Malden

Arts

SUM studios officially launches space for “interconnected” artists and musicians

June 25, 2019 minhdomatv 0

By Minh Do Malden now has a new space for studios that will be dedicated to artists and musicians looking for places to showcase their arts or to blast out rehearsals without the neighbors complaining. On June 12, SUM Studios, located at 730 Eastern Ave, officially opened with a gala launch day. Visitors accessed SUM Studios through a small road through the parking lot, leading to a garage door-like entrance. Bob Logan, the director and music producer of SUM studio, greeted visitors and attendees included Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. Logan shook hands with guests and led band members to the practice rooms in which they would be playing for the mayor later. “Most of our members have been experienced players in the Boston music scene for a while,” said Logan, who founded SUM studio with his bandmates after the closure of the EMF building in Central Square where he was the building manager. Logan and his colleagues, including band members and artists who previously used the EMF facility, moved to the new SUM studio location. […]

Arts

A Tale of Two Sculptors on Malden’s ARTLine

June 9, 2019 santilloart 0

By Sharon Santillo Malden’s ARTLine will get three new additions this month, when installations by Colin Selig and Joe Malesky, and a mural by Clay Larsen are officially unveiled on Thursday, June 20, at 5:30 p.m., opposite 195 Canal Street. The public is invited to see the art and meet the artists, who will all speak at the event. The two sculptors bring different visions to Malden, but both are devoted to the arts. “I am still a little kid,” sculptor Joe Malesky admitted in an interview. When he was growing up, kids played outside, made toys, fixed things, and had a lot of people around to help them. “We improvised,” he recalled. A Detroit native, Malesky spent part of his childhood in the Motor City; he also spent time on a farm in southern Illinois. Both city and country have influenced his sensibilities. The last 40 years of his life have been in Springfield, Missouri, first as a machinist in small fabrication shops, and now as a sculptor. Malesky works mainly with structural grade […]

Featured

Pizza fuels the American immigrant experience

May 9, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

By The Staff of Neighborhood View  As one of America’s favorite foods, pizza has a special place in our collective hearts. Malden is no exception. We estimate there are at least 40 to 45 or shops/restaurants here that sell pizza. Overall, Massachusetts has the 4th highest per capita ratio of pizza restaurants to residents (3.43 per 10,000) of the 50 states, according to Statistica.com. Pizza is more than a cheesy treat. It is a reflection of the waves of immigration that has shaped America.  Whether you got your first taste after reading all of your books as part of Pizza Hut’s Book It program or during a birthday party, pizza has proved to be a loyal and tasty treat.  It’s all the things we love: cheesy, warm, gooey and outright addictive. According to Pizza.com, 94 percent of Americans eat pizza regularly and more than 5 billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year. Americans have typically tried pizza as early as age 2, according to the Chuck E Cheese pizza chain. Pizza has also become a universal cuisine. Some love […]

Education

MaldenCORE creates platform to speak on racial inequality

May 6, 2019 ditikohli 0

By Diti Kohli Jennifer Hedrington, a Salemwood School math teacher who is Haitian American, wearily remembered missing out as a child on having a teacher who looked like her. Today she advocates alongside the Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity to ensure the same won’t happen to any of her seventh grade students. Hedrington is a part of MaldenCORE, a community-based organization that aims to foster more diverse leadership representation in the city, especially in its schools.   Starting August 2018, the groups hosts “fourth Wednesday conversations” open to the public in the Markey Senior Center dining room. Members lead inclusive conversations on issues that disproportionately affect communities of color. “The beginning of solving all issues is a conversation,” said Hedrington. “Some of these topics are frustrating and painful, but we have to go through pain to make that change happen.” Past “conversations” addressed bias in the education system, the nature of racial discrimination, and the school-to-prison pipeline that drives disadvantaged students to criminal activity. Last Wednesday, three presenters detailed the origin and history of […]

Events

Chinese Culture Connection gala celebrates CCC’s 14th year

April 29, 2019 ditikohli 0

Story and video by Diti Kohli More than 200 attendees from the greater Boston area enjoyed a ten-course dinner and celebrated the Chinese Culture Connection’s success at the organization’s 14th annual gala on April 6. The non-profit hosted the event at the Hei La Moon restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown to raise funds for future programs and honor those who made an impact that aligned with the organization’s mission of “cross-cultural understanding.” Performers in traditional garb showcased Chinese dances, karate, and tai chi, a martial art that doubles as a method of meditation, as entertainment through the night. Organizers priced one spot at each of the eight-person tables at $100 dollars––profits went directly into the CCC’s fundraising trove. Executive director Mei Hung thanked the city of Malden for aiding the organization’s efforts while reminding guests that their financial help is welcomed and needed. “Without the city’s official support, it would be very hard to do the work,” Hung said. “But this is still a fundraising event.” Guests also bid on traditional artwork and other products from sponsors […]

Education

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.” In addition […]