Community Corner

Region Roundup: Joe Kennedy Visit, Motor Cycle Crash, Man Killed by Train and More

A look at the top headlines around the area for the week of Aug. 26, 2012.

In a town that has consistently been one of the few GOP strongholds in the state and produced a Republican U.S. senator, one may think that a Democratic candidate for Congress may not find Wrentham the most welcoming play to be on the campaign trail. Yet, Democratic congressional candidate Joe Kennedy III received a warm welcome while making campaign stops yesterday at the Wrentham Public Safety Building to talk to members of the Wrentham Fire Department and at the Wrentham Senior Center.

The stop in Wrentham was just one of the many appearances that Kennedy has made during the campaign. Prior to arriving in Wrentham at approximately 10:45 a.m., the campaign had already made appearances in Wellesley and Franklin and had events  and appearances planned in Taunton, Millis, and Sharon during the afternoon and evening.

Find out what's happening in Norwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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Find out what's happening in Norwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The permit for expires today [Friday]. But Dedham dog owners will be happy to know that the park will not close down. It will only be moved to another temporary location.

The committee will offer another extension for a year, or until the permanent dog park is complete. 

The park started as a pilot program, set up by . At first, the Parks and Recreation Committee wanted to see how residents would respond to the park. But they were surprised how fast hundreds of residents were using the facility.

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The following is a press release from the Massachusetts State Police.

Last night [Sunday] at about 11:25 p.m. troopers from the Massachusetts State Police Barracks in Foxboro received numerous calls for a motorcycle crash on Route 495 northbound, at Exit 12, in Mansfield. On arrival troopers found a 50-year-old man had crashed his motorcycle onto the roadway. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Michael Lokitis indicates the motorcycle operator rapidly decelerated when traffic unexpectedly slowed to a stop on the highway.

Evidence indicates that the operator, identified as John Wallace of Deering, N.H., lost control of his 2009 Harley Davidson and crashed into the roadway, causing fatal injuries. Wallace was pronounced deceased on scene. Wallace was returning to his hotel from the Country Music Festival at the time of the crash. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash.

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A tresspasser on the Commuter Rail tracks between the Islington and Norwood Depot train stations was struck and killed by an outbound train this morning [Thursday], officials said.

The accident occurred just before 10 a.m. on the tracks past the Everett St. bridge in Norwood. Norwood Police, Transit Police and the Medical Examiner were all on scene on Route 1A across from Investors Way.

MBTA Spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the tresspasser was described as a middle-aged male. No further details on the victim were available.

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When Shanna Boyden Ueda got ready for her day Saturday morning, she thought she was going to be spending it at baby shower.

Instead, the Walpole Marine, who will be deployed to Afghanistan next month, walked out her front door to see a WWII-era Jeep waiting for her.

The Jeep - along with a caravan of fellow service members, family and friends - escorted her and her husband Josh in a parade from her home in East Walpole to the Veteran's Memorial Statue in the center of town.

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Christopher Knight, the 12-year-old Foxborough boy struck by a landscaping truck on Baker Street and airlifted to Tufts Medical Center Monday afternoon is in fair condition and continues to recover from serious injuries.

“A few friends went to visit and we were relived and happy to see a bit of the Chris we know and love – in his usual 'subtle' way he’s clear he doesn’t like it in the hospital,” said Laura Brodeur, a friend and neighbor of the Knight family who has been providing updates of Chris' condition on her Facebook page.

Brodeur says Knight is still heavily medicated to manage his pain but has made significant progress since Monday night.

“He will likely stay in ICU over the long weekend and then hopefully move to a rehab facility next week, depending on continued testing and evaluations being done Friday,” Brodeur said.

In the aftermath of Monday’s accident, many members of the community have reached out offering help and support to the Knight family.

"We realize there are a lot of people in the community, even those that don't know the Knight family very well, that want to help so we wanted to remind people that we are working on organizing a "Care Calendar" that will be posted online probably next week once we have a better idea of what the family will need in the coming weeks," Brodeur said. "For now, they have had plenty of food dropped off at the house - and when we have the calendar set up it will be more organized for those who want to help out. The outpouring of support has been wonderful and is very appreciated by Sue [Chris' mother] and her family. Please bear with us for a bit longer until we can get a sense of what the next steps are for Chris, Sue and the family and then we will be able to help in a more organized way. Thank you all again for your continued support."


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