What's the best independent coffee shop in Greater Boston?
We're obsessed with coffee over at Boston.com, so wanted to put together Coffee Week to celebrate all things java!
New interactives, maps, and galleries for the caffeine-obsessed will be unveiled each day this week. On Sunday, we wrote and mapped out how Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks are battling for coffee supremacy in Massachusetts. Today, we took a look at the national trend.
We wanted to find a way to feature local independent shops that have also developed a passionate following. Sadly, we still couldn't fit everyone in (but we've got something Wednesday that might go toward fixing that). We didn't want to leave anyone out.
FULL ENTRYBoxborough selectmen shoot down slots proposal off I-495
BOXBOROUGH -- The Board of Selectmen on Monday night ended plans by a Maryland developer to proceed with a proposal to turn a Holiday Inn off Interstate 495 in Boxborough into a $200 million boutique hotel and slot machine parlor complex.
A crowd of more than 135 cheered as the five members voted 4 to 1 against entering into negotiations with the Cordish Companies to locate a slot machine parlor in town.
There were no representatives from Cordish at Monday night’s meeting, but last week Joe Weinberg, a company managing partner, asked residents for more time to show the financial and other benefits he said the town would receive from allowing a slot machine parlor in town.
Selectman Raid Suleman dismissed that argument.
“Personally, I’m against casinos. ...I don’t care about the money, even if it would pave our streets with gold, let’s not sell our town,” he said, before voting against the motion to proceed with negotiations.
Board member Frank Powers, who cast the lone vote in favor of exploring the plans, said he was not advocating for the proposal, but simply wanted to keep the door open while the town does its due diligence.
“We simply don’t know all the answers without further evaluation,” he said.
The overwhelming majority of community response indicated the town had heard enough, however, according to Board of Selectmen Chairman Leslie Fox.
Fox said the town had received 217 emails and letters since the plans first surfaced on April 22, with 88 percent against the proposal and 12 percent in favor of allowing more time to explore the potential benefits.
“We received just one letter that was definitely yes,” he said.
And Boxborough resident Kathy Luce said she started an online petition against the proposal last Thursday night and had already gotten 800 signatures.
Jeanne Kangas, a former selectman in town, called for a quick end to the division the plans have already caused in town.
“I hope everyone can see that before this even gets going how divisive it can be, the name calling, the castigation ...Nip this in the bud,” she said.
“They call it a jewel in the woods,” Kangas said of the developer’s description of the property. “It’s not a jewel, it’s fools gold, don’t buy it.”
Had selectmen voted in favor of moving forward with negotiations and accepted a host agreement with Cordish, voters would have had to pass a referendum favoring the agreement before the state Gaming Commission could consider the site along with proposals for slot parlors in Plainville, Raynham, and Worcester.
Ellen Ishkanian can be reached at eishkanian@gmail.com.
Nivedha Ram of Boxborough named 2013 US Presidential Scholar
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced on Monday the selection of Nivedha Ram, who attends Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, as a 2013 US Presidential Scholar, according to a press release.
Ram is one of 141 outstanding American high school seniors that have demonstrated
outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to school and community.
The US Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington D.C., from June 15-18. The teacher chosen for recognition by Ram was Brian Dempsey of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Obama,
selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
The 2013 Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman
from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from US families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
A complete list of 2013 US Presidential Scholars is available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/awards.html.
First-ever national sustainability award to Acton-Boxborough schools
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US Department of Education Assistant Secretary Michael Yudin and Lisa Capone, deputy director of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Green Communities Division, talk about sustainability initiatives with students.
The following press release was provided by Kate Crosby, energy manager for the Acton-Boxborough schools.
Leftovers from lunch had been carried out for composting, hallway lights were operating at half-strength intensity, and garden sprouts sparkled in the rich soil.
These were among the “sustainability tour” highlights when Assistant Secretary Michael Yudin of the US Department of Education and Lisa Capone of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources visited the Acton-Boxborough schools Thursday.
Yudin’s visit marked the awarding to Acton-Boxborough schools of a prestigious Green Ribbon Schools “District Sustainability Award” from the Education Department.
Acton-Boxborough is one of just 14 school districts in the US to receive this “first-ever” district-wide honor.
Acton-Boxborough and other award winners were recognized for their exemplary efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, promote better health, and encourage effective environmental education, including civics, green career pathways and STEM (science, technology, engineering & math).
