By Globe Staff

The wrong flu shot was given to 47 people in Needham, including 18 members of the fire department, according to a press release issued today by the town.

The 47 people were inadvertently given a seasonal flu shot instead of the vaccine for the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu. There is no health risk for people who received more than one dose of the seasonal flu vaccine, according to the release.

The health department learned of the mistake on Friday, Nov. 19, and began dispensing the H1N1 vaccine to those individuals on the following Monday, according to the release.

Needham Fire Chief Paul Buckley told WHDH-TV that the labeling of the vaccines contributed to the mix up.

"I think it was a combination of issues, one being the labeling being extremely poor, look at them side by side and their exactly the same, same color and there was no real guidance from the state DPH. I'm not saying it was their fault but if they knew there was potentional problems, we should have been notified because we have people trained to administer it as well as the nurses at the Health Department," Buckley was quoted as saying on the television station's website.

"It was an innocent mistake," Selectman John Bulian told the Globe Tuesday evening.

By Caitlin Castello, Town Correspondent

While Boston College is a strong institution and plans to expand their facilities, it is mindful of the economic and social impact they have on the surrounding communities, said Boston College's president, the Rev. William P. Leahy S.J. at the 94th annual Newton Needham Chamber of Commerce Achievement Breakfast and Awards Ceremony Tuesday morning.

“We have as our motto “ever to excel,” that is what we are very committed to doing,” said Fr. Leahy. “We want to make sure we give light, give vitality to our community, because our community, particularly Newton, Needham and Boston, have given great light to us.”

The Charles River Conservancy is throwing its weight behind proposed new restrictions on phosphorus levels in the upper and middle Charles River.

As the Globe reported Nov. 5, a draft report from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection calls for cutting annual phosphorous levels by 49 percent along the 70-mile upper and middle stretches of the Charles River. The report targets businesses, waste water treatment plants and private property owners to lower what is known as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nutrients.

The Needham Education Foundation has announced that it will award 18 grants totaling $51,895.30 to the Needham Public Schools.

Gorse Mill Studios, the 19th-century former textile mill turned art studio, is hosting open studios and an art sale on Dec. 4 through Dec. 6. The event is open to the public and will feature art demonstrations, opportunities to meet artists, and performances.

The work of Gorse Mill artists includes pottery, hand-blown glass, jewelry, paintings,
photographs, and other items, according to an event announcement. Award-winning storyteller Cindy Rivka Marshall will be performing throughout the weekend as well, telling stories for all-ages audiences about the importance of creativity.

More information on the artists and the studio is available at www.GorseMillStudios.com.

Sharon Soltzberg, Guest Columnist

Gardening tips for November:

Clean up and discard (not in your compost pile) diseased or severely insect –damaged plant material from your vegetable garden. Plants that had parts that turned yellow, reddish, grey or white or similar colors earlier in the season when the plant was actively growing probably were afflicted by fungus diseases and should be discarded. Other vegetable plant parts and unharvested vegetables or fruit can be added to the compost pile.

The following is a press release from the Newton Needham Chamber of Commerce

The Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce’s 94th Annual Achievement Breakfast and Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 24 from 7:30 to 9:30 AM at the Sheraton Needham Hotel, 100 Cabot St., Needham.

The Chamber’s Annual Achievement Breakfast honors business and community leaders in the Newton-Needham area.

In response to the recent suicides that have impacted the Needham community, the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention and Needham Youth Services are offering QPR trainings, which stands for Question, Persuade, Refer.

The program helps participants examine the myths surrounding suicide, explore the signs of suicide, discover the differences between suicide and self injury, and learn how to help to a person in distress, according to a program announcement.

Needham Youth Services director Jon Mattleman said the program is one of the most popular and important that his department offers. He said he has heard feedback from community members that his program has potentially saved lives.

A flier for the program with registration details is available at www.needhamma.gov/youth/qpr.

By Marvin, Globe Correspondent

Babson College head men’s soccer coach Jon Anderson calls Jimmy Stento, his sophomore forward from neighboring Needham, “Mr. November’’ - and with good reason.

Stento netted nine of his 10 points in the last three games for the Beavers, which are heading into the NCAA Division 3 tournament. He had a goal and two assists in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference regular-season finale, a 4-2 victory over MIT; a goal and assist in the Beavers’ 2-1 NEWMAC semifinal win against WPI; and, on Sunday, the winner in the 77th minute in the conference final, a 2-1 victory against Wheaton at home in Wellesley.

“After an up-and-down start to his first season at Babson, Jimmy has come on in the last few weeks to not only score big goals, but set up goals down the stretch,’’ said Anderson, whose team was 8-0 in conference play, including the two tournament wins, and 15-5-1 overall going into Saturday’s NCAA regional semifinal against Western New England College, being played at Wesleyan in Connecticut.

“We’re a close group and we didn’t want our season to be over,’’ said Stento, whose father, James T. Stento, was Babson’s leading scorer as a junior and senior, and led the Beavers to back-to-back Division 3 national championships in 1979 and ’80.

“On the winning goal, Dan Fogarty worked the ball down the left side and crossed it to me, and I got the ball toward the center of the goal and hit the right corner of the net. It was definitely the biggest goal I’ve ever scored.’’

Stento was coached by his father - a member of the Babson Athletic Hall of Fame - in Needham’s youth soccer program, with the focus on always hustling and to keep trying. The advice has been heeded this fall.

“Early this season, I was playing behind some older players, then I came down with bronchitis that set me back, and then I got a contusion on my left leg and missed two more games,’’ said Stento. “But I started playing more, I got healthier, and I felt more like my old self just at the right time. Last year, I was recruited to play, but I told Coach I wanted to just focus on school work, and I hope to play four years here eventually.’’

At Needham High, Stento played freshman baseball, then focused on soccer. As a senior, he was a Bay State Conference all-star and an all-state selection who led the Rockets in scoring.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@ rcn.com.

Mustard's Retreat (image provided by the band).

The band Mustard's Retreat will be playing a show at the Homegrown Coffeehouse on Nov. 21 at 8:00 p.m.