Political season is underway bigtime with Mayor Thomas Ambrosino - who is enjoying his first four year term, raising big money at a wonderful time held last week at Spinellis on Route 1.

Hundreds attended the $250 per person event which should have added substantially to the mayor’s already substantial political election fund.

Facing a re-election in the fall, Councillor at Large John Correggio packed the Four Flags Sheraton Friday evening. Hundreds attended.

The Journal will report more fully on the events in Wednesday’s edition.

Police broke up an extremely out of control party last Saturday, March 24th at an apartment in 51 Beach St.
The party was so over the top that neighbors more than a block away could hear the music as if it were coming out of their own stereo system.
Police arrived around 11:30 p.m. and found a pretty hostile situation. A number of scuffles between police and partygoers ensued. Several arrests were made and one police officer went to the MGH in Boston with pretty serious injuries sustained in a fight for control of the situation.
Police also allegedly found a sound system in the small, upstairs apartment that was designed to be used by a professional DJ in a club setting.
Six people were arrested, all from Revere, Cambridge and Lynn.
Look for more details in next week’s edition of the Journal.

In preparation for Memorial Day, Revere Veterans’ Services Department is gathering information of deceased Revere veterans. If you wish to have a flag placed at your loved ones grave, please contact us as soon as possible with the name, cemetery, grave location, and the grave number. We are located at 249R Broadway (rear of the American Legion Building) or call 781-286-8119.

Last week we saw something that required a double take – cops walking a beat on Broadway.
For many years it has been requested, but could never be accommodated because there just weren’t enough officers, according to Chief Terence Reardon. It was the first time in many years that officers have been assigned a walking beat.
Reardon said they are particularly monitoring the bus stops during school dismissal.
“When the schools let out that is one bustling place,” said the chief. “We have them there for visibility, monitoring traffic and keeping an eye on things.”

The Revere Veteran’s Committee is sponsoring an essay contest for Revere Public School students in grades 6, 7 and 8.
The subject is ‘Why I say Thanks to a Veteran,’ and two winning essays will be read at the Nov. 10th Veteran’s Day Services. Essays must not be fewer than 50 words or more than 125 words.
In addition, all entries will be put in a drawing to win a Curt Schilling baseball jersey or a pair of Red Sox tickets for this summer. All entries must be submitted with an official tear sheet and the drawing will be on May 4 at 3 p.m. in the Journal offices.
The top two essays, decided by the committee, will receive $100 savings bonds. Entries must be submitted no later than April 27 at 4 p.m. to The Revere Veterans Committee; c/o The Revere Journal; 385 Broadway; Revere, MA 02151.
The contest is sponsored by the Committee (A.J. Terminiello Jr. and Ira Novoselsky, co chairs), Mickey ‘Say No to Drugs’ Casoli, Citizens Bank and Dan Rizzo.

Members of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) denied Riverside Association President Elaine Hurley a variance to extend her driveway.
The matter was continued last month and has become a real tussle between Hurley and her neighbors, Andrea Arinella and Robert Corriere. The neighbors have complained that they cannot use their driveway because Hurley’s new driveway is too close. What seems to be most at issue, though, is that the work was done prior to applying for the variance. What makes it that much more in the public eye is Hurley’s controversial stands in the past against developers seeking variances in her neighborhood. The ZBA continued the matter at last month’s meeting, and in the interim a fence was put up.
Board member Robert Marra took the reins as chair of the meeting (Michael Tucker was absent) Wednesday night and immediately began questioning Hurley and her next door neighbors. The issue also brought activist Carol Sinclair back to public life after more than a year of being on the mum. Sinclair testified for Hurley’s neighbor, mostly, she said, because she believed Hurley’s actions wer illegal.
Marra questioned Hurley on who told her she could extend the driveway and remove the city’s granite curbing. Hurley held that DPW Super Don Goodwin okayed it.
Goodwin said he didn’t okay it.
The ZBA ruled against Hurley, who took it in stride, saying she was only trying to get her cars off the street and that she would consider appealing the ruling in Land Court.
Noticeably absent from the meeting and on the entire issue were any City Councillors. It seemed as though those in elected office were staying as far away as possible.
Sinclair - a long-time critic of the Council - made particular note of the absence.
“Sometimes it takes an advocate to do a councillor’s job,” she said after the meeting.

