It might seem obvious that shoppers shouldn't stop, or park, in a fire lane. Same goes for parking in a handicapped spot, if you aren't handicapped. But it's happening more frequently, now that the retail stores are busier than ever, and people are out shopping for Christmas. Milford Police are ticketing people more often for illegally stopping in fire lanes or in prohibited spaces. This would include parking in a handicapped space if you are not the placard-holder. Over the weekend, shoppers were ticketed at Hannaford Supermarket, as well as outside TJ Maxx. The fire lanes in front of, and …

Editor's Note: The following statistics come results on the Green, Democratic and Republican party ballots, provided by the Milford Town Clerk's office. Senator 894, votes for Elizabeth Warren 542, votes for Scott Brown 23, write-in votes Congressional Representative, Fouth District 903, votes for Joseph Kennedy III 438, votes for Sean Bielat 74, votes for Rachel Brown 56, votes for Elizabeth Childs 47, votes for David Steinhof 46, votes for Herb Robinson 2, write-in votes Vote totals 17,199, registered voters in Milford 568, Republican ballots cast 1,053, Democratic ballots cast 2, Green …

Milford police last year arrested 199 people for unlawful driving, including driving under the influence, according to statistics recently released by Chief Thomas O'Loughlin. The categories — operating under the influence, operating after revocation, operating after suspension and unlicensed operation — have accounted for at least 148 arrests a year since 2004. In 2011: 34 people were arrested for OUI, 9 for operating after revocation, 28 for operating after suspension and 162 for unlicensed operation. Unlicensed operation arrests increased slightly from 2010, when 158 people were charged …

Milford employment data, recently posted by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Laborforce Dec. 2011: 15,390 Sept. 2011: 15,250 June 2011: 15,460 March 2011: 15,477 Jan. 2011: 15,558   Unemployed Dec. 2011: 836, 5.4 percent Sept. 2011: 898, 5.9 percent June 2011: 1,012, 6.5 percent March 2011: 1,249, 8.1 percent Jan. 2011: 1,380, 8.9 percent   Annual Unemployment 2010: 7.9 percent 2009: 7.9 percent 2008: 5.1 percent 2007: 4.3 percent 2006: 4.5 percent 2005: 4.4 percent 2004: 5.2 percent 2003: 6.1 percent 2002: 5.6 percent 2001: 3.4 percent 2000: 2.6 percent

  Editor's Note: The following statistics for the fiscal year that ended in September 2011 were contained in the Milford Regional Medical Center's 2011 annual report to the community.               Revenue and Expenses                                  2010                    2011   Total Operating Revenue:                        $230,684,796        $238,604,602 Salaries, Wages, Benefits:                           $137,122,199        $138,658,944 Supplies, Expenses:                                      $62,946,730         $62,318,557 Depreciation…

Milford has made an effort in recent months to bring businesses into compliance with a town zoning bylaw that bans most portable signs and banners. Initially, 61 businesses were found to be violating Article 3.9 of the sign regulations, which gives businesses 30 days to use a temporary sign, until they can install a permanent one. Exceptions include political signs, or real estate signs. A report released to Milford Selectmen last week by John Erickson, the new building commissioner, states that of those 61 businesses, all but 11 had removed their signs. The Department of Inspections is …

Editor's Note: The following report on licensed businesses was distributed to Milford Selectmen in January. Where businesses are not mentioned, they did not have a police incident in 2011. Applebees: March 17: medical emergency. Caller reports male inside vehicle at this location is slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious but breathing. Transported to Milford Regional Medical Center. Aug. 13: intoxicated person. Manager called to report that he is concerned about the well-being of an intoxicated person; stated that he is not causing a disturbance. Responding officers addessed the …

A recent survey conducted by Liberty Mutual and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) showed many teens continue to text while driving. Even more disturbing? Parents are the recipients of many of these messages. Texting is illegal while driving in Massachusetts, for adults and teens, but enforcement is rare. However, last week, Milford Police arrested a woman for texting while driving. The survey showed: 40 percent of teens who text while driving send more than 10 messages a day from behind the wheel. 20 percent of the teens who do this say they send more than 50 messages a day while …

The Milford Highway Department has a long list of Milford streets and roads that need to be rebuilt, no surprise to anyone who has rumbled along an aging stretch of asphalt. The list prepared by Scott Crisafulli for projects that could be rebuilt in fiscal 2013 and 2014 is in alphabetical order, not order of priority, which has yet to be determined. The anticipated costs also could change, he noted. Here they are: Bancroft Avenue, $145,000. Beaver Street, $40,000. Bowdoin Drive, $130,000. Calvin Drive, $60,000. Carp Road, $130,000. Church Street, $90,000. Draper Park, $40,000. Freedom Street…

