New home on horizon for Food Pantry...

Apr 18, 2019 by

Published April 18, 2019 By MAUREEN DOHERTY NORTH READING — The North Reading Food Pantry has been a point of civic pride for many decades. Run entirely by volunteers who know how to stretch dimes into dollars, there is virtually no segment of the North Reading community that has not stepped up to donate non-perishable items to one or more of its year-round drives, such as the town-wide USPS letter carriers drive held every Mother’s Day weekend. Perhaps you’ve written a check or helped organize a food drive for Rotary, your church or business, or a son or daughter’s scout troop, team, classroom or dance troupe. In whatever way you’ve helped to sustain this group, by doing so, you have enabled neighbors who struggle to make ends meet feed themselves and their children. And...

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Police arrest 17-year-old armed with handgun...

Apr 18, 2019 by

Seize $4,000 in THC oil cartridges Published April 18, 2019 NORTH READING — North Reading police officers are calling attention to the startling rise in youth marijuana use and the dangerous rise of a black market for marijuana. Both trends were evident on April 9, when a Lynnfield juvenile was arrested by local officers with a loaded handgun, after he offered to sell concentrated THC products to an undercover officer through social media. North Reading police officers had been investigating the target for nearly a month after learning he was allegedly offering concentrated marijuana vaping cartridges to minors via the popular social media app Snapchat. They were alarmed to learn that the target, himself, was a minor. “Profitable black market” created “This case is a heavily-anticipated consequence of the current state of marijuana regulation...

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School Committee approves FY’20 school budget...

Apr 18, 2019 by

Published April 17, 2019 By JILLIAN STRING LYNNFIELD — The School Committee voted to approve the updated fiscal year 2020 budget presented by Superintendent Jane Tremblay on April 9. Tremblay stated that after her presentation to the Board of Selectmen, the original recommended budget of $26,182,916, representing a 5.24 percent increase over FY19, had to be reduced to $25,875,345, representing a 4 percent increase. “We were told by the selectmen that we needed to sharpen our pencils and go back to the drawing board, and come up with other requests for a 4 percent budget increase,” Tremblay said. According to Tremblay, the original recommended budget requested several staff positions, including a 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) English language learners (ELL) teacher, 3.0 FTE school adjustment counselors, a 1.0 FTE computer science teacher, as well as...

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Selectmen approve TA contract extension...

Apr 18, 2019 by

Published April 17, 2019 By DAN TOMASELLO LYNNFIELD — The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved a contract extension for Town Administrator Rob Dolan on April 9. Dolan served as Melrose’s mayor for 16 years prior to becoming town administrator in February 2018. Selectmen Chairman Dick Dalton said the contract extension would be in effect to February 2021. “By Charter, we are limited to granting the town administrator a two-year contract,” said Dalton. “This extension is for the maximum of two years.” Dalton said the contract would award Dolan a 2 percent pay raise, which would bring his salary to $173,400. “The 2 percent is in line with what everyone else in town government, whether union or non-union, is getting this fiscal year,” said Dalton. Dalton said he has enjoyed working with Dolan over the...

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North Reading Police arrest 17-year-old...

Apr 18, 2019 by

Lynnfield youth armed with handgun Published April 17, 2019 NORTH READING — Police are calling attention to the startling rise in youth marijuana use and the dangerous rise of a black market for marijuana. Both trends were evident on April 9, when a Lynnfield juvenile was arrested with a loaded handgun, after he offered to sell concentrated THC products to an undercover officer through social media. North Reading police officers had been investigating the target for nearly a month after learning he was allegedly offering concentrated marijuana vaping cartridges to minors via the popular social media app Snapchat. They were alarmed to learn that the target, himself, was a minor. “This case is a heavily-anticipated consequence of the current state of marijuana regulation and availability. Police have warned about, and are now observing across...

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‘City Council’ name change is back...

Apr 11, 2019 by

Published April 12, 2019 MELROSE — In this age of gender neutrality, having the only Board of Aldermen left in Massachusetts doesn’t sit well with some in the city. Three years after supporters of a new name — City Council — saw a chance to change fall by the wayside in a 5-5 vote by the aldermen, they have brought the issue back in a time considered past due for a change. Jennifer Lemmerman, the aldermanic president, brought the name change up in 2016 and again this week. If approved, the new title of City Council would be sent to the state Legislature, which must authorize the city to make changes to its charter. Everywhere “Board of Aldermen” is mentioned in the charter, it would be changed to “City Council,” and “Alderman” would become “Councilor.” Lemmerman said...

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