Snapshot: Family addition
Births per 1,000 residents in 2010
Click here to see a larger, interactive version of this chart.
Additional town-by-town snapshots.
Quincy man's car ends up in Cohasset waters
Photos courtesy of Cohasset Police
(Above) Cohasset Police Sergeant Garrett Hunt (L) and Police Officer Chirs Dias (R ) check the car. (Right) Police fish the BMW out of the water.
A Quincy man and his female passenger suffered minor injuries after the man accidentally drove his car off a Cohasset dock and into 15 feet of water, police said.
According to Cohasset police, on Thursday at 1:10 a.m., the 24-year-old was driving on Government Island and inadvertently drove off the landing. The driver and his passenger were able to escape from the car before it sunk, and swam to a nearby dock.
Officers were soon dispatched to the road off Border Street for a car in the water, and were met by both victims, who were soaking wet, police said.
The Cohasset Fire Department transported both of the car occupants to South Shore Hospital for minor injuries, while police worked on fishing the car, a 1996 BMW Sport Coupe, out of the water.
Police said they brought in aheavy-duty towing wrecker to assist, and officers waited until approximately 5 a.m. to begin the efforts, using the outgoing tide to their advantage.
“Those folks are lucky they were able to get out of that car before it submerged,” said Cohasset Acting Chief of Police William Quigley. “We are happy they are ok.”
The car is a total loss.
Police identified Brenton Yee from Quincy as the driver. No charges are expected.
South Shore health group offers bigger grants
With 10 years of offering small community grants to organizations throughout the South Shore, the Blue Hills Community Health Alliance will start a new initiative this year, offering up to two larger grants to worthy organizations.
Geared towards groups in Braintree, Quincy, Hingham, Scituate, Canton, Cohasset, Hull, Milton, Norwell, Norwood, Randolph, Sharon, and Weymouth, the goal of the grants is to improve local health.
As has occurred in the past, several grants, typically 10-20, ranging from $500-$3,500 each, will be handed out for smaller initiatives. Yet for the first time this year, one or two “Impact Grants” will be given out ranging from $3,600-$10,000.
“We did fund many wonderful grants last year,” said Stephanie Nitka, Blue Hills Community Health Network Area Coordinator. “It’s exciting to see what each group does with a small amount of money, and it will be exciting to see what happens with these Impact Grants.”
Last year, grants were given to a variety of organizations after an extensive vetting process, with Quincy’s Germantown Neighborhood Center, Point Webster Middle School, Quincy Asian Resources, and Manet Community Health Center all receiving funding.
Over $39,000 in funding was doled out in total to 13 organizations.
This year, along with the opportunity to win larger grants, the organization has also received more money, preparing to hand out $55,000 in funding to a variety of organizations.
According to Nitka, the funding comes from a Determination of Need funding from hospitals – money that is taken from hospital renovations and given to the Department of Public Health to be dolled out to community organizations.
On the Health Alliance website, funders included the South Shore Hospital, Norwood Hospital, Harvard Vanguard, and Weymouth MRI.
With more money this year, the process will be no less intensive. Those looking to apply will have to attend a mandatory information session on either April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. or on April 25 from 5 to 7 p.m.
From there, organizations will fill out an application. Projects must either improve access to care, prevent or manage chronic disease, improve mental health in the community, or address substance abuse.
A judging panel made up of reviewers from the community judge the applications on how they fit the criteria and will decide who receives funding.
According to Nitka, applications are due by May 16 and winners will be announced by June 30. Awarded programs will start July 1.
For more information and to register for an information session, visit here.
Dedham jail seeks mentors for prisoners
Norfolk County’s sheriff is looking for volunteers to mentor prisoners at Norfolk County House of Correction in Dedham.
Mentors are paired with inmates while they are in prison, and they continue to meet after the release from prison, according to Sheriff Michael G. Bellotti, who began the program in 2011.
“The idea is to help the inmates stay on a productive, law-abiding path after they leave our walls,” Bellotti said.
Prospective mentors are interviewed and screened by Norfolk County Sheriff’s office staff to determine how well they will fit the program, but Bellotti said people from all walks of life could make good mentors.
About 40 mentors have been paired with inmates since the program began.
Funding in 2011 came from a US Justice Department grant received by the non-profit organization Volunteers of America, which partnered with the sheriff’s office to administer the program.
Anyone interested in becoming a mentor can contact Assistant Superintendent Patty Spataro at 781-751-3416.
Norfolk County registry to hold computer seminar on property research
Norfolk County’s register of deeds will host a free informational seminar about using computers to research property records.
William P. O’Donnell will hold the seminar at the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds at 649 High St. in Dedham on Thursday, May 9, at 4:30 p.m.
