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Register to vote by Oct. 19

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With the presidential election a little more than a month away, voters are reminded of some important dates.

The deadline for registering to vote in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 election is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 24, concluding on Friday, Nov. 4.

“Registered voters do not need an excuse or reason to vote early,” said Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan. “The first step is making sure you are registered.”

Sloan is ready for early voting, having set up four voting booths — two handicapped accessible — behind the counter in her office. In Whitman, the early voting booths are now on display in the corridor outside the Town Clerk’s office, but will be moved into the auditorium by Oct. 24.

Absentee voting will also be conducted as usual for the Nov. 8 Election Day.

“Anyone who is 18 on or before Nov. 8 can vote, but must register by Oct. 19,” Whitman Town Clerk Dawn Varley said. “A lot of the young kids think they can’t vote because the deadline is Oct. 19.”

Whitman early voting hours [Oct. 24 to Nov. 4] are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and special hours on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The application deadline for early voting by mail is noon on Friday, Nov. 4. The Whitman Town Clerk’s office will be closed to all non-election business on Nov. 8.

In Hanson, early voting is available during business hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.  Registered voters also have the option to request an early voting ballot through the mail. Simply fill out an application and mail it to Town Clerk, 542 Liberty Street Hanson, MA 02341.

Former Gov. Deval Patrick signed the election reform law on May 22, 2014 to allow early voting in state biennial elections, starting 11 business days before an election and ending two business days before Election Day.

The election reform law also permits early registration for 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, although they would not be permitted to cast ballots until age 18. For more information on registering to vote or to obtain an early voting by mail application, visit the Secretary of State’s website at sec.state.ma.us.

The law also requires the state to audit 3 percent of precincts during presidential election years to make sure voting machines are working correctly. It establishes a task force to pin down the cost and administrative requirements of the early voting provision and examine other voting issues such as same-day voter registration.

A Republican-backed provision for voter ID cards was rejected by lawmakers.

Making plans

Expecting a 75-percent turnout for the presidential election, Varley has asked for, and received, Whitman Selectmen’s support for safety procedures she plans to institute at Town Hall on that date. The measures have been used before in high-turnout elections and center on restricting parking and charitable solicitations.

Town Hall employees and election workers will be required to park at the police station on Election Day to free up Town Hall parking for voters. Employees and election workers will be shuttled to Town Hall. Parking along South Avenue from Day Street to the center of town will be limited to a half-hour on a temporary basis.

The 150-foot “no electioneering” rule around Town Hall will be enforced, including fundraising efforts by Dollars for Scholars and other groups.

Voters have also been receiving the “Massachusetts Information for Voters” booklet on the 2016 Ballot Questions from the office of Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin.

Voters’ guide

The 29-page, newsprint booklet provides the text and summaries of the four questions, an explanation of what yes and no votes will do, a statement of fiscal consequences, and arguments from representatives on both sides of each issue.

A clip-out voter checklist is printed on the back cover for voters to use to note how they intend to vote as a pocket reference to take with them to the polls.

Question 1 refers to expanded slot-machine gaming; Question 2 asks whether charter schools should be expanded in the state; Question 3 refers to the conditions in which farm animals are raised and Question 4 involves whether marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed.

The booklet is mailed to residential addresses of registered voters, group quarters and convenient public locations throughout the state. To obtain a copy, call Galvin’s Elections Division at 617-727-2828 or 1-800-VOTE (8683) or the Citizen Information Service at 617-727-7030.

SSVT aims to require more co-op work

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HANOVER — South Shore Vocational Technical High School wants to get more students out to work — whether through co-operative employment, after-school jobs or unpaid internships.

“It almost seems like it’s unnecessary to say that,” Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey told the SSVT Regional School Committee Wednesday, Sept. 21 about his opening-day talks with faculty, staff and junior and senior students. “But, what I was specifically referring to in terms of staff was … the importance of talking up to students the ability to spend some part of their experience here outside this building.”

One of Hickey’s evaluation goals for the year is to increase such work projects by 10 percent. He also asked School Committee members to formulate a plan for some form of graduation requirement eventually mandating “some sliver of their time” in an external work environment.

“If they don’t have a car, we can help them,” he said of school day co-op positions. “If they need help with job placement, we can help them, and we’re sending the same message to students.”

Other goals Hickey outlined for the year are: professional learning communities to support teachers with weekly meetings on educational issues; action plans to reach state accountability goals for student achievement; that 100 percent of eligible students pass a third-party industry, OSHA or shop-specific test; and proper administration of the educator evaluation framework.

