Dunkin' Brands Takes Stand Against Obamacare

The Canton-based company is lobbying the White House to changes its definition of full-time work from 30 hours a week to 40 or more per week, according to reports.

Canton-based Dunkin' Brands—with three locations in Stoneham—has joined the fight against Obamacare.  The coffee and baked goods company is working to overturn a major provision of Obamacare, according to a Newsmax.com report this past week. Specifically, Dunkin' is lobbying the White House to change its definition of full-time work from at least 30 hours a week to 40 or more per week, CEO Nigel Travis told the Financial Times, according to The Huffington Post. The change would leave Dunkin', as well as other companies, with fewer workers to insure under the health care reform law, which requires large employers to provide health coverage to all full-time workers and their dependents. Those companies who fail to provide coverage could face…

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Should Foam Beverage, Food Containers be Banned?

Residents in Brookline supported a move to ban the use of all foam food and beverage containers, a move that was approved at Special Town Meeting.

One group of residents in the Bay State has taken a stand against the use of plastic foam food and beverage containers at local restaurants.  At a recent Special Town Meeting in Brookline voted to ban the use of polystyrene (plastic foam) food and beverage containers for take-out or to-go at food establishments in town. The ban will go into effect on Dec. 1, 2013. The move came after Town Meeting member Nancy Heller proposed the article due to the health risks involved in the use of the cups. As a result, the move was approved by a vote of 169-27.  But not everyone was in favor of the move. Canton-based Dunkin Donuts spoke against the measure on Tuesday; spokesperson Christine Riley said that, despite looking, the company has not found a …

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OMG PD: Booze-Buying Flasher in Wakefield, Generous Dunks Employee Fired in Arlington

CHeck out some of the interesting, and odd, calls fielded by police departments in the Stoneham region this week.

POLICE LOG: Dunkin' Donuts Fence Vandalized on Franklin Street

Check out what other calls the Stoneham Police Department fielded recently.

Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Council: What Green Activities Does Your Family Participate In?

Check out our latest "Moms Talk Q&A" column for advice offered by the Stoneham Patch Moms Council on ways to cut costs and save the environment through "green" practices.

Going green. What are you doing to teach your family about green living and protecting the environment? From Melisa Thorne: Have you ever noticed how much trash a family accumulates in one week? A few years ago, on our weekly trash day when my husband was hauling the trash to the curb, I was a little shocked to see that we had five big barrels full of trash. So the following week I paid better attention to things I was throwing out. Plastic water bottles and paper cups from popular coffee places were prevalent in my trash. This got me to think more about the resources that I use and got me to embrace a 'greener' lifestyle. I no longer buy bottled water. I drink filtered tap water and drink from a reusable container. And as hard as it was …

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Video: Police Nab Suspected Serial Robber in Wakefield

A tip from a witness identifying the suspect's license plate led to the arrest of a man accused of robbing several area businesses, including a Dunkin' Donuts in Stoneham.

WAKEFIELD — A Natick man accused of robbing several businesses in the Stoneham area was taken into custody Jan. 5, police said. Eric Bjork, 39, of 11 Foskett Court, was arrested for allegedly robbing Revere Tanning Salon, 979 Main St., in Wakefield Jan. 4. Police are investigating whether or not Bjork also robbed two other local businesses on previous days - the Dunkin' Donuts at 128 Franklin Street in Stoneham, and an individual leaving a Bank of America ATM in front of the Kowloon Restaurant, 948 Broadway, in Saugus. A witness to the crime who was working at the tanning salon on the night of Jan. 4 said at first she didn't think it was an actual robbery. "He came up to the counter holding a kitchen knife and said, 'Give me the money,' …

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