The Boston Globe - 05.08.2019

(Brent) #1

B2 Metro The Boston Globe MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2019


BySarah Wu
GLOBECORRESPONDENT

B

y the end of last week, a multitude of silvery dead fish have lit-
tered the waters near the Charles River Dam.
The state Divisionof Fisheries and Wildlife began receiving
reports of dead menhaden, known as pogies, as the city endured
its second heat wave of the year.
Division of Marine Fisheries biologists determinedthat the pogies,
whichare typically between 8 and 11 inches long, died of natural causes.
Fish kills that include only one or two species are “almost always a natu-
ral event,” Katie Gronendyke, spokeswomanfor the state Executive Office
of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said in a statement. If pollution were
the cause, many moretypes of aquatic life would have been affected.
“With the recent heat wave, fish kills are not unexpected. As tempera-
tures increase, the water cannot hold as much oxygen as when it is cold,”
Gronendyke said. “Aquatic plants also increase theiroxygen consumption,
lowering the amount of available oxygen for fish and other aquatic life.”
Estimating that at most 1,000 fish have died, she said the water temper-
ature in the river is peaking at its usual 81 to 83 degrees, and the number
and size of fish kills have not beenunusual this year.
A natural kill of menhaden in the Boston area last year was much big-

ger, she noted. It killed 40,000 to 50,000 fish along the Mystic River in Ev-
erett and Somerville.
Julie Wood, deputy director of the Charles River Watershed Association,
said that in addition to the extreme heat, the fish suffocating may also be
linked to the cyanobacteria — toxicblue-green algae— that bloom in the
river every year.
The Department of Public Health issued a recent advisory after finding
levels of cyanobacteria that surpassed theirguidelines in the Charles River,
from the Boston University Bridge to the Museum of Science, spokeswom-
an Ann Scales said. Wood said the fish kill seemed to be unusually large.
“To see that many deadfish all in one area isn’t necessarily a typical occur-
renceon the Charles,” Wood said.
“People don’t thinkof temperature as a pollutant, but temperature
drivesso muchin a native environment,” Wood said, noting that the water
temperature has been above the water quality standards for aquatic life
during the past three days. “Our summersare longer, hotter, and drier —
noneof that is good for healthy river environments.”
The Mystic River in Everett and Somerville reeked as thousandsof dead
pogies rotted along the shore last summer.

Sarah Wucan be reached at [email protected]

Dead fish piling up at Charles River Dam

AROUNDTHEREGION

WELLFLEET

More shark sightings

at Cape Cod beaches

A day after a dozen shark sightings temporarily
closed some CapeCod and Nantucket beaches,
the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy confirmed
five moresightings on the Cape on Sunday.
About an hour after low tide, the water at Marco-
ni Beach in Wellfleet was quickly vacated as
swimmers wereordered out of the ocean by life-
guards at about 10:30 a.m.. The two sightings
there were confirmed on the conservancy’s
Sharktivity app. Two shark sightings near Ball-
ston Beach in Truro werealso confirmed. A
shark was also spotted by the mouth of Chatham
Harbor on Sunday, according to the app.

SOUTHYARMOUTH

Two firefighters treated

for exhaustion, released

Two firefighters were hospitalized while battling
a two-alarm fire in South Yarmouth early Sunday
morning, officials said. Crews were met with
heavy flames after rushing to a home at 80 May-
flower Terrace about 4 a.m., fire officials said in a

statement. All occupants of the home had safely
evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. The
two injured firefighters, who weretaken to Cape
Cod Hospital to be treated for exhaustion, have
since been released and are recovering at home,
fire officials said. The blaze left the home severe-
ly damaged. Officials are investigating the inci-
dent, but do not consider the fire suspicious.

BRUNSWICK,MAINE

Courtupholdscity’s

solar paneltax

A Maine court has upheld a city’s tax on solar
panels that seven families challenged in court.
The Maine Superior Court in July upheld Bruns-
wick’s per-panel tax, The Times Record reported.
An attorney representing the seven Brunswick
families had claimed a city assessor imposed
what amounted to a $200 per panel assessment
without justification. The families argued that
Brunswick’s tax was unconstitutional and had
the ability to slow the growth of solar power lo-
cally. One petitioner, Jake Plante, described the
tax as not ‘‘a lot of money’’ but about ‘‘the princi-
ple of the thing.’’ Superior Court Justice Nancy
Mills ruled that petitioners failed to provide evi-
dence of what the solar panel systems’ value
should be, and didn’t establish that unjust dis-

crimination took place. Despite the defeat in
court, property owners won’t have to continue
the fight, because of new incentives for solar en-
ergy use in Maine. Lawmakers this year passed a
property tax exemption for solar energy projects.
An attorney for the petitioners said there won’t
be an appeal because of the new exemption. (AP)

DOVER, N.H.

