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What’s cooking?

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HANSON — The secret to cooking lies in two words — don’t stress.

Chef Bernard Kinsella of Good Life Kitchen cooking school and catering operation, 433 Washington St., Norwell, brought his class to the Hanson Public Library on Saturday, March 7.

He demonstrated a full meal from Israeli couscous salad to chicken meatballs with roasted tomato sauce and crostini to apple strudel for dessert, while reviewing knife techniques and meal planning before concluding with a sampling.

“We do 98-percent hands-on classes,” Kinsella said. “There are a couple of different demos that we do, which are chef’s tables.”

He reviewed the cooking technique for couscous, one-to-one measures of salted water and couscous, stirred together after the water boils. The pot is then covered and removed from the heat to sit for a few minutes to absorb the water before being fluffed with a fork.

Proper cutting techniques for vegetables as well as planning multiple meals each week for the most economical use of vegetables, such as peppers, that can be expensive.

“What am I making today? … and then, what can I prep for tomorrow?” he said. “You don’t want to put [a cut pepper] in a plastic bag and throw it in the fridge.”

Finding a forgotten pepper in the back of the refrigerator at the end of the week is a sad waste of money, he explained. Cutting another portion of the leftover pepper in thin slices prepares it for stir-fry another night and in chunks makes it ready for kabobs another night.

“Try to change your cooking habits and get comfortable with what you’re going to do with your ingredients,” he said. “You have to think it through.”

Proper cutting techniques for onions, tomatoes, baguettes of bread and apples were also demonstrated.

Kinsella also discussed the best way to sharpen knives — don’t do it yourself.

“You ought to make sure your knives are sharp,” he said, suggested one wrap it in a kitchen towel to the grocery store meat department. “Then you say, ‘I’m shopping, can you sharpen my knife?’ and nine out of 10 people will do it for you.”

Full-time health agent?

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WHITMAN — In a joint meeting with the Board of Health regarding the fiscal 2021 budget on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Board of Selectmen, discussed developing a five-year budget with a 2-percent increase, depending on contract negotiations.

Health Board Chairman Eric Jaubert spoke for the board, arguing for the need of a full-time health inspector who would be able to operate independently of the board. Under that scenario the Board of Health would serve in an advisory capacity so that issues can be dealt with in a more timely fashion. He said the Health Department budget represents .3 percent of the entire town budget.

“This action is not about the person, but about the position,” Jaubert said. “Whoever’s in that role, they need to be able to attend conferences. We just hit with the Coronavirus [and] there’s all kinds of meetings and stuff going on that and we want to make sure the health inspector stays current and is in the loop on those type of projects and programs.”

Board member Barbara White, who was unable to attend the meeting, sent a letter to be read into the record expressing her support for a full-time health agent even before the animal control services had been added to the department’s responsibilities.

“The Health Department has not been able to keep up with the demands placed on it by the residents, businesses and state Department of Public Health,” she wrote. “The role of the health inspector needs to be expanded so that the needs and expectations of the town can be addressed without the delay of board members being contacted or waiting for a board meeting. Issues need to be addressed in a timely manner.”

As the town has grown, the Health Department’s needs and responsibilities have also grown even as it no longer oversees animal control, which requires the support of a 24/7 staff, he said.

Norwell Visiting Nurse is no longer serving Whitman as of July 1, 2020, and the agency changes its focus from town services outside of Norwell.

“One of the telling things is that there is no other town around that doesn’t have a full-time health inspector,” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said.

It’s quite a skill set to be a health inspector,” said Jaubert, noting the part-time position made it difficult to fill. “There’s a lot to the job … regulations have increased, so you have to stay current.”

Both said the town was lucky to find such a skilled health inspector as Alexis Andrews.

Jaubert said they have not yet brought a revised budget before the Finance Committee.

Assistan Town Administrator Lisa Green presented a proposal to the board for Whitman’s participation in the Community Preservation Act.

Enacted in 2000, Whitman Town Meeting approved it in 2002 but the measure failed at the ballot box. Selectmen approved placement of the Community Preservation Act on the Town Meeting warrant for placement on the Nov. 3 ballot.

“I’m here to talk a little bit about it to get the town to reconsider this program,” Green said.

The act allows communities to earmark funds for specific programs and projects such as parks and recreation, historic preservation of municipal buildings, athletic field upgrades, restoration, open space preservation and community housing projects. So far, 176 Massachusetts communities have adopted the Community Preservation Act and participation could help Whitman raise $182,000 to $190,000. State contributions of between 13.9 percent to 23.9 percent, which could mean as annual budget of between $207,000 to $235,000 for those specific projects.

