The Wellesley Health Department announced a seasonal-flu vaccine clinic for residents in December.

The clinic is walk-in for residents 18 years and older. There will be no H1N1 vaccines available at this clinic, according to the Health Department.

The clinic will be held at the Wellesley Hill Congregational Church from 1:45 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

--Caitlin Castello, Town Correspondent

By Caitlin Castello, Town Correspondent

Wellesley's Special Town Meeting voted Monday night to approve a local options meals tax and tighten regulations for retaining walls.

The tax, which will add .75 percent onto restaurant bills beginning Jan. 1, 2010, passed by a vote of 132 to 73, with one abstention. The state Department of Revenue estimates Wellesley would receive $355,000 annually from the tax.

The Board of Selection voted 4-1 earlier this fall to support the tax. Selectman Owen H. Dugan, who gave the dissenting opinion, spoke Monday night against what he called a “pin-point tax.”

Royall H. Switzler, a Town Meeting member, also spoke out in opposition to the tax, saying it would create a burden on restaurant owners and drive businesses away from Wellesley.

“Let’s not be business unfriendly. Let’s attract people to Wellesley,” said Switzler.

With a resounding "yes," Town Meeting members voted unanimously to approve an amendment to the zoning bylaws concerning retaining walls. The Board of Selectman and Advisory Committee fully endorsed the change in the bylaw.

By Cindy Cantrell, Globe Correspondent

Television news anchor Kevin Walsh was living in Honolulu in the spring of 1996 when he covered the stories of two local leukemia patients — a 46-year-old man and 2-year-old girl — searching for life-saving bone marrow matches.

Walsh, who signed up as a potential donor at one of their registration drives, says he was shocked when he received a call four years later that he was a match for a 16-year-old boy in St. Louis.

Sadly, Walsh learned six months after his donation that the teenager had died from an infection just three weeks following the transplant.

To honor the lives of the boy and other leukemia patients, Walsh ran in the Honolulu Marathon in December 2000 as a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

Walsh, who now lives in Wellesley, has written a book, ‘‘The Marrow in Me,’’ about his experience as a donor and the series of coincidences that brought him to that day.

‘‘My greatest hope is that someone will be inspired to register as a potential donor and turn up as a match for someone somewhere in the world,’’ he said. ‘‘I didn’t get my perfect ending, so I want someone else to have it.’’

Walsh will read from his book Monday at 7 p.m. at Wellesley Booksmith, 82 Central St. in Wellesley. For more information, go here.

A Festival of Trees, the seasonal display of decorated trees donated by local businesses, civic organizations, and individuals, is set to open at Elm Bank on Nov. 21.

Each tree is decorated differently and has a special theme, according to an event announcement. This year's themes include teddy bears, the Red Sox, and nature.

The trees will also be stocked with bonus prizes like gift certificates and merchandise, and the entire packages will be raffled off. Visitors are encouraged to enter to win the tree of their choice, as separate raffle boxes will be placed in front of each tree.

Admission is $7 for adults and free for children under 12. The Festival of Trees closes on Dec. 4. For festival hours, visit www.MassHortFestivalofTrees.org.

Associated Press and Globe staff reports

A skydiver who grew up in Wellesley and lived in Boston was killed during a jump in California this week after trying earlier in the day to set a parachuting record at a charity event, friends and officials said.

Stephen Millard Harrington, 40, a graduate of Wellesley High School, was pronounced dead Wednesday after landing in a driveway in Murrieta, Calif., about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

‘‘Steve was an experienced skydiver and wingsuiter, with over 3000 jumps,’’ said his husband, Adam Wright. ‘‘He was a wonderful, caring, loving husband. We are completely devastated by the loss of Steve.’’

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.

By Caitlin Castello, Town Correspondent

The Department of Veterans’ Services and Jobs for Vets will host a seminar aimed at helping veterans translate their military skills to civilian jobs at the Military & Family Support Center in Wellesley on Tuesday night.

The Veterans Northeast Outreach Center received a $500,000 grant to help with job placement, said John Ratka, executive director of Veterans Northeast Outreach Center and retired Command Master Chief, in a statement.

By Caitlin Castello, Town Correspondent

New England artist Peter Rolfe will be showing his work at a Wellesley gallery to raise money for Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Rolfe has worked as a professional artist for 37 years. His paintings will feature scenes from Boston and across the world. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Charitable Foundation.

Rolfe’s work, “Impressions,” will be on display to the public Nov. 20 at the J. Todd Galleries in Wellesley. A private event will be held, Thursday, Nov. 19

For more information, call Robert Totaro, Director of J. Todd Galleries, at 781-237-3434 or email bob@jtodd.com

By Caitlin Castello, Town Correspondent

The Wellesley Planning Board continued a public hearing on a proposed CVS for Route 9 after residents voiced concerns about traffic problems they said might result from the development.

The hearing will continue Dec. 14 on the proposed 12,000-square-foot building, which will have 35 parking spaces.

The exit plan for the parking lot raised questions from residents. “I think you need to look at the access in and out,” said Jorie Fallon, a resident of Beechwood Road. “At some point, the long-term planning needs to be looked at."

The two existing CVS stores are enough for Wellesley, especially with one store being "really convenient," said Fallon.

Planning Board member Rose Mary Donahue said nothing is set yet and the project is still being studied.

The Board of Selectmen will review the traffic study at its Nov. 30 meeting and make a recommendation to the Planning Board, said planning director Meghan Jop.

Caitlin Castello can be reached at caitlincastello@gmail.com

By Caitlin Castello, Town Correspondent

The Wellesley Advisory Committee is recommending that Special Town Meeting approve a local options meals tax, change the zoning bylaws regarding retaining walls, and increase the Senior Property Tax Work-off benefit. .

The Special Town Meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Nov. 16, at the Middle School Auditorium.

To view the full report click here.

Caitlin Castello can be reached at caitlincastello@gmail.com