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Updated: March 18, 2013 02:51:43 PM

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Community Seniors Police Letters HPTA Source

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign...

August 10, 2011 — Top left of the composite photo above is a sign hanging from the gate to the entrance of Sandy Island, where the town's beach is located. The part with the "No-Swimming" icon flag on an empty lifeguard stand is the Main Beach at Hopkinton State Park. The title above the photo is a line from "Signs" by the Five-Man Electrical Band. It could have been a line from "Dirty Water" by the Standells just as well.

      The results of new samples taken from Sandy Beach will be known tomorrow. The State Park results eta are unknown at this writing. Hopkinton Board of Health Administrator Ed Wirtanen has attributed the likely cause of the Sandy beach contamination to be storm runoff, carrying dog waste into the water, because, he said, there have been few birds there this year.

       However, the Main Beach at Hopkinton State Park is often populated by more Canada geese and gulls than people.

Work and Play

August 10, 2011 — Hopkinton State Park supervisor Richard Trubiano is in near silhouette as he trims some leaves from downed branches, and rangers stay clear awaiting his next instruction, while sailors play in the background. The photo, as simple as it may appear, is a study in artistic elements, not the least among them, framing.

Hello, it's Me!

August 10, 2011 — Billy Huang, who is associated with the Respite Center, displays his inventive way to say hello today at the CAA on Hayden Rowe Street during the Respite Center art reception. He and others studied and honed their craft with teacher Kris Waldman over two months of classes and study. The exhibit is expected to last two weeks.

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Hello From Scotland

This is the High School Drama Ensemble performing their 2nd show "Empty Page, Empty Stage" Edinburgh, Scotland at the Fringe Festival. Below is their first review, sent from the group to share with Hopkinton residents.

"Empty Page, Empty Stage" Review

This U.S world premiere written by drama teacher Valerie von Rosenvingie and the students of Hopkinton High School is something of a hidden gem at this year’s Fringe. It opens unusually with a low lit piece of dance, designed to calm the audience and spirit them away from whatever is on their mind when they arrive at the theatre, paving a clear path for the narrative which centres on the main character Alyson played by Lauren Sheridan. The teenager is recovering from a car accident and settling into a new school while struggling with the typical drawback of class room gossip. This writing collaboration between teacher and students really does bear fruit as we are introduced to student anxiety, class dynamics and the power of the ‘in crowd’ determining life changing choices for others; you can really hear two opinions and views at work and wrestling for dominance.  The message of the play reminded me of Bruce Springsteen’s Atlantic City, particularly the line: “Down here it’s just winners and losers and don’t get caught up on the wrong side of that line.” In a nutshell this play centres on pressure and what we do with it; will it crush us, do we give in at the first sign of trouble or do we persevere and test the mettle. Do we swim against the tide or to we try and ingratiate ourselves with the dominant group? The key scene is where Alyson is struggling with the various voices around her including parents, teachers and classmates as well as nearly twenty characters from literature both fictional and real wrestling for power and influence in her mind. The play says something about the voices that we carry around in our own life and what we feed ourselves from art, literature, school, the work place and our social worlds. To what and to whom do we give the authority that helps determine our own choices and future? The scene in which these various worlds collide is reminiscent of the sequence in Annie Hall where Woody Allen’s character Alvy Singer produces Marshall McLuchan, the cultural critic, to silence an empty vessel behind him pretentiously mouthing off McLuhan’s theories and getting them wrong, brilliantly summoning what we’d sometimes like our imagined worlds to be in moments of struggle or frustration.

This play is something of a hymn to the transcendent power of literature and how von Rosenvinge manages to get thirty students playing to their abilities using music, dance and literature equally to the play’s strengths. The female writer and director hit on the idea of the play working in Edinburgh last year and it has been something of a small victory getting it off the ground and over to Edinburgh on time. As Alyson struggles, post accident she is forced to realise her limitations but not let them define her amid exclusion, self-doubt, bullying, questioning, listening and moments of epiphany. The character tries to find the space to discern a voice from among the chaos and wisdom. Empty Page, Empty Stage is an attempt to spark up the light that gets dimmed between our formative years and adult life.

