By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent

Melrose Mayor Rob Dolan is proposing a $68 million operating budget for fiscal year 2014, up over $2.6 million from the $65.4 allotted for the current fiscal year.

The line items for salaries are set to receive increases in many city departments: A 3.6 percent increase in the treasurer and tax collector department; 3.4 percent in the city solicitor's office; 4.6 percent in human resources; 5.8 percent in the city clerk's office; and a 7.7 percent increase in the salary line item for the mayor's office.

In January, aldermen approved a $25,000 raise for Dolan, brining his pay from just below $100,000 per year to $125,000 per year. The budget line for salary in the mayor's office, which would include other staff, is projected at $216,202.62 for the current fiscal year. Dolan is seeking $232,932.86 for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1.

A copy of the proposed budget can be viewed here.

Melrose's Board of Aldermen will be presented with the budget in a meeting Monday, May 6 at 7:45 p.m. at Melrose City Hall.

Jarret Bencks can be reached at bencks.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter @JarretBencks.

By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent

Melrose's Board of Aldermen and School Committee will hold a joint meeting May 6 to review the financial condition of the city.

The meeting is held in advance of the two panels prepare to begin work on the fiscal year 2014 Melrose operating budget.

The meeting is slated for Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at Melrose City Hall.

Jarret Bencks can be reached at bencks.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter @JarretBencks.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

Subway service between the Orange Line’s four most northern stations will be replaced by buses after 9 p.m. on five days each week for about one month, according to the MBTA.

Shuttles will run between Oak Grove Station and Sullivan Square Station from 9 p.m. until the end of service on every Sunday through Thursday from May 19 to June 21, officials said. However, there will be no evening diversion on the night of Sunday, May 26, due to the Memorial Day holiday that Monday.

The buses, which are accessible for people with disabilities, will stop at those two stations as well as at the two stations in between: Malden Center Station and Wellington Station, according to the T’s website.

During the times the four subway stations and their connecting tunnels are shut down, MBTA crews plan to perform work on the Assembly Square Station Project, officials said.

For more information, contact the MBTA Customer Communications Department at 617-222-3200, TTY: 617-222-5146.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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The following was submitted by Boston College High School:

For High Honors a Soph., Jr., Sr. must have at least a 3.80 quality point average and all grades '"C+" or higher. Freshmen need a 3.6 quality point average and all grades '"C+" or higher.

For Honors a Soph., Jr., Sr. must have at least a 3.20 quality point average and all grades '"C-" or higher. Freshmen need a 3.165 quality point average and all grades '"C-" or higher.

Burlington: Honors: Edward C. Wetzel ‘16

Everett: High Honors: Samuel Vasquez ’14 and Matthew F. Donohue ‘16

Honors:  Igor Campos Carvalho’14

Lynnfield: High Honors: Eric Simonelli ‘15

Malden: High Honors: Delsin David '14 and Danny Nguyen '16

Honors: Ismail Chineye Asongwed '14, Kolby Lavrik Vegara '15 and Kenny Wilson Delino '16

Medford: High Honors:  David Gentile ’14 and  John M. O'Brien 2015

Honors: Keshler S.G. Charles '15 and John F. Glynn '15

Melrose: High Honors: James F. O'Donnell '14, Daniel Casey '16, Anthony A. Ioffredo '16, Edward J. Kelley '16, Jacob A. May '16, Matthew W. O'Donnell '16, Noah A. Peterson '16

Honors: Samir Aslane '15, Robert A. Brodeur '16 and Andrew T. McCormack '16

Merrimac: High Honors: Liam Maxwell Rich’14

Nahant: High Honors: Matthew C. Ryan ‘14

North Andover: Honors: Emaad Syed Ali '15 and John Roy O’Connor '15

Revere: High Honors: Kenny Builes '14, Michael J. Kelley '14, Matthew S. O’Keefe '14 and Gabriel Drumond Depinho '16

Honors: Walter A. Carrera '14, Sergio Manuel Leon '16 and Alejandro D. Montoya '16

Salem: High Honors: William M. Kraemer ‘15

Saugus: Honors: Christopher J. Kelble '14

Somerville: High Honors: Christien P. Mendoza Exconde '15, Jesse O. Najarro '15 and Alex E. Santos '15

Honors: John W. Dres 2014, John P. Lynch 2015 and Brandon R. Payzant '16

Stoneham: High Honors:  David A. Vaccaro’14

Honors: Sean P. Moynihan’14

Swampscott: High Honors: Michael Wade Norcott '14

Honors: Peter R. Amato '16

West Newbury: High Honors: William Callahan Duggan '16

Winchester: High Honors: Thomas X. Pinella '14, Nathan S. Batty '15 and John D. O'Donnell '16

Honors:  Alexander J. Farone '15

Winthrop: High Honors: Thomas J. Nee '14, Christian G. Navarro '15, Nicholas R. Triant '15 and Cameron A. DeAngelo '16

Honors: Grant Herbert '14

Woburn: High Honors:  Robert J. Ferullo ‘15

Boston College High School is a Jesuit, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young men founded in 1863.  The school enrolls approximately 1600 students from more than 100 communities in eastern Massachusetts.

