Meet Wellesley’s Veterans’ Graves & Ceremonial Officer

April 21, 2019 by bbrown 1 Comment

Wellesley recently appointed Joe Oliveri as its Veterans’ Graves & Ceremonial Officer, and to say he’s qualified for the position would be an understatement.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran returned to his grandparents’ house in Wellesley while attending college after serving 2 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2002-2006. Now Oliveri is serving the town by working for veterans and organizing ceremonies within the town such as for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Veterans Day.

“Wellesley has a very large veteran population believe it or not and unfortunately many are passing away and many are trying to find support as they get into their older years,” says Oliveri, who works as a sales rep selling cloud offerings for Oracle and is in his 10th year coaching youth hockey. “Last count we had was about 800-plus. We are trying to actively support those and honor those who have passed away or have relatives in town as an honorable showing of support for their services and sacrifices.”

As the Veterans’ Graves & Ceremonial Officer, Oliveri says he is looking to spread the word about events online in addition to via more traditional posters and banners. He wants to be a resource as well for families looking to have military ceremonies at wakes and funerals.

One big upcoming event, a Dressing of the Graves, will take place on May 8 at Woodlawn Cemetery at 5pm (rain date: May 9). Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other volunteers will replace old flags with new flags and medallions at the cemetery for all deceased veterans. (More here from the Townsman on an Eagle Scout project to identify veterans’ graves.)

The annual veterans’ Memorial Day ceremonies will be held on May 30 at 7pm at Woodlawn Cemetery, and at 7:30pm in front of the War Memorial on Washington St., in front of Town Hall. If it’s raining that day, the ceremony will be moved to Wellesley Middle School at 7pm.

Joe Oliveri can be reached by phone at (774) 292-9932 or by email at [email protected]

MORE: Wellesley memorial markers

Wellesley High aims to keep track & field athletes focused despite tourney drama

April 21, 2019 by bbrown 1 Comment

A dispute between the state’s track & field coaches organization and the state’s governing body for athletics could result in competing season-ending tournaments put on by the respective groups.

The Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA) is looking to run its own championship meets in May/June at the same time as the usual Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association meets. The coaches’ organization feels it can stage better run events than the MIAA, which has sought to cut spending and raise fees associated with its events, according to a Boston Globe article about the controversy.

That article raises the concern that split tournaments could put schools in a tough position because of MIAA rules.

“The stakes could be high because MIAA rules state that schools participating in unapproved tournaments may be banned from ‘all multi-school events in any and all sports for one year.'”

javelin wellesley high

Wellesley High Athletics Director John Brown is aware of the issue between the MIAA and MSTCA, but declined to comment on it.

“What I can say is that we are trying our best to help ensure that the student athletes are not put in the middle of this very controversial situation,” he said. “We want our student athletes to be able to enjoy the best educational athletic experience possible while participating at Wellesley High School.”

The girls and boys track & field and cross-country teams have been a force in recent years, nabbing a series of state championships between them. Most recently, the girls won the all-state indoor track title and the boys came in second in their competition

Wellesley Police log: Residents with memory issues keeping cops busy; vehicle owners making it easy for thieves

April 16, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Police Arrest and Incident Log 04/08/19 – 04/14/19

Arrests

On April 8, 2019 at 7:51 p.m. Officer Keenan was traveling on Worcester Street near Kingsbury Street when he observed a Honda sedan traveling in front of him with a broken headlight. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and asked for his license and registration. A query of the driver’s information showed that his license was suspended. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On April 10, 2019 at 4:39 p.m. Officer Cunningham was conducting traffic enforcement on Washington Street when he observed a Toyota pickup truck with an expired registration. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and asked for his license and registration. A query of his information showed that his license was suspended. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on $200 bail.

Incidents

On April 9, 2019 at 9:43 a.m. Officer Hughes spoke with a reporting party regarding a lost or stolen iPad. The report is incomplete at this time and no further information is available.

On April 12, 2019 at 12:50 p.m. Officer Lindelof spoke with a female reporting party from Riverdale Street about her vehicle being broken into. She stated that loose change and her driver’s license were taken from her unlocked motor vehicle overnight. Officer Lindelof also spoke to residents on Pine Ridge Road, and Greenlawn Ave who had money taken from their unlocked vehicles. There are no suspects. (The Wellesley Police Department would like to remind residents to always lock their vehicles when they are unattended and not to leave valuable items in their vehicles.)

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On April 14, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. Sgt. Gerrans spoke with a female reporting party who stated she had hired a landscaper to do some work on April 6^th and paid a $200 deposit. The landscaper did not perform the work the work so she asked him to cancel the job and refund the deposit. She was concerned about him returning to her residence. Sgt. Gerrans advised her to ask him to place the check in an envelope in her mailbox.

On April 8, 2019 at 3:24 p.m. Officer Cunningham was dispatched to a residence to speak with an elderly resident who believes someone has been entering her home and walking around at various times. The resident indicated the individual is entering the home through a wall. Officer

[Read more…]

Fish are jumping in Wellesley, and sometimes getting a bit of help

April 16, 2019 by bbrown 1 Comment

wellesley fish — Fuller Brook fish and friends. Photo via MC

The alewife are flipping and flopping around in Fuller Brook in Wellesley this month. Local kids have taken to helping some of those fish unable to scale the fish ladder near Grove Street.

If the aquatic action has you in the mood for freshwater fishing, know that if you’ll need a license if you’re 15 or older.

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A post shared by theswellesleyreport (@theswellesleyreport) on Apr 14, 2019 at 11:08am PDT

(Video via Chris Crowley)

MORE: No trout stocking for you, Wellesley

Boston Marathon 2019: The Wellesley scene

April 15, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

boston marathon wellesley

boston marathon wellesley 2019.

Wellesley came out in big numbers on Monday to give 2019 Boston Marathon runners and wheelchair athletes a big mid-race boost, from the scream tunnel at Wellesley College to Wellesley Square to Wellesley Hills and Lower Falls.

Wellesley’s fastest runners this year were Richard Dravenstott, whose time is listed on the BAA results page as 3:16:52 (7:31 pace), and Yimei Huang at 3:19:23 — she’s the fastest Wellesley female runner for the second year in a row.