What We Learned on Patch This Week: July 9-15

Welcome to "What We Learned This Week," a recap of the top articles on the site over the last seven days. This week, we have a story about a grant given to the to fight underage drinking, an image gallery from the Holliston U12A softball team's win on Tuesday night and a feature on local singer/songwriter Jim Cormier and his recently-released debut album.

We also have a look at Holliston native Toni DiBuono's Snickers commercial and an update on the Town hall Renovation project.

1. — On Thursday, Holliston Police recently announced that it will be one of 38 local departments to receive a $5,000 grant from the state to combat underage drinking.
   
   The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) will give out $280,000 in grants, which are funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis and vary between $5,000 and $15,000 based on the size of the community.
2. — The Holliston Twin-Valley League U12A (11 and 12-years-old) softball team defeated Hopedale 14-7 Tuesday evening at the Damigella Field.
   
   The game was close early on, with both teams scoring single runs in the first two innings. Holliston broke the game open in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs and never looking back.
3. — More than three decades of playing music has taken Holliston singer/songwriter Jim Cormier to bars, lounges, fairs, carnivals and baseball games all over New England.
   
   But one thing was missing. Until now.
   
   After spending four years recording in his spare time, Cormier recently put the finishing touches on his debut solo album, "A Place for Me." The disc, a heavily-autobiographical album with some songs more than 30 years old, runs the gamut from country music, pop and rock.
4. — On Wednesday, About Town columnist John Shannahan told us that Holliston native Antionette "Toni" DiBuono recently appeared in a commercial for Snickers Peanut Butter Squared. In the spot, the 1974 Marian High graduate leads a focus group for sharks, who agree they enjoyed devouring the gentleman who had consumed Snickers Peanut Butter Squared before being eaten himself.
   
   DiBuono graduated from the Boston Conservatory and starred in in Forbidden Broadway in Boston in the late 80s. Since then, she has accumulated an impressive list of movie, television and commercial credits.
5. The rehabilitation plan took another step Monday night as Selectmen gave the Town Hall Renovation Committee the go-ahead to negotiate with an architect for the project.
   
   THRC representatives Jon Juhl, Jackie Dellicker and Ed Nunes came before the board to recommend Gienapp Design Associates, LLC of Danvers with McGinley Kaslow & Associates, Inc. of Somerville as the runner-up.