Whitman School Committee member Daniel Salvucci suggested an informational cable TV program on the work students can do — and have done  — in work environments and in-school municipal projects. The shows could be made available for broadcast in all member towns.

“A key thing for making this work is to have employer partners,” Hickey agreed. “We’re open to any relationship at all they want to have. They may not have a job for a student, but they may come in to give a presentation.”

Municipal projects

Assistant Principal Mark Aubrey said students have also been working on projects involving the rewiring of the Stetson House next to Hanover Town Hall, repairing an ice machine for the Scituate Knights of Columbus, printing projects for Rockland town officials and Veterans’ Council, and will be refurbishing a bike rack for the Scituate Library and metal display platforms for the Whitman Public Library.

At the end of the 2015-16 school year, the metal fabrication shop  designed and built a smoker for two Hanover police officers, who went on to win first prize at a regional contest between police and fire personnel.

“It has our name on it [so] we got a lot of good publicity out of it,” Aubrey said, noting contest participants were impressed with the smoker’s design and workmanship.

Hickey added that Hanson Veteran’s Agent Bob Arsenault has also asked that the school’s auto body shop help with the sand-blasting and re-painting of markers for the town’s memorial squares.

“I recently sent a letter to all of our town administrators, acting as a refresher, reminding them that we value municipal work and collaboration on projects,” he said. “The real-world curriculum serves our towns — everybody wins.”

Community goals

Students are already moving ahead with their own goal to become more involved with the community, even as School Committee Chairman Robert Molla reminded Student Advisory Council representative Jacob Cormier of Hanover that the committee wanted to see a detailed list of projects.

Nine members of the Student Advisory Council have already volunteered at the Special Olympics in Randolph, they are working on the annual Haunted Hallway project planned for Oct. 29 in the school cafeteria (476 Webster St., Hanover), a powder-puff football game and a possible future service trip to help repair homes destroyed in natural disasters in Louisiana.

The Haunted Hallway project will feature activities geared toward elementary school-aged children and is always popular.

Molla also asked the council to take on a “face lift” for the 50-year-old Viking mascot or T-shirts to promote the school.

New tobacco regs in works

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WHITMAN — As part of the Board of Health’s new Sale of Tobacco Products regulations, now in the process of being finalized, Walgreens is being advised they will no longer be permitted to sell tobacco products in Whitman.

The company was advised by letter on Sept. 20 of the regulations’ paragraph N, which prohibits the sale of tobacco products in healthcare institutions.

Some town officials, including a selectman as well as Town Administrator Frank Lynam, have expressed concern over the impact the paragraph might have on the business climate. Section 9 of paragraph N would also limit the number of tobacco product sales permits.

“I would guess that ties in with the number of licenses,” Lynam said. “By eliminating Walgreens as a distributor of tobacco products, they’ve cut down one of the licenses.”

Lynam said that license would likely not be issued to another store.

Health Board Chairman Eric Joubert said that is not the intent, and stressed the board has held hearings at which local store owners have testified about possible impact to their business.

“The letter essentially says if you’re in the health care industry you shouldn’t be selling cigarettes,” Lynam said. “That’s an interesting concept — that it’s up to us to tell people how to run their business. My only concern is we’re here trying to tell business we want them to come to town, we need their ability to create jobs and generate tax revenue and then we turn around and say, ‘but we don’t want you doing things that we might consider offensive’ and how is that being positive to a business environment?”

Joubert disagreed.

“This is not in anyway and attempt to reduce the number of licenses that are out there at the current time,” Joubert said of the regulations set to go into effect Oct. 31, 2016.

According to approved and signed minutes from Aug. 9 and 30, the board has agreed to remove a section restricting the sale and governing the pricing of single cigars was stricken from the regulations.

“The board received concerns from the retailers in the town of Whitman,” Joubert said. “The board allowed the retailers to express their concerns and reevaluated the areas that they felt were unfair or created  an undue burden on their business. … After our meeting with the retailers I think everybody felt comfortable with the outcome and we will all continue to work together to do what’s in the best interest of the town of Whitman and tobacco use reduction.”

According to draft minutes from the board’s Sept. 13 meeting, the board is seeking answers to “more questions for [Mass. Association of Boards of Health] MAHB lawyer Cheryl Sbarra” regarding the entire section pertaining to Section 9 (sale of tobacco products in healthcare institutions) before finalizing it or setting a number to permitted licenses.

“We are trying to do our research to find out what’s going to best fit the town and retailers,” Joubert said. “We promise that no one will lose their license that is currently licensed in the town of Whitman.  Through attrition the removal of licensure will occur in the event that we decide to proceed with this process.”

