Tell-tale beeps lead police to stolen-car charges for 3
- Details
- By YourArlington staff
- Category: Police
- Hits: 9
Arlington police, responding to beeps signaling a stolen car, arrested three people in the lot at Stop & Shop midday on Saturday, Oct. 8.
Facing charges of theft of a 2003 gray Honda Accord were Christopher M. Saunders Jr., 27, of Framingham; Daeshawn Maurice, 23, of Malden; and Aaliyah Malee Khlock, 19, of Lowell. Saunders also faces a fugitive charge related to cases in Framingham and Quincy.
Here is an account based on an Arlington police report:
Study of clerk's office looks ahead to potential changes
- Details
- By Susan Gilbert
- Category: Selectboard summaries
- Hits: 8
'... piece of a longer conversation ...'
-- Juli Brazile
The Study of the Office of the Town Clerk aims to provide some needed steps to generate discussion about bringing the operation into the 21st century.
The 26-page report, presented to the Select Board by Town Clerk Juli Brazile, assesses the organizational structure of the town clerk’s department.
The Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management, an organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of public management in government, prepared the $8,000 study (Town Meeting had allocated $10,000 for this purpose last year), explained Brazile in an Oct. 6 email to YourArlington.
“The study is a piece of a longer conversation with the Select Board that may lead to a warrant article and a further discussion with Town Meeting. The goal of the study was to have information to help us have those conversations,” wrote Brazile in her email.
Board discusses plan from affordable-housing trust
- Details
- By YourArlington staff
- Category: Redevelopment Board summaries
- Hits: 9
The Arlington Redevelopment Board on Monday, Oct. 3, discussed a presentation about the draft Affordable Housing Trust Fund plan and voted to continue consideration of a plan at 80 Broadway to Nov. 7.
Karen Kelleher, of the plan's board, said that board recently met with a dozen affordable-housing developers, indicating likely capacity to develop such housing here.
The board heard a community desire to help those with the greatest need, along with a desire to help people across a range of income levels. This led them to consider a wider range of housing solutions.
11th 'green' grant targets cutting energy use in 3 town buildings
- Details
- By YourArlington staff
- Category: Town Hall
- Hits: 2
$100,000 brings total since 2010 to nearly $2 million
Arlington is to receive a $100,000 grant to continue reducing energy use in town buildings through the state.
Town planning has announced the award as part of the state Department of Energy Resources "Green Communities" program.
Three town buildings will receive improvements through the grant, utility incentives and town matching funds:
Board welcomes new planning director, who eyes future
- Details
- By Susan Gilbert
- Category: Selectboard summaries
- Hits: 8
Claire Ricker, Arlington’s new planning and community-development director, was introduced to the Select Board at its Sept. 28 meeting.
Town Manager Sandy Pooler, welcoming Ricker, said, “We are lucky to have a new talented and experienced director of our planning department.”
Ricker said that she works with an extraordinarily talented staff. “The town has given me a warm welcome, and everyone has been very supportive. Arlington is thoughtful, engaged and passionate. I think we’ll be able to deliver some really good projects.”
Ricker’s immediate goals include:
Redevelopment Board lists projects, weighs goals
- Details
- By YourArlington staff
- Category: Redevelopment Board summaries
- Hits: 7
UPDATED Oct. 2: The Arlington Redevelopment Board on Sunday, Sept. 25, reviewed at its annual goal-setting meeting a list of projects permitted in 2020 through 2022 and several that may come to the board. Of note:
- Arlington's master plan, adopted in 2015, expires soon, and the board has Community Development Block Grant funds to support an update. The board discussed timing of this effort, in relation to MBTA zoning.
- Members asked about the Hotel Lexington, site of the former VFW building on Mass. Ave. in the Heights. Staff believes the owner ran into problems with financing and may come back with a multifamily project.
Town Hall diversity efforts widen with ADA, outreach hires
- Details
- By YourArlington staff
- Category: Town news
- Hits: 6
Tim Ross
Teresa Marzilli
Arlington Town Hall had no clear ongoing diversity effort in October 2018, when a town police officer published harsh, racially infused comments in an official, statewide police journal.
Lt. Richard Pedrini was placed on leave, and, in 2019, then-Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine addressed the matter with restorative justice, a process requiring the officer to deal with representatives of those affected by his comments. Pedrini later returned to active duty with the police and, months after that, publicly apologized.
The controversy that followed spurred the birth of a citizen group, Arlington Fights Racism, whose leaders wanted the officer fired and viewed the restorative-justice process as ineffective. At the same time, the town manager instituted diversity training for all town employees.
