Wind power donations

More than 250 Needham residents and businesses have signed up to make a donation to the New England Wind Fund, a Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance program dedicated to encouraging wind power. The donations, which will go toward supporting wind turbine projects across the region, qualify the town to receive at least one solar-energy panel. So far, Needham is guaranteed to receive a 2-kilowatt panel, based on at least 150 residents having made a one-time contribution of $100 or pledged a monthly donation of $5. If a total of 300 residents donate by June 30, the town will receive two panels. -Laura M. Colarusso

WATER, SEWER RATES TO RISE - The Board of Aldermen last week approved water and sewer rate increases for the fiscal year beginning July 1. New water rates per 100 cubic feet will be $4.15 for customers using up to 2,000 cubic feet per quarter; $4.98 for those using 2,100 to 7,000 cubic feet; and $5.98 for customers using more than 7,000 cubic feet per quarter. Current rates are $3.65, $4.38 and $5.26. New sewer rates per 100 cubic feet will be $5.81 for the first category, $6.97 for the second and $8.36 for the third. The city's sewer rates now are $5.67, $6.80 and $8.16. - Rachana Rathi

KICKING IN FOR YOUNG CHAMP - In this corner: a 14-year-old Kennedy Middle School student who has earned the right to compete in the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations' Junior World Championships in Naples. His opponent: the cost of traveling to Italy for the September competition, which will draw teens from 60 countries. Zachary Johnson has been training at Perry's Tae Kwon Do Academy on Moody Street since the age of 4, and the academy is holding a fund-raising dinner and silent auction Friday to help him get to the event. The academy's head instructor, Reggie Perry, said Johnson won his divisions at 125-pounds-and-under in semicontact and continuous-contact tae kwon do during the USA youth team trials, held in Warwick, R.I., in April. The items up for auction include Red Sox tickets, a Wii Fit exercise and game console, Celtics and Patriots memorabilia, and a membership to the Boston Sports Club location in Waltham. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the academy, 308 Moody St. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the academy, Monday to Thursday from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., or by calling 781-891-4800.

- Stephanie V. Siek

CEMENT PLANT MAY RETURN - Now that a Texas-based developer has dropped its plans to build luxury apartments on several lots along Grove Street, an international company that once operated a concrete plant on part of the property wants to restart its concrete-mixing business there. Aggregate Industries plans to ask the town for permission next month to return to the Grove Street site, according to Nancy Sterling, a lawyer representing the company's Northeast regional office. Nancy Scott, the town's zoning enforcement officer, noted the area is still zoned for industrial uses, and said her office would take a look at the proposal once the paperwork is filed. Scott said Texas-based Hanover Co. withdrew its application for the 169-unit complex during the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on May 28, after deciding the board was unlikely to approve it. The project faced widespread neighborhood opposition, and Planning Board and zoning officials said they were concerned that it was too large and would add too much traffic and noise to the area. - Christina Pazzanese

DEVANEY TO SEEK DISMISSAL - A lawyer representing Town Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney has said she will be in Waltham District Court on Tuesday to argue that Waltham police are overzealously pursuing felony assault and battery charges against her client, and the case should be dismissed. Devaney, who also serves on the Governor's Council, has been accused of striking a Waltham store clerk with a shopping bag containing a curling iron during an April 2007 dispute over a purchase. The assault charge carries a possible 10-year prison sentence. Devaney's lawyer, Janice Bassil, recently said she had reviewed four months of incident reports filed by Waltham police and found 30 cases similar to Devaney's, and not one had resulted in felony charges. Devaney is scheduled to go on trial July 31 in Newton District Court. - Christina Pazzanese

WESTON ROAD HEARING - The Board of Selectmen have scheduled a public hearing Wednesday to present the town's plans for improvements along Weston Road, one of Wellesley's busiest streets. On display will be the first 25 percent of the overall plan to improve the sidewalks, traffic signals, and pavement along an approximately 1-mile stretch of Weston Road. Residents attending earlier hearings have had numerous suggestions, and recently submitted a petition urging the town to install a sidewalk on the road's west side, leading up to Morses Pond. The hearing will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Wellesley Middle School auditorium. - Lisa Keen

SMOOTHER RIDING - Town officials are close to negotiating a deal that would create a paved bike path from Brighton Street in Belmont to the Cambridge border and then to Somerville. The Belmont portion of the trail is an existing gravel path that is in poor condition, said Assistant Town Adminstrator Jeffrey Conti. Conti said if all goes well, the new path could be done by next year. -Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

SHORTER LEASH ON DOGS - Companions of the town's 1,500-odd dogs (not to mention canine intruders) be advised: The next time your animal is caught off leash without authorization, it will cost more. Town Meeting approved an increase in fines from $15 to $25 for the first leash-law violation, and, for repeat offenders, as high as $75. Police and park officials hope the higher fines will deter thoughtless behavior, including not scooping. According to the police, 119 leash-law tickets were issued last year, 56 of which went to non-resident dogs. Brookline's new fines will be more in line with Boston, Newton, and Arlington, said Nancy Madden, who is with the Parks and Recreation Commission. - Andreae Downs

