Paul Coletti said.
-- Rachana Rathi
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:29 PM
November 30, 2007
NEWTON
Mayor David Cohen will meet with the Newton Board of Aldermen Monday night at 7:15 p.m. to address their questions about the $154 million Newton North High School building project.
President Lisle Baker made the request to the mayor last week, after many aldermen expressed frustration at the lack of communication and accountability from the executive office about additional costs and delays associated with numerous problems encountered at the building site and in the project management.
The issues that will be discussed include the discovery of asbestos and an underground ledge that must be removed through blasting -- both of which were not accounted for in the project's budget or timeline -- as well as the date the city will negotiate a guaranteed maximum price for the project with the contractor.
-- Rachana Rathi
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:48 AM
November 14, 2007
NEWTON
Gov. Deval Patrick has nominated Peter J. Rubin, a 44-year-old Newton resident, constitutional scholar, and Georgetown University law professor to fill one of three vacancies on the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the administration announced today.
Rubin, former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, represented, with others, Vice President Albert Gore Jr. in the two Florida election cases heard by the Supreme Court, Bush v. Gore and Bush v. Palm Beach County Canvassing Board.
Rubin, who is a counsel at the law firm O'Melveny & Myers, teaches constitutional and criminal law, and focuses his writing on equal protection, due process and voting rights. In 2001, he founded the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, a national legal organization with chapters at 155 law schools in the United States and in 26 cities around the country.
"Peter Rubin is a dynamic collaborator whose brilliance as both a constitutional scholar and appellate counsel will be appreciated fully by his fellow jurists at the Appeals Court and all of the citizens of the Commonwealth," said Patrick. Rubin will replace Associate Justice Gordon L. Doerfer, who retired in September.
Patrick nominated Superior Court Judge Francis R. Fecteau, 60, a Holy Cross graduate and longtime Worcester resident, and Gabrielle R. Wolohojian, a 46-year-old Boston resident who is a senior partner at the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr, for the other two slots.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:01 PM
November 12, 2007
NEWTON
After fighting for a decade with an Italian company that MBTA officials once accused of supplying defective Green Line trolleys, the T said yesterday that it has solved past problems and will take an additional 10 cars from the company.
For riders on the T's most-crowded line, that will mean more trains available for service, resulting in fewer delays, said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the MBTA, Globe transportation reporter Noah Bierman reports in today's City & Region section.
"It's easily the largest fleet size in the last 25 years, maybe ever," Grabauskas said.
The first of the new trains went into service last week. Once the T gets the last of 10 new cars, by the middle of next year, it will have a total of 209 cars to carry the 200,000 passengers who ride the Green Line each weekday.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:18 PM
November 8, 2007
Demolition began on the Newton North campus in June
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NEWTON
The city announced today that contractors have halted work at the new Newton North High School construction site after workers uncovered a pipe covered in asbestos insulation earlier this week.
The insulation contains a kind of asbestos that can become airborne and pose a health risk said Jeremy Solomon, a spokesman for Mayor David B. Cohen. He said workers at the site had already been taking precautions against airborne asbestos by controlling dust and monitoring the air quality at the site and inside the existing high school building. Newton North High School has been in session during the construction project.
Solomon said "the entire operation shut down" when a worker found the pipe Monday.
Solomon said he did not know the size of the pipe or the amount of asbestos on it. It was then sent for testing and state officials at the Department of Environmental Protection were notified when it was found to contain asbestos, he said.
"Public safety is our primary focus here," Solomon said.
Last May, city officials discovered old floor tiles containing asbestos were buried on the construction site and hired a remediation firm to deal with it. At the time, they minimized health concerns, saying the asbestos was of a "nonfriable" [non-airborne] type.
McPhail Associates, the licensed site professional overseeing the asbestos removal, has submitted an amended work plan to state DEP officials, but work at the site cannot continue until state officials review the amended plan. The overall cost of the new school project is currently estimated at $155 million.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:46 PM
November 8, 2007
Governor's Councilor Marilyn P. Devaney, right, leaves the courthouse with Rev. Emmanuel Metaxas following her arraignment on assault charges in May at Waltham District Court.
(Globe staff photo by Lisa Poole)
WATERTOWN/NEWTON
Watertown residents bid adieu to a long-serving and embattled town councilor and Newton voters ousted a pair of incumbent aldermen in this weeks election, staff writer John C. Drake reports in the online edition of today's City & Region section.
Watertown Town Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney, who faces felony charges in a recent confrontation at a Waltham beauty supply store and has been an aggressive critic of town administration, came five votes short of maintaining the at-large council seat she has held for 26 years.
Barring a recount, her 1,816-vote tally placed her fifth in a race for four at-large seats, a stunning reversal of fortunes for the 69-year-old, who outpaced challengers by a wide margin in previous elections. Her closest competitor, incumbent John Donohue, finished with 1,821 votes. Devaney could not be reached for comment.
Read more about local election results in today's City & Region section online.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:46 AM
November 6, 2007
Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham Foxman
(AP photo)
NEWTON
With the recent decison by the Anti-Defamation League's national board to take no further action on a Congressional resolution acknowledging an Armenian genocide, Newton Mayor David Cohen must decide whether to sever ties with the ADL's No Place for Hate Program permanently.
Earlier this fall, Cohen dropped the program, as a matter of "conscience" and asked ADL National Director Abraham Foxman to unequivocally acknowledge the Ottoman Empire's World War I massacre of Armenians by supporting a Congressional resolution calling it a genocide.
The ADL did not publicly acknowledge the deaths as a genocide until last summer when Foxman, under pressure from ADL members, issued a statement calling the massacre "tantamount to genocide."
Many criticized his statement as unclear and seven communities including Newton discontinued the ADL No Place for Hate program, awaiting a more concise explanation by Foxman. Foxman has said he feared international repercussions by Turkey, a key ally in US efforts against terrorism and Islamic extremism.
Jeremy Solomon, Cohen's spokesman, said the mayor will discuss the national ADL's decison at the city's next Human Rights Commission meeting. A date has not yet been scheduled, he
said.
"We're going to evaluate the actions taken in their entirety," Solomon said. "Perhaps it is not as black and white as it was when we issued the demand."
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:06 AM
October 24, 2007
The view from there.
(Photo courtesy of the Steve Glidden Foundation)
NEWTON
If you just have to see the Sox in the World Series in person but the thought of lining some greasy ticket scalper's pockets makes you ill, the Steve Glidden Foundation may have the ducats you've been looking for.
The foundation is named for Steve Glidden, a 7th grader who was one of four Oak Hill Middle School students killed in 2001 when their bus overturned during a school band trip to Nova Scotia. The foundation raises money for a summer camp, scholarships, and for other organizations and projects that "foster leadership and advocacy capacity in young people."
The foundation is offering 2 obstructed view tickets to the Thursday night's Game 3 in Section 23, Row 10. The opening bid is $750 per ticket (they have a $150 face value) but the first person offering $2,500 for the pair takes them away, according to an e-mail sent out yesterday by Elaine Alpert, Steve's mother.
Bids are usually taken on the foundation's "Steve-bay" auction site, but anyone interested in buying the World Series tickets is instead urged to bid by sending an e-mail to the foundation. Anyone seeking more information is urged to call either 617-527-0172 or 781-929-5136.
The foundation also said that any amount paid that is over face value is considered a charitable donation and that a receipt would be provided for the buyers' taxes.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:41 AM
October 23, 2007
NEWTON
Mayor David B. Cohen called for a property tax increase through an override in his State of the City address last night, less than a year after voters approved construction of the most expensive high school in state history.
Cohen, who once insisted he would not ask for a tax hike to pay for the $155-million school, said an override is needed to pay for rising city expenses and improvements to public buildings. Cohen said his administration would calculate the cost of an override to taxpayers by Jan. 15, in time for a possible vote next spring.
"The choice before us is to make deep cuts in the level of services we are providing today or to raise the necessary revenue that will allow us to move forward," he said. "Now is the time to seek an operating override."
Judging from what has happened recently in other municipalities in Massachusetts, Cohen will have his work cut out for him. A majority of cities and towns across the state have rejected similar tax increases through overrides. In December, the Globe found that two-thirds of overrides in 2006 were rejected and that 2007 was on track to be the second-straight year in which more override requests failed than passed.
Newton voters approved an $11.5 million override that permanently raised city taxes in 2002. It won by 709 votes.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:41 AM
October 22, 2007
Expect backups at Exit 17
(Globe staff photo by Lane Turner)
NEWTON/TRAFFIC
From the Globe's "Starts and Stops" column:
Until late 2007, reconstruction work will take place on the Church Street Bridge on the Mass. Pike in Newton.
Lane closures, daytime and nighttime, will be in place at various times in that area on the Mass. Pike east and west. Expect periodic Exit 17 ramp closures.
Also, Church Street traffic near the bridge has been reduced from four lanes to two lanes (one in each direction).
For a complete listing of recent commuter updates, read Starts and Stops online.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:49 AM
October 20, 2007
NEWTON
Kathy Glick-Weil has announced she will retire as director of the Newton Free Library in January, with plans to move to Pennsylvania with her dog, Nino to volunteer at hospitals and nursing homes.
Glick-Weil, the library's director for 14 years, also served as president of the Massachusetts Library Association last year. She made headlines last year when she made FBI anti-terrorism agents wait nearly nine hours to seize three computers by insisting that they get a warrant.
Glick-Weil will remain in her position until Jan. 2, when she will move to Bethlehem, Pa., to join her husband, Gordon, who on July 1 began serving as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Moravian College.
A celebration in her honor will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Newton Free Library's main branch, at 330 Homer St.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:17 AM
October 17, 2007
NEWTON
The creation of new regional cultural arts center in Newton took a step forward last week when the Newton Cultural Alliance received an $18,750 grant to conduct a feasibility study of the project.
The money came from he Massachusetts Cultural Council's Cultural Facilities Fund and will be matched with $31,250 in private donations raised last spring for the project. The city's current Cultural Center is housed in the former Carr School in Newtonville, a building that is being reclaimed by the school department.
State Representative Kay Khan, who has championed the project, noted in a press release that "Newton is a community of artists."
A regional arts center will, Khan said, "enrich the quality of life in the city, while stimulating the creative economy and raising revenue for the entire western suburban Boston region."
The Newton alliance applied for the grant and was one of 62 winners out of 201 applicants. Cultural officials urged anyone seeking more information or looking for ways to get involved in the push for a new cultural center to contact them via e-mail.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:44 PM
October 10, 2007
NEWTON/FRAMINGHAM
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority will hold a public hearing tonight in Newton on its recent vote to increase the tolls at both the Weston and Allston-Brighton toll plazas by 25 cents each for 2008.
The authority board took its preliminary vote on the hike last week, passing on proposals to raise the tolls even higher. Globe West reported Sunday that western commuters who use the pike will still end up paying more than nine times as much in gas taxes and tolls -- the state's two user fees for drivers -- as commuters on the South Shore or in the northwest suburbs.
Under the law, the board must hold public hearings before taking a final vote on the 25 cent toll increase. The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Veterans War Memorial Auditorium at Newton City Hall.
A similar meeting will be held tomorrow night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Framingham at the Memorial Building at 150 Concord St.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:25 PM
October 9, 2007
Hizzoner and hiz hybrid, fer shizzle
NEWTON
Newton Mayor David Cohen traded in his gas-guzzling Crown Victoria this week, in favor of a new Toyota Prius hybrid. The city bought two of the cars, at $20,800 a piece, unveiling the purchase today.
