Itching for auto etching?

October 18, 2007

ITCHING FOR AUTO ETCHING? - Residents can obtain some added theft protection for their automobiles through an etching program Saturday at the police station, located at 19 St. A vehicle with an etching of its identification number in the windows is less likely to be stolen, according to the Governor's Auto Theft Strike Force, a division of the State Police. The etching also helps in the recovery of stolen vehicles. Most auto insurers offer a discount on coverage for vehicles that have been etched. In Saturday's program, a $10 fee will be charged for each vehicle for which a valid registration is presented. No preregistration is required. For more information, contact either Police Officer Tom Hanshaw at 978-388-1217 or thomash@ci.amesbury.ma.us.

- John Laidler

AMERICAN IDOL WINS $500 - A Hometown American Idol talent show is coming to the Georgetown Middle-High School Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. A panel of local celebrity judges will rate finalists, and the audience will vote for a winner. Top prize is $500; second prize, $250; and third prize, $100. Tickets for the Rotary Club of Greater Georgetown show are $10 at the door or can be purchased by contacting Rotary Club president James Mulligan, also town police chief, at jmulligan@georgetownma.gov or 978-352-5700. Proceeds support the Rotary Club's charity work.

- Brenda J. Buote

SCHOOL'S 50TH FETE TO LAST FULL YEAR - An alumni group from Pentucket Regional High School is making plans for a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration to begin in September 2008. The informal committee is reaching out to all alumni, seeking lists of former Pentucket students and their contact information. The goal is to create an alumni association, said Hector Grazio, '60, a committee member. Those interested in participating are encouraged to attend the committee's Nov. 7 meeting at Pentucket Regional High in West Newbury at 7 p.m. They may also call Grazio at 978-373-1222 or Mary Gaffney at 978-363-5527. - David Rattigan

MORE TIME FOR CULTURAL GRANT BIDS - The Haverhill Cultural Council has extended the deadline to submit applications for grants for arts and cultural activities in the community. Grant requests are now due Oct. 22. The council has $21,600 to give away this year. Applications should be mailed to the council at the mayor's office in City Hall, 4 Summer St. For more information visit ci.haverhill.ma.us under the departments/human services link or call 978-374-4500, ext. 31. - Erin Ailworth

TOLL BROTHERS DROP PROJECT - Citing the downturn in the real estate market, Toll Brothers has decided not to move forward with plans to build a 216-unit affordable housing development on Route 110. The development was to be built under the state's Chapter 40B law, which allows builders to skirt local zoning bylaws if they agree to guarantee that at least 20 percent of the units are affordable for those who earn low to moderate incomes. - Brenda J. Buote

BEREAVEMENT GROUP AVAILABLE - Allegiance Hospice is offering a free bereavement support group for adults on Thursdays, starting this afternoon. The group will be led by the Rev. Brenda Champney and will run from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at 12 Kent Way in Byfield. For more information, or to register, call 877-255-4623. Allegiance Hospice is an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for those living with advanced illness. - Brenda J. Buote

LEAF DISPOSAL OPPORTUNITIES - Residents will have more opportunity to get to the compost facility on Crow Lane. Starting today, hours will be extended for disposal of yard waste on Thursdays and Saturdays, with the facility open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until Dec. 1 or until the first snowfall. The facility will remain open from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Proof of residency and a $10 seasonal sticker, available at the facility, are required. Curbside bagged leaf collection will be offered on regular collection days during the weeks of Nov. 5 and 26, and Dec. 3. Residents must place leaves in brown paper leaf bags or in designated marked barrels. Bags must be placed at curbside by 7 a.m. and contain only leaves. For more information contact 978-499-0413, or mettenborough@cityofnewburyport.com - Kay Lazar

IN-LAW APARTMENT BYLAW PROPOSAL - Special Town Meeting next month will consider making the zoning bylaw regulating in-law apartments more flexible. The Planning Board proposed that existing criteria be changed. The Board of Appeals can authorize a special permit for an accessory apartment within, or as an attached addition of, a single family dwelling, subject to certain conditions. The revision would eliminate requirements that accessory apartments be authorized only on lots and within houses existing prior to 1990 and only if the occupants are related. The Special Town Meeting will be Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pine Grove School. - John Laidler

TRAILS, GHOSTLY AND OTHERWISE - Voters at Monday's Town Meeting will vote on a proposal that the town accept an easement needed for a section of the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail, an evolving recreational trail along the former Salisbury branch railbed from Lion's Park to the Amesbury line. It is named after "ghost trains" that once transported carriages from Amesbury to market; covered by white linen shrouds, they resembled ghosts. The town is also working to develop a separate north-south trail from the Merrimack River to the New Hampshire border. That easement is being offered by James F. Vaughan, III, who owns Vaughan Manufacturing on Old Elm Street. Vaughan has a pending request before the Planning Board for approval of a commercial subdivision for a proposed business park adjacent to his current site. The rail trail would run through the middle of the new park, according to Town Manager Neil J. Harrington. The proposed section of the trail is near Interstate 95 and the Amesbury line. The town has already completed development of a mile-long section of the trail, from Cushing Street west, and this fall is planning to connect that completed section to Lion's Park. - John Laidler

GRANGE NAMES OFFICERS - The Laurel Grange has announced its officers for 2007-2008. They include Peter Carter, master; Russell Carr, overseer; Jacalyn Carter, lecturer; Charles Carter, steward; Pearl Griffin, assistant steward; Dorothy Carr, lady assistant steward; Bernice Griffin, chaplain; Emily Poore, treasurer; and Carol Carter, secretary. The Laurel Grange strives to support the local agricultural community and operates a seasonal farmer's market.

