5 Things to Know Today, Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Good morning, here are five things to know today:

1. Medford Housing Director Placed on Leave: The Medford Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners voted to place Executive Director Robert Covelle on a two week unpaid leave Monday, according to the Boston Globe. Covelle has been under scrutiny since a recent federal audit report revealed projects were often given to contractors without bids, and millions in federal funds were handled without proper oversight in 2010 and 2011. Gov. Deval Patrick called for Covelle's resignation last week.

2. Weather: There's a chance of some drizzle today, with cloudy skies and highs in the upper-50s, according to the National Weather Service. Similar weather is expected tomorrow.

Foreclosure petitions on Medford homes dropped in March compared to last year, bucking state trends, which saw a dramatic increase in foreclosures compared to last year, according to recently released real estate data. There were only three foreclosure petitions filed on Medford homes in March 2012 compared to seven in March last year, according to data from The Warren Group, a Boston-based real estate publisher. Statewide, a total of 1,621 petitions to foreclose were entered this March, a 54.7 percent increase from the 1,048 in March 2011, according to the data.

A man faces five charges including kidnapping after he allegedly bit a woman and refused to give back her cell phone. Arthur Brice, 37 was arrested Monday on the charges, which stem from an incident on April 12 in the parking lot of 100 Rivers Edge Ave. in Medford, according to a police report written by Officer Greg Gianino.

5. Bank Change: Local chain Central Bank, which has a location on Mystic Avenue in Medford, has been purchased by Rockland Trust. The Medford branch will remain open as a Rockland Trust branch, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.