from The Patriot Ledger
Movie industry boom shapes local dreams
Amelia Ali of Milton wore “gangsta” garb – bandannas, white tank top and heavy makeup – as an extra on the set of “The Fighter,” a Mark Wahlberg movie about Micky “Irish” Ward, a pro welterweight who rose from the seamy streets of Lowell to fight Arturo “Thunder” Gatti in a legendary boxing trilogy.
Ali, 24, was cast to be part of a carload of Puerto Ricans in a street scene. (Read the full story here.)
The Boston Globe has an article in today’s paper about athletic fees being charged by school systems in the area. Milton has the highest single sport fee, $500 for hockey and the highest family cap, $1,500 (with hockey). Towns throughout the area are struggling and Booster groups are assuming increasing responsibility for finding creative ways to raise more money to help relieve the stress being placed on families as a result of tight budgets. Gormley is quoted regarding the positive impact the Milton community overall has had on MHS athletics.
You can find the Globe story here.
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NOTE: There will be a Booster’s Kick-Off Party on Sept 18th from 7:00 – 11:00 @ The Milton Women’s Club. Tickets are$5.00 and can be purchased at the main office of the high school. Please join them for a casual evening with friends and sports enthusiasts!
For information or to volunteer at this new Booster event, please contact Karen DeLuca at k.deluca@comcast.net.
The Milton Board of Appeals recently ruled in favor of an appeal to prevent the construction of a cell tower on property in the Blue Hills. The following was contributed by Judy Lehrer Jacobs of The Friends of the Blue Hills. You can learn more about The Friends of the Blue Hills from their web site here.
Milton Zoning Board Votes to Deny Cell Tower: Progress that you can’t see – Judy Lehrer Jacobs
During the summer of 2009, Green Mountain Communications (GMC) of New Hampshire proposed building a 140-foot cell on the triangular parcel of land on the Houghton’s Pond Exit 3 onramp to Route 128 South. The site directly abuts the Silver Brook neighborhood and could be seen by neighbors and visitors to Big Blue and Houghton’s and Ponkapoag Ponds. GMC indicated a gap in coverage for cell phone users, estimating that 2 – 3% of calls are dropped; the new tower would address this perceived lack of coverage.
At a June 16th Milton Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting, neighbors and FBH Advocacy Committee members expressed concern that the GMC had not adequately considered how the cell tower would impact views from the neighborhood or from the Blue Hills. While the company had conducted a ‘crane test’ (raising a construction crane to simulate the height of the proposed tower) in the winter, neighbors and stakeholders had not been notified. The company agreed to hold a second crane test.
FBH joined neighbors to oppose the cell tower, arguing that while only a few people would lose their calls, tens of thousands of Blue Hills’ visitors would live with the visual results. The proposal, also contradicted Milton’s master plan and bylaws. See below for testimony by FBH and others.
After hearing testimony and reviewing GMC’s analysis, the Milton Zoning Board of voted unanimously to reject GMC’s proposal. Milton Board members agreed with FBH and the neighbors, questioning the need for the tower and emphasizing the scenic value of the Reservation.
We commend the Milton ZBA for a sound decision that acknowledges the Blue Hills as a timeless treasure that we all need to help preserve.
from the Boston Globe
Thousands more people flocked early this morning to the Kennedy Library, with many coming before dawn to wait in a half-mile long line to pay their respects to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
The library opened at 7:40 a.m., allowing a constant shuffle of mourners to again file past his flag-draped casket. A military honor guard stands at the head and the foot of the senator, who lies in a room with sweeping, floor-to-ceiling views of Dorchester Bay and the Boston skyline. (Read the full story here.)
NOTE: MBTA will be running extra buses.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY SERVICE
The Bay State Banner has a story on Milton resident, Angela McConney regarding a trip she made to the West Bank. The Banner reports:
The West Bank is a land crisscrossed by barbed-wire checkpoints, fortified Israeli settlements and a winding, 20-foot-high militarized “separation” wall that Israelis say is designed to keep them safe from Palestinian terrorists.
In a land that’s home to one of the most bitterly contested ethnic and religious conflicts in the world, Milton resident Angela McConney sought fellowship with the people she calls the original Christians. You can read more about Ms. McConney here.
And an item in today’s Globe reports that Priscilla Livingston of Wellesley and Hally Sheldon of Milton combined to win the pairs event at the recent Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catherine’s, Ont. You can read more about Hally here.
from The Boston Business Journal
Milton Hospital recorded an operating deficit of $4.4 million during the nine months ended June 30, as it struggled with higher debt costs.
The hospital’s deficit was several times greater than the year-earlier period when it was just $461,414, financial statements show. Results were hurt by higher interest expenses and a $1.5 million non-operating loss. (Read the full story here.)
It is that time of year, full of excitement and apprehension, nostalgia over the last whispers of summer and enthusiasm for getting reacquainted with old friends and, of course for parents, it is a time of barely managed chaos. In other words, it is time to go back to school.
Milton students in grades 1 through 12 start school next Tuesday, 9/2. Kindergarten opens for business the following week on 9/8.
Here are additional key dates:
| Sept 4 – no school | Sept 16 – Pierce Middle School Open House 6:30- 9:00pm | Sept 28 – Yom Kippur, no school |
| Sept 7 – Labor Day, no school | Sept 24 – Cunningham Open House 6:00-8:00pm | Sept 29 – Tucker Open House |
| Sept 15 – MHS Open House @ 7:00pm | Sept 26 – MHS Walkathon | Oct 1 – Collicott Open House @ 6:30pm |
Note: There currently is no scheduled open house for Glover. You can find the full school calendar here.
Please click on the “Continue reading. . . ” to review a collection of hopefully helpful resources and information, not the least of which are parent advocacy organizations which can use your support.
from The Boston Globe
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who carried aloft the torch of a Massachusetts dynasty and championed a liberal ideology during almost a half century in the Senate, but whose personal and political failings may have prevented him from realizing the ultimate prize of the presidency, died Tuesday night at his home in Hyannis Port. He was 77 and had been battling brain cancer. (Read the full story here.)
from Wicked Local Milton
The fire department has a new Jaws of Life tool thanks to the Copeland Family Foundation.
Chief John Grant said the $26,000 hydraulic tool used to free victims after car crashes will be assigned to Engine 4 at the Blue Hill Avenue station. (Read the full story here.)
The Milton Board of Appeals rendered their decision on the construction of a new cell tower in the Blue Hills last Wednesday and it was in favor of advocates for the Blue Hills who had argued against it.
The tower to be constructed on a small Milton parcel of land owned by the state was being proposed by Green Mountain Communication, a telecommunications company based in Wolfeboro, N.H.
The “Friends of the Blue Hills” appealed the initial decision approving the construction of the tower arguing that it would be a significant eyesore and detract from the natural beauty of the area. A second crane test was done, photos from a variety of vantage points were taken to demonstrate that the tower was a visible nuisance.
The board agreed that the towers benefits in terms of improved cell coverage in a relatively small geographic area did not warrant the detrimental impact it would have on the scenic beauty of the area.