Several people have responded to the article in the Journal and on this Blog about an incident on RHS Senior Day at the Red Sox game.
There are more than 19 comments on the original entry - a very lively discussion about the use of alcohol among youths in the community and the consequences of such situations.
Since the articles, school officials have said that there is no question that the girls had beer, and that they have a report from Fenway Security to back it up.
They also indicated that a third girl was caught and was disciplined similarly. Officials said if they knew of others, they too would have been disciplined.

Dan Rizzo and Anthony Petruccelli are going down to the wire this weekend, as the Memorial Day is not going to interfere with last minute campaigning. The showdown on Tuesday is likely to be decided by the size of the vote in Revere - with everything else following naturally.

That is to say, if Revere votes big and Rizzo comes away with 80 percent of that total, he is a winner. On the other hand, if Revere does not come out big, Rizzo cannot win as the numbers for him simply aren’t there. There is the feeling among many of this city’s political handicappers that Rizzo wins even if he loses because he has set himself up as Mayor Ambrosino’s heir apparent.

Ambrosino has been telling his associates that he is probably a few years away from seeking something else out of his life, although he is not exactly sure what it will be. The likelihood is that Rizzo runs for mayor if he does not win the senate seat when Ambrosino leaves. Carol Tye is another wild card in this expanding plot. Many people here believe Tye could not lose if she ran for mayor.

State Senator Jarrett Barrios announced yesterday that he is going to resign his seat in the state senate to take over as the head of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation.

Senator Barrios leaving creates a situation where a special election will be held to fil his empty seat. The district he represents includes part of Revere, all of Chelsea, Everett Charlestown, part of Somerville and part of Cambridge.

Dan Rizzo and Anthony Petruccelli are going down to the wire with a full slate of heavy campaigning for former senator Robert Travaglini’s empty seat.

Despite major campaigns launched by both candidates, turnout is expected to be light. A heavier turnout in Revere boosts Rizzo’s chances of beating Petruccelli while a smaller turnout in Revere works the opposite effect.

Handicappers believe the race to be close. Experts claim the election will be won on primary day - next Tuesday - with the campaign best able to pull out the vote coming away victorious.

The closure of the General Edwards Bridge last weekend turned out to be a disaster for Revere people heading north and for North Shore people heading south.

It does not appear that any thought whatsoever was given to the implications of the bridge closure by Revere or Lynn oficials, with no police posted to take care the traffic jams which took place on Broadway from the Chelsea line all the way to Salem.

The only police to be found were state police paid details sitting in their cars behind barriers on both sides of the closed bridge - which makes absolutely no sense as the barriers prevented passage over the bridge.

In West Lynn, an added 200,000 automobiles passed through that part of Lynn without a police officer directing traffic to be seen. With another bridge closing scheduled for next week, local residents are hoping public officials in Lynn and Revere might make preparations for the traffic jams whgich are going to ensue.

Senator Jarrett Barrios is apparently set to leave his senate seat. Barrios, it is claimed, will be taking over an important state post offered to him by Governor Deval Patrick in the prison system or he will be taking a post in the private sector.

Barrios’ resignation is expected within the next two weeks.

Two RHS seniors didn’t get the taste of hops that they had hoped. Instead, they got a taste of real world consequences when they tried to buy beer at Fenway Park during a school-sponsored trip to the Red Sox game.
Two senior girls were corralled by Fenway security for trying to get men to buy them beer. They were at the recent game as part of the school-sponsored Senior Day activity.
Apparently, they were able to convince a man to buy them beer, but once he gave it to the girls, Fenway security moved in. Security brought the kids to the school chaperones to have them taken out of Fenway, rather than having them arrested.
School officials reported that the two girls are being disciplined as required. They will have social probation, meaning they will not be allowed to attend Friday’s prom or any other senior activities. They will be allowed to cross the stage to get their diploma at graduation.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) announced rather suddenly on Tuesday morning that they would be closing the General Edwards Bridge on Rt. 1A for the entire weekend.
Revere Police Chief Terence Reardon told the Journal that the DCR informed him that they would close the bridge on Saturday morning at 3 a.m. and would not open it to traffic until 5 a.m. on Monday morning.
“In other words, you will not be able to access Route 1A from the North Shore and you won’t be able to get to Lynn and the North Shore from Revere this entire weekend,” said Reardon. “People should avoid Route 1A and the Lynnway and we anticipate major traffic problems on Broadway, the Lynn Marsh Road and Squire Road. It is expected to be a nightmare on the roads this weekend.”
The short notice was also a bit of a surprise, he said.
“It would have been nice to know a little more in advance, but what are you going to do?” he said.
The closure comes about as DCR begins to do repairs to the bridge. Previously, they have closed the bridge during the night hours on weekends, but never for an entire weekend.
The announcement just adds to the burden on Revere residents who seemingly can’t go 50 yards without running into a road or building construction project.
Already, Revere Beach Boulevard, Revere Beach Parkway, Revere Street and Park Avenue are bearing the brunt of major construction that is causing tie-ups in traffic – not to mention the building projects at the new Public Safety Facility and the Rumney Marsh Academy.
City councillors addressed the construction subject briefly on Monday night at the Public Works Committee. There are few solutions, they noted, but many complaints.
“We’ve really been bombarded,” said Councillor Ira Novoselsky. “The city has been surrounded by construction. It is a good thing, but unfortunately it hasn’t been timed that well. It took my friend over one hour to get from the GE Bridge to Wonderland the other day.”

