Pete Walker was happy that the Boston Red Sox named Bobby Valentine their new manager earlier this week. It wasn’t only because Valentine is the former manager of  Walker, the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen coach who hails from the area and helps organize the World Baseball Coaches Convention. Valentine, a Stamford native, has been a mainstay of the convention and is expected to be on hand again this year. The event will return to the Mohegan Sun Convention Center from Jan. 19-21. It will feature Valentine’s expected visit and a number of other national, regional and local coaches, players Continue reading >>>

Ashley Bell Class: SeniorHometown: Riverhead, N.Y.High School: Riverhead As a Junior in the 2010-11 season: Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Team selection...New England champion in the 4x100 relay (outdoors)...All-Region in the 60 meters (indoors), 100 meters (outdoors), 4x100 relay (outdoors) and 200 meters (indoors and outdoors)...All-New England in the 60 and 200 meters (indoors) and the 4x100 relay (outdoors)...Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection…At the Continue reading >>>

Today, December 4, 12:00 pm Gorse Mill Studios, 31 Thorpe Rd, Needham, MA, FREE Celebrate the season and help an important local charity at Gorse Mill Studios' holiday open-studio and art-sale event Dec. 3-4. As part of Needham's town-wide holiday art sale, Gorse Mill Studios at 31 Thorpe Rd. (www.gorsemillstudios.com) will be open to the public for art demonstrations, displays and sales on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 4, from noon to 5:00 p.m. This free, family-friendly event will feature demonstrations of glass-blowing, wheel-thrown pottery and Continue reading >>>

If Barney Frank did not deliver for his constituents, he would have washed out of Congress in a single term. Frank has the charm of a porcupine and a voice that resembles a jackhammer. He’s the smarty-pants who constantly waved his hand at the teacher, knowing by fourth grade that he was the smartest kid in the school, or maybe the town. And he was. Now he’s leaving public office. Frank’s stunning announcement that he would retire after this term gives Massachusetts a second major political race in 2012 – the other being the Senate contest between Republican Scott Brown and, most Continue reading >>>

Lexington resident Mike Barrett has announced his candidacy for the 2012 Democratic nomination for state Senate representing the 3rd Middlesex District, which includes Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, Waltham, Weston, and parts of Sudbury and Lexington. The district is represented currently by Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln. “These are challenging times,” Barrett said. “People are downhearted about government, and too many incumbents seem to be in it for themselves. It’s a good moment for a fresh start. I have 17 years of experience in the private sector and 17 years of Continue reading >>>

Print this Article    Email this Article EXETER — While there is still no official confirmation of the identity of the Ioka theater building's buyer, the owner of the Boston investment firm whose representative placed the winning bid has local ties.A Kensington Investment Co. bid $600,000 at Thursday's public auction of the downtown property. The principal of Kensington Investment Co. is Alan Lewis of Kensington. Lewis is an eighth-generation Kensington resident and philanthropist who previously Continue reading >>>

Best team on a small stage The first Saturday of December is a big day for local High School football fans as they get to see the best of the best in the state square of in their respective Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium. Unfortunately, this year the state's best team will not be playing at Gillette, but at Bentley College. Everett, a team that is the consensus top program in Massachusetts over the last decade and the consensus top team in the state this season, was inexplicably dropped to Division 1A along with the rest of the Greater Boston League. It's a shame that fans tuning into the games Continue reading >>>

WGBH’s Jared Bowen doing a cameo as a pirate in the Three Sixty production of “Peter Pan” at City Hall Plaza, then taking a whirl at flying over London ... New Kid Joey McIntyre collecting toys for the Home for Little Wanderers at “Stuff-a-Truck” at Boston Common before headlining Boston’s Tree Lighting Ceremony ... New England Patriots [team stats] big guys Vince Wilfork [stats] and Jerod Mayo in the TD Garden Premium Club taking in Monster Jam 2011 ... Car czar Ernie Boch Jr. hanging backstage with Aerosmith ax man Joe Perry at the band’s gig in Tokyo ... Supermodel mommy Gisele Continue reading >>>

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff You'd think with a matching record, Needham would come with as much hype as their opponent in Saturday's Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium, BC High. At 9-3, they're not even close. The Needham Rockets are ranked No. 12 in the Globe Top 20, nine spots behind the BC High Eagles at No. 3. The reasons for which are simple: BC High's losses were to top ranked teams in New Jersey (DePaul Catholic and St. Peter's Prep) and to the state's unanimous No. 1 team, Everett. Needham, a team that was in Division 1A last season (the Bay State Carey flip flopped with the Continue reading >>>