Parking aplenty for voters

Worry not, motorists, plenty of parking spaces have been promised for residents looking to cast their vote in Tuesday's presidential primary. Concern had been raised about a lack of parking at Abington High School because polls open at 7 a.m. at the school. Students, including many seniors who drive, report to class at 7:20. "We'll make sure to have between 50 and 60 spaces made available for residents," said Abington School Superintendent Peter Schafer. "Voters will be able to park near the doors to the gym," where the booths are. - Robert Carroll

MAYOR ELIMINATES COMMITTEES - Braintree Mayor Joseph C. Sullivan is wielding the hatchet on a bunch of old committees, said Peter Morin, chief of staff. Gone are 10 committees, including: the government study comittee, the Greenbush mitigation committee, the personnel board, the recycling committee, and capital planning, among others. "We're streamlining," said Morin. "We have a new centralized form of government, and this is an effort to bring the responsibilities under one roof and make sure we better speak with one voice." - Matt Carroll

SPORTS BOOSTERS PARTNER UP - There's a new team in town. The Cohasset Sports Partnership is a collection of sports booster clubs that wants to coordinate fund-raising and activities for student athletes, particularly big-ticket items, according to member George McGoldrick. The group, modeled after the Hingham Sports Partnership, is looking first at getting an artificial turf field to replace Alumni Field at the Cohasset Middle/High School, he said. "It would cost about $1.5 million for the field and track. We're stepping up and saying perhaps we can do some private fund-raising to support public funds." McGoldrick, who is president of the soccer boosters club and has three children playing the sport, said the partnership also will look at training, coaching, and equipment needs for all teams. "There's a Cohasset Education Foundation and we all agree academics is the number-one priority," he said. "We also all feel strongly that athletics combined with academics is a terrific combination for the kids." - Johanna Seltz

ELECTION BALLOT FILLING UP - Two candidates have taken out papers to run for the selectman's seat open in the March 22 election, incumbent Elizabeth Sullivan and Niamh O'Byrne. Three candidates so far are running for two seats on the School Committee, incumbent Anne Ward, Maureen Connolly, and ML Nichols. Allen Bornheimer is seeking reelection as town meeting moderator, and June Albritton is seeking reelection to the Board of Assessors. Incumbent Harold Moody is running for one of two open seats on the Planning Board, and incumbent James Mandrell is running for one of two seats for library trustees. Brendan Keohan is running for the open seat on the Housing Authority. Candidates have until tomorrow to return nomination papers to the town clerk's office. - Robert Knox

BANK ROBBER ELUDES POLICE - Police are asking for help finding the bank robber who stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the Hingham Institution for Savings on Route 53 late last month. The man walked into the bank at about 4 p.m. Jan. 22 and handed a teller a note demanding all her money, said Lieutenant Michael Peraino. "She looked at him and he said, 'Just do it. Don't make me take my gun out,' " Peraino said. The teller handed over the money and pressed an alarm button and the robber fled in a blue Toyota minivan, which police said they found 10 minutes later in a driveway around the corner on Accord Pond Drive. The van had been reported stolen that morning in Braintree, Peraino said. Witnesses told police the suspect got into a gray or silver sedan and took off on Gardner Street toward Rockland. Peraino described the suspect as about 6 feet tall, white, in his mid-20s, with either shaved or extremely short hair. He was wearing jeans, a white sweatshirt, and a gray basketball cap. Anyone with information should call police at 781-749-1212. Peraino said the most recent previous bank robbery in Hingham was last October, and before that, February 2006. -Johanna Seltz

HISTORICAL COMMISSION HAS FOUR OPENINGS - The Board of Selectmen has made another appointment to Holbrook Historical Commission and is calling on volunteers to fill four more seats, said Town Administrator Michael Yunits. The appointment of Edna Bowers, also a member of the Holbrook Historical Society, makes the third member on what is regularly a seven-seat commission. The vacancies are the result of several random resignations from members with competing interests, Yunits said. The commission is in charge of recording the history of residential and town-owned historic buildings. - Franci Richardson Ellement

