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Alan Froman|ThisWeek group

For many people, the primary focus for 2020 was to just get through the trying year of the COVID-19 pandemic, an economicdowntown, social unrest and a contentious presidential election, making it a year they'll likely always remember but want to forget.

Meanwhile, Grove City officials are entering 2021 with a focus on planning for the next 20 years and beyond, Mayor Richard "Ike" Stage said.

"We're usually in a constant state of long-range planning," he said. "We've survived the pandemicyear quite well as a community financially and in the impact on our economy."

The city was helped by being one of the most diversified in central Ohio, offering a mix of housing and jobopportunities anda blend of businesses, he said.

"That diversity is shown in the mix of housing and job opportunities we have," Stage said. "It's the blend of all the industries we have in Grove City, from high tech to logistics and lots of thingsin between."

No amount of planning could have prepared the city for something as unexpected as the pandemic, however, council president Christine Houk said.

Both the council and the administration were dedicated to providing support that residents and businesses needed, she said.

"That was on the front burner for the nation and for our community," Houk said."We will continue on that front, but I can't really make a crystal-ball projection" regarding what form that support will take in 2021.

The pandemic did force the city to reprioritize its 2020 plans and delayed progress on a number of projects that should get started or ramp up over the next 12 months, Stage said.

That includes the Columbus Street extension that will serve to connect Grove City's Town Center with the new Beulah Park Living development.

"We hope to start construction before the end of January, and it will be a four- or five-month project," Stage said.

The Columbus Street project originally was expected to get underway in 2020, but the pandemic and the process of the city negotiating with the owners of 18 properties affected by the planned expansion to buy a portion or all of their parcels lead to pushing the starting date back, Stage said.

The city also expects to take the first steps toward developing the 30-acre park that will be in the middle of the Beulah Park development area, he said.

It's still to be determined the entire slate of amenities for the new park, but during 2021, "our goal is to make it begin to look like a park," Stage said.

The initial work will include completing additional grading, placing a path around the perimeter of the park and planting trees, he said.

An amphitheater is planned as a centerpiece, but a timeline for development of one still is being finalized, Stage said.

The city has applied for $1 million from the state's capital budget to help fund the $3.5 million amphitheater project, he said.

Beulah Park is one of three public recreational-space projects the city has preliminary concepts for,but details still must be worked out,Houk said.

The other planned projects are the redevelopment of the old Grove City Public Library parcel on Park Street and an adjacent city-owned parcel into a park site and the creation of a new in the Pinnacle development.

"All three of them are in the concept form right now, but we have not yet committed to what the amenities are going to be in those parks," Houk said.

The decisions regarding the parks at Beulah and the old library site will be shaped in part by the recommendations in the Town Center conceptual framework, which is expected to be adopted this year, she said.

"Both the City Council and the planning commission were presented with a draft version of the framework in 2019, and we're expecting to receive the document in its final form early in the new year," Houk said.

The framework will help provide guidelines to develop a vision for the new parks, she said, but 2021 also likely will include an effort to determine cost estimates for potential amenities that could be included at the sites.

"Those cost estimates will help us determine what we think we can afford and want to do at the parks, what some funding opportunities might be and prioritizing the order in which we want to try to get these projects completed," Houk said.

Last February, council approved a resolution that Houk and Stage had originated to form a substance-addiction and mental-health action-plan committee for the Grove City community.

Creating an opioid action plan was one of the goals council had set for 2019, Houk said.

"The committee is a partnership with ADAMH and a number of local partners in our community," she said. "The first goal was to get a community roundtable discussion organized to include representatives from South-Western City Schools, mental-health clinicians and health-care providers to talk about theissues they are seeing involving addiction and mental health."

The pandemic's rise made it difficult to get everyone togetherfor the public discussion, but the committee has begun meeting on a regular basis, Houk said.

"The stress of the pandemic has affected a lot of people's mentalhealth, and some people are copingthrough addiction," she said. "We need an effort like this even more than before."

The pandemic forced the temporary closure of the city's Evans Senior Center, and the facility remains closed because of concerns about the higher risk of contracting COVID-19 among older adults.

