Around the Region: Brigham's in Arlington Seized, Guilty Plead in Fatal McGrath Crash, Malden Looks to Crackdown on Unlicensed Dogs

Kenneth Belew, 22, of Somerville, pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court Wednesday to charges of motor vehicle homicide in connection to a 2011 McGrath Highway crash that killed two 16-year-old girls, according to an announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office. Belew was accused of crashing a car early in the morning on April 21, 2011, after attending a house party in Somerville where he had been drinking. Authorities said Belew had a blood alcohol level of 0.17, twice the legal limit, when he and five others left the party and decided to drive to a restaurant off McGrath Highway, the announcement says.

City councilors in Malden unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday aimed at getting tough on dog-owners who fail to annually register their pets with the city. Owners caught with unregistered dogs will now receive a ticket carrying a $50 fine, though an “amnesty period” will be offered in the last week of May allowing delinquent owners who voluntarily come forward to avoid the fine. While the city could always offer such citations, owners in violation typically received a written or verbal warning, animal officer Kevin Alkins said. He estimated about 2,000 to 3,000 unregistered dogs live within city limits.

The restaurant at 1328 Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington has been seized by the state for “nonpayment of taxes,” according to a bright orange notice in the restaurant’s front door Tuesday evening. The restaurant’s owners, John Mercer and Steven Kupelnick, owe the state $92,387 in meals tax dating back to 2009, according to Department of Revenue spokesman Robert Bliss on Wednesday. The restaurant was given back to owners Friday after working out a deal to pay back the state.

Joseph Rando, a 13-year-old 7th grader at St. Joseph's School, had been minding his own business. He had been playing basketball in his own yard on Daniel Rd. on a Sunday afternoon. Suddenly, he started smelling smoke and feeling extra heat in the air. That's when he turned to see flames shooting up over his neighbor's wooden fence in his backyard. "I saw the smoke in the air and smelled it too," he said. "My neighbor likes to burn wood, but this time I saw that his fence was on fire and I ran to tell my mom." Chief Michael Sullivan of the Fire Department credited Joseph with noticing the fire and acting quickly enough that the fire did not spread to his neighbor's home. "It was very close," Chief Sullivan said. "By the time we got there, the windows on the back of the residence were starting to crack because of the heat. We were lucky we managed to get a line in there quick and knock it down before it extended into the house." Overall, Joseph said he's glad he was able to be in the right place at the right time to save his neighbor's home. "I'm happy and I just feel lucky," he said.