Many may not have heard about a bill being proposed on Beacon Hill.
The bill itself is a good idea, the practice it seeks to eliminate is just about the worst thing we’ve ever heard of, and yet another example of how the Internet can be a vehicle for those in our society without much of a conscience.
A state rep from Brockton is seeking to outlaw “Internet Hunting.”
This cowardly practice consists of a video camera at some far-off location - probably on another continent - aimed at a group of fenced-in and confined wild animals. After paying a fee over the Internet, the Internet hunter can view the confined animals on the computer and click on the one he or she wants to “hunt.”
Once chosen, a person at the ranch aims a gun at the animal and shoots it dead on camera right before the eyes of the viewer. The viewer watches the wild animal die in the comforts of his or her home, and then the “ranch” sends the taxidermied head of the dead animal to the “hunter” through the mail.
Is this unbelievable or what?
Nevertheless, it’s legal in Massachusetts right now, though it has been outlawed in 25 other states already.

Mayor Ambrosino has apparently been considering an offer from the governor to take over the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Ambrosino, according to DCR officials who wished to remain unnamed, has been visiting the agency headquarters in Boston and familiarizing himself with its inner workings. If Ambrosino is in fact going to take the position, he is expected to announce it soon.

Those of you rushing to the post office to file your taxes can rest easy - at least for the next 48 hours.
Late Monday, the IRS decided to allow taxpayers affected by the winter storm in Massachusetts and other northeastern states an additional 48 hours to file their returns. So, tax returns don’t need to be mailed until Thursday.
The agency issued a news release announcing this decision.

Storm surge nailed the coast of Beachmont and even pounded Revere Beach Monday morning - with the high tide mark at 11 a.m. producing some pretty dramatic waves.
Winthrop Parkway was shut down Sunday night and the flood gates were closed early on. Waves began pounding the seawall from Roughan’s Point to Short Beach around 8:30 a.m. At first, occasional big waves poured over the wall, but as the high tide approached, virtually every wave was sloshing hundreds of gallons of water over the seawall and onto the road.
At Short Beach, boulders weighing more than two tons were batted around by the storm surge as if they were beach balls.
It was a powerful storm, but it appears that flooding and property damage was kept to a minimum.
For those in Beachmont, many believed this was the strongest storm since the Army Corps finished its Flood Revetment Project in 1999. So, that would make this storm the most viable test case for the project to date. No waves had ever hit the new seawall with such force as they did Monday morning.
The storm surge was made all the more powerful due to an exceptionally large high tide and very, very low barometric pressure.
Endicott Avenue was a virtual party all morning, with four network television stations establishing posts at the high point on Endicott along with hordes of onlookers and picture takers. Several city councillors also made an appearance, including Ward 1 Councillor Doug Goodwin and Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky. Also, DPW Super Don Goodwin was monitoring the situation.
It was quite an event stirred up by Mother Nature.

School police and school administrators have launched a full-scale investigation into an after prom party that went bad, apparently calling in scores of parents and kids during the course of the investigation last week.
Officers and school officials interviewed a number of parents and RHS students last Thursday and Friday after sending out notices in the mail.
Those lucky enough to get notices were about 30 juniors from RHS and other local schools who attended an after-prom party on March 30th hosted by a reputable Revere parent - allegedly a parent who is employed within the schools. The party apparently started out innocent enough, but during the course of the party, something bad happened.
Nevertheless, a Code of Silence has been initiated by the group and no one knows anything, supposedly…
Look for more on this one in Wednesday’s Journal.

Councillor Mark Casella has employed Revere Attorney Gerry D’Ambrosio to defend him against a possible charge of operating while under the influence of alcohol, and D’Ambrosio tells the Journal that they are confident Casella will not be charged with that crime.
D’Ambrosio said that the accident - which happened early in the morning on Tuesday - was the result of another driver speeding down the street. Casella went head-first into the windshield of his motor vehicle, shattering the windshield and giving him a major knock to the head.
“He had a very serious trauma to the head as a result of the accident, which was caused by a speeding vehicle coming up Geneva Street and he almost had a head-on collision with that vehicle,” said D’Ambrosio. “Our position is when the evidence, or lack of evidence, is reviewed, there will be no formal charges against Mark Casella.”
Following the accident, police issued a finding of operating while under the influence of alcohol and driving to endanger. A Clerk Magistrate at Chelsea District Court will review the evidence at a private hearing in the near future and determine whether or not there is enough evidence to charge Casella.
“This is very early in the process and there’s still no formal charges against him,” said D’Ambrosio.
Sources close to the investigation told the Journal that the only evidence the police had of Casella driving drunk was the observations of Officers Brian Thornton and Evan Franklin. There was no physical evidence such as a Breathalyzer or field sobriety test performed, those sources indicated.
Look for more information in next week’s edition of the Journal’s print edition.

Calls came in Friday morning and afternoon about major police activity on the Boulevard.
Revere Police affirmed that the police presence was just part of a training exercise for the SWAT unit, and not a response to any threat or accident.
“There are at least 20 police officers dressed in black SWAT-like outfits just north of the Seaview Towers,” one resident who called in said.
Rest assured, it was only a test.

Kindergarten teacher Ruthann Puppo got the tap as this year’s Joan Fox Manganiello Teacher of the Year this week.
Puppo has taught in the Revere system for 35 years and is now teaching full-day kindergarten at the new Whelan School. She has taught everything from middle school to high school to kindergarten.
“She is truly a master teacher,” said Assistant Superintendent Anne Marie Costa.
Look for more about Puppo and the award in next week’s print edition of the Journal.

BEACH MEETING
The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) announced that it will hold an update meeting for the Revere Beach Master Plan, specifically the second phase of construction work that began two weeks ago.
Construction crews from D’Allesandro Contractors began work on the project again during the last wee of March, and hit full throttle last week – laying drain pipes and catch basins from Revere Street to Carey Circle. The Boulevard in that area is pretty torn up, and resembles a backwoods country road more than a ocean thoroughfare for the moment. Anyone driving is encouraged to avoid the area.
The meeting will apprise all of what is to come this summer on the project, including the new sidewalks, a new parking configuration and many other improvements.
The meeting will occur on Tuesday, April 24th, at the Jack Satter House (420 Boulevard) from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The city’s Street Sweeping program will begin on Monday, Patriot’s Day, April 16th and continue through to November.
The first phase of the program will involve the annual Operation Clean Sweep and residents are directed to move their vehicles according to the signage on their street or risk being towed.
The city has already sent out a mailing to residents and will be leaving a phone message shortly.
After Operation Clean Sweep, those who do not move for the sweepers will be ticketed, as they have been in the past.