Bottom Stories - July 26, 2006

And now, a new recurring feature at the Wakefield Étudiant: Bottom Stories. Just because these events aren't given as much attention as stories about tunnel collapses and women getting stabbed with carrots, doesn't mean we won't recap them here.

The Heat Wave in Cali

Left: Doug Lilly, Salvation Army member, making sure his client hasn't collapsed from heat stroke.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The high-pressure system over California that has brought 100-degree weather to the state wasn’t budging Wednesday, promising an 11th straight day of sweltering heat, the potential of more deaths and another strain on utilities.
The National Weather Service predicted temperatures around the state to fall several degrees, but the misery index would remain high as the mercury hovers well over 100 in many parts. The gradual cooling trend was expected to continue through the week.
Stephanie McCorkle, spokeswoman for the California Independent System Operator, which manages the power grid, said the ISO did not anticipate declaring another power emergency Wednesday.
State and local authorities reported at least 56 possible heat-related deaths since the mercury first spiked upward, most in the smoldering Central Valley and deserts east of Los Angeles.

If I Were a Town Crier, I'd Be Crying, "SPECIAL TOWN MEETING!"

A special Town Meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Galvin Middle School, 525 Main St.
The Board of Selectmen set up the meeting to deal with the future sale of the Montrose School and other town properties. The selectmen will ask voters to consider an amended bylaw for moving former schools into a Municipal Reuse Overlay District, allowing them to be sold for other purposes.

Sean and the Senators (Wouldn't That Be a Great Band Name?)

What do Al Gore, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry have in common? Most people would say the three currently serve (or have served) as U.S. senators and have established themselves as top leaders of the Democratic party in this country despite unsuccessful runs for the presidency.
Sean Grant, however, has a more personal connection to the threesome - at one point he counted each of the prominent national officials as his boss.
Grant is facing off against State Rep. Mark Falzone, D-Saugus, in this year's Democratic primary, vying to represent the 9th Essex District, which includes Wakefield's precincts 1, 2 and 7. Grant has never held public office, but he has worked behind the scenes for a host of well-known officials at the state and national level.
Although he is only 36 years old, Grant assisted Kennedy's re-election campaign in 1994 and has served as an advance man for both Kerry and Gore.
Politics have always been a big part of Grant's life. As a young boy, he knocked on residents' doors in Medford campaigning for his father Eugene in his bid for city council and the mayor's office, an experience he enjoyed from the start.
After volunteering on some local campaigns, Grant signed on for Kennedy's re-election effort in 1994. He did some light and sound work for the campaign, setting up a roving PA system Kennedy used at press conferences to communicate his message to constituents.

Former Gov. Celluci's Father Dead

HUDSON, Mass. --Charles "Ed" Garnett, prominent Hudson businessman and father-in-law of former Massachusetts governor and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci, died at Notre Dame Long Term Care Center in Worcester on July 19. He was 87.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Garnett employed many residents at his business, Hudson Combing. Hudson Combing and its Brady, Texas, subsidiary, Brady Combing, both specialized in processing mohair, and once were the leading processors in the country.

(Sources: Wakefield Observer, Boston Herald, Boston Globe, SF Gate)