A Fraudulent Man

Ex-Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi is facing up to 20 years in prison for allegedly taking kickbacks in yet another State House corruption scandal that has cast a pall over Beacon Hill and sent the onetime iron-fisted leader’s former colleagues scrambling for cover.

DiMasi was hit with fraud and conspiracy charges yesterday in a scathing indictment that painted him as the “coach” of a team of conspirators who cut lucrative deals in backrooms and on golf courses from Boston to Florida, lining his own pocket to the tune of $60,000, federal agents alleged.

Prosecutors said DiMasi used his legislative might to steer $20 million in taxpayer-funded software contracts to Cognos in 2007. In exchange, the Canadian firm funneled payments to an unnamed lawyer in DiMasi’s law office, who in turn cut the then-speaker checks ranging from $4,000 to $25,000, authorities alleged. - Boston Herald

Judge Mark L. Wolf would have given DiMasi a smack down.

Concert Review: Local Bands @ UU

Bands: Jeff Mitchell, Envy of August, Foxglove, Calling Aviv, With The Punches, The Big Sanchez
Venue: Unitarian Universalist Church Basement in Wakefield, MA

Comments: Everyone that participated in the show is a great performer and musician. That said, the pop-punk genre just isn't my thing. It's sometimes catchy (credit to Foxglove), but there seemed to be very little variation between songs. Calling Aviv was really good, playing some old and new. Bill's use of the electronic switch as an instrument was cool. I thought The Big Sanchez's performance of "Maria" was the best of the night.

Wakefield High School Budget (FY 2010)

Ever wondered how much the average salary is for...

A Wakefield High School teacher? $60,380
A Wakefield High School librarian? $67,453
A Wakefield High School athletic director? $91,044
A Wakefield High School guidance counselor? $68,265
A Wakefield High School administrator? $95,760
A Wakefield High School clerical secretary? $40,879
A Wakefield High School nurse? $60,385

Of course, I did all the division myself, but you can visit the FY10Budget page and see all the numbers for yourself.

Head of Transit Authority To Ban Cell Phones

BOSTON -- The head of the Boston-area transit authority said Saturday he'll ban all train and bus operators from even carrying cell phones on board after a trolley driver told police he was texting his girlfriend before a collision Friday.

About 50 people were hurt in the underground crash in downtown Boston, though none of the injuries was life-threatening.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority already bans operators from using cell phones and recently ran an internal ad campaign featuring a poster of an open cell phone that warned employees not to drive "under the influence."- WHDH

Operating under the influence of cell-phones.

Boston Globe Management Proposes Wages

BOSTON — Management of The Boston Globe has proposed that wages for the newspaper's largest union be slashed about 23% to gain concessions of $10 million and keep the newspaper from closing.

The Globe, on its website, reported on what management called its "last best offer" Tuesday evening as negotiations resumed between officials of The New York Times Co., the Globe's parent, and the Boston Newspaper Guild. A person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the story to The Associated Press.

The Guild has offered a 3.5% pay cut for the 700 editorial, advertising and business employees it represents, plus three unpaid furlough days, for a total salary reduction of just under 5%. It said its offer represents more than the $10 million in concessions sought.

Greedy New Yorkers.

My Thoughts on Naz Academy

It's too bad that Our Lady of Nazareth Academy is closing in June. But actually it's not bad at all considering it will be locating to a more prestigious, "yards from... Lake Q" location. The new school, under the name Nazareth Academy, is sanctioned by the Department of Education and has all the necessary credentials. It will be operating as an independent school under the Catholic tradition, as opposed to a diocesan parochial secondary school. I appreciate all the effort that has gone into saving Nazareth. But $12,500 to learn in a former elementary school? Also, are all students grades 9-11 (this school year) going to be coming back? What about incoming freshmen? I'm not sure if the school will get the numbers. Good luck.

Burger King Coming Soon

If you drive to Irving Gas Station circa 2012, you may be delighted to see a Burger King across from it. Plans for a Burger King have been approved by the town of Wakefield. You know how long it took for Dunkin' Donuts and Irving to be built/open so yeah don't expect BK anytime in the near near future.

Fitzpatrick Found Guilty on Two Counts

WOBURN, Mass. -- A jury has convicted a N.H. man in the 2006 slayings of his ex-lover's husband and another man at a Wakefield business.

