WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 Helping dollars Lynn middle school make sense in Lynn plan heading to voters By Gayla Cawley Kennedy. “And after speaking with the By Gayla Cawley Voters will also see a question asking ITEM STAFF CFO, Peter Caron, and understanding ITEM STAFF if the project should be allowed to be ex- that we would be getting nancial assis- empt from Proposition 2 1/2, which plac- LYNN — City of cials entered into a LYNN — Voters will be asked to fund tance to obtain the technical planning es limits on the amount a community community compact with the Common- two new schools during a special elec- wealth of Massachusetts on Tuesday, expertise, it seemed like a no-brainer tion on March 14. can raise through property taxes. a program designed to strengthen the to accept the offer from the common- The City Council unanimously ap- Voters would be responsible for an esti- partnership between local and state gov- wealth. So, with that, we contacted the proved putting a question on the bal- mated $75 million, or $200 annually for ernment. governor’s of ce and arranged to become lot asking voters to approve the $188 the next 25 years on their tax bills. The “The idea of getting some technical as- … the 254th community to sign onto the million project, which would be for the Massachusetts School Building Authori- sistance on our capital long-range plan- compact.” construction of two schools to serve stu- ty would reimburse about 60 percent of ning was a really intriguing possibility dents in the Pickering Middle School to pursue,” said Mayor Judith Flanagan PARTNERSHIP, A7 district and West Lynn. ELECTION, A7 Lynn students Baker draw the line states on re safety his case By Bridget Turcotte ITEM STAFF By Thomas Grillo LYNN — Lynn students are doing their part to ITEM STAFF extinguish a burning problem in the city. The Lynn Fire Department and Lynn Public BOSTON — As partisan battles rage nation- Schools collaborate annually to hold a poster wide in the wake of President Donald Trump’s contest with a re safety theme. This year’s com- inauguration, Republican Gov. Charlie Bak- petition was focused on the importance of check- er emphasized compromise in his State of the ing your re alarms and changing them every State speech Tuesday. decade. “It’s one thing to stand in a corner and shout Every year, far too many people are injured or insults at your opponents, said Baker. “It’s quite killed as a result of a re that could have been another to climb into the arena and ght for prevented, said Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Ar- common ground … Wedge issues may be great cher. for making headlines, but they do not move this “Many of these injuries and deaths could have commonwealth forward. Success is measured been prevented by having working smoke detec- by what we accomplish together.” tors,” he said. Baker’s speech to the Legislature’s packed Out of more than 5,000 entries, nine were de- House Chamber comes as he begins the second clared contest winners; three elementary, three half of his term. It followed a weekend of an- middle and three high school students. The three ti-Trump protests where more than 1 million ITEM PHOTO | OWEN O’ROURKE rst-place posters have been transformed into protesters gathered nationwide — 175,000 in billboards and are on display in Wyoma Square. Brickett Elementary School fourth-grader Soleil Chea Boston and 50 in Lynn. holds her second-place poster at the Lynn Fire Depart- In a speech that was interrupted more than SAFETY, A5 ment safety recognition awards ceremony. 40 times with applause, the governor praised legislators for working with his administration to pass legislation that will reduce the state’s carbon footprint; for their shared commitment to fund schools to a record high level; for creat- ing a pathway for students to earn a bachelor’s degree from a state university for half the price; updated and eliminated obsolete state regula- tions; reduced the number of opioids prescrip- tions by 15 percent; lowered the population of homeless families in hotels to 100; switched to an all electronic tolling system. “With a shared sense of purpose we’ve made real progress … We built a bipartisan team, worked in partnership with the legislature and looked for common ground.” Baker said. The governor gave a shout out to Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, whom he credited with BAKER, A7 PHOTO | ALENA KUZUB An interactive panel discussion on prescription drugs and opioids misuse took place after the screening of the short lm “If Only,” donated to the town of Marblehead by the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation on Tuesday. Hope and recovery in Marblehead By Adam Swift lm “If Only.” covery himself. “It can be extremely FOR THE ITEM The lm was donated to the town dif cult to get folks to come out and by the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foun- talk about this