The closure has allowed the city to complete some planned sprucing up in the building, including upgrading the restrooms, repainting walls and ceilings, making the building more handicapped accessible, installing new carpet and reconfiguring some rooms to provide more space for activities, Stage said.

Exactly when the Evans Center will be able to reopen is unknown, he said, but when the public is able to return to the center, "they will find a more enhanced facility," he said.

afroman@thisweeknews.com

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Grove City in 2021: Focus is on planning, not just for this year but for next 20-plus - ThisWeek Community News

The Telegraph

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, who hasnt been seen in public for several weeks after criticising Chinas financial regulatory system, has now disappeared as a judge on a TV talent show that he created. Mr Ma was absent from the final of The Apprentice-style Africas Business Heroes, a show that offers budding African entrepreneurs the chance to compete for a share of US$1.5 million (1.1 million) in prize money. Mr Ma was originally due to be part of the panel that judged contestants business ideas. But he was replaced as a judge by an executive from Alibaba, the ecommerce company that he founded, in the November final. His photograph has also been taken down from the judging webpage and he was left out of a promotional video, according to the Financial Times, which also reported that broadcast of the final has been delayed until the spring. The paper cited a spokesperson for Alibaba as saying that Mr Ma could no longer be part of the judging panel due to a schedule conflict. One of Chinas most successful entrepreneurs, Mr Ma appears to have fallen foul of its leaders after he criticised the countrys regulators and its state-owned banks in late October. In a speech in Shanghai, he called for reform of the regulatory system, which he said was stifling innovation. About a week later, the Shanghai Stock Exchange ordered a US$37 billion initial public offering of Ant Group, a financial technology firm co-founded by Mr Ma, to be suspended. Mr Ma reportedly hasnt been seen in public since then. In late December, Chinese authorities announced an investigation into Alibaba for suspected monopolistic behaviour, and ordered Ant Group to restructure its operations to meet regulatory guidelines. Chinese authorities are trying to tighten oversight of the countrys financial sector, but are also seen as wanting to rein in the huge influence of private tech giants. Mr Ma is a popular figure in China, and one of the countrys best-known businesspeople abroad. Formerly an English teacher, he founded Alibaba in 1999, which became Chinas biggest online ecommerce company. He stepped down as the companys chairman in 2019, but is still one of its largest shareholders.

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Bangor High School athletic director Steve Vanidestine said preparations are underway for the $2.73 million renovation of Cameron Stadium behind the Cohen Middle School on Garland Street.

Bangor voters approved the project in the Nov. 3 election through a bond issue. The renovations will include artificial turf to replace the grass surface on the football field and an eight-lane, all-weather track.

Test borings were done on Christmas Eve to examine the existing condition of the ground under the field and the track. Early indications are workers didnt find any areas of concern, according to Vanidestine.

Carpenter Associates of Old Town and Tighe & Bond of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, have been hired to develop a blueprint for the work before the Bangor School Department puts it out to bid. The engineering firms are receiving input from Vanidestine, Bangor schools maintenance director Abe Chase and Joe Nelson, who oversees the departments athletic facilities.

Tighe & Bond and Carpenter Associates will also oversee the project to make sure the work meets specifications and stays within budget constraints.

Vanidestine said the hope is to award the bid by the end of February and to have the work begin in mid to late March, depending upon the severity of the winter.

The artificial turf field will be the first order of business, followed by the track.

I would like to have our teams playing on the new surface this fall, Vanidestine said. And we could bid to hold a regional or a state track meet in 2022.

However, he pointed out that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may take longer to get needed materials for the project.

One of the reasons we would like to get this started early is to avoid issues caused by variables like the weather and COVID-19 and to be able to secure the supplies we need, Vanidestine said.

Once the artificial turf is installed, the next step will be to put down asphalt for the eight-lane track.

Vanidestine said once that settles, they will install the latex surface on the track.

It has to be at least 50 degrees to put down the latex, he said.

Once the latex is laid on top of the asphalt, Vanidestine said they will avoid having games on the field for a couple of weeks to make sure it settles and they can add the lane lines.

