A show of love for family

Keri Maguire's faith in Abington's sense of kinship has been rewarded. When Maquire and a small group of friends began planning a fund-raiser for her lifelong friend, Kristen Sage, whose 41-year-old husband, Tommy, died of heart failure last February, they secured the Abington VFW's massive function hall. Thinking big, it turned out, was a wise move. "The turnout was just tremendous," Maguire said last week of the May 31 event. "It was packed full. There must have been more than 300 people there." The event raised close to $20,000 to help pay for college for the couple's two children, Kathryn, 6, and Henry, 2. "The turnout says a lot about Abington and how they support their own here," Maguire said. - Robert Carroll

TIME FOR DOG LICENSES - Dog licenses are now available through the town clerk's office, according to the town. The fee is $10, or $15 after July 1. An up-to-date rabies certificate is required. - Matt Carroll

PATH OF PERSEVERANCE - Hikers can cross the stream in Wheelwright Park without getting their feet wet, thanks to Eagle Scout R.K. Quebec. For his Boy Scout Eagle project, Quebec built a rock path across the stream in the 112-acre, town-owned property. Construction took less than a week, but completing the work required for a permit from the town conservation commission took months. "There were definitely weekends I wanted to hang out with my friends instead, but I'm really glad I stuck with it," Quebec said. A graduating senior at Cohasset Middle/High School, he plans to go to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the fall where he hopes to major in ocean engineering. - Johanna Seltz

EARLY SUMMER RESPITE FROM FINES - The Duxbury Free Library will liberate library scofflaws from fines for overdue books for a two-week period beginning later this month. From June 20 to July 4, the town library will waive fines on all returned materials. The waiver does not apply to materials returned to other libraries in the Old Colony Library Network, the regional library group to which Duxbury belongs, or to charges for lost or damaged materials. During the same period the library will also issue replacement library cards for free. Identification and proof of residency is needed for a replacement card.

- Robert Knox

BUSINESS OWNER GETS SUPPORT - A Hanover business owner who fired what he said were warning shots says he has been "overwhelmed" by the show of public support. David Crest, owner of Family Crest Catering on Hanover Street, last month pleaded not guilty in Hingham District Court to charges of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling and assault with a deadly weapon. "I've had more than 150 phone calls and e-mails from people I don't even know telling me they support me," said Crest, of Marshfield. Crest told police that on April 21, after noticing a loss of merchandise over a six-month period, he told his employees he was going on vacation. Instead, armed with a shotgun, Crest slept in his office. Shortly after 11 p.m., he said, he heard someone in the building and confronted an employee, John O'Connor. Police said Crest fired two warning shots into the floor before firing again toward O'Connor's car as O'Connor drove off. O'Connor was arrested a short time later in Weymouth and has been charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, and larceny from a building. He pleaded not guilty and recently was released after posting $2,500 cash bail. Crest, who is licensed to carry a firearm, is scheduled back in court for a pretrial hearing on July 16. - Robert Carroll

RUGBY EXPLAINED - The town Recreation Department is offering a rugby clinic next month that will teach the basics of the sport and end with an inter-club game. "Our ultimate objective is to get a least a club team to play at the high school," said organizer Declan Boland, 53, who started playing as a youth in Dublin and now referees in the Boston area. Boland said rugby is catching on in this area. "Marshfield's been playing a while and Scituate started this year. We'd like a little South Shore rivalry." The clinic will be held July 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, and 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Cronin Field. The $95 cost includes insurance, a "Hingham Rugby" shirt and playing equipment. The clinic is open to boys and girls ages 15 to 18. Registration forms are available at the Hingham Recreation Department, 210 Central St., online at hinghamrec.com or at the Hingham Rec program sign-up on June 14. More information is available by contacting Boland or Jerry Alderman at hinghamrugby@comcast.net. - Johanna Seltz

TANK REFURBISHED - The town of Holbrook is refurbishing the 1-million-gallon water tank used in fire emergencies. The 128-foot tank is undergoing repairs so it can maintain proper water pressure, said Department of Public Works Superintendent Thomas R. Cummings. The tank is being stripped of paint, cleaned, then repainted. The entire job will cost $400,000, Cummings said.

