Police entry upheld

POLICE ENTRY UPHELD - A resident's appeal that the police entry into his home in 2001 was unconstitutional was recently denied by the state Appeals Court. Jack Lindsey was convicted in Superior Court on 14 indictments related to the illegal and unlicensed possession of firearms after a number of weapons, including a silencer, were found by Chelsea police after they entered his home on an unrelated matter. In an opinion rendered Aug. 29, Justice Peter Rubin said entry into Lindsey's Cary Avenue home was not unconstitutional because it met the "emergency exception" threshold. Police arrived in the neighborhood after a 911 call from a neighbor about an ill elderly woman walking around the street asking for help. When police couldn't find the elderly woman, Lindsey's mother, they assumed she may have returned to her home. Police went to the home and announced themselves, but got no answer. Believing that a medical emergency was occurring, police entered the home, which turned out to be empty. However, police saw a number of firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition strewn about the house. When Lindsey returned with his mother, he cooperated with police, telling them he did not have a firearms identification card or license, and allowed them to secure and store the weapons at the police station until he could get a card or license. But when the weapons were inspected at the station, one had a defaced serial number and another was reported stolen. In its opinion, the Appeals Court also concurred with the Superior Court's denial of Lindsey's motions to dismiss the case or reduce the mandatory 2 1/2-year sentence to one year. - Katheleen Conti

9/11 VIGIL - The city is holding a candlelight vigil Thursday to mark the seven-year anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Residents are invited to join in honoring the memory of Everett residents James and Mary Trentini and the others who were killed in the attacks. The Trentinis were aboard American Airlines Flight 11, one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center. The vigil will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Everett Square. - John Laidler

BOOST FOR BEAUTY - Schnitzer Steel Industries recently donated $10,000 to support the city's beautification program. Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. and his wife, Stacy, who chairs the program, accepted the donation from Schnitzer on behalf of the city. The program involves the landscaping of city rotaries, traffic islands, and other public areas. Schnitzer Steel is based in Portland, Ore., and has a northeast office located in Everett, where it also maintains a metals recycling facility. - John Laidler

ANIMAL BAN CONSIDERED - A proposed ban on keeping chickens and other fowl is up for discussion on Tuesday before the City Council. The proposed amendment also would ban swine, cattle, horses, ponies, mules, pigeons, and monkeys. The current ordinance allows those animals with a special permit from the city's Public Health Department, but does not include chickens. The proposed change comes after city health inspectors ordered the removal of chickens from the backyard of a Lynn home because of concerns about compost, maintenance, and safety. The council meets at 8 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall. - Kathy McCabe

LIBRARY DIRECTOR LEAVING - Sue Koronowski, library director for the last 12 years, is resigning effective Sept. 19. Koronowski has accepted a new job as branch manager in the Montgomery County, Md., system. Koronowski said she and her husband are relocating to Maryland to be closer to their son and future daughter-in-law. "I will miss the staff of the library. They are an incredible group and they are so dedicated. I'm leaving the library in very good hands," she said. "I appreciate the support the community has always given the library." She said her biggest regret is not being able to see through a library renovation project. Library trustees recently named assistant director Nancy Ryan to serve as interim director while a permanent replacement is sought.

-John Laidler

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD CHARGED - A Malden man has been indicted on charges he schemed to collect over $9,000 in unemployment benefits while continuing to work. Kevin Hobart, 30, was charged with 26 counts of unemployment fraud and two counts of larceny over $250 for collecting unemployment benefits while working full time during two separate periods - from April through September 2004 and from May through June 2006. He failed to disclose his employment status to the Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development's Division of Unemployment Assistance, authorities said, and as a result was allegedly fraudulently paid unemployment benefits totaling $9,677. A Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments against Hobart on Aug. 20. Hobart is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court. - Brenda J. Buote

