By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

After four years of searching, and a significant amount of coordination, a 125-year-old steam engine is about to make its return to Braintree.

Crafted at the Fore River Engine Company in East Braintree, which was operational from 1883-1900, the steam engine has come to symbolize the work done at the historic site, founded and owned by telephone co-inventor Thomas Watson.

For James Fahey, director of the Braintree Historical Society’s Museum and Research Center, the relocation of the artifact is a tangible dream.

“I always wanted something back, and I have it,” Fahey said. “It’s a piece of art. But I wanted to bring it back to where it was born.”

The Shipyard, which would eventually move to Quincy in the early 1900s due to space constraints, started after Watson helped invent the telephone, producing steam engines for use in ships.

According to Fahey, Watson’s company built two navy destroyers and a pleasure craft, eventually receiving a navy contract for the U.S. Des Moines, which was too large to construct at the Braintree site.

The entire operation moved to Quincy shortly thereafter, but Braintree locals have been seeking for a way to revive the history in recent years. A working steam engine could do just that, Fahey said.

“[Trying] to locate something like that from long ago is pretty difficult. I did find one in a museum in Maine but it wasn’t in the best condition. I found two more in a farm in Vermont … they were in very poor conditions. Then I found another at MIT – it’s small. But this one here is museum quality. It will really be an eye opener,” Fahey said.

The engine, which was constructed in 1888, spent its seafaring days aboard the U.S. mail ship the Columbia, transporting mail packages across Lake Winnipesauke for 25 years. The ship was dismantled after its retirement, and the engine came to be owned by a man in New Hampshire,

Ted Valpey, the owner, restored the engine, and agreed to permanently loan the artifact to Braintree. And after 125 years, the machine still runs.

The machine will be returned to the spot it was constructed, at the site of the Watson Park Branch Library building, on Saturday in a ceremony from 2 p.m. till 3 p.m. From there, the antique will be permanently stored at the Braintree Historical Society Museum, across from Town Hall.

“Where that engine will be shown, Thomas Watson can see it,” Fahey said. “He was buried in a cemetery in Weymouth - North Cemetery - that overlooks the shipyard.”

Fahey is hoping to create an entire exhibit based off the machine, and is currently looking for records of the steam engines constructed or manuals of how it operated.

A grand opening at the Historical Society museum will be hosted in July or June for the exhibit.

“It’s a unique piece of history that’s returned to Braintree,” Fahey said.

Though the engine will be permanently showcased elsewhere, Fahey said the town constructed a plaque to go on the Watson Library to signify the shipyard and its history.

Mayor Joseph Sullivan and other local dignitaries will help commemorate the plaque and also welcome the machine back into the town. Representatives from the Navy will also be in attendance, Fahey said.

“We’ll have a lot of VIP’s, local mayors. It will be quite the event,” Fahey said. “After 125 years, the thing is gorgeous… It’s going to be a good teaching tool to institutions.”

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Woman arrested after allegedly selling pills to Braintree cop

A Braintree woman was arrested on Thursday afternoon after allegedly selling prescription drugs to an undercover police officer on two separate occasions.

According to police, the suspect was first contacted on April 11 and sold several Adderall pills to an undercover officer.

The same officer then went back to the suspect a second time and purchased Adderall and Vicodin.

Police received a search warrant for the suspect’s home and vehicle, and stopped her as she was leaving her house.

The suspect allegedly had Adderall and Vicodin pills and she was placed under arrest. At her Parkside Avenue home, police found additional Adderall and Vicodin pills.

Leslie D. Trubiano, 54, of Braintree was charged with two counts distribution of a Class B substance and one count of distribution of a Class C substances for the sales to the undercover officer.

She was additionally charged with possession with intent to distribute a Class B and Class C drug based on the pills seized from her vehicle and home.

Georgia gun permit not enough for man found with gun

Police arrested a Georgia man on Monday after finding a loaded .45 caliber handgun in his possession.

