welcome to talking news we're delighted to have you with us listening to our recent ation by members of the beat street center martha jonathan and marion we'll be reading local news and happenings from the community newspaper construction serving local business this parking spaces and obstacles have decrease foot traffic by graham berkowitz hafta nearly five months of construction which has made the town center less than desirable to drive and walk through this is this in the area of feeling their burden and hope residents will show and shop locally during the upcoming holiday season the town center is coming along great and it's going to look beautiful when it for and construction parental is done said jerry difficult owner of champion sports and president of the belmont center business association but everybody who owns local businesses has said sales are down in may work again on the belmont center reconstruction project t point eight million effort to beautify town center which includes road and sidewalk renovations a new crosswalk system ornamental li traffic improvements and then green space in front of elmont savings bank among other improvements a few months later more construction began on the building seventy five and then that street the pharmacy of macy's in order to prepare for incoming foods market and have a future tenants construction has recei started in many obstacles notably easing up parking spaces in the lot behind the building off of town over channing road and alexander ave and in other areas of the center the town center reconstruction project was slated for completion in november but ran into difficulties along the way and now will have to be finished next spring subsurface conditions were more challenging than hoped for resulting in a slower pace in some areas of the project said glen  director of community development in the email clancy did however say the project is on budget this is a big window of time for transformation said construction guarding to trolling after the holiday season winter months typically see a decline in business and the vacant retail space in the former maces macy's building real may not be occupied for another nine to twelve months she said since macy's left the center in january twenty third teen and took its one hundred plus transformation is a big opportunity she said that we are all concerned plan she said community development is working hard to minimize the of the project construction in a commercial area is difficult for everyone businesses patrons motorist driving through the work so on and community development staff who are trying to manage the work and get the project done he said winter is approaching and over the next couple of weeks we will be working with a contractor to make sure the area is safe and secure for the holiday shopping season and the winter months ticket said he was meeting with town officials t to see if the parking for employees and customers could be arranged for november and december runners banners will also be put up advertising for the most wanted list it appears a former belmont man will finally face justice richard how seventy three pleaded guilty last week a u s district court of boston to fraudulent business activities and was sentenced to twenty months of time served in prison and a pay restitution of one hundred sixty seven thousand eight hundred eighty three dollars something grown lee belmont police arrested how brought him to court and middlesex county to face numerous sexual assault and rape of as fences he was charged and arrested indicted for and nine hundred ninety two earlier that year belmont police had arrested how he was armed with a twenty five caliber handgun minor according to james massa sack belmont's assistant police chief however after a middle section prayer court grand jury indicted how the the accomplished author and publisher posted bail and then never appeared for his trial on aug twelfth one thousand nine hundred ninety two he instead fled the country according to elizabeth block a spokeswoman for middlesex d a marion raw and raping a child care is a life sentence in prison as a maximum punishment all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty as you said if the defendant judges to waive his right to a trial he may plead guilty to the charges but according to house appointed to turn any stephen away most the chances of that happening are not likely to be honest my conversations with have been limited he said but at this point i do not feel that he will plead guilty w i did say that if the district attorney's office makes a reasonable offer how should consider it although he was unclear if the rape victim that he does believe to be a belmont native would testify weymouth said a case like house is extremely difficult you can try to attack the victim's word he said but typically when long periods of time of gone by and the victim testifies as an adult it is much more difficult weymouth ortiz states that through multiple fake businesses and aliases how defrauded more than one hundred fifty universities seminaries churches and individuals by taking advanced payments for various encyclopedias one of which he claimed to have authored despite not possessing the books or having any of them any way to obtain them in one thousand nine hundred ninety five how was indicted for thirty counts of mail fraud connected to the scheme years after how become a fugitive the state police's violent future fugitive apprehension section along with belmont police picked up the scent and found how residing in colombia early and twenty thirteen state police reached out to the u s state department in may two thousand and thirteen and after failing wants the state department's diplomatic security service and colombian immigration officials developed new information in the house where abouts and arrested him in february twenty fourth teen state and belmont police as well as the u s state department are able to pinpoint housing location and arrest him while he was riding in a taxi traveling from the colombian reelection polo is in his second term as selectman in the town he moved to when he was in the eighth grade and where he has raised his family with his wife of twenty eight years christine i thought two terms was enough but as i reflected upon serving one final term i needed to understand whether i could do it said pull a low blow talked it over with his family and decided there was too much unfinished business he still wants to oversee such as the community path capital projects and forming a financial taskforce implementation committee in twenty thirteen he was reelected to a second term unopposed i feel compelled to run again and will take a third term he said this will be my final term nine years is more than enough i hope other talented individuals decide to run as well since becoming us lekman and twenty ten below said he is proud of the board's accomplishments such as hiring a new town administrator and town accountant creating a more collaborative process between the school committee and the town on budget planning moving forward with the underwood pool and cushing village and successfully passing a proposition two and a half override since i've been on the board serving with such talented individuals like ralph jones we reestablished the board as a strong board that leads within the community said polo polo said he tries to listen to all points of view and make decisions based on what's best for belmont and believes in governing by uniting he said his greatest challenge as a slick men was educating the community about the need for an operating override and establish trust bringing the town together in a very in a very successful that was necessary my biggest