Te acherin KKKvideo

incident back to work

A New Hampshire school district says a teacher
will return to full-time teaching after being
placed on paid leave after a video surfaced of his
students singing a jingle about the Ku Klux Klan.
The Portsmouth Herald reported that John Carv-
er will resumeteaching Aug. 28, when school
starts. Dover School District Superintendent Wil-
liam Harbronsays Carver completed a ‘‘mentor-
ing and learning program’’ required for him to
come back to the classroom. Carver was placed
on leave in December after the video wentviral.
It showed two students singing a jingle set to Jin-
gle Bells that included the refrain ‘‘KKK, KKK,
let’s kill all the blacks.’’ Harbron and students
said Carver had given an assignment to write a
song about a subject in the Reconstruction era
that followed the Civil War. (AP)

POLICE BLOTTER

RBODY RECOVEREDA man’s body was found in
Braun Bay in Lake Winnipesaukee on Sunday
morning, New Hampshire State Police said. The
man was found in a few feet of water by a paddle
border in Moultonboroughat about 7:47 a.m.,
State Police said. Officers were able to recover
the man’s body and pronounced him dead after
taking him to shore. The man was not identified,
and police provided no information about the
cause of his death. An autopsy is scheduled for
Monday morning, according topolice.

RDRIVE-BY SHOOTINGA woman was shot in the
stomach in a drive-by shooting in Salem on Sat-
urday night. Salem police received a call about
gunshots at 10:57 p.m. in the area of 11 Chase
St. The victim, an 18-year-old woman from Ever-
ett, was sent to Salem Hospital and suffered non-
life-threatening injuries. The bullet struck her
stomach but did not penetrate it, according to

Salem Police Captain Frederick Ryan. Five bullet
shell casings werefound by police. The victim
said she was “looking at her phone when she
heard the shots and felt pain in her stomach,” Ry-
an said. She told police she didn’t see the shoot-
er’s vehicle as she sat in a car. The victim was in
the driveway of the house of a friend, who police
believe was the shooter’s intendedtarget. Ryan
said that he believes the friend knows who the
shooter is but the friend is “not cooperating.” Ry-
an said he thinks the shooting camein retalia-
tion for what he called “issues outside of the city
of Salem,” but he didn’t elaborate. “Our detec-
tives are working with the State Police to investi-
gate this further,” he said.

RTEENAGER CHARGED IN CAT SLAYINGA teen-
ager in the Worcester County townof Blackstone
was arrested Sunday and accused of using a bow
and arrow to kill a pet cat. Police entered the 17-

year-old suspect’s home with a search warrant
about 10 a.m. Sunday and found a bow and ar-
rows that matched those that killed the cat. The
teen cannot be identified by name because he is a
juvenile. He was charged with two felonies: kill-
ing an animal and damaging personal property,
according to a statement from Blackstone Police.
He was also charged with discharging a firearm
within 500 feet of a dwelling and discharging a
firearm near a highway, both misdemeanors. He
will be summoned at a later date to Milford Juve-
nile Court, police said. On Thursday night,
Blackstone police wereinformed a pet cat had
been shot with an arrow on Old Mendon Street.
The cat’s owners took it to a local animal hospi-
tal. It was then transferred to a veterinary medi-
cal center in Grafton, where the cat was unable
to be saved and was euthanized. Police said they
were able to identify the suspect based off multi-
ple tips from area residents.

