By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

The fourth annual Salem Arts Festival kicks off on Friday, June 1 and thousands are expected to attend the three-day art and music extravaganza.

The event, coordinated by Salem Main Streets and organized mostly through volunteer work, will feature over 80 artists - most of whom live, work and perform locally - as well as hands-on creative arts activities, a juried street fair, and a human chess board, among other highlights. A statue of figureheads known as The Ladies of Salem will be officially unveiled to the public, and winners of the art box contest - in which local artists competed for the chance to decorate one of the citywide utility boxes - will be announced.

"We try to promote all the arts, which is a little different than other festivals, so everything from theater, to dance performances, to standard painting and photography," said Salem Main Streets Director Jennifer Bell. "And we try to have art-making activities for all ages.

"Our goal really is to make the arts accessible to people and have them able to attend free concerts of fantastic quality, everything from jazz music to solo acoustical, to belly dancing...and to let people experience all the different types of local art."

Favorite acts from years past, including the Northeast Belly Dance Association - which has performed at the festival every year - and local musical acts The Paul Madore Chorale, Heather Maloney Band and Machine 475 will perform. For the first time, the festival will also include a small street fair where artists can sell their work, rather than just display it as in years past.

"It's a great connection with the broader community," Bell said. "We really try to support the local talent and showcase the local talent, and there's really going to be a lot going on for people."

The weekend kicks off with an opening reception at 5 p.m. on Friday at Old Town Hall in Derby Square. The reception will feature refreshments and an exhibition of work from 20 different artists, as well as music by Brian Rolland - a solo guitarist specializing in Jazz, Latin and Brazilian music - acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter Brad Byrd, and The Paul Madore Chorale.

"I think it's really a good lineup, and I think it has a good variety for people," Bell said.

Over 30 acts and events are scheduled throughout the weekend, and will culminate with a festival wrap-up party at the Gulu Gulu Café on Sunday night at 6 p.m. Art-making activities will take place all weekend on Artists' Row.

A full schedule of can be found here. In the event of rain, performances on Saturday and Sunday will take place upstairs at Old Town Hall. For more information on Salem Main Streets and the Salem Arts Festival visit salemartsfestival.com.

The following was submitted by Emily O'Brien, marketing and communications director for YMCA of the North Shore:

With over 45,000 Y members, everyone knows about the YMCA of the North Shore. Many people know the Y for health and fitness. Some understand the Y for child care. Others learn to swim at the Y. This month, the Y celebrates another important part of its mission: to help neighbors in need access essential Y programs and services.

The Y accomplishes this mission through fundraising efforts like the "Y For All" annual campaign. This year, over 59 local "Champions" have lent their name and story to help the Y raise needed funds. These special advocates and donors certainly understand that the Y is a charitable, nonprofit organization that does important work to strengthen our communities.

The YMCA of the North Shore's 2012 "Champions" include State Representatives Brian Dempsey (Haverhill) and Jerry Parisella (Beverly); local community activists John and Ruth Kapnis (Salem), Priscilla Douglas (Beverly), Dennis Heenan (Salem), and Marion Frost (Ipswich); and business leaders Mary Spittle (Gloucester) and Jim Nye (Marblehead). These special individuals, along with 350 Y volunteers, have a goal of raising $850,000 for the "Y For All" annual campaign that supports the Y's financial assistance fund.

This year, the YMCA of the North Shore will award over $2.5 million in Y programs to 9,500 kids, adults and families in need. One out of every five people in the Y needs partial financial assistance in order to participate. In its 150-year history, the Y has helped deserving people access needed child care, summer camp, affordable housing and other essential Y programs. It's through the support of thousands of donors and this year's "Champions" that the Y's mission of serving all is possible.

"This campaign is so important as far as assisting youth and adult members in accessing programming and membership at the Y," Heenan said. "Over the past 29 years, I have been able to see firsthand the people who benefit from the funds generated from these campaigns. Knowing that I was able to help people in need was important to me personally."

Mary Spittle, a local Cape Ann "Champion," described her experience as a valuable one. "I was of course satisfied with the results we've achieved so far. Our volunteers are serious and dedicated in achieving the goal we had set. They are inspiring! I participate because of my dedication to the Y and the wonderful things the Y does for the community."

"It takes the hard work and dedication of so many caring people to raise the needed funds so that all people can join the Y. Our 2012 champions are community leaders, parents, and business owners," said Jack Meany, CEO of the YMCA of the North Shore. "They all have one thing in common. They care about their neighbors and believe that the Y can help nurture the potential of children, improve our communities' health and well-being, and give back to support our neighbors. We thank them for their tireless efforts in helping the Y meet it's mission."

