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Two charged in Hanson home invasion

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HANSON — Police have captured two men in connection with a home invasion — one an armed suspect fleeing from a multi-family home around 10:30 a.m. Thursday on Main Street in Hanson, after he allegedly broke in while a woman was home.

She fled the house unharmed, calling 911.

Officers were active in the investigation into the evening, and are still in pursuit of two other suspects, Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch said during a press conference in the early afternoon following the apprehension of a second suspect.

The second male was captured with help from K-9 officers from the Plymouth County BCI and State Police. He was located in the Indian Head Pond area in the brush when apprehended, Miksch said.

Police have also released a photo of a person of interest from the Hanson incident. Anyone with information on the identity of the individual is asked to call Hanson Police at 781-293-4625. The search for the two additional suspects from the breaking and entering had concluded by 7:30 p.m. Thursday, police wrote on Facebook.

Police have also released a photo of a person of interest from the Hanson incident. Anyone with information on the identity of the individual is asked to call Hanson Police at 781-293-4625. Courtesy, Hanson Police

Police have also released a photo of a person of interest from the Hanson incident. Anyone with information on the identity of the individual is asked to call Hanson Police at 781-293-4625.
Courtesy, Hanson Police

“The investigation remains ongoing but we believe the individuals involved have left the area,” the post read. “We thank you for your assistance during today’s incident.”

Hanson Middle, Maquan Elementary and Indian Head Schools were all notified during the search, and Miksch said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner was notified, placing the schools under a shelter in place due to the close proximity of the search areas.

“As an overabundance of caution we had officers and state police escort the buses home to make sure that everyone got home safe,” he said.

A nearly two-hour search with numerous K-9 officers, environmental police, and several local and state agencies, including the State Police Air Wing, were brought to secure the large acreage of bogs, water, and wooded trails behind the home on Main Street where the suspects allegedly fled.

Following a length of time with no additional sightings, officers believe the two remaining suspects may have fled in a waiting car. Evidence was being processed and recovered at the scene and a safe was found in the backyard of the house, said Miksch.

Home breaks were reported in Pembroke earlier on Thursday, which were prior to the Hanson incident. Witness statements and surveillance video in the area will hopefully help officers put together information to see if the crimes were related, Miksch said.

Andrew Jorge, 31, of Vermont Ave., Brockton was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime while armed, armed home invasion, possession of burglarious instruments, and possession of a firearm. He is being held on $75,0000 cash bail for arraignment in Plymouth District Court on Friday.

Also taken into custody was Anthony Marcelino, 22, of Warren Ave., Brockton, taken into custody by Hanson Police officer Meegan, after being located by a Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit.   Marcelino is charged with breaking and entering in the daytime while armed, armed home invasion, possession of burglarious instruments, and larceny. He was being held on $100,000 cash bail for arraignment in Plymouth District Court on Friday.

Hanson Police, State Police, BCI and K-9 officers stand by after one of the suspects in the Indian Head Pond area. Stephanie Spyropoulos

Hanson Police, State Police, BCI and K-9 officers stand by after one of the suspects in the Indian Head Pond area.
Stephanie Spyropoulos

A witness stated possibly seeing a person in a covered tent area, near the First Baptist Church but officers cleared the scene and no other suspects were taken in custody.

In an unrelated incident on Monponsett Street Hanson and State Police officers took a male into custody during the search for the original suspects. He had an outstanding warrant, but was reportedly not related to the original home invasion incident, said Miksch.

 

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.”

Reps host water Forum

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HALIFAX — Area residents filled the Great Hall of the Halifax Town Hall for a Water in Distress forum sponsored by Rep. Thomas J. Calter, D-Kingston, and Rep. Josh S. Cutler, D-Duxbury, Saturday, Sept. 24.

The standing-room-only crowd came to hear the many facets of the water situation, with Cathy Drinan, health agent for Halifax and Plympton, also representing the Monponsett Pond Watershed Association; Marianne Moore, Executive Secretary of the Monponsett Watershed Association; Jack O’Leary of Plympton, Chairman of the newly activated Central Plymouth County Water Commission, and Pine DuBois, Executive Chairman of the Jones River Watershed Association.