Hanson is one of the state communities that adopted the Community Preservation Act.

It does not raise taxes, but represents a 1-percent surcharge on property taxes off the assessed value. The average Whitman property value of $331,251 would mean $53 annually off the average property tax of $52.50 per $1,000. Some towns go as high as 3 percent.

Registry fees are also a source for CPA funds, including from Whitman properties which are distributed to towns that have passed the Community Preservation Act.

“Unfortunately, Whitman has lost out on this money,” Green said.

It would appear on a presidential election ballot, when turnout is higher, if Town Meeting passes it again.

Selectman Justin Evans said Hanover has used the funds for senior housing and Hanson has used the money for work at the high school fields among other projects.

“We’ve got plenty of projects in the Collin capital improvement plan that could benefit from this dedicated pool of money,” he said.

In other business, Town Administrator Frank Lynam reported work is still being done, with the Finance Committee, on a budget that reflects current circumstances and delivers services without an override this year.

“I emphasize it will take a little effort and cooperation to get to that point,” he said noting the Capital Committee will be meeting soon to finalize a list of warrant articles. He said that, so far, he has not yet seen some of the articles that were expected this year, with the filing window closing on Friday, Feb. 28.

School panel discusses budget issues

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Selectmen from both towns told School Committee members on Wednesday, Feb. 26 they are ready to move forward with budget work, but need a bottom line figure from the schools.

“We need a budget,” said Whitman Selectman Randy LaMattina, noting that the School Committee’s job is to support the schools, superintendent and school budget. “I need you, relatively soon … to let us have that next piece of how we are going to work it.”

He said it is very tough to say you are going to work toward something when you don’t know what you’re working toward.”

He asked for a consensus from the committee whether the required or recommended budget was preferred and support it.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said he expects that the School Committee should be certifying a budget number to send to the towns regarding what assessments would be at a 7 p.m., meeting on Wednesday, March 4. The budget is posted on the W-H website.

School Committee members agreed they preferred taking a week to review the budget numbers before acting on them.

“The required piece is to keep us at status quo — level-serviced for 2021,” he said. “There are other items in that recommended piece that are up for discussion.”

Szymaniak said he is more than willing to meet with the Hanson Finance Committee in the meantime.

“I hate to say it, it feels like another year of treading water for us, that we can’t move ahead, that there is going to be budgetary constraints, and I don’t know that there’s a dollar amount that you can put on it,” said School Committee member Fred Small. “I can’t see us going backwards anymore.”

“This budget was prepared using a budget model over software, which allows us to look at budgets from previous years, said interim Business Manager John Tuffy. “It turns out that, over time, there have been some line items that have not been used anymore or consolidated in another line, but in order to keep the integrity of using that software … you’re going to get a budget where you see those blank lines.”

Whitman Finance Committee member Kathleen Ottina, speaking as a resident and grandmother, spoke to the School Committee about class sizes at Duval and in the one grade at Indian Head School in Hanson, where classes exceed 22 children.

“It had to happen this year, you really didn’t have any opportunity to think, ‘how else can we save money to come in under budget,’” she said. “But when you start these discussions, I would really urge you to take a look at the discrepancy between a class size of 19 for first and second graders in two schools and 24, 25, 26 at the Duval School. It’s really an inequity.”

She urged the committee to consider that the youngest students need much more one-on-one attention and should be a higher priority than other budget items.

School Committee member Dawn Byers, who also served on Whitman’s Budget Evaluation and Override Committee, noted that the latter panel had recommended a 5-percent assessment increase to Whitman for funding education. The required budget package carries a 4-percent assessment increase.

“Believe me, I’m sensitive to the statutory method and how it is affecting Hanson, as well, but I look to Whitman in a sense that, if we go with even that 4 percent number, what does FY ’22 look like?” Byers said. Using the statutory method in 2022 would mean a $1.3 million assessment to Whitman.

“It’s a big increase the following year,” she said. “So, what I’m asking is that you follow the recommendations of [consultant John] Madden …it translates to additional funding of about $228,000 in the Whitman Article 2 operating line item.”

Small said he realizes that Whitman has spent a lot of time studying what they could afford, adding that an increase for one town would mean in increase for the other.

“I’ve been thinking about this whole broad budget cycle discussion  for awhile,” Hanson School Committee member Christopher Howard said. “I’m not sure I really feel we’re doing what we said we’d do in terms of moving education forward.”

He said some of the issues Hanson has with the assessment is that the current budget cycle is an example of what he sees becoming an ongoing budget problem.

“I don’t know how I can support a budget that has an over $1 million swing toward Hanson,” he said. “It’s a very big, big issue, especially when it’s in conflict with the agreement that we made.”

