News Archives - Page 39 of 50 - Neighborhood View

Profile of artist Stephanie Mahan Stigliano

September 16, 2015 escorsello 9

“So many books from Baghdad’s libraries were flung into the Tigris that a horse could walk across on them. The river ran black with scholars’ ink and red with the blood of martyrs.” —As written by Ian Frazier in the April 25, 2005 issue of the New Yorker, about the Mongols attacking Baghdad on January 29, 1258. The desert knows me well, the night and the mounted men. The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen. —Abu al Tayyib al-Mutanabbi (died 965 CE) “I love books and I think reading is so important in my life, important to culture and education and expanding your world view.” she said, “I make books. I love reading books. I love libraries, everything about books, going to bookstores, sharing stories about books I’ve read. So, I thought, ok, I can do this.” Malden artist Stephanie Mahan Stigliano’s thoughts about her invitation to participate in Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here: An Exhibition of Artist’s Books and Broadsides. On March 5, 2007, on al-Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad, Iraq, named for the […]

Housing Familes, Inc. serves up thanks to our legislators

September 14, 2015 karengarden 0

It was a potluck dinner with everyone helping out. The staff, volunteers and families brought large plates of delicious homemade food to share with each other and the legislators. The dinner was held to thank the legislators with whom Housing Families, Inc. have been working with through the year. These legislators were able to get HFI and their allies much needed funds to run their programs. The Representatives were Paul Donato, Steven Ultrino, Christine Barber and Paul Brodeur. Also, they gave a special thank you to Senator Jason Lewis. These legislators were able to get much needed funds to enable HFI and their allies, i.e. Youth Harbor(a program for unaccompanied youth between the ages of 18-and-22 years old), RAFT(residential assistance for families in transition) and others. An increase of $18.7 million which allowed another 900 to 1,000 new vouchers was awarded to Massachusetts rental voucher program. This program provides housing stability and security to extremely low income households, including elders, disabled individuals and families with children. A home-based line item which helps prevent homelessness […]

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 […]