Upper Crust Pizzeria Woes Deepen [POLL]

Upper Crust executives and founder are engaged in a bitter dispute.

Upper Crust’s woes have reached new heights with court filings showing its co-owners claim each other has used company money for personal gain, according to Boston.com. The details on the split are revealed in legal documents filed by co-owners Joshua Huggard and Brendan Higgins as well as co-founder Jordan Tobins, according to Boston.com The company is already under federal investigation for labor violations.   Upper Crust has one location in Wellesley as well as Waltham, Beacon Hill, Brookline, Lexington, South End, Watertown and West Roxbury, according to its website.  As a result of the dispute, Tobins has been placed on administrative leave, according to Boston.com and claimed the co-owners have illegally taken control of the firm. …

• Photos (1)

Investment Agent From Wellesley Allegedly Took Advantage of Elderly Woman

The woman may have had Alzheimer’s, according to Boston.com.

An adviser from Wellesley working for a Maryland-based investment firm allegedly goaded an elderly woman into withdrawing more than $1 million in certificates of deposit, causing the Secretary of State’s office to order back payment and levy fines against the firm. Boston.com is reporting investment firm H. Beck Inc. of Bethesda, Md. failed to supervise Paul Dumouchel, who worked for the firm from February 2009 to November 2011. “Dumouchel allegedly drove the woman to local banks and persuaded her to withdraw more than $1 million from certificates of deposit and invest them in annuities,” the story says. “By withdrawing from those certificates, the woman was charged about $5,000 in penalties. Dumouchel made about $63,000 in commission on …

• Photos (1)

School Officials Consider New GPA System

Under the new system, all grades, regardless of class difficulty, would be of uniform value.

School officials are considering a new approach to grade point average at the high school, which would align all grades regardless of class difficulty. The high school currently values grades in honors level classes higher than grades in lower-level classes, according to Boston.com. Under the new system, an A in either class would be worth the same. Superintendent Bella T. Wong told Boston.com that the change is in the “discussion phase.” “I think it’s healthy for the community to look at policies and evaluate them from time to time,” she said in the story. “It really just came up this year.”

• Photos (1)

ACLU Looking at St. James Purchase

Land use restrictions have caused the state branch of the ACLU to take notice.

Due to use restrictions in the sale agreement of the property, The Massachusetts branch of the American Civil Liberties Union is checking into the sale of 900 Worcester St. – The St. James The Great property. The potential sale restricts future use of the property from becoming a stem cell research facility, an abortion clinic or a site where assisted suicide is performed for 90 years. An ACLU lawyer told Boston.com that this may be a case in which religion would dictate how a town uses public land. “This is the government accepting a restriction on what the public can do with this property and on what the government can do with it based on canon law,” Sarah Wunsch, staff attorney for the ACLU, told Boston.com. “That is allowing a …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: April 11

No more Chartwells.

Each morning, Wellesley Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. 1. The School Committee last night voted to not renew its contract with Chartwells, the food vendor for the schools, according to Boston.com. 2. This comes as little surprise after a year's worth of problems with the vendor. 3. The Advisory Search Committee, responsible for picking a new superintendent, will meet this afternoon in executive session to generate a list of three finalists for the superintdent job coming available next year. The committee will reveal the names at a meeting Friday morning. 4. Are you running the marathon this year? Let us know. 5. Next week is…

• Photos (1)

No More '12-Rides' For Commuter Rail Passengers

A Wellesley woman is quoted in Boston.com regarding the MBTA decision to get rid of 12-passes.

The MBTA is doing away with 12-ride passes, which – riders contend in Boston.com – can mean more than just 12 rides. The MBTA will stop making available the passes, which had a 6-month validity period, and replace them with 10-ride passes, good for 30 days, according to Boston.com Eva Bozewicz, 18, from Wellesley sounded off in the article. She said she was aware that people took advantage of the 12-ride passes, but she was OK with it. The retiring of the 12-rides comes on the heels of the decision to fare hikes and service cuts on the T last week.

• Photos (1)

POLL: Should Hiring Companies Ask for Facebook Information?

Some employers are asking for login information of potential job seekers.

Imagine utilizing all of Facebook's privacy settings to the maximum so that only your closest family and friends can see your personal profile.  Now imagine interviewing for a job and having that employer ask for your login information in order to get a better look at your personal life.  That's exactly what some hiring companies are doing across the country, according to a Boston.com report Tuesday. But the legality of the move is being called into question, and is actually being brought to the forefront in such states as Illinois and Maryland, where proposed legislation would forbid public companies from asking for such information, according to Boston.com.  What do you think? Do hiring companies have the right to ask job seekers for …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Large House Review, Building Bylaws Once Again in Spotlight

A Boston.com story highlights Wellesley as a town whose houses could be getting too large.

Wellesley developers just got a reminder that their sprawling homes might have to come under review based on a bylaw. A Boston.com report Thursday spotlighted a Wellesley building bylaw, which notifies abutters if builders plan on expanding a house a certain amount according to size of lot. The example given in the story involves the expansion of a 30,000 square foot lot by 7,200 square feet would trigger a review. In January 2011, Wellesley Patch published a story which drills deeper into the subject. The bylaw was amended – effective July 1, 2010 – to include all living space of a home, namely the garage and attic, which would often force builders into the costly review process.

• Photos (1)

Wellesley Animal Control Publishes Info on Coyote Attacks

The Wellesley Police Department oversees animal control.

In light of recent coyote attacks on dogs in town, the Wellesley Police Department’s animal control officer Sue Webb and Sgt. Glen Gerrans published some information on the department’s website yesterday. The post provided a general warning to the public, as well as information from the recent incidents involving the wild animals. “Coyotes are around all year. They are not nocturnal, but are most active at dawn and dusk. It is breeding season so coyotes are very active looking for a mate. They are also looking for rodents and other small animals to eat to survive,” the statement said. Recently, Boston.com published a column by Alex Beam about coyote attacks in the suburbs, which included Wellesley. CBS Boston also updated the story with …

• Photos (1)

Wellesley Has Fifth Highest Median Income in Mass.

The list, originally posted yesterday on Boston.com, is based on recent U.S. Census statistics.

Wellesley is the fifth wealthiest town in the state in terms of median household income. Boston.com published a photo and informational gallery yesterday which listed the 20 towns in Massachusetts with the highest median incomes and the 20 towns with the lowest. Wellesley ranks fifth in the state with a 2009 median income of $166,815, which is only behind Dover, Carlisle, Weston and Sherborn. According to Boston.com, the data was compiled using information from the U.S. Census, University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute and Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies.

• Photos (1)