Assessments based on per-pupil distribution was how the district was formed, he noted, pointing to a recent visit by Christine Lynch of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“She was very clear, when she spoke to us on behalf of the state, that this body should absolutely understand the ramifications of that change to both towns before it made that decision,” Howard said.

Lynch had recommended a five-year phase-in of a change to mitigate the financial impact, he reminded the committee, especially as both towns are in tough financial shape.

“Just because the state gave us the opportunity to make the change, doesn’t mean we should take the change,” Howard said. “To me, it’s really about the partnership. Are we going to have a partnership or not?”

Hanson’s Board of Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett stressed that officials in that town are working to keep the partnership going. Meetings between the two select boards and a request to place the regional agreement on the Feb. 26 School Committee agenda for appointment of a revision committee reflected that commitment, she argued.

“You haven’t heard from the FinCom, because we need a number,” she said, noting Whitman has been working on the impact to its budget since last summer. “We’re going to need a minute.”

She also cautioned about risking a state takeover of the school district.

“I assure you, although people have tried to say that isn’t the Bogeyman, and we don’t need to be worried about it, that’s not what our attorney is telling us, it’s not what Selectmen I have spoken to in Dighton and Rehoboth are telling me,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “They’re telling me that home values have deteriorated, that new families will hesitate to move to town, because they get a very strong signal that the schools aren’t being supported and I don’t want to be responsible for that.”

She said her mission is to take a position of leadership in the hope that calmer heads will prevail.

“It’s going to take a minute,” she said, adding that this year level-funding is about the best that could be expected form Hanson, based on what is discussed at selectmen’s meetings and from residents’ comments. “They really don’t even want an override.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said any partnership between the school district and the towns will require a sensitivity to what each is going through. If the end goal is to truly move educational programs forward, she advised that the School Committee not try to do it all in one year.

“It’s actually going to boomerang and you are actually going to have people digging in and saying, ‘They won’t get a dime more from us for years to come,’” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

She stressed that the informal meetings between select board members and town administrators shows her “sometimes something positive comes out of something negative.”

“I don’t remember the two towns working together, strategically in advance of the budget,” she said.

Byers stressed that the statutory assessment formula was implemented in 2007, but that there is a perception it is something new being forced on the district. She said another problem lies in a lack of textbooks. There are classroom sets, but not enough for children to take them home for study.

Hanson pays 42 percent of its municipal budget on education, according to DESE. Whitman spends 46 percent, Abington 48 percent, Halifax 59 percent and Mansfield 53 percent.

“Even in my own household, budgeting comes down to priorities,” she said.

Howard argued that the very reason the district was formed has its basis in the economics of that regional agreement.

“This is not Whitman’s fault,” School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said. “This was a state thing.”

School Committee member Dan Cullity of Whitman said nothing gets done because of need changes in the regional agreement. Without Whitman’s balking on a different clause, pertaining to the deregionalization process, the assessment formula would have been set in stone.

“The towns have to realize that to provide for their school system, they’re going to have to do an override,” he said.

Howard said using a forced override, means the district loses support from the towns.

“We’ve got to bring them here  and show them the value of education,” Howard said, agreeing with Cullity. “We’re going to literally have to go and show people what they are going to get for those dollars.”

Hanson School Committee member Rob O’Brien, responding to Cullity’s mention of the recent successful Whitman override for new equipment showed that technique works.

“They went to the resident and said here’s what we need,” said O’Brien, who is not running again. “That’s why they got the extra firefighters — they proved why they needed it.”

The issue with the schools, he said, was that overrides have been sought to provide level services, rather than to get ahead.

Whitman School Committee member Christopher Scrivens said he is encouraged that the two towns are meeting and talking.

There she is, Miss Whitman

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WHITMAN — In its first year, the Miss Whitman Scholarship Organization hosted and crowned the new Miss Whitman Sunday evening.

Renee Banks, 22, of West Bridgewater was crowned and titled Miss Whitman along with Chelsea Vuong who took first place and titled as Miss Tri-Town. Vuong, 22, is a Harvard University student.

Christine Morse of Whitman is the Executive Director of Miss Whitman Scholarship Organization, Inc. With her preliminary   pageant skills to lean on, she decided to assist other girls in raising scholarship money through the Miss Whitman Scholarship Organization.

“I used to participate in the local preliminary pageants when I was 17 and 18 when I lived in California,” said Morse who has resided in Whitman for almost 15 years. “I was involved in the Miss Boston Scholarship Organization for 11 years with a short break in between,” she said.

“I believe in this organization and being able to give the opportunity for young women to learn wonderful life skills, from interviewing to public speaking, and stage presence.  This is the reason I wanted to start my own local,” she said.

