FRAMINGHAM, MA - After 13 seasons as the head coach of the Framingham State University football program, Director of Athletics Thomas Kelley is retiring from coaching, but will remain with the Rams as Director of Athletics.

“I cannot express how grateful I am to have been the head coach of the football program at Framingham State for the past 13 seasons. As a former player, I could not be more proud of our teams and all the fine student-athletes who have come through the program,” said Kelley. “I was lucky to be surrounded by great coaches on our staff throughout the years that helped lead our teams to so much success. At this point it is time for me to step away from coaching with the program sitting in a great spot coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. It’s time to put the horse in the barn.”

Kelley, who has served two stints as the Rams head football coach, will remain the Rams Athletic Director. Kelley is a 1976 graduate of FSU where he played defensive line for four seasons and his first stint as the Rams head football coach was from 1982-84. After stepping away from coaching for two decades, he assumed the reigns again in 2007 and has guided the Rams on a historic run of success. Kelley will assume additional responsibilities with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and will play a key role in engaging alumni, especially the student-athletes he played with and coached over the years.

“I am very excited to have Coach Kelley begin working with our team in Development and Alumni Relations. He has coached and mentored generations of Framingham State students and, as an alumnus himself, there is no one better to work with our alumni athletes than Tom,” said FSU Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Eric Gustafson.

Kelley has an overall record of 107-59-1 as the Rams head football coach including a 100-40 record over the last 13 seasons which featured an NEFC Championship, nine MASCAC Championships, five NCAA Tournament appearances and four bowl game victories. In addition to the team success, the Rams first two AFCA All-American’s played during Kelley’s tenure, one on the offensive side of the ball and one on the defensive side.

In Kelley's 13 seasons at the helm, he has been recognized as a coach of the year eight times by five different organizations including in 2012 by the New England Football Writers when he was named as the NEFW Division II/III Coach of the Year. Kelley has been tabbed as the MASCAC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018), the NEFC Bogan Division Coach of the Year (2012 & 2010), the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Coach of the Year (2011), and the Master Sports Coach of the Year (2010).

“I am deeply grateful to Coach Kelley for the outstanding job he has done leading our football team over the past 13 years,” said University President Javier Cevallos. “He took a program that had struggled to win for decades and turned it into a conference powerhouse. I admire Coach Kelley not just for the success he has achieved on the field, but for the job he has done mentoring our student athletes off the field. He is beloved by so many of our alumni.”

Framingham State University anticipates having an announcement regarding its next head football coach in the coming weeks.

Thanks to Kathy Lynch, Assistant Director, Athletics, Sports Information, Framingham State University for contributing this story and photo.

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - This week, children in Framingham will be wondering not only what Santa will be bringing them -- but will want to know exactly when he'll will arrive.

To be sure Framingham children have the latest technology to track Santa, we're providing this important link to NORAD, (The North American Aerospace Defense Command) and it's famous Santa Tracker at www.NoradSanta.org

Since Santa is still at the North Pole, checking his list (twice) as the elves load his sleigh, NORAD has provided an online Christmas Games Arcade, a Library of Christmas Stories and other fun and informative content for kids of all ages.

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - A used car dealership based in Framingham and its owner have agreed to a $925,000 judgment that includes restitution to consumers to resolve allegations that the business engaged in unfair and deceptive sales practices that violated Massachusetts consumer protection law.

According to the AG’s complaint, filed along with a consent judgment that was entered in Middlesex Superior Court last week, New England AutoMax Inc., AutoMax Preowned Inc., and Auto Max Inc. (AutoMax) and their owner Howard J. Wilner allegedly violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act by misrepresenting important information about the condition, origin, and history of used cars it sold, selling add-on service contracts to consumers that did not cover the cars they were purchasing, falsifying down payments, and adding undisclosed fees onto car sales transactions.

