HANSON – The Select Board welcomed some new faces to the town’s public safety departments – as another was promoted – and the board had the opportunity to honor others for their life-saving work, during its Tuesday, Feb. 11 meeting.
Joining the Hanson Police Department were: Cameron Carpenter, Thomas Malloy and Kyle Crombie. All three were introduced to the board by Deputy Police Chief Michael Casey before being sworn in by Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan and having their new badges pinned on by family members.
“Some are just getting here, some might have been here a few minutes longer, but I think it’s important, as they get sworn in … this is an opportunity for the families to see some of the new faces and demonstrate the culture that we have, the great officers that we bring on for the town and what these men and women do every day for us,” Casey said.
Carpenter, a lifelong resident of Hanson, holds a master’s degree from Merrimack University, where he was also able to get his academy certification through its MBC program. He had gone through all the application processes in 2023, when “I failed to get him here,” Casey said. “So, I apologize.”
Carpenter is a young officer who loves the community.
“He wanted to be here,” Casey said. “He had other opportunities, and we couldn’t be happier to have him,” Casey said.
“We tend to attract qualified individuals,” he said. “They want to come here, they want to serve here.”
Moore is also a local resident, having grown up in Whitman, Casey said.
“We were able to obtain Tommy through a lateral transfer from Plymouth P.D.,” where he served for a year and a half, the deputy chief noted.
A 13-year Marine veteran, Moore “married a local girl, and expressed some interest [in Hanson P.D.], he went through an interview process and were able to hire [him] in late December 2024.
Crombie has a degree in criminal justice and had been a full-time officer in Truro.
Carpenter’s mother Jennifer pinned on his new badge. Moore’s wife, Whitney and his daughter Avery pinned on his badge, and Crombie’s sister in-law, did the honors for him.
“Well. We’re excited,” said Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “What else have you got for us?”
“There’s definitely a transition,” he said. “As our older officers are leaving, we’re able to obtain these guys and girls to build the force back up.”
Casey said that, as the new officers are coming in, some veteran officers are getting ready for retirement including officer Michelle Hughes, who will be retiring after 32 years and Chief Michael Miksch who will retire after 34 years in law enforcement – both at the end of June.
The next order of business was the promotion of new Sgt. Brian Shaughnessy, who transferred to Hanson from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department a couple of years ago.
“He looks young, but he’s way beyond his years,” Casey said. “He has just fit in. He’s willing to learn. He keeps his mouth shut and he just does an outstanding job.”
A Bridgewater native, he is recently married and the father of a new baby. Last year, through vacancies, including retirements, the department was able to hold a sergeant’s exam
“Brian just blew it out of the water,” Casey said. “He did an excellent job –as they all did. Brain is clearly a leader and his future in the Hanson Police is extremely bright and he’s goiing to have a successful career.”
After his swearing in, his wife Marissa with the “help” of son Beau pinned on his new badge,
“So that is it, with the swearing-ins and the promotional announcement,” Casey said.
“But that is not it for our recognitions,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Nope. We’re all about first responders, tonight – and every day, but particularly tonight.”
The board then honored members of the Police and Fire departments for their recent life-saving emergency responses, as FitzGerald-Kemmett called on officers Mark Vigneau, William Frazier and Robert Manfield as well as Deputy Fire Chief Charles Barrends for their actions.
“We don’t even know a tenth of the calls that you’re on [every day] and you’re always taking heroic measures, so it seems weird to recognize that work for the one particular incident, but it was way above and beyond,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.
On Dec. 30, 2024, the four men “came to the aid of another human being with dedication and brilliance and rendered life-saving CPR to a victim in medical crisis,” she said. “We just wanted to let you know that your heroic actions will always be remembered.”
Board awarded the three officers and Barend’s commendations and letters of commendation for their files.
“But, mostly, we want to tell you … that we have a heart-felt thanks for everything that you did on that day,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said
Casey echoed her sentiments.
“This is something that we do do every day,” he said. “We have a fantastic relationship with our Fire Department, our police department, mutual aid, Whitman – all the towns that surround us. We’re always working together.”
That means, there have been “many occasions where we’ve all done CPR, Casey continued, noting that the number of times that officers have to help with medical emergencies because of the Fire Department’s call volume means the town has to lean more heavily on mutual aid – between Hanson departments and from other towns.