Our program is considered a local preliminary to Miss Massachusetts, which is state preliminary to Miss America. All of the candidates raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to participate at each level. To participate in the local, the amount to raise for each contestant is $100, with all judges, board members, and volunteers for the day of the competition as unpaid volunteers. We provide scholarships to the candidates for their education. All money raised goes towards scholarships and small operating costs with accordance to the Miss America guidelines, according to Morse.

Considering her first year she had slightly higher operating costs than usual, but normally they would be fairly limited, she added.

The amount of scholarships given out is based on what monies can be raised and from locals willing to provide scholarships.

Each scholarship is paid directly to the school with proper invoice and documentation.

The candidates participating can live, work or go to school in the state of Massachusetts.

Being that this is our first year, the competition was open, meaning that anyone in the state can participate she said. As we get more established, I will close the competition, which will mean that I can choose where the pools of candidates live, work or go to school.

“I plan on including Whitman and the surrounding towns,” said Morse

In accordance with the programs guidelines the competition consisted of personal interview, on stage questions, and evening gown/social impact statement. Miss Whitman is a non-profit organization at this time and Morse is currently working on the paperwork to make it a 501(c) 3.

“I thought the competition went very well,” Morse said. “We had 10 wonderful candidates and they did a great job!”

I was able to give away $1400 in scholarships this year, which I think is awesome for our first year.  The venue was beautiful and accommodated us fabulously.  Overall I thought it was great and our two new titleholders are fabulous and can’t wait to compete at Miss Massachusetts at the end of June, she said. “Both ladies will be a wonderful representative of Whitman and can volunteer at any local events.”

During the event as contestants prepared for their next round dancers from Boss Academy of Hanson performed several routines.Information from the organizations can be found at: Miss America; Miss Massachusetts  and Miss Whitman.

A Super Tuesday for Biden, Sanders

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After their first-choice candidates had withdrawn — and then endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday — supporters of Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke delivered.

On Tuesday, Biden carried Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Massachusetts — where Buttigieg, where the former South Bend, Ind., mayor had a strong grassroots organization; Minnesota, which is represented in the Senate by Klobuchar; and Texas, where O’Rourke had been a congressman — as well as Alabama, Oklahoma and North Carolina. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won his home state, Colorado, Utah and California. Maine had not yet been called as of 5:30 a.m., Wednesday.

The delegate count now sits at 399 for Biden, 322 for Sanders, 44 for former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and 42 for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — with 536 still to be awarded. Buttigieg had released his 26 delegates to Biden.

Bloomberg suspended his campaign on Wednesday and endorsed Biden. Warren’s campaign told the Boston Globe that they will press on, still seeing a path forward.

In Whitman, Biden garnered 996 votes to Sanders’ 754, Warren’s 350 and Bloomberg’s 288. Buttigieg took 127 — mostly from early voting the week before his withdrawal, with Klobuchar receiving 44.

In Hanson, Biden garnered 676 votes to Sanders’ 508, Warren’s 250 and Bloomberg’s 231. Buttigieg took 68, with Klobuchar receiving 29.

The primary was an educational experience for two WHRHS students volunteering as election observers in the Whitman Town Clerk’s office. Ian Brown and Samantha Thompson are co-presidents of the school’s History National Honor Society.

They hosted a voter registration at W-H for students who will be 18 by the Nov. 3 Election Day and then asked Town Clerk Dawn Varley if they could observe the election “to see how the whole process works,” Thompson said.

Because Hanson Middle School is a polling location, there was no school in the district on Tuesday.

“I’m seeing a lot of people post on their stories to get out and vote,” Brown said of his fellow students sharing of their interest in the election on Snapchat. He plans to study international affairs through an economics/political science major at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. next year.

“It’s nice to see,” said Thompson of the interest. “I’ve always been very interested in politics, and making sure everyone’s rights are respected,” She will be a nursing student at Curry College in the fall.

While sign-holders were unusually scarce at local polling places for a Presidential Primary, Hanson Democratic Town Committee member Kathleen DiPasqua-Egan was volunteering to provide visibility for Warren.

“We want everyone to vote, we’re unified in that,” DiPasqua-Egan said in agreeing to a photo with fellow sign-holder Benjamin Fletcher, a member of the Hanson Republican Town Committee.

“I really am quite a true believer in Warren,” she said. “Her ideals are ones I believe in and I’m hoping that she prevails as far as the convention — and maybe even further. I think she’d make a great president.”

Rather than being concerned about former  Democratic candidates’ endorsements of Biden, DiPasqua-Egan said she supported that development.