Highlights in the Acton-Boxborough application, which can be viewed at http://ab.mec.edu/departments/facilities/green-awards.shtml included an 18% drop in electricity consumption over three years with a focus on behavior change strategies, composting of food scraps and reduction in solid waste, an award-winning nutrition program, and excellence in integrating sustainability into K-12 curriculum.
JD Head, director of facilities and transportation spoke to the district’s commitment.
“We’re proud to be one of the inaugural Green Ribbon districts,'' Head said. "We’re passionate about this movement because we can make progress on social and environmental issues while generating cost savings that can be folded back into the budget to support our educational mission. “
Superintendent Stephen Mills noted that with this award, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School becomes one of a handful of schools to receive both a Blue Ribbon award for academic excellence and a Green Ribbon sustainability award, both from the US Department of Education.
The high school was also the fourth school in the US to receive the international Green Flag award from the National Wildlife Federation, which serves as the US host for the Eco-Schools program.
In addition to the district-wide award, three Massachusetts schools were also recognized as Green Ribbon Schools: Manchester Essex Regional Middle/High School, Quincy High School and the Berkshire School. They rank among just 64 schools honored nationally by the US Department of Education for their exemplary leadership in sustainability.
Acton-Boxborough Green Ribbon Schools application:
http://ab.mec.edu/departments/deptspdf/ABRSD-APSGreenRibbonApplication.pdf
Information about the Green Ribbon program
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/index.html
A celebration of Poila Baisakh for Indians becomes a day of terror in Boston
April 15 2013 – how I looked forward to the day on April 14 2013! It was going to be Marathon Monday and my plans were to sit back at home, relax and enjoy the day as it unfolded.
And you know what? It was also the Bengali New Year. Bengalis – are those who belong to the state of West Bengal in India and even those from Bangladesh. Called “Poila Baisakh” or the first day of the month of Baisakh is celebrated with family, sharing the bounties of harvest, making delicacies to welcome the New Year and seeking blessings from those older.
As immigrants we tend to latch onto festivals that can be celebrated abroad where we live without much effort. Some festivals require complicated rituals which unless you gather resources and material, it is hard to pull it off. But Poila Baisakh is always simple and picking up the phone to call or answer calls and wish is the easiest thing to do. It is such a folksy day (unlike other stern, ritualistic festivals) that welcomes all and it is the inclusive nature of the day that makes me happy and I look forward to it every year. It gives me a chance to carry forward some of my traditions and I surprise myself sometimes at the food I whip up like my mother did. As a child watching her cook and helping her around in the kitchen has paid off although at the time of, it was a chore!
In the news early morning I read that US Secretary of State John Kerry sent his Poila Baisakh wishes to the Bengali speaking people across the world. “On behalf of President Obama, I convey my warm greetings to all Bengali speaking people around the world as you celebrate Poila Baisakh. The American people wish you all happiness and prosperity in the New Year,” he said in a statement. Those words made me feel like it was going to be a beautiful day. Some days are just like that.
As I finished my calls to India by late noon, wishing friends and family I was wondering what would be on our festive dinner menu. It must have been around 3 pm that I switched on the news and all channels on TV had a rider at the bottom of the screen saying “breaking news.” What was so urgent that they had to stop regular programming? Maybe the Marathon runners were being felicitated, I thought. I waited for the sound to come on and that is when I realized how ominous the day had turned into.
I looked aghast at the at the plume of smoke and fire as the “explosions” came on, people running injured and crying, the shock on their faces writ large and the police, EMTs scattered on the screen. It took me back to 9/11 and the subsequent fear, shock and devastation. Why? And why Boston? People from all over the world were participating – what a way to target innocent people! Time stood still and all the festive spirit with which the day started for me had completely diminished.
Again calls poured in from India and rest of the country asking if we were safe – and everyone asked about the eight year old Martin who lost his life and his mother and sister have serious injuries. What has the world come to? Who are the people who thrive on killing a child? And innocent by standers supporting and cheering on the runners – what was their fault? In the years that I have spent in and around Boston and made it my home I have never seen anything as violent, despicable and alarming as this. May be DC because it is the political hot seat, maybe New York because of its financial status but never Boston. I made calls to people I know who work and live around Boston and was relieved to learn they were safe but for some it was quite close. Either they walked down Boylston Street minutes before the explosion or they were stopped by the police much before they reached the finish line.
My day changed. If the New Year begins on such a violent note, what is the rest of the year going to be like? I shudder as I keep my eyes peeled on the news updates. Stories of brave men and women helping those injured pour in. Yes we are in mourning – we have lost people – lives and their being. We have lost a way of living and trusting.
