To Haiti with Love: A Benefit Concert from Tufts February 14

Please join Tufts students, faculty, staff, and members of the community in a fun and diverse concert of music from around the world to benefit relief efforts in Haiti on Sunday, February 14 at 1PM.

Performers will include student soloists, bands, a cappella groups, faculty members from the Department of Music, and special guests. Tickets can be purchased at the door, and cost $10 ($5 for children under the age of 12), with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders efforts in Haiti.

The concert is open to the public. It will take place in Cohen Auditorium in the Aidekman Arts Center, which is located at 40 Talbot Avenue.

- InsideMedford.com

1st GBL Title for Mustangs in Over 30 Years

- Heidi Walsh, Mustang News

The Lady Mustangs won the Greater Boston League title Wednesday, January 27 after defeating Malden High by three points. The GBL championship is the first for the team, undefeated this season, since 1978.

“We’ve worked really hard over the years and because most of us are now upperclassmen that means that we had not only the experience to sprint to our goal but, combine that with sheer determination,” said junior (all rounder) Katherine Kulik.

Leading the Mustangs this season are co-captain Leanne Bordonaro (beam and bars) and sophomore co-captain Stephanie Falasca (floor vault and beam). Leanne had a very successful fall cross-country season and she continued her success in the winter as she received excellent scores for her beam and bar competition. Junior Kathleen Kulik (all-around), sophomores Bianca Silva (bars,floor), and Kayla Freda (floor), Desiree Savoia (all-around), and Anna Steele (bars, vault, beam) also helped the team win meet after meet.

Coach Colleen Small, entering her third year in training the girls for competition, has also proven to be an effective leader. Although it was not evident that the girls had a shot at the GBL title until their win over Cambridge, Small kept the girls going with encouraging words and big dreams.

“I think the girls are proud of their accomplishments but, I don’t think that the feeling has quite sunken in yet,” said Small.

Going into the GBL meet on Friday at MIT, the Lady Mustangs had a pep in their step knowing that the undefeated title of a GBL championship has already been sealed. The GBL meet was the last one of the season for the team.

The City Council approved, 6-1, a proposed $2 million loan order for the Medford High School “Field of Dreams” project during its Tuesday meeting.

The $2 million loan order will pay for the “Field of Dreams” project, a plan to create artificial turf fields and a new track behind Medford High.

Mayor Michael McGlynn spoke about building the new fields in his inaugural address in January and said he hopes to break ground in the spring.

“I will continue to work with the Medford City Council on the ‘Field of Dreams’ proposal to build artificial turf fields in Medford, to preserve athletic opportunities and provide modern and safe facilities for our student athletes,” said Mayor McGlynn in his speech.

“In my opinion this vote represents an investment in the future of Medford. The response has been overwhelmingly positive from the parents, people who are going to be paying the bill. The young student athletes from Medford High, who spoke on the issue, did all of us proud, they were informed and articulate. The investment is going to reap big dividends and make all who attend Medford High, proud Mustangs!” said Council President Robert Maiocco in an email.

- InsideMedford.com

Upcoming Registration Dates:

All in-person registration dates will be held at the South Medford Fire Station located on Main St across from Tufts Parks.

Wednesday Feb. 3rd from 7pm - 9pm
Friday Feb. 5th from 7pm - 9pm
Wednesday Feb. 10th from 7pm - 9pm
Saturday Feb. 13th from 9am - 12pm
Wednesday Feb. 17th from 7pm - 9pm
Friday Feb. 19th from 7pm - 9pm
Friday Feb. 26th from 7pm - 9pm
Saturday Feb. 27th from 9am - 12pm

Contacts:
Dave Barnes
781-726-0123
DLBarnes@comcast.net

Dave Gallagher
617-899-1199
davgalla@verizon.net

Lonnie Hillson
617-592-1866
roctrust@aol.com

www.MedfordNational.com

The following is an announcement from the Boys and Girls Club of Middlesex County:

Medford – During the February school vacation the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middlesex County’s Gene Mack Clubhouse will be open from February 16th through February 19th .

For $25 a day (9-5) members on Tuesday will be off to a bowling competition. Fun World up in Nashua will be the main event on Wednesday while Thursday will be a trip to Roller World in Saugus. Friday is scheduled as an in-house enrichment activities day with staff.

There is a $15 a day charge for early drop off from 7:45-9 a.m. and for $15 there is late pickup from 5-6:15 p.m. Club membership is a low $30 dollars and is valid for the entire school year. There are a limited number of spots and they are being allotted by a first come first serve basis.

