A reader wrote earlier today to alert us that Wellesley’s Fire Department responded to a fire this morning on Cedar Street at the Ardmore apartment complex, which earlier this summer was smoking for another reason. No injuries were reported and authorities are investigating the cause. A bit more here from the Townsman.
Beatlemania put on a fun show at the town green last night and pulled in the biggest crowd of the summer, thanks in part to some nice weather.
Vans, the shoe company popular among skateboarders and other people cooler and younger than us, has a new line of women’s sneakers called the Wellesley. Erica Young, head of girls footwear for Vans, tells us:
“The Wellesley was actually named after the town and college in the Boston area. Our girls footwear designer is from Boston and when the girls footwear group went for a research and design trip to Boston they decided to name a few shoes for this fall after the area - Wellesley, Allston, Copley, and the Boylston.”
Larry Kaplan, the medical doctor and former Wellesley School Committee member who is taking on incumbent Alice Hanlon Peisch for the 14th Norfolk district state rep seat this September, is spreading his message about healthcare reform, environmental issues and transportation reform in a door-to-door campaign. But he’s also knocking on cyberdoors via the Web in an approach unlike any we’ve seen since the Swellesley Report started up in 2005. His site, designed by his son, features a blog. And unlike many bloggers who start strong then peter out, Kaplan has kept up a pretty steady stream of posts (to date, the conversation via the blog has been one-way…no commenting by readers allowed). He could use a copy editor, but hey, couldn’t we all, and he’s not running to be an English teacher after all…
Meanwhile, Peisch has a more traditional web site, but she reaches out to the public in her own way. For some face-to-face time with Peisch, she has office hours at the Wellesley Free Library on Aug. 11 from 9-10am.
Peisch, by the way, scored points with the media when she introduced a bill that would protect reporters from revealing confidential sources. From the Weekly Dig:
A bill protecting reporters who don’t reveal confidential sources is essentially dead for the session.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley, says such legislation could uncover stories that otherwise wouldn’t get to print. “It’s important that reporters are able to assure their sources that they do not need to reveal their identity,” Peisch says. “Largely because I think that’s critical to getting information out to the public.”
“Shield laws” offering reporters statutory protections already exist in 33 states and D.C., but, Peisch says, no protections exist in the Massachusetts Constitution or at the federal level.
Wellesley’s Bob Gerety and friends catch and release a zillion fish (or at least more than a hundred) on Maine’s Penobscot River.
Expectant moms attending the”Ultimate Baby Shower” at the Wellesley College Club were pitched by a company called ViaCord to consider storing the blood — and stem cells — from their umbilical cords following the birth of their babies (for a couple thousands dollars). As the Globe reports, not everyone is sold on the usefulness of banking this blood to possibly treat life-threatening diseases.
The Patrick Administration has given formal approval to a $20 million resurfacing and enhancement of Route 128 from Wellesley to Waltham.
The project involves roadway resurfacing, a safety upgrade of the guardrail, drainage improvements, storm water management upgrade, installation of a median barrier, bridge deck resurfacing and replacement of pavement markings. The work spans a section of Route 128 (Interstate 95) from the Route 9 interchange in Wellesley to the Waltham City line….
The state’s contractor on the project is D.W. White Construction of Acushnet. Work is expected to be complete by summer 2010.
From the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility:
Fluorescent light bulbs are one of the more efficient types of bulbs available, but they also contain toxic chemicals such as mercury. Mercury can cause a wide variety of health problems in humans ranging from hindered development to death. Fluorescent bulbs are often long, skinny bulbs or tubes that may be found in garages or work areas. Compact fluorescents are widely used throughout households. These should always be brought to the fluorescent shed to ensure proper recycling.
For more information, contact Superintendent Gordon Martin at 781-235-7600 x 3340, or visit the RDF website at: www.wellesleyma.gov
AND now for a little more RDF fun: Baling of Recyclables, the movie
The Cottage restaurant, which opened last year on Wellesley’s Linden St., has now got itself a web site. The colorful site features lunch, brunch and dinner menus, and you can make reservations online as well.
Wellesley College is listed as No. 8 this year on the Princeton Review’s annual ranking of Stone Cold Sober Schools. Last year, the school came in at No. 11. BYU once again topped the list, and the University of Florida topped the list of party schools.
