Maldden alld a Vol. 33, No. 5 den -FREEYour Local News & Sports Online in 6 Languages! Subscribe Here! AADD Special to Th e Advocate L ast week Malden Catholic High School rolled out the red carpet for Ndaba Thembekile Mandela, grandson of world-famous Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nelson Mandela. The Malden Catholic community invited Mayor Gary Christenson and surrounding city mayors – Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria, former Melrose Mayor Rob Donlan and Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn – to participate in a program that honored Ndaba for continuing his grandfather’s grueling fi ght for justice and racial equality. Ndbaba shared his life’s work and insights with the entire student body. Ndaba is an accomplished author, activist, entrepreneur VISITS | SEE PAGE 7 CTE CAT AT www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday Ndaba Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, visits Malden Catholic 617-387-2200 Chris Simonelli Ward 7 Councillor Mayor Gary Christenson is shown presenting Ndaba Thembekile Mandela with a City of Malden Citation. (Courtesy of the City of Malden) STATE TOURNEY BOUND! ‘Marino Train’ rolls to 10th win; KOs Whittier Tech and qualifies for States Malden Boys Basketball on seesaw, sweeps Somerville after pair of losses; Noelsaint (21 pts.) just misses ‘triple-double’ in win I By Steve Freker n Malden, many residents and elected offi cials agree: Putting the cart before the horse has adversely aff ected just about everyone in the city who travels through the heart of the city. Nearly three years ago – in E Friday, February 2, 2024 City Councillors: Putting the cart before the horse on Rt. 60 bus lane project has cost residents dearly City Engineer Yip cites progress in lessening travel time due to recent traffi c signalization ‘tweaks’ Yem Lip City Engineer June 2021 – the Malden City Council voted 8-2 to approve the MBTA-backed bus priority lane initiative which involved a dramatic remake of the city’s Route 60/Eastern Avenue/Centre Street travel artery. The vote COUNCILLORS | SEE PAGE 7 Mayor’s 2024 State of the City Address to be held at Anthony’s M ayor Gary Christenson is pleased to announce that his 2024 State of the City Address will take place on Monday, March 4, from 8-9 a.m. at Anthony's of Malden (105 Canal St.). This will mark the fi rst in-person gathering for the State of the City Address since the onset of the pandemic. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. and coff ee will be served. The public is invited to hear Malden Head Coach Don Nally (left) and the bench erupted after a big play against Lynn Classical on Tuesday at home. Players, from left: Savion Silva-Clark, De’Shawn Bunch, Kevin Goncalves, Colin Okoth, Jose Ferriera, Jamal Pomare and Ryan Bowdridge. (Advocate Photo/Henry Huang) By Steve Freker T he “Marino Train” has been on a bona fi de roll with six straight wins to kick off January. Malden High Girls Basketball stormed out to a 9-3 record when the new year kicked off : 41-32 over Medford, 64-46 on the road over Lynn English, 40-38 on the road over Everett, a very satisfying win at home on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day over a strong Arlington High in non-league play, then two more wins: over Somerville (41TOURNEY | SEE PAGE 14 Mayor Christenson outline the City of Malden’s achievements and future initiatives. Free tickets will be allocated on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis through an online portal and will be required for admittance. Details for obtaining tickets will be provided soon. Due to capacity, seating will be limited, and residents are encouraged to secure tickets early. For those unable to attend in Gary Christenson Mayor person, the event will be captured by Urban Media Arts (UMA) and subsequently broadcast on Public Access Television and UMA’s YouTube channel. We hope you will join us as we come together to celebrate Malden’s resilience and achievements and the path forward.
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