Call 781-391-3619 or visit kidsclubs.org for more information. The Gene Mack Clubhouse is located at 30 Forest St. Medford.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Middlesex County
Gene Mack Clubhouse
February Vacation Program

When: Tuesday February 16th – Friday February 19th

Pricing:$100 9-5 a.m. program for four days

• $25 per day
• 7:45- 9 a.m. drop off = $15
• 5-6:15 p.m. pickup = $15
• Both options = $25

Only cash or money order will be accepted.

There are a limited number of spots being allotted on a first come first serve basis. Contact @ 781-391-3619 More info at www.kidsclubs.org.

It took just two days for McGlynn Middle School students to raise $2,700 to help Haitian earthquake victims. Last week students donated anywhere from ten cents to $100 for the privilege of wearing a hat in school. The spontaneous “Hat Days for Haiti” was the idea of teachers Sean O’Connor and Michael Cremin. The teachers are pictured above with the school’s Haitian students, along with an oversize check and a representative from Oxfam America, the charity that is receiving the school’s donation. In addition to the McGlynn Middle School students, Medford High School students and faculty raised close to $3,000 for the American Red Cross in a special fundraiser held last week.

Suspect Allegedly Attempts Armed Robbery of CVS Pharmacy

Medford Police say a Woburn man allegedly attempted an armed robbery of CVS Pharmacy in Medford Square on Monday afternoon.

Nick Sasso, 24, is accused of threatening the pharmacist with a knife and demanding all of the narcotics. A quick-thinking witness alerted the manager that someone was trying to rob the pharmacy with a knife and the police were called. Sasso fled empty-handed after the store manager started approaching the pharmacy.

Police responded to the CVS at 85 High Street shortly and were able to identify the suspect, who entered the store wearing sunglasses, through surveillance video.

Medford Police Detective David Rooney acquired a warrant for Sasso’s arrest, and he was arrested at his Woburn residence with the help of local police.

Sasso is charged with assault to rob while armed.

Information provided by Medford Police.

State Representatives Carl Sciortino (D-Medford, Somerville) and Sean Garballey (D-Arlington, Medford), along with State Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville, Medford), sent the following letter recently to State Transportation Department Secretary Jeffrey Mullan:

January 26, 2010

Jeffrey Mullan, Secretary of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 02116

Dear Secretary Mullan:

We are writing to address some concerns regarding the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s commitment to ensuring the completion of the green line extension to Route 16/Alewife Brook Parkway. We are committed to seeing this project be completed on time, with the terminus at Route 16, as the DEIR proposed as the project’s preferred alternative. To that end, we have two important and immediate requests.

First, we would like to request MA DOT work with the Boston MPO to revise the scope of work recently approved for CTPS to continue its analysis. As we move towards the filing of the FEIR and New Starts application, we would like to ensure that the analysis needed of the Route 16 terminus, with a review of alternative station designs, impacts on abutters, and environmental impacts be fully analyzed. The lack of this analysis in the DEIR is not in keeping with the EENF Certificate from December 2006, and has been noted as a significant concern in public comment letters on the DEIR by ourselves, Mayors McGlynn and Curtatone, the Conservation Law Foundation, and numerous local elected officials and community members.

We believe it is reasonable and necessary to include the analysis of Route 16 in the work that is about to begin by CTPS, and would enable MA DOT to keep its commitment to ensuring the preferred alternative can be realized in the near future. MA DOT has previously committed to keeping the analysis of the full project as a single submission in communications with the Green Line Advisory Group, to whom the following was emailed on 7/19/2009:

“Please note that the DEIR/EA that will be submitted in August will include analysis for the entirety of the Full-Build Preferred Alternative (from a relocated Lechmere Station to Route 16/Mystic Valley Parkway). This submission will allow EOT to receive environmental approval for the full scope of the project, thereby enabling us to proceed with the two-phased construction approach described here without needing to seek additional environmental approval in the future.”

Second, we would like to request MA DOT immediately release all analysis and station design alternatives for the Route 16 terminus that have already been done. Both in conversation with this legislative delegation, and in a public meeting before the Medford City Council, MA DOT has indicated that the Route 16 station design presented in the DEIR is the “worst case scenario” and that other alternatives have been reviewed. It is essential for our communities to have all of the information available so that we can make informed decisions about the future of this project. MA DOT staff indicated that alternative station designs could reduce or even eliminate the need for any takings of commercial properties at the terminus, and we are asking you to release whatever alternative station drawings or analysis that have already been started by MA DOT and its consultants.

