News Notes

Seekonk High Creates Athletic Hall of Fame
Seekonk High School honored the first class of inductees for its new Seekonk High School Athletic Hall of Fame at a dinner on Saturday, Nov. 24 at the Pawtucket Country Club, according to an article in the Sun Chronicle. Track star John Gregorek Jr., who competed in the World Championships and shot put and discus athlete Jeff Chadouian were inducted. Other Warrior athletes honored were Valerie Blinn, Andrew Pereira, Heather Spellman, Jennifer Spellman-McLarnon, Ricky Silva, Alisha Lee-Hanoian, Robert Stedman and Samantha Demty. Two former coaches, Ray Grant and Norm Bowlin were also honored. Robert and Karen McKenna were honored with the Community Service Award.

Town Held Veterans Day Ceremony
Seekonk held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park on Nov. 12. Many town residents and several local and state representatives, including State Rep. Steven Howitt were in attendance. Veterans Officer James LaFlame was master of ceremonies.

Town Meeting Approves Funding for Animal Shelter Construction and School Addition Architecture/Design; Rejects Non-medical Marijuana Establishment Ban
Voters at the Fall Town Meeting on Sept. 19 discussed a proposed ban on recreational marijuana establishments for some time. The amendment failed to pass because it did not have the two-thirds majority needed. Voters approved a $1 million appropriation for architectural and engineering services for a proposed addition to Aitken Elementary School and $460,000 for the design and construction of a new animal shelter. Last fall the town approved $900,000 for the animal shelter and the Save a Pet organization has pledged $300,000 to the project, but costs have reportedly increased. Turnout for the meeting was good, with 220 of 10,508 registered voters, or about 21 percent, in attendance.

Fire Chief Wants to Increase Department Staff
Fire Chief Michael Healy told selectmen that he wants to increase staffing at the department to accommodate the new 24-hour schedule that took effect on July 1, according to a Sun Chronicle article. Healy wants to have eight firefighters on duty, four at each station, at all times. The department has been using overtime funds to keep both stations manned on the 24-hour schedule.

Dighton-Rehoboth Wins 52nd Annual Thanksgiving Football Game Against Seekonk, 33-0
In their annual Thanksgiving football contest, the Dighton-Rehoboth Falcons beat the Seekonk Warriors 33 to 0 at Robert T. Roy field at D-R. The game was played on Thanksgiving eve at 7 p.m. due to the cold temperatures forecast for Thanksgiving morning. D-R and Seekonk have split the previous four Thanksgiving Day games, according to an article in the Sun Chronicle, but the Falcons have won more of the Thanksgiving match-ups, with a 32-19-1 in the series.