A longstanding tradition

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Thursday, November 27, 2014
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Wareham.WickedLocal.com
EVENT
NATURE
Signs of the season
First Congregational
Church stages
annual holiday fair
Indeed, pre-Thanksgiving
Day shoppers flocked en
masse Saturday to Rowland
Thacher Hall as the First Congregational Church hosted its
By Chris Shott
annual Harvest and Holiday
cshott@wickedlocal.com
Fair and provided hundreds
with an opportunity to celeWAREHAM – There was a brate the Holiday Season
nip in the air and the parking eight days prior to the end of
lot was filled, so it must have November. Christmas items
been that time of the year for
Santa Claus made a guest appearance and brought
big crowds on Gibbs Avenue.
SEE SEASON, A7
along Mrs. Claus. WICKED LOCAL PHOTO/CHRIS SHOTT
THANKSGIVING
FROM WAREHAM
TO WORLD
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LIBRARY A JEWEL
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Guests chow down on turkey dinners Saturday at the Dudley Brown VFW Post in Onset. WICKED LOCAL PHOTOS/CHRIS SHOTT
SCARING UP PIZZA
PAGE A5
A longstanding tradition
Brown VFW Post opens doors for annual holiday luncheon
By Chris Shott
cshott@wickedlocal.com
SEND US YOUR
HOLIDAY PHOTOS
COMING IN PRINT
Maintaining a tradition
ONSET – A long-standing
tradition in Onset was
continued Saturday when
supporters of the Dudley
L. Brown Post 2846 of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars
banded together to host a
turkey dinner benefiting
service veterans and senior
citizens.
For more than three
decades, members of the
Vol. 140, No. 48 ■ $1
post and its Ladies Auxiliary
have volunteered time, effort
and funds to treat aging and
infirm veterans to indicate
support for their past efforts
in defense of our nation. On
the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving Day yearly, they stage
a free dinner at the post hall
on Gibbs Ball Park Road and
scores of people flock there to
taste the sumptuous menu
of traditional and seasonal
SEE LUNCHEON, A6
There were few empty seats in the VFW hall.
Habitat
gets
help
Wareham Land
Trust receives
grant
By Chris Shott
cshott@wickedlocal.com
BREWSTER – The check
is no longer in the mail; the
check is now in Wareham
(or at least an oversized
facsimile of it).
The Wareham Land
Trust was officially extended
a $72,500 grant Monday
morning from the Executive
Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs during
a news conference held at
the Cape Cod Museum of
Natural History in Brewster. The funds are generated
through the state agency’s
Conservation Partnership
Program and will be used
by the Trust to complete
the purchase of the Central Corridor of the Tweedy
and Barnes Preserve, which
will connect two other Trust
properties and allow access
to walkers to the Sippican
River and its core habitat.
“We are delighted to
receive this grant and it
enables us to get the property we wanted,” said John
Browning, president of the
Wareham Land Trust and
the person who successfully
wrote the $72,500 grant.
“We worked hard and long
to get things done and it’s
great to be recognized for
our efforts.”
In brief remarks Monday,
Browning stressed that the
state grant supplements
a $158,000 commitment
from the town through its
available Community Preservation Act funds, which
was approved by a vote of
the Special Town Meeting on Oct. 28. Browning
displayed a diagram of the
land to be purchased at the
conclusion of his remarks.
According to its Facebook page (www.facebook.
com/warehamlandtrust),
SEE HABITAT, A9
INDEX
Briefly.............................................A2
Opinion.........................................A10
Your news.......................................A5
Log..................................................A4
Sports.............................................B1
To do...............................................A2
COMMUNITY
The giving in Thanksgiving
Annual effort brings turkey dinner to 206 families
The WAREHAM COURIER (USPS 666-120)
is published weekly Thursday by GateHouse
Media, 182 Standish Ave., Plymouth MA
02360. Periodicals postage paid at
Plymouth MA and additional mailing office.
$46 in town for one year. POSTMASTER:
Please send change of address notices to
Wareham Courier, GateHouse Media NE,
400 Crown Colony Dr., Quincy, MA 02169.
mealtime for the next day or
so.
And that means 206 needy
WAREHAM - The tally was families from Wareham,
206.
Rochester, Marion, Buzzard’s
That is, 206 Thanksgiving Bay and Onset will be on the
"baskets" replete with turkey, receiving end of this annual
the trimmings, as well as Thanksgiving gift through the
other foodstuffs to round out stewardship of Community
By Frank Mulligan
fmulligan@wickedlocal.com
Nan Johnson takes a break from cranberry sauce duty.
