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October 6, 2007
NATICK
The 8th annual Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation 5 K Road Race for autism will be run this year at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Oct. 14.
The race begins and ends at Natick High School (15 West St.) and all proceeds benefit the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. The event, sponsored by Eastern Bank, draws an average of 1,500 runners every year, and since 1999 has raised more than $200,000 for the foundation.
Registration begins at 9 a.m.; the registration fee is $20 in advance or $25 on race day. Runners can obtain more information and even register by visiting the foundation online.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:20 PM
October 6, 2007
ASHLAND
Residents at the November town meeting will be asked to approve spending about $735,000 from money generated by Community Preservation Act for various projects in town, said Steven Greenberg, chair of Ashland's Community Preservation Act Committee.
The town's CPA coffers hold more than $2 million total, Greenberg said. The largest of the requests is $500,000 to start an affordable housing trust fund. This fund would be run by the town manager and trustees, who would be appointed by selectmen.
Other requests are: $35,000 for a hydro-geology study of the town's water sources and the land around them; $85,000 to study the recently acquired Weston Nurseries land; $90,000 to finish funding a pavilion at the town's senior center; and $25,000 for preliminary investigation into purchasing a historic property at 133 West Union St.
-- Alexandra Perloe
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:35 AM
October 5, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
A baby took a frightening fall out of the window of her parents' apartment yesterday, but survived with relatively minor injuries.
The baby's mother was dressing in the bathroom with her 4-year-old daughter when she noticed that her toddler had fallen out of a window, WHDH-TV/Channel 7 reported on its web site. The 14-month-old girl apparently pushed on the window screen and then fell through. She plummeted three stories to the ground.
The baby remains at Children's Hospital Boston and is expected to be OK. The Dept. of Social Services is investigating the case, but a spokesperson said the agency had never been to the house before.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:30 PM
October 5, 2007
MEDWAY
A grand jury in Maine has indicted a Medway man on two counts of manslaughter stemming from a collision on a southern Maine lake in which two people were killed when their skiff was sliced in half by a large, high-powered speedboat, authorities said Friday.
The Cumberland County grand jury on Thursday handed up the indictment against Robert LaPointe Jr. of Medway, Mass., in the Aug. 11 crash on Long Lake in Harrison. Terry Raye Trott, 55, of Naples, Maine and Suzanne Groetzinger, 44, of Berwick, Maine died in the wreck.
LaPointe's 32-footer with twin, 435-horsepower engines ran over a 14-foot motorboat operated by Trott, Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson said.
The indictment also charges LaPointe with four counts of aggravated operating under the influence and one count of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.
Lapointe, who was 38 at the time of the crash, and his passenger, Nicole Randall, 19, of Bridgton, Maine were thrown into the water while their boat raced ashore. The high-powered vessel, which had a top speed of 80 mph, stopped 135 feet inland. Both Lapointe and Randall suffered minor injuries and were able to swim to shore.
-- AP
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:51 PM
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 5, 2007
WELLESLEY
The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission will vote next Thursday on whether to accept a new, temporary ice skating rink as a gift from Citibank.
The rink would be set up on the existing basketball courts at Warren Park once the weather has turned cold enough, Commission Executive Director Janet Bowser said. Bowser said the rink would be primarily for young children and their parents but would include one afternoon per week set aside for hockey play.
Bowser said Citibank, which is opening a new branch in downtown Wellesley, is making the donation as a goodwill gesture toward the community. The Commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the police station.
If it accepts the gift, the Board of Selectmen will weigh in next. The Commission will also be discussing the proposed development of 27 Washington Street and its hopes for maximizing open space and ensuring trail connections and wetlands protections there.
-- Lisa Keen
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:20 AM
October 5, 2007
MILLIS
Millis High School last week was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The school was one of two in the state and 287 nation-wide to receive the award.
The award program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to
high levels.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:14 AM
October 4, 2007
(Sky & Telescope Magazine Satellite Photo)
REGION/UNIVERSE
Astronomy professor Wendy Bauer pulls on a thick rope, opening to the night sky the huge, overhead dome of Wellesley College's Whitin Observatory. She aims the antique brass-and-mahogany telescope, twice as tall as she is, toward the opening. Then she climbs a rickety wooden ladder to look for Jupiter.