“AutoMax and its owner purposely kept their customers in the dark about the condition and history of the cars they sold and charged customers illegal and unnecessary fees,” said AG Healey. “As a result of this settlement, customers who were misled by AutoMax will get money back and the company will stop its illegal practices.”

The AG’s Office began its investigation after receiving several complaints about unfair sales practices at AutoMax, including selling cars with invalid add-on warranties and padding sales with undisclosed fees or charges. The AG’s Office also alleges the company and its owner engaged in unfair and deceptive acts, including:

• Failing to comply with mandatory requirements to disclose when cars were previously used as a lease, rental, or taxicab in advertisements and on purchase contracts.
• Misrepresenting that cars manufactured for the Canadian market were covered by a manufacturer’s warranty and selling additional add-on service contracts at a cost of up to $3,000 that were invalid due to the foreign origin of the cars.
• Adding hidden charges of $100 to $200 for customers seeking to trade in vehicles and payoff their existing loan as part of a sale.
• Falsifying down payments on financing applications.
• Charging document preparation fees for the preparation of documents that the company used to implement its deceptive schemes.

Under the terms of the consent judgment, AutoMax and Wilner will pay $750,000 in restitution for affected consumers and agreed to significant injunctive terms, including that the business comply with prior use disclosure regulations, disclose the foreign origin of the cars they sell and the implications on any warranty or add-on products, and ensure accuracy when completing consumer loan applications. The business is also prohibited from charging customers undisclosed or inflated fees. Additionally, the consent judgment includes a $175,000 suspended penalty for any violation of the settlement’s injunctive terms within three years.

Massachusetts consumer protection law requires used auto dealers to disclose prior use as a lease, rental, or taxicab on the purchase contract for all automobiles and in advertisements for automobiles. Used auto dealers must also disclose all material information that could impact a consumer’s decision to purchase a vehicle, and dealers have a duty to be transparent with consumers about the terms of a deal or sale.

The AG’s Office has handled several cases of unfair and deceptive practices in the auto industry in recent years. In December 2018, the AG’s Office settled a lawsuit with F&R Auto, a Westport used auto dealership that sold unsafe and defective vehicles to unsuspecting customers, and Sensible Auto Lending, a lender that facilitated deceptive sales at F&R Auto. The Office sued JD Byrider for misleading consumers and selling them high-priced, low-quality cars financed with high-cost loans, a package that consistently leads to repossession. The AG’s Office has also shut down a dealership, Auto Number One, for selling unsafe cars and obtained restitution and injunctive relief from another dealership, Auto Drive One, for routinely selling defective and unreliable cars.

Consumers who are eligible for restitution as part of this settlement will be contacted directly by the AG’s Office.

For tips or questions about the auto industry, consumers may call the Attorney General’s consumer hotline at 617-727-8400 or file a complaint with the office.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Kimberly McDonald, Ann E. Lynch, and Lisa Dyen, and Deputy Chief Shennan Kavanagh, all of the AG’s Consumer Protection Division; Investigator Anthony Crespi of the AG’s Civil Investigations Division; and Senior Digital Evidence Analyst Brenna Casey of the AG’s Digital Evidence Lab.

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - The Framingham State University RAMS football team closed the regular season with a 47-6 victory over Worcester State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at Coughlin Field in Worcester this afternoon.

The Rams took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for the game’s first points using just under three minutes. Wojenski completed passes to Nichols and Maher for 28 yards and Ford ripped off a 30-yard run before Maher found the end zone from a yard out for the 7-0 lead.

After a Lancer punt on their first possession of the game, the Rams once again marched down the field needing six plays to go 62 yards for another touchdown.   Wojenski went 3-for-3 on the drive and capped it with a 25-yard scoring strike to Maher with 7:41 on the clock in the first.

A short punt by the Lancers gave the Rams the ball on the Worcester 44-yard line. After a loss on first down, Ford rushed for 42 yards on the next two plays moving the ball down to the six yard line. Wojenski connected with Maher on the next play for the six-yard touchdown which was Maher’s third score of the game.