Joubert said Monday, via email while away on vacation, that he was not aware of any response from Walgreens, but he said the chain has understood that Walgreens has surrendered their license in other towns nationwide where such regulations have been enacted without issue.

“As far as voluntary surrender of licensure, Duvals was the forerunner years ago (2010 or better), making the decision upon their own to eliminate the sale of a harmful product in a health care sales environment, and have felt no ill effects from their decision,” Joubert said, noting that CVS joined them surrendering their license a year or so back voluntarily. “So, as you can see, the trend has been to eliminate tobacco products in a health care sales environment voluntarily, and the board will continue to seek surrender of licensure as needed.”

Whitman’s regulations also define the products and retailers concerned; sets a minimum age of 21 for purchase; governs sales permits and prohibits sale of blunt wraps or out-of-package sales; prohibits vending machines, non-residential roll-your-own machines or self-service displays; prohibits distribution or redemption of coupons and the sale of tobacco products by educational institutions. Fines are based on a scale, with $100 for first  violations, with higher fines and license suspensions for subsequent violations. Four violations — repeated or egregious violations — shall result in a license hearing to determine if a permit will be revoked.

There are 57 municipalities of varying size in Massachusetts now restricting flavored “other tobacco products” and almost as many with minimum pricing for cigars, according to the Mass. Municipal Association.

Rec inquiry complete: Report not ready to be released, Selectmen say

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen expect to receive Labor Counsel Leo Peloquin’s report on the Camp Kiwanee investigation in the next few days, but may seek legal advice on the proper way to release it during an open session “sometime in October.”

Selectmen Chairman James McGahan made the announcement during the board’s Tuesday, Sept. 27 meeting. While Town Counsel Jay Talerman was present to participate in the special Town Meeting preview, he was not asked about the issue as the Kiwanee probe falls under the category of labor law, according to selectmen.

“As we get the report, we need to figure out what we have in it to be sure there’s nothing sensitive,” McGahan said. “If employees [are mentioned] we may have to redact some information. That will have to be determined by legal counsel.”

He said Selectmen will have to review the report to decide how to release its information.

Town Administrator Michael McCue was absent due to an illness in his family.

Former Recreation Commission Chairman James Hickey asked if those who might be mentioned in the report would be so advised before it was made public.

“I think that they would probably have to get it at the same time that the public gets it,” McGahan said. “But that’s something that we’ll have to figure out with the attorney. Frankly, I’ve never been put in this position before and I’m not clear on what we’re supposed to do for the next step.”

How to release

He indicated the board might have to meet in executive session before the release to determine how it will be done.

Selectman Bruce Young said the report could refer to “multiple individuals” if similar inquiries done in the past was a guide.

In a letter to the editor [see page 12], past Kiwanee Management Committee member Joanne Blauss said the investigation has left her without much hope in the matter.

“We thought it was going to be wrapped up in September and give the public a chance to look at it and talk about it before the Town Meeting,” Blauss said Monday.

“All we were really promised was that the investigation would be done by September,” said Wes Blauss. He said the major concern is regaining recreation programs for Hanson that can take place by-and-large at Camp Kiwanee.

“Weddings were meant to subsidize events at Kiwanee,” he said. “But now there will be no recreation [events] at Kiwanee next year. It’s booked solid.”

Concerns expressed

They said McCue had told them before Tuesday’s meeting that the investigation results would not be revealed at Tuesday’s Selectmen’s meeting.

She and others who have served on the commission had expected a “great reveal” on the findings of the nine-month investigation.

Among the events leading to those hopes being “squashed” were: a selectman’s dismissal of citizen rallies as “those fools in front of Town Hall,” the delay in delivering the promised “even-handed, unbiased report” on the commission and its management of Camp Kiwanee, and the closed-door “interrogation” of a 17-year-old seasonal worker at the camp.

The latter incident resulted in a complaint filed against Town Administrator Michael McCue by resident John Mahoney, who had been asked by the teen employee’s family to accompany him during the interview with Peloquin and McCue. Mahoney was denied access to that meeting.

Case closed

In a letter replying to Mahoney, Magahan wrote that the board had determined that McCue and Peloquin had acted appropriately.

“Consequently, the Board deems this matter closed,” McGahan’s letter dated Sept. 7 read.

Mahoney had charged that two part-time seasonal caretakers at Camp Kiwanee appeared for the Aug. 19 meeting in response to an email request from the Recreation Commission’s administrative assistant, instructing them to “make yourselves available” to meet with McCue at the Needles Lodge office.

“I asked to join them and was refused because, the lawyer told me, ‘it’s confidential, part of the investigation,’” Mahoney wrote in his complaint. While Peloquin represented town officials, Mahoney stated the caretakers “were not afforded the opportunity to have representation, either legal or otherwise.”

