August 9, 2016 - Selectmen were in full agreement this evening to abide by the state's requirement that the Main/Grove/Cedar intersection be straightened out, and that the way to do it is by eminent domain, the taking of a piece of the former Colella's property now owned by Crosspoint Associates and occupied largely by CVS, which is said to have a 20-year lease commitment.

       Selectman Chair Brian Herr was insistent that people understand it isn't "Big Brother" with the town grabbing the land without due consideration.

        "We do not take it lightly," said Mr. Herr. 

       They would begin, he said, with a fair appraisal of the value of the land, and will pay fair market value. Although they did not get into details, this type of process often involves one or more appraisals, and so would involve negotiations with the land owner, who would likely have their own appraisal done.

       The three main points of consideration for this part of the Downtown process, said Town Manager Norman Khumalo, and which the state wants completed, are the bike lane, underground utilities and straightening out of the intersection.

       Town Engineer Dave Daltorio testified that the $7 million federal funding depended upon implementing that design. 

       The selectmen voted unanimously that the Town Manager and Town Counsel begin the process by getting an appraisal for the value of the part of the property they want to take to straighten the intersection to qualify for the federal funding.

        The drawing below presented to HopNews by official records request in June shows the progress of the design as of that time. The red arrows and words were added by HopNews because the text was too small for the naked eye. Note that CVS (Crosspoint) will lose most of the spaces along Grove Street. It is similar to several plans that were presented at meetings and Charrettes over the years when the property was owned by Colella's supermarket.

August 8, 2016 - Cycle City is in the process of dotting their i's and crossing their t's to prepare for an imminent opening, and tonight held a ribbon cutting promoted by the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce, which is providing this service with new memberships, according to Chamber member Darlene Hayes.

           Cycle City provides personal and group training and calls the act of stationary bicycling, spinning, the trainers, Mayors, and groups of cycles, Cities.

          They are located at One Lumber Street in the new plaza developed by Paul Mastroianni.

Below, Hopkinton Board of Selectman Chair Brian Herr, State Rep Carolyn Dykema chat with Cycle City owner Nav Arora under the pergola on the piazza behind One Lumber Street onto which most of the businesses' rear doors open.

August 5, 2016 - The Foam Rubber Man above was damaged last night, probably as HopNews was putting a piece up about the original vandalism the other day by one or more people who do not understand the significance of creating something from nothing - or from a seed planted in a creative person's mind and grown to a new level.  We received an email from a sponsor:

          "Almost every individual artist work is damaged, as well as projects by the Girl Scouts, Senior Potters and HCA students artwork."

           The clever artwork will be on display officially on Sunday in an opening ceremony at the parking area at the head of the trail across from Hopkinton Lumber at 2:00 pm.

          To the  witnesses, we ask that you tell your parents what happened. Ask them to call the police. Anyone can narrow you all to a nearby neighborhood as well as a particular age range. You also ride a bicycle. We may have actually captured you on video, inasmuch as we had a photographer with a GoPro camera riding in the area the other day.

          The ringleader needs to be caught and be handled by the juvenile authorities, who will, in a meaningful, thoughtful, adult manner, give the offender the guidance he needs before he believes for much longer that this behavior is acceptable to humans. It is not. 

           Nor is it acceptable to encourage someone to act that way, or to goad them, or cheer them.

          The police will find the offender (s). There is no point in giving away their tactics, but they will find you. A witness, regardless of whatever blood-brother oath he has taken with the vandal, whatever "Bros are great" theme song you sing, will feel tainted by the mere fact of being a witness and will spill the beans to his parents. It will not be that bad for the offender. He will get juvenile probation, and hopefully ordered to study art appreciation.

            He will learn to build, not destroy.

            One thing that has worked in the past is a $100 reward given in strict confidence. We'll let the police leave no stone unturned before we do that. The police do not stop until the criminal is caught, or they have exhausted all of their options. And the latter involves a lot of options.

           In the meantime, Mr. Vandalism, please stop robbing the other kids, the girls, the artists, the elderly, of their joy, and try to find your own.

August 3, 2016 - A news helicopter hovered mostly in place over the School Street home of two women who neighbors reported to the Upton Board of Health for having an odor from their many cats permeate the neighborhood. One neighbor told a reporter the helicopter had been there for hours. A shiny-looking plane, possibly a drone, also made passes high over the scene. Channel 7 reported that 2 dead cats were discovered, 8 more were surrendered, and the hunt was on for what the authorities believe are a substantial number that are hiding. Following today's investigation by the MSPCA and the Board of Health, said Channel 7, the home was condemned, and the women brought to treatment.

CAMBRIDGE – August 2, 2016 - Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that Maurice Zybler, 70, of Brookline, was arraigned yesterday in Cambridge District Court and charged with seven counts of obtaining a drug by fraud in connection with an alleged scheme where he would prescribe medication for an employee and then have the employee give the medication to him after which time he would repay the employee's co-pay.

Judge Roanne Sragow released the defendant on personal recognizance. The next scheduled hearing in this case is Thursday, October 6.

“At a time when the opioid crisis continues to escalate, the defendant in this case allegedly used his ability as a dentist to prescribe pain killers for his own personal use,” said District Attorney Ryan. “This type of alleged behavior by a healthcare professional highlights the challenges that law enforcement encounters when working to prevent opioid abuse.”

In December of 2015, Cambridge Police were alerted by a former employee of the defendant that Zybler had allegedly been prescribing prescription pain killers to employees of his dental practice, who would then fill the prescriptions and return them to the defendant. The employee had allegedly filled approximately ten prescriptions for opioids per year, for 15 years, for the defendant, fearing she would be terminated if she refused. The former employee told authorities that she was allegedly terminated by the defendant when she refused to fill the prescriptions for the defendant. Upon further investigation, authorities learned that a second former employee had also allegedly been filling prescriptions for the defendant prior to her termination.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The prosecutor assigned to yesterday’s arraignment was Assistant District Attorney Cyrus Chung.

Preventing opioid addiction is one of the top priorities of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office (MDAO). District Attorney Ryan is committed to reducing the number of overdoses and prescription opioid abuse through a multi-pronged approach which includes collaborating with partners on educational programs for young people, training for first responders and medical professionals, expanding treatment opportunities for those battling addiction, and, at the same time, prosecuting those responsible for bringing drugs into the community.

District Attorney Ryan recently launched the grandparent program which provides a basic understanding of opioids, educates seniors on the origin of the problem and focuses on issues including overprescribing and prescription drug use as a gateway to heroin. The presentation also helps seniors to identify signs of a substance use disorder of which they may be otherwise unaware.

The MDAO has also purchased prescription Drug Collection Units for communities in Middlesex County to provide the public with a safe, accessible way to properly dispose of unused or expired medications. Removing unwanted prescription drugs from a home is an important tool in preventing abuse of prescription drugs, as 70 percent of people who abused prescription pain killers reportedly got them from relatives or friends.