ByL. Kim Tan
GLOBE STAFF
Is there a more delicious way to cool off on
a hot August evening than working througha
bowl of ice cream? Several bowls, perhaps?
Many people will be doing just that on
Wednesdayin the 2019 “Ice Scream Bowl” in
Salem, a rain-or-shine fund-raiser offering lip-
smacking classics and new flavors from some
of the best ice cream shops north of Boston,
including CaptainDusty’s, Cherry Farm
Creamery, Melt Ice Cream, Soc’s Ice Cream,
and The Sweet Truck. Buy a ticket and saun-
ter boothto booth between 6 and 7:30 p.m.
on the Salem Common. Proceeds benefit Sa-
lem Main Streets, a nonprofit focusingon re-
vitalizing downtownSalem as a year-round
retail, dining, and cultural destination. For
more information, visit salemmainstreets.org.
Another cool thing: InWeymouthonSat-
urday, Boston Bruins standout Charlie Coyle,
a town native, is expected to join Mayor Rob-
ert Hedlund and other guests at the grand re-
opening of the Connell Rinkand Pool at 220
BroadSt., formally celebrating the facility’s
transfer fromthe state Department of Conser-
vation and Recreation to town responsibility.
Since taking over, Weymouth has opened the
pool for summer use and plans to keep the
rink open longer, with additional ice time for
Weymouth Youth Hockey and school pro-
grams. In addition to Coyle and Hedlund,
who are scheduled to speak, a number of oth-
ers including DCR Deputy Commissioner
Nicholas Gove and former and current profes-
sional hockey players from Weymouth — Paul
Carey, Bobby Sheehan, Jim Carey, and Tim
Sweeney – are also expected at the 11 a.m.
ceremony. Visit weymouth.ma.us/mayor.
More rejoicing: Also onSaturday, the In-
dia Society ofWorcesteris holding its “India
Day 2019” festival commemorating India’s in-
dependence from Britain and celebrating the
Indian community in Massachusetts and the
wonderfully diverse and complex Indian cul-
ture. The event’s organizers say there’ll be cul-
tural performances, delicious Indian food,
children’s games,a free “health stop,” and ba-
zaar with vendors offering clothing, jewelry,
and artifacts. Some 5,000 people are expected
to attend India Day 2019, being held a few
days ahead of Indian Independence Day on
Aug. 15. The festivities start at 2 p.m. in the
DCUCenter, 50 Foster St., Worcester. Visit is-
wonline.org.
A quieter celebration: TheNewburyport
Chamber Music Festival starts onMonday
with a lecture/guided tour by artistic director
and violist David Yang of Béla Bartók’s String
Quartet #4, followed by two weeks of pro-
grams including three concerts, three perfor-
mances held in private homes, and a dozen
free events including open rehearsals, panel
discussions, storytelling, and family concerts.
Yang’s opening talk will be held in the New-
buryport Public Library, 94 State St., at 3 p.m.
Visit newburyportchambermusic.org.
Cars need not apply: InConcordonSatur-
day, local merchants will turn the town center
into a car-free outdoor market for their “Siz-
zlin’ Summer Sidewalk Sale” from10 a.m. to 6
p.m. There’ll be special summer bargains
from popular shops, a live band,street art,
and foods and drinks. Head for the intersec-
tion of Walden and Main streets, and leave
your car behind for this pedestrian-friendly
way of doing business. Visit concordchamber-
ofcommerce.org.
Down on the farm:NewtonCommunity
Farm (photo above), the last active link to
Newton’s agrarian past, is partnering with
Historic Newton onTuesdayto lead a walking
tour of the real estate that has been in contin-
uous agricultural use for more than 300 years.
The tour, starting at 6:30 p.m., will explore
different time periods in the city’s history as
reflected through local farming practices (in-
cluding the influence of Italian immigrants to
Newton) and end in the farm’s historic barn
with freshly harvested snacks. The farm is at
303 Nahanton St. Visit newtonma.gov.
Here are the attractions to which the High-
land Street Foundation is sponsoring free ad-
mission onFridayfor its “Free Fun Fridays”
program: Boston Harbor Islands National and
State Park, Museum of the National Center of
Afro-American Artists, and The Greenway
Carousel, all inBoston; Davis Museumat
WellesleyCollege; Gore Place inWaltham;
Hancock Shaker Village inPittsfield; JFK
HyannisMuseum;New BedfordWhaling Mu-
seum; Old Colony History Museum inTaun-
ton; andWorcesterHistorical Museum. Visit
highlandstreet.org.


L. Kim Tan canbe reached at [email protected].


It’s an ice cream


extravaganza

HISTORICNEWTON

TheMetroMinute

WEEKAHEAD

JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBESTAFF

NidaWilson,of
Pittsburgh
(right)jumped
into the
fountain with
her son, Tyler,
5, as they tried
to keep cool
duringa recent
trip to Boston
to visit their
family. A large
domeof high
pressure is
predicted for
Monday, which
will keep it
sunny and less
humidfor the
start of the
week.Full
report,C

SOFTSHOE TOCOOL DOWN
Free download pdf