October 21, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
While officials are counting on the Arcade at Downtown Framingham, a nearly $60 million mixed-use project, to revitalize the town's commercial core, some worry that the project will help push out immigrant businesses.
After nearly three years of negotiations with developers, community leaders are touting the Arcade project, which includes renovation of historic buildings, a new garage, and an apartment complex, as the cornerstone of downtown revitalization, Globe West correspondent Tanya Perez-Brennan reports in today's Globe West.
"I think it's huge," said John Steacie, chairman of Framingham Downtown Renaissance, a coalition of community groups. "It would bring people into the downtown [who] have discretionary income. They'd be willing to spend, so that's a big economic boom."
The project would include 290 one- or two-bedroom apartments, a six-story, 563-space parking garage, and 50,000 square feet of new commercial space. Michael Gatlin, an attorney for developer Framingham Acquisition LLC, said officials are "pretty optimistic" construction could start as soon as early winter and be completed within 2 1/2 years.
Developers are building multimillion-dollar projects in downtowns across New England, including in area communities such as Lincoln, Franklin, and Westborough. But what's happening in Framingham is an early example of a new gentrification trend, one that pushes out immigrant-owned businesses, according to Jonathan Leit, who wrote his master's thesis on the Arcade project for the urban studies and planning department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
After the project's completion, commercial rents could double to $18 to $20 per square foot, which has some existing merchants feeling uneasy, and some, including Brazilian business owners, fearing they could be displaced.
Vera Dias-Freitas, an advocate for the Brazilian community and owner of a jewelry store in the existing Arcade building, one of four Concord Street buildings included in the larger project, said the concerns of local businesses are not being taken into account.
Read more about the benefits and pitfalls of Framingham's downtown revitalization in today's Globe West.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:11 AM
October 16, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
The second public hearing on the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's recent vote to approve toll increases at both the Weston and Allston-Brighton toll plazas by 25 cents each for 2008 will be held on Monday.
Globe West reported earlier this month that western commuters who use the pike will end up paying more than nine times as much in gas taxes and tolls -- the state's two user fees for drivers -- as commuters on the South Shore or in the northwest suburbs if the Turnpike Authority Board gives final approval to the hikes.
A Framingham driver commuting 220 days to Boston now pays a little over $800 in tolls. The increase would bring that annual cost to over $1,000, according to Turnpike board member Mary Z. Connaughton.
This is the last public hearing before the Turnpike board makes its final vote on Oct. 29.
The hearing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Nevins Hall at the Memorial Building at 150 Concord St.
-- Tanya Perez-Brennan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:44 AM
October 11, 2007
Once a mechanic, Brian Smith of Framingham now works as an auto appraiser.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
REGION
After surgeons installed two mechanical valves to repair his congenital heart defect, Brian Smith knew he had seen the end of his grease-monkey days. Heavy lifting was out of the question, and he had to avoid sharp objects because his new blood-thinning medication made cuts potentially disastrous.
Unable to work at his former job as a mechanic at a Framingham car dealership, Smith went on Social Security for a few years. By 2002, he had recovered and, no longer qualifying for public assistance, was told to get a job, Globe West correspondent John Dyer reports today.
"They were telling me I could go back to work, but they all agreed I couldn't do what I used to do," said the 49-year-old Bellingham resident. "They were thinking about me selling movie tickets. But I have two kids. I wasn't going to go back to a job for minimum wage."
After a four-year job search, his first in decades, Smith received training in a state program and landed a position as an automobile appraiser for a Mendon company. Now he's a proud earner.
Smith's happy ending is the exception, not the rule. Across the state, disabled people and their advocates say that while progress is being made in putting the disabled onto payrolls, most are still unemployed.
The gap between disabled people and the help they need leaves a hole in the region's economy, in the form of an untapped workforce, they say. Although the Massachusetts unemployment rate is hovering between 4 and 5 percent overall, around 70 percent of the state's approximately 550,000 disabled residents older than 18 don't work, said Charles Carr, commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, the agency that helped retrain Smith.
