2019 - Page 3 of 4 - Neighborhood View

Malden’s second “City Nature Challenge” takes place April 28

April 24, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

Mother Nature is calling. Will you help her out? Do your part for biodiversity by participating in the second City Nature Challenge, a global contest for cities to compete for the highest number of natural observations within their regions. This Sunday, April 28, the Friends of the Malden River and the National Park Service of Boston Harbor Islands invite you, your friends, and family to take part in this challenge and discover two Malden River parks in the process. This will be a chance to help a global effort to document biodiversity in urban places and to highlight the natural beauty hidden in plain sight along the Malden River. No prior experience in nature-sighting is necessary! Participants are taking part in what is known as citizen science. There will be two time frames and locations offered for participants. At 11. a.m. meet at the new Everett Rivergreen Park for the first challenge. The second challenge will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. This is a chance to observe the natural beauty at the Gateway […]

Featured

John Matheson mulling challenge against Christenson for mayor

April 22, 2019 ditikohli 3

Story by Diti Kohli John Matheson, four-term city councillor for Ward 3, said he will decide whether to launch an official bid for mayor before May. In a phone interview, the prospective candidate stressed his self-identification as a “populist and idealist” and said his potential platform would include policies that would expand commercial development. The councillor also plans to focus on increased ticketing, worsening street and traffic patterns, city beautification, and environmental issues, like challenging the contentious mandatory use of blue trash bags and eliminating lead pipes in homes. Matheson announced the formation of his exploratory committee to the public on March 16 via Facebook. “Residents have said the administration has ignored their issues,” said Matheson. “And the government we have now is not a government that’s for the people.” Matheson is no stranger to local politics; in addition to his four terms on the city council, he ran an unsuccessful race for state representative in 2014. If he officially posits himself as a candidate this month, Matheson will be the first to challenge the […]

Events

Malden’s Half Marathon trained runners for the big event

April 11, 2019 huiwingting 0

By Frances Hui As runners take off in Monday’s Boston Marathon in what is predicted to be cold and wet conditions, many will benefit from their run in Malden last month. Amid harsh, snowy weather, about 3,000 runners from 22 states, including many prospective marathoners, participated in the 17th Annual Malden Rotary Road Race on March 10, which featured Malden’s first half marathon and annual five miler. “The event hit that sweet spot in training, just the right distance from the big event, which is part of the reason why it was so successful,” said Kevin Duffy, the strategy and business development officer for Mayor Gary Christenson. The Malden Rotary Club organized the half marathon with C5K Sports, which proposed to hold a half marathon to attract runners planning to compete in the Boston Marathon on April 15, “It’s the kind of course that people really appreciate it because it was mostly flat and there were a lot of personal records set,” Duffy said in a phone interview. “So from a runner standpoint, the feedback on the course […]

Events

Malden historic fire station celebrates 100th anniversary

April 9, 2019 ditikohli 0

The city commemorated the century-mark of its oldest standing fire station on 1 Sprague Street on the afternoon of March 31. Firefighters and public officials spoke of the station’s history, and performers from Malden Public High School played at the event. Residents were also free to take tours of the building, including the newly constructed second floor, near the celebration’s end. The news clip below was produced and edited by Diti Kohli

Featured

Bread of Life nearly halfway funded to reconstruct Eastern Ave. headquarters

April 2, 2019 ditikohli 2

Story by Diti Kohli Bread of Life Malden, an organization dedicated to preventing food insecurity, effectively raised $1.4 million, or nearly 50 percent, of the required funding to reconstruct its headquarters at 54 Eastern Ave. as of March 19. Some basic services, including a food pantry, are already run out of the acquired building. Executive director Gabriella Snyder Stelmack and development director Patty Kelly informed the City Council of the organization’s progress and mission at the March 19 council meeting. The $2.9 million funding estimate for reconstruction includes the remaining loan payment on the Eastern Avenue building. The 501c3 non-profit bought the property for $750,000 in 2014 using monies from philanthropy efforts. Bread of Life’s actions to open its own headquarters follow a long history of occupying temporary meal sites. “We lost our meal site several times,” said Stelmack resignedly. “Different times we’ve been serving out of our van or truck in a parking lot. And a lot of those [past] facilities, almost all of them, have had really outdated equipment and kitchens.” A projected […]

Education

City hosts E-Vehicle Fair and Sustainability Forum

March 30, 2019 ditikohli 0

Residents explored electric vehicles at the E-Vehicle fair outside the Beebe School and First Parish Church on March 21. Officials, locals, and a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation gathered at the sustainability forum to discuss transportation initiatives afterward. Organized by City Councillor-at-Large Stephen Winslow, the event hoped to initiate a “cycle of change” towards further environmental conservation in Malden. View the news video below for more information. This video was produced and edited by Diti Kohli.

