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Vol. 20, No. 37
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U.S. Congresswoman Clark visits Malden’s ABCD Head Start learning center By Barbara Taormina ongresswoman Katherine Clark seemed right at home this week with the tiny chairs and little tables where fresh blue and green finger paint creations were laid out to dry. Clark spent Tuesday morning at Head Start on Commercial Street visiting with students, parents and staff to hear more about the local program, and to highlight the need for affordable childcare, which she is pushing for through her legislation, the 21st Century Child Care Investment Act. Action for Boston Community Development, the regional human services organization that oversees the federally funded local Head Start program, opened the new Malden-based learning center last year, and 120 children are now enrolled in the program designed to prepare them for
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Published Every Friday
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Friday, September 14, 2018
Malden Fire Dept. District 1 September 11, 2018 17th Anniversary of September 11, 2001
success when they move on to kindergarten and elementary school. Clark began her visit by reading a story to a group of children and chatting with them about their favorite books and colors. She then sat down with a group of parents and staff members, who shared some of their stories about their families and about the Head Start program. “I do a lot of work on childcare; it’s one of the biggest issues facing families,� Clark told the group. “Moderate-income families have a really hard time finding affording childcare.� According to Clark, the average cost of infant care in Massachusetts is just over $17,000 a year while parents pay an average of about $13,000 for childcare for a four-year-old. The 21st Century Child Care
Malden Police and Fire personnel stand in solemn remembrance of 9/11 outside Central Fire Station on Salem St. along with Mayor Gary Christenson, Fire Chief Kevin Finn and Police Chief Kevin Molis.
VISITING | SEE PAGE 16 Flag Raising Ceremony for 17th Anniversary of September 11, 2001 Bill Sullivan Asst. Chief, Kien Luong Firefighter, Nick Martorans Firefighter
Flag Raising Ceremony marking the 17th Anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 were: Asst. Chief Bill Sullivan, and firefighters Kien Luong and Nick Martorans.
Sticker parking makes a comeback By Barbara Taormina esident sticker parking is back on the agenda. City Councillors voted this week to create a committee to work with the new parking director on a citywide residential parking program. And this time around, they are shooting for a plan that’s clear and simple with street signs that spell
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Congresswoman Katherine Clark shares a story with a group of children at the new ABCD Head Start learning center on Commercial Street.
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out the rules. “This isn’t about raising money,� said Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon, who suggested that anyone who pays an excise tax bill in Malden should get a free parking sticker. Condon said the number of outof-town commuters grabbing open spaces on streets near the city’s T stations is growing and causing more and more problems for residents who can’t find parking spaces near their homes. The city needs to regain control over parking, he added. “It’s about time that we moved forward with this,� Condon told fellow councillors. “You’ll get some heat from people, but for the overall good of the community we need to know who is parking in the city.� Councillors have been trying for years to bring residen-
tial sticker parking to Malden, but residents have opposed previous proposals. Although past parking plans were initially presented as a solution to a quality-of-life issue, they quickly ballooned into costly colorcoded, ward-based programs that required a significant investment for enforcement and signs. In exchange, sticker parking promised to free up street parking for residents, generate revenue through excise taxes, sticker fees and fines, and give the police an extra tool to track who was in the city. But residents never embraced the idea, and according to Ward 3 Councillor John Matheson, the Traffic Commission, which has the authority to institute resident sticker parking, did not push for-
PARKING | SEE PAGE 18