WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 GOOD WORKS, GOOD DEEDS RCN making Con rmation candidates walking the talk in Lynn eld waves in By Steve Krause receive Con rmation this fall in the Other projects include collecting sup- ITEM STAFF two parishes. Yannone split them up plies for the Plummer Youth Promise Peabody into groups of ve, and told them all to in Salem, which offers residential pro- LYNNFIELD — Con rmation stu- choose a community service project that grams, including one to house young dents at the Our Lady of the Assump- focused on the corporal works of mercy men and women referred by juvenile By Anne Marie Tobin tion/St. Maria Goretti collaborative are (of which there are seven, according to court, and a foster care program. ITEM STAFF doing more than learning about their church teaching). Others are collecting for the North- PEABODY — RCN, the city’s new cable faith. They’re living it. One of the projects involves Catholic east Animal Shelter, Girls Inc. of Lynn TV/high-speed internet and telephone ser- That was the challenge presented to Charities Child Care Center of Lynn. (where candidates served a Thanksgiv- vice provider, may have only started its them by Robyn Yannone, adolescent co- “The majority of children served (at ing dinner last November) as well as build-out in late 2019, but the cable com- ordinator of the Catholic collaborative. Catholic Charities) are foster children,” continuing to tutor members. Some are pany is already making huge gains in lur- “I wanted 10th graders (Con rma- said Christine Feeney Breslow, whose collecting eece blanket for patients at ing customers away from Comcast. tion-age students) to have their class daughter Sarah’s group came up with Children’s Hospital in Boston. Also in- Peabody Mayor Edward Bettencourt an- time to learn about particular aspects the idea. “The center is in constant need volved is a project to collect socks and nounced during his inauguration address of Catholicism, but I also wanted them of supplies, mainly diapers, Pull-Ups, diapers for state child services. Some of on Monday night that, to date, approxi- to live their faith as well.” wipes, toothbrushes, underwear, socks, LYNNFIELD, A3 mately 10 percent of Peabody subscribers There are 100 candidates slated to crib sheets and hats and mittens.” are now customers of RCN. He also said he expects to reach full capacity by Janu- ary of 2021. He said the decision to grant a franchise license to RCN “ushers in a new era of competition intended to bene t res- Washington S.T.E.M. steps idents and businesses alike. “RCN’s infrastructure build-out started back in the fall as early as September or into 21st Century program October, but we agree that 10 percent is impressive,” said Mayor’s Chief of Staff Christopher Ryder. “In terms of door to door, the RCN representatives started back in November / December having an- nounced their presence with the Police Department and obtaining relevant per- mits.” Bettencourt last year announced RCN has established an exclusive web presence for Peabody residents and businesses at rcn.com/Peabody. The web page provides prospective cus- tomers with an opportunity to sign up for the company’s priority list and features a link to existing RCN bundled service pack- ages. The city previously set up a dedicat- ed email address and telephone line for RCN inquiries which will remain in opera- tion during the RCN buildout. Residents or business owners are en- couraged to email their questions or con- cerns to [email protected] or call 978-538-5910. In either case, dedi- cated personnel will respond to inquiries promptly. Last June, the mayor granted a franchise license to RCN to offer its cable TV and high-speed Internet services in Peabody. The agreement ended Comcast’s 40-year monopoly of cable TV service in the city. In 2018, Comcast served 17,461 custom- ers of the city’s more than 20,000 house- holds, according to the Department of Telecommunication and Cable. RCN services major metropolitan re- gions around the country including Bos- ton, Washington, D.C., New York and Chi- By Gayla Cawley “This was a school, and we have From left, Kaysha cago. Peabody is the 20th community in ITEM STAFF many schools with high needs, and Rivera, 10, and Ashley Massachusetts to be served by RCN. this seemed like a site that was ready Lemus, 9, play with LYNN — Students at Washington “There is a lot of excitement about RCN and had the high needs pro le,” said Legos at Washington coming here to compete head to head with S.T.E.M. Elementary School will be Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, S.T.E.M. Elementary able to attend the city’s rst 21st Cen- Comcast,” Bettencourt said. “My of ce is who toured the center late Tuesday School during a visit getting a lot of calls with speci c ques- tury Community Learning Center. afternoon. from