Twins beat odds and raise money for the cause

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – Their parents call them a miracle, but they would rather talk about cars and dinosaurs. Twins Nathaniel and Avery Swanson celebrated their third birthday in January and they have defied expectations simply by being typical little boys.
Classified as “high-risk preemies,” the Swanson twins were born at only 24 weeks gestation – over four months premature. According to their parents, Jon and Jennifer, the odds were against the twins from day one. Weighing in at 1.8 and 1.9 ounces, the boys’ entry into the world was not an easy one. A high-risk pregnancy and a difficult delivery were followed by months of surgery and uncertainty.
Nathanial and Avery spent their first six months in Beth Israel’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) fighting for life. Both twins suffered myriad ailments and difficult medical procedures during the first six months of life. From a Grade III bilateral brain bleed, to weekly spinal taps, to a hole in Avery’s intestines, the Swansons questioned every day whether their boys would make it home and whether they would be able to lead a healthy and normal life.
“Every day I look at them and I just can’t believe the miracle I see. According to every statistic and everything we went through, my sons should not be here today,” says their mother, Jennifer Swanson. According to Swanson her boys would not be alive today if it weren’t for the staff at Beth Israel and for the support of the March of Dimes.
“The March of Dimes and their PRI [Premature Research Initiative] funded the study that was needed to develop the medicine I took to make sure my babies’ lungs would develop. I took it before they were born, while their lungs were still developing, and that medicine saved their lives. I can confidently say that, without the March of Dimes, Nathaniel and Avery would not be here today,” said Swanson.

A SILENT CRISIS
The March of Dimes calls premature births “the silent crisis.” Between 1981 and 2003, the rate of premature births increased by 31 percent. Each year nearly half a million infants will be born pre-term. That's a number roughly comparable to the population of Cleveland. Preterm deliveries are happening at an increasing rate and, in nearly half the cases, no one knows why.
Today, 1 in 8 babies will be born prematurely in the United States alone. Half of all neurological disabilities in children are related to premature birth. While tremendous advances have been made in caring for babies born pre-term, scientists have not yet developed effective ways to help prevent premature delivery. In 2003, the very year the Swanson boys were born, the March of Dimes launched a multiyear, multimillion-dollar campaign to address this growing problem.

A SINGULAR MISSION
With their own life and death struggle behind them, the Swansons have set their sites on helping others. Every year since their sons were born the couple has brought together a team of friends, family and co-workers to raise money for the organization’s annual fundraiser and awareness mission: WalkAmerica.
In 2005, more than 24,000 teams participated nationally in WalkAmerica. The Swanson’s raised nearly $5000 for the organization, the most money out of any group fundraisers in Massachusetts; this year they hope to raise even more.
According to Jennifer Swanson, the couple had always approached fundraising for the cause in a very non-intrusive way.
“We never wanted people to feel like they had to give their money directly to us… We don’t care how the March of Dimes gets the money, as long as they get it,” said Swanson. What was important to them was that people were aware of the epidemic proportions that premature births have reached. To help educate others on the issues of premterm births and to keep friends and family abreast of the twins’ progress, the Swansons built www.theSwansonboys.com. The website has information on preterm births and links to the March of Dimes website.
“We went through a heck of a rollercoaster ride emotionally. We expected joy but every day was sheer fear. We watched our sons get whisked off for one procedure or another on a daily basis. We don’t think anyone should ever feel the emotions we felt and we want to do anything we can to help anyone who has to go down the road,” said the boys’ father, Jon Swanson.

LITTLE AMBASSADORS
Despite six months of worry and numerous warnings that their sons could experience learning problems, chronic lung disease, vision and hearing problems—and other developmental delays common in premature babies—the Swanson twins continue to thrive. According to their parents the boys are intellectually curious and their motor and verbal skills are right on track. Today, the boys are happy and playful and, according to their parents, “the best of friends.” Their favorite things are dinosaurs, trucks and their four-month-old brother, Elijah.
“They just love being with each other. They are, in every way, just typical little boys. We can’t believe how fortunate we have been,” said Jennifer Swanson.
Jon Swanson hopes his sons’ success will bring hope to other families. The twins are constant visitors to Beth Israel’s NICU, but not as patients—they now visit the hospital to say hello to the people who saved their lives and to bring hope to struggling families.
“I love bringing the boys up there and showing other families the hope they can have because of my boys… We want to bring hope to other families who are dealing with the same thing. My boys were given less than a 20 percent chance of living, so when we go up there we are letting other parents know that they can hope for miracles too.”

How You Can Help
Visit www.theswansonboys.com to give to the Swanson’s fundraising efforts and to see how the boys are progressing, or visit www.walkamerica.org to contribute directly to the March of Dimes.


About the Prematurity Campaign
The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign is a multimillion-dollar research, awareness and education campaign to help families have healthier babies. The campaign includes:
• Funding research to find the causes of premature birth.
• Educating women about the risk reduction strategies, including the signs and symptoms of premature labor.
• Providing support to families affected by prematurity.
• Expanding access to health care coverage so that more women can get prenatal care.
• Helping health care providers learn ways to help reduce the risk of early delivery.
• Advocating for access to insurance to improve maternity care and infant health outcomes.

--Courtesy of www.marchofdimes.com

Volunteers wanted to help chart a course for school success

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – Calling all volunteers! Peabody Public Schools is looking for a few good men and women to serve on the district’s Strategic Plan Committee. Superintendent of Schools Nadine Binkley says the committee will help the district move towards the community’s preferred future.
“We are setting a direction for our school system over the next several years… It is important that we hear from parents and community members what they want and need… we want to develop a school system that is reflective of the community,” said Binkley.
The committee, which will be facilitated by Teachers21, a non-profit organization focused on systemic education reform, will be broken up into 12 subcommittees with each subcommittee concentrating on a single objective. Binkley hopes to have a minimum of three volunteers for each objective, but would allow up to eight on each subcommittee. She hopes that by getting a diverse pool of interested parties, the district will be able to establish a common purpose and a framework for communication.
“We need community members who can help us [learn] how we can best work with them. We really have a door open to allow people to be involved in many different capacities,” said Binkely, stressing that the committee has numerous options for community involvement.
The strategic plan is a culmination of analysis and work done by a committee consisting of teachers, administrators, parents, school committee members, government officials, students, and business and community leaders. The plans lofty goal is to “define the mission, vision, guiding beliefs, and goals and objectives which will guide the work of the school district during the next three to five years.”
Although the plan will be worked on, analyzed and developed over the next three to five years, Binkley says she hopes to have a rotating pool of volunteers.
“Three to five years commitment is a lot to ask of a volunteer. These will be ongoing committees for the duration of the project but our hope is to rotate volunteers after two years, so that the volunteers aren’t burdened and so we can continue to get fresh ideas,” said Binkley.
Binkley says they are looking for volunteers to start as soon as possible.
“We did some advertising at the beginning of the school year. We got a number of interested people to sign up, but not nearly enough,” said Binkley, who stressed that the committee is looking for people from all backgrounds and with diverse levels of interests.
“I’d like parents, community members who have an interest in the schools but may not have children in the schools, teachers, administrators… the goal of this committee is for it to be reflective of the community, so we want anyone who lives or works in Peabody,” said Binkley. “We are setting a direction for our school system over the next several years. It’s important that we know what all of the community wants and what all of the community needs.”

Committee seeks training to find a new superintendent

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – Massachusetts saw fifty-five school superintendents leave their posts in 2005. With already fifty vacancies to be filled in the state's 328 districts, it’s believed that Massachusetts could see as many as sixty superintendent vacancies, this year.
“It’s extremely competitive out there. There is tremendous demand and short supply. We recognize that, which is why we think we need to be as prepared as possible when looking for a new superintendent,” said David McGeney, School Committee member and chairman of the district’s superintendent search committee.
McGeney and the 11-member team charged with finding a new superintendent for Peabody will be participating in a private superintendent search training on March 2, which will be specifically tailored to their needs by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC).
McGeney, was one of the school committee members to turn down MASC’s comprehensive “Leading School Districts in Transition” (LSDT) training. According to McGeney, while he does hope to participate in the LSDT training in the future, the March 2 training is better suited to Peabody’s immediate needs.
“I had been speaking with Glenn Koocher [from the MASC] about resource information to help me with my committee. The more we began to talk the more I began to think that a training, specifically geared towards our superintendent search, might be beneficial,” said McGeney.
School Committee member Mike Moutsoulas feels that the free, two-hour training will be a necessary primer for the search committee.
“While we may have opinions about what we are looking for in a superintendent, there is a lot left to learn. This will bring us up to speed on legality matters and will make us aware of things we’ve probably never thought of,” said Moutsoulas.
According to Koocher, the training will not only be an orientation for committee members, it will also be a briefing on the committee’s professional and legal obligations.
“Many members of the search committee have not done anything like this before... They are serving on an official board of the community; state ethics law applies to this committee,” said Koocher, who plans to give the committee a comprehensive overview of Massachusetts state policy, law and protocol.
With a school committee marred by a reputation of dissent and the past three full-time superintendents leaving the district amid frustration and controversy, some worry that Peabody’s reputation may precede them, marking the district as one that is difficult to manage.
“There is a great deal of speculation. But Peabody’s situation is not terribly unique in terms of a revolving door. That, however, does not mean we should be satisfied with the revolving door – because I am not. We have this committee because we hope the next superintendent will be here for many years to come,” said McGeney.
According to Koocher, by having the committee and by engaging in MASC’s free trainings, the committee and the district are sending a strong message to potential candidates for superintendent.
“They are definitely making a strong point. It’s a good sign that they are taking this search seriously and that they are moving forward.”

