Chief Brian Fisher of the U.S. Coast Guard and Mayor Dan Rizzo lay the ceremonial wreath at the City’s War Memorial on the American Legion Lawn during Memorial Day exercises Monday morning.

One of the largest crowds in years turned out on Monday for the Memorial Day exercises on the American Legion Lawn as sunny skies overhead helped set the tone for a solemn remembrance.

While attendance to the exercises was down for many decades, it has steadily grown over the last three years. However, this year was the largest turnout in recent history, as nearly the entire law was filled with older veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam alongside younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Veterans Agent Nick Bua hosted the ceremony and, at the outset, called for a moment of silence for the late Stephen Perez, who was killed last month due to street violence in Boston after serving two tours as an Army sniper in the Middle East. The Perez family attended and seemed to appreciate the tear-filled moment.

Bua set the tone by reminding everyone what the day stands for.

“Revere will not forget those who have served and we will not forget those who died in the service of their country,” he said.

Mayor Dan Rizzo was the first to offer remarks during what was his first Memorial Day as leader of the City.

Rizzo recalled a speech given at Ft. Benning in 2006 by Lt. Col. Randolph White Jr.

“He said, ‘I, for one, will never apologize for being an American and don’t feel you have to,’” said Rizzo. “American blood and sacrifice is the indistinct part of the American equation.”

House Speaker Bob DeLeo (D-Winthrop) said it was important to note the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam Conflict this year.

“As we reflect on the aftermath of that war and those men and women who served and died,” he said, “I want to make sure our Vietnam veterans and their families feel just as honored as our other veterans. I urge you to pay tribute to these brave souls for the positive impact they made on our country and our history.”

Guest speaker Brian Fisher, a Chief in the U.S. Coast Guard, spoke about going to Washington, D.C. a few years back and observing people at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. “I saw one Vietnam veteran who was walking along the memorial and looking for a name,” said Fisher. “he stopped and saw the name and had a moment. He found the name and I noticed he had tears in his eyes. It made an impact on me. I think it’s important to remember on Memorial Day so many of those names of people who don’t have anyone to look for their name. This is their day; their day to be remembered for what they did.”

Also making comments was Army veteran Jamie Chambers – who has two other brothers, Jared and Jessie, that served overseas in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

“The worst day I had overseas was waking up and finding the flag at half staff and wondering if it was a friend of mine, or worse yet, my brother Jared,” said Chambers.

The ceremonies concluded with the annual reading of the City’s war dead, starting with the Revolutionary War and going all the way up to the current war in Afghanistan.

One change made this year was the ringing of a bell after the reading of each name.

Art teacher Nikki Murphy (standing) and Garfield Middle eighth graders Julie Hurtado (left) and Dakota Grieco (right) go over a design for the new Shirley Avenue gateway project during class last Thursday. Students at the Garfield will present their ideas for the project at a public meeting tonight, May 30, at the Hyman Towers.

A re-design of the Shirley Avenue gateway at the Revere Beach Train Station has featured the unique convergence of professionals and students – and the combination is producing some interesting results.

The Neighborhood Developers (TND) has recently initiated an effort to redesign the gateway to Shirley Avenue at the Station, and they have scheduled a public design meeting for tonight, Weds., May 30th.

Point person Rachel Meketon of TND said that the meeting, which is at 6 p.m. in the Hyman Towers, will feature three designs from professional landscape architects and ideas from students at the Garfield Middle School. The meeting will result in a consensus for what residents would like the “gateway” to look like, Meketon said.

That meeting, though, is only half the story.

For the past month or more, eighth-grade honor students from the Garfield Middle have been learning from the professional designers and slipping their own ideas into the mix.

Art Teacher Nikki Murphy and Technology Teacher Erik Halvorsen have combined their classrooms to create a petri dish for learning about architectural design – something very rare at the 8th grade level.

About 22 students are involved in the effort, and so far they have taken a site visit, learned to use professional design software and made their own 3-D drawings.

“They’ve all formed working groups and designed the spaces and elements like lighting, fountains and landscaping,” said Halvorsen. “They’ve been incredibly focused on this. It helps that it’s a real project, so it gives them intrinsic internal motivation. It’s not just something that is a paper exercise only. They’ll be able to see this process play out and they might even get to see some of their ideas in the final design.”

Murphy said that the students have come full circle in realizing the potential of their community and its “gateway.”

“I think this has been fantastic,” she said. “ I come from an architectural background and have actually taught architecture on the college level. It was great to see our students excited about a project. They know the neighborhood and they’re very opinionated about Shirley Avenue for one reason or another. They started off with some very negative perceptions at first, but they realized after further discussion how much potential that area has being close to the T and to the Beach.”

Last week, they were able to meet with Gretchen Schneider – a professional architect from Boston who is spearheading the project for TND. Schneider visited the class and learned about what they were doing and gave them some tips.

“This is an ideal scenario – not only are local folks involved in the decision making, but some of the youngest community leaders – the Garfield eighth graders – are thoughtfully analyzing the project and offering their own design visions,” said Schneider. “I enjoyed discussing each team’s design ideas with them in the classroom last week; the students have some very interesting proposals. They have some especially wonderful, unique designs for benches, light fixtures, and water fountains.”

Murphy said that the most positive aspect of the project is that the students are learning very practical skills about design and architecture.

“I taught at Wentworth in Boston in 2004 and the college students there were using Google Sketch Up, which is what we were using here,” said Murphy. “I kept telling our students here that the stuff they were doing was the kind of things that kids and students much older than them were learning.”

Trading in the old white and dark blue striped vehicles that bore the City Seal prominently on the door, the RPD has moved back to a more traditional black and white police cruiser, according to Acting Chief Joe Cafarelli – who spearheaded the change.

“A lot of the officers had seen other cities and towns with the more traditional black and white cars and felt they were more professional looking and I thought they were right,” he said. “It was time for a change and these are more recognizable as police cars. It also gets back to one of our points of emphasis in getting back to the traditional roots of law enforcement. It’s been a very welcome change inside the department, and I’m getting good feedback from the community as well.”

The new design features an alternating black and white pattern with block letters on the side that say ‘Revere Police.’ The American flag has been re-introduced to the design and the symbolic ‘Thin Blue Line’ was added along the side.

It’s a design that was the result of input from all corners of the department.

“Everyone had a little bit of input in it,” said Cafarelli. “I had the final say, but a lot of people gave their input. Some wanted to put the American flag back on and others wanted to make sure the ‘thin blue line’ was represented. I had the basic idea of going back to black and white, but everyone else kind of ran with it. That’s good because it shows that they care.”

As far as anyone knows, the old police vehicle designs are at least 20 years old.

One of the cornerstones of that design was the large City Seal on the door, and the lack of a clear presentation of the words ‘Revere Police’ on the vehicle.

“One of the problems with having the Seal on the vehicle is that it says ‘North Chelsea’ very prominently on it, and people see that and wonder if we’re the Chelsea Police or the Revere Police,” said the chief. “It made it kind of confusing to people. There’s no misunderstanding who we are with this new design.”

Another problem with the old cruisers was that they featured an older phone number (284-1212), and they have no reference to the department’s Internet presence.