“I’m happy that they are coalescing around Biden, because at least they are coalescing around someone who’s a viable candidate to beat Trump. I want Elizabeth Warren to be the one, but if she’s not the one, I’m happy to have it be Biden.”

She disagreed with the perceived need in some quarters of the party that the support of Biden is needed to control Sanders.

“I don’t want to get Bernie under control, I think his ideas are great,” she said. “So I’m happy to have his ideas … which are basically what Elizabeth Warren had, but maybe not everything. … I think any of them would be a huge improvement over our current president.”

DiPasqua-Egan said the country can’t go back in time, it has to move forward.

While Warren, who finished third in her home state of Massachusetts, had a paid full-time staff operating here, supporters of Buttigieg — and to a lesser extent — Klobuchar, throwing their support to Biden were seen as the difference.

Endorsements

Buttigieg did not have an office in the commonwealth, but instead ran a grassroots campaign focused on relational organizing, according to Laura DeVeau of Newton and Marilé Borden of Northborough, grassroots volunteer co-leads for Buttigieg campaign in Massachusetts.

“Pete was the adult in the room, he pulled us all together, he did exactly what he said we needed to do since Day One, which is we need to come together and unite this party to defeat Donald Trump,” DeVeau said. “You know what last night meant to me? It meant we won Massachusetts.”

She said Buttigieg would have surprised people in every state where Biden did well, with the possible exception of North Carolina, on Super Tuesday.

“What this whole experience tells me is that a candidate can light a fire under people and then become an army of happy warriors who want to spread the word about that candidate,” she said.

DeVeau said she could not count the number of people called her or sent her direct messages on social media Tuesday for advice on for whom they should vote.

“These were not volunteers,” she said, but knew of her support for Buttigieg. She did not advise them as to for whom they should vote.

“No one could have anticipated a win by Joe Biden in Elizabeth Warren’s home state,” Borden said Wednesday morning. “But, then again, no one knew the weight that Pete Buttigieg carried in Massachusetts.”

Borden and DeVeau pointed to the grassroots nature of the organization that had been building through volunteer efforts for the past 10 months.

“When our candidate dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden, mountains were moved,” she said. “I have no doubt that we impacted the outcome of the race in our state, and across the nation.”

GOP primary

Benjamin Fletcher, a member of the Hanson Republican Town Committee was among GOP members in both towns out holding signs for state committee candidates Geoff Diehl and KathyJo Boss, while reminding voters that President Trump was also on the ballot.

In Hanson, Diehl won with 723 votes for committeeman to 129 for Gordon Andrews and 21 for Lawrence Novak. Boss won for committee woman with 596 votes to 237 for Jeanie Falcone. In Whitman, Diehl won with 992 votes for committeeman to 89 for Gordon Andrews and 21 for Lawrence Novak. Boss won for committee woman with 774 votes to 273 for Jeanie Falcone

Trump received 805 votes in Hanson to 61 for former Mass. Gov. Bill Weld, 12 for Roque De La Fuents, and 7 for Joe Walsh. In Whitman, Trump garnered 1,012 votes in Hanson to 69 for former Mass. Gov. Bill Weld, 3 for Roque De La Fuents, and 9 for Joe Walsh

“I’m giving some support to Geoff Diehl and KathyJo Boss for the Mass. GOP and also to give President Trump some support,” he said of his reason for sign-holding. “I like his agenda, I like what he’s doing for our country. I like the fact that the economy’s doing well with jobs for people.”

Asked for his reaction to several Democratic candidates’ assertions that the economy still requires many people to hold down more than one job, Fletcher said he agrees.

“I don’t think you’re going to get an argument out of me with that one, because I tend to agree with that logic,” he said as a disabled American. “I do know that President Trump has stated that people with disabilities have — their job number have gone up, too. I personally, living in Massachusetts, have not seen that, so I won’t argue with that point.”

‘Every kid gets an imagination’

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HANSON — He used to hang sheet rock, working alone, and did roofing in the midst of winter, but while author Andre Dubus III, a native of Haverhill, was grateful for the work and income, it left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Every kid gets an imagination,” he said during a Sunday, Feb. 23  visit to the Hanson Public Library to discuss his latest book, “Gone So Long.”

Dubus, author of the New York Times No. 1 best seller and National Book Award finalist, “The House of Sand of Fog,” as well as “Townie,” which won and Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, “Dirty Love” and “The Garden of Last Days,” spoke of imagination, the writing process and story editing.

“For me, it’s character, character, character, and then story, story, story, and last is plot,” he said of his process. “[Once] you’ve written a story, you get smarter about what it’s about.”

He described his program as an opportunity to talk a little bit, read from his book much less, and have a conversation about the human imagination.