Read more about how the disabled are being retrained to work in the online edition of today's Globe West.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:37 AM
October 11, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
A graffiti artist accused of spray-painting on several buildings has appeared in court after being scooped up - blue-handed - by police.
Witnesses called police Monday after seeing a man spray-painting an anti-Ku Klux Klan message on the side of the Standard Electric building, the Associated Press is reporting.
"When the officers confronted him, his hands were blue," said Lt. Paul Shastany, a police spokesman. "He claimed he was an artist and it was just like an addiction, spray painting."
Josh Kirby, 31, of Framingham, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to five counts of malicious mischief causing more than $250 worth of damage. Police said they found similar graffiti on a restaurant, pizza shop and food market in the town.
-- AP
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:04 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 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
September 25, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
A would-be robber who flashed a pistol and demanded cash from a Framingham grocery store clerk Monday night found himself instead staring at a rude surprise: a bigger gun, police said.
After looking at the robber's .22 Ruger, the clerk at A & J grocery on Kendall Street grabbed a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and loaded a bullet into the chamber, police told Globe correspondent Emily A. Canal for a report in the Globe's Local News Updates blog on Boston.com.
As the failed robber fled, the clerk pulled the trigger, shooting a bullet that missed the man but hit an ATM machine and a door inside the store, police said.
"After the suspect was shot at, he proceeded to flee on foot toward Freeman Street," said Lieutenant Paul Shastany of the Framingham Police Department. "We searched the area to the best of our ability but could not locate the suspect."
Police did not release the name of the clerk, who is in his 40s. The robbery suspect was described as a black male with medium to dark colored skin who was between the ages of 18 and 25. He is approximately 5 feet 8 and 165 pounds and was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.
The shooting at about 9:30 p.m. remains under investigation.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:33 AM
September 25, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Tom Herde)
FRAMINGHAM
For the first time, the town's Conservation Commission is considering allowing bow hunting for deer in Wittenborg Woods and Macomber Woods and is inviting residents to a public forum at Town Hall Oct. 1 to discuss the issue.
The continued growth of the deer population in eastern Massachusetts has led to adverse effects on vegetation and other wildlife, said conservation agent, Michele Grzenda.
"The commission is looking at this strictly as a land management tool," she said. The Town will not impose a fee on hunters, she said.
According to the commission, Framingham has roughly 18-20 deer per square mile, which is twice the density that would thrive in a balanced, natural environment. The Town's proposal would allow 10 bow hunters per parcel from mid-October to mid-December.
The forum will include a presentation by Tom O'Shea, assistant director of wildlife for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. O'Shea will do a slide presentation on deer population trends, issues related to the overpopulation of deer, and offer options for residents.
The commission will vote on the issue Oct. 3 and make a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen, who will make a final decision Oct. 16. The public forum will be held in the Public Hearing Room at Town Hall at 150 Concord St. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Officials are urging anyone interested in more information to call 508-532-5460.
-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:32 AM
September 21, 2007
John Stasik and Carol Getchell, both members of the Friends Of Saxonville, in front of historic Athenaeum building
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
FRAMINGHAM
The roof and exterior of Framingham's historic Athenaeum Hall were finished this summer, but its makeover is still incomplete and organizers of the restoration are asking residents to once again dig into their pockets.
That's why the Friends of Saxonville will hold a fundraiser on the Athenaeum's front lawn.next Saturday, Sept. 29, said John Stasik, a selectmen and member of the organization. The group is asking people for a $35 donation and hope to raise at least $5,000.
The 1847 Athenaeum, formerly Saxonville Town Hall, was later used as a school and a jail, among other things. Architectural plans drawn up put the cost of restoration at an estimated $2 million, he said, and there have been at least three or four other fundraisers for the building over the past 10 years.
Over that time, the group has raised $60,000 toward the project. A state grant through former representative Deborah Blumer provided $75,000, which went toward the architectural renderings for interior restoration. The Town of Framingham also put $300,000 toward the project for stabilization purposes during the beginning phase of its restoration.
