Coming up on WMCT News, early voting is open for the first time in Massachusetts, what people
think of it here in Marlboro.
Some big changes coming to the mass pipe this week, and a Marlboro high student gets an
invitation to meet the president.
Early voting is going on in all but 10 states this week, it's the first time it's happened
here in Massachusetts, and WMCT's Zoe Zandora was at the Marlboro polls Monday to get voters
reactions.
The election year has been anything but ordinary this year, and the November 8th elections
are right around the corner, and for the first time, Massachusetts, to make sure your vote
counts has implemented early voting.
I think it's great, I'm booked on the 8th, and I was struggling to think how I was going
to be able to vote, and then I heard on NPR that we've got early voting, as I drove through
town I saw, okay I'm doing that now, I literally just parked the car and popped in here, it's
fantastic.
It's absolutely ecstatic, with the turnout thus far, folks can easily come in and they
can cast their ballot as long as they're a registered voter, and if they did not return
the census, or if for some reason they've been inactivated, they still can come in with
proper ID, and they can still early vote, so I'm very excited.
That was Zoe Zandora reporting.
Candidates for state representative getting one more chance before November's election
to make their case, incumbent Danielle Gregoire and former Marlboro City Councilor Paul Farrow
are set to debate Thursday night.
The event is closed to the public, but you can watch it here at 7 tomorrow night.
And Marlboro's unemployment rate continuing to drop, staying well below the state and
national averages.
As the city's Economic Development Corporation tells us, it took a lot of hard work to get
here.
A reason to celebrate if you live in Marlboro, the unemployment rate in the city reaching
an impressive low.
The numbers for August just came in, it's about 3.2 percent, which is below the state
and also the nation.
The country averaging a jobless rate just below 5 percent.
Meredith Harris, who leads the Marlboro Economic and Development Corporation, says the downtick
in unemployment is due to more than just an uptick in available jobs.
We're constantly bringing jobs into the city, but another huge effort on our part is to
also match the jobs that we're bringing into the residents here in the city.
If the jobs are going to be here, we might as well have our Marlboro residents working
at the companies that are here within the city.
The formula seems to be working.
The unemployment rate in Marlboro has decreased 44 percent over the last four years.
The MEDC says other initiatives have also helped the jobless rate steadily decline here.
It's now the fifth year the city has organized a LinkedIn workshop and a job fair to help
people in Marlboro get hired.
This year's Marlboro Works job fair starts at 5.30 Thursday night.
In today's crime watch, a person from Hudson charged with assaulting someone on Fry Street.
Jamie Lynn Bull was arrested Sunday morning.
Police say the 42-year-old had a dangerous weapon.
And two local men were arrested in New Hampshire last week after a large-scale manhunt.
Police say three men broke into a home in Epping, New Hampshire, then ran.
They say they found Raul Natarano hiding in a shed.
The Framingham man, along with a man from Marlboro and another from New Hampshire, were charged
with burglary and armed robbery.
Police say the alleged crimes were drug-related.
A Framingham woman indicted on weapons charges.
The grand jury charged Kelly Walker with several charges, including the unlicensed possession
of a large-capacity gun.
The 36-year-old was arrested in Marlboro during an altercation over the summer.
Police say she and her boyfriend attacked and threatened a drug dealer while trying
to get cocaine.
Walker is due back in court next week.
We finally got some substantial rainfall last week, but it didn't come without a price.
Several drivers had to be rescued Friday night.
Their cars stuck in the heavy rain that flooded streets.
More than three inches fell in some parts of Metro West, overwhelming drains and forcing
temporary road closures.
Lots of Worcester getting about five inches of rain.
No injuries were reported.
More tough news for local drivers.
Officials in Westboro say drivers should expect delays as the town works to tear down toll
plazas on the mass pike.
Starting this Friday, an all-electronic tolling system will take over.
That means you'll only be able to pay for tolls using an easy-pass transponder.