- Franci Richardson Ellement

SENIORS PAY FOR BAD DECISION - A handful of high school seniors were barred from the class banquet, prom, and commencement after arriving for their last day of school under the influence of alcohol. While some parents have complained that the principal's penalty was too harsh, Superintendent Kathleen Tyrell defended it. "I think the focus should be on the dangerous behavior that the principal is trying to stop, rather than whether the punishment was too strong or too weak," she said. She said the students were coming from the "senior sleepout," a traditional event not sanctioned by the school administration, where many seniors spend the night in a nearby athletic field called the Dustbowl. Some of the students were rowdy as they walked to school the next morning, May 30, and police were called. About half a dozen of the seniors were suspended, Tyrell said. Police filed no charges. Principal Jonathan Ford wouldn't comment on the matter, but said parents are organizing a supervised overnight party at the school for seniors next year, which he hoped would prevent future problems. "We can do much better for a tradition. Everybody needs to learn our lessons and move on," he said. - Johanna Seltz

DECISION NEAR ON NEW ASSESSOR - The Board of Selectmen will meet with the Board of Assessors on Tuesday at 7 p.m. to vote jointly on a candidate to fill a vacancy on the three-member Board of Assessors. Selectmen last month rescheduled the vote to give more time for candidates for the position to come forward. As of last week three candidates have expressed interest in the appointment - Nancy Shea, Gail Catani, and Kenneth Stevens. The vacancy was created by the recent resignation of assessor William Martin. The town's Board of Assessors oversees the valuation of properties for tax purposes.

- Robert Knox

REMEMBERING MOLLY - A fund-raising walk and 5K run will be held next Sunday in memory of Molly Fitzgerald, a Marshfield High School student who died in June 2006. This is the second annual "Molly Walk," and proceeds from the event benefit the Molly Fitzgerald Memorial Fund. The walk and run will be held on Father's Day, rain or shine, and registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Marshfield High School athletic fields. For more information, visit mollyfund.net.

- Emily Sweeney

SAME HOSPITAL, NEW ADDRESS - Milton Hospital has moved - sort of. The hospital changed its address from 92 Highland St. to 199 Reedsdale Road, although there was no physical change. The problem, according to the hospital, was that visitors using online address finders, such as Mapquest, found themselves taking neighborhood roads unnecessarily. The new address delivers visitors to a different entrance. - Matt Carroll

TEEN SPOT CONTEST - With the help of grant funds, the library is revamping the young adult area to make it a more friendly, comfortable place for teens to call their own. As part of that effort, the library is inviting Middle School students to enter a contest to design the permanent sign that will mark that section of the library. Instructions are available at the Middle School front desk and the library circulation desk. The deadline to submit entries is July 1. The young adult area is to be called the Teen Spot. The grant was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Meanwhile, the library tomorrow will begin registration for its summer reading program for children and teens, "Wild Reads at Your Library." - John Laidler

WHO WILL BE POND CHAMPION? - Residents have a chance to take part in some friendly competition on the water while also helping support a community organization. The Pembroke Watershed Association is recruiting participants to take part in its Monument Island Paddlers and Rowers Race, scheduled for July 26 on Oldham Pond. The event, which will be chaired this year by Selectman William Boulter, serves as a fund-raiser for the nonprofit organization, which promotes the health of the town's five ponds. There will be races involving canoes, kayaks, row boats, and paddle boats in age categories ranging from children to 55 and over. All the races start from the town landing on Wampatuck Street. Free T-shirts will be provided to the first 100 to register by July 1. Applications are available at Town Hall, the library, Sunshine Pool, and Lindy's Market, or on line at pembrokeponds.org. - John Laidler

CUSTODIANS AGREE TO CONTRACT - The 68 members of the Quincy school custodial union signed a contract that stretches through 2010, which gives them 13 percent in raises over four years but also a doubling in their contribution to healthcare costs. The contract has no raise between 2006 and 2007, but then spreads raises every six months until January 2010, said James Connors, president of Quincy Public School Custodians Local 1911. The healthcare contribution paid by union members will increase from 10 to 20 percent. Fees, such as copays, will also double. - Matt Carroll

NEW TOWN, SAME JOB FOR HOWARD - Randolph Town Clerk Brian Howard is leaving his elected post to take the job of town clerk in Easton, where the clerk is appointed. Howard has been overseeing elections and town records as clerk since 2000. He also has served as a selectmen and member of the school committee, and he stepped in on a temporary basis covering executive secretary duties in recent years when that post has been vacant. "Most of my adult life has been spent in Randolph government," Howard said in an e-mail. "I am nervous but very excited and I look forward to the opportunity." He begins in Easton June 23. Randolph selectmen will appoint someone to serve as town clerk to complete Howard's term until April, when the post will be on the annual town election ballot.

