
Help write a poetic tribute to small acts of kindness by Thursday
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Flanagan
Arlington Poet Laureate Jean Flanagan wants the whole community to contribute to a collaborative poem celebrating the small acts of kindness that create moments of grace in our lives.
Please email your short account of an act of kindness you have observed to Jean at:
No more than 30 words, captured in a sentence or two. Jean will go through the messages that come in and select as many as possible to assemble into a poem, to debut at the Arlington Heights Spring Fling Festival on June 10.
Inspiring Flanagan was a poem by Danusha Laméris composed in a similar way and a poetry prompt from a blog called “Two Sylvias’ Weekly Muse.” See both below.
Authority board urged to support state-budget housing amendment
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- Renee Abbott By
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The lack of state funding for housing authorities highlighted the Arlington Housing Authority board meeting May 18.
Board member Jo Anne Preston pointed to a Boston Globe news story from the day before about the need for housing-authorities funding in Massachusetts. She complimented Executive Director Jack Nagle for his hard work finding and securing grants for projects in the properties but said that, ultimately, if the authority had a bigger budget, projects could be completed faster and that it is the state’s responsibility to provide them with ample funds.
“We do not have enough money in the operating budget to repair and maintain our buildings,” she said.
She cited an example in which the authority got half the money it needed to repair a leaking roof in a senior residence. “You can’t put on half a roof,” Preston said.
'23 meeting ends as session 7 OKs Ottoson students' compost plan, CPA
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Ottoson students urge composting. / Paul Schlichtman photo
Arlington High School student Henry Fenollosa. / Paul Schlichtman photo
UPDATED May 23: The seventh session of the 2023 annual Town Meeting, on Monday, May 15, voted all remaining 25 articles. By way of contrast, the 2022 Town Meeting, held over Zoom, lasted 13 meetings and ended June 8.
The previous day, Sunday, May 14, Town Moderator Greg Christiana announced that Monday's meeting was to begin with a motion to skip to Article 56 -- an appropriation for a pilot compost-collection program -- so that the Ottoson Middle School students who developed the article could present it to the meeting. That article was approved.
After that, the meeting returned to the sequence starting at Article 41, an appropriation for transportation infrastructure.
3 allege sexual assaults by ex-AC vice principal in new lawsuit
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'It's time for Bishop O'Malley to reveal what he has ... in those secret files ....'
-- Mitchell Garabedian
UPDATED May 24: Three people who say that they were sexually assaulted by a former vice principal at Arlington Catholic High School have filed a civil lawsuit against Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, leader of the Archdiocese of Boston.
WBUR and the Boston Herald reported the lawsuit, which is a new complaint following another filed last August. Both lawsuits allege that Stephen Biagioni abused the plaintiffs, known in the new complaint as John Doe I, II and III, between 2011 and 2016. The former students were between the ages of 15 and 17 at the time, their attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, told reporters Monday, May 22.
The civil suit names O'Malley and two of his top lieutenants — Bishop Robert Deeley, head of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, as well as Bishop Peter Uglietto, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston. The three allegedly “knew, or were negligent in not knowing” that Biagioni, who is not a priest or church leader, posed a danger to children at the high school, the suit claims.
"Once again, we have to look at the secret files to see what Cardinal O'Malley has for information concerning Stephen Biagioni and concerning what his supervisors knew," Garabedian said, according to WBUR.
Director appointed for planned family welcome center at public schools
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Etienne Pierre
Weslie Etienne Pierre has been hired as the first director of communications and family engagement in Arlington Public School, the district announced recently.
Her role will be to oversee creation and implementation of the district’s first “Family Welcome Center” and to direct all aspects of communication, registration and family engagement, according to APS.
“The appointment of Mrs. Etienne Pierre follows a thorough search that included more than 50 individuals from across Arlington, and I am grateful to the many community members who participated in the initial screening committee and joined finalist focus groups,” said APS Superintendent Elizabeth Homan.
“Throughout the interview process and performance tasks, Weslie impressed us with her exceptional technical and interpersonal skills -- and feedback unanimously praised both her technical and interpersonal skills,” Homan said.
Covid incidence May 24: Current county wastewater number second-highest in county but still relatively low
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- Judith Pfeffer By
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UPDATED May 29: YourArlington continues to report a running tally of Covid-19 incidence regionally based on wastewater analysis by Biobot Analytics. These figures are in reverse chronological order toward the end of this ongoing column, along with an explanation of why most scientists consider wastewater analysis statistics to be valuable data.
This information may be of greater meaning now in mid-2023, as major organizations including many Massachusetts hospitals are ceasing universal masking mandates -- and many other measures of what is no longer officially a pandemic soon may no longer be kept at all.
Based on readings taken May 24, 2023, Middlesex County, where Arlington is located, is down from the week prior, to 306, making it probably the second-highest in the commonwealth, second only to Barnstable County's 406, though with Franklin and Hampshire not yet posting updated numbers. Currently the national average is 186.
All the numbers cited here represent Covid-19 virus concentration per mililiter of wastewater; however, this is not the same as the total number of Covid-19 infections, which is near-impossible to know.
Council on Aging thanks volunteers for their service to local seniors
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Arlington Seniors Association board members were honored recently. From left are Claire Foley, Lorraine Accardi, Joanne Morel, Pat O'Connell, Elisa Lopez, Peggy Pellegrino, June Mackey, Tim Mast and Rose Eromin. / Frank Tadley photo SEE MORE PHOTOS >>
“Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve," said the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
"You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve .... You don’t have to know the second [law] of thermodynamics in physics to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
In that spirit, an estimated 70 volunteers attended as the Arlington Council on Aging held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon earlier this month at the community center.
Executive Director Kristine Shah with Volunteer Coordinator Michelle Tse addressed those at the gathering to thank them for their dedication to the older adults of Arlington.
Brattle Square project nears ZBA decision
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- Renee Abbott By
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Proposed condos and retail space at 1021-1025 Mass. Ave. / Harrison Mulhern Architects
UPDATED May 18: Town deliberations about “The Residences at Mill Brook,” a proposed 50-unit multifamily development and 1,000 square feet of commercial space at 1021-1025 Mass. Ave., near Brattle Square, have continued for nearly a year.
Now the lengthy process by the Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals is headed toward resolution.
The board has until June 4 to make its final decision, though it can request more time from the applicant. Ultimately, the ZBA can vote to approve the comprehensive permit with no conditions, approve it with conditions or deny the permit completely.
New, elementary-level literacy program approved
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EL Education graphic
The Arlington School Committee has unanimously adopted the administration-recommended literacy program for the elementary school level. It is called EL Education and was chosen over two other programs that were also considered.
Officials said that after considerable research, it appeared clear that EL Education was superior, based on a number of factors, to its competitors, My View Literacy and Wit & Wisdom.
Its website states that “EL Education is a leading K-12 nonprofit redefining and raising student achievement in partnership with diverse public schools and districts across the country."
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2nd annual Spring Fling Festival June 10
Chamber update: Conversation with Winchester Hospital president Wednesday
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