“There are four institutions, without which democracy will die. One: A free press. Two: Public Schools. Three: An independently-owned bookstore — don’t buy my book on Amazon — and four: the public library,” Dubus said.

One of four kids growing up in Haverhill, imagination was an outlet for Dubus. His brother taught himself guitar by listening to the recordings of Spanish classical virtuoso Andrés Segovia, and by drawing and painting.

“I remember having the sentence in my head, ‘Oh, he has an imagination, we’re just normal,’” Dubus said. “Every child gets an imagination.”

From his experience as a professor at UMass, Lowell, however, he has come to believe no one person’s imagination is any better than anybody else’s. The difference for creative people is the tools they use to bring out their imagination.

Truth has to be present in the art, but he argued it is possible for an artist to portray someone else’s truth.

“The deeper you go into your imagination … there is no ‘other,’” Dubus said. “We are one.”

Noting that as a white male he is a member of the most privileged group of people on the planet, but he argued that does not mean his imagination is only white and male.

As Faulkner once put it, Dubus said, curiosity is key to developing character and story.

“Your story will walk away, I have found over the years, if I’m not curious about it,” he said, describing his work on a novel about a conman who kills lonely women, only to follow his curiosity about a woman he had seen in Miami some 30 years before. She had been waiting in her car at a bank drive-through window, “a large, pretty, very solitary-looking” young woman.

She became the muse for the conman’s first victim, and beside her the conman character seemed false. He ended up with a 50-page story about a woman looking for love.

“There’s a difference between making it up and imagining,” he said. “We’re either drawn to something or not. … I think it’s almost a sacred trust, that whatever visits your psyche — you’re supposed to write about it. You’re not always ready to, that’s a whole different thing.”

He said “Gone So Long” is material he had resisted the most, including a character based on a former prison inmate he found a likeable person he was interviewing for a screenplay, only to find out that the man had been convicted of killing his wife.

“I detest violence against women,” he said. “I hate injustice. I hate cruelty.”

Because of those feelings, he wanted to get away from the man as fast as he could. Yet Dubus could not deny he still liked him and could not erase the fact that he had enjoyed talking with the man. On the way out of the restaurant where they talked, Dubus asked if the man had any kids.

“He said, ‘Oh, yeah, but they don’t want to see me,’” Dubus recalled. “And that is the sentence that stayed in my head for, like, three year.”

He kept seeing him in his imagination before he finally included the character suggested by the man in his book.

No Prop 2 1/2 panel for now

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HANSON — Selectmen on Tuesday, Feb. 25 reiterated that it is too early to set up any Override Committee.

“Formation of an Override Committee is not a foregone conclusion that we are going to do an override,” said Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “It is simply, should we get some folks together to study whether this is something we want to do.”

She said she had no problem kicking the can down the road or not doing it at all.

“We can certainly wait to see what the School Committee has got to say,” she said.

“I think it’s way too early to form an Override Committee,” said Selectman Kenny Mitchell. “I think, if we do have to go that route, we’re not going to have time anyway.”

Selectman Jim Hickey agreed.

“I just don’t think six or seven people on a committee can represent the whole town,” Hickey said.

Selectman Matt Dyer, however, said setting up a committee might not be a bad idea.

“We all know how long we’ve been reading the [lists of] vacancies on these committees,” Dyer said of the agenda feature read at the beginning of each meeting. “It might not be a bad idea to start advertising it [and] have names on file.”

Whether or not there is time for a committee to do any good, at least the board would know who might serve on one.

Resident Bruce Young argued that the town has to keep in mind that even a level-funded assessment would, under a statutory method, Hanson’s assessment would go up $1,150,000 and the assessment for Whitman would go down by that same amount.

“Unless Whitman changes its attitude, and plays ball with Hanson and finds some kind of really neat compromise between the statutory method and the percentage of pupils method … just keep that in mind,” he said, arguing that not talking about or planning an Override Committee is “more than wishful thinking.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said that, while there have been some people in town that have expressed interest in serving on an Override Committee.

Selectman Wes Blauss asked what an Override Committee’s mission would be.

Young described a committee whose work echoes that done by Whitman’s Budget and Override Evaluation Committee.

She stressed that a place-holder warrant article for an override is just that, a place holder, and that there are no override plans at this point.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also expressed concern about reports of a citizen’s petition favoring deregionalization being circulated for inclusion on the Town Meeting warrant.

“Although I support citizen’s petitions, I think it’s one of the truest forms of democracy, what typically happens is they may be inartfully worded,” she said. “I get concerned that, if we have an inartfully worded citizen’s petition about deregionalization, that we could be asked to do something that we can’t do.”