The seminar is intended for both real estate professionals and the general public, and will include a presentation, written handouts, and hands-on exercises.
Computer assisted land records research is currently available both at the registry and on the Internet at www.norfolkdeeds.org.
The seminar is free, but anyone planning to attend should register by contacting Alicia Gardner at 781-461-6104 or agardner@norfolkdeeds.org, and providing name, address, e-mail, and a daytime phone number.
Cohasset cancels school on Monday amid power outages, water ban
Cohasset has closed all public schools and town offices on Monday after a massive blizzard pummeled the South Shore community Friday night.
Related
Town officials believe power will not be restored to an estimated 4,000 people for at least four days. As those efforts get underway, town officials announced on their website that school would be closed on Monday.
School may also be closed on Tuesday, a determination that will be made at 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
Phone lines at Cohasset Town Hall were busy Sunday afternoon, and the Cohasset Police chief was not immediately available for comment.
However according to the Cohasset Police Department’s Facebook page, the Deer Hill warming center will remain open until power is restored and town operations can continue as normal.
Residents are encouraged to stop by to charge electronic devices and get warm. Emergency food and water is also available to those who need it.
In the comments on the town Facebook page, residents said the measures weren't enough.
"Somebody better get up on Doane Street and remove wires so we can leave the street to get to the warming station. This is unacceptable," said Heather Brennock in the comments.
The work is occuring slowly but surely. National Grid has also assigned two representatives to the town for streamlined communication as the utility works to restore power. According to officials, a main transmission line was taken out by Nemo, causing extensive outages.
“We are being told that power will be out for about four days,” Cohasset officials said on the Facebook page.
The Massachussetts Emergency Management Association Assessment Team was also in town Sunday morning to assess any damage caused by Nemo.
Cohasset has also established a water ban, encouraging residents to use water sparingly.
“The water ban remains in effect. Cohasset water is safe to drink and there is an adequate supply of it. We are asking that you simply use it sparingly,” officials said on the Facebook page.
The town has been working to repair the generator at the water department to lift the water ban.
Elsewhere in town, officials are working on cleanup efforts. A tractor-trailer pulled down wires on Route 3A Sunday afternoon, and plowing efforts are still underway.
For more updates, check the Police Department's Facebook page.
Valentine's dessert event at the Norwell's James Library postponed
The With a huge snowstorm heading toward the region, the Valentine’s Dessert Tasting at the James Library and Center for the Arts, originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 8, has been postponed until Friday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.
“All of our vendors were able to reschedule and will be here,” director Caroline Chapin said. “We’re rescheduling for the safety of our vendors and guests.”
All tickets will be honored for the snow date. To read about this event, click here.
For more information, visit www.jameslibrary.org.
State to provide $17 million for sea wall and dam repairs
With $17 million of state funds on the way, South Shore legislators have begun mapping out a strategy to repair sea walls and dams.
A bill to assist sea wall and dam repairs across the state was signed into law by the governor on Jan. 10, and the money is expected to be available to cities and towns as early as Jan. 30.
According to a release, the legislation will provide funding for repair or remove unsafe infrastructure and improve reporting to deal with problems. For waterfront communities such as Quincy, Marshfield, Scituate, Weymouth, and Hingham, the sea wall provisions are of greatest interest.
“These sea walls need to be reevaluated and maintained,” said State Representative Tackey Chan (D-Quincy). “Given the fact that these are not cheap…we thought it was a good opportunity at the state level to create opportunities for organizations and towns to get some assistance to maintaining these important coastal defenses.”
The $17 million revolving fund will be overseen by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and will help communities as well as private sea wall and dam owners who can't finance these repairs out of their own budgets.
Given the number of severe storms as of late, such help is crucial, said State Representative Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy).
“Our coastal defenses are very important in protecting both our residents and our environment from major storms,” Mariano said in a release. “The Commonwealth continues to face increased risks from more intense and frequent storms, such as Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, and this new law will make us better prepared to create strategies to prevent floods and enhance coastal zone management.”
The money would be doled out through loans and grants, and municipalities can also issue bonds for these types of projects.
Coastal infrastructure will subsequently receive 50 percent of the funds in the budget, with the other half to go to repairing dams throughout the commonwealth.
According to Representative Jim Cantwell (D-Marshfield), getting the support for this bill was extremely difficult.
“Four years ago, I filed the first legislation to help cities and towns do sea wall repairs or things similar…with all the other needs, we weren’t able to get a critical number of support,” Cantwell said.
Yet after compiling a working group of people from the governor’s office, environmental affairs, administrative finance and the treasurer’s office, Cantwell had a new plan.