challenge we end ended up in a better place a better answer for the town said polo e ways to open minds and doors for her young musicians far younger musicians this year revie rock the dynamic an icky cast cell and might block to come work with the middle and high school students on a two day fiddling residency extravaganza revie says she looks for artists that versified the style string  the students are exposed to i seek out pakis that are and through c s to work well with kids and they are eager to share their knowledge and skills with aspiring musicians said re eager and the jadick are two great words for castle jumping stomping and hooping are a big part of her presence her career key fun sense of humor seems to keep everyone around her smiling and tapping she hollers and stops work around with a bow stuck up on top of her head all by a loud lee saying over the chorus of violins give me some edge and i want some energy she noted she teaches how to play tunes that you could dance to or how tonight playing more dramatic her musical partner and husband mike block walks around playing cello as he teaches and even sings he developed his the back blocks strap because he was jealous of his guitar playing colleagues and wanted the same freedom the students had a chance to try it on themselves allowing them to learn to play and walk and dance them selves to the delight of many of the students he entertained them with the various i'm usually songs including one he wrote about being a parking lot attendant jonathan local celebrities model in fashion show by october twenty fifth more than one hundred fifty men and women came together to show their support for the organization at a fashion show fundraiser at the oakley country club a lineup of male and female models including many familiar faces from around town such as director of public works j my cart my cop belmont fire chief david freese al selectman sammy baghdadi and jim williams foundation for belmont education president jamie shea middlesex district attorney marion ryan and council on aging director novena vogel lord and taylor of burlington provided the clothing and that's it was from belmont dance studio and attained with a dance demonstration all funds raised will help preserve the eighteen fifty three home or house and go toward the belmont woman's club educational philanthropy and scholarships called president of the belmont woman's club nancy saros was very pleased with the turnout with twenty two beautiful and bountiful baskets donated and over forty mystery bags containing gift cards to our local businesses being ruffled off we raised nearly three thousand five hundred dollars saros we are so pleased and thankful for each person who supported the club and our annual fund raising event marian between three pizza shops at three seventy four to pella road owner jose rios describes the restaurant as a less expensive version of canary bread with bigger portions people are liking it because they say it's different something unique he said people can come in and sample any soup they don't have to buy anything we just want them to get to know us once people start sampling however they can can't seem to get enough on a recent afternoon a couple that ordered sandwiches ended up leaving with a cup of soup after sampling some of the many flavors available while waiting for their sandwiches according to rio offers twelve different soups every day ranging from your classic chicken noodle to various chili sauce to more unique flavors lie tuscan meat ball and stuff pepper butternut squash is all the rage right added rio's parents bring your bring young kids and they sample soup and find out what they like he said we attract every age any size soup comes with half a sandwich options include shrimp branch arrow buffalo chicken greek and much more portions are also substantial and fairly par priced said rios as a small soup is twelve ounces a customer can get a cup of soup and a half a sandwich for around eight dollars he said rios initially created student soup actory eight years ago in foxboro the restaurant other current operating location the idea which is still one of the organization's core values today was to make soup the center focus rios said spittles tries to stay away from high cholesterol meals and focus on high belmont rio said spittles and studio cinema reached an agreement so people can purchase food and spoon rules and consume it at the theater the restaurant is open monday to thursday eleven am to seven pm friday and saturday eleven am to nine pm and close sundays martha belmokhtar host fifteenth annual spelling bee sponsored by the foundation for belmont education the fifteenth annual spelling bee is set for two to three thirty pm nov fourteenth at belmont high school two twenty one concord ave the community event is for students in kindergarten through sixth grade and attracts groups with names like the word wizards the word girls and the  more than seven hundred belmont students participated in the bee kindergarten through fourth grade students participate in a non competitive format by a grades five to six compete monetary crisis and gift certificates are are ordered to the winners of the competitive course team costumes are encouraged jonathan leaf in the yard waste collection the department of public works as an ounce leaves and yard wastefully collected curbside every week on regular rubbish days between october twenty sixth and december tats leave should be in trash barrels no greater than thirty two gallons lang no more than fifty pounds and marked with two yard waste stickers which are provided by the town they  be put in thirty gallon brown violet a grade a bill paper bags weighing no more than fifty pounds no plastic bags are accepted from october twenty sixth through december trouts residents may bring only leaves in any type of clean container and them into the community compost pile at the transfer station one one three zero zero conquered after mary belmont gallery to host prin makers of cape cod the belmont gallery of art's new show print makers of cape cod will be on display nov sixth through december eleventh and opening reception with the artist is set for five to seven pm november eight refreshments will be served the event will feature work by twenty five members of the print makers of cape cod one of five satellite print shows included in the boston print maker's biennial exhibit the fifty plus prints in the exhibit showcase a very a variety of printmaking techniques including wood cuts mondo types  etchings the belmont gallery of art is pleased to be able to host the printmaking makers of cape cod's says the bee gas rebecca richards there's always been lots of interest in the printmaking shows at the b ga so to once again be a part of boston's print makers by any exhibition group shows is a welcome opportunity for the gallery we look forward to be ga visitors coming to see the work of cape cod print makers math and learn about plans for a new station the belmont board of selectmen well hold another public meeting with officials from the massachusetts bay transportation authority and massachusetts department of transportation from seven thirty pm nov sixteenth to sixty six beach street the purpose of meeting is to provide updated information about the waverley commuter rail station and potential options to bring the facility into quired compl with americans with disabilities act regulations the future of the belmont center station and a possible belmont station of turnitin unpleasant street this meeting is an opportunity for the public to provide ideas to the m b and the resident community member may attend thank you for joining us for this special edition of talking news please join us next week