Richard Purden

Scottish Catholic Observer

 Positively Hopkinton

1. 

Snappy Dogs will be a feature on Chronicle on Channel 5 Wednesday Aug 10th at 7.30 pm. Seen their hilarious video? If not (Or if you just need another laugh) choose the video icon to the left.

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Sandy Beach Closed Due to Elevated E-Coli Bacteria

After receiving word on August 9, 2011 that one of the three bacteriological water samples taken this week at Sandy Beach had an elevated reading the Town Beach was closed today by the Hopkinton Parks and Recreation Department and the beach has been posted. New water samples have been taken at the swimming area and it is anticipated that results will be received by Thursday August 11, 2011. The Beach will remain closed until the laboratory analysis of the water samples are less than the bathing water standards. ~ Board of Health File photo.

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H&R BLOCK MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL PROVIDE $125 MILLION IN LOAN MODIFICATIONS AND RESTITUTION

Settlement With AG Coakley’s Office Resolves Allegations of  Unfair Lending and Discriminatory Practices Against Thousands of Latino and African-American Borrowers by Major Subprime Lender

BOSTON – Resolving claims of unfair and discriminatory lending practices, Sand Canyon (formerly known as Option One) will modify thousands of Massachusetts homeowners’ loans and make a significant payment to the Commonwealth as part of a settlement valued at $125 million, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today. HopNews file photo.

The settlement with AG Coakley’s Office was filed late yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court.  It requires the mortgage originator, a subsidiary of H&R Block, Inc., to pay $9.8 million to the Commonwealth and to direct American Home Mortgage Servicing, Inc. (“AHMSI”), the current servicer of approximately 5,500 Option One loans in Massachusetts, to institute an aggressive loan modification program that will provide an estimated $115 million in additional relief.

“Option One made loans that it knew were likely to fail and it discriminated against African-American and Latino borrowers,” Attorney General Coakley said.  “Its blatant disregard for prudent underwriting standards contributed to the economic downturn we still find ourselves in today.  Like our other cases against mortgage lenders and their Wall Street facilitators, this case holds this corporation accountable and provides much needed relief to homeowners.” 

Option One originated approximately 32,400 loans in Massachusetts between 2004 and 2007, at which point the subprime market collapsed and it ceased its lending operations nationwide.  Many of Option One’s loans featured multiple “risk features” such as:

· excessive debt-to-income ratios;

· high loan-to-value ratios;

· “stated income” or similar features that did not require borrowers to document their income or assets; and

· underwriting that qualified borrowers based on their ability to make payments at an introductory, or “teaser,” interest rate instead of their ability to pay beyond the two- or three-year introductory period. 

The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleged that the risk-layered loans were unfair because they posed an excessive risk of default and foreclosure, as evidenced by their very high loan default rate.  The lawsuit also asserted that Option One knew that loans with such risk characteristics were doomed to fail but that it originated them nonetheless in order to sell them to the secondary market and realize a profit. 

The Attorney General also alleged that Option One’s discretionary pricing policies gave mortgage brokers free reign to charge excessive and unjustified fees, causing Black and Latino borrowers to pay more money, on average, for their loans.  In 2008, when the lawsuit was filed, it was the first by a state’s Attorney General’s Office alleging civil rights claims against a subprime lender.  Option One originated loans to approximately 4,400 Black and Latino borrowers between 2004 and 2007.

Loan Modifications

Distressed borrowers, who still have an Option One loan, are eligible for loan modifications that include significant write-downs of principal balances and reduction of interest rates, depending on the prevalence of certain risk features in the loan.