Police said officers approached the suspect and a companion, who were parked on Washington Street facing the wrong direction.

The suspect denied having any weapons in the car, but police found a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol under the seat where the suspect was sitting.

Though the suspect produced a Georgia gun permit, he did not have a permit issued within Massachusetts.

Norris A. Byrd, JR., 24, of Jonesboro, Georgia was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

A year after Braintree spent some $100,000 on its biggest and most expensive Fourth of July celebration, planners have pared down the budget, and lost a key organizer along the way.

This year, the entire event is expected to clock in at $84,000. A majority of the money will go to the town’s after-party and fireworks display at Braintree High School. The town plans to spend about $40,000 on the parade, far less than the $77,000 from public and private sources spent on the parade last year.

The lower-cost event has ruffled some feathers, and caused one person to resign.

“I resigned because I had to. No one was given me any cooperation,” said John Robinson, the previous Parade Committee Chairman.

Robinson, who has been in charge of organizing the parade for the past several decades, had requested an $86,000 budget for the parade alone this year.

The number was too high for town officials. When fundraising fell short last year, the town spent a total of $50,000 on the parade.

At a meeting in January, Robinson said he and town officials negotiated the parade down spending $73,000 on the parade. But, he said, two days later, he was emailed a budget of $55,000.

The parade route was also to be shortened, a change Robinson objected to because of the success of the current route.

Robinson said he tried to engage town officials in a discussion about the changes, but never heard back from anyone.

“I [was] getting no cooperation, I said the heck with this. I passed in what I had and said good luck to you,” Robinson said.

Tensions are high not only between Robinson and town officials, but between the town and canceled acts, Robinson said.

“[There’s] a lot of bad blood that way going around. I’m an old drum and bugle person myself. If you start canceling things, word will get around and you won’t get anyone for the future…” Robinson said. “A lot of people I’ve talked to are disappointed. They love coming here. But when you get politics involved, that’s what happens.”

Town officials characterize Robinson’s resignation as a disagreement over the budgeting.

“We had a difference of opinion on the budget figure that we were planning on budgeting for the parade, and John decided to step down,” said Town Councilor Sean Powers, who is also the Celebration Committee Chair, charged with the after party and firework side of the operation. “We appreciate everything that John has done and he was the founding member that started the parade, but it was just a difference of opinion on what the committee could afford for the parade budget, and we’re sorry to see him go.”

The town plans to pay for the lower-cost parade this year, but the budget for the fireworks and after-party has gone up.

Planners are hoping to raise an additional $44,000 from private sources for those parts of the celebration, which take place at Braintree High.

In 2012, organizers raised $35,000 from private sources. The town threw in an additional $5,000 for fireworks, which were more costly than anticipated

The increase is mainly due to the fact that this is Braintree’s 40th Annual parade.

“Basically we’ve increased the fireworks budget to $26,000, which is a 30 percent increase, because it is our 40th anniversary,” Powers said. “Obviously private fundraising dictates, [but] we’d like to keep it at that figure. That’s probably the most we’ve ever budgeted for fireworks.”

Though the overall event will be smaller, and though the parade budget has been cut almost in half, Powers was optimistic about what the town was going to see.

“We’re still going to have all the marching bands, we’re just not going to have as many of them, and we’ve been able to renegotiate some more competitive fees,” Powers said.

The shortened parade route will also work better logistically, ending at Sunset Lake instead of Braintree high, Powers said. The town has also hired the man who organizes Scituate’s St. Patrick’s Day parade to put everything together.

Coupled with the change of the organization to a 501c3, all donations are now tax deductible, which should help with the fundraising.

“I think we’ve refocused the parade and it’s going to be a diverse parade. It has something in it for everyone,” Powers said. “Looking at the funding going forward, we’ve had to pare back. Our community is not immune to the tough economic climate we’re in. We pared it back to ensure the financial health of both the parade and the celebration.”

Robinson was skeptical that the parade could be as wonderful as what he envisioned, but said he would still attend from the sidelines.

