He's Got Talent

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 Swampscott tries to bridge a gap By Gayla Cawley ITEM STAFF SWAMPSCOTT — Parents are not hap- py that the $275,000 school budget de cit could threaten free full-day kindergarten. Under a scenario where the budget de - cit is not eliminated, school of cials are Holocaust survi- exploring an option to transition full-day vor Saul Dreier kindergarten to a half-day program at no places his hand charge. Parents would have to pay tuition on the commem- for the full-day program. orative plaque in Katie Holt, who recently moved to the shape of the Swampscott, and has a daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall, said the Star of David that idea of going from full-day kindergarten contains his hand to a half day bothers her in many ways. prints and the She wondered what kind of burden that prints of his son would place on the rst grade teachers if and grandson. their students didn’t learn enough in the previous grade. ITEM PHOTO | OWEN O’ROURKE Claire Beckett said she moved to the seaside town about a year ago partly for the good school system. She got emotional Holocaust survivor hands at the thought of losing full day-kindergarten for her 2½-year-old child. “As a working mother, it feels incredibly regressive to lose full-day service for me,” lessons to Lynn students Beckett said. “We can do better than that.” Parents such as Holt and Beckett spoke By Thomas Grillo ily was burned in Auschwitz, the largest Holocaust victims and survivors. His visit at a public hearing for the FY18 school ITEM STAFF death camp where more than one mil- to Lynn came on International Holocaust budget, held during a school committee meeting on Wednesday. lion Jews lost their lives.” Remembrance Day and was sponsored by LYNN — When Saul Dreier was 14 But of cials say cutting kindergarten is His parents, sister, grandparents, the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace, years old, he and his family were seized a last resort and that they’ve been scram- by the Nazis from their home in Kra- aunts, uncles and cousins, 30 relatives a nonpro t founded by the international bling for weeks to come up with ways to kow, Poland and herded into a concen- in total, perished. Miraculously, Dreier paci st, William Soto Santiago. eliminate the initial projected $1.5 mil- tration camp. survived. “I was at the worst camp you can even lion de cit. Through some cuts and fee “My parents were burned in either Dreier spoke of his memories to a imagine,” he said. “I was tortured, beat- increases, the de cit has been reduced to Treblinka, Majdanek or Belzec, I don’t hushed crowd of high school students at en and nearly shot several times simply $275,000. know which one,” he said, referring to the Lynn Memorial Auditorium on Thurs- because I was a Jew.” “When we had the $1.5 million gap, we death camps established by Adolf Hitler day. The event, “Traces to Remember,” in occupied Poland. “The rest of my fam- was held to keep alive the testimony of HOLOCAUST, A7 SWAMPSCOTT, A7 Lynn teen sings his way HE’S from Tech to television By Gayla Cawley He’s making the trip with ITEM STAFF his mother, Cassandra Do- GOT nator, his stepfather and a LYNN — Danny Donator is friend. He said his family sup- hoping to hit the right note port, both emotionally and - with America. nancially, allows him to follow The 19-year-old Lynn Voca- his dreams. TALENT tional Technical Institute se- “In a perfect world, I just nior has a chance to appear on hope that the song goes per- the upcoming season of “Amer- fectly because the nerves that ica’s Got Talent,” the reality I feel are just whoa,” Donator competition hosted by Nick said on Thursday. Cannon and featuring a panel “You’re just singing in front of celebrity judges, including of these random producers Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and I guess I’m just (used) to Mel B. and Simon Cowell. singing for crowds, but when But rst Donator has to make you’re staring at their faces it through an untelevised audi- in a personal type of environ- PHOTO | MARK LORENZ tion round in New York City ment, it’s harder than a crowd today. The pop singer plans to of people … You’re not really Danny Donator, 19, a senior at Lynn Tech, will be performing Bruno Mars’ “When I Was sing the Bruno Mars hit “When Your Man” for his tryout on “America’s Got Talent.” I Was Your Man.” TALENT, A7 OUR OPINION Cleaning up a dump in Peabody LaPierre By Leah Dearborn and several dozen more from outside the made it dif cult for local government to take ITEM STAFF building within 90 days, said Turco. immediate action. “I was told in no certain The issue was brought to the city coun- words to stay away from the property,” said crosses PEABODY — The state has issued a time- cil’s attention at a meeting in December by Bettencourt. “Our only involvement with line of up to one year for property owners to Turco, a neighbor of the site. At the previous the MassDEP has been to provide them in- remove hazardous materials from the Com- meeting, he said he rst noticed suspicious formation. We were not allowed to have or- the line mTank property at 143 Lynn eld St. activity in 2016 and reported it to the Pea- dinances imposed.” Ward 1 Councilor Jon Turco said an Ad- body Fire Department. The mayor said that as cleanup of the site ministrative Order On Consent (AOC) was Lynn City Councilor at “This has been a very long, frustrating, progresses, the property owners will have issued last Friday by the Massachusetts De- large Brian LaPierre knows aggravating issue to deal with,” said Mayor to meet certain benchmarks throughout the partment of Environmental Protection. how to represent unions. He Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. year. He said more information about the knows how to win elections The AOC requires property owner Kevin Bettencourt said that after a MassDEP cleanup requirements will become public Hoag/143 Lynn eld St. LLC to remove more visit to the site with city of cials in March, and, if Tuesday’s city coun- PEABODY, A7 cil meeting is any indica- than 99 oil tanks from inside the building the state took control of the property and tion, he knows how to time travel. For a few minutes during INSIDE the discussion on spending Spelling bee has students abuzz money to build new public In Lynn middle schools Tuesday eve- School committee By Bridget Turcotte bee will move on to the Scripps Na- School, served as a judge and went ning, LaPierre took the coun- freezes snow storm ITEM STAFF tional Spelling Bee in Washington, on to join the organization commit- cil and its audience back to parking debate. A2 D.C. in May. tee. the 1950s when U.S. Sen. Joe LYNN — Students are facing off Police search for “The kids learn public speak- The last three spellers stand- McCarthy carved up repu- for their chance to compete in The tations under the guise of pair involved in ing, they learn a great deal about ing will each receive an award. Daily Item’s 32nd Annual Regional asking important, intelligent shootout. A3 the origin of words and they learn The rst-place champion will take Spelling Bee. questions. about pronunciation. They get a lot home a $100 gift card to Barnes Mayor Judith Flanagan In Sports The bee will be March 10 at out of it,” said RaeMarie Ferguson, & Noble and a ve-day trip with a Kennedy and School Su- Swampscott Lynn City Hall Auditorium. Candi- who has been helping to organize chaperone to Washington, D.C. for perintendent Dr. Catherine basketball splits dates will consist of 52 champions the event since its inception in bee week. Latham sat mere feet away showdown with from local schools in grades three 1985 when she worked as a school Second and third place will snag Saugus. B1 through eight. teacher in Lynn. She was the co- LaPIERRE, A7 The winner of The Item’s regional ordinator for Brickett Elementary BEE, A7 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 HOME .......................................A5 SPORTS ................................ B1-3 HIGH 43° VOL. 139, ISSUE 44 POLICE/FIRE .............................A3 DIVERSIONS .............................A6 COMICS ....................................B4 LOW 32° OPINION ...................................A4 LOOK! .......................................A8 CLASSIFIED ........................... B5-8 PAGE A8 ONE DOLLAR A2 THE DAILY ITEM FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 OBITUARIES School committee Virginia L. Jorgenson, 74 Urszula E. Szankowski, 87 freezes snow storm PEABODY — Vir- In addition to her LYNN — Urszula E. (Malisze- ters, Marion G. Bennett and ginia Lee “Ginny” husband she is sur- wski) Szankowski, age 87, her husband Dwight of Lynn, parking debate Jorgenson, 74, of vived by one daugh- died Jan. 25 at the Rosewood Jeannette E. Figari of Tampa, Peabody, formerly of ter Amy, and son-in- Nursing and Rehab Center in Fla., Karen Sindoni/Westhaver By Bridget Turcotte mittee member John Ford. Lynn, died Wednes- law Alan Cassidy of Peabody. of Bradford, grandchildren ITEM STAFF “Based on how it goes this day at Brigham and Peabody, one son Born in Poland, she was James and Jennifer Bennett, year, we agreed to revis- Women’s Hospital in Adam, and daugh- the daughter of the late Al- David Figari and his wife Jes- LYNN — The school it it and see about next Boston after a brief ter-in-law Tracey Jor- fonse and Elizabeth (Sassor) sica, Austin Figari and his wife committee voted to keep year.

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