She said that, while no one has pulled petition papers, FitzGerald-Kemmett described the reports as “stronger than a rumor.”

In other business, Marianne DiMascio of Green Hanson outlined a community choice aggregation plan for purchasing lower-cost electricity for the town.

She noted that residents often receive mailings claiming such a purchase on an individual basis is easy.

“It’s hard to figure out the research, is it real, is it not?” she said. “There’s a solution.”

She reviewed the aggregation plan through a PowerPoint presentation from the Mass. Climate Action Network.

“Think of it like a buyer’s club,” DiMascio said of the MCAN’s 160 member towns. “Right now, we’re all individual buyers buying energy from National Grid. But, if we got together as a town, and decided to buy our energy together, then we get a better deal.”

She also said renewable energy sources were also possible through  such a program, and that the state requires 14 percent of energy comes from renewable sources.

“A big question is what does it cost?” DiMascio said. She pays for 100-percent renewable energy for her home from National Grid, admitting it is expensive. “With the power of the buying as a community, you can get some of the prices down.”

Rockland, Scituate and Halifax have already entered such cost-savings programs, which would have to be approved at Town Meeting. The town would then get a broker, at no cost, to lead it through the project.

Residents not wishing to participate must opt out.

Electricity would still be delivered through National Grid and the rate would be guaranteed for the length of any contract to which the town agrees.

Highway Director Kevin Cahill updated the board on the complete streets program, announcing that his department is prepared to move forward with it. If there are scheduling problems because of the location — at County and Liberty/High streets — added contract language would permit them to request work be done at night at no additional cost.

“The idea is to make it a safer route for the children who are coming out of the middle school in the afternoons, on half-days, on Fridays,” Cahill said. “We found that they populate that area of town heavily.”

Parkinson’s symposium planned

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DORCHESTER — The second annual Parkinson’s Disease Symposium for Veterans, First Responders, and Caregivers will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, March 20 at Florian Hall in Dorchester, hosted by 110 Fitness in collaboration with St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center’s Department of Neurology. This event is free and open to the public — all are welcome, but seating is limited. Please RSVP by visiting semc-parkinsonsevent.eventbrite.com or by calling Keith J. Ciccone, BS, LPN, Nurse Specialist, Department of Neurology, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center at 617 789 3320.

The symposium will focus on the connection between Parkinson’s Disease, military service, first responders, and the frequency in which we see veterans and first responders diagnosed with PD. Attendees will be provided with an abundance of information as well as resources available to help them live their best lives with Parkinson’s Disease.

The symposium will feature presentations by prominent members in the Parkinson’s healthcare community as well as noteworthy members of the military. Attendees will hear from: Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Francisco Urena, a Marine Corps veteran; Dr. Okeanis, director, Movement Disorders and DBS, Steward Medical Group/St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center; Brett Miller, Physical Therapist, Owner,  110 Fitness, a retired U.S. Army Combat Medic; Dr. Anna DePold Hohler, MD, FAAN, a movement disorder specialist, Chair, Steward Medical Group, St. Elizabeth;s Medical Center, a former major at Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Wash.; Irene Piryatinsky, Ph.D. Clinical Neuropsychologist, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center Affiliated Neuropsychological Assessment Clinic; Chip Maury, a retired U.S. Navy diver and parachutist.

The national anthem and a presentation of the colors by a color guard will open the program, which follows a complimentary breakfast. Participants will have a chance to visit vendor tables to learn about important resources available to them.

The second annual Parkinson’s Disease Symposium for Veterans, First Responders, and Caregivers is currently sponsored by Strongbridge Biopharma and Medtronic.

Miller understands the importance of hosting a symposium specifically addressing the needs of veterans and first responders with Parkinson’s Disease.

“We have seen the research and data that shows these populations are at an increased risk of Parkinson’s Disease,” he said. “We also see it every day at 110 Fitness as many of our members with Parkinson’s are veterans or worked as first responders for many years. We work closely with the Neurology department at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center to ensure veterans, first responders, and their caregivers are equipped with the knowledge and tools to fight back against Parkinson’s Disease.”

Dr. Hohler, chairman of the Neurology Department at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, and a former Army Neurologist, provides care to numerous veterans and first responders with Parkinson’s Disease.

“Understanding the risk that these vets and first responders face from environmental toxins and trauma is crucial in mitigating their factors,” she said. “We approach each patient in an individualized way to provide them with holistic care for their motor and non-motor symptoms.”

110 Fitness is an inclusive fitness and wellness center for all people. Easily accessible, located on Weymouth Street in Rockland off exit 14, 110 Fitness offers wellness programs for people with Parkinson’s Disease, boxing and cardio fitness programs for adults and children, adaptive boxing programs for children with disabilities, as well as yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, massage, art programs, and craft workshops, all for adults and children, including personal training and conditioning.

