Articles from the Neighborhood Newsletter

Congratulations to young artist Gabriella Hakim, of Jason Street and the Ottoson school, who received a Gold Key prize in the Boston Globe Scholastic Arts Awards. The Globe sponsored the state-wide competition in cooperation with the Massachusetts Art Education Association, and the winners were displayed in the Transportation Building Gallery in Boston throughout February. Gold Key winners (the highest award) now go to New York City, for national competition and a late spring exhibit during the National Awards Celebration.

Do you know someone who deserves recognition? Anyone graduating, being promoted, or making praise-worthy progress? Let us know so we can congratulate them this spring.

by Steve Johnson (Jason Street)

People who don’t clean snow from the roof of their cars. Or those who don’t clean more than a peephole from one window. Come on, you can do it. Everybody’s in a hurry; think about safety and visibility! Legislation was introduced last year to require drivers to remove ice and snow from their vehicles before hitting the road, by State Rep. Cleon Turner of Dennis. A previous attempt by State Rep. Brian Knuuttila (Gardner) called for a fine of $500 and up to six months in jail for failure to clean. Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and several provinces of Canada have all proposed similar measures to make driving a snow fort a punishable offense. Right now, it is a penalty of insurance liability (you spray, you pay). Hopefully the oversight will extend to truckers who don’t cover their loads.