WICKED LOCAL PHOTO/FRANK MULLIGAN
Resources Network.
For more than two decades
CRN has provided assistance
to those in the region in need
of short-term assistance with
basic necessities such as food,
fuel and shelter.
SEE GIVING, A9
SPECIAL SECTION
REAL ESTATE
AMERICA’S HOMETOWN
THANKSGIVING PARADE
PLYMOUTH HOME
BOASTS OCEAN VIEWS
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Thursday, November 13, 2014
WHAT’S INSIDE
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Vol. 120, No. 47 ■ $1
EDUCATION
The magic of STEAM
Kids learn Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math
By Chris Shott
cshott@wickedlocal.com
FACES OF
VETERANS DAY
PAGE A12
WAREHAM – A nineweek program at the
Wareham Free Library is
introducing boys and girls
from infancy to age 6 to the
wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts
and Mathematics.
The Little Discoverers STEAM Playgroup is
sponsored by the Office
of Beyond School Time of
Wareham Public Schools
and is funded by a grant
through the Massachusetts
Department of Secondary
and Elementary Education.
The objective of the STEAM
program is to provide
youngsters with hands-on
opportunities to experiment
and discover the world in
which they exist.
For one hour every Friday
since Sept. 26, boys and Students listen and learn during a recent session of
SEE STEAM, A6
the Little Discoverers Playgroup at the Wareham Free
Library. WICKED LOCAL PHOTO / CHRIS SHOTT
EVENT
TOWN
It’s
official
GRAPPLING FOR
GOOD CAUSE
PAGE A9
Wareham Free
Library decertified
by state
By Chris Shott
cshott@wickedlocal.com
FUNNY BUSINESS
AT LIBRARY
PAGE A3
5 CANDIDATES
FOR CHIEF
PAGE A8
A huge American flag flutters in the breeze over the Wareham Fire Station on Main Street. WICKED LOCAL PHOTO /
CHRIS SHOTT
Honoring those who gave ‘our today’
Wareham observes
Veterans Day with
parade, ceremony
By Chris Shott
TELL US ABOUT
YOUR HERO
COMING IN PRINT
■ Fun at Decas Holiday
cshott@wickedlocal.com
W
AREHAM – The
s k i e s d aw n e d
grey and later
turned partially blue, with
the sun peeking out from
behind clouds.
But Tuesday in Wareham
was colored red, white and
blue all over.
The town sponsored its
annual Veterans Day observance Tuesday, extending
plaudits to its citizens who
have served in the nation’s
military service for the
past three centuries. With
a parade, joyous ceremony
and luncheon, residents
jointly expressed a heartfelt
“thank-you” to those who
sacrificed their lives or put
their lives on the line to protect the freedoms granted
by the country’s Founding
Fathers.
Scores of spectators congregated on sidewalks along
Main Street and Marion
Road for the 20-minute
parade, which featured
representatives of Wareham’s special departments
– police, fire and emergency
services – along with other
marching units, including
military personnel past
and present. Also participating were members of
the Board of Selectmen;
local Boy Scout and Girl
Scout troops; the Wareham
High School marching band
and Junior Reserve Officer
Training Corps; students of
Wareham Middle School;
local businesses; floats; and
SEE VETERANS, B3
Fair
GIVING
INDEX
Briefly.............................................A2
Opinion ........................................ A10
Your News ......................................A8
Log .................................................A4
Sports ............................................ B1
To do ..............................................A2
The WAREHAM COURIER (USPS 666-120)
is published weekly Thursday by GateHouse
Media, 182 Standish Ave., Plymouth MA
02360. Periodicals postage paid at
Plymouth MA and additional mailing office.
$46 in town for one year. POSTMASTER:
Please send change of address notices to
Wareham Courier, GateHouse Media NE,
400 Crown Colony Dr., Quincy, MA 02169.
Salon holds cut-a-thon for toddler
tight with people for four hours
Sunday, all extending their support to the toddler suffering from a
PLYMOUTH – The parking rare tumor-growing disorder called
lot at the Plymouth Airport Plaza Neurofibromatosis, or NF1.
on South Meadow Road, usually
“It’s been wall-to-wall people
deserted on the last day of the week, in here since we started today,”
was buzzing with activity Sunday.