Those educational efforts to address institutional bigotry are to continue this fall, Jillian Harvey told local public television station ACMi in an update (see ACMi video here >>). Harvey was appointed the town's first coordinator of diversity, equity and inclusion in 2020. Later, she was elevated to director.
Town Hall efforts to address inclusion are expanding. Harvey now supervises two employees whose roles represent firsts for Arlington.
Town allocates U.S. aid for 22 small businesses, nonprofits
- Details
- By YourArlington staff
- Category: Business news
- Hits: 3
$860k supports projects aimed at sustainable growth for Covid-affected industries; see list of amounts below
UPDATED Sept. 28: Twenty-two nonprofit organizations and small businesses in Arlington have been selected to receive a total of $860,900 in grants.
The town's Transformative Growth Grants Program, funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and administered by the Department of Planning and Community Development, helps those affected by Covid-19 bring to life their vision for future growth.
The town announced the awards in a news release. Small-businesses and nonprofit organizations representing a variety of industries received grants for place-making, programming, facilities and infrastructure, news reporting, personnel or planning projects. Here are the recipients how much each received:
Higher-cost option for next year's AHS start approved
- Details
- By Judith Pfeffer
- Category: School Committee summaries
- Hits: 4
'... a big chunk of money ... the right choice.'
-- Kirsi Allison-Ampe
Taking funds from nearly $8m contingency
UPDATED Sept. 28: Agreeing with the superintendent, the School Committee voted unanimously Thursday, Sept. 22, for the second of two choices presented to cope with the ongoing reconstruction of Arlington High School. “Option 2” was the more expensive choice but the one that would keep all AHS students on campus for full school days from the first scheduled instructional date of the 2023-24 school year.
“Option 2” will require the postponement of certain aspects of the construction, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million, all to be paid from the already established contingency fund of nearly $8 million. See both options here >>
“This is specifically the kind of thing that contingencies are built for,” said committee member Jeff Thielman, head of the building subcommittee. “The needs of the students are paramount.” Later, making the motion favoring option 2, he said that this choice is “not increasing the total cost of the project” and that “this is in the best interest of the students,” particularly freshmen.
New town electricity contract points to increased renewable-energy use -- and rates
- Details
- By YourArlington staff
- Category: Environment
- Hits: 0
The town has selected a new electricity supplier for the Arlington Community Electricity (ACE) program, with a 24-month contract term beginning in November. Use of renewable energy is expected to increase, as are rates.
The contract with NextEra Energy Services Massachusetts provides a fixed price for two years, while the price for Eversource basic service fluctuates every six months.
More than 16,000 residents and businesses enrolled in the program can expect to see a change in price, and a new supplier, on their December electricity bill. This bill will reflect the November meter reading.
Under the new contract, the default percentage of extra renewable energy for the “local green” product will increase from 11 to 30 percent. Purchasing extra renewable energy through this product enables customers to contribute to increased renewable-energy development in the Northeast region. This increase is estimated to yield an additional 16.6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable-energy use, enough to power 2,900 Arlington homes entirely on renewables.
Page 3 of 11
Support our fund-raiser
An informed Arlington
keeps democracy alive
YourArlington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Your contributions are tax-deductible.
Your Schools
Smooth reopening for schools, committee weighs future issues
Minuteman opens with large ninth-grade class
Animal clinic aims to open at Minuteman in fall '23
121 students, 27 from Arlington, graduate from Minuteman
Your Democracy
Firsthand perspective: What has happened to your local newspaper? You can help
Your Housing
Arlington is facing a housing crisis: Experts, residents explain their views
Your Police, Fire
Police step up efforts to curb opioid abuse; seminar held
Middlesex Sheriff’s Office announces weekly entrance exams for officer candidates
Arlington man among 15 arrested in climate protests blocking Boston streets
Animal-control officer working at community center
Your Arts
12th film fest announces awards reflecting audience choice
12th Arlington Internation Film Festival held
Cultural council meets; new grant cycle announced
See artist's mixed-media bird collages at 3 locales
Your Libraries
Summer reading for kids, teens, adults; registration underway
Friends of Library hula program held
Login Form
YOUR VIEW: Opinions: Roe, Alewife, racism, film, Ukraine, letters, poetry
No. 127: Red Letter Poems 3.0: Performer, audience
UPDATED Sept. 9: Steven Ratiner, Arlington’s poet laureate, sought submissions in February 2020 from Arlington residents to contribute to "a rather unconventional, utterly delightful way to inject poetry into the everyday." It was to remain secret until its debut during April’s National Poetry Month. Then the coronavirus hit. In June 2021, he offers Red Letters 3.0.