The demolition of toll plazas is set to start as soon as that electronic tolling system
opens.
Like on Main Street in Marlboro, we'll also be a little bit altered this week.
Starting Thursday afternoon, ghouls, princesses and who knows what else will take over during
the annual Horribles Parade.
Trick or treating starts at 4.30 and then an hour later, the middle school band will
lead the parade down Main Street.
So get your cameras ready.
And can't let the kids have all the fun.
WMCT's Zoe Zandora checked out a local pumpkin patch to soak up all the spirit of this fall
season.
My name's Tom Hansen.
This is my farm, Hansen's Farm, where I'm at Nixon Road in Framingham, which is really
really at the corner of Framingham, Marlboro and Sudbury and Southboro.
It's this corner of town.
We've been here for 106 years.
My great-grandfather started farming here.
We're open for retail business from May, the beginning of May until November.
And then we're open again for Christmas season in December.
So we'll be open at Thanksgiving and we'll be open until Christmas.
But even in the off-season, people can stop by and see the animals we don't mind.
We've had a great time.
You know, I've loved this season and I love the way people come with their family.
Happy people having a great time on the weekends.
They go out.
I don't know if you went out to the giant pumpkin out there that you see it's a great
place to take pictures of your kids with your kids every year.
We have great pumpkin picking.
We also have a hayride that takes your way out back to our corn maze and you can spend
some time out in the corn maze and it's just a happy and wonderful time to come.
Pumpkins make people happy.
That's what I've decided.
Coming up after the break, the post-season is coming up fast.
Tom Brown lets us know which local teams are likely to grab a playoff bid.
And we'll tell you how a local student and teacher have got an audience with President
Obama.
Stick around.
Halloween is fast approaching and you know what that means.
Candy.
You can go out before you go out trick-or-treating or remember just a few guidelines.
Always go out with an adult or group of kids.
Look both ways before crossing the street.
Only approach houses that are well-lit.
Never eat unwrapped candy.
Trick or treat.
Always dispose of candy wrappers properly.
By following these simple rules, this can be the best Halloween ever.
Happy Halloween.
With Dr. Gang Green.
Hi, I'm Jennifer Terrell from the Movie House.
Be sure to tune in Halloween for our Movie House of Horrors Marathon.
We start early at 7 a.m. with some classic and campy horror flicks and monster masses
that run through the night.
That is, if you can handle that much horror.
From director Alfred Hitchcock to legendary scare actors like Bella Lugosi and Lon Cheney,
the Movie House has you covered.
Welcome back.
The air is getting crisp so you know it's about time for the playoffs.
And it's going to be a busy post-season for Marlboro High.
All of the school's team sports have clinched a playoff spot.
And that includes MHS football, the team becoming league champs this weekend after lightning
and rain forced the game from Friday to Saturday.
Asubit was also close to clinching their league title.
They were undefeated until Saturday's heartbreaking loss to Blackstone.
As WMCT sports Tom Brown tells us, both teams are still likely to host at least one playoff
game.
After an opening drive score by Blackstone Valley, DJ Wakerhaige sets Asubit up with
some great field position.
On the first play from scrimmage, Gabe Souza does what he's been doing all season as he
busts up the middle and he won't be touched for 65 yards.
The Beaver's offense gets right back to work as a quarterback scrambles to his right, throws
on the run and the receiver catches it pinned against his helmet and is taken down in Asubit
territory.
Later in the drive, it's that QB Hector Petri again scrambling to his right and he decides
to run and dives towards the pylon to put Blackstone back on top.
In what is shaping up to be a shootout, Jesus Pizarro brings the Aztecs down to the goal
line with this run, setting up Justin Phillips to sneak in and bring Asubit back to even.
Right before half the Beaver's get the ball at the five yard line, try a run to the right
which gets them a couple yards.
The next play, the same play in the same result, they rush to the line and try to sneak it
in with Petri who is stoned by the Aztecs defensive line.