Colleen Rice said, adding that 40
That’s because owners Colleen people had arrived for haircuts in
and Mark Rice of Adam & Eve the first two hours of the fundraiser.
Salon were graciously hosting a fun- “Everyone has been amazing.”
draising “Cut-A-Thon” for 2-year
Indeed. Ten employees of Adam &
old Olivia Latham of Wareham and Eve took turns cutting hair at $15 per Olivia Latham poses for a photograph
the turnout was sensational. The
with her father, Richie Fernandes. WICKED
SEE CUT-A-THON, A7 LOCAL PHOTO / CHRIS SHOTT
normally roomy salon was packed
By Chris Shott
cshott@wickedlocal.com
WAREHAM – The
inevitable has become
reality for the Wareham
Free Library.
As expected, at a regular monthly meeting in
South Hadley Thursday,
Nov. 6, the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners formally
decertified the Wareham
facility, effective immediately. The Wareham
library will also be decertified for the year 2015.
“The Board of Library
Commissioners voted
to rescind Wareham’s
cer tification for the
State Aid to Libraries
Program for 2014 and
not to certify it for the
next round of funding,”
Mary Rose Quinn, the
MBLC’s head of State
Aid, Construction, Data
and Technology, said.
“It was a unanimous
vote because Wareham
did not meet the board’s
requirements.”
Denise Medeiros,
director of the Wareham Free Library, said
the MLBC’s vote was not
surprising.
“We expected it, but it’s
still a very sad day for the
library,” Medeiros said.
“It’s one thing to believe
it’s coming; it’s another
thing to actually have it
happen.”
Wareham was decertified by the MBLC after
the town failed to meet
its Municipal Appropriation Requirement for this
year. As part of a $4.5 million projected infusion of
new revenues, the town
was prepared to appropriate $433,000 to fund
SEE LIBRARY, A9
wareham.wickedlocal.com ■ WAREHAM COURIER ■ THURSDAY, June 26, 2014
3
POLICE
YouTube accusation address visited
by police 63 times since 2000
By Frank Mulligan
fmulligan@wickedlocal.com
WAREHAM – The address
where a man claimed in a
YouTube video June 18 that
police struck his mother has
been the subject of more than
60 police calls since 2000, according to a press release issued by Wareham Police.
The most recent past call
was for an unwanted guest in
March. There were also 11
attempts to serve a summons,
and three general disturbance
calls in 2013.
According to police records,
there were 14 calls to the address in 2013, six in 2012,
nine in 2011, four in 2008, five
in 2007, two in 2006, six in
2005, and one in each of the
years of 2004, 2003, and
2000.
The police on Wednesday
morning, June 18, were called
to the house at 17 Camardo
Drive by a neighbor on a report that two men were fighting outside the home while a
3 year old was present outside, police said.
According to the release,
“On June 18, 2014 at approximately 10:37 a.m., a Communication Officer at the
Wareham Police Dept. received a call concerning two
people fighting at 17 Camardo Drive and an unsupervised 3-year-old girl left outside. ... The Communication
Officer sent two officers to
the scene to investigate the report.
“A 58-year-old female was
transported from the scene by
Wareham EMS to Tobey Hospital, and released shortly after her arrival from the hospital.
This matter is under investigation.”
Richard Phillips, the man
who used his phone to record
a portion of the Wareham
police stop at his mother’s
Wareham home on what he
said was an abandoned child
(Image taken from the
YouTube video.)
call, alleges during the tape
that one of the officer’s struck
his mother in the face. The
video was uploaded to
YouTube.
Interim Police Chief Kevin
Walsh said the incident was
being investigated when
asked for comment Thursday, June 19. “When we heard
of the incident our investigation began. We don’t rush to
judgment. We’ll do an investigation on the whole context of the incident.” The officers will remain on duty during the course of the investigation, he said.
Phillips, in a telephone interview Thursday, June 19,
said he and his brother were
at his mother’s Wareham
home, that his 3-year-old
niece had been playing in
front of the house, near the
wide-open front door. He said
when the two officers arrived
the child was back inside the
home.
He said police were told
the child was fine, but refused to leave, and threatened to kick the door in unless
they were allowed to see the
child. He said he told police
they couldn’t come in without
a search warrant. He said the
two officers were able to see
the child was safe, but then refused to leave, saying they
had a separate call on men
without shirts fighting on the
lawn.
He said he began recording
when they continued to maintain they be allowed in the
home.