issue.” MARBLEHEAD — One of the dation and was introduced by James “If Only” stars Wahlberg’s son and keys to battling the opioid epidemic Wahlberg, executive director. The depicts how young people can easily is bringing the struggle of addiction screening was followed by personal fall prey to the dangers of prescrip- out of the darkness and holding a testimonies from those touched by conversation about it. tion drugs. drug addiction and a panel discus- PHOTO | ASSOCIATED PRESS That was one of the key messages sion from local experts about what Wahlberg said the 38-minute lm heard by about 100 parents, students can be done to address the issue. was made two years ago, and since Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ad- and community members at the “I’ve done hundreds of these events, that time, has been shown to nearly dresses a joint session of the Mass. Leg- Marblehead Veterans Middle School and this is a really nice turnout,” said 250,000 people across the country. islature during his State of the State ad- Performing Arts Center Tuesday Wahlberg, who is Mark Wahlberg’s dress in the House chamber of the State night during a showing of the short brother and in substance abuse re- MARBLEHEAD, A7 House Tuesday in Boston. INSIDE Saugus residents get close-up view on school spending In Opinion Legislative By Bridget Turcotte the budgeting process by encour- not work.” Massachusetts Department of pay raises ITEM STAFF aging departments to work to- Mark Abrahams is a certi ed Revenue and the Massachusetts make sense. A4 gether more effectively. public accountant and president Department of Elementary and SAUGUS — Saugus residents “There has been a town versus of The Abrahams Group, a Fram- Secondary Education (DESE). In Sports and school committee members weighed facts about the school school systemic problem that has ingham-based consulting group. Abrahams is an independent Classical boys existed for many years — long He gave a breakdown of both the consultant who teaches, writes basketball rallies budget during the rst in a se- before many of us have been in- town and state’s trends for foun- and consults on governmental to top Salem. B1 ries of budget workshops Tuesday night. volved,” said Crabtree. “It’s a dation enrollment, foundation nancial, operational and perfor- In Food Town Manager Scott Crabtree learned behavior and something budgets, state Chapter 70 aid, mance management. Try some of said the workshops are to in- that I think we need to work on. local contribution and required Statewide, actual net school Rosalie’s root crease transparency about the There is no room for nger point- and actual net school spending. vegetable stew. B8 town’s nances and to improve ing; that culture has not and will The information came from the SAUGUS, A7 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 LOOK! .......................................A8 DIVERSIONS .............................B5 HIGH 46° VOL. 139, ISSUE 42 OPINION ...................................A4 SPORTS ................................ B1-3 CLASSIFIED ........................... B6-7 LOW 34° POLICE/FIRE .............................A6 COMICS ....................................B4 FOOD ........................................B8 PAGE A8 ONE DOLLAR A2 THE DAILY ITEM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 OBITUARIES Activists for gun Louise Dibartolo, 85 Agnes I. Downing, 99 rights sue over PEABODY — Louise Dibarto- who passed away in 2007. PEABODY — Mrs. children, Michael lo, age 85, of Peabody, died at Service information: A Agnes I. (Johnson) Downing and his wife the North Shore Medical Cen- graveside service will be held Downing, age 99, of Nicole of Tewksbury firearms laws ter, Lynn, Jan. 4, 2017. at St. Michael Cemetery, Peabody, formerly of and Kathleen Angelari Born in East Boston, she 500 Canterbury St., Boston, Lynn, died on Satur- and her husband Jo- By Steve LeBlanc in Orlando, Fla., that was the daughter of the late on Friday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. day, Jan. 21, 2017, seph of Methuen; four ASSOCIATED PRESS claimed the lives of 49 Marion G. and Rocco Falcuc- Arrangements under the di- at the Rosewood great granddaughters, people, as one reason for BOSTON — Gun rights ci. She was the wife of many rection of GOODRICH Funeral Nursing and Reha- Emily Angelari, Sarah the crackdown. activists aided by the years to Anthony Dibartolo, Home of Lynn, 781-592-2680. bilitation Center, after Downing, Hannah Healey estimated that National Rifle Associa- a brief illness. She Angelari and Abigail 10,000 copycat assault tion are suing Massachu- was the wife of the late John J. Downing, and several nieces, weapons were sold in setts over its firearms Downing, with whom she had nephews and cousins. She Massachusetts in 2015. shared 59 years of marriage. was also the sister of the late laws, saying the state’s Joseph R. Gulla Healey said Tuesday A lifelong resident of Lynn, Wendell Johnson.