DEALS OF THE $DAY$ PG. 3 THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2018 DEALS OF THE McGee criticizes Garelick $DAY$ shutdown decision PG. 3 By Thomas Grillo they are impacting.” ITEM STAFF McGee learned of the factory closing, he said, DEALSMayor Thom- when contacted Tuesday by The Item. as M. McGee LYNN — One day after Garelick Farms employ- The plant’s 300 employees were told the ware- OFdiscusses THE ees were told the Lynnway plant will close within house would shutter this fall during a Town Garelick months, the mayor has still not heard from the Meeting gathering on Tuesday. $DAFarms’Y $clo- Texas company. “Like many of you, I am in shock over this sud- surePG. 3 at a “This lack of communication and commitment den announcement,” McGee said. “Garelick has press confer- to the city is indicative of the corporate culture of had no communication with me or my of ce … ence in Lynn today,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee at a press for a company that’s been part of Lynn’s econo- City Hall conference Wednesday in the City Hall lobby. “It my since 1998, when it purchased the plant from Wednesday. re ects decisions made that focus on the bottom West Lynn Creamery, it is disheartening to say line without regard to the community, without DEALSITEM PHOTO | McGEE, A7 any outreach or communication with the city OF THEOWEN O’ROURKE $DAY$ Police on PG. 3 guard for DEALS threat of OF THE $DAY$ school PG. 3 shooting Lynn English parents warned by principal By Gayla Cawley ITEM STAFF LYNN — Parents and students were surprised to learn on Tuesday about a threat that a school shooting could take place at Lynn English High School on Fri- day. They were more surprised to learn that the threat was made three weeks ago. “Three weeks ago, someone wrote on the bathroom wall a shooting would take place either May 25 or May 28,” said Lynn English Principal Thomas Strangie in a robocall to parents that went out on Tues- day. “We did a thorough investigation and found no credible evidence that such an Swampscott does fast event will take place, but as a security measure, a police presence will be on cam- pus on both days. turnaround on slowing down “Just understand that your student’s safety is of utmost importance to us.” Schools are closed on May 28 for Memo- By Gayla Cawley Last November, the motion to approve the ar- Residents of Nason rial Day. ITEM STAFF ticle was defeated, 111-84, after a standing vote. Street in Swamp- Of cials said last fall the safety zones would scott put out this Lamar Craig Harris, a parent of a SWAMPSCOTT — Town Meeting members be where there is the most pedestrian traf c, sign to advise driv- 16-year-old sophomore at Lynn English, gave the green light to allowing the town to di- with the change aimed at improving pedestrian ers to slow down. posted a video on Facebook, detailing his rectly set 20-miles-per-hour safety zones with- safety. surprise with being noti ed of the incident out state review and approval on Tuesday night, Ronald Mendes, town treasurer and assistant ITEM PHOTO | OWEN O’ROURKE three weeks after the threat. In the video, six months after voters chose not to approve the he claims he is speaking with Strangie. measure. town administrator, said the town has received “There is a handful of parents that are al- The approval to allow the town to establish many requests over the years to reduce the ready more pissed than I am because they 20-mph safety zones comes a year after the speed limit to 20 mph in some particular neigh- didn’t know until I knew,” Harris said in town lowered its speed limit to 25 mph. borhoods, including Nason Road, Puritan Road the video. “As a parent, I would feel better Town Meeting members voted 137 to 79, af- and Stetson Avenue. if I got the phone call when it happened. ter a standing vote, to accept the provisions of He said the requests typically come from Your job is to make sure these kids are safe. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90 Section neighborhoods with residents concerned about Take things a little bit more seriously.” 