Organizers will provide tours from noon to 4 p.m. followed by a gala from 7 to 10 p.m. Call 508-371-4361 for more information or visit the Friends of Saxonville online.
-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:31 AM
September 17, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
State Senator Karen E. Spilka will hold open office hours from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. next Monday, Sept. 24 at the Framingham Civic League.
The Ashland Democrat senator holds rotating office hours for the 7 different towns she represents, said her communications director, Sarah Blodgett. Constituents are encouraged to stop by and raise any concerns or ask questions, she said.
The Framingham Civic League is located at 214 Concord Street. Blodgett urged anyone seeking more information to call the senator's office at 617-722-1640.
-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:39 AM
September 12, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Auditions for the Performing Art Center of MetroWest's 4th annual "Holiday Revelry" -- a multicultural celebration honors winter and the holidays in song, dance, story, and theater -- will be held Sunday, organizers have announced.
Directed by Betty Lehrman, the performance includes English Mummer's play, "St. George and the Dragon," along with traditional Jewish and Christmas songs.
The ensemble piece will have about 20 to 30 parts to cast, Lehrman said. Children who are in third grade or higher may audition as well as adults, but tryouts must prepare a song or sing one from the show with an accompanist. Auditions will be from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Framingham Civil League Theater at 214 Concord Street.
Performances will be held on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. Anyone seeking more information is urged to call The Performing Arts Center of MetroWest at 508-875-5554.
-- Tanya Pérez-Brennan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:10 PM
August 23, 2007
Since her death last October, state representative Deborah Blumer has been honored in a variety of ways
(AP photo)
FRAMINGHAM
Framingham selectmen voted Tuesday to name the public hearing room at Framingham Town Hall after Deborah Blumer, the three-term state representative who died unexpectedly last fall.
Chairman Dennis Giombetti said officials would schedule a dedication ceremony to occur around the anniversary of her Oct. 13 death. In the months that have followed the Democratic lawmaker's passing, several scholarships, awards, internships, tributes have been dedicated in her honor.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:54 PM
August 22, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Framingham selectmen say they plan to sign a statement outlining the town's position on limiting the number of social service facilities locating within its borders.
Alexis Silver, the town's human services coordinator, said Framingham is "paying a significant price" in terms of tax-exempt properties and the public services provided to them because of the increasing number of shelters, halfway houses, rehabilitation centers, and other facilities. She also said quality of life in the town has been hurt by crime and panhandling committed by some of the troubled clients of the social service agencies.
Selectmen said that the statement should affirm that town officials believe the expansion of social service agencies is hurting the town and that it will give Silver ammunition as she negotiates for concessions from social service agencies.
The statement, to be drafted by Town Manager Julian Suso, also would form the foundation of a series of proposed bylaws and regulations meant to curb the expansion, selectmen said.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:33 PM
August 16, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
A Framingham man was operating a power boat with twin, 435-horsepower engines when it struck a smaller boat on Long Lake in Maine, killing two people, officials said Thursday.
Robert Lapointe, 38, of Framingham, Mass., and his companion, Nicole Randall, 19, of Bridgton, Maine, swam to shore Saturday night after being thrown from their 32-foot cigarette boat, the Maine Warden Service and Cumberland County district attorney's office announced. After the crash, the larger boat plowed onto the shore and traveled nearly 135 feet on land before coming to a rest.
Killed were the two occupants of a 14-foot boat, Terry Raye Trott, 55, of Naples, and his companion, Susanne Groetzinger, 44, of Berwick, officials said. Groetzinger died from blunt-force trauma to the head, while Trott drowned, according to the medical examiner's office, which conducted autopsies.
Warden divers recovered the bodies three days after the collision, which happened at 9 p.m. Saturday. Since then, divers have returned to retrieve evidence from the bottom of the lake, said Warden Service spokesman Mark Latti.