Other than her blue T-shirt, she could be taken for an astronomer in 1900, the year the observatory was built. But there's another difference between then and now - the view. The stars at night are not so bright, staff writer Lisa Kocian reports in today's Globe West.
As development has come to the western suburbs, so has light pollution. And the change has occurred so quickly, local astronomers say, that there hardly is anywhere in Greater Boston that has escaped its drastic effect in recent years.
When Bauer arrived at Wellesley in 1979, she could see the Milky Way with her naked eye. No longer.
Wellesley's situation exemplifies what has become an international debate over what to do about the fading firmament. The International Dark-Sky Association, headquartered in Tucson, was incorporated in 1988 to spread the word about light pollution. Bauer, who describes herself as a not-very-active member, said lobbying against wasted light isn't antidevelopment because there are plenty of light fixtures available now that don't illuminate the sky. The trick, she said, is to increase public awareness.
Read more about the debate over light pollution in the online edition of today's Globe West.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:03 AM
October 4, 2007
REGION
Globe West's reporters and correspondents cover the region from Newton Corner to the Worcester line, and have come up with a wide variety of interesting stories for today's section, including:
Correspondent Tanya Pérez-Brennan's report about how fears of arrest and immigration enforcement are scaring away customers and hurting Brazilian businesses in once-vibrant downtown Framingham, where several empty storefronts now abound;
Arts correspondent Denise Taylor's story about how an unusual theater piece created in Wayland -- a hip-hop musical version of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" -- has made it all the way to a high school in Johannesburg, South Africa;
Staff writer Meg Woolhouse's story about a new pie bakery in Newton Centre, and;
Correspondent Matt Gunderson's piece about how momentum is building to refurbish a 3.2-mile stretch of former railroad bed in Stow that would help complete a "missing link" along the Assabet River Rail Trail, a 12.5-mile scenic path from Marlborough to Acton.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:20 AM
October 4, 2007
REGION
The state will begin feasibility studies for local school projects about a month earlier than anticipated, potentially allowing some projects to be ready for Town Meeting votes next spring, staff writer James Vaznis of the reports in the Globe's City & Region Section today.
On Nov. 2, the state School Building Authority will decide which school districts' proposed projects to study first. Other districts will be selected on a rolling basis after that.
Being selected for a feasibility study doesn't automatically guarantee construction funding, but it is a prerequisite. More than a dozen school districts west of Boston are among 161 districts statewide competing for about $500 million in construction funds this year, the first time in four years the state is doling out school construction money.
In choosing which feasibility studies to pursue first, the state has been dispatching inspection teams to analyze building conditions and enrollment trends, visiting 90 districts so far. Those districts include Berlin-Boylston, Franklin, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Maynard, Nashoba, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Shrewsbury, Wayland, and Wellesley.
The resulting studies, which should be completed this winter, will give the state the first glimpse of how much it could potentially cost to do all the projects. In all, 161 districts have expressed interest in 422 school projects.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:51 AM
October 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 3, 2007
BELLINGHAM
Bellingham planning officials are gearing up for another push for their proposed Pulaski Boulevard Overlay District, as the Oct. 10 Special Town Meeting approaches.
A similar proposal failed at the spring town meeting, but Planning Board Coordinator Mary Chaves said last week that she feels more confident this time around. The overlay district would allow mixed-use buildings with retail facing the street, and office and residential space filling out the buildings.
Opponents say that the added residential development will hurt, not help, Pulaski Boulevard by adding traffic and safety problems. The Oct. 10 town meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Bellingham High School.
-- Alexandra Perloe
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:23 AM
October 3, 2007
PLAINVILLE
Chapter Cubs, a new fiction book group for children ages 7 to 9, will meet for the
first time at 4 p.m. on October 10 at the Plainville Public Library.