What I am sometimes uncertain about is how as a regular law abiding, hard working immigrant am I supposed to mourn? Is there a template that I could follow so I am recognized as a viable mourner? Am I allowed to be part of a shared sense of loss? I see my colleagues share their experiences as Marathon runners, bystanders and just regular people and then write about how “American” it is to help each other in times of distress. At one go, I am shut off from what is going on.
Did I hear that the devices used were packaged in a pressure cooker? It is as common as an oven or a microwave for an American as a pressure cooker is for many cultures and cooking. It even forms part of wedding trousseau because the cookers are sturdy and last a life time just like silverware and dishes in this country.
At this point I am angry that something so cultural has been usurped for a heinous crime. And I want to reclaim that and much, much more. At the time of writing this piece, no one had been found responsible or at least reported. I hope they do find out and soon because we are hurting and need closure.
Understandably, loss is private, personal but when there is breakdown of the normal, let us recognize that bereavement is across family, community, national boundaries and an essential step in rebuilding our lives.
Rajashree Ghosh is a resident scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University in Waltham.
Did you get a college rejection letter? Here's some sage advice
The late Globe columnist David Nyhan wrote the following column in 1987. Since then, it has been reprinted in the newspaper and online many times around this time of year. Nyhan died in January 2005.
THE REJECTIONS arrive this time of year in thin, cheap envelopes, some with a crummy window for name and address, as if it were a bill, and none with the thick packet you'd hoped for.
''Dear So-and-so:
''The admissions committee gave full consideration . . . but I regret to inform you we will be unable to offer you a place in the Class of 2012." Lots of applicants, limited number of spaces, blah blah blah, good luck with your undergraduate career. Very truly yours, Assistant Dean Blowhard, rejection writer, Old Overshoe U.
This is the season of college acceptance letters. So it's also the time of rejection. You're in or you're out. Today is the day you learn how life is not like high school. To the Ins, who got where they wanted to go: Congrats, great, good luck, have a nice life, see you later. The rest of this is for the Outs.
You sort of felt it was coming. Your SAT scores weren't the greatest. Your transcript had some holes in it. You wondered what your teachers' recommendations would really say, or imply. And you can't help thinking about that essay you finished at 2 o'clock in the morning of the day you absolutely had to mail in your application, that essay which was, well, a little weird.
Maybe you could have pulled that C in sociology up to a B-minus. Maybe you shouldn't have quit soccer to get a job to pay for your gas. Maybe it was that down period during sophomore year when you had mono and didn't talk to your teachers for three months while you vegged out. What difference does it make what it was? It still hurts.
It hurts where you feel pain most: inside. It's not like the usual heartache that kids have, the kind other people can't see. An alcoholic parent, a secret shame, a gaping wound in the family fabric, these are things one can carry to school and mask with a grin, a wisecrack, a scowl, a just-don't-mess-with-me-today attitude.
But everybody knows where you got in and where you didn't. Sure, the letter comes to the house. But eventually you've still got to face your friends. ''Any mail for me?" is like asking for a knuckle sandwich. Thanks a lot for the kick in the teeth. What a bummer.
How do you tell kids at school? That's the hard part. The squeals in the corridor from the kids who got in someplace desirable. The supercilious puss on the ones who got early acceptance or the girl whose old man has an in at Old Ivy.
There's the class doofus who suddenly becomes the first nerd accepted at Princeton, the 125-pound wrestling jock who, surprise, surprise, got into MIT. But what about you?
You've heard about special treatment for this category or that category, alumni kids on a legacy ticket or affirmative action luckouts or rebounders or oboe players. Maybe they were trying to fill certain slots. But you're not a slot. You're you. They can look at your grades and weigh your scores and see how many years you were in French Club. But they can't look into your head, or into your heart. They can't check out the guts department.
This is the important thing: They didn't reject you. They rejected your resume. They gave some other kid the benefit of the doubt. Maybe that kid deserved a break. Don't you deserve a break? Sure. You'll get one. Maybe this is the reality check you needed. Maybe the school that does take you will be good. Maybe this is the day you start to grow up.
Look at some people who've accomplished a lot and see where they started. Ronald Reagan? Eureka College. Jesse Jackson? They wouldn't let him play quarterback in the Big Ten, so he quit Illinois for North Carolina A & T. Do you know that the recently retired chairmen and CEOs of both General Motors and General Electric graduated from UMass? Bob Dole? He went to Washburn Municipal University.
The former minority leader of the United States Senate, Tom Daschle, went to South Dakota State. The former speaker of the US House of Representatives, J. Dennis Hastert, went to Northern Illinois University. Dick Armey, the former House majority leader, took a bachelor's degree from Jamestown College. Winston Churchill? He was so slow a learner that they used to write to his mother to come take this boy off our hands.