“This is one of those perfect storms where this does happen a lot,” Casey said, describing the situation on Dec. 30, which happened directly across the street from the police station on Main Street, where 911 call indicated a man had been found unresponsive and not breathing.
Vigneau and Frazier were the first officers on scene. Casey and Barends also responded to the incident.
“At that moment, there was no red truck showing up,” Casey said. “It just shows you, on a day-to-day basis, what these men are able to do.” Officer Mansfield rotated with the other two police officers on CPR.
“This man would not be alive, if it weren’t for these four gentlemen,” he said. Vigneau and Frazier both have more than 25 years on the department, who transferred from Oak Bluffs is also a department veteran.
“Again, that collaboration between towns, between departments, we’re so lucky because we’re all walking a high wire and you guys are our safety net,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said presenting individual commendations to the officers and firefighters.
Highway Superintendent Kevin Dykes was also honored for his actions during a brush fire on Nov. 9, 2024. When he heard the fire announced, he took the initiative of going directly to the highway department, loaded the skid unit (a self-contained tank and pump and forestry hoses that drop onto a truck for transport) onto a highway vehicle and sent photos to the fire chief and advising him that the unit was in service, if needed.
Fire Chief Robert O’Brien Jr., was also recognized for some off-duty heroics.
Weymouth Police Chief Richard Fuller had written to the Select Board of the recommendation from Weymouth Fire Capt. Brian Morse regarding a commendation report regarding O’Brien for his life-saving actions on that town’s Four River Channel on Aug. 16, 2024.
O’Brien and his brother, Weymouth officer Edward O’Brien were boating in the area when another boat crash near Grape Island. The O’Briens responded, along with Weymouth officer Christopher D’Angelo, aiding two severely injured victims.
“Is he ever really off-duty?” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of Chief O’Brien. “I think not.”
The three men extracted the victims, providing first aid and transport back to Turn Harbor Marina, where ambulances were waiting.
Edward O’Brien applied a tourniquet to the male victim, who was losing a lot of blood, while fire Chief O’Brien applied pressure to a massive laceration sustained by the female victim.
Morse wrote to Fuller that the three men, “Embody the spirit of heroism that is the hallmark of the public safety community.”
“Your actions reflect great credit upon yourself, the Weymouth Police Department and the Hanson Fire Department,” Fuller wrote.

By Linda Ibbitson-Hurd
Special to the Express
[When last we met up with Linda and ner new friend, Linda, they were exploring her friend’s family barn, much to the grandfather’s objection.]

“You both come down here – slowly!,” my friend Linda’s Grampa Joe shouted to us.
“Okay Gramp!” Linda shouted down.
He was waiting for us at he closet door. He didn’t raise his voice but was very stern when he looked at us, saying, “This won’t happen again and we’ll never speak of it, agreed?”
In unison, we said yes. He looked weary as he said goodnight and that he’d see us in the morning.
The next morning when we came downstairs for breakfast, Linda’s parents and sisters were up and Grampa Joe had just finished eating. He smiled when he saw us and said, “Sometimes all a body needs is a little sleep.”
When he got up to leave he gave us each a nod on the way out. Everything was back to normal.
When summer came that year we explored the woods near Linda’s house looking for an Indian burial ground that our sixth-grade history teacher told us was supposed to be in that area.
One hot, humid day we were walking across the driveway and as we passed by the corner of the barn, I noticed rocks that looked like they had been part of a building. Linda said when the house and barn were built there had been a carriage house there.
I noticed a door that was slightly ajar and pointed it out.
“Oh my gosh, the tunnel!” she said. “I forgot all about the tunnel. Follow me.”
When she opened the door I realized it was the cellar underneath the barn.

“This is usually locked,” she said, “No one is supposed to be in here, it’s dad and Gramp’s workshop.”
When we went in, there were stationary drill presses, lathes and saws. We walked past them until we came to a dark opening. It was a tunnel.
We rushed to the house to look for a flashlight, to no avail, grabbed a book of matches, ran back to the tunnel and started walking.