The other employee, after his interview told Mahoney the questions centered on a particular wedding about which a complaint had been lodged with the administrative assistant.

“The complaint is that the Town Administrator was not forthcoming about the nature of the meeting, nor that a legal representative would be attending, thus not allowing either employee to arrange for representation,” Mahoney wrote. “It is also a complaint that one of the employees … is an underage minor and should never have been subject to legal questioning without an adult present.”

The investigation is supposed to center on Recreation Commission practices and bookkeeping issues arising after an audit of operations. Wes Blauss said the questions instead have all involved drinking at Camp Kiwanee.

Both the Blausses had a recent meeting with McCue about “getting recreation back to the forefront and he wanted them to continue with plans for the play they had on the calendar, but dates required for rehearsal were largely booked for weddings.

Funding director

The wedding bookings also came up Sept. 27 during the Town Meeting preview when Dave Blauss asked how the town could rely on future bookings to raise enough money to pay a recreation director’s salary after the six-month period to be funded by warrant article 20. He said projections for fiscal 2018 are down, despite being booked solid through July 2017.

“We always know that because people book weddings a year to two years in advance,” Dave Blauss said in response to Young’s question of how that projection could be made. “The board should know what the income is coming in before we fill a position that we may not be able to fund.”

McGahan advised referring the question to McCue, who is now overseeing Kiwanee operations.

Finance Committee Chairman Michael Wojdag cautioned that the $273,000 made at Kiwanee in fiscal 2016, was offset by expenses that came in at $284,000 for that period with the loss offset by taxation.

“One of the purposes of the recreation director is to stimulate more rentals at the camp,” Young argued. “Right now, it’s not being run by a professional. It’s being run by part-timers and an administrative assistant.”

“The place needs to be run like a business,” agreed Selectman Kenny Mitchell. “You put the proper management in there, [and] you could absolutely generate more money for that place. … Me being a business guy, I think you take the risk.”

Comedy show aids MD research

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WHITMAN — Two years after his “Rock & Comedy for a Cause,” show in Brockton raised close to $15,000 for the Jett Foundation which funds Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy medical research, Whitman native Mark Chauppetta is planning an even bigger event at Plymouth Memorial Hall.

“Komedy for a Kause,” will feature a stellar lineup of Bay State comic talent with Lenny Clarke, Steve Sweeney, Jackie the Joke Man Martling, Johnny Pizzi, Jerry Thornton, Christine Hurley and Richie Minervini taking the stage at the 1,300-seat hall, 83 Court St. Plymouth on Friday, Oct. 14.

The fundraising goal this time out is $40,000 or more. Doors open at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $39.99 with $60 VIP tickets including a before the show meet-and-greet with the comics and appetizers available. A 50/50 raffle will also be conducted and a sports paraphernalia company will be on site, operating on consignment.

“The first show was such a success — it was a sell-out — that I needed a bigger venue,” said Chauppetta, a 1987 W-H graduate whose 21-year-old twin sons have Duchenne. “This is probably the biggest show, aside from Dennis Leary’s Comedy Comes Home every November at TD Bank Garden.”

Boston legends Clarke and Sweeney, who headline the show, are known for their support of charitable causes throughout Massachusetts.

“Lenny Clarke is one of the nicest, most charitable guys you will ever meet,” Chauppetta said.

Thornton is a “local guy turned sports radio personality” at WEEI and a former Hingham court officer, Chauppetta said. Martling is featured on the Howard Stern radio show and Hurley, from Plymouth, riffs on the “bad mom” ethos.

“She is becoming, bar none, the best female comic in the industry right now,” he said of Hurley, who is a sweet-natured mother of five off stage. “All Christine Hurley does is [dump] on her husband Jimmy Hurley. She’s so funny and a little blue.”

Minervini is a friend and frequent costar of “Mall Cop” actor Kevin James. Pizzi, who was on the last show lineup returns for another outing.

“He was so impressed with the last show he asked to be on my board for the next one,” Chauppetta said, and helped book the acts, all of whom are appearing for a reduced fee.

Chauppetta said he is now working fully with the Jett Foundation, which exclusively works toward supporting research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The erstwhile Jerry Lewis Telethons, in comparison, raised hundreds of millions of dollars, but the funds were divided amid work on behalf of all the neuromuscular diseases — numbering more than 20.

His sons, now 21, are still doing well and drive an adaptive vehicle.

“They live life, they love life and they don’t let life get them down,” Chauppetta said. “I instill a lot of that in them.”

