Three Waltham middle-schoolers have been charged with attempted poisoning after allegedly trying to harm a teacher, Waltham police said.

On Nov. 12 at 9:45 a.m., a teacher at the Waltham McDevitt Middle School reported that her water had been contaminated, police said.

Upon investigation, police learned that the students, two of whom are 13 and the other 12, had put a cleaning solvent in the teacher’s water bottle. The suspects are expected to appear in court at an unknown date.

By Tony Polito, Guest Columnist

Happy Thanksgiving! Is it all about the turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce? Absolutely! But on Thanksgiving, we should all start by being thankful for what we have been given and try to appreciate the positives. Often times we allow the crazy shopping sales, massive traffic jams, or the annoying family member to somehow get underneath our skin and enter our minds. This will only spoil the day and affect those who surround us. I’m going to arm you with the best recipe to manage the most beautiful Thanksgiving. Here are a few ingredients.

SERVES 10 - 15
1) 2 C. Pumpkin Cubes (without skin)
2) 10 Shiitake Mushrooms (remove stems and dice)
3) 3 Cloves of Garlic (diced)
4) 1 tsp Rosemary
5) 2 TBSP Sunflower Oil
6) ½ C. Tomatoes (diced)
7) Frontier Pumpkin Spice, for garnish
8) Iggy’s Francese Style Loaf (slice into medallions)
9) 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10) ¼ C. Basil (cut julienne)

1) 5 Granny Smith Apples
2) 2 C. Water
3) 1 TBSP Apple Liquor
4) 1 TBSP Honey
5) 3 Cinnamon Sticks
6) 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
7) 1 tsp Nutmeg
8) Dash of Cayenne Pepper
9) ½ C. Sliced Unsalted Almonds
I promise you that this fragrance will permeate your home and bring everyone into the kitchen! Peel, core, and slice your apples. Place about 2 TBSP of the skin on reserve for garnish. In a sauce pan, heat 1 C. water with apple slices and cook for 10 minutes. Combine liquor, honey, cinnamon sticks and remaining water. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 30 minutes. Toss in ingredients 6-9. Cook apples to a sauce texture. You can serve this in a martini glass with a dollop of crème fraîche and garnish with apple peel. Adding golden raisins is always a nice choice.

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.

By Tony Polito, Guest Columnist

Now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, here is Tony's second Thanksgiving meal recipe.

By Rajashree Ghosh, Guest Columnist

Of late I have been thinking of manners. The other day I poured hot water into a cup for a colleague and she looked at me and thanked me. Really, I was in no way doing her a favor. I had turned the electric kettle on in our work place kitchen and when she walked in I knew she would want to drink tea as much as I did. It came very naturally to me – to partake of shared resources and distribute as evenly as possible. I would have expected the same from her had she reached the kettle before I did. There is no written law or code for that but certainly a shared understanding of mutual respect and concern. When she thanked me, it made me think “should I have not poured it?” or “did I do something out of the ordinary? And better still, “I must be totally wrong!” A tad bit embarrassing, and for me as an immigrant it meant failure to comply with the “done thing.” Well for me the “done thing” is like minding the ps and qs and I would like to take that with some seriousness since etiquette is important in facilitating cross cultural communication. So carrying on, minding ps and qs as we know is an English expression meaning "mind your manners", "mind your language", "be on your best behavior" or similar.

By Jessic Rudis Town Correspondent

Waltham officials are hoping that representatives from the German bank that now owns the former Polaroid property can clear up some uncertainty about development of the 119-acre site when they appear before a City Council committee in three weeks.

City Councilman Ed Tarallo, the chairman of the council’s Ordinances and Rules Committee, said he received a letter from the attorney for Helaba Bank this week indicating that the lawyer and possibly other bank representatives are willing to update council members about the property.Tarallo said he expects the representatives to attend a subcommittee meeting Dec. 7.

“He offered to provide us with a project update, introduce the current project teams, and receive input from the council,” Tarallo said.

Waltham Fields Community Farm will host a benefit concert at Johnny D's in Somerville on Dec. 1 at 8:00 p.m.

The featured performers include Kris Delmhorst, Tim Gearan, Barry Rothman, Dan Roberts, Eric Royer, and Sean Staples. All proceeds will support the Farm's education and food access programs, according to an event announcement.

Tickets are $15 for those 21 and older. Tickets are available at www.communityfarms.org.

By Tony Polito, Guest Columnist

The question is not who’s bringing the turkey this Thanksgiving but rather, who’s going to be the turkey this Thanksgiving. More often than not, you tend to see the typical mashed potatoes, stuffing (which isn't even real bread) or wait, the cranberry sauce with the lines embedded in it. Hooray fresh from the can! Though, fresh from the can is convenient in a pinch.

Thanksgiving is among the most recognized food feast/festival of all the holidays. Preparation is the key. That in itself can essentially save you a great deal of time. Leaving everything to do the day before or the day of is overwhelming and can only lead to frustration and anxiety which is a perfect recipe for disaster. Break it up. Make it easy, it will allow you to have more play time with your family and friends this Thanksgiving Holiday.