Waiver approved for shortened school year

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – Administrators and School Committee members can breathe a sigh of relief and Peabody Veterans Memorial High School students can jump for joy. In a letter received February 16, the Massachusetts Department of Education approved a waiver request submitted by Superintendent of Schools Nadine Binkley, which will shorten the number of days Peabody high school students must attend classes by one.
Binkley submitted the request to the DOE after the January 26 hot-water heater malfunction, which sent students home less than an hour and a half into the school day. The malfunction sent scalding water through cold water pipes and required administrators to close the school by 9:30 a.m. Despite an early closing, the district was still responsible for bus, staff, and teacher pay. According to Binkley, the teachers’ union would expect additional compensation for staff being required to work for one more day than their contract calls for.
To negotiate an additional day into the school year would have added further to the district’s already strained financial situation, which is currently at a $400,000 deficit. Binkley could not give a real estimate of how much it would have cost to hold an additional full day of school, but she and School Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne both agreed it would have been significant.
“We hadn’t determined exactly what it would cost the district, because that would require us to enter into discussions with the unions, but it would have been quite a burden,” said Binkley.
According to both Binkley and Dunne a waiver was the school’s only option. The school, which could have held classes in lieu of a professional development day, had used all of those days prior to January 26.
“The problem is that they are paid for 185 days, which includes three full professional development days and two administrative days. Our school year is scheduled to end on June 19, so it’s not a matter of not having time, it’s completely a matter of finance,” said Binkley.
Binkley said that what made Commissioner of Education David Driscoll consider and ultimately approve the waiver request was the school’s ability to meet the annual Time On Learning requirement of 990 hours. Even with the school year shortened to 179 school days, PVMHS students will be receiving 992 hours of structured learning time.
“We feel confident that the students are still getting all of the hours required by state law in structured learning time and this will certainly save the city a good deal of money,” said Binkley, “I am grateful to Driscoll for approving this.”

Valentine's Day robbery

By Janelle Randazza


PEABODY – The bank-robbing duo that hit the Sovereign Bank on Route 114 and then used a 1994 Mazda Protégé as the getaway car last Tuesday are still at large. The pair made their Valentine’s Day heist at 12:41 p.m. on February 14. Witnesses reported a white, heavyset male, 5’8”, wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and a blue jacket walking into the bank and passing a note to a teller stating he had a gun, though no weapon was actually shown. According to Peabody Police Captain Richard Bettencourt, a witness followed the man out of the bank and reported him entering a green 1994 Mazda Protégé that was driven by a second white male. The witness took down the license plate number and reported the car driving East down 114.
The car was found at 1:29 p.m. abandoned at Wet Willy’s Car Wash on Route 1. Peabody Police, state police and the FBI are investigating the crime at this time. Bettencourt would not disclose the amount of money that was stolen from the bank but did say the stolen vehicle has been dusted for prints.

Extended School Day Committee chosen

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – Peabody will officially begin research on the feasibility of lengthening the school day district-wide. The subcommittee developed to explore the venture has been chosen and was announced at last week’s school committee meeting. School Committee member Anne Manning will chair the 13-member subcommittee, which was appointed by Mayor Michael Bonfanti.
Manning said that while some may hope that a longer school day will help extend the city’s elementary school recess, that issue will not be the only focus of the subcommittee.
“Although recess has been an issue that has garnered a great deal of attention, there are many issues that need to be addressed and this committee will focus on the entire school day for our K-12 community,” said Manning.
Manning was appointed to chair the subcommittee by Bonfanti; she says had Bonfanti not asked her she would have volunteered.
“The mayor and I had a mutual understanding that I have particular interest in this topic,” said Manning, who feels that a longer school day is an essential ingredient in providing the children of Peabody with quality education.
“I, for one, am every excited about the prospect of a longer school day. I think there are many opportunities here for us to explore,” said Manning. Manning, who supported the mandate that shortened elementary school recess, was also a champion of full-day kindergarten and chaired the subcommittee on redistricting. While opposition plagued each of those issues, Manning believes that opposition provides the best environment for informed dialogue.
“Where others see contention I see opportunity. In order to make progress we need to seize opportunities that some may find troublesome and difficult to accept” said Manning, “Our redistricting, which stemmed from full-day kindergarten implementation, allowed us to reduce class sizes and we saved a significant amount of money on transportation when we redistricted. There is always opportunity to be had if you look for it.”
While Manning sees “miles of opportunity” in extending the school day she says that the point of the subcommittee is to develop a consensus and get a wide perspective of what the district wants.
“What I would like to do is allow the subcommittee to meet and I’d like for us to have a consensus about pursuing what is best for the K-12 community. I am only one member so I can’t really comment on what our focus will be until I get input from the subcommittee as a whole,” said Manning, who stressed that any ideas brought forth by the subcommittee must be “deliberated and accepted by the school committee.”
Manning did feel comfortable with commenting on the quality of volunteers that will serve on the subcommittee.
“We had no shortage of bright and experienced volunteers to choose from. I am ecstatic with the caliber of the committee who volunteered and I am thrilled to begin work both with educators that have years of experience behind them and with the fresh faces that are eager to get on board and roll up their sleeves,” said Manning.
The Extended School Day subcommittee will have its first meeting on Monday, February 27, at 7 p.m. in the Cullen Library at the Higgins Middle School.


Extended Day Committee
Anne Manning, chairwoman
Anne Brown, teacher, Higgins Middle School
Lynda Brown, parent
Jeanne Burbridge, parent
Ellen Fiore, parent
David Gravel, parent and former School Committee member
Herb Levine, parent and former Salem superintendent
Kendra Piza, parent
Sandra Ring, teacher, Peabody Veterans Memorial High School
Janet Sakelakos, teacher, South Elementary School
Joel Saslaw, Community member at large
Sarah Takis-Welch, teacher, West Elementary School
Julie Talbot-Donnolly, teacher, Higgins Middle School

Peabody "Rebels" celebrate life

By Janelle Randazza


PEABODY – They call themselves the “Rebels” and they want to celebrate life. The North Shore-based women’s volleyball team is throwing a St. Patrick’s Day party to celebrate the life of teammate and Peabody native Demi Tzortizis, and to raise money for the clinic that treated her: the North Shore Cancer Center.
Three years ago the 43-year-old mother of three found a lump while showering at the gym. Days later she was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer and was told that she needed to immediately start aggressive therapy to battle the disease. The irony was that only eight-months before, Tzortizis, who had always been both physically and socially active, had participated in Avon’s 3-Day Walk to raise money for breast cancer.
“My father had cancer and [at the time] had been in remission for about four and a half years, but that wasn’t why I walked. I walked on a whim: I wanted the challenge and I wanted to raise money for a good cause… Who could have known that I may very well have had breast cancer while I was walking,” said Tzotizis, who today seems the picture of health.
Stage IV breast cancer, sometimes known as Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), is the least common but most aggressive type of breast cancer.
While only 1 to 4 percent of newly diagnosed cases are IBC, the typical survival time for patients diagnosed with this disease is 18 months. But, according to Joanne Capone, a fellow “Rebel” and a long-time friend of Tzorizis, in the 15 years they’ve been friends she has never once known Tzorizis to be typical.
“She is such an inspiration. If anyone could have fought [cancer] it was her,” said Capone, who said that even months into her treatment Tzorizis exercised every day and continued to lift weights and play on her volleyball team.
“After a while she, of course, had to slow down. But slowing down for Demi is different than for other people,” said Capone.
Tzorizis credits her success to her family, church, friends and to the excellent treatment she has received from NSCC and Joel Schwartz, MD.
“He treated my father when he had cancer and we just couldn’t believe how much they care for their patients over there. They don’t just treat the cancer, they treat the whole patient,” said Tzorizis, who said that she was continually in awe of the compassion and caring that the staff exhibited.
“I knew from day one that I wanted Dr. Schwartz to be my doctor,” said Tzorizis, who said that she and the team are organizing the event as a fundraiser for NSCC.
“How do you thank someone who saved your life?” said Tzortizis, who is looking forward to attending her daughter’s wedding this summer.
Tzortizis and the “Rebels” figure a good place to start is to throw a party – and hopefully raise some money for the people who helped her. Jimmy’s Allenhurst has donated their Crystal Ballroom and complementary hors d'œuvres, Adam Averback and Brad Brodie of Party Excitement of Peabody has donated music and DJing services from 8 p.m. to midnight, and all of the women have rallied together to make sure the party is a success.
“We have women going door-to-door to get donations for a raffle, we have a decorating committee, people doing publicity and getting a venue and music. We’ve all really worked together to make this happen,” said Capone.
The women have a goal of getting at least 500 guests to attend the event and, judging from Tzorizis’ track record, it seems certain that she won’t stop until that goal is met.
“I really want this to be a success. I really want to do something to give back; to do something personal and meaningful,” said Tzorizis, who feels she got world-class health care right in her backyard.
“I can’t say enough about Dr. Schwartz. He was every patient’s biggest cheerleader. He saved my dad’s life and he saved mine,” said Tzorizis.
Tzorizis’ teammates hope that the event and Tzorizis’ story will help to be an inspiration for others – Tzorizis, however feels the event is about something bigger than her story.
“This isn’t about me. This is about life and right now I’m celebrating it… I’ve made it to this side of the grass and it’s a good place to be.”
The St. Patrick’s Day Celebration of Life Party will be held on Friday, March 17, at Jimmy’s Allenhurst on Rte. 114 in Danvers. The party will feature a DJ, silent auction, and complimentary hors d’ouveres, pastry and coffee. Tickets are $25 and are available by contacting Demi Tzortzis at demi613@aol.com or (978) 535-3100. All proceeds will be donated to the North Shore Cancer Center in Peabody.