One of the officers apparently grabs for the phone during the taping and that’s when
the voice over, which Phillips
said was his voice, says he
hit his mother. Phillips said
during the phone interview
that he didn’t know if the officer’s intent was to grab the
phone.
He said he called 911 for an
ambulance for his mother. A
police sergeant was called to
the scene. He said the sergeant told officers to arrest the
people within the house if
they came out.
Phillips said he had to call
911 for an ambulance more
than once, but that one did respond and took his mother to
Tobey Hospital and the police
left. She was released, but
the family was concerned with
her heart. She’s had heart
problems in the past, he said,
and they took her to St. Luke’s
in New Bedford. She was released a little before 4 a.m.
Thursday, June 19, he said.
Phillips said the family was
pursuing legal action, and
that he wanted the two officers who responded to the
door, subjected to the strictest
penalties under the law including losing their jobs, that
he felt they were trespassing,
and had entered unlawfully,
committed assault and battery, and armed home invasion.
The tape shows the officers
outside the open door, with
Phillips saying he was recording. One of the officers appears to grab for the phone.
After that, Phillips is heard on
the tape saying the officer
had slapped his mother, and
he apparently began calling
911.
The mother is heard to say
later in the tape that she was
fine.
Heaven must be missing some Angels
Bell’s Angels take time for a photo at this year’s Wareham Relay for Life at Wareham Middle
School. They were the top fundraising team this year, raising more than $11,000, and are led by
team captain Michelle Regan. Bell’s Angels was formed in honor of Jayne Bell, who died five
years ago from breast cancer leaving husband Michael Bell Sr. and their four children, Michael
Jr., Ryan, Ben, and Cassandra. Michelle was formerly Jayne Bell’s student at Jayne’s Dance
Innovations in Wareham. The total tally to date from this year’s Relay is $68,657.95, according to
the American Cancer Society website. Participants can continue to collect donations until Aug.
31. Twenty-four teams and 279 people participated this year. Sylvester & Friends, at $10,206;
and The Walking Warriors, at $7,850, were the second and third top fundraising teams,
respectively. Top individual fundraisers, in order, were Meg Taylor, Patricia Guinier and Tony Pina.
See related letter, page 10. COURTESY PHOTO
RECREATION
Helping campers get happy
Cape Cod Five
donates $1,000 to
Boys & Girls Club
By Caitlin Flaherty
cflaherty@wickedlocal.com
WAREHAM – The Cape Cod
Five Cents Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Trust donated $1,000 to the Boys & Girls
Club of Greater New Bedford/Wareham June 18 to support summer camp scholarships
for Wareham youth.
The Club hosts a Summer
Fun program for boys and girls
ages 7 to 13, which aims to provide physical, recreational and
educational activities in a safe,
wholesome environment.
Christopher Richards, Cape
Cod Five’s regional manager,
Southeastern Massachusetts,
presented the check to Kenny
Fontes, Wareham Unit director
of the Boys & Girls Club, and
Jack Coughlin and Sherbie
Worthen, members of Boys &
Girls Club Board of Directors.
They were joined by summer
campers K’juan Jenkins, 10,
Leah Higgins, 14, and Matthew
Mobilia, 11. The presentation
took place Wednesday at Cape
Cod Five’s new Wareham/TriTown banking center, which
opened at Rosebrook Place in
Wareham on June 12.
Club leaders were thankful
for the donation.
“We are so grateful to the
Cape Cod Five Cents Savings
Bank,” Russ Buckley from the
Boys & Girls Club said. “Over 100
kids are coming to the camp.”
The kids said they are happy
campers.
Higgins said she’s been going
to the camp for seven years.
“It’s fun finding new things to
do and a lot of my friends go,” she
said.
In addition to the Foundation’s
donation, The Cape Cod Five
Cents Savings Bank has donated $5,000 to the Boys & Girls
Club of Greater New Bedford/Wareham as the lead or
“Kukoo” sponsor of the annual
Kukoo Gala at the Kittansett
Club in Marion.
“As a bank deeply committed
to active participation in the
communities we serve, we are
grateful to nonprofit organizations like the Boys & Girls Club,
which fill a vital need in providing healthy and structured activities for disadvantaged youth,”
Dorothy A. Savarese, president
and CEO of The Cape Cod Five
Cents Savings Bank, said.
Buckley said those interested
in going to the summer camp,
which runs June 30-Aug. 30,
should contact Ken Fontes at the
Boys & Girls Club.
Follow Caitlin on Twitter
@CaitlinCourier.