2015 - Page 3 of 7 - Neighborhood View

Arts

Homes for the fairies in Malden

September 5, 2015 annedr 0

“If you build them, they will come.” Fairies, that is. And gnomes, trolls, elves and other creatures said to inhabit the natural world. That’s the idea behind building tiny whimsical houses in the woods. And Malden is now prepared to welcome these creatures with a full selection of residential units. On Saturday, August 29, Pine Banks Park on the Malden/Melrose line was host to Malden’s first Fairy House event organized by Ward 5 Councilor Barbara Murphy in collaboration with Malden Reads. The event was attended by families and community members of all ages. Murphy says the event was inspired by the Fairy House Series of books written and illustrated by Tracy Kane. Building tiny houses for nature’s mythical creatures is an art that some say started on islands off the coast of New England and then spread throughout the country. Many community groups pre-built fairy houses which were placed along a walk leading through the woods and up a hill. On the day of the event, children and families built houses with natural materials found […]

Small business story tour celebrates Malden’s diversity

September 3, 2015 neighbormedia 0

What makes Malden special? The city’s diversity, says Mayor Gary Christenson to a packed house on Thursday, August 27 at City Hall. Organized by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the event called “Immigrant Entrepreneurs Revitalizing Malden: A Story Tour” showcased business owners from all over the world who now call Malden home. “After serving four years, the thing that really makes me proud to be the mayor of this great city is the rich diversity that exists in Malden,” explains Christenson. “You can feel the energy in the air. Malden is a city on the move,” says Kevin Duffy, the city’s strategy and business development officer. “You are going to hear some of the stories I’ve heard over the years and you will be amazed.” After the kick-off speech from the mayor and Duffy, small business owners from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America shared their stories to dozens of locals and town officials at an invite-only walking tour in collaboration with the Immigrant Learning Center. Participants learned about the diversity of people, products and services offered […]

MSAC celebrates five decades of Medicare & Medicaid

August 25, 2015 karengarden 0

On August 6, 2015, members of Mass. Senior Action Council from around the state gathered in Dorchester at the MSAC’s main office to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. We were joined by partners and supporters from organizations such as MassCare and Mass. Alliance of Retired Americans. Although millions of seniors have been helped by Medicare and Medicaid these plans are threatened with cuts and elimination therefore we must strive to sustain both. Expansion for all is a priority. Twenty-eight states have adopted the Affordable Care Act which expands Medicaid. Massachusetts has not. Lobbyist for physicians insurance companies and pharmaceuticals and other special interest groups would like to dismantle Medicare and Medicaid. We cannot continue to allow corporate interest to supersede the health and well-being of the citizens. Health care is a human right therefore we need to continue to educate and fight for single-payer healthcare. Single-payer healthcare is a system where government rather than private insurers pays for all health care costs. To view the completed video go to MATV’s program schedule […]

Councilor Debbie DeMaria challenged by petty politics

August 8, 2015 azanzirsa 3

Was the intent to keep incumbent Councilor-At-Large Debbie DeMaria off the November 3 ballot when the executive director for the Massachusetts Republican Party Brian Wynne and Malden Attorney Michael Williams filed a last-minute complaint with Malden’s city clerk, the Board of Registrar of Voters and the city solicitor?

Hope for drug-riddled Miller Park is realized in renovation

July 31, 2015 escorsello 0

On Monday, June 22, 2015, a dedication ceremony was held for the reopening of Miller Park following its renovation that began in June 2014. Among the attendees, along with the Mayor’s Office, the Malden Redevelopment Authority and the Malden Housing Authority was the Miller family, wife, Patricia, and son, Bob, of Robert D. Miller, the man named in the bronze plaque situated in the center of the park, for his “…unselfish service and personal dedication to the youth of Suffolk Square.” Neglected for 20 years, Miller Park, also known as Harvard Street Park, located in Malden’s poorest neighborhood, slowly became a haven for drug dealers and was surrounded by a community too fearful to enter its gate. The Robins family, 30-year residents, have had sticks thrown through their window and on one occasion a brick came crashing through the glass and landed on the couch. “That was terrifying.” Helen Robins said. “One night,” Robins, whose house abuts Miller Park, recalled, “My niece was sitting on the back porch, on the stairs, having a cigarette and […]

