In a record-setting performance Shalane Flanagan won the top spot in this summer’s Olympics in London. A Marbleheader (Class of 2000), the 30-year-old is just hitting her running prime. Three minutes better than her personal best, Shalane ran a 2:25:38 marathon in Houston’s qualifier, besting a field of 152 elite female runners. She will represent the United States in the Olympics (July 27 to August 12) this summer. Flanagan described the day as one to remember and recounted that she persevered over the last mile by thinking of it as “track race.” Disiree Davila was only 18 seconds behind her.
Flanagan won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and she also competed in the 2004 Olympics without a medal. She also holds the current US records in the 10,000 (outdoors), 5,000 (indoors) and 3,000 (indoors) races.
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The proposed new building.
The Village Street construction project, under a contract with Groom Construction did not go well. Local competitors files complaints about the original selection process with the state, a business manager for schools was forced out due to expenditure irregularities, a group of local residents are pressing a investigation into whether the bond money was spent according to Town Meeting votes, and now Groom has been fined by the state for irregularities in the licensing of vendors involved with asbestos removal. And Groom is currently under a suspension by the state.
Tom Connolly, the newest member of the School Committee, made a motion to have the committee consider excluding Groom from the currently proceeding Glover School construction project.
His motion was not even seconded. When a second motion was seconded for discussion it failed four to one.
The current, existing, school.
You can’t blame him for trying. In a letter to editor in the Lynn Item, Mr. Connolly explained he was only doing what anyone would expect elected officials to do: avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. He reaffirmed that he views asking questions and working to make things better for the people, and building confidence in the Town on how money is spent as the reason he was elected.
As we said, no second for Tom’s motion. The Committee’s process for the new project is pretty much the same as the Village project, except for having the Superintendent review and sign off on all changes. Let’s hope history does not repeat itself.
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Perhaps it was a duffer who thought a better driver might help. Maybe it was a golfer disappointed that he did’t get that new set of irons he wanted. But no arrests have been made and there are things missing from the pro shop. Marblehead Police Chief Bob Picariello was quoted as saying “It’s still under investigation.” The new country club facilities opened in July and were apparently a target too rich to pass up for the thieves. There was evidence of forced entry according to the report. The alarm came in at 5:25 a.m. on Wednesday, January 11. A state K-9 unit resonded as well as both Marblehead and Swampscott town police.
If any one hears of a local golfer suddenly showing vast, unexplained improvement, perhaps a call should be made to local law enforcement officials.
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“You can’t compare Crocker with the people we have in the Selectmen’s Room.”
That’s the opinion of former Selectman Bill Conly, known for his eccentric views and outspoken opinions on Marblehead history. Crocker donated what is now known as Crocker Park to the Town, and it is clearly among the three or four most generous and lavish gifts bestowed on the Town over its 363-year history. But, in Conly’s opinion, it just doesn’t measure up. Crocker’s gift does not compare to Elbridge Gerry, father of Gerrymandering and Vice President of the United States, a position held in vastly higher esteem today than in Gerry’s day, or to General John Glover’s portrait which is also in the Selectman’ room. One wonders what John Glover, a former General and Town official, would say of Crocker’s generosity but we’ll never know. All we have is that Bill Conly’s opinion is that the rarefied air of exclusivity in the Selectmen’s room is too much for lowly Crocker.
Chris Johnston, chair of the Historical Commission, was taking a more moderate position that not every portrait hung in the Selectmen’s room stays there forever. Somewhat like the Selectmen themselves who seem to be so important on Wednesdays, but then are themselves (for the most part) forgotten in the Town’s history. Incidentally, there are not a lot of portraits of current or former selectmen hanging around town either. So there.
Oh, one last thing, the vote to hang Uriel in the Selectmen’s room passed 3-1. Conly opposed. We’ll see if the other portraits move out as the room’s quality declines. We think not.
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$1.1 million is on the line. But Judge Keith Long of the Land Court isn’t budging. Wayne Johnson is still under the tear-down order of the judge, after 16 years of fighting to avoid it, but has again filed with the Marblehead Zoning Board of Appeals. He wants to negotiate with the neighbors, but they are having none of it, of course. Johnson could face a contempt of court charge if he does not proceed according to the judge’s order. Johnson could also file for bankruptcy to obtain a stay. The neighbor’s attorney expressed some doubt that Johnson would do the right thing by the deadline, so called. On we go.
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