City Councillor Ira Novoselsky’s Public Works Committee met on Monday night with DPW Superintendent Don Goodwin and Mayor Tom Ambrosino to discuss a number of issues on the public works front.
•The city is preparing to come down on homeowners who have sump pumps hooked into the sewer system, a practice that is illegal and most common in the Ward 6 area.
Goodwin and the mayor said that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has presented a mandate to Revere and several surrounding communities to get rid of these illicit connections, or pay the price.
The city will begin conducting smoke tests soon that will reveal what homes have these connections. Once that has been determined, they will request entry into the homes for closer examination and, if confirmed, order homeowners to fix the problem. If homeowners refuse to allow city inspectors in, the city will shut off all utilities to the home.
“One requirement of the EPA order is that we get rid of sump pump hookups into the sewer by whatever means necessary,” said the mayor.
Said Goodwin, “The city, not the homeowner, will be held financially responsible if it doesn’t get rid of all these connections. So, it’s going to be incumbent on us to step up our enforcement efforts.”
The city has set aside $125,000 in the current budget proposal to begin this work.
•The major sewer break that occurred behind Necco under the commuter rail tracks has been completely fixed and at a price of $600,000. It will be paid for through the inflow and infiltration account, which is funded by developers and not taxpayers.
•Operation Clean Sweep ended on Monday, and with that, towing will come to an end. The regular street sweeping schedule will now commence and cars will now be ticketed rather than towed. However, residents are urged to move their cars on street sweeping day in order for the program to be effective.
•Catch basin and line cleaning will begin this summer in the neighborhoods of the Point of Pines, Riverside, Beachmont and Shirley Avenue. Broadway, Park Avenue and Malden Street will also be cleaned, as they need to be done annually.
•Park Avenue will have major work this summer as the city prepares to lay a new water main for the length of the street.
The work is being done in order to prepare for the $3 million complete reconstruction of the street, which is expected to begin either next fall or next summer.
“This year you will see a lot of work being done in advance of the larger project; this is the underground work,” said the mayor. “Once that street is done we don’t expect to dig it up for a long time.”
•The city’s yard waste program has been up and running for one month now and is successful so far. Yard waste is picked up curbside every other week (this week, May 14-18, is a pickup week) on trash day and residents should note that the pickup comes later in the day after the trash and recycling.
•Following the $1.5 million water main laid on the Boulevard this spring as an add-on to the Beach project, several areas of the Pines saw repercussions.
Goodwin said that seven major water breaks occurred in the Pines within 24 hours of the new main going into service. He said he didn’t expect any reimbursements to the city for those breaks.
“My opinion is that never should have happened,” he said, “but we have a very old system and there are a number of weak points.”
On the positive side, residents of the Pines should experience improved water pressure and more capacity.
•Illegal dumping on the city’s side streets is reaching near epic proportion and Goodwin said that the city needs to aggressively go after those who are caught.
As contractors from outside the city use Revere as a dump to save some money in disposal costs, residents are paying the price, as the city has to foot the bill to clean up the mess.
“It’s going to get worse rather than better,” he said. “We need to put up the mini-cameras and we need to prosecute to the fullest. That’s the only way we can send a message that Revere is not a dumping ground.”

By Rich Griffin

Former Chelsea High football coach James Atkins will be named the new football coach at Medford High School later this week, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Atkins will be introduced at a press conference in Mayor Michael McGlynn’s office later this week. Atkins, according to the source, was one of more than a dozen candidates who interviewed for the position. Atkins couldn’t be reached for comment.
Atkins’ contract wasn’t renewed by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Kingston in late March despite the Red Devils posting a 22-11 record during Atkins’ three years at the helm. Atkins threatened legal action against the school department as a result. Atkins is replacing Mike DeFelice, a Winthrop native who is currently the coach of the Bay State Warriors women’s professional football team. The Mustangs went 1-9 in 2006.
Atkins was wildly popular with his Chelsea High players. A sergeant on the Chelsea Police Department’s Gang Unit, Atkins brought a no-nonsense approach to a program that had been disbanded because of low player turnout and turned it into an instant contender. Approximately fifty of his players went to a recent Chelsea School Committee meeting and petitioned it to reinstate Atkins; Kingston, in a statement the next day, said he stood by his original decision.
In related news, Mike Stellato was introduced as the new Chelsea High football coach on Monday afternoon. Chelsea High Athletic Director Frank DePatto introduced Stellato to the football team in a meeting after school on Monday. Stellato coached at Danvers High School last season and led St. Mary’s of Lynn to a Super Bowl championship in 2005.