YOUTUBE TO HELP WITH YOUR TAXES - "How to File A Tax Abatement" is a hit on YouTube. The nine-minute video, produced by the Hull assessor's office, also is featured on Google Video and has been viewed about 200 times this year, according to David Beck, assistant assessor. "I'm really proud of the quality of the product, especially considering the megadollars we did not spend. . . . The cost was zero, " Beck said. Videographer Pamela Coffman, a member of the town board of assessors, suggested making the video and donated her time, as did Julie Shapiro, a retired voice-over actress from Hull who read the script, he said. The script came from material he'd attached to the abatement application "to help taxpayers understand what kind of information they need to be successful" getting their taxes lowered, said Beck. The video won the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers public information award last year. Taxpayers can get to the informative film through a link on the assessors' page of www.town.hull.ma.us, the town website. The deadline for applying for an abatment this year was Feb. 1, but because the assessors' office was closed that day, taxpayers can hand-deliver their application until 4 p.m. tomorrow, Beck said. - Johanna Seltz

CALTER TO BE AVAILABLE - Representative Thomas Calter, the Kingston Democrat, will hold office hours Feb. 26 and March 25 in Room 101 of Town Hall from 6 to 7 p.m. Call 617-722-2305. Calter is planning to hold regular office hours in Kingston on the fourth Tuesday of each month. - Robert Knox

HANABI REPLACING JAMIE'S - The former site of Jamie's Grille & Pub on Route 139 will soon become home to an Asian restaurant. George Jamieson of Conway Commercial in Norwell recently brokered the sale of the property, which consists of a 14,000-square-foot building on two acres. It was purchased by Blue Wave Group, Inc. for $2.18 million, according to Conway Commercial. Blue Wave is expected to renovate the property and open Hanabi Restaurant, which will feature a sushi bar and live entertainment. Their liquor license application was approved by selectmen and is awaiting approval at the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. - Emily Sweeney

TAXES BY CREDIT CARD - Paying taxes in Milton just became, if not easier, more convenient. Homeowners and residents can now pay property taxes, motor vehicle excise taxes, and personal property taxes through a checking account or with a credit card, according to the treasurer's office. A convenience fee will be charged for the credit card service. The fee is charged by the credit card companies and depends on the amount of the payment. A payment of $99 would include a fee of $3; for $399, the fee would be $11. Fee details are on the treasurer's page on the town website. Credit cards accepted are MasterCard and Discover. To pay this way, go to www.townofmilton.org and click on "Online Tax Payment." - Matt Carroll

POWER FLOWERS - The town's Beautification Committee recently announced its annual awards for 2007, recognizing individuals or groups for their efforts to enhance the appearance of the town. John R. and Donna-Marie Dalferro received the Myrtle H. McKay Beautification Award for the appearance of their Main Street home. McKay Real Estate Center received the Business Beautification Award for renovating and landscaping the center's building at 163 Washington St. The Home Beautification Award went to David and Paula White for planting and maintaining a floral display at their Brattle Road home. Tiffany Road neighbors received the Triangle Beautification award for planting and displaying a sunflower garden. - John Laidler

SCROGGINS BIDS TO KEEP SEAT - Suzanne Scroggins, who was appointed to a vacant seat on the School Committee last May, will run for a three-year term on the committee this spring. Two seats, including the one Scroggins now holds, are being filled at the April 26 annual town election. Scroggins's appointment was until the election, when the term of the seat expires. "I think I made my intentions clear back in May that I was here for the long haul and had every intention of running for the seat," said Scroggins, a mother of three children in the Pembroke schools. "I have really enjoyed the last eight months. . . . I look forward to continuing that work." Prior to her appointment, Scroggins had been active in the schools, including serving at different times on the school councils at the Hobomock Elementary School, the Community Middle School, and the high school. She also served on the Master Plan Citizens Advisory Committee, and is a board member and past president of the Pembroke Historical Society. - John Laidler

PATRIOTS TICKETS GRAND PRIZE - The Plymouth firefighters' union, Local 1768, will be raffling two New England Patriots season tickets. The grand prize winner will get two tickets to all eight regular-season home games, with guaranteed first- or second-level seating. Proceeds will benefit the Plymouth Firefighter's Health and Welfare Fund. Raffle tickets cost $50 each, and the drawing will be held June 13. , Visit plymouthfirelocal1768.com/patriots. - Emily Sweeney