Fire threatens historic landmark and sends animals into a panic

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – A mid-day fire tore through a two-story barn at Brooksby Farm Sunday afternoon, sending a menagerie of animals into a panic and locals into fear that one of the area’s oldest landmarks was in jeopardy. The fire department received a call around 2:30 p.m. when a neighbor, who had been walking his dog, notified the department that a fire had consumed one of the barns at Brooksby Farm.
By the time Deputy Fire Chief James Coughlin arrived at the scene, firefighters from Engine 3 were already battling the flames and corralling the animals but, according to Coughlin, he arrived to an intense and anxious scene.
“The wind was blowing smoke right towards the rest of the property, water was freezing and there were animals running around everywhere. Let’s just say the place was fully involved,” said Coughlin.
The farm’s historic barn, which housed most of the farm’s smaller animals and a surplus of hay, was razed by the blaze. Six sheep, four lambs, a chicken and a rabbit were huddled inside the barn, stricken with fear over the flames and the commotion outside. The animals, which had been grazing near the structure during the afternoon, panicked when they saw the fire and sought shelter in the ground floor of the building, only feet away from start of the fire.
“All of the flames were coming out of the top part of the barn, so the animals were trying to get away from it. They just got really scared and ran inside. That’s where they thought they’d be protected from the fire,” said Patrick O’Brien, a worker at the farm and son of the farm’s manager.
According to O’Brien and Coughlin, firemen and farm staff labored to get the animals to safety. Some of the sheep had scorched coats but all of the animals survived the fire. A veterinarian determined that each animal was healthy and would recover from the incident.
“We had to run into the smoke to drag them out and once you got one out two more would run in. You had to drag them out. They were all so nervous they didn’t know what to do. If there weren’t so many people here helping out I don’t know how we could have done it,” said O’Brien, giving credit to the fire department for containing the fire and saving the animals under intense conditions.
While the animals thought they were running to shelter, in reality they were running right to the fire’s core. According Coughlin, the fire started in the center of the ground floor, right near the livestock’s watering tank. The tank’s heater, which is kept on through the winter to prevent the water from freezing during the frigid months, appears to have been the cause of the fire. At this point investigators aren’t certain if the fire was caused by a malfunction of the heating unit or by an animal accidentally bumping the unit, bringing it in contact with a combustible material.
Whatever the exact cause of the fire, the scene that ensued was, according to Coughlin’s accounts, “quite chaotic.”
The blustery winds, dry air and below freezing temperatures, fed the fire that was kindled by bales of dried hay.
“The water was freezing and the wind was blowing towards the direction of [Smith] Barn. We were very concerned about the fire’s proximity to all the historic properties and to the orchards,” said Coughlin, “We were dousing the structure even after the fire was out. Keeping that fire contained was a huge priority for us.”
The result of the fire has been devastating to farm manager James O’Brien. He says that in addition to creating a financial burden, the animals that were in and near the fire are dealing with the trauma of the incident and the stress of losing their home.
Farm managers Bill Clark of Clark’s Farm in Danvers and Al Craig, general manager of the Topsfield Fairgrounds, have both offered areas in their barns for the displaced animals.
“We’ve all been through stuff like this and there are so few of us around anymore. We really need to stick together and lend our support,” said Clark of the brotherhood of farm managers.
For now, O’Brien says he is going to do what he can to keep all of the animals together.
“Animals really need consistency. It might get crowded but I think it’s better for their well-being if they are all kept together and all kept on site,” said O’Brien. For the past few nights the animals have called a greenhouse, about 500 yards from the site of the fire, home. O’Brien is considering moving the sheep to another barn on the property, which he thinks will be best option for the distressed animals.
“We just want to make sure that the animals are well-taken care of while we figure things out. As bad of a day that I had [on Sunday] those animals had a worse one.”
Brooksby Farm is a 250-acre working apple orchard and conservation area that houses four historic structures. The Nathaniel Felton Sr. House was built in 1644 and is the oldest standing structure in Peabody. The Nathaniel Felton Jr. House was built in 1683, the Firehouse Museum was built in 1875, and the Smith Barn was built in 1906.




Brooksby’s Historic Buildings

Brooksby Farm is a two hundred fifty acre working apple orchard and conservation area that houses four of Peabody’s historic structures.

1644: Nathaniel Felton Sr. House; The oldest standing structure in Peabody
1683: Nathaniel Felton Jr. House
1875: The Firehouse Museum at Brooksby Farm
1906: Smith Barn

Danvers woman pleads not guilty to charges in Peabody man's death

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY—A Danvers woman has plead not-guilty to charges which may link her to the death of 67-year-old 9 Beacon Street resident Gerald Harris.
Around 4:45 Saturday evening Harris went outside to back his car into his driveway in anticipation of Saturday night’s storm. At 4:52 p.m. a neighbor allegedly witnessed 46-year-old Rhonda Christ leave her parent’s Wagner Street home and back up “at a high rate of speed,” in her 2002 Toyota Camry, crossing over Beacon Street where the two streets intersect. The neighbor reported hearing a loud bang and saw Christ’s Camry back up Wagner Street without stopping.
Police say that Christ backed into Harris’ Chevy Monte Carlo, causing such a strong impact that it forced the parked car backwards ramming it into a light pole, which broke in half due to the force of the collision. According to her written testimony, Christ was aware she had hit something but had no idea that Harris was sitting in the front seat of the car.
Written reports say that neighbors came to Harris’ aid and called his wife, who had been in the shower when the accident occurred, out of their home. Harris, who appeared to have died after experiencing cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital, told his wife he was having trouble breathing. Doctors at Salem Hospital say they tried to save Harris “for at least 40 minutes.” What caused Harris’ cardiac arrest is still undetermined. Police say an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
Police reports say that Christ arrived at Peabody Police Station around 7 p.m. with her sister. After being read her Miranda rights Christ admitted to feeling “like she hit a vehicle” after backing up into Beacon Street, but said that she did not think she had done damage to the Monte Carlo and did not notice Harris sitting in the front seat. According to police records, a lethargic Christ, who appeared to have been crying, said she was in a hurry due to a license restriction, which only allows her to drive between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Christ said she had not been drinking but was fighting a cold and had taken cold and anti-anxiety medication around 3 a.m. that morning.
Christ, a Peabody High School graduate, has a spotty driving record dating back to 1987. Her record includes numerous speeding tickets, two drunk-driving charges and illegal possession of prescription drugs. Most recently Christ lost her driver’s license after a drunk driving charge that occurred in Salem in December of 2004. Her license was reinstated last July.
Christ is being held on $25,000 cash bail and is due back in court on March 8.

Class memento returned decades later

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY—If it wasn’t for her grandson’s girlfriend, Donna Saxonis might have never remembered the ring in her jewelry box. Found 36 years ago while she and her aunt were walking on Lynn Beach, Saxonis put the ring in her jewelry box, with the idea that she would return it to its rightful owner, and never thought about it again. That is until her six-year-old grandson, Michael, found it a few weeks ago.
“He was poking through my jewelry box and asked me if he could give the ring to his girlfriend. I couldn’t believe I’d had it all that time,” said Saxonis.
The cosmetology teacher, who has taught at PVMHS for the past two years, took a look at ring, which had been worn down over the years it laid in the sand, and saw that it was a Peabody High School ring. It also had a few clues connecting it to its owner. The small women’s ring had three initials inscribed in the band: MAK, as well as the year 1954.
“I brought it with me to school the next day and the school librarian helped me find the yearbook. Right away there were only two girls to choose from: Margaret A. Kelly and Mary A. Karolides,” Saxonis said she prayed the ring belonged to Karolides. “Do you have any idea how many Kellys there are in the phone book? I figured I’d better start with Mary.”
As it turned out, both Saxonis and Karolides were in luck. Saxonis found Karolides’ daughter, Maura Smith, through her mother’s relatives and, according to Smith, helped close a long-open door in her mother’s past.
“My mother used to talk about the ring and how she always regretted losing it,” said Smith, who described her mother as very intelligent and very involved in her school and in the community. “It was part of her school history and I think it was hard for her to not have it anymore. Both me and my sister remember her talking about the ring and how sad she was to have lost it.”
Karolides, who married her high school sweetheart and is now Mary Maguire, was an honor student, class secretary and a member of eleven sports and clubs at Peabody High School. The 68-year-old grandmother of five looks back on those days as some of the best days of her life.
“I have such, such good memories,” said Maguire, who now lives at the Sunrise assisted living facility and said she is delighted to be reunited with her ring. “I can’t believe I have it back… It feels good.”
According to both Smith and Maguire, it’s little surprise to them that the ring was found on the beach. Maguire said she loved to hang out on the beach both during high school and when her children were young.
“I remember the boys all lined up in groups, standing on the beach,” said Maguire smiling. When her daughter asked if she liked to check out the boys Maguire, still whip-smart, cleverly responded, “I let them check me out… please write that I said that in ‘all modesty.’”
Both Maguire and Smith are delighted to have a token of a vibrant past back in their possession and Maguire says having it brings back a rush of memories. As for Saxonis, she is thrilled to know that the ring is back where it belongs.
“Those hands have been waiting years to wear that ring again. I’m so glad I was able to return it to her. I only wish I had found it sooner.”