He proudly notes that his sons are two of the best wheelchair soccer players in the world, playing on a team that won the national championship in Indiana this summer.

“They’re no different than any ambulatory, normal person,” he said. “Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy attacks their muscles, it doesn’t attack their cognitive ability.”

Duchenne is almost genetic-specific to boys, although there are a few rare cases of females with the disease.

Chauppetta has taken an extremely active role in fundraising for research and patient care — including mixed martial arts bouts each year.

“I’ve been raising money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy since they were diagnosed,” he said. “I’ve done everything from cage fighting to wrestling events. I’m a hands-on fundraiser. Now that I’m 47, I figure it’s time to shift toward less violence and more laughter.”

Chauppetta said downtown Plymouth, aside from featuring a large performance hall for the event, is a revitalized town center with several excellent restaurants. With tourism season ended, parking should be easier to find.

Once again, Yale Appliance and Lighting of Dorchester has again contributed a large sum to help defray expenses for the event.

Chauppetta, who grew up on Warren Avenue in Whitman, now lives in Carver and works in Brockton but is one of the coaches for the Hanson Warriors Youth Football program in which his 10-year-old son plays. He is also a W-H youth wrestling coach.

Panther Power tackles diabetes

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WHITMAN — A trio of Whitman families with children affected by type 1, or juevenile, diabetes (T1D) are again lacing up their sneakers and leaning on “Panther Power” to raise funds for research in the annual JDRF One Walk on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the DCR Hatch Shell in Boston.

Friends are joining the Drier, Carew and Manning families from Whitman to participate in the walk to raise money that will help create a better future for the millions of people living with type 1 diabetes. Over the past years this group has donated more than $120,000 to help find a cure. The total fundraising goal for the JDRF One Walk Boston this year  is $1,320,323 — and at $404,236.40 it is at 31 percent of that goal as of Monday, Sept. 19.

After the fundraising walk from 2 to 6 p.m., Oct. 1, the Panther Power team is hosting an appreciation fundraiser celebration after the walk at the Whitman VFW on Essex Street, to which the community is invited, featuring food, raffles, entertainment and fun.

Kathy Drier is well-versed in the impact of T1D. Her daughter Megan, 18, (now attending Emerson College) was diagnosed when she was 8 and her son JP, 16, was just diagnosed in May.

“It doesn’t run in our family so it was quite a shock,” Drier said. “We’ve researched, and it looks like only a 1:10 chance of a sibling also getting diabetes.”

She said a lot of what the families have learned indicates the environment can trigger a predisposition with which some people are born.

Tobey Carew’s daughter Hazel was 8 when she was diagnosed in January and Cailyn Manning’s 6-year-old daughter Charlotte was diagnosed in December. Charlotte and Hazel are related and live on the same street.

“I think it’s a huge lifestyle change,” said Drier. “What child wants to get a shot every time they eat?”

She noted that in her 12-household neighborhood there are three diabetics with T1D and, throughout Whitman, she has become acquainted with several families that are also affected — a situation that provides its own networking opportunities.

“Some of the children have been living with it for years as others are newly diagnosed and are fortunate to have such a wonderful support system from other families that have been affected with diabetes also in Whitman,” the families have written in a fundraising letter for the Oct. 1 walk and event.

Physiology

With T1D, a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin — a hormone essential to turning food into energy.  If you have T1D, you must constantly monitor your blood-sugar level, inject or infuse insulin through a pump, and carefully balance these insulin doses with your eating and activity.

“You have to keep track of all the carbs that you eat,” she said. “Whatever you eat, you have to counter with insulin.”

Her daughter has had to go on an insulin pump recently, Drier said, noting the pump comes with a device that delivers proper insulin levels based on carbohydrate intake.

Besides tracking food intake, diabetics also have to take care in regulating the amount of insulin they use, Drier said. Insulin levels that are too high are just as dangerous as levels that are too low.

“One of the reasons we’re walking is the improvements they’ve made since my daughter was diagnosed are amazing,” Drier said. “The long-lasting insulin, for one. When Megan was diagnosed, she was on such a regimented schedule as to what she could eat, when she could eat. She had to eat a certain amount of carbs every 2 ½ hours.”

The mothers said birthday parties, sleepovers and cookouts were every mom’s nightmare as they couldn’t always know what their kids were eating.

“It’s a learning curve,” Carew said.

Fighting back

Drier and close friend and neighbor Susan Colclough, whose son was also diagnosed with T1D 10 years ago, formed Panther Power for Dave and Megan to raise research funds. Soon after their first JDRF Walk, they met other families dealing with T1D and changed the name to simply Panther Power.

The team name has become a popular choice in Panther Nation.