It will take several days to a couple of weeks to complete the crash reconstruction, Latti said. Once that's complete, wardens will present their findings to the district attorney, who will decide what charges, if any, are warranted.
-- AP
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:41 PM
August 5, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Friends and family of an Avon man shot and killed by a Framingham police officer Friday night described him yesterday as a peaceful, considerate man who might have been depressed by his failure to find a job and mend a relationship with a former girlfriend.
Karl Thomsen, 42, was threatening Officer Steve Casey with a knife before Casey fired four shots in response on Concord Street in Framingham, according to a statement from the district attorney's office in Middlesex County. The office and Framingham Police Department are investigating the shooting, correspondent Felicia Mello reports in today's City & Region section.
"He was always a good kid," said his mother, Nancy Tom, 72, sitting in the blue ranch house where Thomsen grew up and spent the last months of his life. "We never had much trouble with him."
Thomsen and his parents were preparing for a cousin's wedding Friday when he left the house, saying he was going to the library to check his e-mail, his parents said. A licensed installer of heating and air conditioning units, Thomsen had been looking for work since moving to his parents' house from Framingham in April.
"Last time I spoke with him, he was a little down in the dumps," said Victor Martelli, who has lived across the street from the Toms for 15 years and said he occasionally shared a beer with Thomsen.
Thomsen also spent time in Framingham with an on-and-off girlfriend, his parents said.
Read more about this story in the online edition of today's Boston Globe.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:47 PM
July 22, 2007
FRAMINGHAM/SHERBORN
The roar of tailpipes from the horde lf leather-clad bikers descending on local towns Sunday will be music to the ears of a Holliston charity.
The Metrowest HOGs (Harley Owners Group) a nonprofit organization of about 150 local motorcycle enthusiasts, will take to the streets on a poker run supporting the Breezy Hill therapeutic riding program, which provides muscle therapy to handicapped children and adults through horseback riding lessons.
The 48-mile motorcycle ride will begin at the Paramount Harley Davidson store on Route 135 in Framingham at 10 a.m., winding through several local towns for about two hours before concluding at the Millis Boggastowe Fish and Game club for a barbecue and entertainment.
This is the third year the motorcyclists have chosen the Breezy Hill organization as a beneficiary. Organizers are urging anyone interested in more information to call Ray Devoe at 508-400-0198.
-- Alison O'Leary Murray
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:48 PM
July 11, 2007
Several Framingham businesses, including TJX Cos., were encouraged to close their offices for the day following a 12-inch water main break near the Route 30 exit off of the Mass Pike.
About six buildings near Route 30 and Speen Street were without potable water because of the break, said Tom Holder, Framingham's deputy director of public works. TJX, corporate parent of several retailers including Marshall's, has an on-site tank for fire protection, he said. A spokesman for the company could not immediately be reached.
Holder said crews probably would be working to repair the break through late evening. Officials were still investigating the cause of the break, which left a gaping hole along the sidewalk.
The break affected businesses large and small. Employees placed a sign outside a Dunkin Donuts in the area informing customers they could not serve coffee.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 01:33 PM
June 22, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Two college students who stole hundreds of copies of the campus newspaper because they thought they looked fat in a front page photo showing them baring their bellies are paying the cost of reprinting the lost editions, a school official said.
"I know they're going to be repaying something," Framingham State College spokeswoman Mari Megias said, without providing more detail.
The photo in the April 27 edition of The Gatepost shows seven fans at a women's lacrosse game with "I (heart) N-O-O-N-A-N," the name of a friend on the team, spelled out on their stomachs. The women are wearing hip-hugger shorts and tank tops.
Two students eventually owned up to stealing hundreds of copies of the paper. Apparently, they weren't pleased with their appearance in the photo, according to the paper's faculty adviser. They were not criminally charged and the college did not release their names.
Although Megias did not say how much the two students would repay, the editor in chief said shortly after the thefts that a press run of 500 copies costs $630.The Gatepost refused to print an unsigned apology from students who admitted pilfering the paper after learning the statement was actually written by college administrators.