Milford students are taking more college-level Advanced Placement classes in high school, and more of them are seeing it pay off with college credit. In an update for the School Committee, Milford High School Principal Mike Tempesta Thursday revealed the following: The percentage of students getting a score of 3 or higher on AP exams — the score to qualify for college credit — rose 4 percent from 2010 to 2011. 192 students scored 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5), this year, compared to 161 last year. The increased scores came along with an increase in enrollment: 192 students registered for…

More than $1 million in requests are expected to be presented to voters in a special town meeting Oct. 24. The warrant will be discussed by Milford Selectmen on Oct. 17. In addition to the financial requests, the town is expected to consider a new noise bylaw and new standards for maintaining properties. The money requests break down as follows: $18,000 for fireworks for July 4, 2012 celebration $110,000 for Town Hall repainting $26,000 for wheelchair accessible ramp at Draper Memorial Park $70,000 for environmental cleanup on town property behind Benjamin Moore Company $77,500 for collective…

Public school students may not pay tuition, but that doesn't mean they and their families get off cheap. Here's a snapshot of some of the expenses associated with senior year. We spoke with Milford High senior Dan Bruce—also a Patch blogger—who helped us with these numbers. $125: fee to play a sport (it's higher for hockey and, as one of our readers pointed out, there's a $375 cap per family) $75: yearbook cost $80: senior prom tickets (and, of course, add a couple hundred on top of that for a tux or dress, limo and flowers) $450: lunch money for the year ($2.50 multiplied by 180 days) $20: …

The town budget pulled to a close in June with dollars to spare. According to a "Financial Fact$" worksheet released by the Town Accountant's office, Milford ended the fiscal year within 2 percent of its operations budget. (The new budget year started July 1.) Only one line item for operational spending exceeded the budget — Public Works and Facilities — due to snow and ice removal expenses of $493,045. Here's the breakdown for spending, by category: General Government: $3,243,915 budget, 87.6 percent spent. Public Safety: $8,654,462 budget, 99.1 percent spent. Education: $38,569,443 budget, …

The following is a list of the activity in June for the Milford Department of Inspections, including the building commissioner, assistant zoning enforcement officer and the building inspector: 55 construction inspections 3 requests for information by selectmen 5 requests for information by residents 6 safety inspections 123 zoning investigations 17 unregistered cars removed 8 certificates of occupancy issued The Building Department released the following: 211 requests by citizens 82 permits issued $1.1 million, total cost of construction above the cost of land. Permits issued in April: 82 …

The following is based on an activity report submitted by Milford Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin to town Selectmen on July 5. It covers police responses to incidents at licensed businesses for the first six months this year: 25 businesses with incidents are presented in alphabetical order. Applebee's: March 17, medical emergency. A caller reported a male inside vehicle at this location "is slumped over the steering wheel, uncounscious, but breathing." The man was taken to Milford Regional Medical Center. Bugaboo Creek: June 30, harassing phone calls. A caller reported they were receiving …

Disturbance calls take up a fair amount of police time. On a given night, according to police logs, officers respond to at least one house for a disturbance of some sort. Noise complaints, arguments, loud parties, people yelling loud enough for neighbors to hear, those are the sort of things that can be reported in a police log as a disturbance call. Milford Selectmen recently asked Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin for a report on which addresses in town are generating the most complaints. His data, released Monday, indicates officers were sent to more than 350 different addresses in the 12 …

Milford's Department of Inspections releases an activity log each month. For March through May, here are some statistics: 733: Total inspections completed by the department 203: Total permits 182: Construction inspections 98: Residential renovation permits 58: Unregistered cars removed 17: Commercial renovaton permits 11: Deck permits 9: New dwelling permits 4: Pool permits $72,331: Collected in fees

In an April report, Ruth Anne Bleakney, director of the Milford Senior Center, outlined some of the services delivered that month: 683: people who received services or participated in programs at the center in April. 270: trips provided by the senior services van, including to local grocery stores and doctor appointments. 49: passengers served by the van. 801: telephone calls made to the center. 129: new applications for fuel assistance received 44: reapplications for fuel assistance. 162: people who received tax assistance through the AARP Tax-Aide Program.

In the month of April, the following is a list of the activity for the Milford Department of Inspections, including the building commissioner, assistant zoning enforcement officer and the building inspector: 39 construction inspections 2 requests for information by selectmen 3 requests for information by residents 3 safety inspections 105 zoning investigations 16 unregistered cars removed 5 certificates of occupancy issued The Building Department released the following: 173 requests by citizens 73 permits issued $2.8 million, total cost of construction above the cost of land. Permits issued …

The following information was provided by the Knox Trail Council of Boy Scouts of America, for activities involving Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and related programs in Milford, Hopedale and Mendon: 253 boys in Cub Scouts 193 boys in Boy Scouts 12 young adults in Venturing 68 young adults in Exploring 525 Scouts participated in camping experiences, for an average of one activity per month in 2010. 2,900 hours of community service by packs, troops and venturing crews. 16 Eagle Scouts were named in 2010 100 tons of food collected by council troops for needy families.