Calter began with an overview of the emergency legislation during a drought in 1964 that allowed Brockton to increase the level of Silver Lake, which has supplied Brockton with water since 1899. To do this, West Monponsett Lake would be dammed at Stump Brook, its natural outfall to the Taunton River, to force the water to flow backwards, through East Monponsett Lake, then to Silver Lake. This unnatural flow appears to be a major component in the stagnation of West Monponsett and the algae bloom of toxic cyanobacteria. Coupled with the huge increases in water demand by Brockton over the five decades since 1964, damage to West Monponsett Lake may be nearing irreversible, he said.

Calter said he wanted to bring together people who know the science behind the situation so a solution can be found.  Two Brockton city councilors also attended to learn about the concerns of Halifax, Hanson, and Pembroke citizens. Calter introduced Councilor at-Large Winthrop Farwell, Jr., and Ward 6 Councilor John Lally as friends of the negotiations.

Cutler, whose district includes Pembroke and Hanson told the assembly, we are all neighbors.  “We want to find a solution we can all live with,” he said.

Health Agent Cathy Drinan cited the measures that the Town of Halifax has taken to reduce phosphates in West Monponsett Pond which feed the  cyanobacteria.

Septic systems within 100 feet of the Lake must undergo complete Title V certification each year, cranberry growers have reduced the amount of fertilizer applied to the bogs when runoff goes into the lake; for cranberry growers to fertilize their bogs when the sluice gate is open to allow runoff to flow back to the Taunton River and not into the West Pond. Drinan outlined the grants she and the town of Halifax have applied for and received to treat West Pond with alum to bind with the phosphates and make them unusable as food for the toxic bacteria. DEP this year recommended a heavy alum treatment that will cost more than $400,000. The City of Brockton would need to contribute to the cost in order to make that happen, Drinan told the group.

Marianne Moore, who lives on the shores of East Monponsett Pond, is the executive secretary of the Monponsett Watershed Association, asked those present to become more active and aware, because even a small number of people can be heard, and legislators were very cooperative and eager to hear and help.

“Until four years ago, I had lived my busy little life – why would these legislators want to listen to me?” Moore said. “We reached out to them and they came to us — these four little people from Halifax. I believe the problem can be fixed.  I hope you all will become a little more active, more aware, of the active issues and try to keep moving the issue forward.”

Jack O’Leary, Chairman of the Central Plymouth County Water District Commission formed in 1964 encompasses eight communities: Brockton, East Bridgewater, Whitman, Hanson, Pembroke, Kingston, Halifax, and Plympton, to preserve the pre-existing recreational uses of the ponds … hunting, fishing, swimming, boating.

O’Leary has educated himself on the dangers of cyanobacteria and their toxicity.   

“What they are,” O’Leary said, “are single celled organisms mid-way between plant and animal.”

They have some chlorophyll in them so they react to sunlight by blooming and they are present everywhere, in every pond. It’s when they “bloom” and grow uncontrollably, and reach cell counts above 70,000 cells per milliliter, that they reach what the DEP considers to be toxic or harmful to humans.

O’Leary told the audience that stagnant water is a prime factor in cyanobacteria bloom.  He furthered that taking too much water from the ponds and reversing the flow of water from West Monponsett Pond leaves many areas in West Pond virtually stagnant, encouraging the algae bloom. If Brockton reduced its dependency on Halifax and Pembroke ponds by using other methods available to them, such as the Aquaria desalinization plant in Dartmouth, the ponds could be helped back to health.

“Our commission is answerable to all of our communities,” O’Leary said, and is working to protect the ponds.

As far as the health affects of the toxic bacteria, it can cause rash where it touches the skin.  He also told that he has read about cows that died after being allowed to drink water laden with cyanobacteria. There is also a new potential health affect – it appears that in communities that live around ponds with cyanobacteria infestation some long-term health affects are appearing due to the algae becoming airborne,  “which only makes it more urgent that we address this problem.”

Pine DuBois from Kingston, Executive Director of the Jones River Watershed Association, said what we are trying to accomplish is to make people aware of the dangers of diverting too much water.

The Jones River is the largest river draining into Cape Cod Bay. Silver Lake today is 5 feet down. As water is drained, the natural well springs collapse and they are gone for good, she explained.

“What we do to the environment day to day, matters to the people who come after us. So we really want to straighten out this problem,” DuBois said. “As I’ve explained to my friends over there from City Hall, Brockton does not have the ability to divert 30 million gallons a day from Monponsett Pond anymore.  They simply can’t. If DEP allows them to do that, they will not be living up to its obligation to protect the people of the Commonwealth and the environment.”

