Portfolio for the last week of February

The following were stories published in the Daily News Tribune:

2/26/10 - Small business speaks out to Gov. Patrick in Waltham

WALTHAM — Local small-business owners told Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday they're worried about soaring health insurance costs and difficulties gaining access to capital and credit.

2/25/10 - City committee backs Waltham factory conversion

WALTHAM — The Community Preservation Committee on Tuesday quickly approved $400,000 for the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing to supplement development costs to renovate an old factory into affordable housing.

2/24/10 - Here's a few of our favorite Waltham spots

WALTHAM — It was like stepping into a Jane Austen novel when Susan Robertson, executive director of Gore Place, watched a man propose to a woman in a room at the historic estate of 19th century Mass. Gov. Christopher Gore.

2/24/10 - Verizon seeks to modernize Waltham tower

WALTHAM — Plans to install a wireless communication facility on an existing tower will not noticeably change its appearance or pose any hazards, said representatives of Verizon Wireless to a full City Council session Monday night.

2/24/10 - Waltham councilors: TD Bank has work to do

WALTHAM — City councilors see a long but productive road ahead in working with TD Bank and neighbors on plans to build a new branch at Moody and Alder streets.

2/23/10 - Neighbors oppose TD Bank's Waltham plan

WALTHAM — Concerned the request could congest traffic and harm the historic nature and overall character of the neighborhood, 17 residents last night showed up at City Hall to oppose TD Bank's bid for a three-lane drive-through at Moody and Alder streets.

Sudbury and Wayland Town Crier Stories

Here are the stories I wrote for the Sudbury and Wayland Town Criers as a part-time reporter:

2/26/10 - Resident files new complaint over School Committee evaluations

WAYLAND — A plethora of redactions and a missing 2006 evaluation have spurred further controversy from the recent release of individual comments created for Superintendent Gary Burton’s performance evaluations from 2004 to 2009 by School Committee members.

2/18/10 - Sudbury Fire Department could become emergency response hub

SUDBURY — The response to life-threatening emergencies could improve through a regional advanced life support service with the Fire Department serving as its hub, selectmen were told last night.

2/17/10 - Sudbury and Wayland look to share a variety of services

SUDBURY — In an effort to come up with new cost saving solutions, the towns of Sudbury and Wayland are considering sharing a variety of services from library programming to advanced life support services.


2/12/10 - Wayland nurse returns from helping people of Haiti

WAYLAND — After arriving at Hopital Sacre Coeur in Milot, Haiti, there wasn’t a lot of time for volunteer nurse Tom Curran-Apse of Wayland to pause and look around. Tending to one patient after another for 20 hours a day was enough to keep a mind occupied.

2/11/10 - Save Our Services omits contribution of e-mail list in original filing

WAYLAND — Grassroots organization Save Our Services (SOS) is catching flak for donating an e-mail distribution list to a ballot question committee created to support the High School building vote last year, with questions hovering over whether the organization violated its own anti-spam policy.

2/10/10 - Baker puts focus on fixing state government

SUDBURY — Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker last night said the current economic crisis is a huge opportunity to make a positive turnaround in state government.

2/4/10 - Local woman hopes to bring father, sons from Haiti to US

SUDBURY — Four days following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in her native Haiti, Marie Doirin of Sudbury had not heard from her family in Port-au-Prince. Finally, at the end of the fourth day, the phone rang. It was one of her cousins on the other end of the line calling to tell her that everyone in her family was alive and safe.

2/3/10 - School officials say fiscal 2011 budget will have them scrambling

SUDBURY — With a zero-growth budget for next year, the town and the school districts will have to cut programs and lay off staff, officials told the Finance Committee last night.


2/3/10 - Sudbury school officials say fiscal 2011 budget will have them scrambling

SUDBURY — With a zero-growth budget for next year, the town and the school districts will have to cut programs and lay off staff, officials told the Finance Committee last night.

1/28/10 - L-S students continue Haiti relief effort

SUDBURY — Students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, despite being in the throes of mid-term exams, have raised nearly $10,000 for Haiti relief efforts since the impoverished country was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake two weeks ago.


1/28/10 - Town Center project gets permit from Department of Environmental Protection

WAYLAND — Frank Dougherty, project manager for the proposed Town Center development, cited progress on the development last week as the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a conservation permit for the project.


1/27/10 - L-S officials say school needs override

SUDBURY — Looking at the potential no-override budget for fiscal 2011 last night, School Committee members painted a worrisome picture of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School's future.