Mayor supports casinos

Beverly Mayor William Scanlon Jr. has endorsed Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to legalize casino gambling in the state. In his State of the City address to the City Council last week, Scanlon said licensing fees from the three casinos would generate $639,000 for Beverly. Scanlon said the projected licensing funds would be necessary for the city "to provide even the most necessary of services." - Steven Rosenberg

TAPPING INTO FINANCE SAVVY - The Board of Selectmen Monday appointed Geoffrey Buswick to fill a vacant seat on the Finance Committee. Buswick, who recently moved to Boxford, works as the regional office head for Standard & Poor's in Boston. He formerly worked as chief financial officer and treasurer-collector for the city of Gloucester. - John Laidler

PREP PLANS FIELD EXPANSION - A new baseball field, football practice field, a third practice field, and more parking could be added to St. John's Preparatory School. On Tuesday, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the plans, which involve the expansion of John J. Gibbons field, where the baseball field is now located, and other existing fields. Synthetic turf would be added as playing surfaces. A section of woods near Summer Street would have to be cleared for the expansion, according to a project description. Parking would be expanded from the 23 to 109 spots. The board meets at 7 p.m. in the Daniel J. Toomey Hearing Room at Town Hall. - Kathy McCabe

TWO POLICE OFFICERS TO BE HIRED - The Police Department plans to fill two positions this year. Reserve officer Thomas Shamshak has been conditionally hired, pending his graduation from the Municipal Police Training Committee Academy in Reading. Chief Peter Silva is accepting applications for a second officer's position until Thursday. Silva said he also plans to fill the position from among the town's nine reserve police officers. - David Rattigan

TALK WITH THE MAYOR - Want to ask Mayor Carolyn Kirk a question? Kirk, who took office on Jan. 1, will talk about her first month as mayor at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Gloucester House restaurant on Rogers Street. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Democratic City Committee. For more information, call 978-283-4833. - Steven Rosenberg

TOWN MEETING WARRANT OPEN - The Board of Selectmen opened the warrant for Town Meeting at its Monday meeting. Citizen petition articles are due before the closing date, March 17, and must have the signatures of at least 10 registered voters to be included on the warrant. Town Meeting is scheduled for May 5. - David Rattigan

TWO SELECTMEN SEATS UP FOR GRABS - Nomination papers are available for those seeking office at the May 20 town election. Residents will vote for candidates for two seats on the Board of Selectmen, two on the School Committee, and one on the Housing Authority. Ed Rauscher, a longtime selectman, has announced he will not seek reelection. Candidates may pick up nomination papers at the town clerk's office at Town Hall, Green Street, and must return them by April 1 with the signatures of at least 50 registered voters in order to be listed on the ballot. - David Rattigan

SPECIAL-EDUCATION INFORMATION - Parents of special needs students are invited to a workshop Wednesday on the rights that they and their children enjoy under the law. The School Department's Special Services Department is presenting the forum. The workshop will provide information about state and federal laws to assist parents in planning, making decisions about, and monitoring their child's individualized education programs. The event will be held at 7:15 p.m. in the high school media center. For more information, call 781-581-5140. - John Laidler

EXTRA HOUR OF ENTERTAINMENT - The Board of Selectmen Monday agreed to allow the Coast Line Grille to offer an additional hour of live entertainment each night. The board approved a request by the 40 Beach St. restaurant for an extension of the hours on its entertainment license from the previous 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. to 7 p.m. to midnight. In a letter seeking the extension, Coast Line Grille manager Kimberly B. Shea pointed out that live entertainment is allowed in Beverly and Gloucester establishments during the same hours that liquor is served. Coast Line Grille is licensed to serve liquor until midnight. - John Laidler

CELL ANTENNAE GOING UP - The Board of Selectmen recently awarded a five-year lease to Metro PCS Massachusetts LLC of Chelmsford to place cellular antennae on the town's water tower, on Tower Way. The lease starts at $24,000 a year, with an annual increase of 3 percent. In other action, the board awarded a $16,000 contract to Microdesk Inc. of Nashua to update the software for the town's geographic information system program. The work also will involve consolidating the two computer servers used for the system to one server, according to Town Administrator Anthony Sasso. - John Laidler

