Keeping air clean in Andover

SAFETY SEMINAR - The parent-teacher organizations at Beverly High School and Briscoe Middle School are hosting a seminar for parents about students' behavior with cellphones and the Internet. The seminar, "Sexting, Texting, What's a Parent to Do?" will be held at 7 p.m. May 26 in the Briscoe Middle School auditorium. Joani Geltman, a Wellesley social worker, will be the featured speaker. Geltman also teaches classes in child development and the psychology of family life at Curry College and Lesley University . -Steven Rosenberg

TWO RETURN TO SCHOOL BOARD - Incumbents William J. Bates Jr. and Connie Pawlak retained their seats on the School Committee in the recent town election. The two defeated challenger Alan E. Vervaeke, a former member of the Groton-Dunstable Regional School Committee. In other contests, incumbents Dana Michael Hagan and Mary Beth Verry, along with Frank Herschede, won the race for three library trustee seats, defeating Wayne H. Eisenhauer. Incumbent Carla King defeated Eisenhauer in a two-way race for a seat on the Housing Authority.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR RESIGNS - Town Administrator Stephen Delaney will resign at the end of June to accept the position of human resources director for the town of Danvers. In a letter addressed to department heads, Delaney wrote he was leaving for personal reasons. "I am very proud of the work we have all done to improve the quality of management and services in the town," Delaney wrote. "It has been an honor to have worked with you over the past six years." Delaney said he would work with the Board of Selectmen over the next month to ensure a smooth transition. - David Cogger

BRIDGE REOPENS - The Highland Street Bridge, which connects the town to Mill Road in Ipswich, reopened on May 8. The bridge had been closed since the Mother's Day storm in 2006. The cost of repairs was $3.3 million. - David Rattigan

SENTENCING IN FRAUD CASE - A Bradford man was sentenced earlier this month in federal court for an investment scheme that defrauded more than a dozen people of approximately $850,000. Chuong Van Duong, 59, who had pleaded guilty to 14 counts of mail fraud and five counts of structuring transactions, was sentenced May 1 by US District Judge Richard G. Stearns to 56 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Duong also was ordered to pay $854,110 in restitution. According to investigators, Duong represented himself as a successful businessman dealing in the international exchange of commodities and persuaded victims to invest in his business activities with the promise that they would reap enormous profits in a short period of time. Duong used sham corporate entities and fictitious documents to perpetuate his scheme. None of his victims ever received any profits or repayment of their initial investment. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service criminal investigations unit. - Brenda Buote

MARIJUANA VOTE POSTPONED - The Ipswich Town Meeting, which was suspended Tuesday for a lack of a quorum, will resume at 7:30 p.m. on June 1 in the Performing Arts Center of the high school/middle school. The meeting adjourned at 11:34 p.m. after a resident questioned if a quorum was present. After a count, 179 were still in the room, not enough for the 200 person minimum for a quorum. Earlier in the night, with a quorum, the voters endorsed a $13,862,945 municipal budget for the upcoming fiscal year. At the June 1 meeting, residents will have a chance to vote on a proposed bylaw that would impose a $100 fine on people for smoking marijuana in public. If passed, repeat offenders would face larger fines: a second offense would be $200, and a third offense would be $300. -Steven Rosenberg

SHARE THE LOCAL BOUNTY - Registration is now open for the 2009 Community Supported Agriculture program in Lawrence. Now in its third season, the program is coordinated through Groundwork Lawrence, a nonprofit organization focused on building healthy communities, in partnership with Farmer Dave's, a sustainable agriculture farm in Dracut. By purchasing shares in the CSA, members can enjoy locally grown, farm-fresh produce every week, hand-picked, packed, and delivered to a central location for convenience. The program will run for 18 weeks, from June 30 to Oct. 27, with pickups on Tuesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. Costs for vegetable shares are $400 or $600, depending on quantity, and $100 for a one-person fruit share. Registration forms and a product availability list are available at www.groundworklawrence.org/csa. Deadline for registration is June 26, provided memberships do not sell out prior to that date. - Karen Sackowitz

CANCER WALK TODAY - Lowell General Hospital's 10th annual TeamWalk for CancerCare is scheduled today at the Tsongas Arena. This event has become the region's largest single-day fund-raiser for those facing cancer in the greater Lowell area. Last year's event drew 5,000 participants and helped raise $575,000. Since 2000, participants have raised over $3 million, used for cancer screening programs, patient and family support groups, wigs, medications, and complimentary rides for treatment. Walk registration begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 8:45 a.m. At 9 a.m., the 6.2-mile walkers begin, followed by the 3-mile walkers at 10 a.m. Closing ceremonies are at noon. For more information, visit www.lowellgeneral.org/teamwalk.