The dirt floor was solid and we were surprised there was no trash or clutter other than an occasional stick, some paper, a few mouse remains and no graffiti.
We were determined to find the end to see where it came out. There were places we felt fear, even danger. We had no doubt this had been a tunnel to hide and help keep slaves and possibly others, safe. It got darker in the tunnel and we both lit matches. They went out. We lit two more. They went out again. We realized we were were running out of oxygen. We turned around and headed back, dying of thirst.
We knew we were getting closer to the entrance of the tunnel when it became easier to breathe.
We heard someone yelling.
“I can see them, they’re okay!” Linda’s sister Joan helped us the rest of the way out. We could see that Linda’s mother was quite shaken as she gave us water, telling us to take small sips.
“I was just about to call the Fire Department when Joan saw you, do you realize you could have died in there?,” she said. “I’ve been a nurse for a long time, I’ve seen it happen; let’s get you both into the house where it’s cool.”
We sat around the dining room table. Linda’s mother was still upset as she looked at us.
“What do you have to say for yourselves?” Linda and I looked at one another, I could see her thinking: “We’re really sorry, we didn’t know we could die in there,” but I’m glad we did this, we could feel a little bit what it felt like for those people and I’m proud of our house and the owner during the Civil War who helped people.”
Even though we were aware of the Civil War and slaves, we thought the tunnel was to help hide them until the War ended and then they’d be taken to a place where it was safe for them to live. It was soon after this that we learned about the Underground Railroad and the tunnel’s true purpose.

[Editor’s note: We apologize for the agonizing cliff-hanger last week when we neglected to indicate it ws the first of two parts, and we hope this week’s installment made the anticipation worthwhile.]

WHITMAN – If fashion is cyclical – and why else would someone have once said, “Everything old is new again?” – then a good place to catch it as it goes by again would be 560 Washington St. in Whitman.
Business partners Gina Palaza and one of her four her daughters, Isabella Palaza, 20, have opened Pretty Baby consignment shop at the address next door to Restoration Coffee – in the space which once housed the Fashion Fun Pop boutique.
“My daughter and I kind of came up with the idea of opening a consignment shop – we weren’t even quite ready yet, but this space became available,” Palaza said as she opened the shop for the day on Sunday, Feb. 2. “We saw the ‘For Rent’ sign go up in the window, came and looked at it, and we just had to jump on it. It’s such a great space.”
Gina said they named Pretty Baby partly after Lana Del Rey’s lyrics, but also because it captures the timeless, feminine feel of the store.
“It’s a name that reflects our love for vintage fashion and the special bond between me and my four daughters,” she said.
Another saying has it that in choosing real estate, there are three things to consider – “Location, location, location.” And this space, which the women have named “Pretty Baby,” is a great location.
“We’re located next door to the coffee shop, the two new restaurants that just opened, so we just thought it was a really good opportunity, and the space is beautiful,” she said.
All they needed to do was to put their own stamp on it. “Opening a store this time of year – right after Christmas – it’s a little risky, but I know in time, with a little nicer weather and more foot traffic, I think we’ll do well,” Palaza said.
The white walls have been painted a rich red, and handmade accessories here and there for sale to spice up a real find and put one’s own accent on an outfit are complemented on the walls with artwork from local creators and also some other gift items. 
The store has already had customers bring in items to sell on consignment.
“We’re not too fussy about brands, as long as it’s really good quality, almost-like-new condition, we’ll accept it,” Palaza said. “Right now, we have so much, we’ve stopped taking product, but some people donate and some people consign with us.”
There are some pieces that come in with price tags still on them.
Admit it, we all have some of those in our closets that we either weren’t quite sure of, or we were sure we could wear after we lost a pound or two…
Palaza also worked at Anthropoligie for eight years, so friends and coworkers also consign with her.
“I jus think it’s nice to have the opportunity to purchase higher-quality items,” she said, noting that some jeans on her racks originally sold for $250, now going for 60 percent less. “We try to sell items for 50 percent off, but I also consider where we are and [that] $125 for a pair of used jeans is still high.”
They take that into account, sometimes dropping a price a bit more.
“Everything is negotiable,” Palaza said. “We’ll work with them.”