Cohen receives use of a city car as mayor, not to mention a parking spot close to the entrance to City Hall. The other Prius will be used by the city's inspectional services department.
Jeremy Solomon, the mayor's spokesman, said the Crown Vic got about 18 miles to the gallon. The new car gets 46.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 04:52 PM
October 7, 2007
NEWTON
Ward 5 Alderman at-Large Brian Yates may not have any opponents in this fall's elections, but he has re-launched his website anyway.
On it, he notes that the city's Design Review Committee, which he served on, helped keep the main library construction project "on time and under budget." He also said the committee's current influence over the Newton South High School project was "limited."
Yates, who lives on Chestnut Street, also offers links to his other pet issues, like the effort to restore chestnut trees to Chestnut Hill.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:03 AM
October 5, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Bill Brett)
NEWTON
Setti Warren, U.S. Senator John Kerry's deputy state director, possible 2009 Newton mayoral candidate, and a Navy reservist, is headed to the war in Iraq.
Warren, 37, has been a Navy reservist since 2002 and he learned last week that he will be deployed to Iraq on Oct. 26. An intelligence specialist, Warren said he had few details about where he will be assigned in Iraq, only that he ill be "on the ground." He is scheduled to return home to his wife, Tassy Warren, in late 2008.
And as for his run for mayor?
"I'm still seriously considering this," he said.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:28 PM
October 5, 2007
NEWTON
Newton Superintendent Jeff Young will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. today to unveil a new "five-year strategic plan" for the public schools.
The school department normally sets one-year goals but undertook a long-range planning process last spring. The district hired the Interaction Institute for Social Change in Cambridge to create the plan. Staff, teachers, and parents also participated.
More details to come this afternoon.
--Megan Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 12:20 PM
October 4, 2007
NEWTON
A suspect is back behind bars after making a brief escape from police at the Newton District Courthouse and injuring a court officer while on the run yesterday.
The suspect, Todd Corcoran was in court for a detention hearing. During the hearing, Corcoran learned he was going to have to spend a night in jail and then bolted out of the courtroom, WHDH/Channel 7 television reported on its web site.
Corcoran allegedly threw a court officer to the ground, and then did the same to another, giving him a head laceration. Corcoran then ran into a nearby neighborhood, confronting an elderly man.
"He waved some money at the elderly male asking for his help," Lt. Bruce Apotheker of the Newton Police Department said. "This elderly gentleman raised up his cane and told the suspect to back off."
Corcoran then attempted to carjack a truck with two men inside.
"This suspect jumped into the passenger side of the pickup truck," Lt. Apotheker said. "And an officer, approaching the scene on his motorcycle, observed what was going on, got off his motorcycle and went up to the red pickup truck."
Corcoran fled again, however he was apprehended after a 30 minute manhunt, police said.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:53 AM
October 2, 2007
WATERTOWN/NEWTON
A bar patron who was allegedly assaulted by an off-duty Massachusetts State Police sergeant and two Boston College football players was charged yesterday with punching the sergeant during the altercation.
Sean Maney, 28, a software engineer from Watertown, was charged with assault and battery against Sergeant Joseph J. Boike during a melee July 1 at The Greatest Bar near North Station. Assistant Magistrate Francis X. Cunningham issued the complaint after a hearing in Boston Municipal Court, staff writer Robert Hohler reports today.
Witnesses for Boike supported the sergeant's assertion that Maney started the fight by punching Boike after the sergeant, a part owner of the bar, asked Maney and his friends to vacate their seats to make room for a group of Boston College players.
"This gives the public a much better, clearer view of what really went on in terms of who started the physical confrontation," said Boike's lawyer, Timothy M. Burke.
Boike, 52, sought the complaint after he was charged with assaulting Maney and Christy Osborne, the girlfriend of Maney's brother Brian, during the brawl. State Police have suspended Boike without pay pending the outcome of the court case. BC players Gosder Cherilus and DeJuan Tribble also were charged with assaulting Maney, who suffered a broken neck and other injuries in the altercation.
"We have faith that justice will prevail," his mother, Maureen, said. "Anybody who knows Sean knows he would never do what [Boike] said he did."
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:00 AM
October 1, 2007
NEWTON
The city's Public Facilities Committee has voted 3-3 on a new rule requiring city contractors to sign a "verification clause" that they do not use undocumented or illegal workers when accepting city contracts.
The city is currently building a $154 million high school, the most expensive in state history. Alderman Ben Weisbuch, a former immigration lawyer who will not run for reelection this fall proposed the ordinance. He said he wanted to make sure the city does not facilitate illegal activity.
"This is a national issue played out on the local level," he wrote in an email. "Many of us would like to see immigration reform on the national level, which has stalled."
For the committee vote, there was one member absent and one member abstaining. The full board is scheduled to vote on the rule Oct. 1.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:11 AM
September 28, 2007
NEWTON
A Middlesex Superior Court judge ruled that the city of Newton could not spend $765,000 in Community Preservation Act funds for improvements to two parks in Nonantum because the spending violated the provisions of the law.
Monday's ruling is the first of its kind on the controversial CPA law. The law allows cities and towns to impose a surcharge on residential property tax bills and use the money for housing, open space, recreational enhancement and historic preservation. The state matches the funding dollar-for-dollar.
Associate Justice Bruce R. Henry ruled that the money could not be used to make improvements at Stearns and Pellegrini parks in Newton because they were not bought with CPA funds.
"While using CPA funds for the rehabilitation or restoration of recreational land is permitted under the CPA, it is permitted only for those recreational lands which were originally acquired or created with CPA funds," Henry wrote.
Jeremy Solomon, a spokesman for Newton Mayor David Cohen, called the ruling "a blow."
"The city is disappointed," Solomon said yesterday. "We believe that the [park] upgrades that were to be made under the proposal would have served the community well."
Solomon said its unclear whether the city can afford to make improvements to both parks without the funding. City officials are weighing an appeal.
Guive Mirfendereski(cq), the lawyer who represented the 10 city taxpayers who filed the lawsuit, said the law was clear about how the money could be spend. He and others also opposed a plan by the mayor to use CPA funds to install artificial turf fields at other city playing fields.
"The lesson of this case right now is if you want to spend CPA money on an existing playing field ... you'll be violating the law," Mirfendereski said.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 04:24 PM
September 28, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Pat Greenhouse)
NEWTON
Newton Alderman Ted Hess-Mahan recently proposed a ban on leaf blowers in the city, citing the noise and pollution they cause as a widespread problem. The Boston Globe received dozens of e-mails on the issue, mostly from residents concerned about noise and dust they kick up.
"Good for Newton for appreciating the effects of the noise, dust, and other particulate matter on health, quality of life, and safety, especially for children," Cambridge reader Stephen Tournas-Hardt wrote in an e-mail to the Cambridge City Council and the Globe.
National Public Radio also weighed in with a report on the controversy.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 01:55 PM
September 28, 2007
NEWTON
The Newton History Museum is offering free admission to all visitors during its Community Weekends, which are currently being held on the first weekend of each month.
The next Community Weekends will be held on October 6 and 7, November 3 and 4, and December 1 and 2. The Museum Ship is also holding a holiday sale in conjunction with the December dates, in which patrons will receive a 10% discount, and members will receive an additional 10% off in addition to their usual discount.The Museum is open from 12 noon to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Current exhibits at the Museum include "Four-Legged Newton," a family-oriented exhibit and play space that looks at the connections between people and animals throughout the history of Newton, and "Norumbega: Recreation and Romance by the River," which takes a nostalgic look back at Norumbega Park, which was one of the region's premiere recreation and entertainment destinations in the first half of the 20th century.
Museum officials are urging anyone interested in finding out more about community weekends to call 617-796-1450 or visit the museum online.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:23 AM
September 23, 2007
Tina Fisher holds a picture of herself, pre-surgery. (That's her on the right. Honest.)
(Globe staff photo by David Kamerman)
NEWTON/WELLESLEY/REGION
The findings - released last month from long-term studies of 20,000 dangerously overweight people in Utah and Sweden - were stunning.
Obese patients who had undergone stomach reduction surgery were up to 40 percent more likely to live longer, 56 percent less likely to die of heart disease, and 92 percent less likely to die from diabetes than those who tried diet and exercise alone.
Yet for Tina Fisher, program coordinator for the new Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, the studies only confirmed what she already knew. In the six years since her own gastric bypass surgery, the 30-year-old nurse practitioner has lost 137 pounds. She exercises four times a week, can fit into a standard movie theater seat, and sometimes forgets what her old life was like, staff writer and web producer Ralph Ranalli reports in today's Globe West.
A roller-coaster enthusiast, Fisher used to watch her husband ride alone because she was worried whether the seat belt or safety bar would fit around her 297-pound frame. She also suffered from the litany of health woes common to the very overweight diabetes, joint problems, and sleep apnea, a disorder in which a person literally stops breathing repeatedly during sleep.
"Patients come back and tell me about their experiences, like the first time they didn't have to go into a plus-size clothing store," she said. "And I think, 'Oh yeah, I remember that.' "
Thanks to stories like Fisher's, officials at Newton-Wellesley said they were convinced that gastric bypass operations represent a sound medical option and were aggressively expanding their weight loss surgery practice even before the new findings were released. Last year, the hospital's bariatric surgery program was accredited to operate on even the most severely obese patients, and in June, the program was elevated to a full-fledged department and renamed the Center for Weight Loss Surgery.
As it turns out, the timing of the hospital's push could not have been better, officials said.
Read more about how bariatric surgery is changing lives in the online edition of today's Globe West. While you're there, you can also view an audio slide show about Tina Fisher's experience with the surgery and losing 137 pounds.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:48 AM
September 21, 2007
NEWTON
Mayor David Cohen's office will launch a $70,000 system next week that allows city officials to send personalized phone and text messages and e-mails to all city residents.
The system would automatically send messages to residents about weather and other emergencies and notify people about routine city business, like hydrant flushing. It could also be used to remind residents to vote.
The city has contracted with NTI Group Inc., a Sherman Oaks, Calif. company, to provide the service. Jeremy Solomon, the mayor's spokesman, said city officials will be responsible for deciding the type and number of messages.
"We have to strike a real balance between calling too much and getting out information people want to hear," he said.
-- Meg Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 03:00 PM
September 18, 2007
NEWTON
Newton dropped out of the No Place for Hate program today, joining Watertown and Belmont in protesting the Anti-Defamation League's ambiguous stance on the Armenian genocide.
ADL National Director Abraham Foxman has said the mass killings were "tantamount to genocide,'' but a growing number of critics are dissatisfied with that response and with the ADL's refusal to endorse a congressional resolution acknowledging the genocide.
"The recognition of the Armenian Genocide is an important step along the path of freedom and justice, and crucial in combating other genocides now and in the future,'' Newton Mayor David Cohen said in a statement today. Cohen, who is Jewish, said Newton hopes "for the day when national ADL leadership fully and unequivocally embraces'' the effort to acknowledge the genocide.
The ADL, a non-profit established to fight anti-Semitism and bigotry, created the No Place for Hate program in 1999 as a vehicle for local municipalities to take a public stand against bias. In late August, the Newton Human Rights Commission voted unanimously to urge Cohen to end its participation the program.
Nancy Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, was critical of Cohen's decision. She said the council officially recognized the Armenian genocide two years ago on the anniversary of the deaths and that New England leaders have already sent a clear message to national ADL officials.
"I think it's unfortunate that a program that is designed to bring groups together to counteract hate against any one group is now the focus of the whole issue," she said today. "I think we're missing the forest for the trees."