Registration is required, and those interested should contact children’s librarian Judith Meixner at (508) 695-1784. The group’s first book will be “Freckle Juice” by Judy Blume.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:54 AM
October 3, 2007
NEEDHAM
Town officials are looking to qualify for funding from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state’s development agency for renewable energy, through the Clean Energy Choice program.
Needham Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick said the town would earn matching grants from the MTC for each resident that opts to pay a premium on their energy bills to support renewable energy. The cost of the premium depends on the supplier.
If 150 Needhamites enroll in the program by April 30, 2008, the town will qualify for a 2-kilowatt photovoltaic solar system.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:46 AM
October 2, 2007
(AP photo)
FRAMINGHAM
A dedication ceremony will be held Monday, Oct. 15 to officially rename the Town's Public Hearing Room after former State Representative, Deborah D. Blumer.
The new room name, proposed by resident Cheryl Tully Stoll, will be the "Representative Deborah D. Blumer Community Room," said Scott Morelli, assistant to the Town Manager. It is the first time a room in the town's Memorial Building has ever been named after a woman. Blumer, a Framingham democrat, served in the state legislature from 2001 until she died from an apparent heart attack in 2006.
The ceremony includes a reception from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m., guest speakers, and the unveiling of a photo of Blumer from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. There will also be a video tribute from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. The Memorial Building is located at 150 Concord Street.
Officials are urging anyone seeking more information to call 508-532-5400.
-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:25 AM
October 2, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
A study of nearly 4,000 men and women from Framingham, has shown that how often couples fight or what they fight about usually doesn’t matter.
Instead, it’s the nuanced interactions between men and women, and how they react to and resolve conflict, that appear to make a meaningful difference in the health of the marriage and the health of the couple, the New York Times reports today.
The Framingham couples were asked whether they typically vented their feelings or kept quiet in arguments with their spouse. Notably, 32 percent of the men and 23 percent of the women said they typically bottled up their feelings during a marital spat.
In men, keeping quiet during a fight didn’t have any measurable effect on health. But women who didn’t speak their minds in those fights were four times as likely to die during the 10-year study period as women who always told their husbands how they felt, according to the July report in Psychosomatic Medicine. Whether the woman reported being in a happy marriage or an unhappy marriage didn’t change her risk.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:16 AM
October 2, 2007
MILFORD
The New Hampshire man killed in a truck crash last week died just two years after his son was also killed in a head-on collision, the Associated Press reports.
Police said Rodney Gladle was driving a tractor trailer on Interstate 495 in Milford when he lost control of the rig Friday night. He ended up in the oncoming lane, where he collided head on with a car driven by a Stoughton man, who also was killed. Police didn't identify the victims until Sunday.
In 2005, Gladle's son, Rodney Gladle Jr., was one of two drivers killed in a head-on collision in Belmont, N.H. At the time, Laconia police said they had tried to stop Rodney Gladle Jr. for a motor vehicle violation, but he sped up and crossed into Belmont.
-- AP
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:10 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
NATICK/REGION
Central Massachusetts should be fertile ground for luxury retailers and the Natick Collection, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette is reporting.
The Census Bureau estimates Worcester County is home to 110,686 households with more than $75,000 in annual income. An estimated 71,571 of those households, or 25 percent of all households in the county, have more than $100,000 in annual income.
Yet aside from small, independent boutiques or specialty retailers, it’s tough to find brand-name luxury shopping in the Worcester area. Shoppers willing to plunk down $300 or more for a wool sweater generally have to get in their cars and drive — to Newbury Street in Boston or the Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton; to Providence or to New York City.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:46 AM
October 1, 2007
Jerry Owczarzak, a member of the Upton Historical Commission, explores the "Upton Chamber," a mysterious man-made cave.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
UPTON
Residents can go online and have their say about design plans for a planned park on land that is home to a mysterious manmade cave-like structure.
The town is in the process of converting the approximately seven acres of land off Elm Street into a public park, and officials have posted a questionnaire on the town’s web site to get residents’ input.
