Good luck MHS Golden Tornadoes fall sports teams!
Vol. 20, No. 36
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Friday, September 7, 2018
Getting Your Irish Up & Running Local needy families thank
backpack, food donors By Tara Vocino ocals struggling financially as well as town and state officials commented on what it was like to receive backpacks and food in the parking lot of Price Rite on Thursday morning. Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children, together with event partners Nabisco and Pepsi, provided families in need in the Revere area with food and essentials to prepare them for the back-toschool season. Each of the 400 families, who were pre-identified by The Salvation Army, received a 25-pound box of food; a 10-pound box of essentials, including shampoo, conditioner, lotion and personal-care items; additional food, such as fresh produce and shelf-stable items provided by Price Rite Marketplace; and two backpacks filled with
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Mayor Gary Christenson and Karen Hayes are shown after completing the Annual Irish American 5 & 10K Road Race at the Malden Irish-American Club on West St. on Monday. The annual event drew hundreds of runners from the north shore and Greater Boston area on a humid day. Participants enjoyed fine food and drink, live music and prizes. (Courtesy photo)
Malden primary voters make some unexpected choices By Barbara Taormina oston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley’s upset victory over 10-term incumbent Mike Capuano in the race for the 7th Congressional District seat was the big headline from this week’s state primary, but the voting tallies from Malden came with their own small set of surprises.
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According to the City Clerk’s office, 18 percent of the city’s 31,958 eligible voters turned out at the polls on Tuesday. That count includes 4,686 Democrats, 1,155 Republicans and 15 Libertarians. Malden Democrats gave Jay Gonzales a 60-vote victory in the primary race for governor. Statewide, Gonzales, who ran against Bob Massie, came out far ahead with 65 percent of the vote. Although Quentin Palfrey
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school supplies for the new school year. Local dignities, who spoke to the issue of food insecurity in the local community, provided opening remarks before volunteers distributed food and essentials. U.S. Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts 5th District) said one out of five families struggle with hunger, and this event provides children with the tools and resources that they need to Mystic Valley Salvation Army Capt. be successful. “It provides Isael Gonzalez thanked volunteers them with the nutrition for braving the heat during an that they need to learn,� event Thursday morning to give backpacks and food to needy Clark said. S u p e r i n t e n d e n t o f families, organized by Price Rite Schools Dr. Dianne Kel- Marketplace and Feed the Children, ly said the items provided together with event partners Nabisco and Pepsi. (Advocate photo by give students a fair shot Tara Vocino) academically and at life. “When you see the smiles on ESSENTIALS | SEE PAGE 3 the kids’ faces when they get
Mayor provides update on National Grid lockout n response to numerous inquiries recently received, Mayor Gary Christenson provided an update on the National Grid lock out. “As a company with a large presence in our City, we’ve always had a good relationship with National Grid. We also have been and will continue to be supportive of the workers who perform important and often dangerous work every day. It is frustrating to see this situation continue,� said Mayor Christenson.
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National Grid workers have been locked out since June 25 as a result of negotiations that failed to end in an agreement between labor and management. As the lockout continues, Malden as well as surrounding communities have begun to worry about the impact on continuing to get work done on time and safely. “We have met personally with both the Union leadership and National Grid President Marcy Reed,� said Mayor Christenson. “We have offered recommendations that we think would allow the union members to go back to work while the parties continue to negotiate in good faith. We believe negotiations would be more successful if conducted while the locked out employees continue to work. The longer this goes on under the current circumstances, the more difficult it will be to reach a resolution.� Many communities have
ceased issuing permits during the lockout. Mayor Christenson explained that permits in Malden are issued by the Department of Public Works and that he has instructed DPW Director Bob Knox to issue permits for only necessary emergency work. “While I understand the company has implemented a work continuation plan, I would need to better and fully understand the steps taken to ensure that the plan does not represent any risk to our community. Replacing long tenured and experienced workers doing this type of work poses a potential risk to public safety and is not something we take lightly. The City owes it to our residents to exercise caution and diligence in reviewing any plan in place when work in the public way is involved.� Mayor Christenson added that he will continue to work with both parties to encourage a resolution.