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 05:30 PM
September 17, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Pat Greenhouse)
NEWTON
Elm and maple trees rustled in the breeze on Highland Avenue in West Newton one afternoon last week. Spacious homes cast long shadows across carefully manicured lawns. Gardens brimmed with freshly planted asters.
And the shrill whine of leaf blowers filled the air.
"I hate them," said Lynne Bail, shouting over the noise made by a crew cleaning her neighbor's yard. "They go all day long. It really spoils the neighborhood and the peace and quiet we used to have."
It is a quintessential suburban problem. In the quest for a flawless yard, leaf blowers have become a modern necessity to get a job done efficiently. But with more homeowners and landscapers using them from spring to fall, critics say they have become an ear-shattering nuisance, robbing neighborhoods of cherished quiet. Now, a Newton alderman wants to outlaw gas-powered leaf blowers, joining Cambridge, Lincoln, and other communities around Boston that are considering leaf blower restrictions, Globe West staff writer Megan Woolhouse reports.
Under the law, it would be "unlawful for any person, including a City employee, to operate any portable gasoline-powered leaf blower within the City limits." The ban would take effect in January 2009. Excluded are electric leaf blowers, which have less power than gas leaf blowers and run more quietly. Police, who would be responsible for enforcing the proposed ordinance, could issue warnings and fines of up to $300 to violators.
Newton Alderman Ted Hess-Mahan said he proposed the ban after hearing complaints from residents annoyed by the noise, dust, and exhaust created by the blowers. A lawyer who occasionally works from home, he said the coming and going of landscaping crews using leaf blowers seems to leave a constant cloud of dust, which aggravates his wife's asthma and covers their house and car.
How does he maintain his own yard?
"I have children," he said.
Read more about the dust-up over leafblowers in Newton in the online edition of today's City & Region section and listen to a bonus audio report filed by Meg Woolhouse.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:03 PM
September 14, 2007
NEWTON
The Newton public schools have launched a new website and it makes getting information about schools and the school committee easier.
Until recently, parents and students had to visit two websites, one for the school district and another for the school committee. The School Commitee website had been created and managed by volunteers since former School Committeeman Andy Vizulis created it years ago. Shelley Chamberlain, director of information technology for the schools, said the new site -- newton.k12.ma.us -- is now managed by a staffer in the school department.
We're really trying to update our look and make it easier for parents to get information quickly," she said.
The site offers information on curriculum, student assessments and evaluation reports, like a recent audit performed by Sun Associates of North Chelmsford. The report looks at technology in the schools and how well teachers are using it.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:22 AM
September 10, 2007
NEWTON
State auditor Joseph DeNucci will be honored at a Sept. 30 brunch hosted by the Newton Democratic City Committee.
Ex-governor Michael Dukakis, his wife Kitty, Secretary of State William Galvin, former attorney general Frank Bellotti, as well as Newton Mayor David Cohen and former mayor Tom Concannon are among the guests expected to attend.
The event, which is open to the public with a $20 donation, will take place at the home of Carol and Ken Krems at 55 Saint Mary Street in Newton Lower Falls.
DeNucci and his wife, Barbara, live in West Newton. He is a former professional boxer who served in the legislature 10 years in the 70s and 80s before becoming state auditor in 1987.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:21 PM
September 5, 2007
(Photo by Jodi Hilton for the Boston Globe)
NEWTON/NEEDHAM
Srdjan Nedeljkovic and James O'Connell have a plan, and they want to share it. The pair of Newton residents have teamed up to discuss the benefits of extending the MBTA's green line through Newton Upper Falls into Needham.
Nedeljkovic is a physician who has written an extensive proposal touting the environmental benefits of the possibility. O'Connell works for the National Parks Service and is a historian with an interest in street railways in Newton. Both advocate that a T extension in Newton is the most economically viable way to spend MBTA transportation dollars.
The cornerstone of their plan would reactivate a long-unused spur of the Riverside D line. The tracks run parallel to Needham Street and past the Depot bakery in Newton Upper Falls. Their ideas will be aired through Sept. 30 on The Environment Show, produced by the Green Decade Coalition on NewTV's blue channel.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:28 AM
August 30, 2007
Newton Alderwoman Victoria Danberg wants to end tax subsidies for "playgrounds for the wealthy."
NEWTON/REGION
The concrete steps leading into Newton's Cabot Elementary School are crumbling and the building has no handicapped access. Across town at Fire Station No. 7, the roof leaks water into the firefighters' bunk room.
Meanwhile, Charles River Country Club in Newton -- with its rolling fairways and carefully manicured putting greens -- received a $381,000 tax break last year under a state law that exempts private country clubs from paying 75 percent of their property taxes.
According to the Newton assessor's office, Woodland Golf Club also cut $301,000 on its tax bill last year and Brae Burn Country Club shaved $390,000 from its taxes. Counting Charles River, that's more than $1 million in taxes that Newton cannot collect from three private, local institutions. Framingham and Marlborough country clubs also take advantage of the tax break, as do many other private country clubs across the state, staff writer Megan Woolhouse reports in today's Globe West.
That has outraged Newton Ward 6 Alderwoman at Large Victoria L. Danberg, who said the city could use the money for repairing city schools, fire stations, and other public buildings instead of subsidizing "playgrounds for the wealthy." She wants local elected leaders and the city's legislative delegation to toughen the law.
"We can take them on," Danberg said. "I can tell you very few people have sympathy for the poor golfers from these clubs who are crying poverty."
Read more about the controversy over Chapter 61B in the online edition of today's Globe West.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:20 PM
August 24, 2007
A historic image of the USS Grunion taken during its launch. Note the propeller guard visible above the waterline at the stern.
(Image courtesy of www.ussgrunion.com)
A photo taken by a deep-diving robot submarine yesterday of the stern of a sunken submarine. The configuration of the sunken sub's propeller guard, together with historic records, has convinced the sons of Commander Mannert L. "Jim" Abele that they have at last found their father's submarine.
NEWTON
The USS Grunion disappeared in July 1942, leaving 70 American families grieving and the three sons of skipper Mannert L. "Jim" Abele, a Newton native, without a father. Abele's boys, ages 5, 9, and 12 when their father disappeared, grew up and built their own lives, but they never forgot him.
For years, the sons Bruce, Brad, and John, pored over Navy documents, any shipping records of the area they could locate, and contacted others interested in the Grunion's fate. John Abele, the billionaire founder of Boston Scientific Corp., has paid for much of the search.
Yesterday, those sons received the first in a series of underwater pictures that they hope will very soon positively confirm that they have found the final resting place of their father's submarine.
"It's an amazing story," Bruce Abele said in an e-mail. "And it's still unfolding."
The Grunion, one of the Gato-class attack submarines commissioned in the early part of World War II, was on its maiden operational voyage when it disappeared while patrolling the seas between Alaska's tip and Japan, according to a Navy website. Almost exactly a year ago, the brothers discovered a wreck using side-scan sonar that matched the probably location of their father's sub. But it wasn't until yesterday that they could put a robot sub down on the wreck and take pictures.
Bruce Abele said the pictures have given his family great confidence that they have found the Grunion, although not yet definitive proof. The former crab-fishing boat that is carrying the robot sub has been forced back to port by heavy seas and 75-mile-per-hour winds.
"The evidence is very strong that it is the Grunion but we still don't know what caused its demise," Abele said.
For more information:
Read a story about the search for the Grunion.
Visit the Abele brothers' USS Grunion web site.
View pictures of:
Part of the sunken sub's periscope
An open hatch cover
A portrait of Commander Mannert L. "Jim" Abele
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:35 PM
August 24, 2007
Sean Darcy holds his 22-month-old son Dylan, right, and 4-month-old Carolina, who the couple had also hoped to adopt.
(Globe staff photo by Essdras M Suarez)
NEWTON
They gave her a bottle, put her down for naps, snapped photographs. Over five days in June in Guatemala, Ellen and Sean Darcy lived like a family with Carolina, the 4-month-old baby they planned to adopt.
Back home in Newton, they bought a double stroller for Carolina and Dylan, 22 months, whom they adopted from Guatemala last year. Ellen Darcy sewed Carolina a pink quilt, and bought her pajamas.
Eight weeks later, armed officers seized Carolina's orphanage, confiscated paperwork, and detained orphanage lawyers. Guatemalan officials alleged that babies there may have been abducted or their mothers forced into giving them away, staff writer Michael Levenson reports in the Globe's City & Region Section today.
Now the Darcys fear they may never see Carolina again, and Ellen Darcy worries that authorities are neglecting Carolina. She searches for news from Guatemala. She cannot bring herself to set up Carolina's crib.
"It's been horrible; it's been heart-wrenching," Ellen Darcy said. "I don't think we can breathe easy until we go to pick her up and we have her back in the United States."
Forty-two US families, including four from Massachusetts, who are trying to adopt babies from the orphanage are caught in limbo. Unsure of the treatment the children have received and uncertain whether the allegations will be resolved, they have pleaded with members of Congress to send US officials to check on the babies' welfare. They have turned to one another for advice, solace, and any scraps of news.
Read more about the Guatemalan orphanage probe and the fallout for local families
in the online edition of today's Boston Globe City & Region section.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:14 PM
August 20, 2007
MBTA officials believe Riverside Station is ripe for development
(Globe staff photo by Dominic Chavez)
NEWTON/WESTON/NEEDHAM
MBTA officials said they will request proposals as early as this fall from developers interested in building housing and commercial space at the Riverside T station.
Transit officials also said they have asked aldermen in Newton to solicit input from Auburndale residents who will be affected by the project and and that they will will incorporate those ideas into the design requests. Several neighborhood residents have spoken out against the project, saying the streets are already jammed with auto traffic.
The Riverside station sits on 22 acres close to the borders of Weston and Wellesley, less than a half-mile from Interstate 95 and the Massachusetts Turnpike.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:22 PM
August 16, 2007
NEWTON
In the wake of Watertown's decision to withdraw from the Anti-Defamation League's "No Place for Hate" program, Newton's Human Rights Commission is drafting a letter “demanding" that the ADL change its position on the Armenian genocide.
“We’re incredulous,” commission chairwoman Marianne Ferguson said of ADL national director Abraham Foxman’s refusal to characterize the massacre of as many as 1.5 million Armenians by the Turks between 1915 and 1923 as a genocide. “To try and come to understand how they came to this conclusion … it’s mind-boggling.”
Ferguson said that the commission, which includes Jewish and Armenian members, is unanimous in its opposition to the ADL’s stance.
“The Jewish folks are just as outraged and are in as much disbelief as anyone else,” she said.
Commission member Brenda Krasnow, who is Jewish, said she was “really upset” about the ADL’s stance.
“There is no question in our minds that there was a genocide by the Ottoman Turks against the Armenians,” she said. “As a Jewish person, and as a human being, you don’t want to see these genocides repeated. But what you are doing here is opening the door for other groups to deny.”
Ferguson said the commission is scrambling to schedule an emergency meeting to discuss the issue, and that ending the city's affiliation with the “No Place for Hate” program is one possible response being considered.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:36 PM
August 16, 2007
NEWTON
Newton police suspect a man who robbed the Village Bank branch in Nonantum yesterday may be responsible for two other bank robberies in Westborough and Stoughton earlier this month.
The Village Bank was robbed shortly before 3 p.m. when a man police described at 6-foot tall, clean-shaven, and wearing a Red Sox baseball cap, passed a note to a teller demanding money and said he had a gun. Police said the suspect then fled with cash.