The drought is predicted to continue.

“So what can we do about it?  We cannot, nor should we, divert from Monponsett Pond or Furnace Pond into Silver Lake,” DuBois said. “Since 1964, there are so many more people living in this area, it’s not sustainable for them to be Brockton’s water supply any longer.”

Brockton spent an enormous amount of time, energy, and money – as did the rest of the Commonwealth – developing the Aquaria desalinization plant 20 miles south of Brockton on the Taunton River estuary.
From June 15 to Aug. 15, Brockton took 4 million gallons of water a day from Aquaria, then stopped.   

“In my humble opinion, they should be taking that 365 days a year,” DuBois said.  “Four million gallons a day would reduce the take from Silver Lake.  They take 10 million gallons a day each and every day from Silver Lake.”

In 1909 it was less than 2 million. By 1955 it was 4 million. By 1964 it was almost 5 million. By 1981 it became 18 million.

The issue was lack of attention to infrastructure, DuBois explained. The pipes are over 100 years old — and leaking.

Brockton had 30,000 people then and now, 116 years later, a city of a hundred thousand people cannot count on drawing its water from these ponds.

“Brockton should be using Aquaria and Brockton should be working to tie into the MWRA and we should be doing everything in our power to help them do that,” she said, to a large round of applause.

Silver Lake, to support this effort, can give Brockton a couple of million gallons a day, she said.  Not much more than that.

“You can’t take 30 million gallons a day from a six square mile resource and expect to sustain your population. I believe that the City of Brockton needs to reassess their finances to save their water resource. They need to use Aquaria and in the long run it would not be more expensive than using Silver Lake.”

She stressed Brockton should also be working toward getting onto the MWRA involved.

“Not a little bit in, but all in,” DuBois said. “Let’s start working on that now.”

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.

Honoring a great Lady

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HANSON — In just a few weeks, Barbara Meiggs of Hanson will be 101 years old.

Friends, family and members of the selectmen and congress were among those who attended a special pre-birthday event at the Meeting House Lane community room Tuesday. Selectman Bill Scott presented the Boston Post Cane to Meiggs.

Hanson state Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, presented her with a citation from the General Court and representatives of state Sen. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass, were present as well as Veterans’ Agent Bob Arsenault and Town Administrator Michael McCue.

The tradition so honoring the oldest resident in town has been recently reestablished at McCue’s suggestion. He had presided over such programs in Mansfield and Avon — where worked with North Easton Savings Bank, which had started a program to replace missing Boston Post canes as a public service.

Jim Alfieri who was the presenter on behalf of the North Easton Savings Bank spoke briefly on the now-reinstated historical tradition.

The cane program was founded by the defunct Boston Post newspaper in 1909 as a promotional project. Canes made of ebony with gold grip and tip, for 700 towns in New England, including Maine, Massachusetts New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

No cities were included in the program, according to the Maynard town website, but some present-day cities were still towns in 1909.

In replacing the Boston Post Canes, Alfieri said it was discovered that the 700 original canes that were given out exclusively to male residents. Eventually women were recognized as the longest-living citizens in the 1930s, and thus were allowed the awarded canes.

Meiggs formerly of Whitman, was born Oct. 27, 1915. She graduated from Whitman High School at age 18. She was married to husband Carlton for 67 years. They raised two sons Russell and Weston.

Director of Hanson Multipurpose Senior Center Mary Collins told Barbara that her life has been inspirational to others. The center threw a 100th birthday party for Meiggs last year.

“If you ever want to see the most sparkling set of blue eyes… look no further than Barbara,” Collins said. “I believe the list of adjectives that best describes Barbara is absolutely endless. Inspirational is the strongest word. … I have had the pleasure of knowing Barbara for eight years and in that time I have witnessed her inspiring others.”

Many years of volunteering among the list of qualities she assembled in a life well lived, she said.

Collins quoted an essay from Ralph Waldo Emerson that she felt described how Meiggs lived her life.

“‘The purpose in life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.’ I believe this is truly how Barbara has lived her life.” Collins said.

Meiggs was a longtime volunteer at the Jordan Hospital starting in the late 1970’s at the receptionist office and eventually having a hand in the Bonnets for Every Baby program. Her hand knit bonnets were officially a welcome into the world for hundreds of infants over the years.

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.