The store’s inventory is mostly new or more recently owned pieces, but there are some vintage items, and try to keep a size range from XS to XL. The shop also offers styling services.

Bookstores are doing it, Etsy alone seems to have an entire cottage industry devoted to it, and libraries are doing it – the “it,” for those not up on the latest internet craze or marketing trend – is “Blind Date with a Book.”
It started in bookstores, including larger chains such as Barnes & Noble. Shoppers would encounter tables, usually in the fiction section, where a table would feature books wrapped in brown paper, with a clue about the book inside written in fancy script.
For “The Wizard of Oz,” on might imagine a clue like, “Midwestern girl needs a better weather forecaster.”
Hanson Public Library’s program, is called a Mystery Box, which many online retailers have begun to take to dizzying heights.
“Truthfully, it’s not my program, it’s Julia’s [Nee] program,” said Adult and Youth Services Librarian Hanley Callahan a recent college grad who started in November. “She’s no longer with us, but she spear-headed it from the start. It’s been really popular. We get 20 out of 20 sign-ups every single month.”
Circulation/Customer Service assistant John Carrozza said Nee has always had a talent for coming up with concepts of things that people might like after doing some field research.
“She visits libraries and wherever I go I try to visit libraries and try to get ideas,” he said. Carrozza and Nee borrowed one of the more popular visual puns in the library – a handful of books on a rafter labled “Books for Tall People” – from the Truro Public Library.
At Whitman Library, Senior Library Technician Mary Casey, said a “Blind Date with a Book” will be offered as part of the library’s Valentines Day programming in February.
But Whitman’s promotional project through April is the Non-fiction Reading Challenge, which is taking something of a literary Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride through the Dewey Decimal System.
“We’re going through each category – from the 100s to the 900s, including biographies – and for each category that people read, we give them a raffle ticket and there’s a prize at the end,” Casey said, noting that it is aimed at bringing more attention to the non-fiction titles as Library Technician Petra Reitz conducts the lengthy regular process of “weeding” those shelves.
“That’s what spurred this,” she said. “I think we’re also so programmed with our phones, it leads you to the next read. I wish we could move the Circulation Desk to force people to walk through the collection and look around. The serendipity is no longer there.”
The hope is that the non-fiction challenge pairs off people with something they might not ordinarily read – just as the “Blind Date” and mystery box programs are designed to do.
Casey said more people come to the library in winter anyway, and they are seeing an uptick in use of the study rooms, especially post-COVID if they work from home and want a change of scenery.
The library’s Head of Youth Services/Assistant Director Stephanie Young, is also conducting a children’s reading challenge with two gift card prizes to be awarded.
“Ideally, somewhere in the future, I’d love to be able to extend it,” Callahan said about Hanson’s Book Box program.” “Instead of 20, maybe 25 or 30, as more people become familiar with it.”
Any patrons interested in donating items for inclusion in a month’s boxes, would certainly be welcomed to, she said.
Libraries, however, have focused on the idea as a way to bring more patrons to the library while introducing readers to new writers, while throwing in a bookmark and a craft or two.
“There’s mystery box these days for any interest,” said Julia Nee, a former staff member at Hanson Library, now working as director of the Pembroke Library, who introduced the program at Hanson. “There’s a seasonal one for fashion or jewelry and there’s monthly ones for kids’ events with different craft projects. I can’t remember the library that did it first, but it seemed such a good idea to combine a book and a craft and other fun stuff for readers.”
Nee said her intent was to put a Mystery Box program together that could also be done for free, especially since library budgets can’t support some of the more elaborate offerings in the retail arena.
“We tried to do fun things,” Nee said of her work in Hanson. “It’s the little things. But I also love picking out books for people or recommending books, so that was already a fun part, too.”
While some online vendors still favor brown paper packaging, others go in for fancier paper, often color-matched to the page-marking sticky notes, highlighter or pen for making notations, stickers galore, a reading list to fill out, a tea sachet or packet of hot chocolate, a bookmark and sometimes floral decorative touches. More deluxe sets might include soft, fuzzy socks, a bakery item, special water bottle and perhaps some under-eye patches for a mini-spa treatment while you read.
Then there are the deluxe boxes, which can run $100 or more and include candles, a small cheese board, makeup samples, a bigger assortment of treats and more.