We will just play away games during that period, he said.

Vanidestine said there will be a 12-foot rubberized carpet that can be placed across the track so anyone who needs to access the field wont damage the latex surface.

Vanidestine, who in May was the recipient of the Robert Lahey Administrator of the Year Award by the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, said small cameras will be installed at the site so people can watch the progress of the project.

Teams from Bangor schools and other youth programs will be able to use the artificial turf field, which will remain a consistent playing surface despite significantly increased use or inclement weather. Football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams will also be able to use the facility.

Vanidestine, Bangor Highs AD since 1984, said the hope is to provide the community with a safe multisport facility through a project that is completed on time and within the budget.

I want our [high school] seniors to be able to play on that facility, he said.

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Blueprint in the works for $2.73 million renovation to Bangor sports complex - Bangor Daily News

FAIRFIELD As the state continues to investigate water and farmland in Fairfield that are contaminated with forever chemicals, the town and some of its residents are mobilizing to come up with long-term solutions in 2021.

Lifelong Fairfield resident Stana McLeod, 74, has formed a Facebook group that now has more than 40 members.

McLeod posts information to educate residents about the ongoing investigation and a similar situation that unfolded more than 20 years ago, both involving the spreading of sludge.

So far, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has discovered 18 wells in Fairfield that have levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFOA and PFOS that are higher than the 70-parts-per-trillion limit allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The discoveries came after a test was conducted by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry in February that showed milk from Tozier Dairy Farm along Ohio Hill Road had levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid that were higher than the state-allowed limit of 210 parts per trillion.

Milk samples from the farm had levels of 12,700, 14,900 and 32,200 parts per trillion. The farms products have been pulled from shelves.

Jerri-Lee Cookson, 65, who lives less than a mile from two fields owned by the Toziers and 3 miles from the farm, is among those who have had their water sources tested.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials discovered in September 2020 that Cooksons water contained such high levels of PFOS and PFOA that she was advised to stop drinking it.

Cooksons neighbor, Judy Poulin, 77, had even higher levels of the chemicals in her water and was told to stop using it, too.

My right to clean water has been taken away from me, and I didnt have anything to do with it, Poulin said in November 2020. Im not a happy camper.

In October, Poulin began hauling five-gallon containers of fresh water to her house for drinking and cooking.

Those things are heavy, she said. I have to wait for somebody to come to bring them in the house for me.

PFAS are a group of manmade chemicals introduced in the 1940s. They were used in consumer products, such as carpeting, fabric, clothing, food packaging and pots and pans. They were also used in firefighting foams used at airports, training facilities and military bases.

They are called forever chemicals because their bond is strong and they do not break down easily in the environment or in the body.

Studies have shown exposure can cause health issues, such as elevated cholesterol, thyroid disease, damage to the liver and kidneys, adverse effects on fertility and low birth weight. Other studies show links between PFAS and the elevated risk of certain cancers, according to the U.S. EPA and other sources.

In 2021, McLeod said she will continue following the investigation so she and other residents can file a class-action lawsuit through Susan A. Faunce, a personal-injury lawyer from Lewiston.

(Faunce) handles things like this, and they suggested that I as people find out their wells are contaminated I would have them call there and talk to her, McLeod said in December. They will keep a record of these people, and then we can talk about the class-action lawsuit.

McLeod said she remembered a similar situation that arose from the disposal of paper mill waste in a Fairfield landfill in the 1970s and 1980s. From McLeods grandmothers house, the landfill could be seen glowing in the dark, sometimes catching fire, smelling horrible and being connected to a cancer cluster.

With PFAS chemicals, the threat became insidious because the sludge was billed as beneficial to farmland and lasting forever, according to reports.

I feel like we are doomed out here, McLeod said in an interview in December, adding her efforts to bring the situation to the attention of local and state officials were not getting through.

Meanwhile, Fairfield will continue providing bottled water to residents who have been told to stop drinking from their wells while the state installs filtration systems.

