The Last Week in Brookline: Aug. 2 to 8

Even in the muggy, lazy days of summer, Brookline finds a way to keep things interesting.

Starting off the week, we got an early look at the financing behind the state senate race between Charles Rudnick and incumbent Cynthia Creem, while Kelly Tynan, a candidate for state representative, wrote in (again) to share her thoughts about nutrition in public schools.

The hunt for the Asian longhorn beetle continued, with inspectors nearing the Brookline border in their northward march in search of the tree-killing bug. And we learned that Brookline Police had nabbed a third man in the ongoing investigation into the case of a special-needs woman allegedly raped and made to work as a prostitute.

And Brookline was hit with more weird weather this week, with a brief and sudden downpour flooding streets, basements and even a daycare on Thursday. But the weather held the night before, allowing Brookline to host its third outdoor concert of the summer after two rained-out shows.

We also learned this week about a rock band helping kids learn to make music videos, a new Washington Square restaurant started by a chef and manager from the tavern down the street, the strange case of zoning officials who sided, somewhat reluctantly, with a property owner who built a fence mere inches from his neighbor's back door.

And, of course, Brookline Police were kept busy dealing with the usual rash of the absurd: squirrels chasing kids, "little baby creatures" falling from trees and jokesters flooding their own jail cells.

Check back for more of the same next week.