“The old informational number being on there is outdated,” said the chief. “We don’t want to advertise that for people to call. If there’s an emergency, we want them to call 9-1-1. We want that to be in their minds. We also will have the department website prominently on the cars because people communicate on the web so much these days. They don’t just pick up the phone anymore.”

Cafarelli said that some of the newer cruisers have already been painted, and he plans to introduce the design incrementally to cruisers and motorcycles. The older vehicles will not be re-painted, but the newer design will be implemented on all existing newer vehicles and all newly purchased vehicles.

However, the SUV vehicles that are used by shift supervisors will not be painted because they are likely to be phased out of the fleet, he said. “Everyone says the design is sharp,” said Sgt. Amy O’Hara, a spokesperson for the police. “That’s the word they’re using.” The new vehicles will also have a motto on the back, but that motto is still a work in progress, Cafarelli said.

They decided to go solar.

The Beachmont couple is one of the first homeowners in Revere to install photovoltaic solar panels to the roof of their home in order to provide for the majority of their power needs.

They indicated that they would be using the traditional electric “grid” as their secondary source of power.

“We’ll only be using the traditional grid if the panels are charging up,” said Will Frye.

Last Friday, contractors worked on the roof of the George Avenue single-family home, making quick progress on the installation.

“We’ve been thinking about it for awhile,” said Will. “We certainly wanted to cut down on our energy bills and help the environment too. We sat around the kitchen table and crunched some numbers and felt it was about time to do it. Everything is going up all the time anyway. I’m just glad we’re getting it and especially that we’ll be getting back something on the end and doing our bit for the environment too.” Will Frye said that the company that is handling the installation, Endless Mountain Solar of Pennsylvania, indicated that the installation should pay for itself in recouped energy savings within six years.

“They tell us that we’ll probably end up getting something back, so instead of a bill, we’ll potentially get a check in the mail,” he said. “I really think people can save with this. Everything is going this way. The company says this will pay for itself in 5 ½ years.”

Will Frye said that the project does require putting out a good chunk of capital to reap the savings.

Their project cost a little over $20,000, but he said there are many rebates to help soften those initial costs.

“It does cost some money to do it, but there are a lot of rebates,” he said. “The solar company helped set everything up for us to be able to take advantage of the rebates. Our project cost around $20,000, but we’re saving close to $8,000 on that because of all the rebates.”

The overall project included installing numerous solar panels on the east side of the home, as well as installing DC to AC converters on those panels. Likewise, the company also had to convert the meter and electric panel in the home’s basement.

Will Frye said the estimate was that the project would finish in one or, maybe, two days.

In addition to the solar work, the company is also setting up a computer program that allows the owners to check, in real time, the amount of energy they are generating and the amount of savings they are reaping.

“They have a website for us to go to and it’s all hooked right into our solar panels and we’ll be able to see everything that’s going on up there,” said Will Frye.

Finally, he said that maybe his first steps into the solar world in Revere might encourage others to also take the step.

“I’m hoping that when people see this, it will encourage others in the neighborhood to look into it,” he said. “I’d be happy to tell anyone about it. It really was a very easy and quick process, and we expect to really save some money in the coming years.”

Voters in this city, and in Everett, we assume, expect their elected public representatives to not only follow the law but to be pristine in their private affairs.

Regrettably, this is not the case with Smith in this instance and again, it is a let down as we have all come to expect more from those we send to Beacon Hill to make the laws in this state.

Building inspectors here descended upon Smith’s buildings and conducted inspections last week. When all was said and done, inspectors found that Smith had converted two legal six family homes into two 12 unit apartment houses without taking out permits. In addition to zoning and permit violations, Smith’s buildings did not have smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors.

Revere Fire Chief Gene Doherty described Smith’s actions as blatant, frustrating and unbelievable.

“It’s a slap in the face of Revere having an elected public official from Everett come over here and do this,” Doherty said last week.

Chief Doherty is right.

We urge Smith to get his Revere buildings up to code and for him to follow zoning laws in our city or wherever he owns property like everyone else.

It is uncharacteristic for a member of the House of Representatives from Everett to cast such a negative light on himself and his city but this is exactly what happens when a rep doesn’t follow the law in Revere or in any Massachusetts city or town.

Smith should set the example not be the bad example as he is right now.

The sleeping bag went missing until State Police investigators found it misplaced, apparently tucked away in an obscure corner of the old police station. That was 2009.

Now the family of the slain man is asking for DNA testing to be done on the sleeping bag for potential evidence that might aid in solving the case.

According to the State Police, numerous items associated with the victim of the homicide have already been tested.

However, the family of the murder victim Natale Lombardo is hoping that police will take a closer look into this 25 year-old cold case by more closely examining the sleeping bag.

Perhaps that might be the right thing to do.

He hasn’t lost a step after all these years and remains the same lively gentleman he has been all his life in this city.

From all of us to him – a very happy 84th and good health and everything else in the year to come.

Ciccarello – a former hockey coach at the old Savio Prep School – has been named the new RHS hockey coach starting next year.

Athletic Director Shaun Hart told the Journal last Friday that Palumbo had approached him in March and indicated he was ready to retire as head coach.

Hart said that he opened up the job and had numerous applicants, including Ciccarello.

Ciccarello has been the RHS softball coach for the last several years, but has a great hockey-coaching career already under his belt. Ciccarello had been the head coach at Savio for many years and took the program on to win a couple of state championships.

Hart said they couldn’t resist picking a successful coach from within.

“He took over a program with 14 kids in it and built it into a state tournament team,” said Hart. “His record and his knowledge of hockey were insurmountable. We would have been fools not to take advantage of that.”

Hart said that Ciccarello will remain the head coach of the RHS softball team as well.

In other coaching news at RHS, third-year teacher Erin Parker was promoted to the varsity field hockey coaching slot.

Parker has been the junior varsity coach for the last two years.

She played field hockey in college and high school and hails from western Massachusetts.

Thai Quoc Le, 30, of Stoughton, was charged with failing to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license and speeding.

Richard Cecere, 40, of 45 Gore Rd, was charged with being a fugitive from justice and one warrant.

Tuesday, May 22 

No Information Provided

Wednesday, May 23 

Juvenile, a 16-year-old youth was charged with failing to stop for police, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property and speeding.

Thursday, May 24 

No Arrests Reported

Friday, May 25 

William Tomolonius, 28, of Somerville, was charged with shoplifting.

Saturday, May 26 

Christopher Miles Roman, 21, of 17 Garfield Ave, was charged with one warrant.

Sunday, May 27 

Diego Vivares, 36, of Winthrop, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and malicious destruction of property over $250.

Gabriel Rivera, 45, of Marblehead, was charged with two counts of assault and battery.

Marcia McWhinney, 59, of Malden, was charged with shoplifting.

Allen Johnson, 21, of 54 Fernwood Ave, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Monday, May 28 

Brandon Nosko, 28, of Everett, was charged with one warrant.

Melrose Resident

James M. Zorbas of Melrose died on May 27. He was 64 years old.

He was the devoted son of the late Arthur C. and Anne M. (Smole) Zorbas; caring brother of John Zorbas and his wife, Janet of Roslindale, Mary Lacourciere and her husband, Paul of Chicago, Rosann Zorbas of Hampton, NH, Jerry Zorbas of Chelsea and the late Joseph C. Zorbas; uncle of Aviana Zorbas of Revere and George Zorbas of Hollywood, FL.