Police said they think the same man robbed Citizens Bank branches in Westborough on Aug. 5 and in Stoughton on Aug. 6. Compare suspects for yourself. Police have posted photos from each of the robberies on the links below.
Newton robbery photo
Wesborough robbery photo
Stoughton robbery photo
Anyone with information is asked to call the Newton Police Department Detective Bureau at (617)796-2104.
-- Meg Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:08 PM
August 15, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Pat Greenhouse)
NEWTON
Former Newton elections' commissioner Peter Karg, who was fired by the mayor after a vote-counting controversy last year, said he has withdrawn from the race for Ward 8 alderman.
In a brief statement issued by e-mail, Karg said he had difficulty mustering support before the Sept. 18 primary at a time when many city residents are on vacation.
Karg is currently suing the city of Newton for $500,000 for his termination last spring. He claimed his one-time friend, Mayor David Cohen, fired him after "intensely pressuring" him to speed up the vote count on a petition to scale back construction of a $154 million
new high school.
Cohen hired a consultant to investigate the vote count error and claimed Karg botched the job by failing to oversee the count properly.
The lawsuit is pending.
-- Meg Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 10:56 AM
August 11, 2007
MILFORD/NEWTON
Town Administrator Louis Celozzi said officials will notify the state that the town does not support a proposed 180-unit apartment complex on East Main Street.
Celozzi said selectmen objected to the development primarily because it would create rental housing, rather than owned units.
"The rental units are sometimes not conducive to long-term stability," he said.
The town's ability to affect the project, however, may be limited because Newton-based Northland Quarry Pond LLC has proposed setting aside a portion of the units as affordable.
Under state law, towns with less than 10 percent affordable housing have limited ability to reject projects that create more affordable housing. Milford's affordable housing stock is just over 7 percent, Celozzi said.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:26 AM
August 10, 2007
A Newton alderman said she will propose a trans fat ban in the city similar to one already enacted in Brookline.
Ward 6 At-large Alderman Victoria Danberg said the ban would not apply to any food packaged outside Newton and brought into the city. "You could still indulge in Twinkies to your heart's content," she said this week.
The legislature is currently considering a statewide ban on trans fats, but "it will probably be quite some time before anything is passed," Danberg said in an e-mail asking other board members for their support.
--Megan Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 11:36 AM
August 8, 2007
The Herald is on the move, publisher Patrick Purcell says.
(Globe staff photo by David L. Ryan)
NEWTON
Boston Herald publisher Pat Purcell is teaming with a Newton-based development firm to replace the newspaper's plant off the Southeast Expressway in a deal that could include residential, retail, and office space.
Purcell has sold the Herald building and the 6.6-acre parcel it sits on for an undisclosed price to a joint venture that includes himself and National Development, which is headquartered in Newton Lower Falls, Christopher Rowland and Steve Bailey of the Globe's Business section report today.
While it will potentially add a major new feature to Boston's southern skyline, the deal also marks another step in Purcell's efforts to transform Herald assets into cash and streamline the tabloid's operations. Purcell considers the Herald's antiquated printing presses obsolete in a time when newspapers can be electronically transmitted to be printed anywhere, said Purcell spokesman George Regan. The deal allows the current operation to remain in place for up to six years while the newspaper is relocated.
"This is an important strategic move as we plan for the paper's long-term future," Purcell said in a statement. "We intend to publish the Herald for a very long time and realize that we must do so more efficiently than is possible in our current location."
Last year, Purcell sold the Herald's daily and weekly suburban newspapers surrounding Boston to GateHouse Media Inc., a national chain, for $225 million. Earlier this year, Purcell confirmed he was in talks with Dow Jones & Co. to outsource the printing of the Herald to a Dow Jones press plant in Chicopee. That concept is still in play -- Dow Jones will soon be owned by Purcell's old boss at News Corp., Rupert Murdoch -- and would allow Purcell to eliminate up to 100 of the 650 jobs at the Herald site.
Purcell owns the Herald property independently from the newspaper. The deal to transform the site, which the Herald has occupied since 1958, into a major real estate development is another piece of the puzzle.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:21 AM
August 6, 2007
NEWTON
Vandals hurling cantaloupes hit three cars in Newton last week in the Newton Centre area, damaging two of the vehicles, police said.
One Manemet Road resident told police he saw a sedan pass by his house and watched a girl throw a cantalope at his car from outside the sunroof. The melon smashed the back windshield of his car. Police also received a report of a broken tail light on Commonwealth Avenue and found melon and seeds at the scene the same night.
And a Loring Street resident found cantaloupe remains strewn across the hood of his car, which was parked in front of his house. There was no damage, but police said it appeared to have been smashed on the hood of the car.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:07 AM
August 2, 2007
Developer Sheldon Adelson
(AP photo)
MARLBOROUGH/NEWTON
While the Wampanoag tribe presses forward with its plan to build a casino in Middleboro, Sheldon Adelson, majority shareholder and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp., told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette he remains interested in building a resort style casino “in the Marlborough area” off Interstate 495.
“It’s up to the government, the governor and the legislature,” Adelson said of the decisions facing the state over whether to allow casino gambling.
His comments came after a two-hour private meeting at the Statehouse with House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, D-Boston, who has opposed expanded gaming in the state in the past, staff writer John J. Monahan reports.
Mr. Adelson, considered the third wealthiest person in the country with more than $20 billion in assets, has a home in Newton. He emphasized that he spoke with Mr. DiMasi about the pending decisions over casinos yesterday both as a concerned resident and a casino developer.
“I care more about what happens in Massachusetts with all my family here. I told the speaker and I’d tell the governor, I put on two hats. One is my resident hat. My other is my commercial hat. They are two different things,” said Mr. Adelson, who grew up in Dorchester.
“I am a Massachusetts resident. I still have a home here. My ex-wife came from Worcester,” he said of his ties to the state.
Asked if he was preparing to develop a full-scale resort casino here at this point, he said, “If the state wants to do it, yeah.”
Read more about this story in the online version of the T&G
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:43 AM
July 29, 2007
Carole Kelley is the primary caregiver for her daughters Shannon, 21, in baseball cap, who has Down syndrome and Crohn’s disease, and Caitlin, 18, with backpack, who is developmentally disabled. (Globe staff photo by Matt Lee)
NEWTON
Carole Kelley intimately knows the geography of her children's scars; not just the marks left from a bout of chicken pox or a tumble from a bike, but those where doctors once inserted Caitlin's feeding tube and where Shannon had her colon surgery. She can point them out like countries on a map.
Many families find themselves dealing with a tragedy. The Kelleys of West Newton have suffered a stream of life-altering calamities. Carole's husband, Mark, 51, has end-stage kidney disease. His doctors say people live with the condition for decades, surviving through dialysis, but already he has endured the partial amputation of his left foot and the loss of a toe on the right, staff writer Stephanie Siek reports.
The two youngest of their four children, 21-year-old Shannon and 18-year-old Caitlin, have special needs -- Shannon has Down syndrome and Crohn's disease, and Caitlin is developmentally disabled. The family also includes two other children, 23-year-old Sarah and 22-year-old Ryan, who are both living at home.
As the primary caregiver, Carole, 55, has to choreograph an intricate dance of differing dietary needs, medical appointments, and medications, on top of the conventional details of family life -- her job as a cafeteria worker at Newton North High School, Sarah's graduation from Pine Manor College, Caitlin's prom, paying the household bills, making sure the family's two dogs have food and belly rubs.
For balancing all of this, people have called Carole an angel, a saint, and a martyr. But that's too simple. Angels don't get angry or depressed, or cry with frustration. They probably have tidier houses and never argue.
Read more about the difficult yet rich life of Carole Kelley and her family in the online edition of today's Globe West.
You can also check out a gallery of Globe staff photographer Matt Lee's photos of the Kelleys.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:28 AM
July 16, 2007
NEWTON
It was already the most expensive high school building project in state history. Now, the cost of the new Newton North High School is rising.
Mayor David Cohen's office informed city aldermen at a meeting Wednesday that the official cost estimate of the project had risen to $154 million. The mayor did not appear before board members to discuss the news and left City Hall 20 minutes before the meeting, Globe West reporter Megan Woolhouse reports.
Cohen said in January that he wanted to cap the cost at $141 million. Asked about that figure last week, his spokesman, Jeremy Solomon, said: "I think he always considered it a target," not a promise.
The city had previously pegged the official cost at $151 million. The Globe estimated the cost of the project at $154 million in April, based on public records. The latest cost estimate was given to the city by Dimeo Construction of Providence, which is overseeing the project.
In recent months, Cohen and the School Committee considered but rejected design changes that could have shaved millions of dollars off the project's cost.
For example, the city has decided to spend extra for a more efficient heating and cooling system in the hope of cutting future energy costs. But Cohen also opted for a more expensive brick facade and the creation of a school theater balcony.
While the state will contribute $46.5 million to the project, the rest will come from city coffers. Sandy Pooler, Newton's chief administrative officer, said debt payments would cost the city an estimated $13 million annually by 2019.
Officials from the mayor's office still held out the possibility the city could find other savings to trim the cost.
Ward 4 Alderman Jay Harney said he thought the mayor had broken a promise to keep costs at $141 million.
"He sold a bill of goods to everybody, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to deliver," he said.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:28 AM
July 13, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Michele McDonald)
NEWTON
Mayor David Cohen bolted from City Hall this week just 20 minutes before his office announced ballooning cost estimates for Newton North High School construction.
Earlier this year, Cohen reportedly pledged to hold construction costs at $141 million before a key referendum vote on the project. Voters approved the plan by a 59 percent margin, but several aldermen complained that the mayor had low-balled the cost as a way to win support for the school project.
On Wednesday night, Cohen's office announced the latest estimate for the project: $154 million. And officials said the mayor would likely ask the aldermen to approve millions in additional funding for the school.
The news did not come from Cohen himself, however.
Officials said he was on vacation last week. Yet a Globe reporter encountered Cohen in his car outside city hall shortly before the meeting began Wednesday night.
Cohen defended the $141-million estimate he had made earlier, saying it was based on the best information he had from construction officials at the time. "I had to get it somewhere," he shrugged.
Read more reaction to the mayor's turnaround in Sunday's Globe West.
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by mwoolhouse at 03:48 PM
July 11, 2007
NEWTON
The Eastern Savings Bank at 2060 Commonwealth Ave. was robbed for the second time in eight days yesterday morning, Newton police said.
According to employees, the suspect handed a note to a teller demanding money. After obtaining an undetermined amount of money, the suspect fled west on Commonwealth Avenue. No weapon was shown during the robbery.
Police believe the suspect, described as being in his late 20s or 30s, is responsible for the robberies at the Eastern Savings Bank and two at Citizens Bank earlier yesterday morning, in Waltham and in Arlington.
The FBI Bank Robbery Task Force and the Newton Police Detective Bureau are investigating the Eastern Savings Bank robbery.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:53 AM
July 10, 2007
(PR Newswire image)
NEWTON
It looks like a ransom note, but it is not being sent by kidnappers. It is being promoted by the Patrick administration, the Boston Police Department, and the State Police, and delivered to drivers on the Massachusetts Turnpike courtesy of John Rosenthal, a provocative gun control activist from Newton.
"We have your President and Congress," declares the message in letters that look as if they had been snipped from a newspaper, staff writer Michael Levenson of the Globe's City & Region section reports today.
It is signed simply, NRA, referring to the National Rifle Association, and will be unveiled today on a 252-foot billboard on the Mass. Turnpike near Fenway Park.
