Dr. Michael Thompson: “Are the Kids Alright? Postpandemic Parenting”

Thursday, Jan. 20, from 7 to 8:30 on Zoom. See all forum athttp://www.arlington.k12.ma.us/news/pdfs/parentforums.pdf. The link for Thompson's event is here >>

Weymouth man, 30, arraigned on multiple charges

UPDATED Jan. 19: A 30-year-old Weymouth man was arraigned on multiple charges after allegedly breaking into a home on Mystic Lake Drive and being chased by police onto frigid Mystic River ice on a 5-degree afternoon.

Joseph Kahler was arrested Saturday, Jan. 15, after a homeowner reported arriving home with children to find the kitchen window open and seeing an unknown male walking through the yard to a U-Haul truck parked on the street.

Marcela Dwork of the Middlesex District Attorney's Office reported Jan. 19 that Kahler was arraigned the day before on the charges of breaking-and-entering during the daytime to commit a felony, resisting arrest, failure to stop, possession of a Class A substance and possession of a Class C substance. He pleaded not guilty. Judge David Frank set bail at $1,000 cash with the conditions that he stay away from and have no contact with the victims or their residence. The next date in this case is Feb. 9.

Town planning is the host for a virtual public meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, to kick off the feasibility study of connecting the Mystic River Path to the Minuteman Bikeway.

The project, funded through an $80,000 grant from the Mass Trails Program and $10,000 from the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation, will review the existing trails and feasibility of creating new trails to connect two key multimodal paths. The meeting will focus on an overview of the project and discussion on key locations and design issues in the project area. 

Learn more and register at arlingtonma.gov/planning.

Arlington is establishing a Veterans Memorial Park gift account, as unanimously approved by the Select Board at its Jan. 10 meeting.

Veterans Memorial Park, next to the town’s Central Fire Station, is slated for a long-overdue renovation.

Just before Veterans Day last November, the board voted to keep the park (rather than create a new one), said board Chair Steve DeCourcey.

Catherine Adler,  99, a Marine Corps veteran who served during the Korean conflict, passed away in December. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the town’s Department of Veterans Services,” said Jeff Chunglo, Arlington’s director of veterans services.

Rendering of proposed outlet at 251 Summer St. / Calyx Peak

UPDATED Jan. 15: The Select Board unanimously agreed to grant a host community agreement to Calyx Peak of MA Inc. to open an adult-use marijuana retail establishment at 251 Summer St., now a defunct auto-repair shop, at its Jan. 10 meeting. 

This decision was based on successful negotiations between Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, Town Counsel Doug Heim, Select Board member Len Diggins, Arlington Police Sgt. Sean Kiernan, Public Health Director Natasha Waden, Health and Human Services Director Christine Bongiorno, Planning and Community Development Director Jennifer Raitt, Planning and Community Development Assistant Director Kelly Lynema and Calyx Peak.

“This is a great location, with adequate parking, and aligns with what the town manager envisions for Arlington’s three cannabis locations,” said Calyx Peak consultant Pete D’Agostino. 

However, the approval process has only begun. 

Police body-camera photo. / New York Times

UPDATED Jan. 19: Arlington police have received a state grant to help pay for body cameras, and the chief is eager to move ahead, but she is in waiting mode.

"Like many other departments in Massachusetts, I am waiting on policy from the committee, and I look forward to implementing the program in Arlington as soon as possible," Chief Juliann Flaherty wrote in an email Jan. 11, referring to the state committee charged with providing guidelines to local departments.

Flaherty wrote that her department applied for and was awarded $43,035 on Dec. 6, from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The Mass. Police Reform Bill established a committee to study body-worn cameras and develop policy for the Massachusetts police departments and are behind schedule on issuing road maps for moving forward.