Newspaper project leaves an imprint on class

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY—After almost twelve years of lying dormant, the school newspaper has been resurrected at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School by Nanette Farrell’s journalism class.
“I think there was a real need for a newspaper. It allows people to see the school through the eyes of other people and I think it might give them a more dimensional look,” said senior Ross Liberti, who got on staff through Farrell’s class.
“The Tanner” first went to press in 1968 and was printed twice a year in the high school’s print shop until September of 1978, when the shop was phased out due to budget cuts. Over the course of the next 17 years the paper came in and out of being, mainly due to budget cuts, until it was completely phased out of existence in 1994.
The paper, which is 100 percent written by students in Farrell’s class, was redubbed “The Tanner Times” for its inaugural issue, which hit the hallways on January 20. Farrell said the students chose the new name both to give the paper a more newsy feel and to breathe new life into a paper both students and teachers felt had a run of bad luck.
Farrell and her students all thought it was necessary to have a place for students to both express themselves in a written forum and to write for an audience.
“I thought it was really a shame that a school of almost 2000 students didn’t have a newspaper. Having a newspaper is a basic indicator of whether you have a student voice,” said Farrell.
The paper was born out of Farrell’s journalism class, which is offered as an elective to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Farrell presented the students with it as a project, where the class planned content and designed a proposed layout for the eight-page paper. They spent the semester developing stories and Farrell edited their work and produced the final product.
“I did it all on the cheap,” said Farrell who solicited a friend’s help to layout the paper in its newsletter-style format. “I probably worked about 20 hours typing in, editing and flowing in the articles and I got a lot of help from the other teachers, specifically Michaelene Hauge, Lawrie Bertram and Bill Toscano.”
Farrell said she is grateful for all the help she received but hopes that the future might provide more resources for the students.
“There were definitely challenges. Looking back there was a time when there was a print shop; there was a time when the school had a relationships with newspapers and printers so that the kids could learn not just about the writing but they could explore this as an actual career choice. I’m hoping that with help of the community maybe we can bring the paper up to that level again,” said Farrell.
As for her students, they see the paper continuing long after they have left the halls of PVMHS.
“I can definitely see it growing and I think that, as it get bigger, there will be more opportunity to write about a variety of things,” said Liberti.
In the meantime, senior Evan Coltin is happy to use the paper as a way of exploring the world of journalism. Coltin, whose style leans towards editorial writing, said that through the newspaper project he became more aware of what engages him as a reader.
“I tried to give my articles a good hook in the beginning and I tried to make them humorous. I love humor and anything that has to do with humor and I tried to incorporate that in my writing,” said Coltin. “My humor ranges from fart jokes to sophisticated humor and I ultimately hope to use both in my writing.”
Both Coltin and Liberti enjoyed being able to read the perspectives of their classmates and to explore a new and challenging ways of expressing themselves.
“It was a challenge to write non-fiction. I usually write fiction but when you write non-fiction you learn more factually. Non-fiction comes from outside in, while fiction is from the inside out,” said Liberti. “It would have been great to have been able to work on the paper for longer. I think it has a lot of possibilities.”
As for Farrell, she agrees with her students that the potential of the paper has yet to be fully realized. But, as a one-woman editing and production dynamo, she says that right now she is taking “baby steps.”
“I try to remind myself that it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. It’s not about crossing the finish line and – you don’t do a full sprint as soon as you get out there – but with some work we’ll get there.”

City warms up to weatherization plan

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY—Things are warming up at 35 Herrick Road. After 54 years of living in her ranch-style home, Lorraine Lupezwicz’s house is getting a face-lift thanks to the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).
“It’s like those [reality] shows. Only my house is getting the make-over,” joked
Lupezwicz as she watched workers, take measurements to fit new windows to her family room, pump new insulation into the walls and replace an old oil heater in her basement.
“Oh, it’s just wonderful. It already feels warmer,” said the 81-year-old West Peabody resident.
Lupezwicz learned about the program when her oil burner failed earlier this winter. She said was already receiving monthly assistance to help pay for heating bills and called the North Shore Community Action Program (NSCAP) to find out of there was assistance for replacing her burner. What she found out was that the program could do so much more for her.
Lupezwicz is one of 83 Peabody residents to benefit from WAP, a program designed to help lower-income residents conserve and save heat. The program was created in 1976 by the Department of Energy to assist families who lacked the resources to invest in energy efficiency. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), estimates that it has provided weatherization assistance to over 160,000 homes in Massachusetts over the last 30 years.
“It is an important program that has had an enormous and fully measurable impact,” said Kenneth Rauseo, Deputy Director for Energy Programs at the DHCD. This year Massachusetts plans to offer assistance to 3,000 Massachusetts homes by the end of March. Rauseo estimates the project will save each home $414 in energy costs in the first year alone, totaling $1,242,000 in first-year energy costs statewide.
“That is just first year savings. We estimate that change will be affective for at least 20 years, so really what we are looking at is almost $2.5 billion worth of savings,” said Rauseo, who says that 70 percent of the people served by the program are elderly or handicapped.
Lupezwicz said that over the past few years, rising energy costs were making it difficult for her to stay in the home in which she had raised her two daughters in and had lived in for over half a century. She had made efforts to conserve, keeping her heat at 68 degrees, pulling shades at night and covering drafty windows and doors with blankets. The independent West Peabody resident said she had even looked into moving to an assisted living facility, hoping it would offer a less expensive living option, but Lupezwicz, who depends on Social Security, found that moving wasn’t an option she could afford on her fixed income.
The total cost to refit Lupezwicz’s home is $8,000, $1,500 of which was donated by Peabody Municipal Light Plant. If she lives in the home for an entire calendar year she will not have to repay the any of it. According to Congressman John Tierney and Mayor Michael Bonfanti, every penny spent on the project is money well spent.
“The beauty of this [program] is that it pays back every year. In the long run [the state] will actually be saving money on assistance and energy costs,” said Tierney, who was on hand for the event. The congressman says he is lobbying for more funding for the project, which has a “lengthy” waiting list.
“What we see is that there is a huge increase in evictions in winter months. People have to choose between rent and heat or heat and food. It comes down to whether people can afford to live,” said Tierney.
According to Lupezwicz, the ability to stay in her home is a “dream come true” and one that she worried would not be a reality for her, due to high energy costs.
“For a while I didn’t know what I was going to do. This is just marvelous. I don’t think people know that there is that much help out there,” said Lupezwicz.
The program is available through NSCAP to low-income residents, with priority for elderly, disabled and homes with children under the age of six. It is available to both homeowners and tenants with landlord approval. For more information or to find out if you are eligible for the fuel assistance or weatherization programs, visit www.northshorecap.org/fuelassist.htm or call (978) 531-0767 ext. 136.

Governor's new plan leaves district underwhelmed

By Janelle Randazza


PEABODY—Under a plan that would increase state aid to Massachusetts’ school districts by $164 million, Peabody will see a $432,161, or two percent increase—a number that is leaving Peabody administrators stunned and chagrined.
“I was absolutely disappointed when I heard the amount of funding Peabody would be receiving. Gov. Romney talked about it in terms of income levels and communities in need. Peabody is a good middle class community. It is not a wealthy community; it needs help from the state,” said Superintendent of Schools Nadine Binkley, who says she was hopeful at first but very disappointed when she saw the final numbers.
The plan, unveiled last week by Gov. Mitt Romney, is part of an education-funding overhaul, which would be the first major change to the state-aid formula since 1993. Romney's $25.2 billion fiscal 2007 budget proposal, also calls for money for laptop computers for students, teacher merit pay and extended school days, and offers a general increase in Chapter 70 funds, a state aid funding plan, which favors communities that face increasing enrollment. According to the state Department of Education, enrollment in Peabody schools has stayed fairly consistent over the past five years, with the greatest increase shown from 2000-2001, where the district showed an increase of 124 students.
Under Romney’s plan, Topsfield is the funding winner in Essex County, with a 37 percent increase in state school aid. Lynnfield came in fourth in the area with a 15 percent increase, just after Middleton’s 19 percent and Georgetown’s 16 percent gain.
According to Roger Hatch, DOE school finance programs administrator, Romney’s plan will bring about equity between school districts and it will correct a long-standing problem for districts that had high property taxes but low income levels, such as seacoast communities on Cape Cod.
“Since fiscal year 04, there was no measure of ability to pay in the formula, and that is what the general public rightfully expects… There should be some reflection in the formula for a community to be able to fund its schools,” said Hatch.
Mayor Michael Bonfanti worries that state administration isn’t looking at the big-picture. With Peabody responsible for a $777,000 increase in retired teacher health cost this year, in addition to last year’s $600,000 increase—and trying to remain competitive employer in a state that pays teachers well above the national average—Peabody’s expenses are growing yet its funding remain almost flush to previous years.
“I understand the population and total increase, but it seems the blue-collars are getting the short-end of this. I keep hearing from the administration that they want to improve on education but the funding doesn’t seem to be there,” said Bonfanti.
Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, thinks that Romney’s plan, while imperfect, makes an important first step in getting Massachusetts state funding back on track.
In 2002 the Commonwealth provided 41 percent of funding to school districts while today it only gives 36.6 percent. Beckwith makes the point that even with Romney’s proposed $164 million increase in state aid a majority of school districts will still receive less education aid than they did in 2002. The reason being that in 2002 Massachusetts experienced some of the deepest cuts in education funding in the country, cutting per-pupil support for K-12 education by more than 14 percent, more than any other state in the country, between fiscal 2002 and 2004.
“The Commonwealth was one of only four states that reduced education aid during that time. Communities are still struggling under a massive withdrawal of state aid and… there have been consistent problems with the funding formula. Adjust the number for added cost and inflation and cities are going to be receiving less than funding than they did five-years ago,” said Beckwith.
Yet with Peabody still working to increase student achievement levels and meet adequate Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements, some question who will pick up the difference as Peabody tries to move forward. In addition, the two percent increase in state aid will leave the district short of the three percent contractual increase in teacher salaries; the 14 percent increase in health insurance and increased energy costs.
“We have goals we need to meet and we know we can bring this around but it takes resources to do that,” said Binkley, who worries that the district will not have the funds to sustain the kinds of programs it needs.
“We have miles to go before we can declare success in dealing with the whole issue of state aid. People need to see Chapter 70 in that context and everyone needs to see the budget debate this year as an important first step. This is not crossing the finish line; instead it’s at the starting line of where we need to be,” said Beckwith.
Bonfanti worries about a district suffering in the meantime and property taxes rising to such a level that life-long residents will need to move.
“If property tax is the only way to raise revenue and the state doesn’t give the funding you are used to, then what more can you do? You have to provide for your kids,” said Bonfanti. “I just think it’s ironic that Peabody and other districts should have to pay to give towns like Topsfield and Lynnfield a break. This money is coming from the state, so we are all paying into it.”