The message is the latest from Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence, who has for more than a decade used the billboard, which he owns, to promote stricter gun laws. In the past, he has erected a mock road sign that declared, "Welcome to Massa chusetts -- You're More Likely to Live Here," because Massachusetts has "the most effective gun laws," and a display that featured photos of 15 children who were shot to death, under the slogan, "The cost of handguns keeps going up. 15 kids killed every day."
His latest message has drawn support from Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, Public Safety Secretary Kevin M. Burke, Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, and State Police Colonel Mark Delaney, all of whom plan to attend a press conference to unveil the billboard today.
It has also drawn the ire of gun owners' groups, starting with the NRA. "It's a shameless publicity ploy, and I think that's all we can say to describe it," said Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the NRA.
Read more about the giant billboard in the online edition of today's Globe.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:21 AM
July 8, 2007
Theresa Higgins of Plymouth is a member of the Archdiocese of Boston's Latin Mass community.
(Globe staff photo by Tom Herde)
NEWTON
The minority of Catholics who have clung to the Latin Mass, who are based locally at Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish in Newton Upper Falls, are celebrating a decision by the Vatican to allow wider celebration of the traditional rite.
In a document released yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI reached out to alienated traditionalists and opened the door to wider use of the Latin Mass by allowing priests to say the Mass without requiring authorization from their local bishop.
But the step is troubling liberals, who worry the move could be the first step toward a broader rollback of a variety of modernizations that have taken effect since the Second Vatican Council ended, prizewinning Globe religion writer Michael Paulson reports.
Read more about the Vatican's decision in the online version of today's City & Region section.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:27 AM
July 2, 2007
NEWTON
The two Mount Ida College students from Japan had just finished classes Friday and were ready to start celebrating summer, a college official said. But their lives were cut short early yesterday when the car they were in crashed into an oak tree about a mile from campus, Globe staff writer April Simpson reports today.
Takahiko Nagashima, 23, and Masaki Matsuguchi, 22, were pronounced dead shortly after crashing near the corner of Dedham Street and Woodcliff Road in Newton at 12:49 a.m., police said.
Matsuguchi, a junior majoring in fashion merchandising and marketing, was making arrangements to live off campus for the summer; and Nagashima, who graduated from Mount Ida last month with a bachelor's degree in graphic design, had just completed his last course and planned to return to Japan today, a college spokesman said.
"It's just a devastating event," said Philip Conroy , vice president for enrollment management and marketing at Mount Ida. "We know all of the students here, so it's like losing members of the family."
Read more about the tragedy in today's City & Region section.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:37 AM
June 25, 2007
NEWTON
Shuttles hummed from station to station every 4 to 5 minutes on the D Branch of the MBTA’s Green Line this morning, with seven buses waiting for riders at Reservoir Station in Newton. A bevy of transit officials in orange vests with yellow stripes helped passengers navigate the detours. And delays for commuters were only about 15 to 20 minutes, the exact window that the MBTA had predicted when it announced the repair work.
The feared summer slog on the Green Line didn’t materialize today, this first commute since more than two months of work began on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's popular trolley route that runs between Newton and Boston.
"I wasn't expecting it to be like this," said Bernice Sookie, 48, who left herself an extra 90 minutes for her commute from Jamaica Plain to Newton Center. "I was expecting it to be chaotic, but it's running smoothly."
The repair work will close the trolley lines from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The first phase between Riverside and Reservoir stations in Newton will run until Aug. 3, while the second phase will stop trolley service between Reservoir and Fenway stations Aug. 4 to Aug. 31. There will be full service for the Fourth of July.
-- April Yee, Javier C. Hernandez, and Andrew Ryan
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:04 AM
June 22, 2007
NEWTON
Ten years ago, Jon Fisch began two endeavors that stick with him today. The first was stand-up comedy. The second was the Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike race to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
He'll get to combine those things for the second year in a row Thursday when he comes back from New York City for a PMC benefit at the Dedham Community Theatre with several of his fellow Boston comics.
The 34-year-old Newton native left town as a promising comic six years ago, having biked in two Pan-Mass Challenges and volunteered in two others.
He had no way to participate in the race from New York until last year, when his friend Anne Maneikis decided to join the race. The two had started in comedy together, although Maneikis, who works in advertising, now pursues stand-up as a hobby. A comedy fund-raiser seemed a natural fit.
Read more in today's Globe.
-- Nick A. Zaino III
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:04 AM
June 12, 2007
NEWTON
A State Police dive team pulled a man's body out of the Charles River today after a worker at a boathouse on Commonwealth Avenue noticed a decomposed human foot jutting out of the water.
The worker made the discovery at the Charles River Canoe and Kayak boathouse at about 11 a.m. and called police. About an hour later, a single diver lifted the body out of the water. It was place in a white body bag that was zippered shut.
Corey Welford, a spokesman with the Middlesex District Attorney's office, said it may take days for the medical examiner to identify the body because it had severely decomposed.
-- Brian R. Ballou
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:00 PM
June 12, 2007
NEWTON
The 14,000 people who travel between Newton and Boston each day on the MBTA's Green Line should brace themselves for a long summer on the bus.
Major renovations will suspend service on the D branch during the day from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. and on weekends from June 23 through Aug. 31.
The work, which will be completed in two phases, will include trimming trees and brush; cleaning and digging new drainage ditches; realigning and resurfacing tracks; replacing rail ties; and improving signals. During the construction, the Longwood and Brookline Village stations will be rebuilt and the Hyde Street Bridge in Newton will be replaced.
The first phase of the work from June 23 to Aug. 3 will halt trains between the Reservoir and Riverside stations. From Aug. 3 to 31, the second phase will suspend service between the Reservoir and Fenway stations.
As a substitute, shuttle and express buses will travel the normal Green Line route. MBTA officials said the agency chose to perform work in the summer because traffic on the Green Line is lighter.
-- Globe City & Region Staff
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:48 PM
June 12, 2007
NEWTON
A Newton Dunkin' Donuts yesterday got more than just a tip from a customer. They got his car in their store.
A man drove through the front door of the Beacon Street store, manager Sandra Ribeiro told WHDH.
Amazingly, the coffee shop stayed open while the glass was cleaned.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:42 AM
June 9, 2007
MILLIS
After spending years raising funds and planning, local volunteers are throwing a "Picnic in the Park" June 16 from noon to 5 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of new playground equipment and a garden at Oak Grove Farm on Exchange St.
Nancy Sitta, president of the Millis Garden Club, said the free event would include field games, vocal performances, and an opening ceremony with guest speakers.
"It's going to be Millis' most memorable event in my lifetime," Sitta said.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:33 AM
June 3, 2007
NEWTON
The Newton Community Service Center sure looks young for its age.
The private, nonprofit human services agency will celebrate its 100th year with a birthday party next Sunday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. The party will begin with an antique car parade and will continue with crafts, face painting, balloon sculpture, and music all day long.
Performing at the event will be the Joanne Langione School of Dance, The Suburbanette’s, the Daylites, the Newton All-City Honor Chorus Treble Singers, Alex Kurland’s Quartet, and the Tamias Ecuadorian Band. The day winds down with a pop/swing concert with music from the Sharon Community Band and Roy Scott Big Band.
All events are free and will take place rain or shine at the agency’s main facility at 492 Waltham Street in West Newton. Anyone seeking more information is urged to call Jean Devine at 617-969-5906, x 119, or visit the center online.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:30 PM
May 29, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Mark Wilson)
NEWTON
Usually it's hikers who need to beware of poison ivy, but now it's the toxic plant's turn to watch out. The Newton Conservation Commission has given permission to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to clear poison ivy and invasive plants from state land within city limits.
According to Nancy Radzevich, chief planner in Newton, the state will be doing the work in Cutler Park, Hammond Pond Reservation, and the Charles River Reservation area. Radzevich said it is not clear exactly when the state work will begin, since they have many other nearby communities to clear as well.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:32 AM
May 28, 2007
Alderman Paul Coletti says Mayor David Cohen is creating a city that only the rich can afford.
(Globe staff photo by Michele McDonald)
NEWTON
While officials have not called for a property tax override, one alderman is declaring that one next year is now inevitable after the board last week approved a $310.5 million city budget for the 2008 fiscal year, which starts on July 1.
Paul Coletti, chairman of the board’s Finance Committee, said the city was in for “frightening times.” To keep pace with the new expenditures, he said, the city will need an override next fiscal year and the resulting tax increase will price the city out of some middle-class residents’ reach.
“What we’re left with are people who have the funds, the bank accounts, and the jobs and lifestyle to feel that whatever the mayor proposes is what they’re prepared to spend,” Coletti said. “It’s going to be somewhat of a defining moment.”
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:42 AM
May 26, 2007
MILLIS
Robert Mullaney, an assistant principal at Hingham High School, has been hired as the next principal of Millis High School starting July 1.
Millis Superintendent Peter Sanchioni said he chose Mullaney over 25 other candidates because of his work ethic and his commitment to high student achievement. Mullaney will replace Linda McCann, who is retiring.
Prior to working in Hingham, Mullaney taught at Walpole High School and Trinity Catholic High School in Newton. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Assumption College and master’s degrees from UMass Boston and Endicott College.
-– Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:57 AM
May 24, 2007
NEWTON
Under pressure critics, Fire Chief Joseph LaCroix has fired back at what he calls “misleading claims” about the working order of vehicles and equipment used by firefighters.
In a memo to aldermen this week following an accident with a pumper truck that sent Lt. Richard Geary to the hospital with serious injuries earlier this month, LaCroix lashed out at the firefighters union for asserting that refurbishing a fire truck consists of putting in new brakes, painting, a little bit of polish, and not much else.
LaCroix said that the department’s equipment – from the fleet of trucks to oxygen tanks and masks to flashlights to chainsaws – is all up to code.
“Under no circumstances would I send our firefighters out to do their jobs with equipment that was not code compliant or otherwise unsafe,” LaCroix wrote in the memo.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:00 PM
May 24, 2007
NEWTON
Learning whether you can save a life no longer requires a CPR course or even a blood test, just a quick swab of the inside of your mouth.
The Rich Cronin Hope Foundation will sponsor the Driving for Donors Boston area Bone Marrow Registry Drive, today in Newton Highlands from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The drive is co-sponsored by Indulge! Fine Confections and Gifts and will take place at The Hyde Community Center, 90 Lincoln St.
Singer and organizer Rich Cronin from the band LFO will be there and attendees can enjoy food and beverages from local Newton Highlands merchants. One hundred percent of money from the sale of refreshments will be donated to “Driving for Donors”.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:56 AM
May 24, 2007
Needham High's new rallying cry: "We're No. 1,028!"
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
DOVER/SHERBORN/WELLESLEY/WESTON/
NEWTON/WAYLAND/NEEDHAM
Six schools in Globe West have made Newsweek’s newly released 2007 “America’s Best High Schools” list, including Dover-Sherborn High School, which ranked second highest in the state.
Of the over 1200 public schools on the list, Dover-Sherborn ranked 127th, Weston High School 186th, Wellesley High School 487th, Wayland High School 686th, Newton South High School 714th, and Needham High School 1028th. The state’s highest ranking school was Boston Latin School, which at 76th was the only Massachusetts school to make the top 100.
Rankings are based on only one factor: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2006 divided by the number of graduating seniors. Newsweek reports that while some critics consider the criteria too narrow, research studies have shown that passing scores on AP exams are a predictor of college success.