His Funeral will be held from the Gately Funeral Home, 79 W. Foster St. Melrose, Thursday, May 31 at 9 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 1155 Main St., Wakefield at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Visiting hours are today, Wednesday, from 4 to 8 p.m. Burial will be in Wyoming Cemetery, Melrose. For directions, obituary, flowers or to sign guest book, www.gatelyfh.com

William Martino

Of Florida, formerly of East Boston

William F. Martino of Port St. Lucie, FL, formerly of East Boston, died on May 26.

He was the beloved husband of the late Florence G. (DeMattia); devoted father of William, Linda (Quigley), Florence, Donna (Arone), Edward, Michael and Richard. Funeral Services will be held at Forest Hills Byrd, Young and Prill Chapel in Pt. St. Lucie, Florida, today, Wednesday, May 30. A Memorial Mass will be held in Boston at a later date to be published in a later edition and at www.ruggieromh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Treasure Coast Hospice, 1201 SE Indian St., Stuart, Florida. For more information or to send the Martino family an online condolence: www.ruggieromh.com The Ruggiero Family Memorial Home, East Boston is assisting the Martino family with local arrangements.

Ida Capano

Former Priscilla’s of Boston Wedding Seamstress

Ida S. (Lecci) Capano of Danvers, formerly of Revere,

former wedding seamstress with Priscilla’s of Boston, died on May 26. She was 88 years old.

Wife of the late Vincent Capano Jr., she was the mother and mother-in-law of Anne and Robert Carroll of Danvers with whom she resided and Paul and Thresia Capano of Delaware; grandmother of Michael, Zachary, and Jillian Carroll and Nicholas and Julianna Capano; sister of Tina Bevilaqua of Buzzards Bay and the late Eulalia Carnovale.

Burial was in Annunciation Cemetery, Danvers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Society of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, 17 Porter St., Cambridge, MA 02141 or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, PO Box 845945, Boston, MA 02284. Arrangements were entrusted to C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, Danvers Square: www.LyonsFuneral.com

Gennaro Giardullo

Founder of Do-Awl Construction

Gennaro V. Giardullo of Saugus, formerly of East Boston, died unexpectedly on May 25.

The founder of Do-Awl Construction, he was a past member of St. Francis K of C #2962.

He was the beloved husband of more than 66 years to Catherine (Maglio) Giardullo; devoted father of Gerard Giardullo, Frank “Duke” Giardullo and his wife, Karen, all of Saugus; cherished grandfather of Craig, Brian and Kurt, all of Saugus and adored great grandfather of Gennaro, Gianni, Brianna and Devon. He is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements were by the Ruggiero Family Memorial Home, East Boston. Mr. Giardullo was laid to rest in the Mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown 02472. For more information, please visit www.ruggieromh.com 

Marie Stewart

Former Longtime employee of Mike’s Donuts

Marie C. (Pesce) Stewart of Everett died on May 23.

A former longtime employee of Mike’s Donuts, she was the beloved wife of Neil N.; mother of James and his wife, Leslie of New Hampshire, David and his wife, Roberta of Revere, Michael and Allison, both of Everett; sister of Marguerite Timledge of New Hampshire and James Pesce of New Jersey. She is also survived by nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Funeral arrangements were by the Salvatore Rocco & Sons Funeral Home, Everett. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 9 Riverside Rd., Weston, MA 02493. www.roccofuneralhomes.com

Ida Rizzo

Of Everett, formerly of East Boston

Ida R. (Nardi) Rizzo of Everett, formerly of East Boston, died on May 24. She was in her 96th year.

She was the beloved wife of the late Charles Rizzo; devoted mother of Alfred Cataldo and his wife, Joann of Stoneham; dear sister of the late Virginia Romano and Victor Nardi; cherished grandmother of Joanna Cataldo-Walsh and Michelle Cataldo-Favaloro, both of Winthrop, Frederick Cataldo of West Roxbury, Joseph Fagone of Lowell, Kara Cataldo of Charlestown and Lesley McDermottroe and is also survived by many adored great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Her Funeral will be held from the Ruggiero Family Memorial Home, 971 Saratoga St. (Orient Heights) East Boston today, Wednesday,  May 30 at 9 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial in celebration of Mrs. Rizzo’s life at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Mission Church) 1545 Tremont St., Boston at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Services will conclude in the Chapel of St. Michael’s Cemetery. Memorials in honor of Mrs. Rizzo may be made to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission Grammar School, 94 St. Alphonsus St., Roxbury, 02120. For more information, visit: www.ruggieromh.com

Andrea Anzalone

Member of Deltona Lodge of Moose

Andrea (Medrano) Anzalone died unexpectedly in her Revere home on May 22. She was 46 years old.

Born and raised in Chelsea, she was the beloved daughter of Thomas and Patricia (Frongillo) Medrano of Revere. She attended schools in Chelsea, graduated from Chelsea High School, Class of 1984 and received an Associate’s Degree in Business from Fisher Jr. College. She married Joseph Anzalone in 1991, settled in Revere for 12 years and has been a resident of Deltona, Florida for the past seven years sharing time between Revere and Florida. She spent her life dedicated to home and family and was a member of the Deltona Lodge of Moose.

She was the beloved wife of 20 years of Joseph F. Anzalone; devoted mother of Michael McCarthy of Revere, Thomas Anzalone and Nicky Anzalone of Deltona, Florida; loving daughter of Thomas and Patricia (Frongillo) Medrano of Revere; cherished grandmother of Joseph Michael Anzalone; dear sister of Laureen (Medrano) Corbelle of Revere; adored aunt and Godmother of Courtney and Ralph Corbelle. She is also survived by many extended stepfamily members, including grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Her Funeral Service was held in the Anthony Memorial Funeral Home, Chelsea on Saturday, May 26. To send expressions of sympathy, please visit www.AnthonyMemorial.com. Funeral Arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Anthony Memorial Funeral Home.

Patricia Boyer

New Hampshire Resident

Patricia L. (Roberts) Macchione-Boyer  of Salem NH died unexpectedly on May 20 at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. She was 54 years old.

The loving wife of James Boyer, she also leaves a son and daughter, Vincent Macchione  and Jaime Macchione, both of Revere, her siblings: Carol Roberts of Lynn, Donna Fabrizio of Tennessee, Gail Friend of Idaho, Joseph Roberts of Rhode Island, William Roberts of Tewksbury, Edward Roberts of Peabody, James Roberts and Walter Roberts, both of New Hampshire and  her loving grandchildren: Vincent Jr., Cameron and Mackenzie.

A celebration of life memorial service will be on Saturday June 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Mary Queen of Peace Church, 200 Lawrence Road, Salem, NH followed by a celebration of Life at Sadye’s Restaurant, 136 Cluff Crossing Rd, Salem NH at 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Samy’s memory to a charity of your choice see www.mackeyfuneralhome.com for further information. Mackey Funeral Home of Danvers is assisting the family with arrangements: 978-774-0033

Angelo Boncore

Medford Resident

Angelo Boncore of Medford died on May 22.