LIQUOR BOARD BEGINS - Mayor Rob Dolan has created a Liquor Licensing Advisory Committee and charged the nine-member panel with exploring how to update city regulations. The move comes as Dolan is pushing for an expansion of liquor sales. At the mayor's request, the Board of Aldermen has approved placing two questions on the November ballot that involve the sale of alcohol. The first would allow as many as three specialty stores in Melrose to sell beer and wine; the second would allow restaurants with 50 or more seats to secure a license to serve beer and wine. The committee members include city solicitor Robert Van Campen, two aldermen, health department officials, substance abuse prevention coordinator Kara Showers, and two Chamber of Commerce representatives. - Brenda J. Buote

KEEP IT ON THE BOAT - The Board of Selectmen recently voted to recommend that the state Office of Coastal Zone Management approve the lower North Shore - including Revere, Saugus, Lynn, Nahant, and Swampscott - as a "no discharge zone" for boats within 3 miles of shore. An application was submitted in partnership with the communities, as well as local conservation groups. -David Rattigan

NEW SCHOOL IS COMING - The City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing Sept. 22 to discuss Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino's request to borrow $18.5 million for the construction of a new Paul Revere School on Revere Street. The city recently spent $1.7 million to take over several private properties on the site by eminent domain, with plans to demolish them along with the existing 105-year-old Paul Revere School to make room for the new building. Construction was estimated at $10.8 million when the project was approved by the state in 2001, but delays and rising construction prices have caused the price to nearly double. To keep the cost under $20 million, the project has been downsized from a capacity of 440 students to 350. The Massachusetts School Building Authority agreed to provide the city with a $9.7 million grant and a 2 percent interest loan to cover about 90 percent of the cost. The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. at City Hall. - Katheleen Conti

ANNUAL QUARRY REVIEW - The Board of Selectmen will hold its annual public hearing Tuesday on the application of Bardon Trimount Inc. to operate its quarry on Route 99. The special permit covers earth and rock removal. The board also will hold a hearing on an application for an entertainment license for Qdoba Mexican Grill, to be located on Route 1 north, at the Shops at Saugus. The board meets at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium. - Kathy McCabe

TIME FOR NEW SERGEANTS - The Police Department has two new sergeants. John Haggerty and Christopher Lenners were recently promoted from patrolmen. Haggerty was sworn in to his new position on July 23, while Lenners took his oath on Aug. 29. Haggerty grew up in Wakefield and now lives in Stoneham. A member of the Wakefield Police Department since 1998, he fills the sergeant's position vacated by the recent retirement of Ronald LeBlanc. Lenners, who joined the Wakefield Police Department in 2000, grew up in Wakefield and still lives in town. He fills the sergeant position vacated by the retirement of Joseph Connor. - John Laidler

WINTHROP

TEE UP FOR SCHOLARSHIPS - Area residents can take to the links while supporting a community cause. The Citizens Scholarship Foundation of Wakefield is holdings its annual golf tournament Sept. 15 at noon at Bear Hill Golf Club in Stoneham. The proceeds will support the work of the nonprofit, which awards annual needs-based scholarships to Wakefield residents to use for postsecondary education. For more information or to purchase a ticket, call 781-245-4890. - John Laidler

GRID MAKES AMENDS - National Grid sent a letter of apology to thousands of its Winthrop customers for a 14-hour power outage that occurred Aug. 16. In the letter, regional executive director David Gendall attributed the outage, which affected 3,800 homes and businesses, to the failure of a substation transformer. Gendall stated that a mobile substation will remain in place "until we are convinced that the temporary repairs we made are adequate." The company is evaluating long-term options that may require "significant construction" to improve service in town, Gendall stated. The company also announced that it would cover food spoilage losses for affected customers who file claims. Those who wish to do so must call National Grid's claims department at 508-389-2700 to request a claim application form. To expedite the process, the company is asking for receipts or an inventory of discarded food. - Katheleen Conti

MADE FOR THE SHADE - The public is invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday marking the completion of a new shade shelter and lifeguard command center at the Salisbury Beach State Reservation. Among those set to speak at the event, scheduled for noon, is a representative of the Melanoma Foundation of New England, which donated $25,000 toward the cost of the project in memory of Paul Sullivan, the WBZ radio host who died of melanoma last year. - John Laidler