Community Corner

Week in Review: Officials Respond to Explosion, Ruptured Gas Line; Patch Talks Politics

A look at some of the top stories on Needham Patch last week.

Life gets busy, and Patch certainly understands that. So with that in mind, here are a few stories you might have missed on Needham Patch this week:

  1. Dedham Ave. Building Evacuated After Elderly Driver Strikes Gas Line—Employees at a Dedham Avenue office building were evacuated Thursday morning, Oct. 4 after an elderly driver crashed her car into the building’s gas meter.
  2. Employee Injured in Laboratory Explosion—An employee at a laboratory on Crescent Road in Needham was injured Wednesday, Oct. 3 when a chemical reaction caused a small explosion in the building.
  3. Needham Responders Save Little Girl From Choking—A Needham toddler who began choking on a doughnut last week received some life-saving assistance from a couple of Needham firefighters and a police officer after they just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
  4. Needham Olympians Featured at ESPN Women + Sports Summit—Two Needham residents and celebrated athletes—Aly Raisman and Kristine Lilly—were featured at ESPN’s Women + Sports Summit this week.
  5. Subway Opens in Needham—Hungry Needham residents now have a new spot to pick up a sandwich, with the opening of Subway last week.
Patch Politics

Election season is in full swing, and Patch wants to help readers become as informed as possible on the issues and candidates before heading to the polls. Here’s a quick look at some of our coverage this week:

  1. Medical Marijuana Debate Set Tuesday in Wayland—Needham residents who haven't decided where they stand on Question 3, which seeks to legalize medical marijuana, can hear both sides of the issue at an upcoming debate in Wayland.
  2. Needham Groups To Hold Forum on Question 2—To help voters prepare for Question 2 on the Nov. 6 ballot—whether terminally ill patients should be allowed to end their life with doctor-prescribed medications— the Needham Lyceum of First Parish and the League of Women Voters are co-sponsoring an informational forum on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. in the Meetinghouse of First Parish in Needham.
  3. U.S. Senate Debate: Candidates Wrangle over Character and Partisanship—With polls showing a neck-and-neck race for Massachusetts' U.S. Senate seat, Republican Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren came with claws sharpened to their second debate Monday night, Oct. 1 at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.
  4. League of Women Voters Hosting Bielat-Kennedy Debate—Local League of Women Voters chapters in the district have banded together to give voters a firsthand look at the candidates.
  5. Election 2012: How Much Have Your Neighbors Given to Obama and Romney?—Search our interactive campaign contribution database and find out who from Needham has donated to the presidential campaigns.
  6. Who Won the Presidential Debate? Patch Live Chat Recap—In the first presidential debate from Denver, President Barack Obama came out flat while Gov. Mitt Romney had some effective arguments, according to local Democrats and Republicans from across Massachusetts who joined in a Patch live chat during the debate on Tuesday night.

Sound Off

Needham Patch is all about you—the news and issues that matter to Needham readers. That’s why we occasionally ask readers to respond to polls, talk about local or state issues and submit their own photos and videos as part of our online community.

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Did we miss something? Send news tips, comments and suggestions to Becca.Manning@patch.com


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