Many Massachusetts borrowers will receive loan modification relief that includes significant principal forgiveness.  For borrowers struggling to make mortgage payments, who are 45 or more days delinquent on their loan, Option One will direct AHMSI, which services loans originated by Option One, to modify loans to achieve affordable monthly payments for borrowers.  Generally, borrowers’ monthly payments will be reduced to between 31% and 36% of their monthly income.

Borrowers who received the riskiest loans, burdened with a high debt-to-income ratio and a high loan-to-value ratio, will be eligible for an even greater monthly payment reduction.  The specifics of how much principal will be forgiven through each loan modification will depend on the characteristics of each loan at the time of origination.  Borrowers who received the riskiest loans will be eligible to have the outstanding principal balance on their loan reduced to 100% of the current value of their home, which in many instances has experienced significant depreciation since the loan was made.

“The modification program will make it easier for homeowners to keep their homes and even begin to acquire some equity,” Attorney General Coakley said.  “For several years now, many homeowners have been living underwater – owing more than their homes are worth.  This modification program will change that situation for many Option One borrowers, and corrects the unreasonable risks they were exposed to when the loan was made.” 

Payment

In addition to agreeing to implement the loan modification program, Option One will pay $9.8 million to the Commonwealth. The settlement includes $8 million in consumer relief, $1 million for fees and costs, and $800,000 in exchange for a release of civil penalties.  The consumer relief will be used to rectify the negative impact of mortgage foreclosures and predatory and discriminatory lending practices, including providing direct restitution to Option One borrowers and implementing programs to mitigate the impact of the foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. 

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 "Battle at the Beach" Tournament Champions

Seated front row: Bat boy, Andrew Gaughan, Kneeling front row (left to right): Coach Don Wolfe, Griffin Zack, Marc Saklad, Scott Babigian, Brett McIntire, Ryan Wolfe and Head Coach, Ray LeBlanc. Back Row standing (left to right): Coach Rich Sisitsky, Anthony Farina, Jake LeBlanc, Ben Fargiano, Zack Sisitsky, Brian Gaughan and Coach Scott McIntire.

An 11 year-old Hopkinton Little League team played in the "Battle at the Beach" Tournament hosted by Mashpee Youth Baseball July 29-July 31 on Cape Cod. With a field of 10 teams, they advanced through each round including the championship game going 5-0 to win the tournament!