With two weeks left in the Y's community annual campaign, our volunteers are in the home stretch of fundraising. These 2012 "Champions" continue to raise funds to meet the Y's goal of $850,000, but need the community's help. To meet the Y's "Champions" and learn how you can help support the Y, contact Beth Francis at (978) 922-0990, or visit www.whataboutyou.org.

Friday, June 1

5 - 7 p.m. Salem Arts Festival Kick-off Reception - Open to the public, refreshments. Juried Exhibit of 20 artists' work. Location: Old Town Hall, Derby Square

5 p.m. Music by Brian Rolland in Old Town Hall (Solo guitar - Jazz/Latin/Brazilian)

6 p.m. Music by Brad Byrd in Old Town Hall (Solo Acoustic - Singer-Songwriter)

7 p.m. Music by The Paul Madore Chorale in Old Town Hall (Choral - Show Tunes, Classical, Folk Tunes)

8 p.m. Flamenco Dance by Jamie "La Damasquina" Belsito in Old Town Hall

8:30 p.m. Codify Dance Performance by Cecilia Raassina in Old Town Hall (Modern Dance)

Saturday, June 2

10 - 5 p.m. Juried Street Fair - select local artists work for sale on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall

11 - 5 p.m. Juried Art Show - Open to the public in Old Town Hall - Juried Exhibit

12 - 2 p.m. Collaborative Abstract Expressionism - interactive art making with James Eric Rogers next to Gulu Gulu in Lappin Park

12 p.m. Accidentally on Purpose - Improv Comedy, Old Town Hall 2nd Floor

Derby Square Stage:

1 p.m. Excerpt from the Odyssey - Dramatic recitation by Brandon Wieber

2 p.m. Baseball & Jazz: A Reading with Music - J.D. Scrimgeour, Aidan Scrimgeour

3 p.m. Avant Guardians - Ellen Hardy & Brendan O'Reilly

East India Fountain Stage:

11 a.m. Ben Rudnick and Friends (Acoustic Band)

12 p.m. Merrimack (Pop/Rock band)

1 p.m. The Saxyderms (Saxophone Ensemble)

1:45 p.m. Siren of the Circle (Hoopdance)

2 p.m. Man Alive! (Alt-Folk Ensemble)

3 p.m. Northeast Belly Dance Association (Belly Dancing)

4 p.m. Joe Pino Quintet (Jazz Quintet)

5:30 p.m. Machine 475 (Electronic Dance Band)

Front St. Coffeehouse:

6 - 10 p.m. System Soul (Electronic Music & DJ)

Sunday, June 3

11 - 3 p.m. Juried Art Show - Open to the public in Old Town Hall- Juried Exhibit

Derby Square:

12 p.m. Human Chess Game

East India Fountain Stage:

11 a.m. David Thorne Scott (Jazz/Pop - Singer/Songwriter/Pianist)

12 p.m. Kirsten & Dave (Acoustic Pop/Rock, Country, Folk, Blues)

1 p.m. Amber Blues (Rock)

2 p.m. Heather Maloney Band (Singer/Songwriter)

3 p.m. Big Blue Octopus (Jazz/Rock Band)

4 p.m. The Holdouts (Acoustic Duo)

Gulu-Gulu Café:

5 p.m. Neophyte Capsule (Sound/visual installation art by Glenn Church)

5:30 p.m. Intersection in Poetry & Music & Film Jennifer Jean, Sebastien Jean, & Joe Perry (Poetry, rock guitarist, film)

6 p.m. Salem Arts Festival Wrap-Up Party (Welcome all artists, volunteers & attendees)

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

North Shore Pride, a non-profit Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender advocacy group will hold its inaugural gay pride celebration and parade in Salem on June 30.

The event, aimed at spreading awareness of LGBT issues, will be an all day celebration of equality under the tagline "unity in our community." Much like Boston Pride, the event will include guest speakers, live music from local bands, vendors on Salem Common, and city officials and guests from all over the North Shore.

The Hawthorne Hotel will also host an after-party free to the public at 5 p.m., and there will be a 10 a.m. public church service on the common prior to the parade.

"For our first event we've done quite well, we're very, very pleased," said Hope Watt-Bucci, president of North Shore Pride. "We've got a great group of volunteers, we have an amazing community."

North Shore Pride will honor state Representative Barney Frank for his work in Congress promoting equality and tolerance. Speakers will include Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, Boston Herald sportswriter Steve Buckley and WCVB-TV anchor Randy Price.

Price has also been tagged as the Grand Marshall of the parade, which will begin at noon in front of the post office on Margin Street, follow a route along New Derby and Derby streets, up Hawthorne Boulevard, and culminate at the Salem Commons.