The Health Department is gearing up to enforce the new Yard Sale ordinance that was passed last summer and went into effect in January.
Residents are allowed three yard sales per year for three day apiece. Also, residents have to get a permit – which is free – from the city in order to have a yard sale. Also, city inspectors will be culling the neighborhoods to make sure that no one puts up Yard Sale signs on poles. Doing so will result in a $100 fine and a shut down of the sale. The same penalty applies to those who have a sale without a permit.
“A lot of people were doing merchandising in their yards like it was a flea market,” said Health Agent Nick Catinazzo. “A yard sale is supposed to be selling old stuff or things from the cellar. People are setting up businesses on their front lawn.”
There is also a push to rid the city of unsightly Yard Sale posters that seem to crop up on every telephone pole and street light in the city during the warmer months.
To get a permit, one must go to the Health Department and present proof of residency. Also, if renting, one must have a letter from the owner of the property.

It would be nice if he were put away for decades, but - even so - the man responsible for purse snatching old ladies in the Broadway area in 2005 was sentenced to at least two years in prison on Wednesday.
Mohamed Bensaleh, of Revere, received a two-year sentence for committing the crime of larceny from a person over 65. He will serve three years probation after his release and was ordered to pay his victims a combined total of around $2,000. From October to December 2005, Bensaleh engaged in pushing down several elderly women in the Broadway area and taking their purses. It outraged many and was very scary for a number of elderly residents around town.
One woman using a walker was pushed to the ground in the parking lot outside Citizens Bank and robbed of her montly rent money. She was so scared she shook visibly for 15 minutes after the robbery.
Capt. Dennis Collyer of the Revere Police said it was a good grab for the police and the justice system.
“That was a very disconcerting time for a lot of people and especially because he was targeting the elderly,” said Collyer.

Congratulations are in order for City Councillor Ira Novoselsky, who became a grandfather again recently. The baby has returned home and is safe and ready to begin its life.

There are about to be a lot of angry parents in the next week or so as school officials announced this week that they will conduct a 5th grade lottery for seats at the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Middle School.
The problem has existed every since the new school went online last year.
The idea being that in the minds’ of most parents, something new must be something great. So, too many people are chosing the SBA. Because of the newness and the change in the middle school program, last year the School Committee and administration agreed to let everyone in.
That can’t be done this year, according to Superintendent Paul Dakin.
He said that there are just far too many 5th graders in the Lincoln, Whelan and Paul Revere who are choosing the SBA. Each elementary school now has a certain number of seats available in the SBA, and McKinley, Garfield and Beachmont elementary students did not overwhelmingly choose the SBA, though some did. The crush on the new school for the second year is just more than can be handled.
So, school officials decided that to be fair they would hold lotteries at the Paul Revere, Whelan and Lincoln. At the Paul Revere, there were 20 students who requested the SBA and only 16 seats available. At the Lincoln, there were 46 requests and only 27 seats available, and at the Whelan there were 95 requests and only 49 seats open.
Those who do not get the luck of the draw will be re-assigned to either the Garfield Middle or Rumney Marsh (Beachmont) Middle.
While the news has literally just been decided, already parents aren’t taking it well. One woman nearly got in a fight with an assistant principal at the Whelan this week while she demanded - while in the drop-off queue - that her child be let into the SBA.
It really makes one wonder who is the child and who is the parent…
Meanwhile, Dakin said the lottery will happen soon, and will most likely be conducted by an outside auditing group.
“I’m not even going to be in the room,” he said. “I won’t even be near the room.”
He said that in the coming years they expect the situation to even out, especially after the Rumney Marsh School construction is finished. But for now, it seems there will be a lot of disappointed parents - and maybe even some kids too…