A Middlesex Superior Court jury found Sean Fitzpatrick guilty of murder Thursday after deliberating for more than a week.

Fitzpatrick was accused of fatally shooting 39-year-old Michael Zammitti Jr. after Zammitti's wife ended their relationship. Zammitti was the owner of Allstate Concrete Pumping. - WHDH

Justice has been served!

Jury in Fitzpatrick Murder Trial Deadlocked

Woburn- The jury in the Sean Fitzpatrick murder retrial has reached a deadlock following four days of deliberations at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn.

In a note to presiding Judge Kathe Tuttman, the jury of 6 men and 6 women said Friday they were unable to reach a unanimous decision after a careful analysis of all the evidence. After the jury was brought back into the courtroom, Judge Tuttman said she would give further instructions to the jury when they reconvened on Tuesday.

Fitzpatrick, 46 of Freedom, NH is charged with two counts of first degree murder in connection with the March 13, 2006 shooting deaths of Michael Zammitti Jr., 36 and Chester Roberts, 54 at the Allstate Concrete Pumping Company on New Salem Street. The prosecutors allege that SF stole a neighbor’s truck, drove to Wakefield with a 16 gauge shotgun and committed the murders after an affair with Zammitti’s wife, Michele, ended. If convicted, SF faces life in prison without parole. In SF’s first trial in August, a jury was unable to reach a verdict after three days of deliberations and a mistrial was declared. - Juror Thirteen

If the public (or at the very least Étudiant readers) had their say (according to the poll at right), Fitzpatrick would unanimously be put behind bars for life.

New Poll

Is Sean Fitzpatrick innocent or guilty? A verdict for the re-trial could be reached sometime this week.

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From the Boston Herald:

WOBURN — A jury has started deliberating the case of a New Hampshire man charged with killing his ex-lover’s husband and another man at a Wakefield business.

Sean Fitzpatrick is accused of fatally shooting Michael Zammitti Jr. in March 2006 after Zammitti’s wife ended their relationship. Zammitti was the owner of Allstate Concrete Pumping.

Prosecutors say Chester Roberts, an employee of the company, was shot when he happened to enter the room at the wrong time.

What Happened to Zammitti Retrial Coverage?

Thanks a lot Wakefield Item for posting updates on the retrial three days in a row then forgetting about it for two weeks. Real helpful!

MIT Students Make Internet A 6th Sense

LONG BEACH, California -- Students at the MIT Media Lab have developed a wearable computing system that turns any surface into an interactive display screen. The wearer can summon virtual gadgets and internet data at will, then dispel them like smoke when they're done.

Pattie Maes of the lab's Fluid Interfaces group said the research is aimed at creating a new digital "sixth sense" for humans.

In the tactile world, we use our five senses to take in information about our environment and respond to it, Maes explained. But a lot of the information that helps us understand and respond to the world doesn't come from these senses. Instead, it comes from computers and the internet. Maes' goal is to harness computers to feed us information in an organic fashion, like our existing senses.

Watch this stunning video:

Our Lazy of Nazareth Shutting Its Doors

Students, faculty, and parents at Our Lady of Nazareth Academy learned last night that the school will close at the end of the academic year.

The small all-girls school in Wakefield, run by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, has been open for 61 years.

Sister Rose Howard, a director of ministries for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, told the crowd that the order "had been concerned for some time about the school's financial health," according to a press release. "Recent events compelled us to take this difficult action. We are truly saddened to have to take this step." - Boston Globe

Not too many girls have the urge to go to all-girls schools anymore.

John Updike

I heard the news of John Updike's passing yesterday. At first, I said to myself "oh I never heard of him before." I then looked him up on Wikipedia and seemingly I had been at his page before. I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and what do I see but one purple link (indicating I've been to that page already). The link was to none other than A&P -- a short story I read earlier in the school year for English. Way back when, I thought it was great so I searched for the short film adaptation on YouTube and posted it here. So yes, in the end, I figured out just who John Updike was. God bless him.

Zammitti Sr. Testifies In Retrial

WOBURN - The first day of testimony in the Sean Fitzpatrick murder re-trial began Friday as Michael Zammitti Sr., the father of victim Michael Zammitti Jr., took the stand for the prosecution. On the stand, Zammitti told the court about what he saw and experienced on March 13, 2006 at the Allstate Concrete Pumping Company on New Salem Street...

