Week in Review: Dog Ordered to be Euthanized, Jewish Holidays Removed from School Calendar,

Mansfield Selectmen Decide to Euthanize Milo the Dog

Mansfield selectmen voted 3-2 to euthanize Milo the dog Wednesday after hearing from both the victim's family and the dog's family.

The dog reportedly attacked 6-year-old Christian Hebert on Jan. 3 while at the house of the dog's owner Michael Bailey. 

After the vote, the Baileys said they would try to appeal the ruling in court.

The board heard statements from both sides as well as from Mansfield animal control officers Jeffrey Collins and Steve Simmons.

Collins said while he met the dog only once, Milo seemed to be calm and docile in front of a stranger, but the severity and depth of the bites, based on his experience and the Dunbar system, were excessive.

"I have several dozen cases of various people that have been bitten ranging from a minor bite in the hand to a young lady who was knocked by two dogs, who worked as a pack, ravaging her shoulder and head," he said. "This bite is excessive."

Collins recommended the dog be euthanized after determining the dog's aggressiveness and danger using the Ian Dunbar scale, which determines the animal's intentions by examining the number, degree and depth of the dog's bite.

Jewish High Holidays Removed From Mansfield Public Schools 2013-14 Calendar

When Mansfield students head to class during the 2013-14 school year, they will not get the Jewish High Holidays off for the first time in seven years.

With a vote of 5-0, the Mansfield School Committee approved next year’s calendar which does not give students the day off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

With input from the school district’s legal council, the holidays were removed since it didn't fit the legal criteria for an off-day. Legally, the school district can give a day off if it serves a secular purpose, meaning it is believed having school on the day in question will result in low attendance by students or teachers. according to Mansfield Superintendent Brenda Hodges.

This year only one of the holidays will be observed on a weekday. Rosh Hashanah will take place on Thursday, Sept. 5 while Yom Kippur falls on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Consequences of Sequester Uncertain for Mansfield Schools

With the uncertainty of Congress preventing $85 billion in federal sequestration spending cuts from going into effect on March 1, it is unclear if the automatic cuts will have any effect on the Mansfield Public Schools.

“We wouldn’t really be able to put an estimate on that at this point. I really don’t know what it would mean for us if it did happen,” Mansfield Public School Superintendent Brenda Hodges said.

If Congress does not take action by March 1, a number of automatic cuts will take place including in education. According to the Obama Administration, Massachusetts would lose almost $14 million in cuts in education.

Cavallo and Signoriello Insurance Expanding After 50 Years in Mansfield

Cavallo and Signoriello Insurance has been in Mansfield for over 50 years, and with their new building getting into construction, they may stay for another 50 years.

Ben Cavallo Jr., the son of founder Benjamin Cavallo, said they really just needed the space.

“Last year, we purchased Colonial Insurance, effectively doubling the size of our Mansfield office and we’ve really outgrown the original office,” he said.

Cavallo said the original office, built by Benjamin Cavallo Sr. and Frank Signoriello, was 1,200 square feet. He said they had purchased another building to increase space, but that it just wasn’t working out.

“Working out of two spots is crazy,” he said. “It’s hard to manage people from two locations.”

He said the new building would be 9,000 square feet, and occupy the same space as the old building and some surrounding properties the company owns.

“It’s the best use of the land,” he said. “We grew up in Mansfield and we’re excited to build a nice building in that spot. We’ve worked really hard to create something a little more interesting than a cookie cutter building.”

Mansfield Wrestlers Finish Strong at All-State Tournament

Last weekend, Mansfield wrestlers Sam McLoughlin (132) and Joe Herrick (145) finished their season at the All-State Tournament in Salem.

McLoughlin lost his first two matches on the first day of the tournament and was eliminated from the tournament. He finishes his season with 31 wins and sixth in Division 1 at the 132 pound weight class.

Herrick lost his first match and then made some noise with two upset victories. First he avenged a Division 1 tournament loss to Framingham's Anthony Nguye by earning a pin at 1:49. In his next match he pinned the Division 1 third place finisher Adrian Berg of Lincoln Sudbury at 1:37. On day two he dropped two matches to place eight in the state, one win away from qualifying for the New England Tournament. He finishes his season with 39 wins and his career with 97 wins including 54 pins.