SANCTUARY DEBATE - Nature lovers' pleas aside, Town Meeting voted late last month to allow a homeowner to build a controversial driveway turn-around near Hoar Sanctuary in South Brookline. The driveway makes firetruck turns possible, and is part of a 1955 agreement drafted in case a Princeton Road lot was to be developed. Now, the property's owner will also be able to build a single-family home. Proponents pointed to more than 50 agreed-upon conditions that are meant to protect the much-loved nature habitat. "The alternative," said Selectman Dick Benka, "is likely litigation." - Andreae Downs

LONG-AWAITED DAY AT ST. AIDAN'S - Seven years after it was first proposed, and six months later than the most recent estimate, the latest incarnation of St. Aidan's celebrated its official groundbreaking May 28. The 1.8-acre parcel, which includes the church where John F. Kennedy was baptized, will be the site of 59 new residential units, 36 of them set aside as affordable housing. Cardinal Sean O'Malley, US Representative Barney Frank, state Representative Kevin Honan, and all five selectmen wielded shovels for the event. Estimated completion is June 2009.

- Andreae Downs

AN ANNIVERSARY, WITH SOME QUESTIONS - The Cambridge Birth Center marks its 10th anniversary on Saturday even as the Cambridge Health Alliance, under whose auspices the center operates, faces scrutiny from City Councilor Marjorie Decker for cuts it has made to women's health services at clinics across the city. The center provides "homelike birthing experiences" for mothers and is one of only two such centers in Massachusetts. The anniversary event marks a countdown to the center's 1,000th baby, as well as the 20-year mark for Cambridge Midwives, the group behind the birth center. Decker, who will attend the event on Saturday, filed a policy order in April requesting a report on whether the alliance is committed to maintaining access to midwife care at the East Cambridge Neighborhood Health Clinic.

- Victoria Cheng

POLICE REACH OUT TO NORTH CAMBRIDGE - Three days after a violent incident in North Cambridge, city police tried to assuage residents' fears about neighborhood safety during a public meeting at the Peabody School. In the May 25 incident, police officers heard two gunshots and found one man shot in the leg and another stabbed multiple times. At the meeting with residents, police said the victims knew each other, and the incident wasn't random. They encouraged residents to use the Text-A-Tip program if they have even the slightest concern, saying that these tips are crucial to solving crimes. The police also fielded questions about graffiti in the neighborhood and about the function of the new police substation at the Fresh Pond Apartment complex, which isn't constantly manned but allows officers to file incident reports without having to travel to the main station in Central Square. - Victoria Cheng

SIX SMALL WORDS FOR LIBRARY-KIND - "Life is expensive. Information shouldn't be." In six words, the Cambridge Public Library crafted a catchy slogan and recently garnered the first Massachusetts Library Association Innovation Award for its efforts. The slogan underpins a series of three commercials about what resources can be found at the library, from bridal magazines and book discussion groups to graphic novels and CDs. Students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School collaborated with library staff to produce the videos, which can be seen at cambridgema.gov/CPL/promotions.htm.

- Victoria Cheng

ROAD CHANGES TO BE AIRED - An informational meeting on Wednesday will address plans for the Gateway to the Manor Project, designed to improve safety and function at the intersection of Sprague Street and Hooper Road. The design, funded through a state grant, includes resurfacing 700 feet of Sprague Street and improvements at the intersection of Hooper Road. A six-space parking lot is also proposed off Hooper Road to replace spaces that would be lost through the new configuration. New concrete sidewalks and granite curbing are also under consideration. For more information go to dedham-ma.gov, call 781-751-9350, or e-mail dfield@dedham-ma.gov. Wednesday's meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Early Childhood Education Center at 322 Sprague St.

- Michele Morgan Bolton

FARM OPENING TODAY - Powisset Farm will celebrate its opening for the season today with festivities starting at 1 p.m. Visitors to the 104-acre Trustees of Reservations property at 37 Powisset St. will be able to explore its pastures and hiking trails, and visit the farm's animals. The free event also marks the opening of the farm's sold-out Community Supported Agriculture program, which provides shareholders a weekly basket of fresh produce during the growing season. Refreshments will be served, and a raffle for the farm's winter CSA shares will be held. For more information, call 508-785-0339.

- Anna Fiorentino

TWO SCHOOLS, ONE PRINCIPAL - The school district's superintendent, Nina Schlikin, recently announced her plan to combine the Hubert Kindergarten Center and Mulready Elementary School under one principal. In a posting on the district's website, www.hudson.k12.ma.us, Schlikin wrote that the budget doesn't allow her to hire a replacement for Madeline Brick, who is retiring as principal of the JFK Middle School. Schlikin said Hubert's principal, Linda Corbin, will shift to the middle school, while Mulready principal Charlene Cook will add the kindergarten center to her duties. - John Dyer

ST. MARK'S GOES ONLINE - For the first time, St. Mark's School showed its graduation ceremony online so that family members of international students could observe their children accept their diplomas. Friends and relatives in England, Ireland, France and Korea were among the remote observers who logged onto the private school's website to watch May 25 event, in which 89 students graduated, according to a St. Mark's spokeswoman, Molly Ingram. Its head of school, John Warren, announced that St. Mark's also plans to start broadcasting classroom teaching, sports events, and other activities on the Internet.

- John Dyer