PATROLMAN SUSPENDED - Bruce Tait, a Quincy patrolman and president of the union, who has been engaged in a highly publicized union fight with Police Chief Robert F. Crowley, was suspended for four days for not following the department's sick-time policy. Tait called in sick around the holidays in December but failed to obtain a doctor's note. Tait and Crowley have feuded recently over why traffic stops fell by nearly 40 percent last year. The suspension has been appealed. Chris Walker, a spokesman for Mayor Thomas P. Koch, said: "Events over the past month show the magnitude of the problem the mayor has to confront." - Matt Carroll

TOWN TO SEEK $5.5M MORE FOR SCHOOLS - The Randolph School Committee voted to seek an 18.5 percent increase in school spending for the next fiscal year, and selectmen followed with a unanimous vote to put a Proposition 2 1/2 override on the town ballot April 1. The proposed $5.48 million spending increase would add 56 full-time school jobs, including 45 teachers and school counselors. The $35.15 million spending proposal for the next academic year also includes adding a director of grants and special projects and curriculum positions. Randolph's school system was deemed underperforming by the state and faces increased scrutiny or a possible takeover. Randolph schools also could lose accreditation without a budget increase to fund additional positions, according to school officials. - David Connolly

FORMER OFFICIAL FINED IN CONFLICT - The state Ethics Commission has fined a former Conservation Commission member $2,000 for performing work on a project he had approved as a member of the board. Kenneth Karlson received $10,000 from developer Paul Cokinos for excavation work he had performed at a skating rink that was built at the Massachusetts Sports Club in Rockland. Karlson performed the work through his private business. A year earlier, he was a member of the commission that approved grading requirements for the project. Karlson left the board in 2005 after the excavation work was completed. Karlson did not respond to the Ethics Commission's request for an answer to the charges and was eventually fined the $2,000. He was not available last week for comment. Cokinos had agreed in an earlier settlement to a $2,000 fine. - Milton Valencia

MANAGING THE HARBOR - The town has begun the development of a harbor management plan. Harbormaster Mark Patterson and the town's Waterways Committee are undertaking the effort, which is expected to take about a year. Patterson said the plan is to establish short- and long-term policies to guide decisions on future harbor uses and development. The initial effort will involve public participation in determining boundaries of the planning area and harbor conditions. Issues to address will be identified and recommendations for how to achieve goals developed. - John Laidler

TOUGH ICE RESCUE PROMPTS WARNING - Don't walk on the ice at Whitmans Pond. That's the message from Deputy Fire Chief Jonathan Tose after firefighters rescued a 27-year-old man who fell through the ice last week. Jason DuBois was walking home across the pond at about 2 a.m. when the ice broke, and he fell in, Tose said. People heard DuBois's yells for help and called 911. Four firefighters in survival wet suits used a resident's canoe to slide across the ice toward DuBois. "They got about 60 or 70 yards out when the ice broke," Tose said. "They chopped their way out to him. He was about 100 yards out. He was exhausted and cold, but he was alert and conscious. He did slip down a few times, but they grabbed hold of him, put him in the canoe, and got him back to shore." Tose said it was the first ice rescue of the winter. "My recommendation is do not go out on the ice," Tose said. "No ice is safe. In Whitmans Pond there's a current than runs underneath. Plus with the crazy weather we've been having - being warm and cold - it's a stress on the ice, and it's not as strong." - Johanna Seltz

AROUND THE REGION

CITY HONORED FOR YOUTH PROGRAMS - This City of Champions now has something else to cheer about. Brockton was named a winner in the 2008 "100 Best Communities for Young People" competition held by America's Promise Alliance, a national group. Communities sent in applications for the competition, and the city's was based on "Brockton's Promise," founded under the America's Promise partnership model. Launched in 2003, the project has 70 local partners that consider ways to enrich youngsters with educational and recreational programs. The results have been the Brockton After Dark summer sports program, and the Gateway to College program at Massasoit Community College in partnership with Brockton schools. - Milton Valencia

SELECTMEN AGAIN OPPOSE COMMUTER RAIL - Selectmen have gone on record opposing any plan to build a South Coast commuter rail line through Easton and the Hockomock Swamp. In a unanimous resolution passed last week, selectmen said there are too many environmental concerns with the project, which would cut through the swamp and come close to several of the town's drinking water wells. This is the second time selectmen passed a resolution opposing the project. Colleen Corona, chairwoman of the selectmen, said this is the first time the current board members have voted on the plan, reaffirming the town's longstanding opposition. - Milton Valencia