Nipped in the bud

The City Council unanimously voted Monday to forward to the Licensing Commission a request to ban the sale of alcohol nips and single beer cans, said council president Roseann Bongiovanni. The request was made by Councilor Brian B. Hatleberg to address the problem of public drunkenness. City Solicitor Cheryl Anne Watson told the council that no city or town in the state has such a ban. She added in a written opinion that the Licensing Commission must produce "substantial evidence to support a total ban of single beer cans and nips throughout the city." - Katheleen Conti

DEVELOPMENT FORUM - The Mayor's Office of Community and Economic Development is seeking residents' suggestions on what types of community projects the city should fund, and has scheduled a meeting for public comment on Monday at 6 p.m. in the Keverian Room at City Hall. The city is planning to apply for a $1.2 million Small Cities Grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, according to the Community and Economic Development office. Any individual or organization will be granted time to speak at the public meeting, the news release said. For more information, contact Marzie Galazka, director of the Community and Economic Development office, at 617-394-2245. - Kay Lazar

YOUTH MOVEMENT - Teenage girls from Girls Inc. volunteered to help the Licensing Board conduct a compliance check on liquor license establishments, and they found one in violation. Classical High School also is getting involved with the board. Students in an honors government class will attend the board's meetings, taking notes and watching proceedings they will later discuss in class. Richard Coppinger, the board chairman, will visit the class. The licensing board is contemplating rolling back closing time at the city's bars and restaurants from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m., effective Jan. 1. The board is expected to take a vote on Dec. 19. - Kathy McCabe

NEW SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER - Officials are negotiating a contract for Kevin J. McHugh of Lowell to become the new business manager for the Lynn public schools. McHugh, 46, is the business manager for the Wilmington public schools. He's also a member of the Lowell School Committee. He formerly was an assistant superintendent of schools in Peabody. The Lynn School Committee voted 5-2 on Nov. 29 to hire McHugh for the job, which was advertised at a salary ranging from $100,000 to $115,000. McHugh could not be reached for comment on his new job. His contract in Wilmington requires him to give a 60-day notice, said Tom Iarrobino, secretary to the Lynn School Committee. - Kathy McCabe

BOOSTING HEALTH FOR ALL - Healthy Malden, a public-private coalition that monitors the health of Malden residents, has received $35,475 to combat racial and ethnic health disparities. The grant is part of $1 million handed out to 42 organizations by Governor Deval Patrick, according to a statement last week from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. The statement said the money is meant to help "improve health care delivery, fund job training to diversify the health care workforce, and provide resources for community programs targeting health disparities." The grant announcements followed the release of a 300-plus page report by the state Department of Public Health that detailed the disparities in Massachusetts. - Erin Ailworth

FINAL FLU SHOT CLINIC - The city will hold its final flu immunization clinic of the season on Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus, 23 West Foster St. The clinic is open to Melrose residents 18 years old and older, and also adult residents of Malden, Medford, Stoneham, and Wakefield. The shots are free to adults with any of the following health insurance coverage: Medicare Part B or HMO Blue; PPO Blue; Tufts Medicare Preferred; or First Seniority. The cost is $10 for adults without health insurance coverage. For further information, call the Melrose Health Department at 781-979-4130. - Kay Lazar

ALERT POLICE COMMENDED - The City Council recently commended Revere Police Sergeant Ted Michalski and Auxiliary Officer Al Aurigemma for saving a woman from a dog attack that resulted in 70 stitches in her arm and leg. Aurigemma was off duty last summer when he spotted two Rottweilers attacking the woman. He drove to the Revere Street bridge, where he ran into Michalski, who was working a traffic detail, and summoned him for help. Michalski was able to get one of the Rottweilers away from the woman by yelling, but the other dog would not let up, he said. Michalski ended up shooting the attacking dog twice, killing him. City Councilor Arthur Guinasso said the two men likely saved the woman's life. Last September, Guinasso asked that the council enact a citywide ban on pit bulls, citing a concern over irresponsible owners and illegal dog-fighting, but the bid was unsuccessful. Guinasso said he plans to bring the issue up again in January after the new City Council is sworn in. - Katheleen Conti

MORE TIME FOR SENIOR DEVELOPMENT - The Planning Board tonight will hold a public hearing on a request to extend approvals already granted for a 20-unit senior housing complex on Denver Street to be built by the Saugus Housing Authority, funded by a $2.5 million grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Both a site plan review application and a hillside protection permit are due to expire this month, but more time is needed for the project to get started. The board also will hold a public hearing to extend approval of a two-lot subdivision off Nelson Street. The hearing will be held as part of the board's regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Annex on Main Street. - Kathy McCabe

WORKING OUT THE KINKS - A Planning Board hearing last week on the proposed development for the former Dalrymple School building drew a large crowd of residents, some with concerns over traffic, parking, and noise. Nashua-based developer EquiVise LLC and Dakota Partners of Stoneham formed a limited liability company called Ocean Vista to build 37 market-rate condominium units in two buildings, said project attorney James Cipoletta. EquiVise's $2.05 million winning bid includes the demolition of the existing school structure. A purchase and sale agreement was recently signed with the town, pending the completion of the special permitting process, said Town Council president Thomas E. Reilly. Cipoletta said developers are addressing concerns by looking into ways to circulate traffic around the building and by figuring out the best spots to locate the garage doors of 24 underground spaces to minimize noise. The hearing was continued until next Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center, 35 Harvard St. - Katheleen Conti