-- AP
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:35 AM
June 21, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Twenty members and associates of a Framingham gang that allegedly recruited new members over the Internet to terrorize the community with beatings, stabbings, and shootings have been indicted on federal and state charges of selling crack cocaine, according to law enforcement officials.
Globe City & Region section reporter Shelley Murphy reports that the the Kendall Street Thugs gang had its own page on MySpace, which it used to promote itself and recruit new younger members, according to US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan.
One of the photos posted on the MySpace page showed a 9-year-old boy, who is not believed to be a gang member, posing with known gang members, Sullivan said. Authorities have alerted social service agencies to investigate the boy's situation, he said.
"It is just another reminder obviously to all of us as parents to make sure we are monitoring where our kids are going, in terms of the Internet," Sullivan said during a press conference today at the federal courthouse in Boston announcing the indictments.
The charges follow a three-year investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administrations' South Eastern Massachusetts Gang Task Force, in which undercover officers and witnesses made more than 50 crack purchases from those who were indicted, according to officials.
-- Globe City & Region staff
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:56 PM
June 13, 2007
REGION
Several local schools won 'Green Team' awards from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs following a program to reduce pollution and protect the environment.
The Globe West area schools honored were:
- Berlin Middle School in Berlin
- Fowler School in Maynard
- Marion E. Zeh School in Northborough
- Melican Middle School in Northborough
- Beatrice H. Wood School in Plainville
- James Fitzgerald Elementary School in Waltham
- Hemenway School in Framingham
- Mary E. Stapleton School in Framingham
Schools that won awards received recycling equipment to make their individual programs more effective.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:57 PM
June 12, 2007
WATERTOWN, N.Y.
A woman who claims she was used as unknowing bait to catch a man taking photographs up women's skirts is suing retailer T.J. Maxx. Svetlana Van Buren said store personnel surreptitiously videotaped a man taking photos up her skirt while she was shopping for coffee at the company's store in Watertown on June 14, 2006.
It was only after the man committed the crime that store personnel told her the photos had been taken and that the act was caught on tape, said Van Buren, a psychologist who was working at a state-run facility for youths at the time and now lives in Omaha, Neb. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the Jefferson County Clerk's office.
Officials at TJX Companies, Inc., of Framingham, Mass., which operates the T.J. Maxx chain, were not immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit contends that the store and law enforcement officials knew the man "secretly stalked" female customers for the purpose of taking upskirt photos, but did nothing to prevent it from happening to Van Buren.
T.J. Maxx should have used either a private female detective, a policewoman or a female employee who consented to being photographed to set a trap for the man, the lawsuit said.
Van Buren claims the incident has caused her physical and psychological pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. She said she has experienced sleeplessness, anxiety, depression and feelings of stress and violation, prompting her to seek professional help.
She blames T.J. Maxx for, among other things, making her the victim of a crime without her consent and violating her privacy rights. She claims the store failed to provide her with a safe environment and failed to stop a crime from being committed against her when it could have.
Her suit does not specify an amount in damages being sought.
The lawsuit does not name Jeremiah Williams, a Watertown man who was arrested outside T.J. Maxx the same day Van Buren was photographed. Williams was sentenced in February to two to four years in state prison for second-degree unlawful surveillance. Police accused Williams of taking more than 700 upskirt photos of women in public places with plans to start an Internet business with the shots.
- Associated Press
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:47 AM
May 30, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Framingham Town Meeting has approved a 2008 school budget that calls for eliminating eight teaching positions and increasing athletics and bus fees.
The $83 million budget approved last night will hit some parents in the wallet. The annual school bus fee will increase from $180 to $270 a year, and the athletics fee will increase from $100 a sport to $150 a sport.
"This is another year of reducing services and adding fees and freezing position that we were hoping we wouldn't have to," said Christopher Martes, schools superintendent.
