THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 27, 2024 Page 11 THE PUMPKIN PATCH IS BACK! T Houston, Texas, resident Anya Barksdale, 3, chose a little pumpkin for her best friend, Razzie Smith. he “Pumpkin Truck” arrived at First Congregational Church in Saugus Center on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Annual Pumpkin Patch is now up and running and will be open through Halloween, Oct. 31. Pumpkins of all sizes are displayed on the church lawn and will be available for purchase every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pumpkin Patch Coordinator Carl Spencer said, “We’re happy to get our pumpkins and appreciate all the people who helped unload the truck. We had over 100 people who helped with the unloading Saturday. A large group of players and cheerleaders from Saugus Youth Football and Cheer and their parents under the direction of president Greg Bluestein participated as well as students from Pioneer Charter School and Saugus High. The church appreciates their help as well as the off-loading of pallets by Patrick Follis from Agganis Construction. The church truly enjoys providing the community with pumpkins and hosting this great fall event.” (Saugus Advocate photos by Tara Vocino) Volunteer/church member Carol Gilmore measured a pumpkin to sell. At First Congregational Church’s pumpkin patch on Saturday, Aunt Jasmine Smith, of Lynn – shown with her niece, Anya Barksdale, 3 – said she wants to support a church that aligns with her faith. Veterans Memorial Elementary School kindergartener Christian Peixoto, 5, and his father, Fabio, are shown inside the pumpkin patch on Sunday. Bianca Wiswall, 2, was all smiles after choosing a pumpkin with her mother, Luanna. Haverhill resident Bianca Wiswall, 2, picked out a pumpkin, guided by her parents, Luanna and Patrick. Voters in Massachusetts face wide range of Ballot Questions on Election Day, November 5 New poll: Voters still up in the air on most of the questions, but support auditing the mass. Legislature; ending mCAS testing for HS grad support building By Steve Freker M assachusetts voters this fall are facing the most Ballot Questions to ponder – five in all – since a state record eight questions appeared on the 2000 state ballot. The five this year represents the second-most. With five binding statewide ballot questions officially certified to appear on the November 5, 2024, State Election ballot, Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin has assigned question numbers to each initiative. The questions on the November ballot will appear as follows: Question 1: State Auditor’s Authority to Audit the Legislature. Question 2: Elimination of MCAS as High School Graduation Requirement. Question 3: Unionization for Transportation Network Drivers. Question 4: Limited Legalization and Regulation of Certain Natural Psychedelic Substances. Question 5: Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers. According to a new WBUR poll, things are still very much up in the air in voters’ minds as the General Election nears. According to the WBUR poll, most respondents said they want the state’s auditor to have authority to investigate the Legislature, and a slim majority want to end the MCAS standardized test as a high school graduation requirement. But voters are still mulling if tipped workers should receive the general minimum wage and if therapeutic psychedelics should be legal. The WBUR/CommonWealth Beacon poll of 800 likely voters was conducted from Sept. 12 to 18 and has a margin of error of 4.1%. It was conducted by MassINC Polling Group and supported with funding from Knight Election Hub. The poll did not ask about an initiative that will be labeled Question 3 on the ballot: to grant network transportation workers like Uber and Lyft drivers the right to join a union. Here are some WBUR poll results on the ballot questions: Question 1: State Auditor’s Authority to Audit the Legislature Some 70% of respondents said they supported Question 1, which would allow Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit some functions and processes of the Legislature. Just 8% of those polled opposed the measure, with 22% saying they didn’t know how they would vote, or did not answer Question 2: Elimination of MCAS as High School Graduation Requirement Question 2 would end the use of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) as a requisite Five ballot questions will be decided by Massachusetts voters on November 5. (Advocate Photo) for a high school diploma. About 51% said they would ELECTION DAY | SEE PAGE 17
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