Low speed chase ends in Beverly

By Janelle Randazza

LYNNFIELD/PEABODY—A former Peabody man lead police on a “low speed chase” through several North Shore communities along route 128 before being pulled over and arrested at gun-point in Beverly on Monday.
Bret Schettino, 23, who now resides in Danvers, was arrested by state troopers just before the Grapevine Road exit in Beverly at 10:30 a.m. on Monday. The chase started in Lynnfield along route 128 North. Schettino, had crashed into a Jersey barrier and was broken down in the median with a flat tire. Police say Schettino fled the scene when a Lynnfield cruiser went to assist him.
The Danvers man, who was driving his grandfather’s Buick sedan, led police on a low-speed chase along 128 North while driving on a blown out left front tire. The “low speed chase” got as high as 60 miles per hour and as low at 30 miles per hour. According to State Police Sergeant Byron Rizos, the man burned through the tire, the rim and the router until just the frame remained on the left front side.
“Once you pick up a speed like that, if you maintain a little bit of speed, the car will continue to march,” said Rizos.
According to Rizos, Lynnfield police chased Schettino into Danvers where state police waited for the man. State trooper Michael Gondella pursued Schettino into Beverly with the assistance of Peabody and Beverly police. Rizo says that the low speed actually posed unexpected challenges for troopers.
“He was driving on his frame, so that was kicking up debris and he was sometimes driving under the speed limit, so we were trying to hold up traffic so that we could pull him over,” said Rizos.
It was when Schettino’s speed dropped to 30 miles per hour that police were able to surround him, forcing him to pull over right before exit 17.
Schettino, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs, was pulled out of his car at gunpoint, where police found a “small amount of marijuana.” Schettino was arrested and is being charged with operating while under the influence of drugs, marked lanes violations, driving to endanger, not stopping for an officer, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest.
Schettino was taken to Beverly hospital after his arrest for evaluation. He will be arraigned at Salem District Court.

Water heater problems put a damper on schools accredidation status

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY—Students were thrilled to get an unexpected day off last week when they were sent home shortly after first period, after a plumbing problem forced administrators to cancel classes and shut down the school last Thursday.
“I’m going out for breakfast!” said Junior Lisa Ferrairo as she waited for her ride to pick her up.
An electric hot water heater malfunctioned sometime Wednesday night, forcing hot water into cold water pipes, affecting the entire school. According to Superintendent of Schools Nadine Binkley and Mayor Michael Bonfanti, a series of minor electrical issues resulted in two switches being frozen in an “on position,” which rerouted the hot water’s path, forcing hot water into the school’s cold water pipes.
The problem was found when someone flushed a toilet and could see steam rising from it.
“I will say this, the high school now has the cleanest toilets in town,” joked Binkley, who said that she was not sure if the person was a student or staff but that the issue was looked into immediately. Students and staff were notified over the PA not to use any water. Walkers and students who had their own vehicles were asked to clear the parking lot for buses at 8:30 and the lot was cleared by 9:50 a.m. By 9:15 a.m. all students were evacuated from the school. According to district business manager Michael Musto, the cost of the damage was about $10,000, which included replacing areas of the ceiling that sustained water damage.
There were no serious injuries reported from the incident, but one teacher who had a history of asthma suffered an attack due to the steam and a custodian suffered a burn as he was trying to fix the problem.
According to staff and students, the incident couldn’t have happened at a better time.
“We just finished mid-terms yesterday. I’m going to go home and go to sleep,” said junior Alyssa Manoogian.
Sophomore Michael Flynn said that he could have used a little more time to plan for the day off, “Now I don’t know what to do with myself,” he said, though his friend and fellow sophomore Justin Celley was certain they’d be able to find something to do with their free day.
“If it had to happen it was the best possible day to happen,” said Binkley, “It was the start of a new term. There was no work for the students to turn in, no projects, no tests. It was a clean slate… I didn’t see a lot of tears.”
Teachers were told that they were free to leave for the day but Binkley said that many stuck around to pitch in and help.
“We really work with an incredible staff. They were willing to lend a hand and do whatever was needed,” said Binkley who also lauded the custodial staff for helping to fix things.
“[Nick] Nicotoni, our director of maintenance, did an A-1 job. The custodial staff worked all day and into the night,” said Binkley, who pointed out that a custodian volunteered to stay over night to monitor the system.
Both Binkley and Bonfanti say that the hot water heater had nothing to do with the list of improvements the school needed to make in order to be taken off the accreditation “warning” list. Still, Bonfanti looked at the incident as an example of why the city needs a facilities manager.
“This is why I keep talking about a facilities manager. There were a lot of different people involved who are administered by a lot of different people. In a situation like this there needs to be one person accountable,” said Bonfanti.
Despite the need for numerous department managers to pitch in to fix and clean up the problem both Bonfanti and Binkley said that, with everyone pitching in, by Friday the hot water issue was resolved and it was business as usual.

PVMHS is taken off accreditation warning list

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY—After eight years of steady improvement, Peabody Veterans Memorial High School has shed the accreditation “warning” status, which has loomed over the school since 1998.
A January 12 letter sent to Principal Patrick Larkin from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) acknowledged the school’s “significant progress” in addressing cited deficiencies.
Some of the areas of improvement cited in the letter were the completion of all HVAC work; the hiring of a seventh guidance councilor; the installation of new windows and doors; and the receiving of numerous development grants, including the Smaller Learning Communities grant.
According to Ann L. Ashworth, Associate Director of NEASC, at any given time 125 out of the 650 districts the organization monitors can have at least one school in their district being watched for accreditation status. Facilities management and upkeep is one of the most prevalent reasons for a school to be in jeopardy, yet it can also be one of the most difficult things to improve upon.
“It can be difficult for districts to find the funds to improve facilities and it can be a challenge to coordinate the improvements, but it is important… Facilities certainly aren’t the only reason for a school to be on watch, but many times it is the main cause,” said Ashworth. According to Ashworth, when a school’s facilities aren’t up to the organization’s standards, it can hamper the faculty’s ability to implement curriculum.
The accomplishment was lauded at last week’s school committee meeting as a collaboration that could not have occurred without the teamwork of administrators, city workers, custodial staff and the teachers’ union.
“We had a strong team at the city level and a strong collaboration between city and school department. This was a situation where all of the players came together for the good of the high school and now we can feel confident that we have laid excellent groundwork for the students of Peabody,” said Mayor Michael Bonfanti.
“Our volunteer building committee met, unpaid, every Wednesday until the project was completed. They oversaw the entire HVAC installation project and made sure that systems were in place to ensure the project was completed on time and on budget,” said Bonfanti.
Bonfanti and Larkin praised both the custodians and the teachers for working tirelessly and for remaining positive during the $16 million renovation project. The ambitious project was also a fiscal triumph, coming in under the planned $17 million budget and saving the city, what district business manager Michael Musto estimates as being “five times that” to build a new high school.
“There was a lot of shuffling of classrooms and offices and the custodians worked over time to move and clean. This kind of work can’t be accomplished without the staff working like they did. They never complained about working in a less than optimal environment; they made the best of the situation at hand,” said Larkin praising his staff for their “consummate professionalism.”
“If the staff is not positive it runs over to the students. I never heard one word of complaint—and people should know that that had an incredible impact on the students’ learning” said Larkin.
NEASC is the nation’s oldest regional accrediting association. According to the NEASC website, accreditation relies on a voluntary, peer review process. Each relies on a 12- to 18-month self-study process, which takes place in “regular review cycles.” The areas if review are school effectiveness, improvement and public assurance. This process does not involve ranking institutions; instead it establishes a level of “acceptable quality” for all accredited institutions. The organization’s accreditation process was developed by and is facilitated by educators, a method that Larkin agrees with.
“It’s educators that are evaluating and giving your feedback on your school. Who would not want to hear that?” said Larkin, who said that the method is “a good look in the mirror.”
“I actually think it’s a great opportunity to improve. You don’t improve because you have to; you do it because you want to make your school a better one. We have a lot of great things here but things can always be better and this gives us an opportunity to make an honest assessment of where we are at so that we can better move forward,” said Larkin.
Larkin says that while being taken off the warning list is an accomplishment and a relief for the ciy, it does not mean that the school should rest on its laurels. The school will be revisited in 2008 for NEASC’s routine reevaluation and for progress assessment. Larkin says that he looks at the reevaluation as an opportunity and a motivator to continue with an improvement plan that will keep Peabody ahead of the curve.
“We are going to be so far ahead of the game in 08, because we are constantly working to improve so many of the standards they are looking at,” Larkin.
Some of the improvements that he is most excited about have to do with the school’s Smaller Learning Communities grant, a grant which he feels will truly reshape teaching at the high school and one he credits teachers and departments heads for acquiring.
“We got the grant because we had so many people in the building that worked over-time with only the students in mind. It was a monumental effort to get the grant,” said Larkin, who pointed out that PVMHS was the only school in New England last year to be a recipient of the prestigious grant.
“The teachers were willing to do the hard work, which they do every day. As a principal, it’s exciting to be involved in a school district like this,” said Larkin. “It was a lot of work to go through but if you improve for the right reasons, you will have a school that is better for the students overall.”

