El Tiante in the swing

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Ken Johnson
Filed Under Sports, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

For former Red Sox players, like the ones who took part in the Red Sox Legends and Friends Pro-Am Tuesday to open the festivities for the Deutsche Bank Championship, the impending closing of Yankee Stadium offered a trip down memory lane.

“I think it’s a big thing for baseball,” said Luis Tiant after finishing his round at TPC Boston. “The Yankee history, all those years you play in Yankee Stadium with all those great players going through Yankee Stadium, now they’re not playing there any more.

“The history is going to stay there, no matter whether they change the park or not. Nobody is going to change the history of the Yankees.”

Preliminary report out on Easton plane crash

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Sarah Corbitt
Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

Officials have released a preliminary report on the plane crash in Easton earlier this month:

Federal investigators don’t believe engine failure was a factor in the fatal crash of a single-engine plane here on Aug. 12, according to a preliminary report. The National Transportation Safety Board released a report today stating that a pilot-rated witness saw the airplane “descending vertically out of the clouds” and did not see any smoke trailing the plane.

“The witness added that the engine was running with a constant sound prior to impact, and that there was no missing or sputtering,” the report states.

The preliminary report provides only the facts of the crash, not the cause.

Fire chief postpones West Roxbury firefighters’ cookout

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Chris Helms
Filed Under Fire, In Memoriam, News | Leave a Comment

The chief said a cookout on the one-year anniversary of the deaths of firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne would be inappropriate. However, a dedication ceremony will still occur on Friday at 1 p.m. at Engine 30, Ladder 25 fire house on Centre Street in West Roxbury.

The West Roxbury-Roslindale Transcript has the details. Firefighters at the station aren’t happy.

West Roxbury firefighters disagreed with the postponement of the cookout. They said they found out the cookout was cancelled through the media, not from the union or BFD representatives.

“I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think it’s far to the citizens of West Roxbury. And I don’t think it’s fair to us,” said firefighter Nathan Canzater.

Free help with your kid’s homework

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Peter Chianca
Filed Under Education | Leave a Comment

Attention, frazzled parents. If you’re dreading the afternoon homework sessions with your would-rather-be-playing-Wii teen or tween, your salvation may be at hand. Now, if they’ve got a library card, you can send them to a chat room instead! No, not one with a 45-year-old man pretending to be a teenage boy with a striking resemblance to Nick Jonas — one with a “certified expert tutor.”

After selecting a grade level, anywhere from K through Adult Learner, you can pick from one of 12 subjects. Once you are in the online classroom, a certified subject expert tutor will work with you in a chat window, on a drawing board, and through Web site and file sharing.

Ipswich Public Library is among the libraries participating, and yours may be next.

If you’re watching the convention on TV

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Kat Powers
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

I know Greg really misses MSNBC, so I’ll share this thought.

Keith Olbermann is starting to look like a Muppet while in Denver.

Catch up on last night’s convention coverage with the Patriot Ledger.

Get your shampoo and naked butts, all in one stop!

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Peter Chianca
Filed Under Business, Environment | 1 Comment

You may want to leave the kiddies at home tomorrow when you head over to the Natick Collection for your regular supply of all-natural bath bombs and body butters. It seems the staff over at LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics will be wearing nothing but sandals and aprons that read “ASK ME WHY I’M NAKED.” Which is a pickup line if I’ve ever heard one.

But it turns out the staff will be going backless to protest the environmental hazards of the excessive packaging that comes with many store-bought items. In other words, if products came with as little covering as the LUSH employees’ backsides will have tomorrow, the world would be a greener place. And if you just pictured Al and Tipper Gore wearing nothing but aprons, I apologize for bringing that on.

It seems odd, not to mention a lot of potential trouble for the HR department. (And in case you were interested, yes, they’re hiring.) Still, if showing my tush to the world would save me from having to extricate one more toy action figure from enough plastic packaging to choke an industrial metal shredder … I’m in! Check out the details at the Metro West Daily News.

He was 21, and already a Purple Heart honoree

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Kat Powers
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Pfc. Paul Conlon was laid to rest after church services in Mashpee this morning.

Officer struck at Marshfield Fair dies

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Sarah Corbitt
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

The part-time Duxbury police officer who was directing traffic at the Marshfield Fair when he was struck by a car has died.

Mel E. Dyer, 67, a part-time Duxbury police officer from Marshfield, died Monday from injuries he sustained after being hit by a car while directing traffic at the Marshfield Fair Aug. 16. After the accident, Dyer had been in critical condition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“It is with deep regret that the Duxbury Police Department announces that officer Mel Dyer has succumbed to injuries he received 10 days ago, when he was struck by a motor vehicle while directing traffic at the Marshfield Fair,” said Duxbury Police Chief Mark DeLuca in a press release.

Police: Pot found in fire chief’s car belonged to grandson

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Greg Reibman
Filed Under 617 area code, Breaking news, Crime | Leave a Comment

A small envelope of marijuana found in Newton Fire Chief Joseph LaCroix’s city-owned car last week belonged to the chief’s grandson, according to Marlborough Police

Wakefield cops seek driver in fatal hit-and-run

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Peter Chianca
Filed Under Breaking news | Leave a Comment

Wakefield Police are looking for help finding the driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run in their town last night.

Police received multiple 911 calls last night at 8:58 p.m. reporting a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle on Greenwood Street near the Melrose line. When police arrived they discovered a gravely injured woman in the street. Witnesses reported that the woman was struck by a green or tan Audi with tinted windows. The vehicle was reported to have fled north on Greenwood Street. The Audi has not been located.

Wicked Local Wakefield has the details, and anyone with information is asked to contact Wakefield Police at 781-246-6321.