SPENDING ON THE BALLOT - Voters have seven candidates seeking seven seats, but two key referendum questions on the ballot promise to make Tuesday's town election interesting. One seeks approval for borrowing $2.4 million to purchase and do the testing related to a Department of Environmental Protection-mandated related cleanup of three polluted home lots on Pine Street. The other seeks to raise money for the project through a debt exclusion overriding Proposition 2 1/2. The first question will require a two-thirds majority, and the second a simple majority. -David Rattigan

SELECTMEN REELECTED - Incumbent Judith Jacobi topped the selectmen's ticket in last week's town elections, receiving 1,545 votes, the most among the five board incumbents who ran unopposed. In contested races, Michelle Gottlieb was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Health; Peggy Geist Blass and Phyllis Smith were elected to three-year terms on the Abbot Public Library Board of Trustees; Pamela Foye was elected to a five-year term on the Housing Authority; and Linda Rice Collins, Sam Ganglani, Derek Norcross, Charles Edward Osborne Jr., and Charles Nyren were elected to one-year terms on the Recreation & Park Commission. -Steven Rosenberg

THREE ELECTED TO BOARD - Roughly 30 percent of the town's registered voters turned out to cast ballots last Tuesday and usher in a new local government. In a highly contested race for the newly expanded five-member Board of Selectmen, Geoffrey Walker, Michael Bulgaris, and Audrey Keller were the victors out of a total of seven candidates, according to the town clerk's office. They'll join incumbents Vincent Russo and Joseph Story. Walker and Bulgaris, running for two three-year seats, garnered 1,064 and 795 votes, respectively, beating out Stephen Mangion, with 516. Keller won a two-year seat, earning 483 votes and edging out opponents Charles Bear, with 459; Marc Simmons, with 319; and Robert Brown, with 146. Out of the town's 5,066 registered voters, 1,514 turned out to vote, according to the town clerk's office. -Taryn Plumb

HOCKEY CHAMPS HONORED - The Division 2 state champion Newburyport High School hockey team and its coach, Paul Yameen, were honored at the State House late last month. On April 29, the team toured the House and Senate chambers and was introduced to lawmakers by Speaker Robert DeLeo during the state budget debate. In his remarks, DeLeo lamented that Newburyport had beaten Winthrop High School, his hometown team and the tournament's number one seed, on its way to the championship. Following applause by representatives, the speaker quipped: "Now go back to Newburyport." State Representative Michael A. Costello and state Senator Steven A. Baddour hosted the team, which won Newburyport's first state title. "The team has made us very proud," said Costello. "During the tournament, as they kept winning games, people around the State House would come up to me and talk to me about how good the Newburyport hockey team was. This was a great opportunity to honor their accomplishments."

KEEPING THEIR DISTANCE - Citing lingering but unsubstantiated questions about health effects of cellphone antennas, Town Meeting members Tuesday voted against a proposal that would have allowed antennas to be installed within 50 feet of a residential neighborhood. The change would have recalled a 600-foot setback that was amended in 2000. In other Town Meeting matters, voters approved a $71.79 million town budget for next fiscal year.

REMEMBERING A FALLEN HERO - On July 20, 1968, Bruce Marron, a Peabody resident and an Army infantryman, was killed in action in the Vietnam War at the age of 21. This past Monday, nearly 41 years later, his home city paused to honor his memory in a ceremony. The city named a park at Loris and Blake roads after Marron and unveiled a new sign that read Bruce Marron Memorial Park. Family members, including two of Marron's brothers, were among those in attendance at the ceremony. The city's veterans officer, Christopher Tighe, arranged for the dedication with the office of Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti, the Park Commission, and the Peabody Veterans Council. - John Laidler

YOUTH EXPLORE THE SEA - Local children will get a taste of the region's maritime past with the help of a $15,000 grant. The National Park Foundation awarded the money to the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Essex National Heritage Area to sponsor children from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem to participate in maritime-related activities this summer. Children will take part in programs at the maritime site; participate in a summer camp aboard The Fame of Salem, a privately owned replica of a 19th century schooner; and take field trips to the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site and other National Park Service sites in Massachusetts. The foundation is a charitable organization that supports national parks. The grant was one of 35 the group awarded nationwide through its America's Best Idea program, which supports efforts to connect notably underserved populations, with national parks.

COMMITTEE SEEKS MEMBERS - The Board of Selectmen is seeking volunteers to serve on the Police Station Building Committee. The seven-member committee will spearhead the town's effort to build a new station on Humphrey Street. Those interested are asked to send a letter to MGilhooley@town.swampscott.ma.us or to the board at Town Hall, 22 Monument Ave. Swampscott, MA 01970. - David Rattigan

ECONOMIC ROUNDTABLE - Democratic state Representative Ted Speliotis will hold an open meeting to discuss the effect of the economic meltdown on Massachusetts towns in his district, including Topsfield, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. tomorrow in the main meeting room at the Topsfield Town Library. The event will allow residents to learn about the impact of declining tax revenues on state services and revenue sharing and what options are available to soften the blow. A Q&A session will follow Speliotis's opening remarks. For information, call Heidi Fox at 978-887-0565.

LEANER BUDGET PASSED - Annual Town Meeting members last week took action on several warrant articles, most notably the proposed $87.77 million operating budget for fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1. The blueprint for town spending passed by majority after voters made two changes to the document. The Human Resources department was amended from $386,215 to $311,215, a decrease of $75,000, while the permitting department was amended from $153,212 to $228,212, an increase of $75,000. Overall, the operating budget decreased by nearly 1 percent from the $87.98 million spending plan for the current fiscal year.

PRINCIPAL NAMED - Steve Donovan has been selected as the new principal of Bedford High School. Donovan, an educational consultant, was principal at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School from 1991-2008. On July 1, he will replace George Edward, who is stepping down to become an executive with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, an accrediting agency.

SAFETY STOP - A new stop sign has been erected to slow traffic at the entrance to Market Square. The addition of the sign on Daniel Street means all three streets entering the busy intersection now have stop signs. The new sign was installed at the recommendation of the Traffic and Safety Committee after a hearing six months ago. About 1,400 cars pass through the marketplace during peak hours. - Tom Long