Framingham

Divers looking for lost swimmer in Framingham reservoir

UPDATE: Divers recovered his body.

Turnpike traffic was all bollixed up near the Rte. 9 exit this afternoon rush hour as State and Framingham police went looking for something in the Foss Reservoir.

The MetroWest Daily News reports divers were looking for somebody who may have dived off the train tracks that cross the reservoir near the road.

As I got by around 5:45 p.m., several cruisers were parked in the breakdown lane on the eastbound side, with several troopers and plainclothes investigators peering into the reservoir below. More police congregated on the nearby train bridge that is a popular hangout for teens during hot weather. There was a boat in the water. Two news copters hovered above (with a third heading in from 128).

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Getting ready for the Marathon

Running bloggers: Jonelle Lonergan (22371)
Alicia Priselac (24833)
John Keith (23871)
Kelly Pendergast (21865)
Steve Walker (24028)
 
Marathon guides: Povo.com
Wicked Local
Boston Globe
Brighton Centered
BAA

Michael Pahre discusses the oddity of Boston having two marathons this year - one Sunday for Olympic women trialists, and the normal one, on Monday.

Jim Sullivan recounts a day at the race.

Boston Police vow to crack down on drunken revelers. Are you listening, Boston College?

Why Tufts's president isn't running this year.

The year's grossest Marathon discussion.

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Framingham Stop & Shop makes no cents

CDG suggests the Old Connecticut Path Stop & Shop test employees on simple math, so when she hands over 17 soda bottles, she gets back 85 cents and no lip from the customer-service cashier who seems unable to fathom that a cash register could be wrong.

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Ha, ha, you jerk

Jerky car

So you couldn't be bothered to spend 30 extra seconds to clear your Civic off this morning, huh? And you probably didn't much care that you almost clipped me past Temple Street on Rte. 9 westbound (at least now I know my horn really works). But I'm not mad. Because for all your weaving in and out of traffic, and speeding up and brake slamming, I still beat you to White's Corner.

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WiFi is a cop's best friend

Computerworld details how Framingham patrol officers use technology these days. Interestingly, Framingham is trying to build a townwide WiFi system, not for residents, but for police:

... Framingham is in the process of implementing a townwide Wi-Fi mesh network so patrol cars can be online at all times. But for now, officers fill out reports and drive to a Wi-Fi hot spot to transmit their data via a virtual private network. Burman says the department uses radio frequency rather than cellular technology, to eliminate recurring monthly costs.

When online, all officers in patrol cars can see at a glance where all other cruisers are and what they're doing. Burman notes that this is extremely important for officer safety. ...

Ed. disclosure note: Hah, you thought you'd seen the last of these! But I work fulltime at Network World, which, like Computerworld, is published by IDG.

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At least some commuters can find out where their buses are in real time

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (basically, the smushing together of the old Framingham LIFT and Natick Neighborhood Bus systems), lets riders see a map on which the location of its GPS-equipped buses are updated every five seconds.

Via this Globe story, sorta, because God forbid the Globe write about a Web site and give its URL.

Bonus MWRTA fun fact: MWRTA bus route 9 is the bus that goes down Rte. 9.

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Who says the suburbs are boring?

Julia Spitz checks in from the best suburban daily newspaper I ever worked at (OK, the only one, but still), out there in Framingham:

... In recent days we've had a bumper crop of drunks, drug users, shoplifters and brawlers. There was the deadbeat dad from Hopkinton, brought back from Canada, who allegedly owes $500,000 in back child support, and let's not forget the Brazilian woman accused of lighting her boyfriend on fire in Framingham.

And then there are the stories that never seem to change. Today we have a Hudson resident facing his SEVENTH drunken driving charge. ...

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