DEALS OF THE $DAY$ PG. 3 SATURDAY JULY 17, 2021 DEALS OF THE Cuba protests hit home on North $ShoreDAY$ By Allysha Dunnigan a change in the government. be seen on major networksPG. 3 and in ITEM STAFF From little to no hygiene products, major newspapers. medicine or food, to rough living con- What we see is the product of sev- Cuba has been a Communist state ditions and government possession eral years of pent-up frustration to- since 1959, but the protests and of the property and assets of the peo- ward a government which prioritizes street demonstrations that have ple, Cubans say they have limited the wealthy and military families, arisen over the past week are a rare ability to control their own lives. leaving little for everyoneDEALS else. occurrence. The recent protests in Cuba have Revere residentOF Adrian TH EOrtega The roots of the protests were cen- made headway in the United States moved to the United States from tered around the high prices of con- — primarily Miami — and American Cuba when he was$ DA8 yearsY $old and sumer goods in the island nation,as media has taken note; footage of the said he is constantly worried about well as before food shortages and heartbreak and devastation experi- PG. 3 power outages and people calling for enced by the Cuban people can now PROTESTS, A6 DEALS OF THE $DAY$ PG. 3 ITEM PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK Margot Bloom of Lynn eld, the vaccine coordinator for the CIC mass vaccina- DEALS tion site at the Hynes Convention Cen- OF THE ter in Boston, checks doses of the P zer COVID-19 vaccine to make sure there ar- en’t any large air bubbles. $DAY$ PG. 3 LYNNFIELD VACCINE QUEEN Margot Bloom stepped ITEM PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK Lynn middle school students Nevaeh Eth, left, and Amelia Spencer put the nishing touches on up during pandemic their 3-D printed monkeys during the Learning and Leadership Program at Endicott College. By Allysha Dunnigan Lynn students summering at Endicott ITEM STAFF LYNNFIELD — Margot (Kreplick) Bloom spent most of the pandemic using her pharma- By Allysha Dunnigan mathematics (STEM) to visual and vaccinated — the program has been ceutical skills to assist others throughout the ITEM STAFF performing arts. divided into two sessions and all COVID-19 vaccination process while overseeing Typically, the program has 36 stu- participating students are required LYNN — Endicott College has dents, who stay in the dorms during to wear masks. the vaccine distribution at Fenway Park and opened its doors again to 48 middle the Hynes Convention Center. the week and return home for the The eighth-grade students are school students from Lynn for its Bloom received a pharmacy degree and weekends, but this summer’s pro- attending the program for the rst 20th Learning and Leadership Pro- worked in pharmaceutical sales for more than gram looks a little different. two weeks, which began this past 20 years, following in her father's footsteps af- gram (LLP). LLP was canceled last year due to Monday, and the seventh-grade stu- ter he spent the majority of his career as owner Each summer, a group of sev- COVID-19, so this year’s program dents will participate in the follow- of the bygone Paramount Drug on Union Street enth-grade students, recommended includes 24 eighth graders — the ing two weeks. in Lynn. by their teachers from each middle group that was supposed to go last There is also no overnight aspect Although she never actually practiced with school in the city, spend three weeks summer -— and 24 seventh grad- to the program this year. Instead, her pharmacy license, Bloom had a great deal living in the dorms at Endicott and ers. To minimize large class sizes students arrive at 8 a.m., either via of experience working in the eld in positions in participating in programs from sci- and to err on the side of safety — pharmaceutical sales at Rite Aid and then Ea- ence, technology, engineering and since not all participants are fully ENDICOTT, A7 ton Apothecary in Lynn. “My family is from Lynn, so it was kind of like I went full circle when I worked at Eaton be- cause they were two blocks from where my fa- Ippolito plans Peabody ther had his pharmacy,” Bloom said. Eaten was bought out by CVS, and so Bloom left for another opportunity — which then got a better future council stripped away when the pandemic hit, leaving her unemployed. In addition to the loss of her job, the pandemic for Swampscott approves also brought on the loss of her loved ones. Bloom’s friend Karen Nascembeni lost her By Tréa Lavery $5M for husband, Steven Richard, 58, to COVID-19 ITEM STAFF while Karen was in a drug-induced coma from SWAMPSCOTT — Angela Ippolito grew the same virus. up in Swampscott, but moved to Boston as upgrades Richard