The Department of Environmental protection has assured me that they will continue to make water available to residents with effected wells until they can install the granular activated carbon filtration systems at each private home, Town Manager Michelle Flewelling wrote in a Dec. 23 email.

The Town provides updates to residents, that are received from DEP, with the weekly water pick up. Those updates are then posted to our website under the PFAS notification section.

In November, Poland Spring, the bottler of spring water, donated 960 gallons of water for the town to distribute to residents. The town of Skowhegan has also donated 900 gallons of water that was left from the apparent contamination of its drinking water system that resulted in a do not drink order.

Fairfield is also looking to expand its water system as another long-term solution.

The Town is currently investigating the extension of the Kennebec Water Districts infrastructure so that public water can be provided as a long term solution, Flewelling wrote in her email.

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Year in review: 'Forever chemicals' contaminate Fairfield wells - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel

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Each day, Mike Petty looks through the archives of the Cambridge News. Below are some of the stories that made the headlines on January 3.

1978

A tornado cut a two-mile swathe through Newmarket. Roofs were ripped off buildings, windows smashed and cars overturned. Every window in the railway station signal box was smashed.

Chief inspector Trevor Hewitt of Newmarket police said: Its a disaster area. It was just a freak storm and only lasted a couple of minutes.

"The damage is appalling. Roofs have caved in, windows have been smashed and cars overturned.

In Cambridge, the wind lifted the roof from a house in King Street.

1976

Almost all the stock of top class boats being built by St Neots Rowing Club were lost when the wall of the boathouse collapsed during the recent storm.

They included a brand new boat that was to have been used by the elite four who had been invited to take part in Olympic trials at Henley.

Also lost were some old clinker sculls and clinker fours, now virtually irreplaceable.

There was also widespread damage in the area. At Alconbury, the police office roof was damaged and council workmen were kept busy during the night clearing fallen trees on most major roads, including the dual carriageway A.1 north-bound road at Southoe.

1961

The farthing died its tiny death with scarcely a single serious mourner in Cambridge.

Thousands of pounds worth will never be cashed. Some people will keep them for their sentimental value, others as part of a coin collection while many will simply not know that they still have farthings in the bottom of an untidy drawer.

They will be used as tokens for playing cards, by children playing shop, or by handymen as washers.

The coin will, however, be missed by drapers who kept a stock for their eleven-three-farthings prices.

* Anyone with forgotten farthings in untidy drawers could still spend them in the Antarctic and other faraway places until October 31, 1971.

1953

Cambridge will be one of the first cities in England to be lit almost entirely by 'sodium' street lighting. And, said the mayor, it will be one of the best-lighted in the world.

A motorist can appreciate sodium lighting better than any pedestrian can. Black spots and fog are obliterated. Trunk roads will be lit, stopping at the inner ring-road, as this type of light is not thought suitable for the historic city centre.

A completely new type of lantern is being used which gives an exceptionally high light output in relation to the electrical energy consumed.

1939

Sir Teversham people cannot understand why we are not going to be allowed to have electric light brought into our houses. Two years ago, an inspector came and condemned our pumps and put up notices saying, not fit to drink. Still we are waiting for the piped water supply. It seems as though the chief objection to electric light is against poles being stuck up in the village. But what about the lovely looking building on the corner of Teversham Road a machine gun range. We are going to have all the noise from guns, aeroplanes, etc, but not a little comfort and cleaner water. Lightwater

1925

Schoolmasters complain that the wireless fascination is becoming a menace to education.

It is the exception for the schoolboy not to interest himself in wireless and it is he who, in a vast number of cases, has installed it in the home.

The youthful enthusiast usually makes his own set and prefers to occupy himself in this way to poring over home lessons. Sometimes, however, there is no convenient place in which to do his homework if the rest of the family want to listen to a loud speaker.

This should not be allowed by parents, and there is the alternative of the silent headphones.

1908

On Saturday morning, a badger was noticed sitting in a hole near a haystack at High Town Drove, Burwell.

The animal appeared to be very fierce and attacked a dog whose owner promptly killed it.

It was shown to the vicar who pronounced it a very fine specimen of the English badger.