Patient-centered care is a primary focus at St. Elizabeth’s Neurology department. Physicians use the latest clinical examination skills, lab work, and imaging studies to diagnose neurological conditions. Once diagnosed, our patients are provided with advanced medications, surgical procedures, and holistic care to treat their neurological conditions

The neurology department also provides world class care in movement disorders, stroke, headache, neuromuscular conditions, and epilepsy.

Remembering lost friends

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WHITMAN — A vigil was held on the soccer fields at Whitman Middle School on Friday, Feb. 21 in honor of four members of the Smith family who perished in a car crash while on vacation in Orlando, Fla., last week.

Organizers included Whitman Youth Soccer President Helen Iannone, Vice President Stephanie Blackman, Boys’ Director Jamie Sousa as well as several other community sports leaders and volunteers. The memorial included impactful statements and memories from Jamie Sousa who coached Jaxon. She was connected to the family and shared love of the sport with him.  She offered heartfelt memories of her time cut short with the young athlete.

Jaxon Smith was only 11, a middle school student in Hanson. He was killed in the crash as well as his younger sister, preschooler Scarlett, 5, his mom Julie, and grandmother Josephine Fay of Weymouth.

Will Litchfield, a soccer teammate of Jaxon’s was given a new pair of footwear by the family. The package had arrived for him when they arrived home from Disney after the tragedy.

He clutched the package that was given to him by Erin Condon, Jaxon’s cousin.

“I feel proud,” said Litchfield as he walked off with his friends, candles in hand.

A statement was released by the family, thanking the town as well as numerous others in their support after the fatal accident.

‘’The Fay/Smith families greatly appreciate the outpouring of support and prayers as we process the events of this horrific tragedy,” it read. “We are truly heartbroken. Among the many individuals, groups and organizations that have assisted during this difficult time we wanted to highlight the efforts of the first responders in Orlando, the medical staff at the Orlando Regional Medical Center and the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital Disney, Jetblue, TSA and The Massachusetts State Police. We also want to thank the Hartman family who assisted in Orlando. We continue to grieve for the loss of our loved ones.  Thank you for your outpouring of kindness.”

On Friday night, the soccer field was packed with sports teams, including several boys soccer teams in which he played over the years along with fellow students, teachers, neighbors and friends of the family; as well as those offering support to the grieving community at the Whitman Middle School soccer field.

Eric Frank a resident of Whitman for 40 years, a father of three, and a soccer league volunteer and coach for 10 years said it was devastating to learn of the tragedy. His son played with Jaxon on fall of 2018.

Parents were seen embracing and consoling their children and their friends who held lights in memory of the Smiths.

Corinna Mac Donald a 3rd grader and her little sister Layla  a first-grader were visibly saddened at the event. They knew the family and her friend through cheerleading and she wanted to tell her friend Shalie that she hopes “she isn’t sad.”  She tried to write a message of hope on the memorial boards that the family would receive from the organizers in the days following the event. They were pinned to the soccer board so everyone could sign them.

The Smiths were remembered by other moms as a small town family who were hands-on, raising polite, respectful kids.

In statements earlier in the week released by the Whitman Hanson Regional School District Superintendent Jeff Szymaniak  schools would have counseling services for students and staff in the weeks to come.

3 killed in Florida highway crash

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WHITMAN — The town of Whitman awakened with heavy hearts Wednesday as they learned that a local family has been involved in a fatal crash in Florida, claiming the lives of three family members.

Julie Smith, 41, and her mother — grandmother Josephine Fay of South Weymouth were both killed along with daughter Scarlett Smith, 5, of Whitman. All three were pronounced dead at the crash scene, according to reports.

The family was on February vacation in Orlando.

The fatal crash occurred Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. in Osceola County, Fla. The crash is actively under investigation, according to Florida Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer Lt. Kim Montes, in a prepared statement.

The multiple vehicle collision occurred on the southbound side of Route 429. The van the family was in rolled over after it was struck from behind.

Shane Smith, 43, of Whitman along with the children’s maternal grandfather William Fay, 76, of South Weymouth were released from the hospital on Tuesday night.

Two other daughters, Shalie, 10,  and Scarlett’s twin sister Skylar, 5, were also released from the hospital.

Jaxon Smith, who is 11, remained in critical condition on life support Wednesday morning as of press time.

Additional support of state troopers and a victim advocate were assigned to the family, according to Montes.

More information, including comments from the Whitman Hanson School District and services for the community, were expected to be announced Wednesday afternoon.