Zammitti Sr. told the court that he arrived at Allstate Concrete at at 7:45 a.m. to work on the concrete pumps. As his voice cracked, Zammitti said that when he arrived, he pushed open the door and found Roberts' body inside, lying face down with a gunshot wound to the back... - The Wakefield Daily Item

I'm convinced: Guilty Guilty Guilty

Sean Fitzpatrick Retrial

Time flies. It's hard to believe that the Sean Fitzpatrick murder trial was five months ago. The retrial began yesterday, January 20, with the selection of jurors. Some of the evidence used in the first trial will not be re-introduced, including the recorded EZ Pass times of Fitzpatrick's truck. Also, it doesn't appear that the retrial will be given the same kind of national televised/streamed coverage.

Ouch: A Knock On Rep. Falzone

All right so I read the Wakefield Item rather frequently. I love reading the Comments and Forum sections because some crazy stuff is said. Case and point is in the Friday, January 16, 2009 edition's Forum. Here is a short excerpt from Jeff Crump's "Failed leadership" post:

"...Rep. Falzone hasn't had an original thought since the day he was elected. Why would you expect anything different now? Mr. Falzone is a tool, a witless instrument of the status quo, just like the former Rep. Festa before he got his golden parachute from the Governor. I give Rep. Clark some credit for showing a little backbone in this case but I don't expect that will last. The Beacon Hill Corrupt-o-crats will get to her eventually, if they haven't already."

I guess it's a pretty solid rant, but in the manner of a fifteen year old. Compare Crump's definition of tool to that of Urban Dictionary, which says a tool is "someone who is a complete idiot/ one who is used by other people, and usually doesn't even realize it/ someone who can't think for themselves/ an asshat." Crump tried to compensate his mere usage of the term by adding his own intellectual-esque definition. Good job, bud. In terms of the content...I don't know really know what Falzone has been up to. I probably should since he is a Rep.

"It's Fun To Do Bad Things"

Arrest: A 14-year-old juvenile was arrested at Wakefield High School during a drug investigation. The youth was charged with possession of a Class D (marijuana) drug with intent to distribute; and a drug violation near a school or park.

I think he's taking health second semester...

Private Colleges Face Applicant Decline

Many private colleges have seen or are concerned about a decline in applications. In a survey of 371 private institutions by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, two-thirds said they were greatly concerned about preventing a decline in enrollment, according to a Dec. 21 New York Times article...

...In Massachusetts, early applications to UMass-Amherst are up 27 percent, Framingham and Westfield State are up 40 percent, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts are up 60 percent and applications to Massachusetts College of Art and Design are up 75 percent, according to a Dec. 23rd Boston Globe article. But the budgets of public colleges are equally tight if not tighter, meaning they still cannot exceed capacity and will need to be more selective than ever before with a large and talented applicant pool.

"A lot of Ivy League kids are applying as a backup and that complicates admissions for the average student," said Catherine Leger, the head of the guidance department at Brockton High School in Massachusetts, in the Globe article. - BCHeights.com

Makes sense.

House of Blues Boston Opening Soon

House of Blues Boston will open on Landsdowne Street in February. This venue is the former site of the Avalon, which closed in August 2007. My first "real" concert (Weird Al doesn't count) was the Psychedelic Furs at Avalon in July 2007. It was a great little venue. I was scared that I would lose my hearing (huge speakers), but looking back I wish I could have taken in more concerts there. From what I read, I think they completely tore it down and built the House of Blues from scratch. Just looking at the line-up of bands coming once it opens, I don't notice a whole lot of quality. Jesse McCartney? Come on. I remember when my sister saw Dream Street (McCartney's teen boy band) at the Avalon. Dropkick Murphys? Yuck. Andrew Fallon, have fun. Morrissey. Now we're talking. That said, I don't think I'd see Morrissey live again anytime soon. He was great, but I need a few years 'till I catch him again. Katy Perry? Srsly? Judging from the bands listed, this venue looks like it will hold quite a few people and will house quite a few relatively popular acts. I think I'll stick to the revered Middle East Downstairs instead of this sell-out club featured in Guitar Hero.