I know what you think: Spare me the sympathy. It still hurts. But let's keep this in perspective. What did Magic Johnson say to the little boy who also tested HIV positive? ''You've got to have a positive attitude." What happens when you don't keep a positive attitude? Don't ask.
This college thing? What happened is that you rubbed up against the reality of big-time, maybe big-name, institutions. Some they pick, some they don't. You lost. It'll happen again, but let's hope it won't have the awful kick. You'll get tossed by a girlfriend or boyfriend. You won't get the job or the promotion you think you deserve. Some disease may pluck you from life's fast lane and pin you to a bed, a wheelchair, a coffin. That happens.
Bad habits you can change; bad luck is nothing you can do anything about.
Does it mean you're not a good person? People like you, if not your resume. There's no one else that can be you. Plenty of people think you're special now, or will think that, once they get to know you. Because you are.
And the admissions department that said no? Screw them. You've got a life to lead.
Former Celtic Chris Herren to Speak in Acton on Substance Abuse
Former Celtics basketball player, Chris Herren, will speak at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 7:00pm. Harren’s career was shattered by his addiction to drug and alcohol, and he is now a motivational speaker, author, and sobriety advocate who has remained substance-free since 2008. Since then, Harren has refocused his life to put his sobriety and family above all else.
Through his non-profit organization, The Herren Project, he works to educate youth and at-risk populations on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and provide techniques to handle pressure within their lives, their community or their family situation.
This community-wide event is funded by the Acton-Boxborough United Way’s 30th Anniversary Fund for Children & Youth, in partnership with the Acton-Boxborough Regional PTSO, and
There is no charge for this event. Teens and their parents are encouraged to attend.
See www.abuw.org for additional information.
Voters' guide for state legislative districts west of Boston
Want to learn about who's running for state representative and state senator in your district? Here's our voters' guide to the candidates facing off in this year's general election on Nov. 6.
STATE SENATE
Bristol and Norfolk (Medfield): James E. Timilty (D-Walpole, incumbent), Jeffrey Robert Bailey (R-Attleboro)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
1st Middlesex (Dunstable, Groton, Pepperell): Eileen M. Donoghue (D-Lowell, incumbent), James J. Buba (R-Lowell)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
3rd Middlesex (Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Lexington, Sudbury, Waltham, Weston): Michael J. Barrett (D-Lexington), Sandi Martinez (R-Chelmsford)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
4th Middlesex (Arlington, Lexington): Kenneth J. Donnelly (D-Arlington, incumbent), Gerry C. Dembrowski (R-Woburn)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
1st Middlesex and Norfolk (Brookline, Newton, Wellesley): Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton, incumbent)
2nd Middlesex and Norfolk (Ashland, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Natick): Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland, incumbent)
Middlesex and Worcester (Acton, Ayer, Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Harvard, Hudson, Littleton, Marlborough, Maynard, Northborough, Shirley, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Westborough): James B. Eldridge (D-Acton, incumbent), Dean J. Cavaretta (R-Stow)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex (Franklin, Millis, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Plainville, Sherborn, Wayland, Wellesley, Wrentham): Richard J. Ross (R-Wrentham, incumbent)
2nd Suffolk and Middlesex (Belmont, Watertown): William N. Brownsberger (D-Belmont, incumbent), Steven W. Aylward (R-Watertown)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
1st Worcester (Boylston, Northborough): Harriette L. Chandler (D-Worcester, incumbent)
2nd Worcester (Shrewsbury, Upton): Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury, incumbent), Stephen R. Simonian (R-Auburn)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
Worcester and Norfolk (Bellingham, Milford): Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge, incumbent)
STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Middlesex (Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, Pepperell): Sheila C. Harrington (R-Groton, incumbent)
2nd Middlesex (Littleton): James Arciero (D-Westford, incumbent), Valerie A. Wormell (R-Westford)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
3rd Middlesex (Bolton, Hudson, Maynard, Stow): Kate Hogan (D-Stow, incumbent), Chuck S. Kuniewich, Jr. (R-Hudson)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