Other cuts include freezing several custodial vacancies, and eliminating a secretary and a teacher's aide position. Textbook purchases will be reduced as will professional development opportunities for teachers. Additionally, elementary school buildings will be closed early after the school day several days a week to save energy.
Martes said most of the staff cuts will be accomplished through attrition though he said one or two layoffs may be necessary.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 12:20 PM
May 28, 2007
MILFORD/FRAMINGHAM
A 16-year-old boy drowned yesterday after plunging into a water-filled quarry that attracts young people despite warnings from authorities to stay away.
Brian Kerr of Framingham was hanging out with friends at the edge of the quarry about 3:30 p.m. when he apparently tripped, said fire officials. Kerr apparently struck his head on an outcropping of rock before hitting the water, officials said.
A team of State Police divers searching the quarry's waters recovered Kerr's body on an underwater ledge about 40 feet below the surface, the officials said.
He was pronouced dead at Milford Regional Hospital at 5:10 p.m.
Fire officials said the quarry, located behind Louisa Lake and an apartment complex, is 120 feet deep in places. It is filled with underwater ledges that make diving and swimming precarious. Even hiking around the quarry is forbidden by local authorities.
Read more about this story in the Local News section of Boston.com.
-- Michael Naughton and Raja Mishra, Globe Correspondent and Globe Staff
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:49 AM
May 25, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Mansfield mom and disability educator Kim Piro, founder of The Jamie Fund and ICARE, will speak in Framingham on June 6.
Her talk, titled ``Disability Awareness Through Reading'' will discuss how schools can use books and classroom discussion to educate children about their classmates with special needs.
Piro, who has a daughter with autism, has worked in the Mansfield schools since 2002 teaching kids about challenges faced by their peers with the disorder.
The talk is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Criterion Middlesex Early Intervention Center, 651 Franklin St., Framingham.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 09:44 AM
May 24, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Twenty people, maybe.
That's all Nicholas Paganella was expecting would sign on for last year's Memorial Day bus trip to Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
He couldn't believe it when the phone started ringing off the hook.
This year, 100 people -- mostly World War II veterans -- are going and organizers had to turn away dozens more.
Patriotism is alive and well in Framingham, Paganella says in today's Globe West.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 10:42 AM
May 24, 2007
NATICK/FRAMINGHAM
A 40-year-old woman and three girls are facing assault and battery charges in connection with what police are calling a "group beat down" of a 16-year-old girl at a mall in front of dozens of onlookers.
Marilyn Camacho, 40, of Framingham and the girls, ages 16, 13 and 12, were arrested following a fight at the Natick Collection on Monday that left the victim unconscious and requiring hospitalization, Lt. Brian Grassey said. Police did not disclose the girls' relationship to Camacho.
The victim, whose name was not made public, was taken to MetroWest Medical Center's Leonard Morse campus for treatment.
Camacho and the three girls came upon the victim walking through the mall at about 5 p.m. One of the alleged attackers and the victim had fought in the past, Grassey said. There was an argument, followed by a fight, police said.
"This was an absolute group beat down," Grassey told The MetroWest Daily News. "It's an extremely unsettling event. The level of violence in this defies logic.
The suspects stomped on the victim's legs, back and face, police said.
"They collectively grabbed her and pushed her into the glass window of one of the stores," Grassey said. "All four started punching her, pulling her hair. They knocked her to the floor where all four continued to punch and kick her."
At least one onlooker tried to stop the fight, which was eventually broken up my mall security guards. The incident was captured by a surveillance camera, he said.
Camacho and the three girls were charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disturbing the peace and affray. Camacho was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
-- AP
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:46 AM
May 21, 2007
MIT researcher Laurie Boyer
(Photo by Sam Ogden, courtesy Whitehead Institute)
FRAMINGHAM
MIT stem cell researcher Laurie Boyer will speak to graduates at Framingham State College, her alma mater, during Sunday's commencement ceremony, the school said today.