- Brenda J. Buote

UNH'S ADDED SPACE OPENS - Kingsbury Hall has reopened at the University of New Hampshire after renovations that took four years and cost more than $45 million. The renovations doubled the size of the library and added about 20,000 square feet of laboratories and classroom space to the facility, which houses the university's college of engineering and physical sciences. - Tom Long

FIRE DEPARTMENT JOBS SAFE - Two deputy fire chief positions, threatened by belt tightening in the town's proposed $3.1 million budget for 2008, have been spared. Town manager Fred Welch had suggested eliminating the positions, but the Board of Selectmen voted last week to keep them. Fire Chief Hank Lipe encouraged the board to find other ways to cut costs. - Tom Long

UNION BUTTONS OK - Port City police officers are no longer prohibited from wearing union buttons on their uniforms, according to a ruling by the state Public Employee Labor Relations Board. Handed down earlier this month, the decision was in response to a grievance filed by the patrolmen's union after an officer was asked last year to remove a union button from his uniform. The board ruled that the Police Department may not prohibit the buttons because it lacks a comprehensive uniform adornment policy. -Tom Long

STUDENTS ENTICED TO WALK, BIKE - The town will kick off its Safe Routes to School program with an informational meeting at the Rye Public Library next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. John Corrigan, coordinator of the program for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and other local officials will discuss why it's important - both for the environment and students' heath - to encourage children to bicycle or walk to school. - Tom Long

PADDLING THE SHAWSHEEN - A canoe trip planned for Sunday is designed to show off the beauty of the Shawsheen River and take in some fall foliage. The trip is to be sponsored by several town organizations, including the Conservation Commission, the Shawsheen River Watershed Association, Andover Youth Services, and the Andover Historical Society. The trip, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be from the Tewksbury town line to Ballardvale. Organizers have asked participants to register by 8 tonight by calling Burt Batcheller at 978-475-3665. Participants must wear a life jacket. The day also will feature a quick tour of the Andover Village Improvement Society's Sanborn Reservation land. - Dan Tuohy

CRISIS PLAN RESPONDS TO RAID - Nonprofit Chelsea Collaborative will unveil a humanitarian crisis plan Monday at Bunker Hill Community College's Chelsea campus, 175 Hawthorne St. City Council president Roseann Bongiovanni, also associate executive director of the nonprofit, said the plan is a response to the immigration raid by federal agents in a New Bedford leather-goods factory last March that led to the arrest of 361 undocumented immigrant workers, many of them women who were separated from their young children. Should such an event happen in Chelsea, Bongiovanni said, a response team of lawyers, financial management, shelters, donations, and communications will be in place. The City Council recently declared Chelsea a Sanctuary City, a symbolic gesture welcoming immigrant and refugee residents regardless of their legal status.

- Katheleen Conti

CLAMFEST SATURDAY - The 25th annual Essex ClamFest will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Park. The highlight of the daylong family-focused event, which draws large crowds each year, will be the clam chowder tasting contest, pitting the clam chowder of 14 area restaurants against one another. That contest runs from noon until 2 p.m. The rain date for the event, sponsored by the Essex division of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, is Sunday. For more information, call 978-283-1601 or e-mail info@capeannchamber.com.

- David Rattigan

KINGSTON TRIO BENEFIT - The Kingston Trio hopes to give a lift to the Elevator Fund at St. Pius V Parish. On Oct. 26, the group will perform a benefit concert at 8 p.m. in the auditorium at City Hall. Proceeds will go toward the purchase of an elevator to improve handicapped access to the Catholic church on Maple Street. Tickets cost $75, $45, $35, and $25. They can be purchased at the parish center, the mayor's office at City Hall, or at ticketmaster.com. - Kathy McCabe

PUMPKIN FESTIVAL COMING -The town's 23d annual Pumpkin Festival will be held Oct. 27 in Middleton center (rain date Oct. 28). The daylong fall celebration, which begins at 9 a.m., will feature a variety of activities at the Howe-Manning School and the Middleton Historical Society's Lura Woodside Watkins Museum. Free apple pie and ice cream will be supplied by the Middleton Board of Trade, and other foods, including cotton candy and popcorn, will be offered at no charge by various merchants. Activities will include pumpkin carving, a "Horribles" parade starting at 5:30 p.m., and a "Haunted Hay Ride." Sponsored by the Board of Trade, the Middleton Arts Association, and the Kiwanis Club of Middleton, the festival is free. For more information, call 978-774-0646. - John Laidler

WHAT TEENS WANT - How parents can better communicate with and empower their teenage children is the topic of a forum tonight at 7 in Masconomet Regional High School. Topsfield resident and Masconomet parent Janet Parker, a personal coach and facilitator of seminars and training programs, will lead the forum, which is open to all parents of middle school- and high school-aged children. For more information, call 978-887-6512. - John Laidler