No time to think about age

Posted on August 26, 2008 by Victor DeRubeis
Filed Under Inspiration, News | Leave a Comment

At 91, Natalie Loomis doesn’t have time to think about aging.

“I feel like I’m a young woman – and of course I’m not,” she says with her rich chuckle. “The years have been so busy, I haven’t had time to worry about aging.”

On a sunny August morning, she walks with careful balance along the riverbank behind her house on Ferry Hill in Marshfield. Strong and athletic, she’s soon paddling along the South River in her bright yellow kayak.

Out in Denver

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Kat Powers
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Home watching the convention coverage? I’m doing the same thing … watching for the same kind of moment like in 1988, when we saw film of a young Bill Clinton shaking JFK’s hand. Or perhaps we’re looking for a moment where Barack Obama shakes a younger Bill Clinton’s hand.

Can’t keep up with the drama? There’s convention coverage at the MetroWest Daily News.

Kerry agrees to tiny debate with primary opponent

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Peter Chianca
Filed Under Politics | 3 Comments

After multiple requests from Gloucester resident and Senate candidate Ed O’Reilly, Sen. John Kerry has agreed to a debate before the Sept. 16 primary. But don’t expect much: the debate, to be moderated by Jon Keller of WBZ-TV, will be 30 minutes … including commercials. For John Kerry, that’s like half a sentence.

Wicked Local Gloucester has the details.

One month with a license, one bad morning

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Sarah Corbitt
Filed Under Traffic | Leave a Comment

Police say Marion Levec had had his truck driver’s license for one month when he had two accidents in a single morning:

At 8:44 a.m., a tractor trailer driven by Mario Levasque, 43, of Quebec, crashed into a car parked at E.L. Harvey & Sons on Hopkinton Road, police said. Officer Clifford Luce said he didn’t know the cause of the accident. There was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, he said…About an hour later, Levasque’s 2001 Peterbilt struck and knocked down a utility pole on the same road while making a sharp U-turn. The pole caused hours of commuter delays as police shut down Hopkinton Road and rerouted traffic onto Morse Street and Upton Road from about 10:10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Levec was cited for failure to use care and caution in turning.

Smoke-free beaches are coming, mark my words

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Sarah Corbitt
Filed Under Environment, Health | Leave a Comment

Barnstable is considering banning smoking from town beaches, citing the fact that beaches form a ‘”clean and healthy” environment and smoking is well, not.

[David Curley, the town’s recreation director] said he expects to hear back from the town manager before the recreation commission’s next meeting Sept. 8. Curley said at that time they would announce plans for a public forum on the issue.

Anti-Defamation League: We do not deny genocide

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Chris Helms
Filed Under History | 4 Comments

With the appointment of a new boss for the New England region of the Anti-Defamation League, the question of whether his organization effectively denies the Armenian Genocide is again front and center.

On Friday, the ADL released another statement on the Armenian Genocide. Readers, please take a look.

At least one Armenian-American advocate has found the statement “disingenuous” on these grounds: The letter does not address the fact that the ADL lobbies against Congress calling the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks “genocide.”

No Place for Hate

Date: August 22, 2008

Through our partnership, communities have implemented thousands of No Place for Hate® activities, which have engaged tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents. Additionally, No Place for Hate® training has provided cities and towns with the framework and the support to respond to hate crimes when they do happen. Our network of No Place for Hate® communities is critical to building a welcoming, inclusive and safe Massachusetts for all residents.

We are deeply concerned by ongoing questions about our organization’s position with regard to the Armenian Genocide. ADL has never denied the tragic and painful events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians, and we have referred to those massacres and atrocities as genocide. All of ADL’s anti hate programs classify genocide as the ultimate crime against humanity.

There is simply no basis for the false accusation that we engage in any form of genocide denial, and we believe this characterization of ADL crosses the boundary of acceptable criticism and falls into the category of demonization.

It is our sincere hope that this clarifies our position, and that we can continue to work together to bring this awareness and education to communities throughout the Commonwealth.

Abraham H. Foxman
National Director

Here’s the statement the ADL released last summer that is referenced above. Readers, what do you think?

Was Biden a good choice?

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Peter Chianca
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment

Take the Wicked Local poll:

If you pick “Other,” make sure to type in your own answer!

That’s a lotta tuna

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Peter Chianca
Filed Under Animals, Sports | Leave a Comment

Sorry, Charlie. We know you’ve been casting all summer with barely a kipper to show for it, but don’t worry — Billy Edwards of Marblehead caught enough fish this weekend for all of us, in the form of a 360-pound blue-fin tuna hooked 23 miles out from Marblehead Harbor.

Yes, we know you’re jealous, but look at it this way: Do you know how much mercury there must be in that thing? Wicked Local Marblehead has the scoop on this fish story.

UPDATE: Here’s what the big guy looked like being hauled onto the boat. Where’s Roy Scheider when you need him?

Rape story falling apart

Posted on August 23, 2008 by Sarah Corbitt
Filed Under Crime | Leave a Comment

The case that put a carnival worker at the Marshfield Fair in jail on rape charges is falling apart.

GateHouse News Service obtained a Marshfield Police Department report that indicates one of the two alleged victims, a 14-year-old girl from Marshfield, told officers she had sex with Witham, but it was consensual. Because of her age, that is still a felony offense in Massachusetts. The 14-year-old girl told police that the other victim, a 13-year-old from Marshfield, did not have sex with Witham and was lying in several of the statements she made to police. One of Witham’s defense lawyers says the 14-year-old has told the younger girl to stop lying about it.

The Globe got punk’ed

Posted on August 23, 2008 by Greg Reibman
Filed Under 617 area code, Whoops | Leave a Comment

A story in the paper yesterday quoting a city official’s call for random drug testing of fire fighters sounded good … except for the fact that the reporter never spoke to the guy.

keep looking »