Scores from 27,000 public schools were reviewed, meaning schools included on the list are in the top 5% of public schools nationally. Three schools fell off the list from last year: Hopkinton High School, Newton North High School, and Holliston High School.
-- Denise Taylor
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:46 AM
May 21, 2007
NEWTON
Newton’s decision to transfer all of its pension assets into the state’s system could motivate other municipalities to follow suit.
After weighing for years whether to divest its $265 million fund, the Newton Retirement Board took the plunge last week. On Friday, Paul Levy, president and chief executive officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a member of the commission urging the change by Newton, recommended that all Bay State communities make the shift.
"Most communities do not have the technical expertise to manage the very, very large sum of money that's in a retirement fund," Levy said.
Mayor David Cohen said that in tight fiscal times, "we must examine all opportunities for cost reductions and revenue enhancements. This is the right vote for our city," he said.
Pension funds cover benefits for retirees and for employees who have left work because of disability.
The future of such pension funds is being debated as many communities struggle to stretch property-tax dollars to cover municipal needs.
If a local pension fund's investments perform poorly, the community must make up the difference to pay benefits. With higher returns, the fund is less dependent on municipal reserves.
The $48 billion state fund, called the Pension Reserve Investment Trust, currently manages all or part of the assets of 74 municipal retirement systems, according to Alison Mitchell, a spokeswoman for state Treasurer Timothy Cahill, whose office oversees the fund.
Newton will now be one of the four largest communities in the state system in terms of assets; the others are Springfield, Lowell, and Framingham, Mitchell said.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:56 PM
May 21, 2007
NEWTON
A firefighter who was seriously injured by a runaway pumper truck has gone home from the hospital as two investigations are underway to determine how he became trapped under the truck as it teetered on a ledge.
State police investigators are working to determine what caused the accident in which Lt. Richard Geary suffered a serious head laceration and several broken limbs in the incident, which occurred last Tuesday about 12:30 a.m. The local firefighters union is also conducting its own probe, according to Patrick Vardaro, vice president of Local 863.
Vardaro said today that he believes a gear malfunction may have caused the truck to hurtle forward unexpectedly as firefighters were dousing a trash bin fire at Boston College. Geary was trapped under the truck and had to be pried out.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:29 PM
May 15, 2007
NEWTON
A Newton firefighter was injured late last night after being struck by a fire truck that slipped out of gear.
Crews were putting out a dumpster fire on the Boston College campus when the truck rolled over the firefighter.
The firefighter, whose name was not officially released by Newton fire officials, suffered a broken forearm and shoulder blade, along with several lacerations, according to WHDH-TV.
"Basically he got trapped. He saw the truck coming at him and thank God it hit a big pine tree in front because that's what stopped it,” Chief Joseph Lacroix of the Newton Police Department told the station.
Several other firefighters received medical attention for smoke and diesel inhalation from the rescue effort, according to WCVB-TV.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
-- Boston.com staff
Posted by Martin Finucane at 09:57 AM
May 14, 2007
NEWTON
After his light workout at the West Suburban YMCA in Newton last week, 7-year-old Max Melville hardly seemed out of breath. But he did have a complaint. "I feel like I sprained my arm," Melville joked, already eyeing his next activity: hitting the rock-climbing wall at the far end of a converted racquetball court inside the 97-year-old building, the Globe reports today.
Sore muscles are a common grievance at the Newton Y, where many adults are trying to shake off their spare tires in time for summer. But Melville's "sprain" came from exerting himself while bowling on the new Nintendo Wii video gaming system at the Y, one of 100 of the hard-to-find systems that manufacturer Nintendo has donated to YMCAs nationwide.
Nintendo is trying to position the Wii as an "exergame," alongside the more frenetic Dance Dance Revolution, and virtual reality golf games, which you can also find at the Newton Y.
-- Mark Baard
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:33 AM
May 11, 2007
Sun season is coming
(Image courtesy of the Coppertone Company)
NEWTON
Approximately one million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the US this year. As the sun-worshiping season approaches, Newton-Wellesley Hospital is holding a free screening this Wednesday to raise awareness of skin cancers, including melanoma, the most dangerous form that accounts for 79 percent of deaths.
Clinicians will be teaching techniques for skin self-examination, which consists of looking for any changes in the size, color, shape, or texture of a mole, the development of a new mole, or any other unusual changes. Any of these signs should be reported to a dermatologist immediately.
Pre-registration s required. For more information or to register, call 617-243-5900 or visit the hospital online.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:13 AM
May 10, 2007
Pat Hannon and his wife Elizabeth in front of their Rogers Street home.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NEWTON
It didn't take a genius to figure that controversial Crystal Lake property owner Pat Hannon wasn't going to go quietly. It's just not his style.
On Monday night, the city's aldermen approved the taking of Hannon's one-acre property by eminent domain for public recreational use. The aldermen also approved the use of $2.3 million in Community Preservation Act funds to pay Hannon off.
The response? The ever-combative Hannon immediately threatened to sue the city. “Now they’re going to have to evict me,” he said.
Hannon claims the city got a “bogus” appraisal on the land, which has a house and garage partially destroyed by fire. While not living on the property, Hannon now says he intends to “occupy” it. Hannon also said the city is “going to have to get me off the property first” before fixing a wall officials deem unsafe. The wall stands on his property in back of an extension of the public beach owned jointly by Hannon and the city.
To take ownership, the city has to file with the Middlesex Registry of Deeds. Even if the taking succeeds, officials said it would take time to fix the property for public use.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:25 AM
May 10, 2007
Underground oil at Newton South and other sites has prompted the mayor to ask for cleanup funds.
(Globe staff photo by Barry Chin)
NEWTON
A state Department of Environmental Protection order to clean up four city-owned hazardous-waste sites has prompted Mayor David B. Cohen to request $58,000 from the city's aldermen.
Underground containers at the Cabot and Horace Mann elementary schools, Newton South High School, and the Eliot Street Department of Public Works yard once leaked oil into nearby soil, and the city has been working to remove it for several years, mayoral spokesman Jeremy Solomon said.
“We’re sucking it out of the ground, and will continue the cleanup until the DEP tells us we no longer have to,” he said.
Solomon said the sites pose no hazard to people. The request must go through several aldermanic committees before the board takes a final vote.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:50 AM
May 9, 2007
NEWTON
Newton Open Studios, the annual celebration of the visual arts in Newton, will showcase more than 190 artists will displaying and sell their work throughout the city on May 19 and 20.
To mark the event's 10th anniversary, the organization is having its first-even Gala Silent Art Auction & Party on Saturday, May 12 at Newton City Hall. The event includes a free viewing, silent auction bidding and a raffle from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and a party from 7 p.m. to 10:30 that will feature live jazz and a wearable art fashion show.
Tickets for the evening event are $15 each or $25 for a pair. More information and an online gallery can be found at Newton Open Studios' online site.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:48 AM
May 7, 2007
Oh, those wacky Shriners
(Globe staff photo by Evan Richman)
NEWTON
While some municipalities have relegated Memorial Day to an afterthought, Newton appears to have a good memory. A full slate of holiday observances have been planned by the city, including:
* The Memorial Day Parade, which will be held on Sunday, May 20 at 2 pm, starting in front of our Lady’s Church on Washington Street in Newton Corner and finishing at Coletti/Magni Park in Nonantum. The parade will feature the ever-popular Aleppo Shriners and their Clown Unit;
* Prayer observances and wreath-laying, which will begin at 9 a.m. on on Sunday, May 27 and at the Private Richard Forte Memorial in Allison Park and ending at 12 noon in Newton Cemetary. In between, wreaths will be laid at a variety of other sites, a full schedule is available online or by calling the Veterans Department at 617-796-1090, and;
* The mayor’s annual prayer breakfast, which will be held on Wednesday, May 30 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in McElroy Commons on the Boston College campus. Keynote speaker is US Congressman Barney Frank.
At the breakfast, the Mayor’s Medallion Award, to recognize outstanding contributions to the city will go to a student, as yet unnamed, and posthumously to Father Robert Drinan. Also receiving the awards will be Newton residents Stephan Ross, a Holocaust survivor who spearheaded the building of the Boston Holocaust Memorial, and Susan Zuker of the Conquer Cancer Coalition, who helped launch a state license plate to raise money and awareness. Zuker’s husband Michael died of cancer earlier this year.
Proceeds from the breakfast go to the Foundation for Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Harmony, based in Newton. For more information on tickets, call Jeremy Solomon at 617-796-1110 or Judy Epi at 617-969-5906, ext. 121.
-- Connie Paige and Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:00 AM
May 3, 2007
NEWTON
Police were searching the West Newton area this afternoon for a 70-year-old resident of a rehab center who took off his alarm bracelet and wandered away around noon.
Police describe the resident, Ernest French, as a slim black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with close-cropped gray hair and a light discoloration on some of his face. They say he was last seen wearing a yellow jumpsuit and a long sleeve blue dungaree shirt.
French is “alert and oriented” and not a danger to himself or others, according to the facility, Golding Living Center-West Newton, 25 Armory St.
Police ask anyone with information on his whereabouts to call 617-796-2100.
Posted by smaas at 05:55 PM
May 1, 2007
NEWTON
The design for Newton North High School has been completed, Mayor David Cohen announced this week.
Cohen's spokesman, Jeremy Solomon, said the final design does not differ greatly from preliminary drawings and, as yet, the city has not posted any of the final document on its web site. For now, Solomon said, copies of the 300-page final design document are available for public review at the Building Department and the Clerk's Office in City Hall and at the Newton Free Library.
Cohen also announced that the city has formed a Newton North Liaison Committee to monitor and share information about the construction phase of the project, which could begin as early as this summer.
The committee is made up of members of the school community, Board of Aldermen, and citizen representatives from all four abutting neighborhoods and is co-chaired by the mayor and Planning Department Director Mike Kruse.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:55 PM
April 30, 2007
(Photo: Jodi Hilton for the Boston Globe)
NEWTON
Service on parts of the Green Line’s D train will not be running from mid-June to September.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is closing down the tracks to make repairs, trim vegetation, and reconstruct stations. Work on the line, which is also known as the Riverside Line and the Highland Branch, will affect service at the Riverside, Woodland, Waban, Eliot, Newton Highlands, Newton Centre, and Chestnut Hill stations.
Shuttles will take passengers from Riverside station in Newton to Reservoir station in Cleveland Circle. The first phase of the project, from June 21 to July 31, will make the Riverside station more accessible for riders with disabilities.
The second phase is scheduled for Aug. 6 to Sept. 2. The MBTA will be adding extra shuttle buses during that period to accommodate fans of the Boston Red Sox, who who are scheduled to play nine home games during the period.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:28 AM
April 27, 2007
Matsuzaka in action
(Reuters photo by Brian Snyder)
NEWTON
Columnist Dan Shaughnessy imagines Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka throwing just about everywhere he goes, including Newton North High, as he keeps his arm loose, in a fanciful column today.
Shaughnessy writes:
Remember last Sunday night at Fenway against the Yankees? Most of you went to bed after the Sox completed the sweep, just before midnight. Not Dice-K. He went over to Belmont Hill and did some throwing to former Sox catcher Rich Gedman. They got done around 3 in the morning.
On his way home from Belmont Hill, Dice-K saw one of those rickety station wagons trolling through his neighborhood, delivering the Monday morning newspapers. Dice-K got into the car, rode shotgun with the guy, and starting throwing newspapers onto porches. Apparently he wanted to keep his shoulder loose.