The Rams added a final score before the end of the first quarter, a 38-yard touchdown pass from Wojenski to Nichols.

Wojenski was intercepted by Donnel Lewis on the Rams next possession giving the Lancers the ball on the Rams 42. An 11-yard completion from Melke Shabo to Colin Robinson and a pair of rushes for 19 yards moved the ball down to the 12 yard line. The Rams defense held and forced the Lancers to turn the ball over on downs after a pair of incompletions and a sack.

The Rams needed eight plays to go 79 yards on the next possession for a touchdown and a 33-0 lead. Nichols tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to William Jean (South Boston, Mass.) with 1:56 on the clock before the half. The big play on the drive was a 46-yard completion from Wojenski to Maher.

Curran intercepted Shabo on the next possession and returned it 22 yards to the Worcester 27 yard line with 49 seconds on the clock. Five plays later Wojenski tossed his fourth touchdown of the game. This one a nine-yard pass to Nunn as time expired in the opening half giving the Rams a 40-0 lead.

The Rams fumbled on their first possession of the second half, but the defense once again forced the Lancers to turn the ball over on downs.

Ford extended the Rams lead with a 38-yard touchdown run with 3:30 left in the third.

The Lancers broke up the Rams bid for a shutout with 56 seconds left in the game when Shabo tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Leino. The drive for the Lancers was aided by a pass interference penalty on the Rams in the end zone.

The FSU Rams, the 2019 MASCAC Champions, will find out tomorrow who they will face in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament on the Division III Selection Show which will air on ncaa.com.

 

Thanks to Kathy Lynch, Assistant Director, Athletics, Framingham State University for contributing this article.

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - On November 06, 2019, Moody's Investors Service assigned a Aa2 rating, (also noted as "AA"), to the City of Framingham, MA's $27.5 million General Obligation Municipal Purpose Loan of 2019 Bonds.

The rating Aa2, is the third highest possible rating, (the best is "Aaa" or "AAA", followed by "Aa1" or "AA+", then the rating Framingham was assigned: "Aa2" or "AA").

Moody's maintains the Aa2 rating on the city's issuer rating and outstanding general obligation limited tax bonds. The issuer rating is equivalent to the city's hypothetical general obligation unlimited tax rating; there is no debt associated with this security. The outlook is stable.

The outstanding general obligation limited tax bonds (GOLT) are considered limited tax because the entire amount of debt service has not been excluded from restrictions under Massachusetts law on the city's ability to increase the property tax levy to pay debt service, referred to as Proposition 2 1/2.

RATINGS RATIONALE - The Aa2 issuer rating reflects the stable financial position, sizeable tax base with a large local economy, above-average but manageable debt burden, and average unfunded pension liability.

The absence of distinction between the GOLT rating and the issuer rating reflects the city's ability to override the property tax cap and its pledge of its full faith and credit.

RATING OUTLOOK - The stable outlook reflects the healthy growth in the tax base that is expected to continue over the near term as well as expectations that the city will maintain the current financial position with no material changes in reserves or liquidity.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE

• Material growth in reserves and liquidity
• Significant decline in the debt burden
• Sustained trend of higher resident income levels

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE

• Continued growth in the debt burden
• Decline in reserves and liquidity

LEGAL SECURITY - The bonds are secured by the city's full faith and credit, general obligation limited tax pledge as debt service has not been excluded from the tax levy limits of Proposition 2 1/2.

USE OF PROCEEDS - Proceeds will be used to finance various capital projects of the city.

PROFILE - Framingham has a population of 70,743 and is primarily residential with a large commercial presence. The city is located in Middlesex County, approximately 20 miles west of Boston.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.  Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

(Nicholas Lehman, Lead Analyst, Regional PFG Northeast, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., One International Place, 100 Oliver St Suite 1400, Boston 02110, US)

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