Real Estate Transactions for Hopkinton, Massachusetts Compiled  for HopNews.com by Robert Falcione © 2011 All Rights Reserved New Transactions from August 1, 2011 to August 8, 2011
Address	Buyer	Price	Date	Seller
2 Paul Revere Path A-3	Kanvasri Jonnalagadda	$300,000	August 8, 2011	Stagecoach Hghts LLC
6 Alexander Road	Jeffrey Navin	$481,000	August 8, 2011	Francis L Morgan, Anne S Morgan
197 Hayden Rowe Street	Adam Silun, Lisa Silun	$299,900	August 8, 2011	Mary Jo Ondrechen, Amy E Groves
222 Lumber Street	Aaron Augspurg, Casey Augspurg	$675,000	August 5, 2011	Michael Colachico, Catherine Colachico
206 Hayden Rowe Street	Philip Varghese, Nisha Sara Matthew	$420,000	August 5, 2011	John Whittle, Catheryne Whittle
18 Carriage Hill Road	Patrick G Maiella, Keeley A Matella	$725,000	August 5, 2011	Karen L Golitko
6 Ray Street	Dale T Danahy, Nicholas J Danahy	$225,000	August 5, 2011	First Congregational Church of Hopkinton MA
AKA 112 Lumber Stret	Zhou Chai Fang, Lu Jin Wu	$539,000	August 4, 2011	JC Builders, Inc
19 Overlook Road	Jerry Gomez, Marie Elaina Gomez	$763,000	August 3, 2011	Jomakey, Inc
19 Overlook Road	Jomakey, Inc	$605,000	August 3, 2011	Jose H Bravo, Llorente Luz Marina
30 Wedgewood Drive	Michael P Kelly, Clodagh Odaly	$839,000	August 2, 2011	Tracy Wells, James Wells Jr
15 Doyle Lane Unit 30C	Avnish Puri	$247,000	August 1, 2011	John F Cooney
Last Week
8 Commonwealth Ave	Mark W Mercier	$311,000	August 1, 2011	Southgate LLC
333 Wood Street	Richard C Shenker	$370,000	July 29, 2011	William B Brown, Karen A Murphy
11 DiCarlo Road	Matthew D Petrie, Jill M Petrie	$695,000	July 29, 2011	William R Baldiga, Nancy R Baldiga
16 Knoll Road	Ashlay Moraski	$261,000	July 29, 2011	Mark Christenson, Victoria Christenson
15 Norcross Road	Ronald H Ng, Katherine M Ng	$755,000	July 29, 2011	Suzanne R Hayes, Kenneth A Hayes, Jr
15 Fenton Street	BRFN Investments, LLC	$530,000	July 29, 2011	Jane Crook Brisson, William C Brisson
13 Wildlife Drive	David M Diana, Julie M Conlin	$685,000	July 29, 2011	Ruth M Gorman, Michael A Gorman
81 Front Street	Kelly Avery, Donn Avery	$335,000	July 28, 2011	Dennis F Knapp, Patrice M Knapp
2 College Street	Mary Jo Ondrechen, Amy E Groves	$485,000	July 28, 2011	Matthew D Petrie, Jill M Petrie
4 Hill Street	Yang Yang, Nathan J Brown	$487,500	July 28, 2011	Craig M Gibson, Jennifer Y Gibson
44 Pinecrest Village	Paul G Kohler	$190,000	July 28, 2011	Kelly A Michaud (Avery)
15 John Matthew Road	John Salvadore, Janice Salvadore	$915,000	July 28, 2011	Philip F Pietrafetta, Elaine M Pietrafetta
9 Hillcrest Drive	Makepar Corp	$130,000	July 27, 2011	Deutsche Bank National Trust

YOUR HOME

Killer Cloud

August 8, 2011 — Appearing very menacing, this cloud photographed looking east from Hayden Rowe Street over the gazebo was like smoke from a large explosion this afternoon.

Blast From the Past

A fan has sent a link to a drawing by renown Hopkinton artist Davison Welch from 1945 that he is selling. The print in his possession has yellowed. The image below has been "whitened" for viewing.

Read French? Here's the link.

SERVICE GUIDE

Progress at Hopkinton Square

August 8, 2011 — Workers at the corner of West Main and South Streets installed hay bales and silt fences, mitigation necessary to keep movement of silt-bearing water from construction sites, as work is begun at the site of Hopkinton Square, where Price Chopper supermarket has signed on to anchor the shopping center.

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- August 8, 2011

3:54 pm Officer William Burchard spoke with an individual at College Rock who was reported to be sleeping in his car...

9:29 am Several callers dialed 911 to report Verizon strike demonstrators in the neighborhood...

1:33 am Officer Jacob Campbell checked on some people dipping in Lake Maspenock...

3:48 pm The owner of a vacant house on Hayden Rowe Street requested a squatter be removed...

Photo, right: Officers placed an individual into custody on Norcross Road this morning.

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Stretched Thin

August 8, 2011 — School Street was closed today as truck team workers, Verizon and NStar all responded to these live wires caught around a truck that apparently thought driving with the body up was an okay thing to do. The truck body is askew from its normal position and the cab is lifted from the tension.

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Elm Street Work

August 8, 2011 — Workers lower a trench box in the old Elm Street roadway today during the construction of a forced sewer main that has tied up travel for weeks.  The trench box keeps the walls from caving in on the workmen inside of it.