Boyer, who graduated from Framingham State in 1990, conducts embryonic stem cell research at MIT's Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where she is completing a post-doctoral fellowship. In 2006, the journal "Scientific American" named Boyer to its annual list of 50 leading scientific researchers. She lives in Westborough.
Commencement is 2 p.m. Sunday at the Village Green (also known at Framingham Centre Common) on Edgell Road.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 12:12 PM
May 8, 2007
(AP photo by Nanine Hartzenbusch)
FRAMINGHAM/NATICK
The O.J. Simpson case launched a lot of new careers. Lawyers from the case became high-paid legal commentators. Kato Kaelin became a pop culture oddity. O.J. himself became a professional pariah. And Denise Brown, the sister of victim Nicole Brown Simpson, became an advocate against domestic violence.
For that work, Brown will receive the Voices Against Violence Award and serve as the keynote speaker at a gala event for the Framingham-based Metrowest domestic violence and sexual assault services provider. Voices Against Violence will hold its annual Barbara Gray Humanitarian Award ceremony this Thursday evening at the Crowne Plaza in Natick.
The Barbara Gray award, presented to someone who continues to fight for the dignity and humanity of every member of the community, will be given to attorney Lauren Stiller Rikleen who helped establish the first domestic violence shelter in the Metrowest.
Organizers are asking anyone who wants more information to email Carol McKean Events or call 781-925-3459.
-- Susan Lebovits
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:07 PM
May 2, 2007
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Framingham is one of 200 churches across the country to have hosted a U2charist. (Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)
FRAMINGHAM
The crowd clapped, sang , and danced, swaying and waving cellphones in the air like lighters at a rock concert.
"In the name of love, what more in the name of love " -- the U2 song "Pride" blasted over the audience members, whose voices reached higher with each lyric they read off a screen, the Globe reports.
Up next on the playlist: "One," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."
It may have sounded and looked like a U2 concert, but the house this music rocked is one of God -- specifically, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Framingham. On Sunday it held a wildly popular U2charist -- short for U2 Eucharist -- a traditional service set to U2 songs that carry spiritual messages to raise awareness about global poverty and AIDS.
-- Johnny Diaz
Posted by Martin Finucane at 02:29 PM
April 27, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
He's been on the job for about eight months, but Framingham State College president Timothy Flanagan has been without an official welcome to the school, until now.
Gov. Deval Patrick administered the oath of office to the college's new leader -- it's 15th since opening in 1839 -- this afternoon at an investiture on campus.
"We need to work hard on our own behalf to improve Framingham State College," Flanagan said at the ceremony, describing the five key areas of focus for the campus.
He called for focusing on ensuring student success, building up faculty and staff, strengthening diversity in the student body and curriculum, remaining responsive to community, needs and being resourceful in spite of limits on funding.
On the last point, Flanagan said: "We don't want a stripped-down, bargain-basement experience."
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 03:04 PM
April 26, 2007
REGION
Unemployment rates dropped last month in all three Central Massachusetts labor market areas, the state Division of Unemployment Assistance reported yesterday.
The March jobless rate in the Worcester metropolitan area was 5 percent, down from 5.3 percent the same time last year. Joblessness dropped to 6.2 percent from 6.7 percent in the Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner area. In the Athol area, the March rate of 5.8 percent was down from 6 percent over the year.
The rates were not adjusted for seasonal employment swings. During March, the statewide unemployment rate was 4.8 percent.
The state reported that all Massachusetts metropolitan areas reported lower unemployment rates in March, with the Framingham area reporting the lowest jobless rate of 3.8 percent.
-- Telegram and Gazette of Worcester
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:44 PM
April 12, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Gov. Deval Patrick said today he will ask state employees to help clean up state parks next month.
The remarks came as Patrick makes a swing through communities west of Boston this morning. He started with comments on civic engagement in a talk to Leadership MetroWest's Annual Forum in Framingham.
"Next month, we intend to invite all state employees and anyone else who is willing to come and join us in a cleanup of state parks and beaches, just to get us on the right foot this spring," Patrick said.