The owner took it to Newmarket for sale, where he was offered five shillings for it. He refused and took it back to Burwell where he eventually accepted one-and-six.

It is many years since a badger has been seen here.

1904

The eastern vacuum cleaning company has cleaned two of the large rooms the coffee room and the commercial room of the Lion Hotel in Petty Cury, Cambridge, and the result is remarkable.

The carpets are rich, large carpets so large, in fact, as to be almost unwieldy under the old method of beating but under this system, they have been cleaned in the most perfect manner and not a particle of dust can be found.

Out of one carpet, 28 lbs of dust and dirt was extracted and now the whole of the hotel is to be dealt with in similar manner.

1899

A most extraordinary story has just come to light respecting the matrimonial affairs of a young woman residing in Cambridge.

It appears she has been keeping company with a young man who lived away from Cambridge and it was arranged that the wedding should take place on Christmas Day.

It transpired, however, that the laws with respect to residence in the district had not been complied with and the wedding was postponed until Sunday. The appointed hour drew near, but no bridegroom turned up, nor has he been seen since.

Upon being shown the grooms photograph, a police officer identified him as being wanted in connection with an assault which has since proved fatal.

It is hoped the efforts of the police to bring such a heartless fellow to justice will prove successful.

Learn more about Cambridge history at Fenland History on Facebook.

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Jan 03 On this day in Cambridgeshire history - In Your Area

TheWhere I Liveseries aims to showcase our diverse city by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet?Get in touchto share your story.

When I first moved to San Antonio in 1974 to teach art history at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the university was just starting out at the Koger Center. My daughter Miriam and I lived in a condominium, but there werent any kids around for her to play with, so in 1984, when Miriam was 8, I decided to look for a neighborhood where she could make friends.

By then I was teaching at UTSAs main campus on the Northwest Side, so I chose to look for a home in the area to be close to work and so my daughter could stay in Northside schools. Woods of Shavano was a perfect fit.

It was one of the first subdivisions built in the area, so there wasnt much around at first. There was an H-E-B nearby, but that was about it. I remember when the main campus of UTSA first opened and people thought it was in Boerne because it was so far out. Though it might have felt far away from downtown and the city back then, the city has come out to meet us. Now were in the middle of everything and have become a second epicenter with The Rim and La Cantera.

A couple of local favorites are Sol y Luna, a fantastic, family-owned bakery, and Royal Pizza, which in addition to excellent pizza serves great gyros. Also within walking distance, we have everything from a hookah lounge to a beer bar to Chinese takeout and a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Because its such a walkable area, youll always run into neighbors while out for a stroll. People here are friendly. If youre out walking your dog, there are always other people out walking their dogs. Thats how Ive gotten to know a lot of my neighbors.

One of the most memorable nights here was when there was a moon eclipse and everybody went outside to watch. Kids were running around and adults were catching up with each other. I even met people I hadnt met before. It was just lovely.

While we cant do a whole lot of socializing these days because of the pandemic, the community association has done a great job keeping us connected with events like food truck nights and produce markets.

Neighbors have come and gone, but Woods of Shavano has always felt like home. For us older residents, its nice to see new faces around the neighborhood. Both of my next-door neighbors have moved in within the last year. Thanks to new families moving in, there are still little ones running around. Its a nifty neighborhood because there are people of all ages and from all over the place here. Were close enough to the Medical Center that we have people from there, there are a lot of UTSA people like myself, and, though were still a primarily white neighborhood, the area is getting more and more diverse.

Unlike many of the newer subdivisions where the trees have been stripped out, almost every house in Woods of Shavano has a live oak in the front yard. They dont call it the woods for nothing. There are a lot of different styles of homes here and over the years the neighbors have personalized their houses so that it doesnt look like the typical, cookie-cutter subdivision. Though most of the houses followed builders conventions of the 1970s, each of them has become as diverse as its inhabitants.

My house started out as a 70s tract house and it was rather dark, with wood paneling and bookcases in the living room. The previous owners took out those bookcases and installed windows to bring more light in. Ive made my own updates over the years, like changing the carpeting and putting solar panels on the roof. When I moved in the kitchen was tiny. As someone who dwells in the kitchen, I needed a lot more space, so I took half the garage and doubled the size of the kitchen.

