THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, NOVEmbER 21, 2025 Page 17 BEACON | FROM PAGE 16 the authority to make final determinations—by vote— on whether challenged materials should remain in or be removed from school library collections. If parents or students disagree with a school committee’s decision, the appropriate recourse should be through democratic engagement—by advocating for, electing or re-electing school committee members and officials who reflect their educational values, and not through costly and complex litigation.” “We strongly oppose [the bill] because it would keep vulgar and sexually explicit books on public school library shelves, where minors can easily access them,” said Michael King, President of Massachusetts Family Institute. “The bill strips local school committees of their ability to protect students and would expose districts to lawsuits simply for doing what parents reasonably expect — keeping children safe. This is not about ‘banning books.’ It’s about safeguarding childhood innocence, respecting parental rights and preserving local control.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes AUTHORS AND CREATORS CAN CHALLENGE A SCHOOL BOARD’S DECISION (S 2696) Senate 37-0, approved an amendment to the section of the bill that gives students, parents and guardians the legal right to challenge a school board’s decisions to remove materials from a school library. The amendment extends that right to the authors and creators and also creates a right for residents, authors and creators to go to court to challenge the removal. “I filed this amendment because authors deserve the right to defend both their livelihoods and their freedom of expression when their work is removed from libraries,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “Book bans suppress voices, erase perspectives and ultimately undermine our democracy, which relies on open access to ideas. By allowing creators to challenge these removals in court, we strengthen the bill’s - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Division Docket No. MI25P4084EA Estate of: SAULO C. TEJO Also known as: SAULO TEJO Date of Death: May 1, 2025 INFORMAL PROBATE PUBLICATION NOTICE To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioner Shirley T. Cabral of Apopka, FL Shirley T. Cabral of Apopka, FL has been informally appointed as the Personal Representative of the estate to serve without surety on the bond. The estate is being administered under informal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but interested parties are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. Interested parties are entitled to petition the Court to institute formal proceedings and to obtain orders terminating or restricting the powers of Personal Representatives appointed under informal procedure. A copy of the Petition and Will, if any, can be obtained from the Petitioner. November 21, 2025 protections for free expression and ensure that those most directly harmed have a path to justice.” Creem continued, “This issue is personal to me as my son-in-law, Rob Sharenow, is the author of ‘The Berlin Boxing Club,’ an award-winning novel that was banned for featuring a minor, but historically accurate, transgender character. Freedom of expression should be an unmovable cornerstone of our democracy.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes 90-DAY TIME PERIOD (S 2696) Senate 7-30, rejected an amendment that would have implemented a 90-day time period for a determination on whether challenged material in school libraries is devoid of any educational, literary, artistic, personal or social value, or is not age appropriate. As written, the bill itself does not include a time period for a determination. “If a parent has a concern about whether a book being taught to their child is age appropriate, that is not a concern that should be allowed to linger,” said Sen. Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “The timeframe … would set guidelines to help push officials to determine whether a book is appropriate within a reasonable period – quickly eliminating any uncertainty for students, parents and teachers.” Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) said he voted against the amendment because it is an administrative redundancy. He noted that all policies adopted by school committees are adopted in accordance with the guidelines set by the Massachusetts General Laws, which are reviewed by the school committees when adopting policies. He said there was no need to add another administrative burden. Sen. Peter Durant (R-Spencer), the sponsor of the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on the defeat of his amendment. Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro), the lead sponsor of the underlying bill, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on this amendment. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico No ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL SUICIDE AWARENESS AND REMEMBRANCE DAY (H 3388) – The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a bill that would establish September 22nd as Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day. The day would acknowledge that suicide is an epidemic among service members and veterans and would foster awareness and call for suicide prevention measures and support. “We brought forward this veteran suicide remembrance and awareness bill in direct response to the tragedies that BEACON | SEE PAGE 18 - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Probate and Family Court 10-U Commerce Way Woburn, MA 01801 (781) 865-4000 Docket No. MI25P5852EA Estate of: ALFRED BORGONZI Date of Death: 02/20/2005 CITATION ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION To all interested persons: A petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by: Eugene J. Borgonzi of Middleton, MA and Michael Bodnaruk of Andover, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that: Eugene J. Borgonzi of Middleton, MA and Michael Bodnaruk of Andover, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in unsupervised administration. IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before: 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 12/05/2025. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an affidavit of objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including the distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Terri L. Klug Cafazzo, First Justice of this Court. Date: November 07, 2025 TARA E. DeCRISTOFARO REGISTER OF PROBATE November 21, 2025
18 Publizr Home