Talk by children's sleep expert

November 9, 2008

Sleep expert Richard Ferber, director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children's Hospital Boston, will be in Needham Thursday to talk to parents about the importance of habits and scheduling, according to Parent Talk, the community organization hosting the lecture. Ferber is the author of "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems," and is an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. His lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. at Pollard Middle School, 200 Harris Ave., preceded by a dessert reception at 7 p.m. The event is free to Parent Talk members and $20 for all others. To RSVP, send an e-mail to lecture@parenttalk.info. -Lisa Kocian

BENTLEY CREATES INVESTMENT FUND - An honors finance class at Bentley University has established a local microfinance fund to help "fuel economic and community development," according to a press release from Bentley. The loans ranging from $1,500 to $6,000 would go to local entrepreneurs living at or below the poverty line, according to the release. "The fund is something I really thought could be viable here at Bentley," said finance professor Roy Wiggins, who is credited with creating the fund. "Since it's student-run, it will provide hands-on, real-world banking experience while also furthering the Bentley mission to send future business leaders into the world who are socially responsible." The fund is financed by donations from alumni and parents and has an initial equity line of $100,000, according to the release. -Lisa Kocian

AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS AVAILABLE - After more than six years of planning and work, the project to transform the former Coolidge School into 38 age-restricted rental apartments reaches a major milestone this week. People who are interested in living in one of the building's 15 affordable-rate units can receive applications during three information sessions at the Hellenic Center at 25 Bigelow Ave. The sessions will run from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Applicants must have at least one household member who is 55 or older and meet strict income guidelines. Tenants for the affordable units will be chosen by lottery, with up to 70 percent of those apartments designated for qualifying Watertown residents or town employees. The deadline to apply is Dec. 12 and occupancy is scheduled for next spring. For more information, call HallKeen Management at 617-924-0370. - Christina Pazzanese

RAISES BEING CONSIDERED - In spite of a projected $1.9 million budget shortfall next year unveiled by Town Manager Michael Driscoll late last month, the Town Council's subcommittee on personnel is now mulling pay hikes for Driscoll and the town auditor, Thomas Tracy. Councilor Stephen Corbett, who chairs the panel, said while Driscoll's fiscal 2009 performance evaluation has been complete for some time, the council is still contractually obligated to decide whether he's due a raise and if so, for how much. Driscoll was given two 4.5 percent retroactive pay hikes last May, bringing his salary to $138,445. Corbett said he'd also like the council to get going on completing an evaluation for Tracy.

- Christina Pazzanese

ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUND OPENED - Wellesley is opening its first and only fully accessible playground next weekend. The playground, at Sprague Elementary School, was built with funds raised by the Parent-Teacher Organizations at Sprague and other elementary schools, as well as private and community donations. The playground is designed to be fully accessible to children in wheelchairs or with visual impairments. The opening is scheduled for next Saturday at 9:30 a.m. - Lisa Keen

CABARET TO BENEFIT ANIMAL FUND - Second Chance Fund for Animal Welfare, a Bolton-based group that provides spaying and neutering clinics for cats and dogs, is hosting a series of fund-raisers this fall to stay in business. The goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the year to help keep the nonprofit organization going in hard times, according to Karen Nugent, one of its dozens of volunteers. The next benefit event, a "Cool Cats Cabaret" coffeehouse, is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the First Parish Church of Bolton. Check the group's website, www.secondchancefund.org, for more information.

- Matt Gunderson

AFTER HIRING FREEZE, AN EARLY THAW - The Oct. 21 hiring freeze didn't apply to 11 new town employees added to the payroll just a week later. Along with three pipe layers for the water and sewer divisions, whose salaries come from a fund not affected by the freeze, seven new police officers were sworn in and one firefighter reinstated. The appointments were approved prior to the freeze, and are "totally necessary for the quality of life in Brookline," said Selectman Richard Benka. Moreover, even with these add-ons, the Police Department is down by five, soon to be six, officers, he said. Among this year's rookies are Brendan Kelliher, son of Sergeant Paul Kelliher, and Brendan Morgan, son of Captain Mark Morgan. Most of the remainder are residents or were raised in Brookline: Morgan Lee, David Avila, David Hill, and Michael O'Connor. Ryan Lee, a Canton resident with roots in New York, will have some catching up to do. - Andreae Downs

