DEALS OF THE $DAY$ PG. 3 THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 DEALS School sports season to be played in quarters OF THE LEAP$DAY$ By Mike Alongi rectors said in its decision Wednesday to take away the entire spring season, will PG. 3 ITEM SPORTS EDITOR resume sports that all the “red” schools extend to state tournaments this fall. The going remote must postpone their en- MIAA voted to cancel them. pivots High school sports are back on, but public tire fall seasons and play them during a In addition, because football in general school athletes in Lynn, Saugus, Salem and fourth, “ oating” season, from Feb. 22 to has been pushed back to the “ oating sea- Revere will have to wait at least until Nov. 30 — the rst day of winter practice — be- April 25. son,” along with fall cheerleading and uni- to DEALShelp fore they can suit up. St. Mary’s is exempt, however, as it is a ed basketball, there will be no Thanksgiv- OF THE That is because their Department of private school and intends to bring stu- ing games for the rst time in more than a Public Health status is “red,” — mean- dents back to class next month. century. ing they have recorded more than eight There are other issues that may not Still, St. Mary’s athletic director Jeff Ne- Lynn$DAY$ COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. set well with local schools this fall. The whall, while acknowledging there’s still a PG. 3 Because of that, all those public schools COVID-19 shutdown that already cost two lot of work to do, said it is a vital rst step will be going remote when they open this local teams — St. Mary’s girls and Lynn for student-athletes. fall. The Massachusetts Interscholastic English boys basketball — a chance to win schools MIAA, A3 Athletic Association’s (MIAA) board of di- state championships outright, as well as By Gayla Cawley ITEMDEALS STAFF LYNN — AOF new THprogramE that aims to help underserved youth The wee succeed in education is helping to close the$ achievementDAY$ gap for English languagePG. 3 learners, which has been exacerbated by hours the pandemic. Thirty Thurgood Marshall Middle School students, who work have been identi ed as English Language LearnersDEALS (ELLs) took part in veOF weeks TH ofE virtual learning this summer through best for the LEAP program.$ $ Those studentsDA nowY have the distinction of beingPG. 3 the rst Saugus group to complete a LEAP (Learn, Explore, Aspire and Pursue) program in Lynn, as this summer kicked off the or- poet ganization’s expansion into the city. By Bill Brotherton Linda Saris, executive director ITEM FEATURES EDITOR of Leap for Education, Inc., said the students targeted for the SAUGUS — Nearly every virtual summer programming morning, from midnight to 2 were mostly newcomers to the a.m., poet/author Tom Shee- city, fairly new immigrants with han, halfway into his 93rd a low level of English speaking year, sits at the kitchen ta- capabilities. ble in his historic Central Saris said ELL students have Avenue home, cracks open been especially impacted by a beer, and writes. It’s the the coronavirus-induced school optimum time for words, im- closures, and subsequent shift ITEM PHOTO | ANNE MARIE TOBIN agery and memories to ow to remote learning, because of from his brain to the key- Rebecca Truong, left, will be at home attending Georgetown on a remote basis this their challenges with English board, he says. fall, while twin sister Samantha will be on campus studying at Tufts. literacy and technology. LEAP He’s kept these unholy aims to close not only that hours for decades. COVID-slide but the summer “My mother said his type- learning loss as well, she said. writer and computer were Peabody twins will divide “The (teachers) all felt there’s his girlfriends,” said young- this group of kids that are new- est son Jamie, with a smile. comers to this country that are Beth Sheehan died 10 years slipping even more far behind,” ago. Jamie lives with his and conquer college said Saris. “They felt it was re- dad these days, helping out ally important that they didn’t as needed. Daughter Bet- By Alex Ross different colleges to study two is the one moving to campus, lose the whole summer.” sy and family are just down FOR THE ITEM different majors under two dif- even with the recent uptick The summer learning loss is the road in East Saugus. Son ferent sets of circumstances. in positive COVID-19 cases harder for English Language Matthew and family are in PEABODY — Twin sisters While Sam is set to begin in Medford and neighboring Learners, Saris said, explaining North Carolina. Rebecca and Samantha Truong dropping off her belongings at Somerville. that students will go back home “I’ve modernized,” said may look alike, but their lives Tufts University in Medford Sam is a biology major with to their families, who