The Sox wouldn't let him throw Monday, so he stopped at Howard Ferguson Field at Newton North High School on the way to Fenway. He threw to North catcher Ryan McCarthy for about an hour. Then he walked over to the football stadium and tossed footballs with some kids who were hanging out after school. Done with the footballs, he went to the track and threw the javelin for a half-hour.
On the way to his car, Dice-K was distracted by the Newton North ultimate Frisbee team. He joined them for some tosses. He was amazed to learn that the ultimate Frisbee kids already knew how to throw the Gyro.
Full disclosure here: Everything above was made up. None of it happened. But it is perhaps only a slight exaggeration.
... And so Shaughnessy's flight of fancy came back to earth. None of it really happened.
But Matsuzaka does love to throw -- and he'll be back on the mound tonight facing the Yankees in New York.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:41 AM
April 24, 2007
NEWTON
The city and its firefighters are still facing off over a contract, but soon a mediator will step in between them.
Mayor David B. Cohen announced yesterday that the state Joint Labor Management Committee, an organization that evaluates disputes involving police and fire departments in the interest of preserving public safety, has determined that the two sides cannot reach an agreement without mediation.
Firefighters, who object to the city’s sick leave policy, have been without a contract for four years.
"It became clear to us long ago that collective bargaining with this union was going nowhere, and we needed the assistance of an outside party," Cohen said at his weekly Monday press conference.
If mediation fails, the JMLA will appoint an arbitrator to decide the case, Cohen said.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 05:31 AM
April 23, 2007
(Newton History Museum image)
NEWTON
Long before the atmosphere in western Auburndale was overrun by the sounds of cars zooming along Route 128 and the Massachusetts Turnpike, it was filled with adventure and romance.
From the late 1890s to the post-WWII era, Norumbega Park was a mecca for recreational boating and home at various times to a zoo, a vaudeville theater, and the sophisticated elegance of the Totem Pole ballroom. The park was so popular that, just a few years after it opened, it was considered to be one of the most heavily canoed places on the planet.
To remember the park's golden age, the Newton History Museum is presenting a new exhibition titled Norumbega: Romance & Recreation by the River. An Opening Reception for the exhibit will be held on on Thursday, April 26, 2007 from 5 to 7 pm. The public is invited, and admission is free.
Anyone seeking additional information is urged to visit the museum online or call 617-796-1450.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:31 PM
April 19, 2007
NEWTON
After fears surfaced about the possibility of unchecked vertical development near Route 9, a development group has offered a new zoning proposal for the area.
Developers of the proposed Chestnut Hill Square project had requested a zoning change for their mixed development that would allow approval of theirs and other large projects with no height restrictions. That proposal drew fire from critics like Ward 6 Alderman Kenneth Parker, who warned that it would alter the city’s zoning code to allow buildings as tall as Boston's Prudential Center.
City Planner Michael Kruse now says that New England Development has changed its proposal so that buildings in new mixed residential and commercial zones would need specific permissions on building height and stories, lot coverage, and open space.
Kruse said last week that the changes in the proposal, which he had not yet reviewed, will be available at a hearing scheduled for Monday night. The proposed zoning amendments would pave the way for the development of Chestnut Hill Square, now planned with two 14-story residential towers, another residence of six stories, and a block of two- and three-story retail buildings.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 05:52 AM
April 18, 2007
NEWTON
Mayor David B. Cohen said his 2008 city budget contains no cuts and will -- almost -- fully fund Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Young's ambitious school budget request.
Cohen said the city would use $2.2 million in free cash to give the schools an $11.2 million increase over last year's budget. Young had requested $11.6, an amount that included $1 million for new initiatives in the areas of middle school instruction, math, technology, and building maintenance.
"This budget reflects our shared commitment to keeping Newton schools among the finest in the land," Cohen said in his annual budget address to the city's aldermen last night.
Cohen's $266 million budget proposal also contained an additional $120 million in new funding for the Newton Free Library, which will use the money to buy new materials for preschoolers and to enhance the online services it offers to city residents.
He also said that the city would use federal, state, and local money to hire a new six-man crew for the Department of Public Works, so that the city can keep more repair jobs in-house.
While there would be no override this year, Cohen said that fundamental funding trends could force a vote on one for the city's 2009 budget. The city, he said, faces an ongoing structural budget gap because fixed costs such as health care and energy are rising at a rate of 5 percent per year, while revenues have been rising an average of 3.8 percent per year.
Cohen said he would be working over the next year to implement many of the recommendations made by the city's Blue Ribbon Commission, including merging the city's pension plan with the state retirement system. He also said he hoped Beacon Hill lawmakers would soon allow cities and towns to participate in the state health care system, which could also allow them to save money.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:51 AM
April 17, 2007
NEWTON
Blame it on hallucinations brought on by glycogen depletion, or possibly the runner's version of highway hypnosis, but strange things just seem to happen on Heartbreak Hill.
Running couples get married. Giant hot dogs scream encouragement. Runners are offered beer and Skittles alongside water and Powerade. A guy dressed as The Flash gets passed by a woman old enough to be his mother.
Globe West web producer Ralph Ranalli and Globe photographer John Blanding were at the Boston Marathon's famed 20+ mile mark and captured some of the sights and sounds of yesterday's wet and wild race in an audio slide show.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:20 PM
April 16, 2007
Workers struggled to put up this banner in Chestnut Hill yesterday.
(Globe staff photo by Matthew Lee)
NEWTON
Ahh, nothing says Patriots Day like ... driving downpours, 50 mile-per-hour wind gusts, and sporadic power outages?
Short of an April blizzard, conditions on the Boston Marathon course are about as bad as they could be this morning, including swamp-sized puddles and downed tree limbs. In parts of Newton, residents lost power several times, although it was quickly restored.
As of 7:30 a.m., meteorologists are predicting that the storm will taper off from a nor'easter into plain old showers in a few hours and Boston Athletic Association officials are holding to their scheduled 10 a.m. start (9:25 a.m. for elite wheelchairs).
Boston Red Sox officials, however, have announced that today's game against the Angels has been moved to 12:05 p.m., meaning that spectators won't get a chance to see the elite runners finish after the game as they traditionally do.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:17 AM
April 15, 2007
Greg Maslowe holds a radish from last year's crop.
(Photo by Patricia McDonnell for the Boston Globe)
NEWTON
The greenhouse is filling up, the field is greening up, and the farmer is getting out from behind his computer in preparation for a new season at the Newton Angino Community Farm.
But that's not all that's sprouting on Nahanton Street. The farm now has its own “wiki” – a special blog, like Wikipedia, that allows public contributions and corrections. Right now, its primary feature is online recipes, including butternut squash soup with apples, but farm-loving folk are urged to contribute other morsels of information.
The non-profit farm is also seeking assistance for a successful season. City farmer Greg Maslowe has a wish list including a Palm Pilot with Microsoft Excel and a portable electric or propane space heater needed for the farm. Anyone with one to donate is urged to contact him at 617-916-9655 or by e-mail.
Meanwhile, farm officials are launching a fundraising program, called Friends of the Farm, designed for Newton businesses. Prospective contributors should contact Jon Regosin by e-mail or by calling 617-244-0736.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:26 AM
April 11, 2007
NEWTON
Students who attended left wing author and linguist Noam Chomsky's speech at Newton South High School this morning dismissed the controversy and hype over the event, calling it overblown.
The students said that Chomsky spoke for about an hour, mostly about US involvement in Iraq, but made no wildly radical statements. Chomsky called the Iraq war "illegal," the students said, and said there was a disconnect between American public opinion about the war and government policy. He also said that there were few real differences between the way Democrats and Republicans are approaching the war and that a small segment of wealthy elites is responsible for much of US policy, the students said.
Most of the students said that inviting Chomsky was a worthwhile exercise.
"We often say that we embrace difference of skin color and religion, but we don’t often extend that to difference of opinion," said Michala Krug, a 16-year-old sophomore who called herself a Chomsky fan. "A school that is going to emphasize the importance of embracing difference is going to have to emphasize and respect different opinions. It’s often underestimated how much high school students notice and observe and care about the state of the world."
Abby Kaplan, a 17-year-old junior, said that while she found Chomsky's talk interesting, he didn't say anything that made her change her opinions.
"I don’t think it was dangerous," she said. "I think it was good for us to hear different viewpoints."
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:38 PM
April 11, 2007
NEWTON
About a dozen protesters picketed the appearance of author and linguist Noam Chomsky at Newton South High School today, charging that school officials should not have allowed a student club to invite him because of his leftist views on the Iraq war and Middle East politics.
At one point this morning, while Chomsky was speaking inside the school, 76-year-old Holocaust survivor Steve Ross - wearing a striped cap of the type given to prisoners in Nazi concentration camps - tried to enter the school but was denied access by Newton Police. School officials had closed the event to the public and the press, saying it was a school club event.
Ross said Chomsky should not have been allowed to "spread his poison" inside the school. Some Jews and pro-Israel activists have accused Chomsky of defending Holocaust deniers.
"We would like Mr. Chomsky to apologize for the people he has tried to protect," Ross said.
School officials defended their decision to allow the Chomsky visit. Newton South Principal Brian Salzer said that it was the leaders of the school's Social Awareness Club who had invited Chomsky, and that school officials were defending the students' intellectual freedom.
A student who tried to videotape the event, Student Senate President Dan Groob, 17, was also ordered outside with his small video camera.
Groob called it "horrible and hypocritical" that Chomsky was allowed to speak at the school in such a controlled environment, without an opposing viewpoint being offered.
"It should have been more open," Groob said.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:42 AM
April 11, 2007
NEWTON
State Sen. Cynthia Creem is bullish on fake grass. In fact, she's the lead sponsor of a bill to allow payment for artificial turf out of Community Preservation Act funds.
But those who believe artificial turf is environmentally suspect and others who think it's too expensive aren't happy about the Newton Democrat’s bill.
If approved, it would set to rest a long-standing controversy over the rules for preservation funds. Newton is currently facing a lawsuit over its use of the preservation funds, which come from a one percent surcharge on property taxes, for artificial turf.
Cream's amendment would change the definition of “recreational use” to permit the rehabilitation of facilities such as athletic fields, bathrooms, refreshment stands, and parking at sites such as gardens, trails, playgrounds, and parks. Under her proposal, "recreational use” would not include horse or dog racing, however.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:30 AM
April 9, 2007
NEWTON
The 18-year-old founder of a new teen social networking site insists that she had nothing to do with four suspicious backpacks that prompted the evacuation of a Newton North High School parking lot and a visit from the State Police Bomb Squad this morning.
Sofia Loginova, a senior at North Quincy High School, said she first heard about the incident when she was met by a Quincy Police officer who questioned her as she arrived at school.
The backpacks bearing the name of her web site -- b4class.com -- were found stuffed with shredded newspaper, hanging from a fence on the Walnut Street side of the campus. Loginova said she has given away about 2,000 of the promotional backpacks, mostly at Faneuil Hall.
Loginova said she is "horrified" that officials are comparing the incident to a publicity stunt in January that shut down roads in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville as authorities investigated nearly 40 small, light-up devices. The devices turned out to be part of a guerilla advertising campaign for a Cartoon Network show, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."
"I don’t know who did it and it sucks that my name is being associated with it," she said. "I don’t want to be compared with that [the Cartoon Network stunt] and its not at all how I want my site to be seen. I completely understand how people might feel about it and I feel horrible that this happened. But I don’t know how it happened."