He was the beloved husband of the late Alma (Emery); devoted father of Charles Boncore and his wife, Carol of New Hampshire, Alma Lekus and her husband, Paul, Pamela Thompson, Angela Boncore, all of Medford and Angelo Boncore and his wife, Brenda of Florida. He was the loving grandfather of Charles Boncore and his wife Brenda, Alyssa Boncore and Richard Thompson and the loving great-grandfather of Jillian and William Boncore. Funeral arrangements were by the Dello Russo Funeral Home, Medford. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Angelo’s name to Compassionate Care Hospice, 800 W. Cummings Park, Suite 3400, Woburn, MA 01801. To leave a message of condolence, please visit: www.dellorusso.net

Lorraine Bowman

Past President of the Immaculata Guild

Lorraine M. (Fallon) Bowman of Stoneham, formerly of Revere and Chelsea, died on May 23, following a long illness at the Kaplan Family Hospice of Danvers. She was 84 years old.

Born and raised in Chelsea, she was a 1946 graduate of Chelsea High School. She married Joseph J. Bowman, Sr. in 1951 and moved to Revere in 1954 where they raised their four children. They moved in Stoneham in 2000.

She was active with the Immaculate Conception Parish Community of Revere and was a past president of the Immaculata Guild.

She was the beloved wife of 61 years to Retired Revere Fire Captain Joseph J. Bowman Sr.; devoted mother of Joraine M. Spelman and her husband, Philip of Stoneham, Joseph J. Bowman Jr. and his wife, Karen of Brecksville, OH, Lisa M. Carlson and her husband, James of Saugus, Christine B. Emond and her husband, Douglas of Marblehead; dear sister of Patricia Colburne of Wakefield and the late Marcella Edgett, Ernestine Page and Chelsea Patrolman Joseph E. Fallon. She is also lovingly survived by nine grandchildren, two great grandchildren, two sisters in law, Dorothy Bowman of Melrose and Concetta “Connie” Fallon of Everett and by many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

Funeral arrangements were by the Vertuccio & Smith Home for Funerals, Revere. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472. For more information visit: www.vertuccioandsmith.com

Paul Brassil

Decorated Veteran

Paul E. Brassil of Charlestown died on May 22. He was 68 years old.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a Purple Heart Recipient of the Vietnam Conflict, he was the beloved son of the late Thomas E. and Margaret (Toomey) Brassil; devoted brother of Margaret Cameron and her late husband, Paul of Hanson, Thomas Brassil and his wife, Pam of Florida, John Brassil and his wife, Marilyn of Charlestown, James Brassil and Sandi McKay of Revere, Robert Brassil and his wife, Lillian of Florida., Mary Luzzo and her husband, Vincent of Lexington, Fred Brassil and his wife, Linda of Wilmington, Richard Brassil and his wife, Joyce of Seabrook, N.H., Joseph Brassil and his wife, Deirdre of Bridgewater, William Brassil and his wife, Katherine of Charlestown, the late Dorothy Gavin and her surviving husband, Tom of E. Bridgewater, the late Rita Carroll and her surviving husband, Joe of Halifax and the late Maureen P. Brassil. He was the loving uncle of many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

Funeral arrangements were by the Frank H. Carr Funeral Home, Charlestown. Burial was at the V.A. National Cemetery, Bourne. In lieu of flowers, kindly make a memorial donation in his name to N.E. Shelter for Homeless Veterans, 17 Court St., Boston, MA 02108. For obituary and online condolences, please visit www.carrfuneral.com

Rose Sobolewski

Mother of Retired Chelsea Police Chief

Rose M. (Marotta) Sobolewski, a resident of Chelsea for almost her entire life, died on May 16 at the Leonard Florence Center for Living where she was receiving supportive care for the past two months. She was in her 89th year.

Born and raised in Chelsea, she was the daughter of the late Rafaele and Maria Domenica (DeMattia) Marotta. She attended St. Rose Elementary School and graduated from St. Rose High School.

She married Frank J. Sobolewski and they raised their family in Chelsea. Her beloved husband died in 1962 following an accident. She worked in several of the local factories in Chelsea and later worked for Perkins Tobacco in Bradlee’s Department Store. She also worked for Cool-Ray until its closing. She was deeply devoted to her family and enjoyed spending time at Revere Beach with her sisters and many beach friends.

She was the beloved wife of the late Frank (Johnny) Sobolewski, Sr. and a very dear friend of the late George Apt. She was also the loving mother of retired Chelsea Police Chief Frank J. Sobolewski, Jr. and his wife, Linda of Cape Cod and Florida and Charles Sobolewski of Florida; cherished grandmother of Brenda Finn of Tewksbury, John Sobolewski of New Hampshire and Charles D. Sobolewski Jr. of Texas. She was the great grandmother of seven and is also survived by her sister, Violet Arsenault of Revere. She was the sister of the late Phyllis DeDonato, Ann Palumbo, Eva Ferris and Joseph and Anthony Marotta and is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services were conducted at the Frank A. Welsh & Sons Funeral Home. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden. Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, 414 Plaza Dr. Suite 209, Westmont, IL 60559. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Frank A. Welsh and Sons Funeral Home.

Those re-appointed were Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Don Goodwin, Building Inspector Ben DeChristoforo and Assessor Dana Brangiforte.

All had appointments that had expired and, until last Friday, Mayor Rizzo hadn’t given the Council notice of re-appointment.

All three appeared to be hanging in limbo, and more than a few councillors thought that the positions were likely to be part of the new administration’s reorganization plans.

That, however, wasn’t the case.

“When I ran for Mayor I had specific goals to create and maintain a type of city government that works for the people,” Rizzo told the Journal. “Increasing response time to constituent concerns and creating greater access to City Hall are continued priorities of my administration. These reappointments will help achieve the goals of the administration.”

Goodwin has been the most controversial of the three figures, often clashing with councillors in the past. His department had also been the subject of numerous inquiries and situations during the past several years. At the same time, it was one of the most taxed departments with the most difficult staffing situation.

Rizzo told the Council that Goodwin has stepped up since January and has reinvigorated the DPW. The appointment of Goodwin would outlast the current four-year term for Rizzo.

“It’s been my experience working with him as a city councillor and now as the mayor that he’s doing the absolute best job he can under the circumstances,” Rizzo told the Council in a rare appearance at the meeting. “I believe we’re seeing a big change in how they keep our city in respect to potholes, sidewalk repairs and cleanliness. I really believe the DPW is turning a corner.”

For DeChristoforo, many believed that supporters of Rizzo would end up with his job when his appointment ran out. Some believed that there had been political tension between him and Rizzo in the past, but it didn’t seem to be the case on Monday, when Rizzo gave his full support to the Building Inspector.

“We’ve all worked with him and he’s doing a very good job,” said Rizzo. “I’ve had several meetings with Ben about my expectations and he’s responded very, very, very favorably.”

Brangiforte is a soft-spoken member of the city government and not perceived to be political. However, the position of assessor has typically been very political, and there was reason to believe that the appointment might be up for grabs.

That also was not the case.

In a somewhat unexpected move, the City Council did not send the requests to their Appointments Committee – as is common practice – but instead offered a quick approval of the three candidates.

There were no questions asked and the vote was a unanimous 9-0.

Absent from the vote were Councillors Jessica Giannino and Ira Novoselsky.