“We’ve been one of the top 10 teams,” Drier said of the Boston walk’s 350-team event. “Our team has represented Whitman very well. This has been an amazing community.”

Panther Pride is a 159-member team with team T-shirts that have been popular sellers in town.

Can drives, golf tournaments, yard sales and other events have been used to raise funds in the past, but this year they decided on an appreciation fundraiser.

To donate, visit jdrf.org and search for team Panther Power.

Drought disaster declared

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By Colin A. Young

State House News Service

BOSTON — Eleven of the state’s 14 counties have been deemed “primary natural disaster areas” by the United States Department of Agriculture due to substantial crop losses that began with a February deep freeze and continued though a summer marked by severe drought.

Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Worcester counties were designated as primary natural disaster areas, the USDA said, “due to losses caused by frost and freeze that occurred from February 14 through May 4, 2016.”

Farmers in those counties are eligible for low interest emergency loans from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, the USDA said. Farmers have eight months to apply for a loan to help cover part of their losses.

Farmers in Dukes, Nantucket and Suffolk counties — as well as several counties in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont — also qualify for the loan program if their farms are in counties contiguous to the primary disaster areas.

A deep freeze around Valentine’s Day wiped out almost all of the state’s peach crop, farmers previously told the News Service, and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said Tuesday that other tree fruits were affected as well.

On top of the deep freeze, Massachusetts farmers have been hit this season with an ongoing and widespread drought that’s been blamed for contributing to wild fires, an outbreak of gypsy moths, higher rates of ant infestation, smaller than usual apples, loss of crops, a shortage of cattle feed, and an elevated population of mosquitoes able to carry West Nile virus.

The state earlier this month launched its own $1 million emergency loan fund to help farmers who have struggled with the impacts of the drought.

“We appreciate the United States Department of Agriculture taking steps to assist farms across the Commonwealth,” Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. “I encourage farmers adversely impacted by this year’s extreme weather conditions to explore the USDA programs and the state’s Emergency Drought Loan Fund.”

More than half of the state is experiencing an “extreme” drought, the second-most intense level of dryness on the federal government’s scale, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The 52.13 percent of Massachusetts in an extreme drought stretches from the Pioneer Valley to the Cape Cod Canal, and encompasses all of Metro Boston and northeastern Massachusetts.

“This year’s weather has been a great challenge to Massachusetts farmers; first with the winter freeze and now with a severe drought,” Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton said in a statement. “Despite that, our farmers have done a remarkable job at getting high-quality, nutritious food to market, and I urge Massachusetts residents to buy local to support our hardworking farmers.”

As of Aug. 19, when the application for a USDA disaster declaration was submitted, Massachusetts farmers had lost just shy of $14 million worth of crops, according to the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Massachusetts office.

The same 11 Massachusetts counties are also eligible for the USDA’s Livestock Forage Disaster Program, which compensates some livestock ranchers who have suffered “grazing losses on pasture land” due to the drought, EEA said.

“Our livestock and dairy industry is a significant contributor to the state’s economy, contributing over $70 million dollars annually,” Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux said in a statement. “We appreciate USDA implementing a program to address this specific sector.”

Massachusetts farmers interested in applying for the USDA aid should contact their local USDA Service Center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures, the USDA said. More information is available at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

Rock the block for W-H Alumni programs

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WHITMAN — A big party for good causes is being planned in Whitman Center from 6 to 11:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17 as the Whitman High School/Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Alumni Association raises funds for its scholarships and other programs supporting the school district.

The event, on Legion Parkway at McGuiggan’s Pub is the second Alumni Block Party, although it was not held last year.

Organizer Richard Rosen has obtained permission from town officials to close Legion Parkway for the event, and has obtained a one-day liquor license for the event to allow outdoor beer and wine sales. People can bring food out from McGuiggan’s or other area eateries.

“We think we’re going to have a very large crowd,” he said. More publicity via Facebook and other social media outlets and several classes are using it as a mini reunion.

While it benefits the alumni association, Rosen is encouraging the public to attend — no matter what their school colors were. He’s also hoping the ambiance of white linen-covered tables and the music of DJ Kenny Norris will prove an attraction.

The association has about 35 items donated as raffle prizes, there will be a 50/50 raffle and School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes will conduct a live auction.

“Those funds [raised] will be used for scholarships and whatever other things we can do to make the high school and school system a better place,” Rosen said.

The choice of date was an important decision for the success of the event, he said.

“When we did it the first time [in 2014], we did it in August,” Rosen said. “The turnout was OK.”

The association decided September was a better choice as people are back from summer vacations, but it will not clash with traditional Thanksgiving week plans.