PUBLISHED: I was asked to write an essay for Askold Melnyczuk’s Arrowsmith Journal about what I learned from the first year of the Red Letter Project. It also became a meditation about the relationship between poet and reader. If you’d like to take a look, here is a link – arrowsmithpress.com/community-of-voices -- and you’ll also be able to check out the variety of marvelous literary projects that appear under Askold’s Arrowsmith imprint. Enjoy!
Steven Ratiner / David Andrews photo
The Red Letter Poem Project
The Red Letters 3.0: A New Beginning (Perhaps)
At the outset of the Covid pandemic, when fear was at its highest, the Red Letter Project was intended to remind us of community: that, even isolated in our separate homes, we could still face this challenge together. As Arlington’s Poet Laureate, I began sending out a poem of comfort each Friday, featuring the fine talents from our town and its neighbors. Because I enlisted the partnership of seven local arts and community organizations, distribution of the poems spread quickly – and, with subscribers sharing and re-posting the installments, soon we had readers, not only throughout the Commonwealth, but across the country. And I delighted in the weekly e-mails I’d receive with praise for the poets; as one reader recently commented: “You give me the gift of a quiet, contemplative break—with something to take away and reflect on.”
Then our circumstance changed dramatically again: following the murder of George Floyd, the massive social and political unrest, and the national economic catastrophe, the distress of the pandemic was magnified. Red Letter 2.0 announced that I would seek out as diverse a set of voices as I could find – from Massachusetts and beyond – so that their poems might inspire, challenge, deepen the conversation we were, by necessity, engaged in.
Now, with widespread vaccination, an economic rebound, and a shift in the political landscape, I intend to help this forum continue to evolve – Red Letter 3.0. For the last 15 months, I’ve heard one question again and again: when will we get back our old lives? It may pain us to admit it, but that is little more than a fantasy. Our lives have been altered irrevocably – not only our understanding of how thoroughly interdependent we are, both locally and globally, but how fragile and utterly precious is all that we love. Weren’t you bowled over recently by how good it felt just to hug a friend or family member? Or to walk unmasked through a grocery, noticing all the faces?
Letters: Emailing Advocate & Star? Copy it here; it'll be published first
YourArlington's policy about letters to the editor
UPDATED Aug. 13: YourArlington welcomes opinions of all kinds from local residents, including national issues so long as you can draw a local connection. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June on Roe v Wade must have echoes here, too. Letters are reviewed for fairness, factualness and taste.
This site welcomes letters about any issue that stirs the public mind. Longer opinion pieces are also welcome.
NOTE: When emailing a letter to The Advocate & Star, consider copying YourArlington at the same time. Your opinions will be published sooner.
Please support your view with facts and arguments that attempt to adhere to reason.
You may write on any subject, so long as you try to make a connection to Arlington. If you can't do that, then your residence in town will be a sufficient connection.
Alewife Brook sewage campaign: Dredgery, Globe notices
Worst Offender: Somerville’s SOM01A combined sewer overflow.
UPDATED Aug. 11: Precinct 13 Town Meeting member Kristin Anderson, who is monitoring the combined sewer overflows into the Alewife Brook, provided this update via her blog, Save the Alewife Brook.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s mention of dredging the Alewife Brook in its response to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s April 2022 draft scope for the new CSO control plan has revived the discussion about the role removing sediment from the Alewife Brook can play in restoration and flood prevention efforts.
Boston Globe takes note in kayak piece >>
The EPA recommends MWRA include dredging the Alewife Brook as part of the alternatives analysis for the new Control Plan.
People: testing Raxo Carousel
McOwens: A half-century Highland fling
Veteran Select Board administrator Krepelka dies
An unexpected proposal ... and after that, McDonald's
AHS grad's nonprofit teaches tech skills in Kenya, Ukraine
From Arlington to Gillette: AHS senior debuts with Revolution
Town rights commission cofounder dies at 66
'Tiger Wizard,' an AHS grad, drums up a future
Couple stays upbeat despite worsening health challenges
Only connect: Departing libraries director reviews a decade
Arlington resident honored for years of service to St. Athanasius
Arlington artist helps design women's hockey logo
Eyes have it: After lifetime of seeing in 2 dimensions, resident taught herself to see in 3
'Force of nature' Fiore remembered
Longtime resident recalls how Red Sox gave her hits she needed
Retired Arlington police lieutenant dies at 58
Younger than 5: 4th album for Arlington musician
Housing Corporation hires new executive director
Film premieres pony tale: When 2 boys went to Montreal
HEROINES HELP: Mass. commission honors 2 residents