18B, allowing the Board of Selectmen to “estab- the safety where they live. THREAT, A7 lish safety zones with a speed limit of 20 miles Mendes said safety zones don’t replace school per hour on, at or near any way in the town that zones — they augment them. The safety zones is not a state highway, and if a state highway, would only apply to streets adjacent to land that with the approval of the Department of Trans- portation.” SWAMPSCOTT, A7 CHERYL CHARLES COMMENTARY Lessons learned from real-life superheroes My apologies to Willie and Waylon at 6 years old, we could count to 100 and (and, of course, songwriter Sharon say the Pledge of Allegiance in a second Vaughn), but my heroes have always language none of us spoke at home. As been teachers. young children tend to do, I went home And they still are, it seems. and taught my baby sister how to count I’m an inner-city public school kid. And in Spanish. Of course, all of that vocab- I can, many (many!) decades after my ulary is gone now; there was no one to last time in a classroom as a student, practice with, or encourage more foreign name my elementary school teachers (I’ll language. She died when I was in the bet you can too), and most of my high fth grade. But even if I didn’t have school ones. There are even some of my an image of her in my rst-grade class favorite college professors I can easily photo, I will go to my own grave remem- INSIDE recall, even though there are others I bering her face. She was kind, gentle, probably couldn’t pick out of a lineup. and wonderful. Revere Now, it could be that the long term Truth be told, not all of my teachers Necco sold at auction. A2 memory bank works better than the were that wonderful. I had a second relatively short term one since I’ve been grade teacher who snapped at me the Opinion ITEM PHOTO | OWEN O’ROURKE out of school four decades now, but the second day of class while we were doing Krause: Breaking down Walls. A4 point is that those rst teachers are math. I was a sensitive child (oh, OK, I Police will be boosting their pres- burned into my memory because they was a crybaby), and being chastised em- Sports ence at Lynn English following the had the most impact on my life. barrassed and humiliated me. She left a Gustin’s home run discovery of a threat of a school My rst grade teacher, Miss Clark, lifts Peabody baseball shooting. taught some of us enough Spanish that SUPERHEROES, A7 to win on senior night. B1 OBITUARIES ..............................A2 POLICE/FIRE .............................A6 COMICS ....................................B4 HIGH 61° VOL. 140, ISSUE 141 ENTERTAINMENT .......................A3 LOOK! .......................................A8 DIVERSIONS .............................B5 LOW 54° OPINION ...................................A4 SPORTS ................................ B1-3 CLASSIFIED ........................... B6-7 PAGE A8 ONE DOLLAR A2 THE DAILY ITEM THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2018 OBITUARIES New wind projects Robert A. Gardella, 85 Karen E. Sullivan, 74 would deliver enough 1944-2018 LONDONDERRY, was predeceased by LYNN — Karen Hampshire, and as power for 600K homes N.H. — Robert A. his wife of 42 years, Elizabeth (Jensen) a nurse’s aide at the By Steve LeBlanc that had been proposed Gardella, 85, of Lon- Patricia (Haumann) Sullivan, 74, a long- former Lynn Hospital ASSOCIATED PRESS for Massachusetts — a donderry, formerly Gardella in 2000, time resident of Lynn, for several years and 400-megawatt offshore of Seabrook Beach, and will be sadly on Tuesday, May 22 at Building 19 7/8 in BOSTON — Massachu- wind farm Revolution N.H., and a longtime missed and lovingly surrounded by her Lynn for many years setts and Rhode Island Wind. resident of Swamp- remembered by a family. prior to her retire- have announced offshore Both projects, which the scott, died peaceful- son, Robert C. Gar- Born in Malden, ment. She enjoyed wind projects aimed at de- states described as a col- ly on May 22, 2018 della and his wife, she was the daugh- puzzles, cross stitch livering a combined 1,200 laborative effort, will be at the High Pointe Carolyn Gardella of ter of the late Arnold and reading. Most of megawatts of energy — or located south of Martha’s Hospice House, Haverhill, sur- Westwood; four daughters, R. and Elinor H. (Greene) all, Karen enjoyed hosting her enough to power 600,000 Vineyard. rounded by his loving family. Linda W. Samia and her hus- Jensen. Karen was the loving family, especially her grand- homes. Massachusetts’ Repub- Born in Haverhill, the son band, Gary of Sanford, Maine, mother of Michael Sullivan children, at her home every The Vineyard Wind proj- of the late Andrew and Sabi- Jodi Gardella and her partner, and his wife, Lori Laverty of S. year on Christmas Eve for a ect will be Massachusetts’ lican Gov. Charlie Baker na (Taglieri) Gardella, he at- Jay Videtta of Swampscott, Hampton, N.H., Mark Sullivan special celebration. first offshore wind farm said the announcement tended Haverhill High School, Sandra A. Cherry and her hus- and his wife Ngina of New Service information: Kar- and is expected to gener- brings the state “one step graduating with the Class band, Chris of Stafford, Va., Bedford, David Sullivan of en’s funeral will be held on ate 800 megawatts of en- closer to achieving our of 1950.