Peabody man shoots estranged wife

By Janelle Randazza


PEABODY--William Brady, the man suspected of shooting his estranged wife in the neck and hog-tying her teenage son in their 5 Spinale Road home, is being held without bail.
A Peabody District Court judge deemed the Danvers man, who prior to the January 14 incident had previous run-ins with the law dating back to 1958, a danger to society.
The 68-year-old Brady will be facing charges of breaking and entering, kidnapping and assault with a dangerous weapon and could be facing a minimum of 20 years on kidnapping charges alone. Brady has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to reports, Brady and his estranged wife, Rita Greene-Brady had a rocky four-years of marriage, where Brady frequently suspected the tall blonde of infidelities and, during their separation, began to resent Greene-Brady, suspecting she had married him for his money. The couple’s divorce, which was scheduled to be finalized on December 2, 2004, but which Brady contested, would have left Greene with ownership of a home they shared, which Brady signed over to her for the sum of $1 during their marriage. It also would have left Brady with possible debt from a malpractice suit that Greene-Brady had been involved in prior to their marriage.
Evidence presented by the prosecution indicated that Brady had a history of violence, with over 19 charges ranging from armed robbery to attempted murder occurring from 1956 to 1991, and a 1993 retraining order requested by an ex-wife and daughter from a previous marriage where Brady was asked to “refrain from abuse.”
According to a testimony given by Greene-Brady’s teenage son, Jeffery Greene, the boy arrived home at approximately 7:30 p.m. on January 14 to find that Brady had broken into the Spinale Road home through a rear window. The Danvers man, who was described as wearing pink rubber gloves, assured the boy that he “loved” him and that he was there to kill Greene-Brady’s present boyfriend. Brady also allegedly told the boy that he had murdered one of Greene-Brady’s past boyfriends and that he had buried the body somewhere the police would never find it. According to Greene’s testimony, Brady said he was going “crazy” over Greene-Brady’s cheating and his plan for the evening was to first kill Greene-Brady’s boyfriend and then kill himself.
After 10 minutes, Greene-Brady reportedly returned home to find Brady in her home and Greene hog-tied in the living room. According to the boy Brady and Greene-Brady began arguing and after two shots were fired Greene began screaming that she was hurt. The boy’s testimony said that, despite Greene-Brady’s profuse bleeding, Brady told her that it was impossible that she was hit and that he was firing blanks but that he had real rounds with him. He then reportedly took the keys to Greene-Brady’s car and forced her to drive him to an area on Margin Street near Bishop Fenwick High School where Brady allegedly “ran off.” His 2004 Ford Focus was found in Lynn three days after the Spinale Road incident, with bloodstained pink rubber gloves on the driver’s side floor. Brady later turned himself in to Swampscott police on January 18. He had $7586 on his person when he was taken into custody.
According to records, the couple was married on April 23, 2001 but Greene-Brady reported that Brady had a “history of violence” and “assaultive behavior involving firearms” during the course of their marriage. The Spinale Road woman requested a restraining order against Brady on December 5, 2005 after he entered her home, arguing about “the whole cheating thing.” According to Greene-Brady, Brady said he had a gun with him that day and had previously threatened her in the past.
Judge Santo Ruma ordered Brady held in the Essex House of Correction in Middleton. He is scheduled to return to court March 1.

International students come together for a common cause

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY—They are from the Ukraine, Albania, Greece, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Vietnam and many other countries. They walk among the students at PVMHS, yet their high school experience can be very different from other American high school students.
“Sometimes, because we don’t speak English so well, we feel like we are not really a part of anything. It can be hard,” said Junior, Ludyana Soares, whose family emigrated from Brazil 2-1/2 years ago.
Soares is one of 76 PVMHS students, who represent over 24 different countries in PVMHS’s English Language Learners Club.
Started at the beginning of December, from the first meeting the group was eager to use the club as a way to make an impact on the community. The ELL club held their first meeting on December 9 when their advisor, Patricia Asimacos, suggested the students organize a Christmas clothing drive for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. The students enthusiastically tackled their first project and within three days the club had gathered 10 trash bags full of clothes.
“I went home and asked everyone I knew for clothes! My family thought I was crazy,” laughed Freshman Miguel Pena, who came to Peabody from the Dominican Republic 4-1/2 years ago.
Pena’s enthusiasm for helping others is typical of the student in the ELL Club, but their reasoning is atypical of many American high school students. Many of the students said that they were particularly inspired by this project because of their own personal experiences.
“Where I come from they don’t have enough money for food. Life is very hard in the Dominican Republic. Children are sick or hungry and some of them barely even have clothes to wear. You can feel like there isn’t anyone there for you… like there is no one there to help you,” said Pena.
Asimacos says that these students, many of whom struggle with English language skills, were looking for a way to be a part of a community that sometimes might be a difficult fit for them.
“A lot of these kids come from families who don’t have a lot; they have to work in addition to school—not just to buy music or clothes, but because their families need that extra income… A lot of them also have to care for younger brothers and sisters in addition to working and going to school,” said Asimacos, adding that some of the students struggle with school attendance because of home obligations. These obligations make it difficult for them to engage in the regular extra-curricular activities that enrich a student’s high school experience. Additionally, language barriers inhibit these students, making them feel less confident to be leaders in the school.
“I wasn’t involved in any of the school clubs—but I wanted to [be],” said junior Nelli Kurochka, who moved to Peabody from the Ukraine a year and a half ago. Kurochka said she was looking for a way to be involved in the community but her language struggles made her too shy to join other clubs.
“These kids really want to be involved. This is a way for them to feel more a part of a community, not just in school but in the city they live in,” said Asimacos.
For their outstanding efforts, the students were awarded a president’s award from United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Hope Moore, the organization’s aptly named Director of Development, presented the award.
“These students have shown such character and genuine caring. It’s very special and very touching,” said Moore.
The students were equally touched to receive the award. Soares says that receiving the award was one of the best gifts she’s ever received.
“I don’t have words to describe it,” said the junior.
The students all agreed that helping in the community is the best way to be a part of it and they look forward to doing more community service with the group. Another clothing drive is already being planned for the spring.
“Just you wait. Last time we only had a week to get clothes. This time we have months to get them!” said Pena.
To Pena and the others, motivation to help others comes easily, “We may not have the same mother or father but we are family.”

