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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 9, 2024 Page 13 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus Do you remember what happened on Aug. 9, 1974 – 50 years ago today? The memory of that sad, but historic day when President Richard M. Nixon resigned in disgrace to avoid a Constitutional Crisis created by the Watergate scandal is forever etched in my mind. Vice President Gerald Ford, who was nominated to replace Vice President Spiro Agnew during the previous autumn (Oct. 10, 1973) because of a scandal dating back to Agnew’s days as Maryland’s governor, became the 38th president. I happened to witness that historic night in the White House as a visiting member of the Washington, D.C., press corps. At the time, I was in the fall semester of my senior year at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, interning at the U.S. Depart of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance in Washington, D.C. I shared an apartment for four months with four other UMass interns, living within a short walking distance to the U.S. Capitol building. I also happened to be a cub reporter who worked weekends manning the Northampton Bureau for The Springfield Union while also filing any stories I could report and write in between classes. By the time I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalistic Studies at UMass (Class of 1974), I already had the equivalent of two years of working experience for what was then one of the largest daily newspapers in Massachusetts. That newspaper experience gave me a definite edge in my job search. I had a bunch of frontpage clips that came in handy at job interviews. But the time I spent in Washington, D.C., devouring daily stories written in The Washington Post by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein – the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters who busted the Watergate story – were priceless, as was the opportunity for me to write a few stories for papers back in the Bay State, including The Massachusetts Daily Collegian at UMass. It was a memorable time to be a young journalist, whose career path was influenced early by Woodward and Bernstein, whose groundbreaking reporting set in motion the events that toppled the administration of President A DAY TO REMEMBER: Lifelong Saugonian Janice K. Jarosz (left) – a longtime writer, historian, local government representative and community leader in her hometown – got to hang out inside the State House recently with two of Massachusetts’ legendary women politicians. Standing on the steps with her are former Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Murphy – the first woman in Massachusetts to hold a constitutional office – and Governor Maura Healey, the state’s first woman elected to the governor’s office. Murphy, who is a first cousin of Jarosz, invited her to last week’s bill-signing of the state’s new Wage Equity Law. Murphy also invited another cousin from Saugus: Rosemary DeGregorio. She was unable to attend the ceremony, but sent her congratulations to Murphy, who was credited with passage of the new law. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate) Nixon. Eleven years later, at the Florida Bar’s Annual Media Awards banquet in Miami, Florida, I got to meet Washington Post Publisher Katharine Graham. She was the guest speaker and presented me with the Florida Bar’s Grand Prize – which was awarded for the best newspaper story in Florida during 1984. Graham’s brother-inlaw, Gov. Bob Graham, had presented me with a ceremonial bill-signing pen the previous year for an investigative series on dozens of convicted felons certified as schoolteachers. The articles were credited with a passage of state law requiring more stringent background checks and fingerprinting of teacher applicants. “No Brats on Bikes” In the good news department, I haven’t heard a word this summer about “The Brats on Bikes.” That’s the nickname I used in the headlines in a number of news stories during the spring-summer seasons of 2021 and 2022 to describe the unruly kids who would drive their bikes around in packs in very nefarious ways. They would terrorize walkers, joggers, mothers pushing baby carriages and even people driving cars. Even town officials shared horror stories about feeling threatened by “the brats.” Selectmen called for a crackdown by police of the juveniles’ scary conduct. The “Brats” seemed to disappear last summer and haven’t been heard from since. Perhaps they grew up. But surely the crackdown by police and the start-up of police bike patrols on the rail trail and around town may have been enough to discourage “the brats” from continuing their harassment of Saugus citizens. A Coalition organizing Monday to help kids There’s a small group of Saugus Citizens planning to meet Aug. 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Boys & Girls Club Teen Center at the Square One Mall. “We started in May, so we are still in the beginning stages of planning, but wanted to get the word out about what we are doing,” Amy Chiaravalloti told me in a phone conversation this week. Curious about this group, I went on the Internet to check out Amy’s background. As it turned out, Amy is a Saugus resident who works in the healthcare field and has been involved in organizing similar groups in Wakefield. Amy pretty much stuck to the script of the following press release, which we decided to reprint in its entirety in case there are people who are out there in the community who are concerned about the youth of Saugus. Here we go: “Recently, a group of community stakeholders in Saugus joined together to create a prevention coalition in Saugus. In response to the rising concerns surrounding underage substance use and behavioral health challenges, we came together to try and provide the youth of Saugus with resources and support to prevent substance misuse and assist with behavioral health challenges. The goal of this group is to improve and assist the quality of life for youth in the community through positive youth experiences in a safe adult supported environment. Coalition members include parents, members of town government, representatives from local youth serving organizations, police and fire officials. We look forward to incorporating the youth voice into the coalition during the 2024-2025 school year. We are working on activities and initiatives that will help parents gain the tools necessary to talk to their kids about challenging subjects like underage drinking, vaping, bullying, healthy relationships and mental health challenges. Be sure to look for our table with helpful resources at local events like the community health fair on 6/25 and Founder’s Day in September. For more information about the Saugus Prevention Coalition, please email saugusyouthcoalition@gmail.com.” Coach T.’s Cross Country for kids The Saugus Youth Cross Country 2024 program for students in Grades 1-5 and 6-8 not running for a school team begins Tuesday, Aug. 27. The popular seasonal running program directed by Coach Chris Tarantino is held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 to 5 p.m. at the track behind Belmonte STEAM Academy and on Saturdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Breakheart Reservation. Training distances: first-third grades at 0.7 miles, fourth-fifth grades at 1.2 miles and sixth-eighth grades at 1.9 miles. Practice races Saturdays (to be announced) at Frey Park, 285 Walnut St. in Lynn. Other important dates: · Saturday, Oct. 26, Fun Run practice at Breakheart Reservation. Athletes are encouraged to wear a costume. · Saturday, Nov. 2, 15th Annual Massachusetts State Middle School Cross Country Invitational at Willard Field, in THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 14

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