The questionnaire, which asks residents for their views on landscaping and potential uses for the park, is posted on the city's web site.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:48 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
October 1, 2007
NORFOLK
A memorial for Adam Kennedy, the 25-year-old Army sergeant from Norfolk who was killed in Iraq in April, will be dedicated at 1 p.m. on November 11, Veterans Day.
The memorial will be placed at the corner of Grove Street and Union Street. A reception at the Norfolk Public Library will follow the dedication.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:05 AM
September 30, 2007
Wellesley Planning Director Rick Brown with the Linden Square project.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
REGION
Lincoln's town center is hardly a hotbed of activity. A speed bump greets visitors driving in on the main drag.
Yet last week, a developer broke ground on a $7 million project to renovate a local shopping center and erect a 2 1/2 story building in this no-stoplight downtown. There are even plans for a restaurant, with the town's first-ever liquor license.
"Everyone's a little nervous," said Cathy Jahrling, one of the few customers grocery shopping at Donelan's Market in the town center on a recent morning. "Change doesn't come easily to Lincoln."
The same could be said of many New England cities and towns, yet change is on the way. In Franklin, Westborough, Marlborough, and other communities, private developers are building multimillion-dollar projects aimed at recreating downtown centers, often in their own image, staff writer Megan Woolhouse reports in today's Globe West. The goal of some of the projects is to mimic the look and feel of a New England village, creating space for merchants, new apartments, and even new public commons.
The investment is anything but common. In Franklin, there is $28 million in construction. A Westborough developer won't disclose the cost of its 23-acre downtown redevelopment project, except to say it is in the tens of millions.
The changes don't come without public debate. Downtowns are often the psychological epicenter of their communities. In Newton, a city task force has been at odds for months over how to redevelop that city's center.
Read more about the push to revitalize town centers in today's Globe West.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:21 AM
September 30, 2007
REGION
Globe West's reporters and correspondents have fanned out across the region to bring you a variety of compelling stories in today's edition, including:
Staff writer Ralph Ranalli's report about how state environmental officials are phasing out odd-even day watering bans, saying they may actually be encouraging homeowners to use more water, not less;
Staff writer Meg Woolhouse's story about how Newton Mayor David B. Cohen's insistence on pushing through a proposal for articial turf fields at Newton South High School has angered critics who believe the city has more pressing capital needs;
Correspondent Matt Gunderson's report detailing how the days of hiding dismal report cards and midterm grades to avoid the wrath of parents may soon become a relic of the past, as more and more schools ramp up their online links with parents, and;
Correspondent John Dyer's report about a proposal in Westborough to ban JetSkis and other personal watercraft.
For a complete listing of all of today's Globe West stories, visit the section online.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:15 AM
September 30, 2007
MILLIS
All next month, the Millis Public Library will display photographs taken by residents Kathleen Conroy Pueschel and Wayne Pueschel on a 2002 trip to Iran.
Kathleen Conroy Pueschel served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the country during the 1960s. The pair will present a program on Iranian history and culture at the library on Nov. 7 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:47 AM
September 30, 2007
WELLESLEY
The sound of a distant train whistle can deliver a pleasant feeling of nostalgia for many people, but when the whistle’s blowing at frequent intervals in close range in the middle of the night, the spell is quickly broken.
So it is in Wellesley these days as CSX is performing maintenance on its tracks from Allston to Framingham. MBTA and other trains passing through town have blasted their whistles repeatedly while passing through work sites at night -- a required warning to protect the crews working on the tracks.
Selectman David Himmelberger, whose office and home are located near the tracks, has been a critic of the CSX policy concerning train whistles at night in town. Those whistles weren’t required until 2003, he said, when a lookout man working with a snow removal team at the Wellesley Farms station was struck and killed by a freight train passing through.
CSX spokesperson Robert Sullivan said the whistles are necessary for crew safety. He said the work is taking place at night in order to avoid disrupting commuter train service during the day. The increased frequency of whistles at night, he said, are also due in part to the fact that freight trains run at night so as to alleviate rail congestion during the day. Sullivan said the work on the rails in Wellesley should be complete this week.
-- Lisa Keen
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:37 AM
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