A network of help

Townonline and North Shore Weekly
September 9, 2005

By Janelle Randazza
Correspondent


Plans to transplant thousands left homeless by Hurricane Katrina to states that have offered them shelter have been put on hold by federal officials, but North Shore residents are ready, willing and able to offer their homes and support to displaced Gulf Coast residents should the need arise. And they're using the Internet to get the word out.
Craigslist.org has over 275 postings from Massachusetts residents offering free housing to displaced Gulf Coast residents, including one from Vincent Deno, an electrical engineer from Gloucester.
"I wanted to give something tangible," he says. "I wanted to know where my offer was going and I didn't want 30 per cent or whatever to go towards 'administrative costs' - I wanted to make sure what I gave went to the right people."
Last week Deno called radio stations, television stations and finally Gov. Mitt Romney's office to see what was being done to help people trapped in their homes or left to endure sordid living conditions in New Orleans' Superdome.
"I just felt totally helpless. It seemed like the logical thing to do," he says. "I just remember thinking how we aren't sending folks down to help those people.'"
So Deno began calling shelters and hotels to offer the extra bedroom in his home to anyone who might need it and posted his housing offer on Craigslist. So far Deno hasn't had any takers, but says that the offer will stand for as long as there is a need.
HurricaneHousing.org, a branch of MoveOn.org Civic Action, is being endorsed by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who says the response has been "incredibly heartening."
On Sept. 7, the HurricaneHousing.org Web site listed 1,131 offers for shelter in Massachusetts alone.
Serena Howard and her husband founded Openyourhome.org to find housing for a few Arkansas-area residents, but saw that the response was almost as great as the need. Based out of their home in Fayetteville, Ark., Openyourhome.org places an individual or a family with people who will provide not only shelter but who will be a good, supportive match, just as they have done in the past for foreign exchange students. According to Howard, the response has been overwhelming.
"Everyone across the country feels the same way we did here and everyone wants to help," says Howard. Openyourhome.org has thousands of applicants eager to provide to help; while she is unsure of the number of people offering shelter in Massachusetts, she believes there are hundreds from the New England region.
Howard says that to help is simple: "These people just want to know that somebody cares and to be assured that everything is going to be OK. Our only vision is to offer something as straightforward as that and to help out as many people as we possibly can."
Rosemary Fiori, a single mother of two in Georgetown, has posted her guest bedroom on different Web sites and is eager to help whomever stays with her get back on their feet. Fiori knows what it is like to open her home to someone in need. She has volunteered with the Fresh Air Fund for the past 10 years.
"When you stand in a parking lot and meet someone that has been bused to your area and needs to call someplace new their home, it becomes a leap of faith on both your parts, but I can't tell you how rewarding it is," she says.
Fiori counts herself fortunate to have the extra space to offer, but doesn't discount those who can only give in smaller ways.
"You don't have to be Curt Schilling to help. This is a way for communities to share and help each other help others. We need to let these people know that they don't just have a bed, they have a community, for however long they have to stay."
Hurricane housing
For more information on how to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina find housing, visit the following Web sites:
neworleans.craigslist.org
jackson.craigslist.org
Openyourhome.com
Hurricanehousing.org
Homeflood.org
KatrinaHousing.org

Iconic Gloucester church celebrates its 200th anniversary

Gloucester Daily Times
September 16, 2005

By Janelle Randazza
Times Correspondent


The church that was instrumental in the separation of church and state and a strident voice in both women' rights and the abolitionist movement will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its historic meetinghouse Sunday.

Sept. 18 will mark the launch of a yearlong celebration, commemorating the historic Unitarian Meeting House on Middle Street. Organizers say the celebration is designed to honor one of Gloucester's most important architectural structures as well as commemorate the rich significance of Gloucester's Universalist congregation in America's religious and political history.

Formally and officially known as the Independent Christian Church Unitarian Universalist, the Universalist Church Meeting House is the home of the first Universalist Church congregation in America.

"The Independent Christian Church, Universalist, of Gloucester occupies a unique position in both the religious and political history of the United States," says John Hurley, director of information at the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston.

When Gloucester residents formed the Universalist Church in 1779 under Rev. John Murray, followers refused to pay taxes to support the established church — which they did not attend — then known as the First Parish. The case was taken to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and in 1786 it was ruled that citizens of the commonwealth were not obligated to pay taxes to support churches they did not attend. The decision set a precedent for the separation of church and state and played an important role in the framing of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

"This courageous stand of the early Gloucester Universalists helped create the notion of church-state separation and led to the vibrant religious pluralism that is a characteristic of our country today," says Hurley.

"The Universalist Church is based on thought, questioning and discussion," says Wendy Fitting, who has been pastor at the church for the past 16 years. "In Gloucester there is an acceptance of thoughts, beliefs and individuality that you would never see elsewhere in a city this size."

Fitting says she would like to think the long history of independent thought fostered by the founding Universalists has played a part in Gloucester's independent spirit.

"In Universalism there is no hell; all souls are ultimately saved," she says. This belief has historically stressed an individual's responsibility to use their talents to their greatest ability and to the greatest good of their community.

Judith Sargent Murray was one of the founding members of Gloucester's Universalist movement and was renowned for her work as a published writer, a supporter of her church and as an advocate for gender equality.

"Judith's work for female equality was completely tied to her Universalist beliefs; her faith completely permeated her life," says Bonnie Hurd Smith, director of the Judith Sargent Murray Society and co-chair of the Unitarian Universalist Women's Heritage Society. "Universalism informed her thoughts and her actions and she found that writing was one way in which she could have her voice heard."

Married to Rev. John Murray for 27 years, Sargent Murray used her writings to promote the ideals of the Universalist faith.

In addition, the Universalist church was a strong supporter of the abolitionist movement. Rev. Murray went to Congress to voice his opposition of slavery and Gloucester's congregation was one of the first organized institutions to condemn slavery. In 1785, Gloster Dalton, a free black man, was one of 85 charter signatories of the Gloucester Universalist Society.

"The Unitarian Church has always been one that is for all of the community; it is part of our history but it's also what we stand for now," Fitting says.

Fitting says she looks forward to the anniversary as being a welcoming celebration of the church's liberating beliefs and says the church has many discussions and lectures planned for the coming year. Most notably she looks forward to a discussion planned for January on the separation of church and state.

"It will be a very important discussion," she says. "People are feeling that basic right is being challenged right now."

Despite Universalism's importance in Gloucester's history, Fitting's hope for the anniversary celebration is simple:

"We want everyone to feel welcome and to know that this is 'Gloucester's church', but our main goal with this celebration is to just have fun."

Breakout

The Rev. Wendy Fitting leads a special worship Sunday at the Independent Christian Church, Unitarian Universalist, in Gloucester, celebrating 200 years since the laying of the church building's cornerstone in September 1805. The ICC is located at the corner of Church and Middle Streets; all are welcome to attend. Worship begins at 10 a.m. David Bergeron, choir director and organist, has composed an original hymn for the occasion. Gordon Baird will inaugurate a "moment in Universalist history" which will be featured each week over the coming year. A program of celebration and brunch follows the worship service; all are welcome. Official proclamations will be presented by Gloucester Mayor John Bell, state Rep. Tony Verga, and state Sen. Bruce Tarr.

New book brings together the pieces of the Can Do puzzle

Gloucester Daily Times
September 6, 2005

By Janelle Randazza
Times Correspondent


In the Blizzard of '78, skipper Frank Quirk and a crew of four friends, Don Wilkinson, Charlie Bucko, Norman David Curley and Kenny Fuller, boarded the Gloucester pilot boat the Can Do, heading toward Salem to assist the crews of both a stranded oil tanker and its Coast Guard rescuers.

As the storm wrapped its claws around the coast, Quirk and his crew battled 30-to-40-foot seas, winds gusting above 75 knots and frigid temperatures. Throughout the night, Quirk radioed back to the Coast Guard station; his last transmission arrived faintly at 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, 1978. The oil tanker and Coast Guard rescue boat survived but the Can Do and all five of its crewmen were lost.

Over the decades, the story of what led the Can Do crew into the heart of such a vicious storm was twisted by speculation. The truth lay in desperate journal entries, broken hearts and somber memories. It took 25 years and Massachusetts author Michael Tougias to bring the scattered pieces of the puzzle together.

Tougias' new book, "Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do," chronicles the vessel's fated rescue mission and looks into the lives of those left behind by the tragedy.

Tougias stumbled upon the story of the Can Do while collecting material for his 2002 book, "The Blizzard of 78." The small newspaper article included astounding excerpts of recorded exchanges between the Coast Guard and the Can Do during its final hours.

"When I read the story and saw how they quoted the captain from his radio messages it hit me that there might be more recordings somewhere," he said. Intrigued, Tougias contacted Quirk's son, Frank Quirk III.

Just two days earlier, Frank Quirk III and his daughter had begun researching authors in the hope they could convince one to write their father's story. When the call came from Tougias, the 47-year-old Peabody resident was astonished.

"I had been waiting for that call for 25 years," Quirk said. "It was like my dad said, 'OK, it's time to tell the story'. There were so many different versions about what happened that day and why they went out; we really just wanted to set the record straight and we really wanted people to know the kind of guy my father was."

Quirk and his sister, Maureen Oullette, 49, knew the minute they met Tougias that the right author for their father's story had found them.

"Mike was just so interested in knowing every detail. We knew if anyone was going to get the whole story out there it would be him," said Oullette.

They sent Tougias off from their first meeting with a recording of the transmission between their father and the Coast Guard, which the author listened to on his drive home.

"When I listened to the tape I just got goosebumps," Tougias said. "I was in the car on Route 128 and had to pull over. I just thought, 'This is the book I've been searching for'. How often do we get to find out what it was like on a boat where all hands were lost? Without that tape the book wouldn't be the same. The heart of the book is that we know exactly what happened."

For two years Tougias, a 50-year-old Franklin resident, abandoned all other projects and immersed himself in every angle of the Can Do's story, listening to hours of tapes and interviewing more than 200 people. Over the two years it took Tougias to write the book, he found himself not just transported into the storm but absorbed into the minds of the loved ones the crew left behind.

Sharon (Watts) Fish, fiancée of Charlie Bucko, recalls people retreating into their grief after the Can Do crew was lost, each coping with the loss of the men alone. Fish looked at the writing of the book as a way to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

"Everyone was dealing with their own grief and no one really knew what everyone else was going through," she said. "For whatever reason we didn't reach out to each other, but we needed to."

Fish offered Tougias the journal she kept after Bucko's death.