Goodwin’s new term will last until January 21, 2017; DeChristoforo’s will last until April 4, 2015; and Brangiforte will last until February 2015.

The sound of the machine gun tore through the silence and Revere’s Albert Pierni hit the dirt.

A bullet whizzed just above his head, narrowly missing him, but hitting the man right behind him.

The man fell down dead.

Pierni had watched it all.

“The sniper started firing from a tree,” he recalled during an interview on Monday. “I hit the dirt. The guy behind me took the bullet. I don’t know if that means anything, but I was definitely lucky to get home alive.”

It was a memory that Pierni, 95, hadn’t spoken about for years, if ever, but one that quickly came back after taking an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., last Sunday for a one-day, all expenses paid visit to the new World War II Memorial.

Pierni’s flight was part of the organization Honor Flight New England, and was arranged by his niece, Nancy Casey, and her husband, Bob. Honor Flight New England is an organization whose goal is primarily to get World War II veterans to the new memorial before they pass away. However, they also sponsor veterans of any war for the flights.

“Through generous donations we transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at the memorials at no cost to the veteran,” read a pamphlet from the organization. “Our veteran heroes are not asking for recognition. It is our position that they deserve it. Please help us get these heroes to the memorial that was built in their honor. For some it is closure.”

Pierni said he was completely surprised by the flight, and hadn’t known about it until recently. However, he said it was worth every minute.

“The best description for it was that it was awesome,” he said. “That was the emotion I felt. It kind of brought back memories of the real heroes who are still there and never came home.”

Pierni’s family goes way back in Revere, as his grandfather built a house on Revere Street that was used for the first St. Anthony’s Church mass in 1905. His family had been one of the most influential families in the quest for an Italian speaking church in Revere, and so much so that the first services were in his grandfather’s living room.

He grew up in that same house with four brothers and three sisters, graduating from Revere High School in 1934.

On March 6, 1941, he was drafted into the Army, and he recalled that more than 90 young men from Revere gathered at the old Police Station on Pleasant Street in order to leave for training.

It was supposed to be a one-year stint in the service, but history would have it a different way for Pierni.

“We had been doing maneuvers in North Carolina and the day after we got back from those maneuvers, Pearl Harbor came up,” he said. “We were upset and were hoping to get a furlough to go home. We all knew that wasn’t happening. That’s all we were looking for – a furlough. We knew that wasn’t going to happen after Pearl Harbor.”

Pierni’s division – a newly formed and still active Americal Division – was one of the first to ship out, spending 34 days on a ship headed to New Caledonia. It was expected that there might be trouble on the French Colony, but it turned out things were fine.

He arrived at Guadalcanal on the day of Nov. 11, 1942 – the day that major fighting ensued on the island in the Pacific Ocean.

Pierni also served on the island of Bougainville and other islands before finally coming home after four years and four months off at war – a man who had basically seen the conflict from beginning to end.

“I was just lucky to come home alive,” he said.

When he returned home, he returned into the grocery business with his three brothers – continuing work in the family’s United Supermarket on Revere Street where the Fleetwood Building now stands. He and his brothers kept the market in Revere until 1960, when they moved to the Lynnway in Lynn so that they could have more parking.

“We started that business during the Great Depression, not the Great Recession that we have now,” he said. “Those were horrible times. Very tough times for everyone and hard to be in business. They would give them the welfare slips and they would bring that in.”

Now, with so many memories so far off in time – especially those of the war – Pierni said he was able to refresh those memories during his trip on Sunday.

Though it was just one day in the nation’s capitol, it was a day that won’t soon be forgotten by Pierni.

“The reception and the patriotism of the people we met – even children coming up to shake hands with you – was amazing to me,” he said. “People care in this country. It’s not the government. It’s the people. I’m proud to be an American – that’s automatic. And this was just a memorable time.”

Pierni’s siblings include Jean LeDonne and Ernest Pierni, as well as the late Arthur, Carl, Teddy, Rose and Caroline.

Cutlines –

HonorFlight1 –

Albert Pierni, 95, of Seaview Towers, was able to go on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. last Sunday as part of a special program that honors World War II veterans with a one-day trip to the World War II Memorial. Pierni served throughout the entire war in the South Pacific, and said the trip brought back a lot of old memories.

HonorFlight2 –

Albert Pierni, left, in a photo with Army buddies in Feb. 1942 – not long after the fighting in Guadalcanal had subsided.

Revere Fire officials came down hard on Everett State Rep. Steve ‘Stat’ Smith (D-Everett) after discovering 12 illegal apartments in two buildings that he owns on Yeamans Street – many of which did not even have smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors. This week, officials are still concentrating on the ongoing problem and are a bit disappointed with the lax response from the state rep.

“It’s so blatant; that’s what makes it so frustrating,” said Revere Fire Chief Gene Doherty. “He said he had permits and we went to the Building Department and found out there wasn’t anything. We asked who he had been working with and he gave us the name of a retiree who hadn’t been in the Building Department for five years. There was nothing, no permits. It’s unbelievable.

“It’s kind of a slap in the face of Revere having an elected official from Everett come over here and do this,” he concluded.

Inspectional Services Department (ISD) Director Nick Catinazzo said that his department has been on the lookout for illegal apartments more than ever over the past few months, but they’ve never encountered anything like what they found at Smith’s property.

“We see a lot of properties with one illegal apartment, maybe two,” he said, “but 12 illegal units in two buildings – 12 units – that’s insane. We’ve never seen six on each side. He knows about these laws too. He owns a lot of property in Everett and should know all about this stuff. To us, it doesn’t matter what he is – a state rep or whatever – we don’t care about that.”

Attempts to contact Rep. Smith were not successful, though he did tell the I-Team on Channel 4 last Friday that he planned to cooperate and fix all the problems.

That, however, is not exactly happening with any measure of desperation, according to Doherty and Catinazzo.

“We told him he had to get a contractor in there immediately to fix the emergency problems or we would put a Fire Watch detail on the property,” said Doherty on Monday. “No one showed up on Friday morning, and I told him he had to have someone by 4 p.m. on Friday. He did get a contractor, but that contractor didn’t even do what we told them to do. We have our Fire Inspector there today and he will issue more violations until the emergency work is done correctly.”

Sources told the newspaper that Smith was apparently getting about $700 per unit and was most likely pulling in about $20,000 per month on the two buildings. Those sources, though, requested anonymity due to their closeness to the situation.

The situation broke on Thursday when the Fire Department was called to the properties at 26-28 and 30-32 Yeamans Street for a complaint about a smoke detector.

Once inside the property, the inspector couldn’t believe his eyes.

He immediately found six illegal apartments in one of the buildings, and another six in the other building. Both properties combined were supposed to have 12 units, and they had 24.

A quick scan of the file in the Building Department showed inspectors that no permits had ever been taken out to make the conversion, nor had any variances been granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to up the number of units in each building from six to 12.

On top of that, the building was missing many smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, emergency lighting and a hard-wired fire detection system – all of which are major safety violations for a multi-family home and violations that a state official should know about.