4th Middlesex (Marlborough, Northborough, Westborough): Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough), Steven L. Levy (R-Marlborough, incumbent)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
5th Middlesex (Millis, Natick, Sherborn): David Paul Linsky (D-Natick, incumbent), William J. Callahan (R-Natick)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
6th Middlesex (Framingham): Chris Walsh (D-Framingham, incumbent)
7th Middlesex (Ashland, Framingham): Tom Sannicandro (D-Ashland, incumbent), Jon Andrew Fetherston (R-Ashland)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
8th Middlesex (Holliston, Hopkinton, Southborough, Westborough): Carolyn C. Dykema (D-Holliston, incumbent), Martin A. Lamb (R-Holliston)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
9th Middlesex (Lincoln, Waltham): Thomas M. Stanley (D-Waltham, incumbent)
10th Middlesex (Newton, Waltham, Watertown): John J. Lawn, Jr. (D-Watertown, incumbent), Francis Xavier Stanton, III (R-Waltham)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
11th Middlesex (Newton): Kay S. Kahn (D-Newton, incumbent), Greer Tan Swiston (R-Newton)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
12th Middlesex (Newton): Ruth S. Balser (D-Newton, incumbent)
13th Middlesex (Framingham, Marlborough, Sudbury, Wayland): Thomas P. Conroy (D-Wayland, incumbent)
14th Middlesex (Acton, Carlisle, Concord): Cory Atkins (D-Concord, incumbent), Michael J. Benn (R-Concord)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
15th Middlesex (Lexington): Jay R. Kaufman (D-Lexington, incumbent)
21st Middlesex (Bedford): Ken Gordon (D-Bedford), Walter Zenkin (R-Burlington)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
23rd Middlesex (Arlington): Sean Garballey (D-Arlington, incumbent), Joseph J. Monju (R-Arlington)
24th Middlesex (Arlington, Belmont): David M. Rogers (D-Cambridge), Tommasina Anne Olson (R-Belmont), James F. Gammill (Open Innovative Government-Belmont)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
29th Middlesex (Watertown): Jonathan Hecht (D-Watertown, incumbent)
37th Middlesex (Boxborough, Harvard, Shirley): Jennifer E. Benson (D-Lunenberg, incumbent)
9th Norfolk (Medfield, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville, Wrentham): Daniel B. Winslow (R-Norfolk, incumbent)
10th Norfolk (Franklin, Medway): Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin), Richard A. Eustis (R-Medway)
13th Norfolk (Dover, Needham, Medfield): Denise C. Garlick (D-Needham, incumbent)
14th Norfolk (Wayland, Wellesely, Weston): Alice Hanlon Peisch (D-Wellesley, incumbent)
15th Norfolk (Brookline): Frank Israel Smizik (D-Brookline, incumbent)
10th Suffolk (Brookline): Edward F. Coppinger (D-West Roxbury, incumbent)
15th Suffolk (Brookline): Jeffrey Sanchez (D-Jamaica Plain, incumbent)
18th Suffolk (Brookline): Michael J. Moran (D-Brighton, incumbent)
8th Worcester (Bellingham): Robert J. Dubois (D-Blackstone), Kevin J. Kuros (R-Uxbridge, incumbent)
Click here for the Globe's coverage.
9th Worcester (Upton): George N. Peterson, Jr. (R-Grafton, incumbent)
10th Worcester (Medway, Milford): John V. Fernandes (D-Milford, incumbent)
11th Worcester (Shrewsbury, Westborough): Matthew A. Beaton (R-Shrewsbury, incumbent)
12th Worcester (Berlin, Boylston, Northborough): Harold P. Naughton, Jr. (D-Clinton, incumbent)
Wellesley leads as local high schools shine on SAT tests
High schools west of Boston shone on the latest SAT tests, with students at five schools earning an average score of over 600 in all three categories of the test.
Wellesley, Lexington, and Weston High Schools, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, and the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School in Marlborough were five of just seven public schools statewide to earn 600s in critical reading, math, and writing.
Of those five, Wellesley was tops with a combined average score of 1881, according to data released Tuesday by the College Board, which administers the SATs. Acton-Boxborough Regional had the second highest overall score at 1876.
Lexington's combined average score was 1,867, Weston's was 1,853, and the Advanced Math and Science Academy's was 1,843.
To find your school's scores, go to this list of schools around the state.
The strongest competitor in the state proved to be the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science in Worcester, which pulled out the top average scores in every category though only 53 students took the test. The school scored an average of 675 in reading, 702 in math, and 654 in writing, with at least 24 points separating it from the next best school in each category.
Other communities also averaging over 600 points in at least one category were Boston Latin School, Brookline, Concord-Carlisle, Dover-Sherborn, Medfield, Newton North and South, Sharon, The Bromfield School, Wayland, Westford, and Winchester.
Laura Franzini can be reached at laura.franzini@globe.com.