Jarret Bencks

A voter looks over a ballot at the Pearl Street Community Center in Malden.

By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent

Action at polls in Ed Markey's congressional territory was slow Tuesday, as the longtime member of the House of Representatives squared off in a primary for a spot in the US Senate.

A total of 170 ballots had been cast as of 12:30 p.m. at the Pearl Street Community Center in Malden, the polling place for Markey's home ward.

Beverly DiCato, warden for Ward 2 precinct 1, said the turnout was low, as expected. It didn't appear that having a local candidate in the Senate race had a signficant impact on turnout, she said.

"People say that it's important to them, that's what makes me mad, they say that, but where are they?" DiCato said.

Dante DiSerio, 61, and his mother, Carmelina, 85, cast ballots for different candidates Tuesday afternoon at the community center.

DiSerio, a retired letter carrier, said he voted for Stephen Lynch because of his history supporting the letter carriers union, while his mother voted for Markey.

"I've known Ed for a long time, but I think Lynch is pretty good," DiSerio said. "Eddie's a career politician, nothing against him, but nobody should be doing it for that long."

Carmelina DiSerio said she thought Markey had served the area well in
his 36 years in Congress -- and he is a familiar face.

"I know the family very well," she said. "My oldest son went to school
with all the Markey brothers."

At the Medford Senior Center, near Markey's Congressional office in Medford Square, the turnout was also low, but slightly better than expected, Warden Rosemary Bagnell said. A total of 301 ballots had been cast as of 1:10 p.m.

"I think the weather has been a good factor," she said.

Jarret Bencks can be reached at bencks.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter @JarretBencks.

The following are the polling places in Melrose. All polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To look up your ward and precinct, visit the Secretary of State's website.

The Democratic ballot for the US senate primary includes Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch; the Republican ballot includes Gabriel Gomez, Michael Sullivan and Daniel Winslow.

Ward 1-1: Roosevelt School, 253 Vinton St.

Ward 1-2: Steele House, 1 Nason Drive

Ward 2-1: Horace Mann School, 40 Damon Ave.

Ward 2-2: Horace Mann School, 40 Damon Ave.

Ward 3-1: Beebe School, 263 West Foster St.

Ward 3-2: Beebe School, 263 West Foster St.

Ward 4-1: City Hall, 562 Main St. (Aldermanic Chambers)

Ward 4-2: Winthrop School, 162 First St.

Ward 5-1: Lincoln School, 80 West Wyoming Ave.

Ward 5-2: Lincoln School, 80 West Wyoming Ave.

Ward 6-1: City Hall, 562 Main St. (Aldermanic Chambers)

Ward 6-2: Winthrop School, 162 First St.

Ward 7-1: Hoover School, Glendower Road

Ward 7-2: Hoover School, Glendower Road

By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent

Home sales in Melrose were level last month, going against a downward statewide trend, according to recently released data.

A total of 13 single family homes were sold in Melrose in March, up from 12 in March 2012, according to real estate publisher The Warren Group.

Year-to-date, 31 homes have sold in Melrose, exactly matching the sales total for the first three months of 2012.

Median sale prices are up about 5 percent, from $380,000 through March 2012, to $400,000 in the first three months of this year.

For single-family stats, click here; for condos, click here.

Jarret Bencks can be reached at bencks.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter @JarretBencks.

By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent

In the midst of a manhunt for the remaining Boston Marathon bombings suspect that put the entire greater Boston region on edge, power outage reports came in from all over Medford early Friday afternoon, Deputy chief Steve Howe said.

Power was restored in most of the city within minutes of the reports, which came in at about 12 p.m., but the Medford Fire Department sounded all of its station alarms to respond, Howe said.

"Numerous alarms were sounded, there were some people stuck in elevators," Deputy chief Steve Howe said. "It was a full response."

Some people had to be helped out of elevators stopped as result of the outages, but there were no serious issues, Howe said.

A National Grid outage map showed there were also power issues in parts of Malden, Melrose and Everett Friday.

The cause of the outage had not been determined, Howe said.

Jarret Bencks can be reached at bencks.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter @JarretBencks.