TOWN HALL BACK IN ACTION SOON - The six-story 1960s box at 333 Washington St. will see service as a public building again soon. According to project manager Tony Guigli, bureaucrats now working in temporary offices on Boylston Street or other satellite locations will need to have their files back in boxes by early December. "There are a million little details left," he told selectmen last month, "but we are very excited to see this project coming to a close."

- Andreae Downs

MERMELL RUNNING AGAIN - Pundits predicted that as soon as she became a selectwoman, Jesse Mermell would run again. Only this time, her goal is truly ambitious: the Boston Marathon. The board's youngest member, at 28, is currently rising at 4:45 a.m. and donning a neon yellow jacket and sneakers to prepare for next spring's race. It would be Mermell's first full marathon - she has completed sprints and two half-marathons, she said. Finishing won't be just a personal milestone - Mermell has committed to raise at least $3,000 for a local charity. As for her next political race, Mermell said she is looking forward to a reelection run in 2010. - Andreae Downs

SEARCHING FOR SUPERINTENDENT - The town's 12-member search committee responsible for finding candidates to serve as the next superintendent of Framingham's schools will meet Wednesday and Thursday to narrow the list of applicants and decide which ones to interview, according to district officials. The deadline for candidates to apply for the position was Thursday. Interviews will be scheduled for the week of Dec. 8, with a list of semifinalists available by Dec. 19, according to Ann Greenberg, administrative assistant for the School Committee. The timeline provided to applicants has the School Committee interviewing the semifinalists in January, and conducting a vote to select the winning candidate in February.

- Tanya Pérez-Brennan

COMBATING DOMESTIC ABUSE - The Police Department has partnered with Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone to offer increased domestic-abuse awareness and services to residents. Among the initiatives are a Hopkinton police officer assigned to focus on domestic violence issues and train other officers; additional training from the DA's office to help officers identify high-risk domestic violence situations; increased dispatcher training; and community outreach. Last year, domestic abuse victims filed 4,900 restraining orders in Middlesex County, but about half those were not extended, partly due to lack of legal representation. Leone's office has created a program that includes free legal aid to abuse victims, and the Hopkinton partnership is another facet of that program. Police Chief Thomas Irvin said domestic violence accounts for the greatest percentage of assaults in Hopkinton. "We don't have a lot of attacks on the street. If you're going to be physically injured by a person, it's most likely to happen in your own home," he said. "The more we talk about it, the more we get it in the light of day."

- Megan McKee

FORT MEADOW DRAWDOWN - City workers have begun lowering the level of the 263-acre Fort Meadow Reservoir in a bid to kill invasive species, said Priscilla Ryder, Marlborough's conservation officer. Lowering the water level by 4 feet kills Eurasian milfoil and Asian clams, which displace native species, by exposing them to the cold, Ryder said. The drawdown is expected to continue until February. The Conservation Commission has the spillways opened for the drawdown every two years, Ryder added.

- John Dyer

CLARIFYING ROLE - Police Chief James E. Anderson is hoping residents will strengthen a town bylaw regarding police details at roadside construction sites. Anderson said a proposed amendment on the warrant for tomorrow night's Special Town Meeting would reaffirm his authority to assign paid officers to work sites and make choices about road closures. New state regulations eliminating required police details at some construction sites and replacing them with civilian flaggers compromise his authority, Anderson said. "The way that transportation bill was written, project managers would have final determination on traffic safety," said Anderson. The Wrentham amendment still requires "regulations or guidelines to the contrary" to be followed, but asserts: "The chief of police possesses the discretion to determine the appropriate level of police service in the town to ensure public safety." Selectman Ed Goddard said that even if the amendment passes, civilian flaggers would not be prohibited in Wrentham.

- James O'Brien