Featured

City Council approves proposals for use of Community Preservation Fund

March 26, 2019 ditikohli 0

By Diti Kohli The City Council approved all eight grant applications for town projects authored by the Community Preservation Committee, or CPC, at the City Council meeting on March 19. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, $637,549 to be exact, will aid the improvement and preservation of Malden’s recreational areas. The largest grants benefitted the fields outside of the Salemwood School known as Roosevelt Park ($250,000), followed by Fellsmere Park ($75,000), the Malden Community Garden ($63,022), Trafton Park ($45,000), pocket parks in Malden Artline ($40,643), and the High Rock Memorial Park ($5,300). More than $4,000 will aid the restoration of the original plaque on Malden’s World War I Memorial and finance the addition of two bronze plaques with the names of more veterans. The Malden Public Library will use $154,364 of grant funding to restore and rehabilitate its archives. Part of this money will fund the library’s historical photograph and artwork display, as well as the digitization of town records dating back to 1600. CPC chairman Julianne Orsino beamed in the back row of the Markey Senior […]

Events

Officials denounce sexual and gender-based violence at “Stand With Us” event

March 22, 2019 ditikohli 0

By Diti Kohli City and court officials gathered on the sunlit steps of the Malden District Court on March 19, proudly adorned with petite white ribbons, to denounce domestic and sexual violence. Through a clamored array of “I do’s” and nods, each official pledged to use their position to prevent these crimes and bring justice to victims. “We promise to be part of the solution in ending violence against women and all gender-based violence,” said Mayor Gary Christenson in a statement he read to the crowd. The “Stand With Us” event coincided with the annual state-wide White Ribbon campaign, pioneered by Jane Doe Inc., Massachusetts’ coalition against sexual violence and domestic abuse. It aims to involve men in the unending fight against violence. Malden’s Department of Community Outreach and individuals within the district court worked collaboratively to organize Tuesday’s event. Mayor Christenson and the City of Malden advertised the gathering on Twitter in an effort to rally residents to participate in the pledge alongside authorities. However, no outside individuals attended. In a conversation on […]

AAAW hosts International Women’s Day in Malden

March 21, 2019 jlynnmcclain 0

By Jennifer McClain There were discussions of equality and income disparities. And there was also fun, celebration and dancing, specifically displaying the beauty of the Arabic culture. This was the 7th Annual International Women’s Day 2019 event hosted by the American Association for Arab Women (AAAW) on March 16 at the Malden Senior Community Center. The event was attended by about 60 people, a diverse crowd representing many different cultures. A number of Malden’s political leaders were in attendance. AAAW President Souad Akib welcomed attendees first by calling for a moment of silence and then reading from the Koran to honor those lost in the recent tragedy in New Zealand. She then launched into a call to action in honor of International Women’s Day, reciting a list of what should be done and how you can do it. “We need to make sure women are treated with respect in the workplace,” Akib said. She went on to describe how it could be accomplished: “If you are a hiring manager, interview as many women as you […]

Davenport Memorial Home serves seniors and keeps the past alive

March 15, 2019 ditikohli 0

Story by Diti Kohli After stepping into the Davenport Memorial Home, guests are greeted by smiling porpoises laid into the tile on the floor of the entrance and an intricate red rug in the foyer. Decades-old A.H. Davenport Company furniture and antiques furnish every visible corner of the building. Nestled prominently between the public library and the high school, the Salem Street mansion does not hide from Malden residents. But the senior living facility’s brick exterior and perfectly manicured lawn do not attract questions from locals. Rachel Burke, Davenport’s assistant administrator, said it is Malden’s best kept secret. “A lot of people know the building, but not what’s in the building,” she said. For 73 years, the Davenport has been a non-profit residential home for Malden senior citizens, while preserving the mansion’s centuries-old architecture and the culture it represented. The Salem Street mansion was once the family home of the Davenports, Malden natives with vast political influence who opened the First Baptist Church near the home. Patriarch A.H. Davenport founded the Davenport Furniture Company, which supplied furniture to famous clients, […]