“There were never any permits pulled for six additional units in either of the buildings, let alone permits for six new bathrooms or six new kitchens,” said Doherty. “Just in the hallway alone, there were like six to 12 missing smoke detectors and blocked egresses and no emergency lighting. He’s a guy who probably voted for the new carbon monoxide detector law and he didn’t even have them on his own property. He put a lot of people in jeopardy.”

The story became highly exposed to the public when the I-Team featured it in a quick hit story on its Friday night broadcast.

On Monday, Catinazzo said an ISD team and the City Solicitor investigated the properties and determined that it wasn’t an emergency situation that would require the units to be evacuated.

However, Catinazzo said that 12 of the illegal units would have to be taken down in the coming weeks – just as any illegal apartment that is discovered.

“The ISD inspector indicated that the apartments were relatively clean,” said Catinazzo. “It wasn’t like a rat trap, but there were a lot of safety problems such as emergency lighting.”

Catinazzo also said they found a structural problem on one of the back porches, where it appeared the porches had been constructed without any supporting beams on the ground.

“It didn’t appear there were proper supports for the porch,” said Catinazzo.

He also indicated that there were no Certificates of Fitness for any of the apartments. Those certificate inspections are required by the Health Department before any apartment is rented in Revere.

“This is going to be a situation that continues for some time,” said Catinazzo.

At City Hall on Tuesday, ZBA Clerk John Henry and City Clerk Ashley Melnik both indicated they had not received any new applications from Smith to make the units legal.

Both also said they did not recall Smith coming before the ZBA or City Council in the past for permits to extend the existing non-conforming use at the buildings.

The only remaining question this week was what will happen to the numerous tenants in the illegal apartments that Rep. Smith had constructed.

Revere officials said they didn’t want to kick the families out to the street immediately, and Doherty said he believed Smith would be liable to find them new housing. However, Catinazzo said the City is exploring that question right now.

“It is a good question,” said Catinazzo. “That a part we’re going to have to address. That’s why we had the City Solicitor with us on the investigation. We need to answer the question about who will be responsible for all of the displaced people.”

The guest speaker for the services will be Chief Brian Fisher of the United States Coast Guard. Chief Fisher has served in the United States Coast Guard for 12 years and comes from a military family. His father is a 28-year veteran of the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard. Chief Fisher has attended a number of special training schools for Electronics, Communications, Hazardous Materials Response, Oil Spill Clean-up, and leadership. His previous duty stations include the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma, The Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team, and the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman.

Chief Fisher was involved with the Coast Guard’s response efforts to September 11th, the cleanup of several large Oil spills in southern California, and Dutch Harbor Alaska. He also played a major part in establishing communications for the Coast Guard during cleanup efforts in Louisiana after hurricane’s Katrina, and Rita. Currently Chief Fisher is stationed in Boston and is busy spending his spare time planning for his upcoming wedding.

The Master of Ceremonies for the event will be Director of Veterans’ Services, Nick Bua. He is an Air Force veteran serving in France during the Vietnam era. He has been active in veteran affairs since 1980. Appointed to the V.A. Medical Center Advisory Board, he earned his 500-hour pin. Bua has served on many committees performing duties at both the Chelsea Soldiers Home and the V.A. in Jamaica Plain.

The ceremony will include laying of wreaths, musical selections, the playing of taps and a recitation of the names of Revere’s war dead from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War.

It is expected that many newly returning veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will play a major role in the ceremonies. Attendance at the exercises has increased over the last several years due to so many soldiers returning from war.

In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved inside the American Legion Hall. The VFW Beachmont Post #6712 will provide refreshments.

It is here for the grieving parents, friends and relatives of all those who died on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade. It is here for the 50,000 battlefield dead who were killed in Vietnam and Cambodia and for the war dead in the Korean conflict and World War II, The First World War, the Spanish American War, the Civil War and on and on.

It is a relatively modern holiday, conceived shortly after the Civil War, when Northerners and Southerners alike wanted to give shape and form to reconciliation and to honor the generation of young men killed in that savage civil war.

The North embraced the notion of Memorial Day. The South resisted until the time of the First World War and there remains eight southern states who celebrate the holiday at different times of the year.

For those of us who live comfortably in our lives going about our daily tasks without a hint of worry about whether or not we will make it home at the end of the day comes the added reality that for many, many thousands of brave American men and women, no such soft scenario existed in Iraq and Afghanistan, where thousands were killed on the battlefield.

By and large, for the most part, we honor those war dead – and all the war dead from all the wars and conflicts on Memorial Day 2012.

We do so in the growing knowledge that without sacrifice, without the willingness of one to give their all for their nation, we would fail in our effort to give democracy to the world.

Freedom is expensive, said the great American patriot Patrick Henry. And he was right.

The blood of young Americans poured into the swirling sands of largely tribal nations in the Middle East seems to be about waste and necessity. The same can be said of those who died in the jungles in Vietnam and for those who nearly froze to death fighting the North Koreans and the Chinese during the Korean conflict. World War II seemed right – especially in retrospect – but the carnage, death and suffering of those who fought and died has no justification except that the world was freed of Nazism and Japanese Imperialism in the greatest fight for freedom in the history of mankind.

Our brave men and women do not die in vain. They are remembered here and with grace and dignity and in the widespread belief and knowledge that they who died so bravely died for us – for you and me, for our children and for our children’s children.

Memorial Day is a three day holiday – a long weekend.

For the brave who died in battle in the name of their nation there is no holiday. There are only honors given to the dead and remembrance.

It is said best about this holiday in the somber words of Moina Michael’s “Flanders Fields”:

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

Racquel left little doubt that she was the best in the NEC, cruising to the top qualifying time of 16.15 seconds (almost .50 faster than her nearest rival) in the preliminary heats and then winning the finals in the field of eight in 16.28, with her closest opponent coming in at 16:43.

Teammate Comfort Toglan also earned a ribbon at the meet for the Lady Patriots, coming home in sixth place with a clocking of 28.26 in the 200 dash. The Revere 4 x 400 quartet  earned a sixth place ribbon with a run of 4:45.60.

Lady Patriots who turned in some nice performances included Caitlyn Caramello with a tie for eighth spot in the high jump with a leap of 4-8 (Caitlyn also finished 13th in the mile in 6:30); Nikki Nelson with a 10th place finish in the mile in 5:58; and Alanna Pasco with a 10th in the 800 in 2:47.40.

RHS boys tennis team clinches tourney berth

The Revere High boys tennis team enjoyed a successful week, winning three of its four matches to improve to 8-6 and clinching a berth in the post season MIAA State Tournament. The Patriots have only two matches left in the regular season and thus are assured of the needed .500 record to punch a ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.

“This team has a lot to be proud of,” said RHS head coach Mike Flynn. “They’ve worked hard and improved as the season has progressed. They deserve to be in the tournament.”

The tourney clinching match came last Wednesday at Winthrop, a 4-1 triumph despite the Patriots being shorthanded, requiring Flynn to juggle his lineup a bit.

Nick Tran won his match at first singles, 6-3, 7-5 and Nick Mucci triumphed at third singles over his Winthrop counterpart, 6-3, 6-0. Revere also won the contest at second singles thanks to Sela Leng, who stepped up to fill in for the Pats’ regular second singles performer, Mladen Pepic.

“Sela really came through for us,” noted Flynn of Leng’s 6-3, 6-2 triumph. “He has played doubles for us all season, but he stepped up when we needed him and played an outstanding match.”