Loginova says her site, which went live on Wednesday, has about 500 users. She said she does not have outside marketing help, and that she has been relying mostly on word-of-mouth and the bag giveaways to publicize the launch.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:31 PM
April 9, 2007
NEWTON
In an incident reminiscent of the Cartoon Network publicity stunt that threw Boston, Cambridge and Somerville into turmoil in January, Newton officials are saying that several suspicious backpacks discovered a Newton North High School this morning contained references to a myspace.com-style web site aimed at teens.
The appearance of the backpacks prompted the evacuation of the school parking lot and a call to the State Police Bomb Squad, officials said. Students were ushered into the school until police determined that they were harmless.
An examination of the backpacks found that they contained references to b4class.com, a social networking site that purports to have been started by a high school senior from Quincy. Authorities also found shredded newspaper, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Young said.
"It appears to be either a prank or a marketing ploy of some kind," Young said. "But there was no threat to the school environment."
Some officials speculated yesterday that Newton North was targeted because it has been in the news lately, with recent high-profile stories about its $154 million new building project -- the most expensive in state history -- and a front page story in the New York Times about overachieving female students.
-- Ralph Ranalli and April Simpson
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:16 PM
April 9, 2007
They're recycling everything these days, including the kitchen sink.
(Globe staff photo by Suzanne Kreiter)
NEWTON
One of the nation’s most significant sources of solid waste comes from construction, weighing in at 136 million tons of debris per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
But debris isn't necessarily the right word for much of what gets thrown away -- perfectly good sinks or vanities or light fixtures that just aren't a homeowner's or decorator's cup of tea get put into the waste stream too.
But on Newton Serves Day, residents will be given their opportunity to reduce such waste by bringing high-quality reusable materials to the Swap & Trade event on Sunday, April 29. Residents will be encouraged to bring items such as vanities, unused ceramic tile, light fixtures, appliances less than five years old, flooring, and other materials to the Rumford Avenue Depot in Auburndale.
Usable items will then be made available to low- and moderate-income homeowners at affordable prices by the Boston-based Building Materials Resource Center, a non-profit group. For larger items that can’t be brought to the Swap & Trade event, such as a kitchen cabinet set, Resource Center staffers can arrange for a pickup for a $25 fee.
Donation guidelines are available by visiting the center online, and you can make a donation offer online. Anyone interested can obtain additional information by calling 617-442-8917 or by stopping by the center’s truck at the Swap & Trade event, which will run from 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:23 AM
April 8, 2007
NEWTON
A proposal for a commercial-residential development on Route 9 would alter the city’s zoning code to allow buildings as tall as Boston's Prudential Center, Ward 6 Alderman Kenneth Parker testified at a recent zoning hearing.
Developers of the proposed Chestnut Hill Square, on Route 9, have requested a zoning change for their mixed development that would allow approval of theirs and other large projects with no height restrictions. That’s not a good thing, he said.
“It’s a direct frontal assault on the protections our zoning affords neighborhoods in Newton,” Parker said.
Zoning and Planning Committee chairman Brian Yates, however, called Parker's warning an “exaggeration.”
New England Development spokeswoman Deborah Black, meanwhile, said the developers “are working on some modifications to the proposal, and we’ll be presenting them to the city in the near future to address concerns about height limitations.”
Chestnut Hill Square, situated on 11.5 acres almost directly across Route 9 from the Mall at Chestnut Hill, is currently planned with two 14-story residential towers and another residencial building of six stories, along with a block of two- and three-story retail buildings.
The Prudential Center tower, incidentally, is 52 stories tall.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:09 AM
April 6, 2007
NEWTON
The New York Times used Newton North High as the setting for a recent Sunday front page story on so-called "amazing girls" - high schoolers with big expectations and big stresses.
The thesis of the story -- that girls are getting conflicting messages from parents and teachers to be perfect, but to be themselves at the same time -- has sparked a debate about whether we expect too much too soon from our kids.
The story has been mentioned in several local blogs and prompted numerous letters to the Times from readers, including this one from Chris Ludwig of Maynard:
When will the madness end? Yet another generation consumed with the destination rather than the journey.
Esther Mobley, the subject of your article, says, “In a lot of ways, it’s all about that one week,” when the Newton North (Mass.) school newspaper lists where the seniors are going to college.
Unless we teach our children to enjoy each day, this race to the next peak will continue, and real satisfaction with the here and now will not be realized.
What do you think? Are we pushing girls too far to fast or just pushing them to be their best selves? Sound off in the Globe West Message Boards.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:57 PM
April 5, 2007
NEWTON
Running 26.2 miles not your idea of a good time? Well, thanks to the City of Newton, you can shorten your big April road race down to one mile, and still compete on Heartbreak Hill.
The 15th annual Heartbreak Hill International Youth Race will take place April 15 starting at noon at City Hall. All runners receive a commemorative seedling tree and a ticket to a pasta-pizza party the night before with guest speaker Bill Rodgers, the four-time Boston Marathon winner.
The first 500 to register get a t-shirt. The fee is $10 for ages 9-18, and $12 for ages 19-90, but hurry, because the (tax-deductible) fees (which benefit the Newton Pride Committee), increase after April 6.
Families also have the option of an alternative walk with small children, for $10. For more information and to register, visit Newton Pride online or call 617-796-1540.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:14 AM
April 4, 2007
NEWTON
An engineering inspector has examined cracks in the floor of Fire Station No. 7 and determined that it will bear the weight of a new 82,000-pound fire truck due to be housed there. And he did the old-fashioned way - by actually looking at it.
John M. Looney, president of Aberjona Engineering Inc., the company that examined the concrete slab floor, assured city officials in a letter dated March 31 that the cracks “affect the appearance only.” Looney recommended the “cracks be cleaned and sealed to prevent further water leaking into the slab.”
The city's aldermen had asked for the inspection after learning that a previous safety review of the floor had been completed without anyone actually visiting the station, which is located on Eliot Street in Newton Upper Falls.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:07 PM
April 4, 2007
Tim Urban
(NBC Photo)
NEWTON
Newton's Tim Urban had a pretty gruesome time in Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" boardroom on Sunday night with all the requisite back stabbing and yelling.
And when it came down to eliminating someone from the team that had botched the task of pitching mouthwash, the 24-year-old Harvard grad was given the "You're fired!" by the Trumpster.
Considered by the fan websites to be among the favorites for winning this sixth installment, Urban took a lot of grief from his fellow contestants and Trump for his budding relationship with teammate Nicole D'Ambrosio, who survived this week's boardroom scrutiny.
The Los Angeles-based Urban seemed to shrug off his loss in the car ride out of the LA mansion, but he was too overwhelmed Monday hearing from everyone he had kept at bay to elaborate to us about what his plans are.
We do know that the pianist and songwriter, who was dubbed "The Musician" on the show, has just released his first CD, "Turning Home." He also continues to oversee The Cartim Group, an LA tutoring company he helped launch two years ago.
-- Boston Globe "Names" column
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:28 PM
April 1, 2007
NEWTON
Esther Mobley is one of the best students at Newton North High, but she's quick to point out her flaws.
“I run, I do, but not very quickly, and always exhaustedly,” she says. “This is one of the things I’m most insecure about. You meet someone, especially on a college tour, adults ask you what you do. They say, ‘What sports do you play?’ I don’t play any sports. It’s awkward.”
In a front-page story today, The New York Times reports that many high school girls are "amazing" -- high achieving, ambitious and confident -- but they're finding themselves in competition with other amazing girls around the country for elite colleges.
The story focuses on Mobley, but also takes an in-depth look at the city, the high school, and several other accomplished -- and frazzled -- Newton girls.
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:21 PM
March 29, 2007
Kosher butcher Richardo Bosich is back where he wants to be ... behind the grill.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NEWTON
For years it was a fact of life, but to Newton's observant Jews it always seemed so, well, . . . not kosher. If you wanted to have a pastrami sandwich while still observing the Jewish dietary laws, you had to leave one of the great centers of Jewish life in Greater Boston and schlep next door to Brookline.
Until earlier this month, that is, when a 49-year-old Sephardic Jew from Uruguay opened what may be the region's only kosher strip of stores.
Ricardo Bosich moved his Gordon & Alperin kosher butchery across Commonwealth Avenue in Newton Centre into a strip of stores that includes the Bodavi Bakers shop, which is run by his wife, Susan Davis. Bosich, who describes himself as a butcher by trade but a chef at heart, expanded his business into a full-service kosher food center that includes the butcher shop and a grocery store under the Gordon & Alperin name, a catering operation, and a new restaurant, the Avenue Deli.
Read more about this story in today's Globe West.
See a photo gallery of Bosich's kosher strip mall.
Listen to patron Sam Bergman explain the importance of kosher food stores to local observant Jews.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:04 AM
March 28, 2007
NEWTON
A recent Boston Globe story about a plan in Newton that would give legal immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections caught the eye of the New Republic blog "The Spine."
The magazine's editor-in-chief, Marty Peretz, notes in a March 2 entry that voting is a "primary expression of citizenship" and says he doesn't like the idea of giving that power to non-naturalized residents.
"This is another instance of the devaluing of civic virtue," Peretz wrote. "You can see this is the next step in the fight against the American nation."
-- Megan Woolhouse
Posted by smaas at 01:32 PM
March 28, 2007
(AP photo)
NEWTON
Abdul Aziz Naji, an Algerian Muslim, was captured in Pakistan and brought to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he has been behind bars for more than five years.
His local attorneys, Doris Tennant and Ellen Lubell, want you to know why you should care.
Tennant and Lubell, who are representing Naji pro bono, believe that it is important for America that he have his day in court and will present a talk next week entitled “What's Going on at Guantanamo and Why Should We Care?" The talk, part of the Newton Dialogues on Peace and War program, will take place on Wednesday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Newton Free Library.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:51 AM
March 27, 2007
Gath Pool.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NEWTON
Complaints about Gath Pool just won't hold water this year. Not after bids are scheduled to go out within the next two weeks for fixing the cracks in the popular summer swimming spot.
In February, aldermen unanimously approved $30,000 for repairs. Sanford Pooler, the city’s chief administrative officer, said the work will be done in May and wiil be finished in time for the scheduled opening on June 11.
Anyone seeking more information about lessons and swimming times at the pool is uged to visit the city's web site.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:38 PM
March 27, 2007
The Rev. Walter Cuenin at last year's Palm Sunday celebration on the Brandeis University campus.
(Photo: Patricia McDonnell for the Boston Globe)
NEWTON/WALTHAM
Rev. Walter Cuenin, formerly pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton, is appealing to his former flock and others to help a program to discourage gang involvement and decrease urban street violence.
Now Catholic chaplain at Brandeis University in Waltham, Cuenin is promoting what's being is billed as a peace concert to honor the spirits of youths who have lost their lives to violence. The event will take place at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul, 138 Tremont St., Boston, will take place this Saturday at 2 p.m.
Donations at the concert will support summer jobs for Boston youth at risk in programs promoting care for the earth. Anyone interested in more information is urged to call 617-969-6378.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:34 AM
March 23, 2007
NEWTON
David and Elva DelPorto of Newton Centre have spent 25 years transforming their home into a model of sustainable technology that integrates heat, food production, air purification, and wastewater treatment within a two-story solar greenhouse. They call it their "Urban Ark."
This Saturday, the Del Portos will open their home to the public and share both the successes and failures in their saga of self-sufficiency. The event, from 10 a.m. to noon, costs $20 ($15 for students and members of the Green Decade Coalition, which will receive the proceeds).
Anyone interested in the event is urged to call 617-969-5927 or visit the Green Decade Coalition online.
-- Connie Paige
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:20 AM
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