“It’s in their ball park now,” Robinson said. “I’m very disappointed, and wish things worked out.”

Photo courtesy of Mass Lottery Winners website

Paul V. Caruso holds up the check from his lottery winnings.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

A Braintree man has claimed a $4 million grand prize from the Massachusetts State Lottery, and will collect a $2.6 million lump sum.

According to an announcement on the Massachusetts Lottery winners page, Paul V. Caruso won the state’s “50X The Cash” instant game.

Announced on April 19, Caruso chose to take the cash option on the prize, and after state and federal tax deductions, will take home $2.6 million.

The win is a drastic change of events for Caruso, who recently lost his five-week-old son to a rare genetic skin disorder, Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Caruso will subsequently provide funding to Pioneering Unique Cures for Kids (PUCK) a non-profit organization that funds and advocates for finding a cure for the disorder.

Caruso also plans to use the winnings to pay bills and make some investments.

According to the release, Caruso purchased the $10 ticket at Marylou’s News, located on Cleveland Ave in Braintree. The store will receive a $50,000 commission on the sale.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Habitat for Humanity is intensifying the outreach campaign in Braintree as the organization waits to find the perfect place to build its next home.

The non-profit, which builds homes for families in need, has had its eyes on the Braintree community for a new project since 2012, and have since started building an awareness campaign.

That effort will continue on Saturday, as the group hosts a community walk starting at Sunset Lake.

“This is more a friend-raiser to build awareness to bring habitat back to Braintree,” said Martine Taylor, executive director for Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat has constructed four homes in Braintree in the past – in 1994, 2003, 2004, and 2008 - and decided to come back to the community to add to those successes.

In addition to the walk, the local chapter of the group has hosted several other events to promote the mission, and meets the second Wednesday of every month to build excitement about a potential project.

Alongside the Walk and other minor fund-raisers, Taylor said the group plans to meet with Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan in a few weeks to talk about building opportunities.

“It’s just the continued effort [that we hope] will ultimately turn over a piece of property,” Taylor said.

Taylor noted that it’s always a debate about whether to procure a piece of property first, or to start building awareness about the group’s efforts. In this case, organizers chose to build excitement for a project before knowing where it would go.

That quest has continued while fund-raising and friend-raising efforts are ongoing, and though the group will look to potentially buying a piece of property, the goal is to get one donated.

“Our hope is always to get the property donated; however, we as an organization continue to look at the rehab possibilities and bank-owned properties as well for a potential for purchase,” Taylor said. “But our goal is to get the land donated to use the [donated] funds directly to building the house.”

While finding a space to build has been a slow process, Taylor said the awareness campaign has been highly successful. In addition to the dozens of locals already aware and involved in the group, the Walk will bring 50 new faces to Habitat’s side.

“So far all the registrars are new faces for us, which shows that the people who know us and love us continue to support us, but our effort is getting bigger,“ Taylor said.

Registration is still open for the Saturday event, which begins at 10 a.m.

The three-mile walk will take participants through the streets and back roads of Braintree. Registration is $15 per walker.

To view the registration form, click here.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity, click here.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Quincy Police are looking for a man accused of robbing a bank Thursday afternoon.

According to police, the suspect went into the Braintree Coooerative Bank on Quincy Avenue at 5:11 p.m. Thursday, approached a female teller, and said, “Give me all you got.”

The teller gave the suspect a sum of money before the suspect demanded money from “the second drawer.” Police said the teller responded that she didn’t understand what he meant, and didn’t have anything in her second drawer.

The suspect then left the bank and ran along the railroad tracks toward West Howard Street into Braintree.

Police received the report of a robbery and arrived shortly thereafter. A police dog attempted to track the suspect, but lost the scent.

Video evidence from the scene shows the suspect as a white male in his 20s wearing a grey hoodless sweatshirt with white sleeves. He also was wearing grey sweatpants, a black Nike hat, and aqua blue sneakers.

Police said the suspect gave no indication that he had a weapon.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Quincy Police.