The second doubles tandem of Ryan Tran and William Truong swept their Winthrop foes in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. The lone setback came at first doubles, where the duo of Soun Lee and  Duong Nguyen lost for one of the few times this season, 5-7, 2-6.

Flynn’s squad set the table for the tourney clincher with triumphs earlier in the week against Salem, 4-1, and Lynn Classical, 3-1. The Salem match was a resumption of a postponement two weeks earlier when the rains came and once again the teams barely got the match finished before the rain started coming down.

Winners for Revere were Pepic at second singles, 7-5, 6-1; Mucci at third singles, 6-1, 6 3; Lee/Nguyen at first doubles, 6-0, 6-4; and Ryan Tran/Truong at second doubles, 6-2, 6-1.

Nick Tran battled his Salem rival at first singles to a near standoff, but came out on the short end in two tiebreaker sets, 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (7-9).

The 3-1 win over Classical was a gritty affair which also was completed just as the skies opened up. Powering Revere to the victory were Pepic, 6-3, 6-1; Mucci, 6-4, 6-4; and Lee/Duong, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. Ryan Tran/Truong fell in two close sets, 4-6, 4-6, while Nick Tran’s match at first singles was halted when the rains came at a 1-1 deadlock, 6-3, 5-7. However, with the outcome of the match already decided in Revere’s favor, it is unlikely that they will resume play.

The lone setback of the week came at the hands of perennial Northeastern Conference power Marblehead. However, despite the 4-1 loss, Flynn was pleased with his team’s effort. “We won a point against Marblehead for the first time in a long time,” said Flynn, referring to the three set battle won by Pepic at second singles, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4. “Mladen played a great match against a quality opponent. Our first doubles team of Soun Lee and Duong Nguyen took their Marblehead opponents to three sets, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 3-6,in a match that lasted almost three hours. All in all, it probably was our best effort ever against a Marblehead team.”

Flynn also lauded the effort of the duo of Sinarath Kong and William Truong at third doubles.

Flynn and his crew were set to close out the season with matches this past Monday at Danvers and today (Wednesday) at Classical. They then will await the announcement of their seeding and first round pairing in the state tourney, which is expected to be made in the middle of next week.

Girls tennis team  shuts out Winthrop

The Revere High girls tennis team netted its third win of the season with a convincing 5-0 victory over Winthrop in which the Lady Patriots lost only three games in the five matches that were played. For those of you who are counting, that works out to an amazing 60-3 advantage in games for the Revere squad.

Kristina DiFabio led the rout with a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles. Sara Grujic was a 6-1, 6-0 winner at second singles and Mounia El-Arar was a shutout victor at third singles, 6-0, 6-0.

The first doubles tandem of Sam Harris and Mariah Rivera cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win and the second doubles team of Nancy Nguyen and Evelyn Bonilla, who was playing in her first varsity match, had an easy time, 6-1, 6-1, over their Winthrop counterparts.

“Everybody played very well,” said RHS head coach Carla Maniscalco. “Evelyn did a nice job for us in her first varsity appearance.

In a  4-1 loss to Lynn English last Wednesday, Nguyen and Rivera teamed at second doubles to earn a 6-2, 6-1 victory. However, the match was much closer than the final 4-1 score might indicate. The first doubles duo of Harris and Venous Hamza dropped their match in a hard fought three sets, 1-6, 6-3, 5-7, as did Sara Grujic at second singles,         2-6, 6-2, 3-6.

The Lady Patriots were set to close out their season this week, starting this past Monday at Salem; today (Wednesday) at Medford; and tomorrow at Winthrop.

Colon sets new RHS mark in 400 hurdles 

Devin Colon set a new Revere High School record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 58.82 seconds, topping the former mark of 59.6 set by teammate Karim Sahila the previous week. Colon’s performance came at Saturday’s Northeastern Conference All-League Meet held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn.

Devin’s record-setting hurdling run qualified him for the upcoming Division 1 State Meet this weekend and earned him a third place ribbon at the NEC meet. Colon enjoyed an outstanding NEC meet, taking third in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, seven inches, a distance that also qualified him for the state meet in that event. In addition, he ran the opening leg for the 4 x 400 relay quartet that brought home a second place ribbon in a time of 3:41.08.

Another highlight of the NEC meet was the performance of the 4 x 100 relay team of Johnny Lopes, Jeff Simbert, Younes Hartout, and Ricardo Maldonado.  Their time of 44.57 was just .02 off of the school record set a week ago by the foursome of Johnny, Devin Colon, Younes, and Ricardo. They too, earned a second place ribbon for their fine performance.

“The 4 x 100 team continues to run great as they have all year,” said RHS head coach Sam Ros. “I know they can run even faster if they have better hand offs.  The hand offs are great, but not flawless.  There are minor inconsistencies and slow downs that we can fix to help them go even faster.”

The 4 x 400 team that earned second place consisted of Colon, Michael Fitzpatrick, Karim Sahila, and Rawlings Toglan.

Sahila, who saw his 400 hurdles record fall to Colon, had some bad luck in that event at the NEC Meet. “Karim ran the 400 meter hurdles, but fell victim to starter error,” said Ros. “Karim was seeded in lane 1. The starter was halfway around the turn standing by lane 8.  On set, Karim did not hear the starter and the starter did not make sure he was set.  The gun went off with Karim still on the ground.  The starter should have called the race back but didn’t.  Unfortunately for Karim, the race started without him and he tried to play catch up but everyone had already gotten a big lead.” Still, Sahila finished just out of the money in seventh place.

Another similar starter error almost cost Revere in the 4 x 400. “It was the same scenario, with us being in lane 1 with Devin Colon leading off,” noted Ros. “On set, Devin did not hear the starter.  Luckily, I noticed and yelled to the starter that Devin could not hear him.  This time the starter held the race up and his next set command was loud enough for Devin to hear.”

Another highlight for Revere came from Johnny Lopes whose jump of 20-3.75 qualified him for the Division 1 State meet in the long jump and earned him a fourth place medal.

However, although the Patriots finished in a strong fifth place with 49 points, they had hoped to do better.  “The NEC Meet had some good and bad to it,” commented Ros. “Some of the bad I will attribute to the Senior Prom the night before.  I know the boys won’t use that as an excuse, but a night of their final high school dance will definitely take from their legs the day after.”

RHS star trackster Michael Fitzpatrick suffered his first NEC loss all spring in the 800 meter run. “Right from the gun I knew something wasn’t right with Fitzy’s running,” noted Ros. “He took the lead, but it was slow.  He was challenged down the homestretch at the end of the first lap and retook the lead with 300 meters to go, but was outkicked at the end by a Peabody runner.  Michael’s time of 2:02.19 is very slow for him.  I could tell the prom affected his legs because it didn’t look like he had any run in them at all.  The 800 is too tough a race to not have your legs at 100 per cent.”

Other Revere point scorers in the meet were Jeff Simbert with a fourth in the 100 dash in 11.81; Ricardo Maldanado with a sixth in the 100 dash in 12.15 and a sixth in the javelin with a toss of 134-7; Tarik Maddrey with a fifth in the high jump with a leap of 5-10; and the 4 x 800 relay team with a sixth place finish in a time of 9:17.40.

