MAC: New Commuter Rail Line Will Come Through Canton

DID YOU KNOW …

The Army Corps of Engineers and state transportation officials have decided that the new $1.4 billion commuter rail line connecting Boston to New Bedford and Fall River will pass through Canton and Stoughton. After Stoughton, the new line will pass through Easton, Raynham, and Taunton before branching off into two lines: one for Fall River and the other for New Bedford. It is hoped the new line will be completed by 2016 or 2017. The project reportedly will include major improvements to the Canton Center station as well as the Stoughton station.

Canton-based Dunkin’ Brands, the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins, reported global sales of $7.7 billion last year, up 7 percent from $7.2 billion in 2009. While the 2010 earnings pleased Dunkin’ Donuts’ management, coffee experts say Dunkin’ faces serious challenges in 2011 from competitors Starbucks and McDonald’s. McDonald’s will compete on price and has improved the quality of its coffee and is also building numerous new cafés.

The current officers of the Canton Police Association are: President Scott Connor, Vice President Brian Wanless, Secretary Bob Sykes and Treasurer Errol Lane.

Beer drinking fans at Fenway Park will surely be delighted to see that Fenway concessionaire Aramark is installing a pair of the new “Bottoms Up” beer dispensers, which it says fills a special cup from the bottom up in just a few seconds and can pour as many as 44 cups per minute, which will certainly speed up those aggravating long lines. Aramark reportedly is setting up one system in Fenway’s Big Concourse between Gate B and Gate C near the outfield and another outside the ballpark on Yawkey Way.

A recent communication from the Canton Area Helpline informs us that over 3,000 people were serviced through the food pantry last year, and the pantry supplied 9,634 bags of food at a value of $30 per bag. That equals a value of $286,020 in food.

The Canton Food Pantry is located at 960 Washington Street at the rear of the Marilyn Rodman Center and is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., and they are always seeking donations for Canton’s needy families and seniors.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society has announced that turkey vultures are returning to eastern Massachusetts, and sightings are increasingly being reported from various localities, along with several black vultures, including a group of seven in Sharon, two in Bourne, and one in Nantucket.

The Norfolk County Humane Society Shelter at 1975 Washington Street (Route 138) in Stoughton will hold a rabies clinic by Dr. Paula Ruel, the house vet, on Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to noon for dogs, and from noon to 1 p.m. for cats, which must be in carriers. The cost is $15 per pet. You can get more information by calling 781-344-6172.

A recent news item in the Boston Globe said that 6-foot-2 Erika Bornemann of Canton “was a force” for the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and was honored as the top rookie of the Little East Conference. She is the first women’s player at UMass-Dartmouth to earn the rookie award since 1991.

Stonehill College freshman Bryan Rooney of Canton has been selected to the Northeast 10 Conference Ice Hockey All-Rookie Team as voted by the conference’s six head coaches. Bryan is the son of Dawn and Dave Rooney.

It was recently announced that the Blue Hill Trailside Museum has been awarded a $175,000 grant by the Department of Conservation and Recreation Partnership Matching Funds Program. The grant is part of $1 million awarded to 32 improvement projects across the state. Trailside will use the grant to provide environmental programs and materials for school groups, summer camp participants, and general park visitors at the Blue Hills Reservation.

Dottie Morris and her associates recently ran a very successful bingo day game at the Hagan Court Senior Center Community Room. Canton Housing Authority Director Mark Roy stopped by and added a number of prizes toward the raffle held at the end of the game. A great time was had by all.

Richard Connor Jr. of Canton, an 18-year-old senior at Blue Hills Regional Technical School, is not only a co-caption of the school’s basketball team and a member of the football team; he also has a 3.5 GPA, which ranks him at 13 out of the 194 students in the Blue Hills senior class. His combined MCAS scores in English and math placed him in the top 25 percent of the school districts. He has been awarded a four-year scholarship, which will pay his tuition at any state college or university. When his Blue Hills career ends, he plans to study mechanical engineering in college.

Canton native John Jorgensen, who has worked in Minnesota for eight years as a K-9 police officer with his German Shepherd partner, Major, has been nominated as an America’s Most Wanted All Star. John, a 1990 CHS grad, was injured last November by a burglary suspect, who stabbed the dog four times, leaving him paralyzed. Since then, John has led a campaign to push for tougher penalties against anyone who injures police or public safety dogs. MAC encourages all of John’s friends in Canton to vote for him at www.amw.com/allstar. The contest, which ends this week, is sponsored by Sprint.

It is not wise to be wiser than is necessary.

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

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Posted by Joe DeFelice on Apr 6 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.