Wellesley's Week In Review, Aug. 30 - Sept. 5

Wellesley Patch started off the week with a feature on Neal Sanders, whose book, "Murder Imperfect," is available at the Wellesley Booksmith and online, and features Wellesley landmarks.

Monday night, Patch covered a rally for supporters of the Tian Fu Restaurant, which is seeking an extension of its lease, which ran out Tuesday. A second video from the event ran on Wednesday, featuring a speech made Monday by Roy Switzler, who spoke against the Town Meeting article that set the events of Tian Fu's dilemma in motion.

Later Monday night, The Board of Selectmen covered a lot of ground, including creating a temporary fire department position to encourage and manage the transition of private businesses to the town's new radio fire alarm system. The board also got an update on talks to keep the Council on Aging at the Wellesley Community Center at 219 Washington St. from Selectman Terri Tsgaris. She noted the best option for the Council on Aging appeared to be a plan that would tear down the old building and completely re-build it.

Tuesday brought news of for underage possession of alcohol and furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor during a party.

The evening also marked the return of the Wellesley School Committee meeting, where members discussed a resurrected ropes course for the new school, and the efforts of the WEF, PTOs and individual donors to provide smart boards for most classrooms in the district.

Wednesday morning was an early one for Wellesley firefighters and police, when a 3 a.m. blaze at 41 Kimlo Road drew fire engines and required police to block off the east bound lane of Rte. 9, which was one quick right turn away.  Wellesley Patch had the story and photos at 6:30 a.m. with more info and photos at 8:22 a.m., when the fire was out,  then an update with photos at 11:30 a.m. as fire marshals and firefighters inspected the damage.

The day was also the first day of school for Wellesley. Patch visited Sprague School, where new principal Steve Goodwin was marking his first official day of school as well, meeting with students in every classroom and encouraging them to "Bring their 'A' game."

Thursday brought warnings from state and local officials that residents should prepare for the worst from Hurricane Earl, which, though losing steam on its route north toward Massachusetts, still appeared ready to threaten high winds and rain.

That night, the Wetlands Protection Committee heard one third of the Wellesley Country Club's plan for three new buildings near area wetlands on Brookside Road.

On Saturday, Patch reported on the upcoming Sept. 24 night football game, which was such a success last year, the Natural Resources Commission waived the need for a public hearing this time around. The end of the day marked the beginning of the beginning of The 24-hour Barefoot Soccer Tournament, which was delayed on account of the hurricane.

The fundraiser, which continues until 4 p.m. today at Hunnewell Field, invites the public to sign up (with a $25 minimum donation) for an hour or two between Saturday and Sunday to raise funds for Grassroots Soccer, a New England nonprofit that uses soccer to facilitate its educational mission of teaching AIDS prevention to African youth.