died ve days after being admitted to an adult. When she moved back, she be- the hospital, and Nascembeni got his bed after. By Sam Minton gan to notice little changes around town ITEM STAFF Nascembeni said that even though she was in a to some of its more historic and memora- coma, she sensed that her husband had lost his PEABODY — The City battle to the rampant virus. ble features. “I started looking around and thinking Council unanimously She had introduced Bloom to her husband and approved $5 million in ‘you know, I can’t believe this hasn’t been they had all been friends for a while, so Bloom capital improvements for saved,’ and ‘that’s not preserved,’” she said the couple meant a lot to her. the city during a special said. “Just thinking that it’s such a pris- A few days after Richard died, his father died meeting Thursday night. from COVID-19. After that, Bloom’s friend and tine little place that I always loved as a The funds were request- father-in-law died from COVID-19, too. kid.” ed by Mayor Edward A. The loss of her job, friends and family made Ippolito’s husband, Joe, suggested she Bettencourt Jr., who had the pandemic tough for Bloom, but she said it see what she could do about her concerns, ITEM PHOTO | JULIA HOPKINS received unanimous ap- seemed like fate when, shortly after, she got a and in 2000, she joined the town’s Angela Ippolito strikes a yoga pose on proval from the Finance BLOOM, A6 IPPOLITO, A6 Eisman’s Beach. Committee earlier in the evening. The funds were au- thorized following a late INSIDE change in plans from Salem re ects on one year of Race Equity Bettencourt, who initial- ly sought $4.8 million By Allysha Dunnigan by Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, includ- of the ve areas, based on a combi- for capital improvements ITEM STAFF ed ve subcommittees, each focused nation of research, analysis and com- which included upgrades on an area of concern in the commu- munity input, the mayor’s of ce said. SALEM — The Race Equity Task for the police, re and nity: community culture, economics, “Our hope is that this initial report school departments and Force in Salem has published its nal education, health and public safety. will galvanize even broader support report, which re ects upon a year’s improvements to city “The Race Equity Task Force was for confronting inequities and create playgrounds. worth of work dedicated to studying LOOK! established to identify disparities a forum for residents to listen, re ect In the Finance Com- Yarin: Improperly- key sectors of the community and throughout our community and to and act together to build a more in- mittee meeting, Betten- dressed Bostonians. A8 identifying systemic and institution- develop the core elements of a strat- clusive community for all,” Driscoll court explained that the al inequities. Sports egy to help guide work at the city said. increase in the budget The report also provides recom- level to tackle these inequities,” said One of the core actions of the task request was due to the Lynn 14s score 10 runs mendations on potential strategies Driscoll. in fth inning, punch force was a recommendation that the police department requir- aimed at helping to overcome those The report — which can be found at city form a permanent committee to ing more funds and more ticket to state title identi ed disparities. www.raceequitysalem.org — outlines game. B1 The task force, which was convened the ndings and action items in each EQUITY, A6 UPGRADES, A7 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 LOOK! .......................................A8 DIVERSIONS .............................B5 HIGH 75° VOL. 142, ISSUE 188 OPINION ...................................A4 SPORTS ................................ B1-2 CLASSIFIED ........................... B6-7 LOW 66° POLICE/FIRE .............................A5 COMICS ....................................B4 REAL ESTATE .............................B8 PAGE A8 $1.50 A2 THE DAILY ITEM SATURDAY JULY 17, 2021 OBITUARIES MASSACHUSETTS BRIEFS Rosalind Stone, 94 Man les civil rights lawsuit release him. Miami-Dade Audi tried to drive away, Driver trying to avoid squirrel against MBTA, 3 of cers prosecutor Michael Von Dolan red one round crashes into 1650 home 1927 - 2021 Zamft said there has been from his service weapon, BOSTON (AP) — A man no request to release Flem- striking the driver in the HINGHAM (AP) — A SWAMPSCOTT - Rosalind who says he was beaten by mi from his Florida sen- arm. driver who swerved to (Kramer) Stone, 94, of Swamp- transit police in 2018 has tence. Surveillance video from avoid a squirrel in the road scott, passed peacefully in her led a federal civil rights Flemmi’s son, William the pizza shop shows an crashed into a Massachu- home of 65 years, with lov- St.