The idea has, from the beginning, been to entice readers to read a genre they might not have considered before. But questions have cropped up.
“Is it really just a marketing ploy to get rid of unpopular books?” some critics have wondered. Is it too good to be true? Aren’t you taking a risk ordering them online sight-unseen?
The answer to all these is – yes. While one can end up with a really interesting book – or one you may have already read, as is similar to the risks of a human blind date, but there are also rip-offs lurking in the internet, so buyer beware.
Online vendors’ order forms usually ask what genre – fiction, romance, thriller, historical fiction and the like – and some may ask an open-ended question for a few lines about what people like to read about, just as Hanson Library does. They are honest about the fact that most books, while new, were overstocks in an effort to save them from landfills.
“I stick with brand-new books,” Nee said. “It was a way to get a book that you didn’t even know that you wanted yet. When people sign up, they tell me what they’re looking for in terms of genre and up to a paragraph about what they wanted. Some people did that, some people didn’t, and there were people who did that month after month and I kind of got to know what they are gravitating toward.”
Hanson Library still offers the Mystery Box program, with the first boxes distributed last week to the 20-or so people planned on to sign up.
Nee, who said she doesn’t recall where she got the idea – the internet, a bookstore or another library, but the program began during COVID, when a lot of libraries were looking for virtual or distance programs. It was a natural extension of the take and make craft kits they were already offering in Hanson.

If there was ever a promising loss in the annals of sports, the Whitman Hanson Silver Lake Girls varsity ice hockey team had one on Dec. 14, as they lost to Duxbury 3-1.
Eighth-grader Jenna Henley from Whitman made her Varsity debut a good one by scoring her first career goal to give WHSL the lead in the first period. 
Senior Captain Chloe Duff and Sophomore Grace Keshishian assisted on the goal.  WHSL held the lead during the 2nd period thanks to Junior goalie Sadie Watchorn turning back the strong Duxbury onslaught.  Duxbury was able to break through in the third to tie the game and got the game winner with seven minutes left in the third period.  Duxbury ended the game with an empty netter with .7 seconds remaining.  The final score does not show the heart the WHSL girls played with as they battled the State Champs in a hard-fought game.    
Whitman Hanson girls basketball team (0-1; 0-1) dropped the home opener on Tuesday night to North Quincy by the final score 49-44. Sophomore Maliah Pierre led the Panthers with 12 points and junior guard Leah Daley added 10 points. Freshman Madeline Moore gave the Panthers a great effort off the bench and chipped in 7 points in her first varsity action. The team is back in action on Friday night when they travel to Plymouth North. 
The Panther Wrestling team traveled to Oliver Ames High School Dec. 14, and placed seventh at the Devin Ness Memorial Tournament. The Panthers produced three champions. Junior Lawson Giove and Captain PJ Katz both secured gold medals with first round pins in the 106 and 126 pound divisions, respectively. Captain Tristan Forest fought his way to a gold medal in the 138 pound weight class with a decisive 10-4 decision. Senior Christian Grimaldi battled his way to a 4th place victory in the 132 pound division. Senior Eric Sidlauskus continued his streak of tournament placements with a 5th place finish in the 215 pound division.
Whitman Hanson Silver Lake swim team had their first meet tonight against Quincy/ North Quincy. Both Girls and Boys teams lost, girls 85-59 boys 63-29, creating the league Record 0-1, however WHSL had some outstanding performances from the Boys team with Sam Fernandez placing first in the 50 freestyle with a 23.51, and first in the 100 Breastroke with a 1.04.01. Connor O’Brien placed second in the 100 Yard Freestyle and Nathan Piper also placed third in the 50 yard freestyle. WHSL also had some great performances from the girls team. Brielle Shelly placed first in the 500 Freestyle and in the 100 Breastroke. Liv Berte Placed First in the 200 IM and placed second in the 100 backstroke. Emilia Cooke placed second in the 100 Freestyle and also assisted in a second place win for the 200 yard Medley Relay. Hanna Simpson placed second in the 200 yard Freestyle and also assisted in a second place win for the 400 Freestyle relay. Also Sarah Anderso assisted in the 200 yard Medley Relay, 200 yard Free relay.