Filming ‘Ted 2’ at Malden Public Library: An Inside Look

July 13, 2015 annedr 0

Perhaps unbefitting to the historical significance and elegant grandeur of the Converse Memorial Library in Malden, the interior of the library’s historic wing provides the setting for a scene in the recently released Ted 2 comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Amanda Seyfried. The scene was created and filmed over a two-week period in July last summer. Full disclosure: I’m on the Board of Trustees for the library and have an inside view for this story. The Trustees voted on the approval for the filming after the library was approached by the film company, Raging Bear, last June. There was some, but not much hesitation, on approving the deal. According to John Tramondozzi, President of the Library Trustees, “Our main concern was the safety of the building.” The library was offered considerable compensation for the filming, though the project would require a great deal of time and extra work on the part of the library staff. “Sure, we would have loved for the film to be a period drama,” says Dora St. Martin, the library’s executive […]

Ashanti Munir kicks off ‘Live on the Lawn’ music series

July 10, 2015 neighbormedia 0

On July 8, Ashanti Munir took the stage in front of the Malden Public Library, ushering in the Live on the Lawn concert series that will take place on every other Wednesday evening for the rest of the summer. The crowd, which included such pillars of the Malden community as Mayor Gary Christenson, danced along enthusiastically to Munir and her band’s soulful songs, filling the whole block with music and merriment. Sponsored by Eastern bank, the concert series will continue with Four Guys in Tuxes on July 22 at 7 p.m., followed by an outdoor movie on August 5 at 8 p.m. and will wrap up with Hungrytown on August 19 at 7 p.m. –Len Tetta

Historic reading of Revolution War-era document from Malden

July 7, 2015 neighbormedia 0

Was Malden a major player leading up to the American Revolution? A historic document, dated May 27, 1776, contains the “Instructions of the Inhabitants of Malden, Massachusetts to their Representatives in Congress” was read on the lawn of the Malden Public Library on Friday, July 3. Local historian and period actor Tom Coots, the captain from the Gardner’s Regiment group of the Charlestown Militia, performed the reenactment. The document was recently rediscovered when Mayor Gary Christenson was searching for a historic Malden relic to display at the State House. “This document that was read tonight is probably the first recorded acknowledgement of an entire community voting for independence from Great Britain,” explains Coots. “The first time I read it, I actually cried. The more I read it, the more I realized what the words meant.” This document is credited as a precursor to the Declaration of Independence written in July of 1776 when the Continental Congress formally declared their independence from England. Click here for the complete presentation by the City of Malden. –Sam Baltrusis […]

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Negotiations continue to secure funding for Housing Families and Youth Harbor

June 30, 2015 karengarden 0

Laura Rosi, director of housing and advocacy for Housing Families, Inc. (HFI) of Malden presented the increased need for funding to the legislators at the State House on June 2. Rosi was accompanied by Kelly Irving, case manager, Rhonda Dunn and Clarissa Thomas, recipients of assistance from HFI. Joining were Sam Margolius, of Youth Harbor, and Cyril Fonrose, who was helped by Youth Harbor. Youth Harbor assists homeless, unaccompanied high school students with housing and individual life skills in order to become self-sufficient. There has been a request for $2 million put into the budget. Margolius thanked Senator Lewis for the support. Youth Harbor has not had public funding before. For the record, there are an estimated 5,000 homeless, unaccompanied high school students in Massachusetts. Fonrose told his story of being left on his own as a teenager. He was in Malden High School and was referred to Margolilus, the high school representative of Youth Harbor. Margolius was able to help Fonrose get housing and assisted him with college admissions. The group first met with […]

Ferryway students Skype chat with Malden Reads author

June 29, 2015 annedr 0

In J.D. Salinger’s classic young adult novel “A Catcher in the Rye,” the protagonist Holden Caufield notes “What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. Then he laments wryly, “That doesn’t happen much, though.” Well it did at the Ferryway School! Fifth grade students read “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” by Chris Grabenstein, one of this year’s Malden Reads companion books. The book was a hit with the readers. On June 17, a select group came for an afterschool Skype chat with the author from his home in New York City. They got to “meet” Mr. Grabenstein via a projected image on a smartboard and ask him questions. Students prepared their questions ahead of time and the students each took turns asking them. They asked about the author’s writing process, where he got his ideas, how he came up with the […]