Milford Regional Named a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report

August 8, 2011 — Milford Regional Medical Center has been recognized as one of the region’s top ranking hospitals in the Worcester Metropolitan area in U.S. News & World Report’s 2011- 2012 Best Hospitals rankings, available online at usnews.com/best-hospitals. The rankings, annually published by U.S. News for the past 22 years, will also be featured in the U.S. News Best Hospitals guidebook, which will go on sale August 30.

The latest rankings showcase 720 hospitals out of about 5,000 hospitals nationwide. Each is ranked among the country’s top hospitals in at least one medical specialty and/or ranked among the best hospitals in the metro area. Milford Regional performed close to the level of nationally ranked U.S. News Best Hospitals in three adult specialties- ear, nose and throat, gynecology, and orthopedics. The Medical Center also scored high in patient safety, demonstrating commitment to reducing accidents and medical mistakes.

“Being recognized as one of the region’s best hospitals is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of our physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers. I’d like to congratulate all of them for this honor,” states Edward J. Kelly, president of Milford Regional. “This recognition affirms our continuous efforts to provide leading-edge diagnostics, clinical excellence and state-of-the-art treatments to our patients.”

Covering 94 metro areas in the U.S., the regional hospital rankings include hospitals with solid performance nearly at the level of nationally ranked institutions. “These are hospitals we call ‘high performers.’ They are fully capable of giving most patients first-rate care, even if they have serious conditions or need demanding procedures,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. “Almost every major metro area has at least one of these hospitals.”

Hard numbers stand behind the rankings in most specialties- death rates, patient safety, procedure volume, and other objective data. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in.

The rankings cover 16 medical specialties and all 94 metro areas that have at least 500,000 residents and at least one hospital that performed well enough to be ranked. Contributed Content.

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Taps Vigil at Wilson Street Cemetery

"And Now to Recognize our Bugle Boy, Who Obviously Has Become a Man." Mike Whalen, AL Post 202

August 7, 2011 — The "Taps Vigil", a ceremony that takes places the first Sunday of each month at a location TBA, was held on this evening at the Wilson Street Cemetery, which after years of neglect has been taken under the wing of St. John the Evangelist Church. It was also, according to the late historian Gordon Hopper, known as the Irish Cemetery.

      Mr. Whalen, in his capacity as Commander of American Legion Post 202, took this evening to add to the ritual of noting veterans, battles and other events with recognition of bugler Michael McCann, Jr.'s contribution of years performing the task of bugling for this and other veteran-related events in Hopkinton. Other shots of Michael through the years can be seen by clicking on the thumbnails.

      Michael McCann received citations this evening, as well as an official beret from Bugles Across America, a patriotic organization that has promoted the Taps Vigil. He was featured in a story in the Christian Science Monitor in 2007 that mentions his most note worthy performance of the 24-note piece was at his grandfather's funeral when he was 11 years-old.

      Below, Mr. Whalen hands awards to Michael, whose attendance at McGill University will keep him from further recurring commitments. HopNews will process a video of this evening's event tomorrow.

Get the Memo?

August 7, 2011 — Two teenagers bicycle through a nearly deserted Hopkinton Common, a condition caused by the band cancellation due to the late clearing of the rainfall. There were only four people, all senior citizens, who set up chairs (far left) during the usual concert time. Two senior women who left just before this photo was taken said they did not "get the memo" regarding the cancellation. Apparently, many people did. Those women, who were from Natick, said they did not own computers.

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Sunday Concert on the Common Cancelled

The Park and Recreation Department regrets that it is cancelling tonight's August 7, 2011 performance by Beatles tribute band HELP! due to the rainstorm. Although the rain may clear by performance time, the band will not have enough dry time to set up. To see what you might have missed, open up your lawn chair, crack open a raspberry seltzer, and check out a previous performance by choosing the icon on the left.

       In addition to this announcement, HopNews has sent a status to our Facebook fans as well as a Tweet to our Twitter followers. Please sign up for those alerts if you have not already.

       P.S. We use them sparingly.