Dr. Patrick Tut- tions about the build-out and timeframes Camp Fire North Shore, in partner- “I think it just follows the theme of wiler, superintendent for service and we want to respond to each ship with Lynn Public Schools and building partnerships, aligning think- of schools, on Tuesday one of them. This new RCN/Peabody web Washington S.T.E.M. Principal Antho- ing and effort and values and service afternoon in Lynn. page means that we are getting close to ny Frye, received a three-year federal- of kids. This was actually something the rst residential service rollout and ly funded grant from the state Depart- that Camp Fire brought to our atten- ITEM PHOTO | OLIVIA FALCIGNO that it’s full speed ahead.” ment of Elementary and Secondary tion, the funding opportunity, and for Education to establish the afterschool Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at ato- and summer program. S.T.E.M., A3 [email protected]. Lynn eld Iran strikes back at U.S. with missile attack Town mourns loss of retired re TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran struck back ings were still being searched. con ict erupting between the two enemies, lieutenant. A6 at the United States for the killing of a top ‘All is well!’ President Donald Trump tweet- which have been at odds since Iran’s 1979 Is- Sports Iranian general early Wednesday, ring a ed shortly after the missile attacks, adding, lamic Revolution. Prep basketball falls series of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases ‘So far, so good’ regarding casualties. But in a tweet shortly after the missile short against Malden housing U.S. troops in a major escalation that Soleimani’s killing and the strikes by Iran launches, Iran’s foreign minister called a Catholic. B1 brought the two longtime foes closer to war. came as tensions have been rising steadily ballistic missile attack a “proportionate mea- Iranian state TV said it was in revenge for across the Mideast after Trump’s decision sures in self-defense” and said it was not Peabody boys basketball the U.S. killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. to unilaterally withdraw America from Teh- seeking to escalate the situation but would wins in defensive Qassem Soleimani, whose death last week ran’s nuclear deal with world powers. They defend itself against any aggression. struggle. B1 in an American drone strike near Baghdad also marked the rst time in recent years Iran initially announced only one strike, prompted angry calls to avenge his slaying. that Washington and Tehran have attacked but U.S. of cials con rmed both. U.S. defense Marblehead hockey A U.S. of cial said there were no immediate each other directly rather than through prox- takes down Lynn. B1 reports of American casualties, though build- ies in the region. It raised the chances of open IRAN, A3 6.4 quake shakes Puerto Rico A Puerto Rican ag amid heavy seismic activity hangs within the rub- ble where store own- GUAYANILLA, Puerto Rico (AP) — en by smaller quakes late into Tuesday ers and family helped Thousands of people ed their homes on afternoon. Seismologists said there was remove supplies from Puerto Rico’s southwest coast on Tues- no way of knowing when the series of Ely Mer Mar hard- day after a 10-day string of earthquakes quakes would ease, prompting Puerto ware store, which crescendoed in a powerful magnitude 6.4 Ricans to stay with friends or family or partially collapsed temblor that crushed an elderly man, in- even sleep outdoors far from the coast, after an earthquake jured at least eight other people and sent fearful of collapsing buildings or a tsu- struck Guanica, Puer- buildings tumbling to the ground. nami. to Rico, Tuesday. Hours after the predawn quake cut “I’m stringing up my hammock,” said power to the entire U.S. territory, a large PHOTO | ASSOCIATED PRESS swath of southern Puerto Rico was shak- PUERTO RICO, A3 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 ENTERTAINMENT .......................A7 COMICS/DIVERSIONS ........... B4-5 HIGH 43° VOL. 142, ISSUE 25 OPINION ...................................A4 LOOK! .......................................A8 CLASSIFIED ........................... B6-7 LOW 21° POLICE/FIRE .............................A6 SPORTS ................................ B1-3 FOOD ........................................B8 PAGE A8 $1.50 A2 THE DAILY ITEM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 OBITUARIES MONEY Margaret M. Doucette, 86 Robert G. Morse, 47 Should biz owners put 1933-2020 spouses on payroll for LYNN — Margaret “Margie” NAHANT — Robert G. “Bob” Mary (Callahan) Doucette, Morse, age 47 of Nahant, died Social Security purposes? age 86, of Lynn, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his surrounded by her loving fam- family on Monday January 6, A common question less than what they would ily on January 5, 2020.