“Thanksgiving is a time where a lot of people that are away at school or other places come home for the local football games,” he said. “We don’t want to compete with anybody and we want to do it outdoors.”

Rosen noted that organized class reunions are slowly fading out of fashion.

“Several years ago the Alumni Association was trying to coordinate reunions with multiple classes,” he said. “Even that’s becoming more difficult. Everybody’s busy.”

Organized in 1998, the Alumni Association has raised more than $100,000 for scholarships, gifts, donation and payments to local merchants for services benefiting WHRHS, according to Rosen.

Among them:

• $18,000 in scholarships (two $500 awards each year to a student from each town);

• $18,000 to install and maintain an Alumni Brick Way;

• $ 3,600 to install an illuminated flag pole at the Brick Way;

• $2,000 to install a sound system at the new athletic field;

• $1,000 toward the digital sign facing Franklin Street and

• $65,000 for the payments to local merchants for services and supplies.

“It was being run through the schools, but we were sanctioned by the School Department,” he said. “We’ve done it through fundraisers in the past, but each year it gets more difficult.”

Dances and athletic banner auctions have been featured in past fundraisers.

Hall of Fame

The Alumni Association is also soliciting nominations for the WHRHS Hall of Fame. Induction coincides with the National Honor Society’s induction ceremonies.

Graduates are eligible for nomination 10 years after graduation through letters submitted to Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak stating the reasons for a nomination. Only one person may be nominated per letter, but graduates may be re-nominated and letters are kept on file for two years.

The principal sends letters of acknowledgement to all letter writers.

A minimum of one, but not more than two nominees are selected each year by a screening committee of Alumni Association members, and voted by all members at a general meeting.

Relatives of the person making a nomination may not participate in the Alumni Association meeting at which the selection is made.

To make a nomination, send letters to: Whitman High School/ Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Alumni Association, P.O. Box 128, Whitman, MA 02382.

Among past inductees are Sha-Na-Na saxophonist Lenny Baker, Journey musician Stephen Smith, sportswriter Nick Cafardo, Olympic figure skater Tiffany Scott, who competed in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, and late W-H football coach Dennis M. O’Brien.

Hanson gives a salute for an American Hero

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HANSON — Business owner and decorated World War II Army Air Corps veteran John J. Ferry was saluted for “a life well-lived” during the dedication of a memorial square in his honor Sunday, Sept. 11.

Ferry operated a gas and service station at the corner of Liberty and Winter streets for 50 years before his death on Dec. 20, 2015. John J. Ferry Square is now located at that intersection, next to the business his family continues to operate.

“We honor a common man, a working man, a family man, a man of God, a good neighbor — John Ferry,” said keynote speaker, retired Army Brig. Gen. Emory Maddocks, noting that Ferry had enlisted in the Army in 1942, the same year Aaron Copeland composed “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

Maddocks said he was honored to speak, and happy the occasion was not memorializing a person killed in war at a young age, “But rather to honor a gentleman who lived a full life in service to his country,” he said. “We gather today to honor a life well-lived.”

Ferry’s son Jack thanked the crowd gathered for their tribute to his father.

“If dad was here I think he’d shake his head over the fuss everybody’s making,” Jack Ferry said, noting he was a bit nervous about speaking. “He’d say, ‘It’s just another day, what are you worried about,’”

Jack Ferry also said the family had calculated that his father had driven by the corner somewhere in the neighborhood of 105,000 times in the 50 years he worked at his station, and thanked all those who helped organize the event.

The 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was also on the minds of those in attendance.

“We pray for those who tragically lost their lives and for all those who continue to suffer the loss of their loved ones,” offered the Rev. Michael Hobson, pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Church, where Ferry was a communicant. “Today, we are especially mindful of the blessings that you’ve bestowed upon us in our local community of Hanson as we remember John J. Ferry — a man who gave of himself in so many ways in service to country and community.”

Ferry’s friend Jerry Coulstring Jr. of Hanson American Legion Post 226 outlined that service, which included 79 combat missions as a gunner on a B-25 medium bomber in the China-Burma-India theater of operations.

Coulstring recalled Ferry telling him he had to “get over there” and do his duty when war came.

“He just didn’t realize how far ‘over there’ would be,” Coulstring said. “‘Over there’ took him across Europe over to Burma.”

The rotation policy was supposed to send crews home after 25 combat missions — Ferry’s 79 exceeded that by more than three times, averaging three to five hours each in duration.

“He’s always been a hero to me,” Coulstring said.

His efforts —more than 300 hours of combat action — earned Ferry the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross.