We appreciate all of the hard work that MA DOT continues to do to ensure this project advances to the construction and completion phase, and we are eager to work with you to ensure that the preferred alternative, with a terminus at Route 16, be advanced without unnecessary delay. We would like to request a time to meet with you to discuss these issues further, and we look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

State Representative Carl Sciortino
State Senator Patricia D. Jehlen
State Representative Sean Garballey

Last week Head Coach Anthony Faradie and the boys varsity basketball team grabbed their second Greater Boston League win of the season with a dramatic finish.

The Mustangs narrowly slipped past the Golden Tornadoes, 47-45 last Tuesday in a win that came down to the buzzer. Malden’s Nathan Freni went to the line to shoot two free throws as Medford was up 45-44. He missed the first and hit the 2nd, tying the game in the final seconds. With just 1.6 seconds left Jack Foricer threw a full court pass that was just a strike to Andrew White, who caught it and laid it in.

“It was an unreal finish,” said Coach Faradie.

Below is video of the play that sealed the victory for the Mustangs:

Video courtesy Malden High School and MHS-TV 15.

Senior League (6th-8th Grade)

Nets 48, Angels 16 – The Nets scored early and often en route to building a 24-6 edge at halftime and to cruise to a big 48-16 victory. Three Net players recorded their season-high in points scored, Rebecca Pierce (16), Lachaea Cenescak (12) and Emily Pierce (8). Cenescak scored eight of her 12 points in the second half for the Nets, who improved to 4-4 on the season. Kelly Foley registered a team-high seven points while Jessica Brennan chipped in with five for the Angels.

Tar Heels 27, Dragons 24 – The Tar Heels maintained a slim lead through most of the game and possessed the ball for much of the final minute of play to hold on for a 27-24 win. Raniece Turner scored a season-high 10 points and Feliciana Panza scored three baskets in the second half for the Tar Heels, who improved to 7-1 on the year. Paulina Petras began to dominate on the interior, scoring all nine of her points in the second frame while Nina Parziale and Erika Lydon each finished with four points for the Dragons, who fell to 5-3.

Junior League (3rd-5th Grade)

Crush 17, Eagles 6 – Emma Cline led the way for the Crush, scoring a game-high 10 points en route to an 11-point win over the Eagles. Cline recorded three of her field goals in the opening half when the Crush built a 9-2 advantage. With four games remaining, the Crush are on a four game winning streak and are in a three-way tie for first place at 6-2. Nicole Matarazzo and Grace Capuccio were the scorers for the Eagles, who fell to 1-8 on the year.

Celtics 11, Buckeyes 9 – For the second consecutive week, the Celtics hung on to defeat the Buckeyes. Colleen Hardy finished with a game-high six points while her sister Shannon chipped in with three points in a game that had playoff intensity. The Celtics’ recent string of victories has created a log jam atop the standings with the Celtics, Buckeyes and Crush all tied at 6-2. Adrienne Arnold netted a pair of first half baskets, her first field goals of the year, for the Buckeyes while her sister Rhiannon finished with five points.

- Submitted by Brian Devine

A Medford man was convicted in federal court Tuesday for shining a laser into a State Police helicopter two years ago.

Gerard Sasso, 49, was convicted of interfering with the operation of an aircraft with reckless disregard for the safety of human life and with making false statements. Sasso is alleged to have repeatedly pointed a powerful green laser beam with a range of up to three miles at a State Police helicopter that was escorting an LNG tanker through Boston Harbor on December 7, 2007.

According to police, the helicopter pilots were forced to take “evasive action” to avoid looking into the laser’s light and had to abandon their escort mission to track down the laser beam’s source for their own safety and for the safety of planes landing at Logan Airport.

The false statement conviction stems from Sasso’s denial of owning any lasers and any involvement in the incident before eventually confessing to police. Police seized the laser as well as nine others from Sasso’s home.

According to the FBI, the laser Sasso allegedly used in the incident is commonly used in light shows and for research and industrial applications. The laser created a risk of burning and potential blindness at distances of up to a kilometer and also ran the risk of startling, distracting, disorienting, and even temporarily blinding the helicopter pilots at distances of up to three miles.

Sasso faces a maximum penalty of twenty years’ imprisonment, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the charge of interfering with the operation of an aircraft, and a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the false statements charge.

The FBI said Sasso is only the second person in the country to be convicted of “lasering an aircraft.”

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

- InsideMedford.com