5 Things: Stadium License Applications, Foxboro Plaza Site Plan Review & More

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1. Expect a Hot Thursday with a High Near 91 in Foxborough

Today’s weather in Foxborough, according to the National Weather Service based in Taunton, calls for patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 91. West wind 8 to 11 mph. Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. West wind 5 to 7 mph.

2. Foxborough’s Stadium Advisory Committee to Review 3 License Applications

Foxborough’s Stadium Advisory Committee is expected to meet Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Andrew Gala Meeting Room of Town Hall to review the following Gillette Stadium license applications:

• 2013-14 New England Patriots home games
• USA Women’s soccer vs. South Korea
• Brazil vs. Portugal soccer

3. Foxborough’s Planning Board Meets Thursday

The Planning Board is expected to meet Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Andrew Gala Meeting Room of Town Hall to discuss the following town business:

7:10 p.m. – Public hearing – special permit renewal (temporary parking lot) at 200 North St.

7:15 p.m. – Public hearing – special permit renewal (temporary parking lot) at 96 Washington St.

7:20 p.m. – Public hearing – special permit renewal (temporary parking lot) at 16 Washington St.

7:25 p.m. – Public hearing – special permit renewal (temporary parking lot) at 94 Washington St.

7:30 p.m. – Continued public hearing – Site plan review of Foxboro Plaza at 30 Commercial St.

8:05 p.m. – Discussion concerning traffic around Town Common

4. Patriot Place Events

Here’s a look at what’s happening around Patriot Place today:

Dock Dogs at Bass Pro Shops: If you want to watch dogs fly through the air come check them out at Bass Pro Shops. Click here for more information.

Mass Cruisers Auto Club - FREE Cruise Night: The Mass Cruisers Auto Club, Bass Pro Shops and Patriot Place want you to once again enjoy your evening of cruising nostalgia and fun.

Palmaz Vineyards Wine Dinner at Tastings: Join Tastings for Palmaz Vineyards Wine Dinner and enjoy a 5-course meal with wine pairings.  Purchase your tickets today.

Noon - Spring Fever - Face Painting: Come enjoy FREE face painting at Patriot Place.

7:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Trivia at Red Robin: Come try your luck during trivia at Red Robin every Thursday.

11 a.m. - Bounce Houses: Jump around all afternoon in inflatable bounce houses. Located in the North Marketplace outside of Red Robin, enjoy the afternoon as the kids bounce the day away.

9:30 p.m. - Thirty 6 Red at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill: This high-energy cover band does it all. Their philosophy is to play great songs and make sure their audience is enjoying the show from start to finish. 

5. Norfolk District Attorney Testifies on Sexual Predator Bill

Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey was at the State House earlier this month, standing with Rep. Tackey Chan to push their bill to force convicted predators to provide their e-mail addresses and other online information when they register as sex offenders.

 “As we investigate crimes, we see cases where defendants started with electronic contact, under false names or false identities, with their eventual victims,” Morrissey said. “This is an effort to curtail that kind of activity from those previously convicted of sexual assaults.”

Morrissey said the legislation should improve public safety in two ways.

First, it will be useful for law enforcement. When a sex offender does comply with the new requirement, it will create a meaningful resource to crosscheck online identities without having to subpoena user information, Morrissey said. When a sex offender does not comply, and an online identity traces back to them while police are investigating another crime, there would be an immediate right of arrest on the failure to register charge – even if police did not yet have probable cause to arrest on the central crime under investigation.

Second, part of the premise of community supervision of sex offenders is that recidivism can be reduced by keeping the post-conviction offender away from behaviors and patterns of thought that precede re-offense. “Creating false identities in order to communicate online under false premises should resonate as obvious bellwether behavior,” Morrissey told the Joint Committee on the Judiciary at its May 7 hearing on House Bill No. 1252.

“There has been a revolution in the way we communicate in the years since the Sex Offender Registry was designed and implemented in Massachusetts, but the registry has not evolved in kind,” Morrissey said. “When the national enabling legislation known as Meghan’s Law passed in 1994, the public wasn’t communicating through email or social media.”

Said Representative Chan: “The legislation expands the way we protect our families from potential danger by sex offenders. So much of our lives are connected through the Internet and identities we created.  We must update our laws to reflect the high technology world we live in." 

Morrissey has been pushing for the change since 2007, when he was serving as Quincy’s State Senator. He said New Hampshire enacted an analogous measure in 2009.