“I was proud to call him a friend and hold him in the highest esteem as both a hero and a great patriot,” Coulstring said.

Maddocks, too, spoke of Ferry’s military record, enlisting at a time when the Allied victory was far from certain, and recounted the service Ferry dedicated to his community after opening his first service station.

“John provided old-fashioned, Norman Rockwell, small-town service in capital letters,” he said. “This was a family business and his customers were neighbors and friends.”

Friend in deed

When those neighbors and friends ran into tough times, Ferry helped out.

“He became part of the economic foundation of his country, his commonwealth and our town,” Maddocks said. “John employed people … he paid his taxes, he was active in the community and became part of the fabric of this little town. … John would fix cars, sometimes, for nothing.”

He did a lot of things to help people get to work on time when times were tough.

“He’d give people gas so they could get to work and support their families,” Maddocks said. “To John, there was nothing more noble than somebody who worked for a living and tried to raise their family.”

A dedicated member of St. Joseph the Worker Church, Ferry was known to “bump somebody on the back of the head with a basket” if he thought one of his friends hadn’t dropped enough into the collection, Maddocks said with a laugh.

State Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, presented Jack Ferry with a citation from the General Court, state Senate and Gov. Charles Baker. Selectmen Don Howard, James, McGahan, Bill Scott and Bruce Young also attended the ceremony, which was presided over by Veterans’ Agent Bob Arsenault.

Arsenault and Jack Ferry then unveiled the square marker. Wyman’s Nursery donated the mulch for the garden area.

Hanson resident and former firefighter Donald Teague played bagpipes prior to the ceremony and performed “Amazing Grace” following Hobson’s closing prayer. Singer Mary Renny performed “God Bless America”  as a plane trailing a banner — reading “A true American Hero John J. Ferry” — circled overhead, before those attending were invited to a collation, catered by A Fork in the Road of Bryantville,  in the Ferry’s Sunoco parking lot.

Representatives from the Hanson American Legion, the Fire, Police and Highway departments assisted with preparations for the ceremony, display of a giant American flag and traffic control.

Traffic change ahead

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WHITMAN — With the completion of the South Avenue paving work comes new parking restrictions and traffic lines along one stretch of that roadway.

Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 13 approved a Department of Public works plan making the changes from Raynor Avenue to Pleasant Street.

“This is the area, when you come down Pleasant Street where the old fire station used to be,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

Traffic along that stretch of Pleasant Street has the option of turning right on South Avenue or going straight onto Franklin Street. Traffic on South Avenue can go straight, turn left onto Pleasant Street or turn right further along to Franklin Street.

The problem area has been the area where traffic merges from South Avenue to Pleasant Street and vice versa.

“That right turn [before the old fire station] is actually a two-way street,” Lynam said. “Part of the problem is that people who are planning to go on Pleasant Street, cross over at least 100 feet before they need to, basically driving in the wrong direction on South Avenue.”

Eliminating parking from the corner of Raynor to the lot where Whitman Ford used to be, and painting new lines to direct traffic flow are being used to eliminate that problem. Stripe lines will later be added to indicate areas that are “no car zone.”

Department of Transportation engineers have worked on the change.

Selectmen also approved an overnight parking ban on all streets from Dec. 1 to April 1, 2017 to ease snow removal efforts during the winter months.

The Selectmen observed a moment of silence in honor of Jenny Kirby, a longtime third-grade teacher and union official in Whitman, who died this week, and Leslie Cohen, who was chairman of Whitman’s former K-8 School Committee. Cohen died in August.

“Leslie Cohen was the reason I got into this at all,” said Selectmen Chairman Carl Kowalski, who started out on the School Committee. “She was just a chairperson par excellence.”

Kowalski noted it was ironic the two women would die in such close proximity to each other as they were often adversaries in contract negotiations.

“They were on opposite ends of the argument all the time,” he said. “But because of that — I don’t want to call it tension — but that activity, we had a school system you could be proud of in the K-8 days because of both of them.”

In other business, Selectman Dan Salvucci said he has been receiving complaints about people leaving TVs on their front lawns and sidewalks for trash pickup and reminded people the town’s hauling company will no longer pick up the TVs.

Residents have to take the TVs to the DPW for disposal for a fee of between $15 and $25 or the appliances can be dropped off at the Dollars for Scholars Electronics Recycling Day between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17 for a similar fee.

“One way or another, discarded TVs have to come off people’s front lawns,” he said. “They’ll be nothing but a hazard. Kids are walking to school and when it comes snow time and they’re plowing the sidewalks we really don’t want them hitting TVs.”

Selectmen also approved the signing of an agreement allowing the auction of property at 35 East Ave.