What Do You Think About Gov. Patrick’s Travel Ban?

Do you agree with the governor's decision or was it too drastic?

All non-emergency drivers were ordered off the roads on Friday when Gov. Deval Patrick issued an executive order banning travel during the blizzard. (Editor's note: The ban is lifted statewide as of 4 p.m. Saturday.) Patrick's executive order is being praised by some and bashed by others, reported The Boston Globe. While former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was in charge of the commonwealth during the Blizzard of ’78, praised the governor’s move, others called the order “tyrannical” and say the strict ban and hefty fines were too much, according to The Globe. Those caught violating the ban would face up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. What do you think? Do you agree with the governor’s decision or do you think the travel ban …

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Share Your Photos: How Much Snow Do You Have?

Let's measure the blizzard through lawn ornaments!

We at Patch like to have fun – even when we’re covering a story as big as the Blizzard of ’13! So when the biggest storm in years (potentially in the history of Boston weather) is headed our way, we get into battle mode – and even get a little silly. That’s what this idea is about – and we want you to take part too! A fun way we want to track the storm across Massachusetts is through lawn ornaments. They serve a purpose in the spring and summer, but often feel left out in the cold of winter. Not anymore. We are posting photos of lawn ornaments throughout Massachusetts to highlight snowfall across the commonwealth during and after the storm. All you need to do is hit the Upload Photos and Videos button and upload your own. If we’re stuck at…

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Storm Coverage: Real Time Traffic Map

Live updates for your commute.

As snow continues to fall steadily in the area, Dedham has already seen a couple of accidents this morning, including a report of a car striking a ledge near Exit 17 on Rte. 128. Officials are urging motorists to be cautious on the roads today. But if you do have to travel, we have included a real time traffic map to show you which areas to avoid during the storm. A roadway on the map marked in green is flowing normally. Yellow means there is moderate traffic, and red indicates bad traffic. A roadway marked in black has completely stopped. Icons that appear can be clicked on for more information about a particular construction project, crash or other incident.

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Week in Review

Dedham Hangs Up T-Mobile; Thumbs Up for Dogs, Football

A look back at some of the stories we covered on Dedham Patch this week.

Keegan Pleased With Snowstorm Cleanup Efforts Luckily, many in Dedham avoided the full wrath of last weekend's snowstorm, which caused outages to more than 1,000 in the town. While selectmen expressed extreme disappointment with how NStar responded, Town Administrator William Keegan praised the efforts of town workers. Dedham Selectmen Support Temporary Dog Park The Board of Selectmen on Thursday endorsed a plan by the Parks and Recreation Commission to launch a new pilot dog park at the Dolan Center on Common Street. That plan needs the OK from town health officials, and would be a three-month pilot program to evaluate use. ZBA Denies T-Mobile Tower Permit, Future Uncertain Town zoning officials are looking to William Keegan to help …

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Keegan Pleased With Snowstorm Cleanup Efforts

The town administrator praised crews that worked through the weekend.

Department of Public Works crews worked through the weekend to clear snow, branches and trees from Dedham streets, and as many as 1,200 NStar customers lost power for a period of time. As of 8 p.m. Monday, that number dwindled to 101 as NStar crews worked Monday to repair power lines, according to the company's website. "A few trees came down, mostly big branches that fell on wires and knocked the wires down," Town Administrator William Keegan said. Keegan told Dedham Patch that he believed many of the outages were spread throughout the town and not clustered. "It is the smaller one that [NStar] tends to leave for last," Keegan said in a phone interview Monday afternoon. "They like to get whole streets on at a time and it gets prioritized …

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