"Sharon was a key person in the book," Tougias said. "She was the best way to get inside the head of someone who is going through this, knowing that your loved one is out there and knowing that something is terribly wrong but not knowing what to do."

On that day in 1978, Louis Linquata and Gard Estes were having lunch with Quirk and some of his crew at the Cape Ann Marina when they first heard the 682-foot Greek tanker Global Hope was having problems and dragging its anchor.

Estes was leaving with the rest of the Can Do crew when Linquata asked him to stay behind to help him ready the Cape Ann Marina for the storm. Twenty-seven years later Estes, now 63 and still living in Gloucester, is still wrought with emotions as he recounts that evening.

"It was supposed to be me that night," he said. "David Curley took my spot. When I think 'Why wasn't it me?' I get chills."

Quirk and his crew left Gloucester Harbor in the early evening when they learned that not only was the Global Hope in trouble, but so was a Coast Guard patrol boat that had been dispatched to assist the tanker.

When the CB transmission reported the Can Do's radar and antenna had been swept overboard and the boat was sailing blind in the storm, Linquata and Estes jumped into their Jeep and frantically combed the coast. They never knew, until Tougias brought them together, that fellow Gloucester resident Doug Parsons, Bucko's best friend, was only minutes behind them in the same search effort.

"It's unbelievable. We were all together that night and we didn't even know it," Estes said.

They all feel like Tougias and the book finally brought together the pieces of the puzzle and helped bring closure to the different parts they played in the 47-foot pilot boat's tragic story.

"We are all best friends now," said Quirk. "Sharon, Doug, Gard, Mike — we call each other all the time. Mike just did such an incredible job. We can finally put the pieces together and talk about what's been weighing on us all this time. We've all become such good friends now. I enjoy Gloucester again: the people, the Boulevard, the boats. It's my second home again."

Quirk hopes that the crew's legacy is one of compassion and selflessness.

"I just want it to be known that there are people that will go out of their way to help anyone for no other reason than they needed help," he said. "Maybe this book will bring to light that the people of Gloucester will go out of their way to help their neighbors. There is a special kind of camaraderie in this harbor and I don't think it was lost with the Can Do. It was my father's legacy and all their legacy but I think it's Gloucester's legacy, too."

The next four months are busy ones for Tougias. He will be touring the region with presentations about the Can Do, including a slide presentation with maps of the Can Do's course, the site where it was found and photos of the Can Do when it was a working vessel. Quirk will be accompanying Tougias for many area presentations.

A Gloucester stop on this tour is expected but an official date has yet to be confirmed.

Deputy fire chief leaves a legacy of safety and training

Gloucester Daily Times
August 22, 2005

By Janelle Randazza
Correspondent

Carl Ekborg never dreamed of becoming a firefighter but he felt like fate nudged him in that direction.

A third-generation Gloucester native, Ekborg grew up next to the Fitz Hugh Lane House and witnessed fires destroy much of his neighborhood during the 1950s.

It placed the vision of fires in the back of his mind.

In 1960, Ekborg joined the Navy and was trained in shipboard firefighting while stationed in Great Lakes, Ill., and Newport, R.I.; additional training in napalm firefighting followed when he was later stationed in Norfolk, Va.

"It was like someone said, 'This is what you are going to do with your life, and you're gonna like it,'" the 64-year-old said. "Well, I served the fire department for 39 years, and for 39 years the job was just sensational."

After a career that spanned five decades with the Gloucester Fire Department, Ekborg has retired as deputy fire chief to spend more time with his family.

Captain Miles Schlichte will succeed Ekborg as deputy. Private Tom LoGrande will fill Schlichte's shoes as captain.

Colleagues say Ekborg wanted to leave the department a better place than when he came to it. They described him as someone who never rested on his laurels, and he kept abreast of the newest technologies and fire prevention techniques.

He attended courses at the National Fire Academy in Washington, D.C., where he would learn from the best and brought that training back to Gloucester.

"Out of his love for the job he tried to improve the department, and the department is a better place today because of that," said Deputy Steven Aiello. "He tried to improve not the just the job, but the guys doing the job, until the last day. I really think that is his legacy."

However, Ekborg believes the department still has many struggles ahead. The recent closings of Bay View and Magnolia stations because of budget cutbacks have not helped.

"The loss of the stations has been horrendous," he said. "I never lost a firefighter in my career. You never want to have the feeling that you could have done better, and that is being taken away. The staffing and the training is becoming a huge issue. It seems like the city loves failure, but the fire department isn't a failure business. They only find money when there is a terrible failure rather than taking the necessary measures to prevent it. It is becoming more and more dangerous for the folks left behind."

Ekborg started his career in Gloucester in May 1966 and admitted that when he joined the department he didn't understand the nature of the beast.

"Years ago you put on the bare necessities and hoped to get a little bit of training before you went in there," Ekborg said. "It's not like they show it in the movies; it's pitch black in there, and you are down on your belly, listening for that child that is hiding or couldn't get out."

When asked if his early experiences motivated him to encourage the city to provide more training to new firemen, he said, "Any call can make a change in your life or how you view firefighting, but I never wanted to lose a firefighter, and training is the most important part of keeping them safe."

Ekborg said he is most proud of his Student Prevention for Fire Education program (S.A.F.E.) he started in Gloucester with Arthur Wonson.

Through S.A.F.E., Wonson and Ekborg taught fire prevention to students in the Gloucester school system.

"When you've seen enough, you realize that you want to be on the prevention end of it," Ekborg said. "Being in a reactive state only helps the problem after you already have it. The firefighter's union helped fund this to get it started. Then the state found funding from cigarette taxes to help pay for it."

Ekborg is described as a mentor, teacher and team builder and someone who contributed to the camaraderie of the fire department. Deputy Phil Dench, Joseph Misuraca and Jay Frontiero fondly recall Ekborg making fried dough for his team on Sundays.

"He was great that way," said Frontiero.

Ekborg has plans to visit Mt. Rushmore, Bryce Canyon and Yellowstone, help a friend finish a log cabin in Maine and see more of his family.

Both Ekborg and his wife, Virginia, believe community service is important, and Ekborg looks back on his career as an honor and a blessing to have been able to give back to the city of Gloucester.

"It's been a great 39 years," he said. "I've had a sensational job working for a city that I love. I've been with the same great woman for 42 years. I have great children that I've been able to bring up in a great city. From Day 1, God has smiled on me. I couldn't have written a better script than the one I got."

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Ekborg files
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Born: Gloucester, Dec. 5, 1940, 12 pounds

Fire dept. service: 39 years; Joined the department in May, 1966; in 1980 was promoted to captain; in 1983 was promoted to deputy fire chief and held that rank until he retired this summer

Family: Married 42 years to Virginia (Moses) Ekborg; four children and 10 grandchildren

Education: St. Ann's Parochial, Gloucester High School; Voted Class Clown, Class of 1959; North Shore Community College, associate degree; Fire Science Executive Fire Officer Program from the National Fire Academy

National service duty: Navy for four years with two years in the submarine reserves

Quote: "Carl always said that he wanted to leave the job better than it was when he came to it, and I think he did." Firefighter Jay Frontiero
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Lights, Mirrors, Scissors

Gloucester Daily Times
August 12, 2005


Lights, Mirrors, Scissors
By Janelle Randazza
Correspondent

"Like the kids on TV say, 'It's the bomb,'" says Priscilla Killam, 79, when describing Seashell Salon, the new hair salon at the Greycliff Nursing Home

Today, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will highlight the opening of the on-site salon, much to the delight of the residents.

What was once little more than a small broom closet has been transformed into a pampering center with a seashell theme, complete with seashell lights, large mirrors, nautical prints and "windows" created from photos of Good Harbor Beach framed in custom-made "window-pane" frames and curtains.

The hope was to create a place where residents can feel indulged and pampered.

"It is lovely. Having it is a good feeling," said Emma Ferrante, 84.

The idea of converting Greycliff's hair-cutting room into a salon came from Faye Passanisi, a hairdresser with 34 years of experience.

Passanisi came to Greycliff in March and wanted to provide the nursing home with a place for residents not just to have their hair cut, but to relax, enjoy themselves and feel young again.

And it seems like her idea is working, said Jodie Garinger, program director.

"When Faye told me about this, I said, 'Go for it,'" Garinger said. "Now they are in there with music going, and they are like young girls. They are psyched. It's like a real beauty parlor with them gossiping in their chairs and laughing, and that's really what you hope for."

Garinger and Passanisi are so happy with the response the salon is receiving they hope to employ a nail technician a few days a week to create the feeling of a full-service salon.

"They love the beauty parlor because they feel like they are downtown at some boutique with their girlfriends," said Katie Fitzgerald, a certified nursing assistant at Greycliff who was selected as part of a year-long training course on Resident Center Care. "They are sitting there feeling great, and they love it because it's pleasant to look at. It's full of color and individuality."

The renovation of the broom closet is just the beginning of a Greycliff initiative to give a more personal feeling to the home.

The initiative includes renovating bathrooms, hosting pizza parties and giving residents the power to make more choices about their care and living situation. Greycliff staff hopes residents enjoy a more home-like and less institutional setting.

Some plans for the future include more music around the nursing home, more trips away from it, van upgrades and cosmetic improvements. Greycliff allows the residents to vote on these changes and improvements through regular resident council meetings.

"Stay tuned," said Fitzgerald. "There are a lot more changes that are going to be made."