often Tom. “The old Royal type- are anything but, and about to on Friday, Rebecca expected to dreams of becoming a pedi- speak their native language, writer is history; this is my become even more so. be packing her bags to head atrician. According to Tufts’ rather than reinforcing those third laptop. But I still type The recent graduates of Pea- to Georgetown University in website, the university plans English-speaking skills learned like this,” he said, glancing body Veterans Memorial High Washington, D.C. Instead, Re- to reopen in a hybrid format. in school. at his index ngers and pok- School (PVMHS) are headed to becca’s new dorm room is her ing fun at his hunt-and-peck college in the fall, albeit to two high school bedroom, and Sam TWINS, A3 LEAP, A2 style. Sheehan, relaxing on the back porch of his 1742 home, is all smiles this day, even YMCA Metro North expands food though that smile is hidden by a mask. He just got good news. His new book, Fables, program to Peabody and Saugus Fairy Stories, Folk Lore and Fantasies, has been accepted By Elyse Carmosino one of the most urgent needs right now. We for publication by Taj Mahal ITEM STAFF want to see our kids grow up strong, and nu- Review Co. of Allahabad, In- trition is a major component of creating that dia. It is his 50th book. The YMCA of Metro North will expand of outcome.” Having a foreign publish- its summer food program to Peaboady and In a May 21 report, U.S. hunger relief or- er is nothing new. Sheehan Saugus to combat an increase in food inse- ganization, Feeding America, projected that has more than 140 works curity caused by COVID-19. one in eight people in Eastern Massachu- on the Literally Stories site In addition to its existing centers in Lynn, setts will experience food insecurity this in England, and 100 in Ire- the program now operates ve distribution year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic land’s The Linnet’s Wings. In sites throughout the three communities. A addition, he has more than — a 59 percent increase from pre-pandemic press release from the organization said the times. SHEEHAN, A2 YMCA of Metro North will be equipped to Rising food prices have only exacerbated serve more than 500 meals a day to children the problem, making affordable food hard to in its service areas. come by for out-of-work or otherwise strug- “We had planned a regional expansion of gling households. our food program for some time,” said Lynn YMCA of Metro North’s current food pro- COURTESY PHOTO YMCA Executive Director Andrea Baez. gram expansion was developed in partner- YMCA Metro North has expanded its “The COVID crisis brought into sharp focus ship with the Department of Elementary food distribution program to Peabody the social and economic inequities plaguing and Saugus. our communities, and basic food for kids is YMCA, A3 COVID-19 Lynn continues Lynn eld Center Water District opens the taps coronavirus case surge. A2 By Anne Marie Tobin through a Massachusetts Water said LCWD Superintendent John ITEM STAFF Resources Authority (MWRA) mu- Scenna. “Then in June, we had our Opinion tual aid interconnection with the rst run of dry weather. With people Cawley: Waving LYNNFIELD — The Lynn eld neighboring Lynn eld Water Dis- still at home doing outside projects farewell to the Center Water District (LCWD), in trict (LWD). that required water, the demand on ITEM PHOTO | OLIVIA FALCIGNO handshake. A4 an ongoing effort to combat the ef- “The average daily consumption LCWD has been signi cantly high- fects of a summer drought and high- has been more than usual since er than the system could provide. Saugus resident Tom Sports er-than-average daily consumption March and April with kids not Normally we rely on the storage Sheehan, 93, has just January’s single levels, has announced it will be in school and at home and people published his 50th book. lifts Navs to win. B1 supplementing its water supply working from home in the spring,” WATER, A3 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 LOOK! .......................................A8 DIVERSIONS .............................B5 HIGH 76° VOL. 141, ISSUE 212 OPINION ...................................A4 SPORTS ................................ B1-3 CLASSIFIED ...............................B6 LOW 62° POLICE/FIRE .............................A5 COMICS ....................................B4 PAGE A8 $1.50 A2 THE DAILY ITEM THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 OBITUARIES Lynn continues COVID-19 case surge Robert Anderson, 96 By Gayla Cawley vere on Wednesday. which has also been gus or Swampscott. 1923-2020 ITEM STAFF With four new cases, experiencing a virus As of Monday, Lynn- Marblehead now has 259 surge in the past several eld had 111 cases and PEABODY — Robert (Bob) Lynn continued its coro- cases.