On fourth, they roll out but pressure causes a pass to be behind the defender and it's
a great goal line stand for Asubit going into half.
At the start of the third quarter, Kevin Bartholomus for Blackstone breaks a huge run
and that gets the Beaver's down to the ten yard line once Asubit catches up.
A few plays later, Bartholomus is rewarded and BBT is on top yet again.
Bartholomus though misses the PAT opening the door for Asubit, a great play on the hand
off here by Justin Phillips as he gets the ball to Pizarro as he's falling down and
Pizarro takes off, rushing down the sideline for another huge game.
Will Soto adds to the rushing attack, rumbling to his right and bringing the Aztecs inside
the five yard line as he tiptoes along the sideline.
Sousa finishes off the drive, evening the score and remember that PAT that was missed.
Well on Asubit's attempt, a bad snap is caught by Sousa and somehow he gets to the edge,
avoids all the tacklers and dives in for the two point conversion.
The excitement and lead is short lived as Petri runs the option, makes the perfect read
and he is gone.
No one from Asubit will touch him and he retakes the lead for BBT.
In a last ditch effort, Phillips is pressured and his pass is picked off.
Asubit falls 26-22 and it is their first loss of the season.
She's only a junior but Aaliyah Nisbitt is already racking up the accomplishments, including
meeting the president of the United States.
So where does she go from here?
President Barack Obama.
Hello everybody.
It was like he finally came and I was like wow this is real, like I'm actually seeing
the 44th president right now.
An extraordinary opportunity for an extraordinary student.
Marlboro High Junior, Aaliyah Nisbitt invited to be one of fewer than 100 students at a
town hall meeting with the president.
She and teacher Dan Riley getting their invites just days before the event.
When he told me like I was like I really didn't believe it, it was like something so surreal
to me.
The conversation held at A&T University in North Carolina was hosted by ESPN and focused
on sports, race and achievement.
Aaliyah's teachers say she more than earned her spot there.
She's part of the STEM program at MHS and tutors others in the program.
She's also a two sport varsity athlete, a national honor society student and an intern
with local engineering giants, Raytheon and Hologic.
I think if you see Aaliyah's resume for yourself, it's easy to understand that she just embodies
everything that we want out of our students.
Riley heads the STEM program.
He says it's no surprise Aaliyah was chosen to represent Marlboro at a meeting with the
country's commander in chief, an experience he won't soon forget.
We were the first ones in the door, first in line.
It was a wonderful opportunity.
At the conclusion of the interview, President Obama came around and he thanked and welcomed
also at the same time everybody who was joining him, so it was pretty fantastic.
Aaliyah thought so too, saying some of the discussion deeply affected her.
As we talk about overcoming challenges, I wanted to seek your advice about overcoming
challenges while also having the family.
There was a young woman who asked a question about being a single parent, and I relate
to that because my mother, she raised three kids on her own, and it just shows that no
matter what you shouldn't have doubt in yourself, raising three kids on your own, it's hard
for her.
She says her mother's strength instilled in her the confidence to pursue an interest
in engineering.
Yes, it is a male-dominated career, but I feel like I should have a place in that career.
I am a strong person, and I believe that no matter who you are, you should have a right
in that, to do what you want, to do what you pursue.
Marlboro School Committee applauding her tenacity.
I have to say, it was really quite thrilling to be watching you all on TV and to know that
we knew you, and that you guys were there having that experience because, as you pointed
out, once in a lifetime experience.
That's it for this mid-week edition of WMCT News.
Be sure to tune in this Friday at 6 for our end of the week newscast with Zoe Zandora,
and on Monday, it's our movie House of Horrors Marathon.
The haunting starts at 7 a.m. and goes all the way to 11 at night.
If you can survive, go to WMCT-TV.com for a full list of horrors, books, and play times.
Happy Halloween!
For WMCT News, I'm Forrest Gastner.