“What made this effort successful was we realized we had a common interest with people who needed funds for dam repair,” Cantwell said. “Combining those two public interests … did give us a critical mass of supporters that helped us prevail.”
The money will come from a defunct trust that used to provide loans for water treatment renovations. Currently, there is $17 million sitting in the account from loans that have been repaid. Cantwell estimates that another $3 million is outstanding and could be collected.
“I met with people in State Environmental Affairs [office], who are already working on how to prioritize where the funds go,” Cantwell said. “Ideally we’d want to spread around the fund as best we can to as many communities as possible.”
Cantwell estimates that all of the $17 million will be used within this budget cycle. Already he is working on where future funding may come from.
“In April I have the House budget, where I plan to work with Tackey [Chan] and others to increase expenditures for the fund,” Cantwell said.
Interest from the large amount in the fund and repaid loans handed out of the fund may also help to elongate the help this money can provide.
Although the existing funding may go quickly, Cantwell said the biggest thing was getting the fund established, a feat that would not have been possible without the help of State Senators Bob Hedlund (R-Weymouth) and Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester).
State Representative Bruce J. Ayers (D-Quincy), State Representative Martin J. Walsh (D-Boston) and State Senator John F. Keenan (D-Quincy) also aided in the passage of the legislation, a release said.
Aquarion water-rate reduction reviewed while buyout talks continue
An rate reduction for Aquarion's water customers in Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset is under review while lawyers from the state attorney general's office get up to speed.
According to Hingham Town Officials, Aquarion attended a hearing with the Department of Public Utilities on Dec. 19 to affirm a rate reduction, which was put in place effective Nov. 1.
The rate reduction has affected the 7,835 customers in Hingham, the 4,580 customers in Hull, and the 325 customers in Cohasset.
Aquarion customers in Oxford and Millbury saw no change in their rates.
The reduction lowered the average water bill of $799 by $66 annually, or 8.2 percent, and was made possible by a refinancing of $30 million in debt for the Water Treatment Plant, built in 1995 in Hingham.
Though the reduction has already occurred, DPU officials said they wished to further investigate the company and their filing, but did not want to delay any benefit to ratepayers.
That review was set to occur in December, yet three attorneys from the Attorney General’s office asked to be brought up to speed on the issues surrounding Aquarion, and a judge delayed a decision until a later date.
“In the various states [Aquarion’s president] has worked, sometimes this happens,” said Bruce Rabuffo, a town selectman.
Comments are being accepted until Feb. 13 from interested parties, and the revised hearing is scheduled for March 22 with the Department of Public Utilities.
While Hingham waits for an overview, town officials are also continuing to talk with Aquarion over a potential purchase of their South Shore infrastructure.
According to Rabuffo, the town is still working through several issues, such as how would the three towns manage a newly acquired water system, how a buyout would affect future rate increases, and what happens with the town’s Capital Improvement Plan.
It is too early to put a potential warrant on April’s Town Meeting, Rabuffo said.
“The committee has decided they will not be ready, and schedule is not the driver. We informed Aquarion of that and they were appreciative of us doing that, and it continues to allow us to have a dialogue,” Rabuffo said.
Skipping this upcoming town meeting would not preclude the town from hosting a Special Town Meeting dedicated to this one item in the future, Rabuffo said. It is also a possibility that the town could have come to a decision for next year’s Town Meeting.
The overall question of whether the town will purchase the entity’s infrastructure is still up for debate.
“I have to give credit to Aquarion. They have been listening,” Rabuffo said.
The service issues have improved, as seen recently in the utility company's prompt handling of a water main break near Hingham High School.
Coupled with the proposed rate reduction and an increased coordination with capital projects, things are going well, Rabuffo said.
John Walsh, Aquarion Water Company Vice President of Operations for Massachusetts and New Hampshire, agreed that the dialogue between the town and his company is productive.
“It’s a matter of continuing to work with the town on a number of fronts,” he said.
Among them is planning for expanded infrastructure in the South Shore Industrial Park, a renewed focus on customer service – especially during main breaks, and working with the town on street repaving.
“What we’re trying to do is roads they plan to repave, we evaluate if the pipes need to be replaced and get in ahead of them, which cuts down their costs and ours as well,” Walsh said. “So we’re doing a project this year on East St. and we did one last year on Fairview and Leonard Streets. So that’s working well.”
Overall, the relationship has come a long way since a year ago when town officials first proposed a study regarding the cost of Aquarion’s system.
“We have a good working relationship with town officials that has been a good result from a number of meetings,” Walsh said.
Photo gallery: South Shore chefs share their recipes
Four master chefs from around the South Shore share their holiday secrets, bound to satisfy your guests — or yourself.
Waiting for Twitter to feed in the latest...