Week in Review: Alleged Drunk Driving Accident Near School; Rats!; State Auditor Visits

Here's some of the top stories from around Medford this week:

Michael Barrile, 39, of Winchester, allegedly hit a car and a tree with his gray Toyota Corolla in separate accidents on Route 16 and drove off, witnesses told police. The accidents occurred about 3 p.m. Thursday. The accident with another car took place at the light for the pedestrian cross walk behind St. Joseph School, witnesses said.

Patti Davis’s battle with the rats began in mid-June, when she spotted one near her Dexter Street home. The next day she spotted another. The next thing she knew, they were jumping out at her while she was watering her lawn. “I had no choice, the were digging under the foundation of my house,” said Davis, who’s lived on Dexter street for five years.

A school bus caught fire in Medford Friday morning, but before the driver had picked up any kids. The fire was put out quickly and no one was hurt. Shortly after a driver left the Vocell Bus yard in Malden about 7:25 a.m., he was traveling along Route 16 when he noticed smoke coming from the lower engine area of the bus, according to a Medford Fire Department preliminary report.

A whole lot has changed in the State Auditor's office since Suzanne Bump took it over in January. Bump addressed members of the Medford Chamber of Commerce in a luncheon Wednesday at restaurant in Medford Square. About 50 auditors were let go and about 20 new ones were hired, Bump said. The state began to take a hard look on special education spending and medicaid spending. The auditor's office has found about $4.3 million in dental fraud alone this year.

State Attorney General Martha Coakley is recovering after taking a fall at her Coolidge Road home Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. Coakley suffered minor injuries after catching a heel on the front steps of her home around 6:30 or 7 p.m., according to the report, published on the Boston Herald's website.