Hopkinton Native Matt O'Neill Gets the Attention of Mark Wahlberg

August 7, 2011 — According to Wicked Local Dedham, Hopkinton native Matt O'Neill has caught the attention of superstar, producer and director Mark Wahlberg with one of his screenplays.

How does a person turn a boyhood passion into adult reality? Hard work, perseverance and timing.

Read the Bob Tremblay feature story here.

Contributed photo

Two-Car Accident on Cedar Street

August 7, 2011 — This vehicle pulled into a parking lot following its colliding with another vehicle, a luxury convertible coupe, which can be seen being loaded onto the flatbed in the background, on Cedar Street Friday.

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Four-Car on Route 495 North

August 7, 2011 — This is a close-up of one of the vehicles involved in the four-car accident that occurred on Route 495 north on Thursday that was reported earlier (thumbnail, left, expands). It caused a major backup for hours. Two injuries were reported.

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Cheers, From London

Above, Hopkinton High school drama ensemble in London, England outside of a theater after watching "Blood Brothers" (a musical) and are currently in Edinburgh, Scotland  getting ready to perform their own written play, "Empty page, Empty stage". Contributed content.

SERVICE GUIDE

Gun Club Feed

August 6, 2011 — Woodville Rod and Gun Club held its annual seafood bake and member party today at their Wood Street club, with John Villa spinning the tunes and several other members cooking up an afternoon's worth of chicken and lobster courses. Above, Ashlyn Delaney, 2, is excited about her chalk art, but not quite as enthused as her grandmother, Chris Riley.

YOUR HOME

Bird City

August 6, 2011 — The HopNews Roving Cameraman was setting up a shot of what appeared to be an albino great blue heron, when two of the blue sort flew in front of his camera and then framed the scene, one on each side in flight. The "albino" heron may actually be an egret, although it is difficult to determine. The waterway is the Blackstone River, and the area is Rice City Pond in Uxbridge, site of a former Praying Indian village.

Who You Gonna Call?

August 6, 2011 — This scary creature, one of several in a field of corn near the town line in Upton, is apparently intended to scare off flying creatures.

Rare Sight

August 6, 2011 — A rare sight indeed these days is a field full of baled hay, on Christian Hill Road in Upton today.

Kevin Michael King, 40

Kevin Michael King, 40, of Hopkinton and formerly of Franklin died suddenly August 3 at Milford Regional Medical Center. He was the husband of Gretchen Rice King.

Born in Norwood, August 23, 1970, the son of James and Kathleen (Kelley) King of Franklin, Mr. King had lived in Dedham and Franklin for most of his life prior to moving to Hopkinton two years ago.

He was a 1988 graduate of Franklin High School and a 1992 graduate from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a Masters Degree in Statistics. Kevin had been a Lead Programmer for the Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge for the past 8 years. He had previously worked for Wyeth Inc.

Kevin was an avid runner and had completed two Boston Marathons.

He rejoiced in the shared love of the outdoors with his children and had introduced them to running and kayaking.

In addition to his wife and parents, he is survived by his children, Emerson and Acadia King of Hopkinton. He is also survived by his brother, Brian King and his wife Amy Levine of Upton. He was the son-in-law of Michael and Carol Rice of Westford.

His funeral will be held on Monday, August 8 at the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin, 131 Main St. in Franklin at 9:15 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass in St. Mary’s Church at 10:00 a.m.

Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Hopkinton. Calling hours will be on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to the King Childrens Support Trust c/o Middlesex Savings Bank, 10 Main St., Hopkinton, MA 01748.

FOOD AND MORE

HELP WANTED: School Committee reporter; journalism background preferred. Person needed to take over the role of presenting in an orderly fashion a condensed written version of what goes on at School Committee meetings. Readers do not want to sit through, live or televised, three hours of discussion in order to know what goes on; and for years they have relied upon HopNews for factual and informative reports.

      To help continue the tradition of honest and factual reporting, please email your resume to Robert: Editor@HopNews.com

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