Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Monthly Archives: August 2008

Ranking Wellesley College and Babson

By bbrown | Published: August 22, 2008

The annual U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings are out and the local colleges fared well as usual (methodology here). The magazine put Wellesley College at #4 among liberal arts schools behind only Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore (Wellesley’s tuition and fees are listed as $36,640).  Babson grabbed honors as the top entrepreneurial undergrad [...]

Posted in Babson College, education, Wellesley College | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wellesley Recreation offers online registration for fall programs

By bbrown | Published: August 22, 2008

For the first time, the Wellesley Recreation Department will offer online registration. It kicks off Sept. 9 at 7am for residents here.

Posted in Wellesley Recreation | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Camera Place closing shop

By bbrown | Published: August 22, 2008

The Camera Place at 24 Church St. is shutting down at the end of next month, the latest casualty of a photography world turned upside down by digital technology we suspect (Ponds Camera Shop on Central St. in Wellesley was replaced after 30 years by a home decorating store in March). Camera Place owner Bob [...]

Posted in business | Tagged | Leave a comment

Look Ma, no hands

By bbrown | Published: August 22, 2008

Wellesley Congregational Church’s steeple — and clock– are getting a little work done on them.

Posted in religion | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mass Hort financial picture goes from bad to worse to whatever comes after worse

By bbrown | Published: August 22, 2008

As reported in the Swellesley Report early this month, the Mass Horticultural Society based in Wellesley has been hurting more than ever financially, with several of the outfit’s usual programs being axed or potentially revised. More details have emerged on the situation this week in the MetroWest Daily News and now the Boston Globe, on [...]

Posted in Mass Hort | Leave a comment

Funny spot for a fireplace

By bbrown | Published: August 21, 2008

Here’s a quirky thing about Wellesley Town Hall. It has six fireplaces (or what used to be working fireplaces), including one in the men’s room on the main floor.  Town Clerk Kathy Nagle tells us that the that building, originally erected in the 1880s and presumably heated by coal and fireplaces, kept its fireplaces even [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Wellesleyite siblings behind 2 TV shows

By bbrown | Published: August 21, 2008

The Townsman reports on Maria and George Mastras, siblings from Wellesley who are writing for TV shows in Hollywood. Maria is writing for AMC’s “Mad Men,” and George for “Breaking Bad.” Their mom Athena shares a few colorful ideas of her own with the Townsman: “Hollywood’s very cutthroat, and there’s lots of nepotism,” she said. [...]

Posted in entertainment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Roche Bros.: If we can't sell booze, neither can you

By bbrown | Published: August 20, 2008

The Wellesley-based grocery chain is in the middle of a dispute over whether a new Wegmans supermarket in Westwood should be allowed a liquor license. Roche Bros. and some lawmakers have been fighting the move, arguing it would give Wegmans an unfair competitive advantage. Roche Bros. actually has 3 liquor licenses (not in Wellesley or [...]

Posted in food, retail | Leave a comment

Blood drive at library Friday

By bbrown | Published: August 20, 2008

The blood drive takes place 11am-4pm on Aug. 22 in the Wakelin Room at the Wellesley Free Libary. You can make an appointment online at the American Red Cross site. Just pop in 02481 or 02482 as a zip code and an appointment schedule will show up on your screen. By the way, 1,217 books [...]

Posted in health, Wellesley Free Library | Leave a comment

The RDF goes Hollywood

By bbrown | Published: August 19, 2008

Wellesley Department of Public Works interns Tobias Froehlich and Mike Stewart have cranked out a couple of videos to tell the story behind the story of the Recycling & Disposal Facility. We’ve mentioned one in the past on how your stuff gets baled after you drop it off at the RDF. Here’s a jazzy one, [...]

Posted in recycling | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wellesley Booksmith events: Philip Roth coming, sort of; and another midnight book release

By bbrown | Published: August 19, 2008

The biggest name on the list of upcoming author events at Wellesley Booksmith is Philip Roth, who is launching a new book called Indignation (his 29th book). But alas, Roth isn’t slated to show up in person. He’ll be coming to the store on Sept. 16 via a Web broadcast at 8pm. Then again, maybe [...]

Posted in Wellesley Booksmith | Tagged | Leave a comment

Warning: this could make you feel stupid

By bbrown | Published: August 18, 2008

The state has released the test questions and answers from the Spring MCAS exams.  Hope you know your fractions…

Posted in education | Tagged | Leave a comment

With a first name like Wellesley…

By bbrown | Published: August 18, 2008

It’s no wonder that the dad of Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt was widely quoted over the weekend about the real secret of his superfast son’s success in the 100 meter dash: eating yams.

Posted in sports | Leave a comment

A profile of Wellesley's Batman

By bbrown | Published: August 18, 2008

Wellesley’s Tom Kunz, an expert in bats and aeroecology at Boston University, is profiled in today’s Boston Globe. By the way, he was more taken with the Joker than Batman in The Dark Knight, the new Batman movie.

Posted in education | Leave a comment

New website aims to connect students, parents

By bbrown | Published: August 17, 2008

Wellesley’s Elizabeth Geisinger has launched a website called My Hometown Link designed to put students looking for work in touch with parents in need of help, such as babysitting, tutoring and dog walking. It costs $12.95 a year to join. Geisinger is a Bucknell University senior who over the past few years has offered tennis [...]

Posted in business | Tagged | Leave a comment