WINTER HIKE PLANNED - Residents have an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in winter while getting to see some parts of Middleton largely unfamiliar to most townspeople. Next Sunday, the Middleton Stream Team will lead a family hike through forest and wetlands. Sunday's 4- to 5-mile hike is the first of the year in the Stream Team's ongoing Discovery Series of hikes and canoe trips. The exact route will be determined by snow depth and the condition of the ice cover on swamps. Meet at 12:55 p.m. at Pritchard's Pond, on Liberty Street. For more information, call 978-777-4584. - John Laidler

MARINE LECTURES OVERFLOWING - Attendance at the Marine Science Center for Northeastern University's public lecture series has grown to the point that the university may look for a larger hall to present future talks. Tracy Hajduk, outreach program coordinator, said the past two months' lectures have drawn overflow crowds to the 50-seat room used for lectures at the center's headquarters at 430 Nahant Road. The next lecture is Tuesday and features the center's newest faculty member, assistant professor Matthew Bracken, who will talk on the consequences of biodiversity loss for marine ecosystems. The lecture is open to the public, wheelchair-accessible, and free. For more information, e-mail t.hajduk@neu.edu or go to www.marinescience.neu.edu/outreach. - David Rattigan

FIREFIGHTER IS NATIONAL CHAMP - Peabody firefighter Nick Mir was honored last week at a ceremony at a Peabody High School basketball game for finishing first in several National Firefighter Combat Challenge competitions. At the competitions, firefighters are tested in firefighting capability, such as carrying fire hoses and equipment up several flights of stairs. Mir, a 1981 Peabody High graduate, is the current state champion in the 45- to 49-year-old category. "Winning the championship in this competition is like winning an Olympic medal for endurance, strength, and mental fortitude. We are extremely proud of firefighter Mir and of all firefighters who are dedicated to achieving their personal best," said Mayor Michael Bonfanti. - Steven Rosenberg

LOCAL ELECTION SEASON BEGINS - Nomination papers for public office are available at Town Hall, 34 Broadway. A prospective candidate would need to turn papers, including the signatures of at least 37 registered voters, in to the Board of Registrars by March 18, to be included on the ballot at the annual town election May 6. This year, two selectmen's seats and one seat each on the School Committee, Board of Assessors, Housing Authority, Library Board of Trustees, and Planning Board will be on the ballot. - David Rattigan

HARBOR HEARING - A public hearing on Salem's 2008 Harbor Plan is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday in Room 313 at the City Hall Annex, 120 Washington St. The report, which is almost 200 pages, is an update to a plan that was prepared in 2000, and details what the city would like to see in future developments on the waterfront. The state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and its Office of Coastal Zone Management will host the hearing. - Erin Ailworth

DEMOCRATS ELECT REPRESENTATIVES - Town Democrats held a caucus Feb. 2 to elect representatives to the party's 2008 State Convention. Swampscott was allotted 10 delegates and two alternates to the convention, which will be held June 7 at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. At the caucus, nine delegates were elected: Marta Akim, Cesar Archilla, Clinton Bench, Mary DeChillo, Ralph Edwards, Richard Frenkel, Connie Moss, Evan Moss, and Frances Weiner. Committee chairwoman Margaret Somer will serve as the 10th delegate. Colette Green and Steve Iannaccone were elected as the alternates. - John Laidler

TWO 55-AND-OLDER DEVELOPMENTS PROPOSED - The Planning Board will hold a public information meeting on Feb. 19 to discuss two proposed senior housing developments. New Meadows Enterprises LLC is proposing a 24-unit condominium complex for people age 55 and older adjacent to the New Meadows Golf Course, off Wildes Road. C.P. Berry Construction Co. of Topsfield is proposing to build South Meadows at Topsfield, a 52-unit condominium development for people 55 and older, on a parcel commonly referred to as the Page Estate off Route 1. Both developers have asked the Board of Selectmen to place articles on the May 6 annual Town Meeting warrant providing for the creation of elderly housing overlay districts on their respective sites to allow for the developments. The Feb. 19 meeting will be held at the town library, with the New Meadows plan discussed at 8 p.m. and the C.P. Berry project at 9 p.m. The Planning Board also plans to hold a formal public hearing on the two zoning proposals on March 18. - John Laidler

POLICE PROMOTIONS - Police Detective Mark Fraser has been promoted to sergeant. That position opened up after Lieutenant Larry Kavanagh retired and Sergeant Tom Perkins got a new captain's position. The detective's position will be filled internally, said Chief Kenneth Walsh. - David Rattigan