Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2024 One Month Until the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival R EVERE, MA — June 19, 2024 — We are offi cially one month away from the start of the highly anticipated Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival. Since its inception, the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival has grown to become the largest, free festivals in New England, attracting hundreds of thousands of people over the course of the three days. From Friday, July 19th through Sunday, July 21st, the Festival will not only highlight the incredible artistry of sand sculpting but also promotes community engagement and supports our local businesses. Event highlights: • Master Sand Sculpting Competition: We have invited 15 Master Sand Sculptors from 5 diff erent countries to Revere Beach to compete. With $28,000 in prizes up for grabs, the fi erce competition is certainly one not to be missed. • Live Entertainment: Once again, the Festival will have three primary areas of entertainment — Centerpiece Stage, the Reinstein Bandstand, and in our Beer Garden. With over 15 acts of entertainment from steel drum duos to local guitarists to magicians to a special pop-up performance yet to be announced, the Festival weekend will have endless opportunities to engage. • Fireworks: Every year, our Fireworks Extravaganza will be held on Saturday night at 9pm. As the 20th Anniversary, expect the fi reworks to be bigger and better than ever! • Food Trucks and Specialty Vendors: With over 30 food trucks and specialty vendors, there will be something for everyone. Stay tuned for the Offi cial List of participants closer to the event. • The Beach Shop Pavilion: The Beach Shop Pavilion is back for the second year. We have partnered with UPNEXT once again to include local Revere businesses, emerging small businesses, and non-profits at our Festival • Outdoor Beer Garden: For the second time ever, the Festival will feature a Beer Garden, this year located on the beach. The Beer Garden will welcome those 21+ years of age and will feature live music and games. It will be open Friday from 12:00PM to 9:00PM, Saturday from 12:00PM to 8:00PM, and Sunday 12:00PM to 7:00PM. • Amusement Rides: This family-friendly aff air will feature New England’s largest Ferris Wheel alongside a handful of other amusement rides. Please see below for a high-level schedule of the festival: Friday, July 28th 10:00AM Festival Opens 10:00PM Festival Ends Saturday, July 29th 10:00AM Festival Opens 6:30PM Awards Ceremony 9:00PM Fireworks Celebration 10:00PM Festival Ends Sunday, July 30th 10:00AM Festival Opens 8:00PM Festival Ends Join us in celebrating this milestone anniversary and witness the extraordinary talent of sand sculptors from around the globe. Whether you’re a long-time attendee or a fi rst-time visitor, the 20th Annual Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival promises to be a memorable experience for all. More details and announcements regarding the event will be made at a later date. For the most upto-date information about the event, please visit our website www.rbissf.com, or follow us on social media. M City Announces Elderly & Disabled Tax Relief Program and Water Bill Relief Program Application period for this annual program to run from July 8-August 9 R EVERE, MA-- Mayor Patrick Keefe announced this week that the applications for the Elderly & Disabled Residents Tax Relief Program and the Water and Sewer Relief Program for Disabled Residents will be available in the City Treasurer’s Offi ce on the 2nd Floor of City Hall beginning July 8, 2024, and on the City of Revere Website https://www.revere.org/departments/treasurer. The program is sustained by voluntary contributions from taxpayers who respond to the donation sheet included in each quarterly tax bill. The purpose of the program is to provide relief to elderly and/or disabled taxpayers and disabled water ratepayers who are having trouble paying their real estate taxes and water and sewer bills because of fi nancial hardship. “This program, funded by the generosity of Revere residents looking to extend a helping hand to those in need, is aimed at helping senior citizens and fi nancially vulnerable individuals,” said Mayor Keefe. “This program will provide some welcome relief for those who meet the criteria.” The “Elderly & Disabled Tax Relief Program” has been in existence for several years. In order to qualify for the program, the taxpayer must be an owner-occupied resident of Revere and meet the following additional requirements to be eligible: 65 years of age or disabled as of July 1 of the Fiscal Year; be current with all real estate taxes, have income of no more than $30,000 per year if single or combined $50,000 per year for joint property owners. As part of the application, taxpayers should submit a statement of the extenuating circumstances which have created a hardship. The funds will be awarded to the neediest of applicants as determined by the Elderly & Disabled Tax Relief Program Committee, which is comprised of the Chairman of the Board of Assessors, Treasurer and three citizens as required by M.G.L. C. 60, §3D. The applications must be returned to the Treasurer’s Offi ce on or before August 9, 2024. “While the benefi ts of this program are modest, they will provide some measure of relief to those who fi nd themselves in diffi cult circumstances,” added Mayor Keefe. “We encourage residents to let elderly or disabled relatives and neighbors know about this program if they think they might meet the guidelines.” Massachusetts State 911 Department Determined Firewall Caused Statewide 911 Service Disruption ILFORD — On June 18, 2024, at approximately 1:15 pm, the Massachusetts State 911 Department became aware of a statewide interruption to the 911 system. The disruption lasted approximately two hours until operation was fully restored at 3:15 pm. Although some calls may not have gone through, the system allows dispatch centers to identify the phone number of callers and return those calls. The Department has not received any reports of emergencies impacted during the interruption. The State 911 Department moved immediately to address the disruption, addressing the technical issue with its 911 vendor Comtech while alerting local law enforcement through a statewide broadcast network and connecting with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to issue a statewide emergency alert. A preliminary investigation conducted by the State 911 Department and Comtech determined that the outage was the result of a fi rewall, a safety feature that provides protection against cyberattacks and hacking. The fi rewall prevented calls from getting to the 911 dispatch centers also known as Public Safety Answer Points (PSAPs). Comtech’s initial review of the incident has confi rmed that the interruption was not the result of a cyberattack or hack; However, the exact reason the fi rewall stopped calls from reaching dispatch centers remains under review. As the full review of the cause continues, Comtech has advised State 911 that they have applied a technical solution to ensure that this does not happen again. “The Massachusetts State 911 Department is deeply committed to providing reliable, state-of-the-art 911 services to all Massachusetts residents and visitors in an emergency. The Department will take all necessary steps to prevent a future occurrence,” said Executive Director of the State 911 Department Frank Pozniak. “We are grateful to everyone for their patience and cooperation during the outage.” The State 911 Department wishes to thank state and local emergency response agencies for their swift response to this matter and for working closely with their PSAP to ensure public safety. In 2023, Massachusetts’ 204 Public Safety Answering Points received a total average of 8,800calls a day. Local resident named to Dean’s List for the Spring 2024 semester at Quinnipiac University M irvally Narcisse, of Revere, was named to the Dean’s List for the Spring 2024 semester at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grade lower than C. Full-time students must complete at least 14 credits in a semester, with at least 12 credits that have been graded on a letter grade basis to be eligible. Parttime students must complete at least six credits during a semester. Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational institution that enrolls 9,000 students in 110 degree programs through its Schools of Business, Communications, Education, Computing and Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Nursing and the College of Arts and Sciences. For more info, visit qu.edu.
17 Publizr Home