March 28, 2024

News Notes

Posted

Feeney Wins State Senate Seat
Democrat Paul Feeney won the special election to fill the state senate seat for the Bristol and Norfolk district formerly held by James Timilty, who retired at the end of April. Feeney beat Republican Jacob Ventura, former aide to state Rep. Steven Howitt, and independent Joe Shortsleeve, former news anchor for WBZ-TV in Boston. Feeney, former Foxboro selectman and state director for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, received 6,982 votes, or 47 percent and Ventura received 6,405, or 43 percent while Shortsleeve had 1,357 votes, or 9 percent. The district includes half of Attleboro, parts of Sharon and all of Foxboro, Mansfield, Medfield, Norton, Rehoboth, Seekonk, and Walpole.

Santander Bank on Central Avenue Robbed
On October 2, the Santander Bank located in the Benny’s Plaza on Central Avenue in North Seekonk reported an armed robbery. In a press release, the Seekonk Police Department reported that a male suspect entered the bank, produced a note and demanded money. The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of money prior to the arrival of police. The suspect is described as a white male, possibly of Hispanic descent, approximately 5’08” to 6’ tall, in his late 20’s to mid 30’s, wearing glasses, a gray hooded sweatshirt and gray cargo pants. The suspect was last observed walking eastbound on Central Avenue (toward Bakers corner). No injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation by the Seekonk Police Detective Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Seekonk Police at 508-336-8123 or email: tips@seekonkpd.com. The robbery is the second in the area within two weeks. A week earlier, the Honey Dew Donuts at Bakers Corner was also robbed. An arrest in that case was made the following day, according to the Sun Chronicle.

Local Author & Teacher Writes Book on History of Seekonk
Kevin Saleeba recently wrote a book, “Black Goose: History of Seekonk: Volume One” which chronicles the early life of the town’s first inhabitants including Wampanoag native Americans. The book also features stories on William Blackstone, Roger Williams and Samuel Newman. Saleeba, a former Sun Chronicle correspondent who lives in Sutton, teaches special needs students at North School in Seekonk. The book is available on amazon.com.

Dam at Attleboro Dye Works Could be Costly to Repair
Conservation Agent Jennifer Miller told selectmen last month that the dam and sluiceway near the former Attleboro Dye Works & Finishing Company could be “quite costly” to repair. A site visit was conducted with a consulting firm. The property on Maple Avenue consists of three parcels abutting the Ten Mile River and includes the dam and three industrial settling ponds. The town is looking into redeveloping the site into mixed-income housing and retail with access to the river, according to an article in the Sun Chronicle. The town plans to hire a consultant to conduct a structural evaluation of the dam and will continue soil testing.

Howitzer Will Be Moved
The Board of Selectmen, after meeting with Michael Durkay, Chairman of the Board of Library Trustees, decided that the howitzer gun near the Seekonk Veterans Memorial on Newman Avenue will be moved and stored until a permanent location for the gun is found. The gun was placed next to the Memorial in late July and has been a topic of controversy for a few months. Durkay said that if it is decided that the best place for the gun is at the Memorial, his board would accept the decision, but they would like a say in exactly where it goes near the Memorial. Durkay said his board requested that the gun be moved and refurbished, but selectmen noted the gun couldn’t be refurbished until its placement was decided because the Veterans Committee could only pay for the cleaning if the gun stays at the Memorial.

Cole Street Fields Closed after Soccer Player is Injured
The Cole Street soccer fields were closed last month after a Seekonk High School soccer player was injured by a spike in her knee at the end of September. After the incident, public works employees made several sweeps of the field, both visually and with a metal detector. A few more items were found and one or two were turned in to the public works department. Town Administrator Shawn Cadime decided to close the fields so that a complete inspection could be conducted in a grid pattern with another new metal detector. The fields were closed for the last two weekends of the youth soccer season and the final weekend of recreational games and player awards was held at Sherwood Ultra Sports.

Norfolk State Rep Proposing Gas Detector Bill
Rep. Shawn Dooley (R-Norfolk) has filed legislation requiring all new and renovated residences to have combustible gas detectors, according to a Sun Chronicle article. Massachusetts now requires smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Seven years ago a propane tank explosion killed a construction worker and Dooley wants to prevent similar fatal accidents in the future. Another propane leak in Rehoboth in August injured three people. There are devices that are combination carbon monoxide and combustible gas detectors and they only cost slightly more than carbon monoxide detectors. Under the proposed bill, only new and renovated dwellings, not current residences, will require the device. The bill is being reviewed by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.

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