He also offered a tribute to the late state Rep. Deborah D. Blumer, of Framingham, who died of a heart attack last year.
"Deb was one of the earliest and hardest-working supporters during the campaign," Patrick said. "I think Deb would be proud of what we've done so far and I aim to make her proud."
From there he headed to Needham High School, where school officials had asked Patrick to offer a morale boost. Four teenagers from the town died of suicide between 2004 and 2006, and the school has reached out to nearby Wellesley High School, where three students have taken their own lives in the last three years.
The school asked that the governor's talk to the student body be closed to the media.
"He was asked to speak to the students to lift their spirits," said Jose Martinez, a spokesman for the governor.
Around noon, Patrick will tour Boston Scientific, the Natick-based medical devices company.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 10:38 AM
April 6, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
Framingham superintendent Christopher Martes has accepted an offer to lead the school system in Foxborough, Beverley Lord, a member of the Foxborough School Committee, said.
Martes, who has led the Framingham Public Schools since 2003, was interviewed by the Foxborough School Committee last night after being named the sole finalist by a 13-member search committee. The decision to offer him the position was unanimous, Lord said.
"He was head-and-shoulders above all the other applicants," she told the Globe today.
Martes, who was not immediately available for comment Friday, will be returning home with his new position. He graduated from Foxborough High School in 1971 and began his teaching career in the district.
Phil Dinsky, chairman of the Framingham School Committee, said this morning Martes had not yet informed him of his decision, but that the committee was well aware of the possibility.
"There's no reason to have hard feelings," Dinsky said. "People make choices for what's good for them, and Chris obviously thinks this works better for his career and his life, and that's fine."
Dinsky said he would expect Martes, who earns $192,617 in total annual compensation according to a recent Globe review, to work through the 90-day notice required by his contract, before the School Committee selects an interim leader.
Dinsky said it was too late in the year to begin a superintendent search, as most potential candidates probably have made their plans for the next school year.
But he said he was confident the town would attract a strong new superintendent.
Framingham is "one of the few districts recognized for its ability to bridge the achievement gap between majority and minority students ... and we're a community that's always stood behind education in terms of funding, although we are having a funding problem now."
The school system is working to plug a $1.9 million deficit in funding for special-education.
Lord said the School Committee expects to begin contract negotiations with Martes immediately. Salary for the job starts at $150,000 a year.
Martes has been actively seeking a new post. Earlier this year he was a finalist for superintendent jobs in both Wellesley and Canton.
Town leaders had high praise for Martes' performance in the district in a recent profile of the superintendent by Lisa Kocian of the Globe staff. Read the story here.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 12:18 PM
April 4, 2007
FRAMINGHAM
A 12-year-old Framingham boy is being charged for vandalizing and setting fires in St. Stephen's Church.
The boy, whose name was not released, used a candle and matches to start a fire at the Concord Street church on March 18 and another fire at the church on Sunday during a Palm Sunday Mass, police said.
He also allegedly broke the fingers off a statue of Mary and broke an arm off of a statue of Jesus on the cross. Police said the Department of Social Services and the district attorney's office are investigating.
-- Michael Naughton
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:47 AM
April 3, 2007
MILFORD
Christopher Hoyt, 55, of Congress Street, was uninjured when Framingham police picked him up around 11 p.m. Sunday at the Sheraton on Route 9, 12 hours after he went out for a walk in the morning in his neighborhood, Milford Police Officer Frank Minichiello said yesterday. Police and community members searched the area for Mr. Hoyt most of Sunday afternoon, Officer Minichiello said.
“How he made it out there, we don’t know,” Officer Minichiello said. “But we don’t think there was any foul play.”
Officer Minichiello said Milford police traveled to Framingham to return Mr. Hoyt to his home. Mr. Hoyt told police he did not remember how he got there, Officer Minichiello said. He said family members told police that recent medical issues may have caused him to become disoriented.
-- Telegram & Gazette of Worcester
Posted by Martin Finucane at 06:39 PM
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