Last week’s rain-delayed meet with Gloucester to determine the champion of the NEC South Division was set to take place yesterday (Tuesday).

The Division 1 State Meet will be held Sunday at Durfee High in Fall River.

Softball team needs two wins for tourney 

The Revere High softball team faces a make it or break it scenario in the final week of the season as the Lady Patriots look to qualify for the state tournament.

Coach Joe Ciccarello’s squad stands at 8-8 on the season with four games to go, of which they must win two in order to attain the needed .500 winning percentage to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.

All of the contests are home affairs, with the Revere girls set to host Salem this past Monday; Peabody today (Wednesday); Medford tomorrow; and Lynn English Friday.

The Lady Patriots dropped their only game of the past week by a 9-2 margin to league-leading Lynn Classical. Revere held a 2-1 lead through the third inning thanks to a two run double by Lindsay Gurska that delivered Logan DiCarlo and Cassandra DiBella.

However, Classical pushed across four runs in the fourth to take a 5-2 advantage and never looked back.

Many might have done a double take when seeing Revere Police cruisers come down the street lately, as they have taken on a decidedly different look.

The old white and blue cruisers with the City Seal featured prominently have been redesigned and now feature a black and white design without the City Seal.

“We are changing the cruisers and other vehicles to the traditional black and white colors,” said Sgt. O’Hara. “The chief is doing it incrementally and so far just about everyone loves it.”

DNA TESTING DEMANDED

The family of East Boston’s Natale Lombardo is demanding that DNA testing be done on a sleeping bag that he was found murdered in some 25 years ago, having been discovered in Revere.

Fox 25 reported on Tuesday that the State Police and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office have not yet tested the sleeping bag for potential DNA evidence that could solve the 25-year-old case.

Lombardo worked in his family’s fish market business in East Boston before turning up missing and later found dead in the trunk of a car. He was stuffed in a sleeping bag when found.

That sleeping bag went missing until 2009 when State Police investigators found it misplaced and tucked away in an obscure section of the old Revere Police Station.

Lombardo family members believe there may be evidence in the sleeping bag that could lead to the killer of Natale.

DA Dan Conley was involved in the case and was on the crime scene many years ago when he was an assistant district attorney, and his office indicated to Fox 25 that they are looking into the evidence.

David Procopio, a spokesman for the State Police, said investigators have performed many tests involving the case.

“The State Police Crime Lab, working in conjunction with the Suffolk District Attorney and State Police detectives, has performed testing on items connected to the homicide of Natale Lombardo whenever the possibility to recover probative evidence existed,” he said. “Our laboratory will continue to assess the case as the ongoing and vigorous investigation continues to develop and, in consultation with prosecutors and detectives, will continue to test and analyze material and items whenever there is a chance that further probative evidence may be found.”

SEXUAL ASSAULT LEADS TO VIGILANCE ON OCEAN AVE

Revere Police took a heightened presence at 364 Ocean Ave. last week in the wake of a sexual assault, and it led to a high-profile arrest on Wednesday night, May 16th.

Just after 5 a.m. that day, police took a report of a sexual assault that occurred at 364 Ocean Ave. The victim was interviewed and a vigorous investigation began.

Officers were on the alert in the area, as well as security at the building, and that led to an arrest later in the day.

A security guard at the building noticed a Moroccan man who was acting suspicious and the guard notified Police – who were ready to respond.

The man retreated to his home, where Fire Chief Gene Doherty said that the suspect lit curtains on fire and attempted to burn down his apartment. However, Fire crews were already on scene and immediately put out the fire.

He was arrested around 10:15 p.m.

Police released very few details about the case and said it was “very serious and open and active.”

Police arrested Mounir Rhoulam, 34, of 364 Ocean Ave. #209, and charged him with indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or under, arson of a dwelling, malicious destruction of property over $250, furnishing a false name and disorderly conduct.

Revere Police indicated that they would be presenting the security guard with a citation for outstanding work in leading to the arrest of the man.

CAUGHT RED HANDED

An East Boston man was caught red-handed by Revere Police on Monday, May 14th, due to the vigilance of a witness who led police to the suspect.

Police got a call around 1:30 a.m. for a report of a man breaking into cars on Standish Road.

The man was apparently looking for open doors on cars and found one that was open. Luckily, though, the witness had already phoned police and had stayed on the line to direct officers right to where the suspect was located.

Officers emerged upon the scene just as the suspect was trying to exit the vehicle.

He was arrested.

Paul Giangregorio, 31, of Eastie, was charged with breaking and entering a building in the night for a felony and larceny over $250.

THROUGH THE GLASS

A Gage Avenue man is facing charges for allegedly putting the head of his daughter’s boyfriend through the kitchen window.

The girl told police on Sunday around 6:30 p.m. her father showed up on Burbank Street and was intoxicated.

A fight ensued in the second-floor apartment, and allegedly, the father threw the boyfriend headfirst through the kitchen window – breaking the glass and injuring the victim.

He had also threatened the boyfriend with a hammer, though he did not use it.

Jeffrey Patnode, 48, of 22 Gage Ave, was charged with assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Weekly Crime Report

House Breaks: (7)

Larkin Street; Centennial Ave; Broadway; Bennington Street; Dolphin Avenue; Revere Street; and Garfield Avenue.

Commercial Breaks: (0)

Motor Vehicle *Thefts/Breaks: (4)

Washington Avenue; *Pratt Place; *Furlong Drive; and *Broadsound Avenue.

Motor Vehicle Accidents: (22)

Mahoney Circle (3); Brown Circle; Butler Circle; Broadway – China Roma; Squire Road; Atlantic Avenue; Grand View Avenue; Squire Road – Price Rite; Alice Street; Squire Road – Chelsea Clutch; Revere Street – St. A’s; North Shore Road – 7/11; Squire Road – Mobile; Squire Road – Stop & Shop; Central/Broadway; Broadway/Cheever; Hutchinson Street; Suffolk Avenue; Carey Circle; and Mountain Avenue.

House Parties/Loud Stereo Complaints (after 9 p.m.): 12

ARREST Report

MONDAY, MAY 14

Paul K. Giangregorio, 31, of East Boston, was arrested on charges of breaking & entering into the building with intent to commit a felony and larceny over $250.

Justin D. Hall, 31, of 418 Revee Beach Parkway, was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

TUESDAY, MAY 15

Terry Carter, 24, of 566 Beach St., was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16

Stephen A. Walker, 37, of 4 Wolcott Rd., was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Sherrie A. Smith, 42, of Weymouth, was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Mounir Rhoulam, 34, of 364 Ocean Ave., was arrested on charges of indecent assault & battery on a person over the age of 14, arson of a dwellling house, malicious destruction of property over $250, providing false identifying information to an arresting police officer, and disorderly conduct.

THURSDAY, MAY 17

Michael A. Luciano, 35, of Hull, was arrested on an outstanding warrant and on a charge of trespassing.

SATURDAY, MAY 19

Rachid Najimi, 35, of 44 Revere Beach Blvd., was arrested on a charge of assault & battery.

SUNDAY, MAY 20

Jeffrey S. Patnode, 48, of 22 Gage Ave., was arrested on charges of assault & battery and assault by means of a dangerous weapon.