- David Connolly

ADMINISTRATOR TAKES HELM - Rockland's new town administrator started the job on Tuesday, a day after selectmen unanimously approved his contract. Allan Chiocca, a former Bridgewater selectmen and state representative, will be paid a salary of $83,000 under his one-year contract. Selectmen plan to set a list of objectives for Chiocca that could help determine whether to extend his contract beyond the initial year. Chiocca's contract is similar to the one held by Bradley A. Plante, the town administrator who retired Jan. 1. John Clifford, a lawyer and former town administrator from Marshfield, has been serving as interim administrator on a part-time basis. He plans to continue to serve for two weeks in a supporting role to help Chiocca's transition.

- Milton Valencia

SEARCH ON FOR NEW LIGHTKEEPER - Ruth Downton, who has served as lightkeeper for Scituate Light since 1986, is leaving the position this fall. The Scituate Historical Society, which maintains the nearly two-century old, 50-foot high granite and brick lighthouse at Cedar Point, has initiated a search for a new keeper. The keeper resides in an adjacent cottage and operates the lighthouse, which remains in use as a private aid to navigation. Applicants should have an excellent working knowledge of the history of Scituate Light and of lighthouses in general. The rent for the keeper's house will be $900 per month. To obtain further information on applying, stop by the society's Little Red Schoolhouse at 43 Cudworth Road Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - John Laidler

GOLFING FOR ARC - More than 30 years ago, Kevin Bailey was one of the first young adults to participate in the Arc of the South Shore's employment program for people with developmental disabilities. His grateful parents later organized a golf tournament to raise money for the Arc, a nonprofit organization started in 1951 to provide services for mentally challenged children and adults. The Louis Bailey Golf Outing hits the links at the South Shore Country Club in Hingham on June 16 at 1:30 p.m. and hopes to raise $35,000. Two Special Olympic foursomes are playing, according to Arc spokeswoman Claudia Cuscianna. Tickets for the tournament are $130 per person and include 18 holes of golf, lunch and dinner. Reception and dinner-only tickets are $50. More information can be found at arcsouthshore.org or by calling Cuscianna at 781-413-2230. - Johanna Seltz

RAIL EXPANSION WORRIES OFFICIALS - State transportation officials got a chilly reception when they presented possible routes through Canton for the proposed expansion of rail line to the southern coastal area of the state. "We are quite concerned about safety, environmental issues, and the impact on quality of life," said John J. Connolly, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Connolly said the recent presentation by state transportation officials during a selectmen's meeting showed the town would be affected by two or three of the six possible alternatives for providing additional service from Boston to New Bedford and Fall River. He said one proposal raised alarms as it would put the rail lines through the environmentally sensitive Hockomock Swamp. Officials also expressed concern that the commuter lines could be used by freight trains. "No one wants to see a freight train come rumbling through Canton Center at 3 a.m.," Connolly said, adding the town is on guard due to the recent accident where a runaway freight car smashed into a commuter train at rush hour on existing tracks.

- Elaine Cushman Carroll

SEEKING MORE FROM STONEHILL - Town Administrator David Colton is calling for Stonehill College to absorb some of the costs for public safety, as part of a "beneficiary agreement." In a letter to the college, Colton said the town should be reimbursed for some of the services it provides, particularly fire services: In 2007, 2.26 percent of the Fire Department's emergency calls came from the college. Using that tally, 2.26 percent of the department's budget is $68,365, a figure the college, a tax-exempt institution, should consider paying in lieu of taxes, Colton said. The college does pay the town $20,000, but that figure should be increased as the town continues to face tighter budgets, he said. Colton did not factor police services into the tally because the college has its own force. -Milton J. Valencia

TOWN FACES DIRE CUTS - Voters will face a tough Town Meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday as they take up a proposed budget that would result in the layoffs of about 20 town employees, including 12 teachers at the elementary school and three police officers. The cuts would be necessary to meet an unexpected budget shortfall of about $1.2 million in the town's roughly $20 million budget, officials said. An informational meeting on the budget will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Freetown Elementary School, according to Lisa Pacheco, chairwoman of the Board of Selectman. She said a push to curtail the cuts through an override of Proposition 2 1/2 is gaining momentum. An override would fund the measure through a permanent increase in property taxes. A second budget contingent on the passage of an override could be taken up on Wednesday, she said. If approved, a special election would then be set for the override. - Elaine Carroll