Hotel firm buys Doubletree in Waltham

Gann Academy, the Jewish high school based in Waltham and serving the Greater Boston community, announced this week that a small group of anonymous donors donated $12.25 million to the school. The school’s most significant contribution in its 13-year history, it was restricted to eliminating the long-term debt.

The renovated Fire Station 4 has a lot of enhancements - bigger doors for the trucks, separate bathrooms for male and female firefighters, an absolutely enormous refrigerator. But the most important improvements are something basic, especially for firefighters.

Gov. Deval Patrick knew a challenge when he heard one. "The gauntlet has been thrown down," Patrick said yesterday as he walked down of the William F. Stanley Senior Center.

If you scroll down and look on the left side of the main www.dailynewstribune.com Web site, you’ll see a new calendar feature.

A local institution is coming back to life at a new location.

The 30-year-old Newton man biking in South Natick Wednesday night when he was struck and dragged by a car underwent surgery this morning at UMass Medical Center in Worcester, and was listed in serious condition, police said.

Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts brought their support for lower firearm licensing fees to the State House yesterday, arguing that cutting the $100 fee in half would promote land preservation, help get kids outdoors through hunting trips and help maintain a balanced ecosystem.

A small contingent of city officials later this month will be taking residents by bus to Bourne so they can visit the gravesites of relatives at the national veterans cemetery there.

John R. Buonomo, the former Middlesex County Register of Probate, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years for operating two separate schemes in which he stole thousands in taxpayer money and more than $100,000 in campaign funds, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone announced Wednesday.

The Board of Aldermen approved a ban forbidding pharmacies from selling tobacco products in the city by a wide margin Monday night. The measure passed without discussion.

In an 18-3 vote, members approved the ban, which supporters said was intended to prevent those in the public health business from selling cigarettes and other tobacco items.