"It's a fairly long parade," Watt-Bucci said. "A short distance but a long parade."

The Salem City Council passed a resolution to designate June 30 as Gay Pride Day in Salem at its regular meeting last week.

"I am looking forward personally to a day down the road...when my own son, who will by that time be an adult, will be able to look back with his friends and his family and say 'what was all the fuss about back then,'" said Ward 5 Councillor Josh Turiel. "And just be able to look back and say 'what were they thinking in those days, when people actually had to fight to be equal, and they weren't just thought of as equal?'"

Watt-Bucci believes that the suburbs are behind the eight ball in terms of acceptance of the gay community when compared with major cities. She hopes that the event can help to prevent situations like that of Justin Goodwin, an openly gay Gloucester resident who committed suicide after being beaten and mocked outside of a bar in 2009.

"I thought it was a good time for us to start working on the suburbs on having some unity, and working together so that we can really get rid of discrimination," Watt-Bucci said. "I think we've done a really good job in the urban areas...we're still having issues here on the North Shore."

Interested vendors have until June 1 to register for a booth on the common. Registration forms for vendors, as well as a complete list of speakers and entertainers, can be found at northshorepride.org.

By Matt Byrne, Town Correspondent

A Peabody woman is expected to be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court Tuesday on charges that she used her Somerville-based realty business to embezzle more than $200,000 from a dozen clients who believed their money was held safely in escrow accounts.

Instead of leaving untouched thousands of dollars in cash potential buyers had given her for down-payments on homes, Farkhanda "Kandy" Tarar Shah, 61, allegedly spent the money on business and personal expenses, a violation of state real estate law, according to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.

She is charged with felony larceny, fiduciary embezzlement, and being a common and notorious thief, Leone's office said.

The allegations against Shah, formerly a licensed mortgage broker and real estate agent who did business as K-Realty and Eastern Mortgage from an office at 367 Broadway, stem from transactions made between 2007 and 2009.

According to authorities, Shah had received down payments for sales of foreclosed or under-water homes, in which the value of the home is less than the mortgage held on the property. Such "short sales" are difficult to complete and frequently collapse, leading Shah's clients to request their down payments back, except she had already spent the money.

In a statement, Leone lauded investigators for holding a predatory broker to account for taking advantage of people at the height of the housing market collapse.

"We allege that this defendant used her position of trust to steal real estate deposits amounting to be thousands of dollars from people looking to purchase a home, after they entrusted their hard earned money and savings to her," Leone said.

"Especially during these difficult economic times, such financially debilitating crimes can be simply devastating," he said. "We will work to return every penny to those who are defrauded, and punish those who cause them such anxiety and heartache."

Following the first allegations of wrong-doing in 2010 and subsequent investigations by Peabody and Somerville police, Shah was arrested on lesser charge. At the time, her licenses had already been revoked by the state.

 Ryan Mooney photos

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

Held in a mall on a weekday morning, it was a bit unconventional, but it certainly looked and felt like a graduation.

There were balloons, caps with tassels, gowns, and tears in the eyes of proud parents, grandparents, and siblings.

A sense of accomplishment hung in the air as passerby glanced at the 22 students sitting atop a makeshift stage in front of Macy's, between Talbots and J Crew, just a stone's throw from the pretzel stand.

These are students who are now - with the help of the Peabody Learning Academy - receiving official diplomas from the Peabody public school system. Students who were almost lost, so disillusioned with public education that many of them were inching toward dropping out entirely.

"The Peabody Learning Academy has helped some students who have had some troubles, some learning challenges," Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said before the ceremony. "It's helped out a tremendous amount of kids that otherwise may have slipped through the cracks."

Peabody Mayor Edward Bettencourt addresses Peabody learning Academy's 22 graduating students and their families. Seated on the floor from left to right are former Mayor Michael Bonfanti, Peabody High Principal Ed Sapienza, and interim Superintendent Herb Levine.

The Peabody Learning Academy provides a computer-based alternative to the conventional routine of school. Students still attend class every day -- albeit in a 4,000-square-foot room at the Northshore Mall -- and complete the Peabody High School curriculum, but they do so at their own pace, using the NOVANet software program.

Because they complete the same curriculum as their peers at the high school, they receive a real diploma instead of a GED. The program is unorthodox, but it's not the first of its kind. The Simon Youth Foundation - a Simon Property Group charity - supports 23 academies in 13 states, mostly within Simon Malls such as Northshore.

"The whole idea here is to get them to make up coursework, and to be able to pass MCAS, so that they can get a bonafide Peabody High School diploma," said Mark Whiting, general manager of the Northshore Mall.

