DEALS OF THE $DAY$ PG. 3 FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2021 DEALS THOR JOURGENSEN OF THE COMMENTARY Social media feeds ame in Saugus $DAY$ By Sam Minton or to their arrival at the scene. banned because theyPG. are 3 a hazard. Moving forward, ITEM STAFF The incident prompted outrage in Social media user Anthony Guarino the community following video foot- added that the entire mall needs to SAUGUS — A defective lead-acid age of the re that was shared on be torn down because it is a hazard. sliding back battery power source was to blame social media. Some community mem- “The video that was posted has for an animal-shaped toy ride at the bers have made claims that a child been reported numerous times for I broke my right hip when I was 13 and spent Square One Mall catching re on was on the toy when it “exploded.” false information,”DEALS said Animal Rides eight months on crutches. As the date approached Sunday, according to the Saugus Fire But owners of the kiosk refuted this management. “The exaggeration of for the surgery to remove the ve pins that helped Department. claim, saying that the ride simply the incident was OFposted THE for the sake my hip heal, I looked forward to ditching the According to the owners of the An- caught re and that the last rider of gaining views.” crutches even as I feared undergoing another sur- In a statement, the$ re department$ imal Rides toy kiosk, their staff no- had already left the location before DAY gery that would reopen the eight-inch incision in con rmed that the toy was not being ticed the unit was overheating and the incident occurred. PG. 3 my leg. used at the time and that no one was quickly responded to the incident. It all worked out and I was hiking the Grand Tetons Patricia Wadman commented on injured during the incident. The re department said the re was the video that was shared on Face- JOURGENSEN, A7 extinguished by good samaritans pri- book, stating that the toys should be FIRE, A7 DEALS Swampscott CommonwealthOF THE $DAY$ pours over developmentPG. 3 water and secretary sewer rates tours LynnDEALS By Tréa Lavery By Allysha DunniganOF THE ITEM STAFF ITEM STAFF$ DAY$ SWAMPSCOTT — The town is LYNN — The state’s SecretaryPG. 3of Housing considering implementing a tiered and Economic Development Mike Kennealy water and sewer rate system based paid the city a visit Thursday morning to dis- on usage in order to ensure fairness cuss the challenges faced by small business for all ratepayers. owners during the pandemic. At a Select Board meeting Tuesday, This was the 10th stop — of 25 — on the Bak- board members reviewed the pro- er-Polito administration’s statewide small busi- posed rate system, which would set ness and downtown conversation tour, which both a base rate and consumption highlights the commonwealth’s reopening and rate based on the level of consump- discusses the administration’s $2.9 billion pro- tion in each building. posal to support recovery from the COVID-19 “For years we’ve seen a real ineq- pandemic through federal funding from the uity in how our community pays for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). this critical resource,” said Town Ad- Kennealy was joined by members of his team, ministrator Sean Fitzgerald. “It is the Mayor Thomas M. McGee, state Sen. Brendan town’s responsibility to ensure that Crighton (D-Lynn), state Rep. Pete Capano the cost of water is shared as fairly (D-Lynn), Executive Director of Economic De- among consumers as possible while velopment & Industrial Corporation (EDIC/ also upholding our responsibility as a Lynn) James M. Cowdell and other community town to control these costs and keep them as low as possible. The proposed members and business owners. changes will ensure that every resi- Kennealy began his visit at Nightshade Noo- dent pays the same cost per gallon for dle Bar on Exchange Street, then visited Los water and sewer. That is not the case Chamos on Union Street. He spoke with the currently and the equitable thing to owners of both establishments, asking how do is to x this now.” business has been and what challenges have In scal year 2021, the water rate come forth as a result of the pandemic. for all ratepayers was a base of $13.25 He then walked over to the new Caldwell per quarter plus $7.11 per 100 cubic apartments on Munroe Street, where he spoke feet of water; the sewer rate was $20 with the owners of Soul City Yoga — Shanel An- base per quarter plus $5.58 per 100 derson and Sara Bailey — who will be the rst cubic feet. tenants in the rst- oor retail space of the new Under the new proposed system, apartment building. ratepayers would be divided into The tour ended with a roundtable discussion three tiers based on their consump- at Ciao Cafe and Bistro, where community tion. Those