Levenson says he seeks unused vacation pay, not severance

With Superintendent Nate Levenson gone and a permanent interim superintendent in place, questions have been raised about whether his replacement can, on her own, end the arbitration of fired Ottoson teacher Chuck Coughlin and whether Levenson has retained an attorney to negotiate a severance package. Two key sources have discounted both claims.

Lost search for a Black Hawk: One Arlingtonian's view

Town officials believe that crowds this year were the largest in a decade. While no clear estimate is available, the town pays for an insurance policy to cover as many as 25,000 people. Several food vendors sold out before 2 p.m. Sept. 20, and the Explorers reportedly made more than $2,000 the night before. The Sons of Italy booth reportedly sold 50 pounds of sausages before 1:30 p.m. and had to close. Some said the big hit was the Tango Restaurant booth, whose hamburgers and sirloin tips were big sellers. The 2009 Town Day is set for Sept. 25 (night) and 26. Rain date is Oct. 3.

The Arlington Redevelopment Board on Sept. 22 voted unanimously to extend until Nov. 7 the deadline for securing building permits for the Symmes project. The developer, JPI of Southborough, must also show that construction financing is in place by Oct. 31. 

Tara DeCristofaro, 37, of Medford, at a Democratic caucus in Waltham Sept. 24, won the nomination for the position of register of probate.Two Arlington were among a list of 20 candidates. Teresa J. Walsh and Paula E. Mattaliano, attorneys who live in Arlington, vied for theposition of Middlesex County Register of Probate, after John Buonomo resigned following charges he stole from his office.

Selectman tops Arlington vote

In the battle for the Fourth Middlesex Senate seat formerly held by J. James Marzilli Jr., Kenneth Donnelly soundly beat Jack Hurd by 3,256 votes, though the selectman won Arlington by 633 votes. The top vote-getter in the overall Senate race Sept. 16 drew 11,969 votes and Hurd had 8,713.

Guilty plea means 1 year in prison

Matthew Clarke has accepted responsibility in the April 17, 2007, car-crash death of Paul Leone, his close friend. The Arlington resident, in Middlesex Superior Court on Sept. 10, accepted a plea bargain offered by the district attorney and pleaded guilty to motor-vehicular homicide. The prosecution dropped the charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, said Corey Welford, spokesman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerry T. Leone.

Boston.com reports that dozens of Massachusetts high school seniors, including those from Arlington, have been named as semifinalists in the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. That makes them eligible to compete for some 8,200 scholarships.

About 16,000 semifinalists were chosen from the more than 1.5 million high school juniors who entered the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in October 2007, according to boston.com. 

The Arlington Center for the Arts is thrilled to announce that ACA won first prize for kids art classes in all of Greater Boston in the "Parents Pick Awards" sponsored by Nickelodeon and ParentsConnect.com.

ACA invites you to see what all the buzz is about, and sign up for aclass for your kids (or yourself).  Fall classes begin Sept. 22. Seethe complete fall catalog at www.acarts.org/classes.php.

Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect,the online resource for parenting advice and community, asked parentsto pick the best services in their local communities via the 2008Parents' Picks Awards.