While attending PLA, students are allowed to take elective courses and play sports at Peabody High, and can even attend the school's commencement ceremony. The school, which opened for the 2010-11 school year, graduated eight students from its inaugural class, seven of who remain enrolled in college.

PLA Student of the Year Joanna Bolanos received a Simon Youth Foundation scholarships worth $6,000.

Director Seith Bedard and his two instructors -- Raina Siladi and Sarah Murray -- work closely with public school administrators and the Simon Youth Foundation to make it all possible. The Risk and Insurance Management Society contributed a third of the building costs to construct the classroom, which could expand in the near future.

Interim Superintendent Herb Levine was on hand to speak, as was Peabody High Principal Ed Sapienza. SYF and Burton's Grill -- a restaurant in the mall that helps raise funds for the program -- awarded scholarships to eight students.

"You guys have made a series of good choices," Levine said. "I urge you, all of you, to continue to make the right choices in your lives ... you've shown that you will do so already, I know that you will do so in the future. Congratulations, you've worked very hard, we're very proud of you. Congratulations."

"Be very proud of your accomplishments, use this achievement as a launching point towards a successful future," Sapienza said. "Good luck graduates, congratulations parents ... and I want to leave by saying one thing to everyone here: Always be proud to be a Tanner."

The following was submitted by Margo Steiner, assistant director of marketing and communications at Salem State University:

Campus MovieFest (CMF), the world's largest student film festival, announced that four films by Salem State University students will be screened at the organization's annual awards ceremony in Hollywood, June 21-23.

Campus MovieFest annually visits college campuses around the globe, providing equipment, training and technical support to all members of each campus community who want to create a five-minute movie in just one week, all for free. After CMF's visit to Salem State earlier this spring, a panel of campus judges decided the top Salem State University movies. A red carpet finale was held on campus to screen the students' work and announce the winning films.

The four winning films, along with over 200 others from schools across the globe, will screen at College MovieFest Hollywood in late June, where they will be judged by an industry panel of judges.

"We're thrilled by this year's competing films and Salem State University should be proud of its students' work," said David Roemer, co-founder of CMF.

The four Salem State films in contention include:

Enough About Love, created by The Storytellers Collective.

Nighty Night, created by True Hullabaloo.

Waltzing Matilda, created by The Slim Pickens.

Tomorrow, which is being recognized as a Golden Tripod Award finalist in the best actress category for Jenny Samuelson's performance.

Last year's CMF events welcomed guest presenters and workshop hosts including Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games), Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), John Cho (Star Trek), James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek), Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games), Rob Corrdry (Children's Hospital), Alice Eve (The Raven), McG (This Means War), and more. This year's presenters have not yet been announced.

Past winners have walked away with over $2 million in prizes and seen their films on the big screen at CMF events nationwide, at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and on millions of smaller screens, including those on Virgin America flights and online.

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

According to data from the Warren Group, a New England-based real estate tracker, North Shore single-family home sales largely followed the same trend as the rest of the state last month.

Salem, Beverly and Peabody all saw an increase in home sales in April compared to the same month one year ago, while the 12 homes sold in Danvers equaled the number sold in April of 2011. The highest increase was in Peabody, where 36 homes were sold - 21 more than last year - a 140 percent increase.

The highest year-to-date increases have been in Salem with 44 homes sold, 14 more than last year, and Peabody with 80 homes sold, 25 more than in 2011.

Home sales around the state increased by 22 percent over last year in April, according to the Warren Group.

Condo sales, meanwhile, followed a dissimilar trend compared to the rest of the Commonwealth last month. Condo sales in Peabody increased by 120 percent over last year, with 11 sold as opposed to five in 2011, but dropped in Salem, Beverly and Peabody. Statewide condo sales rose more than 12 percent to 1,363 from 1,214 in April 2011.

A complete list of town-by-town single-family home sale data can be found here; data for condos can be found here.

North Shore Home Sales:
Data courtesy of the Warren Group

Salem 2011 / 2012

Month of April: 7 / 9
Year-to-date: 31 / 44
April median sale price: $285,000 / $220,000
YTD median sale price: $256,000 / $226,800

Peabody 2011 / 2012

Month of April: 15 / 36
Year-to-date: 55 / 80
April median sale price: $290,000 / $285,000
YTD median sale price: $295,000 / $282,500

Beverly 2011 / 2012

Month of April: 11 / 23
Year-to-date: 49 / 65
April median sale price: $329,000 / $319,900
YTD median sale price: $310,500 / $340,000

Danvers 2011 /  2012

Month of April: 12 / 12
Year-to-date: 37 /  50
April median sale price: $306,750 / $375,000
YTD median sale price: $288,800 /  $367,200