Students in the 4th grade at Kennedy School, Ms. Connors and Ms. O’Keefe’s room, have been busy making bracelets, necklaces, and rings to raise money to help the people in the Philippine Islands recover from Typhoon Haiyan. Students create their wares at lunch, during snack and any free time they can find. They have been very industrious. Their hard work has paid off. In their first sale they were able to raise over $170 just in the first 2 hours. Look for announcements for future sales in the new year.

By Jim Clark

A fight at a Central St. mental health facility was reported to police last Wednesday, Christmas Day.

Investigating officers were informed that a client, Philip MacLeod, 68, had allegedly assaulted another resident at the facility, reportedly shoving him several times and spitting on him.

I think any serious writer who claims he or she doesn’t spend a lot of time and effort to find just the right word, is either telling a lie or is in serious denial. Poet/Writer/Salem St. University professor J.D. Scrimgeour fits this bill. Whether he is writing a poem about a badly disfigured woman or a passage about a basketball game, he makes sure the words make the writing come to life.

Arrests:
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Christopher Unger, 24, of 110 Perkins St., December 24, 10:45 a.m., arrested at home on a charge of assault and battery.

Carlos Sanchez, 22, of 59 Pearl St., December 25, 1:36 a.m., arrested at home on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and destruction of property over $250.

238^th Flag Raising commemorated atop Prospect Hill by City officials, residents, and “George Washington” on horseback

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Historic Preservation Commission Director Brandon Wilson announced that the 238th annual “Grand Union” flag-raising ceremony at Prospect Hill Park will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, at 12 p.m. A processional led by a re-enactor portraying General George Washington on horseback will leave from the City Hall Concourse, at 93 Highland Ave., at 11:30 a.m. As always, members of the public are invited to  participate, and are encouraged to wear traditional colonial clothing.

Cover art for Jef Czekaj’s book “A Call For A New Alphabet.”

First used in the Middle Ages to describe the sketching of a subject for a piece of art, cartooning has evolved over time to serve a number of purposes–from entertainment to advertising  to political and social commentary. Doodle is a show on cartoons in all of its forms.

  Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I’m not dreaming of White Christmas, no. My old bones are tired of shoveling snow.

It’s supposed to be a season of peace, but sometimes that’s a crock.

Just try getting a parking space when you go out to shop.

By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to the Kmart store at Middlesex Ave. last week after receiving a report that a shoplifter had been detained by store loss prevention personnel.

In questioning store employees, it was reported that a woman, Theresa Whalen, 57, had been spotted placing store merchandise into a shopping basket, then attempting to leave the store without paying.