HOME-BUILDING UPDATE - At its meeting Tuesday, the Planning Board will continue a public hearing on an application for a three-lot subdivision at Cherry Lane Extension. The application, filed on behalf of the owner by Hancock Associates of Danvers, calls for the development of three single-family homes on a cul-de-sac. The developer is expected to present the results of a final drainage study for the project at the meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. The board last week approved with conditions a revised plan by C & F Realty Corp. of Arlington for the Gates of Greenwood, a 12-lot subdivision to be built off Green and Oak streets. The proposal was originally for 11 lots. The revision added a 12th lot and provided a different design for the drainage system. - John Laidler

GUILTY PLEA FOR UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD - Charlie L. Williams, 41, of Beverly, pleaded guilty last week in Suffolk Superior Court to charges that he illegally obtained more than $9,000 in unemployment benefits. The guilty plea included larceny over $250, and 17 counts of unemployment insurance fraud. Williams was sentenced to five years' probation and also ordered to pay close to $10,000 in restitution to the state. According to the state case, Williams worked in parts of 2005 and 2006 for a mortgage lending company while he also collected $9,226 in unemployment benefits. - Steven Rosenberg

SENIOR PLANNER HIRED - Tali Kritzer is the town's new senior planner in the Office of Planning and Human Development. She replaces Evan Belansky, who resigned to become community development director in Chelmsford. Kritzer is a former regional planner in the New Hampshire towns of Brookline and Hollis. She also worked as a senior planner in Port Orange, Fla. A Michigan native, Kritzer has a planning degree from Michigan State University. Kritzer is due to start work at the end of December, according to Karen Nelson, planning director. - Kathy McCabe

STORE CHAINS LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT - The city's unemployment rate in October dropped to 4 percent - its lowest rate in just over six years, Mayor James J. Fiorentini said last week. "We're finally recovering from the disastrous events of the early part of this decade - including the recession, 9/11, and the decline of Lucent Technologies," Fiorentini wrote in statement. "It's not a coincidence that the recent sharp drops in unemployment claims in Haverhill correspond with new job growth - including the opening of BJ's, Target, and the prehiring underway by Lowe's." During his recent reelection campaign, Fiorentini touted the arrival of these businesses among his successes. The last time Haverhill's unemployment rate dropped below 4 percent was in the first half of 2001, according to data from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. - Erin Ailworth

NEW VOTING MACHINES - The town is preparing to acquire new voting machines. Town Meeting last month appropriated $25,000 to purchase four new optical scanning machines to replace those the town bought used about 15 years ago. Town Clerk Amy Summers said the companies that have maintained the machines are phasing out that service, and parts are increasingly difficult to obtain. The Board of Selectmen last week approved the change to the new machines. Summers said because of the delay in completing Town Meeting, the Nov. 5 deadline was missed to notify the secretary of state's office of its intention to change its machines for the presidential primary Feb. 5. She said the secretary of state's office has verbally indicated that it will waive that deadline requirement, but that she is awaiting formal approval before proceeding to seek bids for purchase of the new machines. - John Laidler

NO DECISION ON LAHEY REQUEST - At last week's City Council meeting, there was no consensus among councilors on whether to grant Lahey Clinic's request to expand construction hours at its Peabody site. The clinic has requested an amendment to its special permit to allow construction and renovation Monday through Saturday, from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. The permit now allows work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The council will discuss the matter again at its Tuesday meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. - Steven Rosenberg

JOINING THE FORCE - On the recommendation of Police Chief Kevin Barry, the Board of Selectmen last week appointed John J. Raffi of Reading as a full-time patrolman, effective tomorrow. The appointment includes a one-year probation period with continued employment based on Raffi passing physical and psychological exams, among other requirements. Since 1999, Raffi has been working as an associate probation officer with Essex Superior and Leominster District courts. He also has been a public safety dispatcher and reserve police officer with the Reading Police Department. Besides being a police academy graduate, Raffi has a bachelor's degree in law enforcement and a master's degree in criminal justice. - John Laidler

TRAILBLAZERS CONTINUE - Work recently began on construction of a new section of the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail, the evolving recreational trail from the Amesbury line to Lions Park. The nearly half-mile section will extend from Cushing Street east to the park, according to Jerry Klima, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Previously, an approximately mile-long section of trail leading west from Cushing Street was built. The current project is being funded with a $50,000 grant from the state's Recreational Trails program, and from a portion of a $5,000 grant that the Fields Pond Foundation provided to the Coastal Trails Coalition. About half of the new trail segment will be located on an inactive rail bed. The other half will follow a wooded corridor whose owner granted the town an easement to use the land. Contractors are currently working to clear, grade, and place a layer of gravel along the wooded section. The trail is named after "ghost" trains that once transported carriages covered by white muslin shrouds from Amesbury to market. The town is also developing a separate north-south trail from the Merrimack River to the New Hampshire border. - John Laidler

BOOK COLLECTORS - Town officials are asking local residents, educators, and businesses to brush off their dusty tomes and donate them to Got Books?, a used bookseller that helps charities and other nonprofit groups raise money by selling donated books at the company's weekly sale. Each weekend, the company sells donated used books for $1 per book at its North Reading warehouse, and then shares the profits with its fund-raising partners. West Newbury plans to add any funds it gains through its partnership with Got Books? to the town's general fund. A drop-off container has been placed in the Town Office at 381 Main St., accessible at any time. For pickup service, visit gotbooks.com or call 978 664-6555. - Brenda J. Buote