in the lowest tier would members and business owners asked Kennealy pay the same base rate as last year, questions and learned about the state’s future plus $7.33 per 100 cubic feet for plans to assist with economic recovery. water and $5.75 per hundred cubic Meeting with these entrepreneurs will help feet for sewer. In tier two, residents Kennealy’s team better understand the down- would pay a base rate of $13.65 for town area and its businesses, he said, which in water and $20.60 for sewer, along turn will help them to implement programs to with consumption rates of $7.60 for assist these areas of focus. water and $6.50 for sewer. The users “It’s wonderful to get back out into our com- with the highest consumption would munities and meet our small business owners,” pay the same base rate as those in Kennealy said. tier two, with consumption rates of McGee thanked Kennealy for taking the time $7.80 for water and $7.20 for sewer. to visit Lynn and expressed his appreciation for Based on the proposed rate struc- ITEM PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK the state’s support to the number of local busi- ture, 80 percent of ratepayers in nesses over the past year and a half. Swampscott will see an increase of Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, left, Cowdell said that in total, the city received speaks with Mayor Thomas M. McGee as he tours small businesses RATES, A7 in downtown Lynn on Thursday. KENNEALY, A7 Report faults Marblehead police in 2019 swastika incident By Tréa Lavery empty can under the windshield wiper ITEM STAFF of Tuft’s car as a joke, something that the two of cers had done in the past MARBLEHEAD — Members of the when they attended the police academy Police Department failed to disclose together. a 2019 incident in which an of cer In response, Tufts got out of the car scratched a swastika into another of- and used the can to scratch a swastika cer’s personal vehicle, according to a into the pollen on the hood of Dimare’s report released by the town Thursday. car, leaving damage to the paint. Tufts On July 1 or 2 of that year, Of cer An- then told Dimare, “Don’t (expletive) drew Dimare was unloading his police with my car.” cruiser at the end of his shift when he The incident went unreported and un- saw Of cer Timothy Tufts sitting in his investigated until Nov. 13, 2020, when car before the latter began his midnight then-Chief Robert Picariello learned of RAW creates murals for it. Tufts was placed on administrative shift, according to the report, which was leave and later resigned. written by an investigator from Law The LEADS report reveals that Dimare Lynn elementary school Enforcement Application Development Strategies (LEADS). Dimare placed an SWASTIKA, A7 By Allysha Dunnigan This group — made up of Nathan Harris, ITEM STAFF a team of young women who 9, of Lynn, blows work together to create pos- bubbles during a LYNN — Brickett Elemen- itive change in their com- INSIDE tary School hosted a celebra- celebration of the munity through public art new WAMX mural tion on Thursday afternoon — painted multiple pieces for the installation of murals at Brickett Ele- Lynn Sports which were screwed into the mentary School Opinion Police: Man arrested for Saugus’ Vecchione on the school’s fence paint- Thank you, fence in the front school yard. intentionally crashing signs with Washington ed by members of Raw Art on Thursday. Rashida and Heather A4 into state trooper. A5 Capitals. B1 Works’ WAMX group. BRICKETT, A2 ITEM PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK OBITUARIES ..............................A2 LOOK! .......................................A8 DIVERSIONS .............................B5 HIGH 84° VOL. 142, ISSUE 205 OPINION ...................................A4 SPORTS ................................ B1-2 CLASSIFIED ........................... B6-7 LOW 68° POLICE/FIRE .............................A5 COMICS ....................................B4 ENTERTAINMENT .......................B8 PAGE A8 $1.50 A2 THE DAILY ITEM FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2021 OBITUARIES Robert J. McCular, Jr., 68 1953 - 2021 LYNN - Robert S. McCular, Jr., age 68, passed away unex- pectedly on Friday, July 30th at Salem Hospital. Born in Saugus, MA on Janu- ary 24, 1953, he was a son of the late Robert S. McCular, Sr. and Dorothy (Little) McCular. Robert was a graduate of Sau- gus High School. He then went on to work for General Electric in Lynn for over 25 years until his retirement. In his free time, Robert loved to spend time getting to know everyone in his neighborhood. He was well known by every- one, and was lovingly coined the “Neighborhood Mayor”. Robert was a simple man who ed to call at the Cuffe-Mc- loved to be surrounded by his Ginn Funeral Home, 157 family.