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Page 12 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 2021 | FROM PAGE 11 instances of Delta breaking through the vaccine, Bruno-Murtha said, the probability of a vaccinated person becoming infected remains quite low. “Fully vaccinated individuals are very well protected against the Delta variant,” she said. “Only 0.1 percent of breakthrough infections in Massachusetts are attributed to Delta and by and large, have been mild infections not requiring hospitalization.” By July, 63 percent of Massachusetts residents had been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bruno-Murtha said Delta would most likely flourish among groups of unvaccinated individuals. “Local clusters will emerge, particularly where unvaccinated individuals gather now that masking and physical distancing in public areas is no longer required,” she said. “Masking and other mitigation strategies may need to be implemented locally, in response to increases in community transmission rates.” Dr. Scott Dryden-Peterson of Brigham and Women’s Hospital said Delta was responsible for the majority of the state’s COVID-19 infections. Although studies remain ongoing, he said, the Delta strain appeared to be more severe. “If community rates of COVID-19 continue to increase, either from Delta or another variant, increasing use of masks and distancing would be a good idea,” he said. “I advise my older patients and those with conditions that place them at risk to continue to wear masks in public indoor spaces, even after vaccination.” AUGUST School officials endorse state mask mandate Everett school officials stood behind the state mask mandate, which was put in place until at least October 1. “I believe this announcement provides much-needed direction and certainty on a key safety consideration that has been generating many valid but differing opinions. I feel it is an effective way to help districts transition back to full-time in-person teaching and learning in the safest possible manner,” said Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani. “I also commend DESE [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] for adopting a policy that encourages vaccination efforts and allows for reconsideration as the school year moves along.” Mayor Carlo DeMaria also supported the mask mandate, saying it is particularly beneficial for children under 12. “While I understand that wearing masks during the school day is not ideal, I believe it is in the best interest of our children to wear one,” he said. “Children under the age of 12 years old are currently unable to be protected by the vaccine so wearing masks is the second best line of defense.” Ward 4 School Committee Member Dana Murray said she trusted that the mask mandate is the right move. “The resources and data available to them on a state level go far beyond ~ OP-ED ~ Everett: A City of Lights I By Peter A. Napolitano t is amazing how a little light in these dark times can have an uplifting effect on all of us. I am not talking about the main streets or our intersections, though in this regard the City of Everett has led the way. I am talking about the number of residents who have taken the time and investment to decorate their homes and to spread this uplifting light throughout our neighborhoods. As someone who has been decorating my house for more than three decades, it is a labor of love when parents walk or drive by with small children to look and point. It helps fill us all with the peace and joy of the season. We as a community have always had a decent number of houses decorated for the holidays but these past two years in spite of COVID, many of our residents have done the same and with some very intricate displays. It’s common knowledge that Saugus has been the place to go locally to see holiday lights, but there are many homes in Everett that can hold a candle (no pun intended) with those long running displays. I encourage everyone to get out and see the work your neighbors have done and share the feeling of goodwill that enhances the spirit of the holidays before it’s time to take the lights down. My family and I wish everyone a heartfelt Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year! Stay safe. what I have access to as a School Committee member,” she said. “As this school year stands before us, my hope is that all of our children will have a safe, healthy, happy, challenging, school year – in person.” On the state level, the DESE Board voted, during its August 24 meeting, to authorize Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to put the mask mandate in place for the first month of school. The purpose of the mandate was to “encourage higher vaccination rates among students and staff and to implement a uniform policy for all schools to begin the year.” After October 1, students and staff on the middle and high school levels could remove their masks provided they were vaccinated. In addition, 80 percent of students and staff in each school had to be vaccinated as well. “As students and staff prepare to return to school fulltime, in-person, our priority is on a smooth reopening,” said Riley. “With cases rising, this mask mandate will provide one more measure to support the health and safety of our students and staff this fall.” Lt. Governor Karyn Polito explained the reasoning for the 80 percent threshold. “Our goal remains to get as many people as possible vaccinated,” she said. “We hope that by instituting vaccine benchmarks among school populations we will create a real incentive for students and staff to get vaccinated so they can remove their masks.” Although Massachusetts maintained one of the best vaccination rates in the country, Education Secretary James Peyser said there was still work to be done. “The vaccination rates among young people in Massachusetts are among the highest in the nation, with 65 percent of 12-15-year-olds vaccinated, but we still need to do more to make sure our young people and educators are protected from COVID-19,” he said. “Instituting universal masking mandates to further encourage vaccination rates among everyone in our schools is one measure we can take now.” Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders also emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated. “Increasing vaccination in our eligible residents is the most important thing we can do to ensure a safe return to the classroom for this upcoming school year,” she said. Encore breaks a billion bucks The total revenue for Encore Boston Harbor since opening surpassed the $1 billion mark – and it only took 26 months to get there. Although the other two casinos in Massachusetts have been open much longer, MGM Springfield and the Plainridge Park Casino were still stuck in the millions. In terms of monthly revenue, Encore posted $57.8 million for the month of August. Within that figure, $25.4 million came from table games while the remaining $32.4 million came from the slot machines. In addition, the state received $14.4 million in taxes from Encore in August. SEPTEMBER DeMaria cruises to victory in Primary Mayor Carlo DeMaria topped the ticket in the Mayoral Primary Election on September 21. According to the unofficial results, DeMaria received 2,883 votes while Ward 1 Councillor Fred Capone finished with 1,953 votes. Councillor-at-Large Gerly Adrien finished in third place with 1,499 votes and disappeared from the public eye. DeMaria also had the greatest number of votes of any candidate in the entire Primary. “I am humbled and honored to have the support of Everett’s voters,” he said. “It is a tremendous honor to serve, but it is an honor I will live up to. Thank you for your continued trust, Everett.” Although Capone would be the underdog, he vowed to remain confident in the weeks leading up to the General Election. “Team Capone is running a positive, high energy campaign that focuses on the issues facing our community,” he said. “I am so proud of our volunteers and how well everyone has worked together. Thank you to each of them and to all the voters who came out in Tuesday’s Primary.” In the Ward 4 City Council race, incumbent Councillor Jimmy Tri Le topped the ticket with 604 votes and would face Holly Garcia, who garnered 316 votes. “My family and I are so appreciative and I am so very humbled by the support and vote of confidence that I received from the voters of Ward 4,” said Le. “All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you.” Benjamin Murray finished in third place with 150 votes from Ward 4 residents. In the race for councillor-at-large, incumbent Councillor John Hanlon received the greatest number of votes with 2,255. Going into November, he would be joined by candidates Irene Cardillo, Councillor-at-Large Richard Dell Isola, James Mastrocola, Allen Panarese, Guerline Alcy, Angelmarie DiNunzio, Kenneth Giannelli, Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese and Stephanie Smith. In the at-large race for School Committee, Member-at-Large Cynthia Sarnie easily topped the ticket with 2,562 votes and was the only School Committee candidate with more than 2,000 votes. The other at-large candidates who advanced to November were Berardino D’Onofrio, Ward 2 Member Joseph Lamonica, Margaret Cornelio, Robert Santacroce and Member-at-Large Samantha Lambert. The results in Ward 6 yielded quite a surprise as Vice Chairman Thomas Abruzzese was defeated by Michael McLaughlin, who topped the ticket with 404 votes. Going into the November 2 election, he would face Catherine Tomassi Hicks, who received 356 votes. A total of 21,797 residents voted in this year’s Primary, representing 29.2 percent of Everett’s voting population. New election format This was also the first election under the new ward-only election format. In prior years, the City Charter stated that ward seats for the City Council and School Committee would be voted citywide. Under the new format, voters can only vote for the candidate running to represent their particular ward. New signature requirements also took effect. In the ward races, 125 signatures would be required for a candidate to appear on the ballot. In addition, any candidate running for an at-large seat would need to garner 250 signatures. Mayoral candidates would have the tallest task, as they needed 500 signatures. As in years past, 25 of those signatures were needed from voters in each ward. OCTOBER Mayor files defamation lawsuit against Leader Herald After enduring years of torment by the Everett Leader Herald, Mayor Carlo DeMaria responded with a robust defamation lawsuit against the slanderous publication. “As part of their long-running defamatory campaign against Mr. DeMaria, the Leader Herald Defendants have frequently published articles misquoting sources, fabricating quotes and fabricating unnamed sources,” said Attorney Joseph Lipchitz, counsel for DeMaria, in his 100page Complaint, which was filed on October 7. “Moreover, they frequently publish false 2021 | SEE PAGE 18

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