The home has gotten a bit big for me since Ive been on my own, but Id hate to leave this neighborhood and my dream kitchen. Plus my daughter still visits often and my 2-year-old granddaughter, Sydney, stays with me one night of the week, so its nice to have room for her to play.

Though its been a long time since anyone could say were in the middle of nowhere, the neighborhood still feels disconnected from downtown and the urban core because we dont have a quick way to get there. There are limited public transportation options and those options arent very efficient. I would love to see light rail in San Antonio to connect different hubs in the city. Because San Antonio is so spread out by design, you need a car to get around to it all. Not everyone has a car (or the patience to sit in traffic even if they do), so we miss out on exciting spaces outside of our own. Light rail would help bring us all together.

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Where I Live: Woods of Shavano - San Antonio Report

The new Vandalia restaurant will employ between 90 and 100 people. We are labor-intensive, Potts said earlier this year. Customers order at a counter, but our employees bring the food to your table. In the drive-through, we will often run food out to the cars.

Mark Myers, the operating partner for the new restaurant, recently completed 12 weeks of training at the home office of Culvers franchising operations in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and will be assisting a new Culvers opening next month in Florida before returning to Ohio to launch the Vandalia restaurant, Potts said.

We look forward to the challenges and rewards of opening this third Dayton-area location, Potts said.

Culvers Dayton-area expansion may not stop with Vandalia. Potts said earlier this year that he has looked at sites in Kettering and near Wright State University for possible expansion and has talked with potential franchise partners to add more Dayton-area locations.

Culvers was founded in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin by co-founder Craig Culver and his family. All but six Culvers restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees.

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LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS: Culvers confirms purchase of former Ruby Tuesday, to start construction this spring - Dayton Daily News

Beach and boating season is still far off, but Huntington Town is taking advantage of the quiet time to make improvements at its maritime facilities.

Upgrades are planned at two of the towns three marinas Halesite and Mill Dam and new facilities and updated equipment are proposed at town beaches.

Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said the ideas were generated by Maritime Services director Dom Spada, Senior Harbormaster Fred Uvena, the maritime community and beachgoers.

"This year a lot more people were out at our beaches," Lupinacci said of 2020. "Theyve always been the center of attraction but more importantly now during the pandemic."

Officials last year took delivery of new pump-out and response boats and installed a new playground at Fleets Cove Beach. Construction of new wood docks at Hobart Beach boat ramp has begun and is expected to be completed by the spring.

Construction of transient docks, which provide parking for boats coming into Huntington for the day, are high on the list, Lupinacci said. Town officials said the Harbormasters Office takes calls all summer from boaters asking where they can dock.

"Were looking into the possibility of installing a transient dock at the town dock by Prime [restaurant] and construction of a transient dock behind the Halesite fire department," he said.

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New facilities are also being proposed at a park named for one of Long Islands favorite sons.

"Were installing a pier and floating dock assembly at Billy Joel Park for transient boat dockage," Lupinacci said of the park in Cold Spring Harbor.

The town's engineering department is currently working on design plans. Town officials said costs could be around $275,000, but will have a better idea after the project goes out to bid.

The construction of the floating dock assemblies will be built in-house by town maritime employees at an estimated cost of $80,000.

The boating community wont be the only ones to have something to look forward to.

"Were replacing out-of-date playground equipment at Gold Star Battalion and Centerport beaches and adding apparatus to Crescent Beach," Lupinacci said.

Here is what's on tap for town marinas:

The Town Board recently approved a contract with D&B Engineers and Architects for a new steel bulkhead design and the reconstruction of Halesite Marina Park. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2021 with an estimated cost of $1.5 million to $2 million.

This marina remains closed. The town in 2020 sued the contractors hired in 2011 to design and reconstruct the marina. The towns suit alleges the work done by the contractors was so shoddy that it created dangerous, unsafe and hazardous conditions, and has cost the town money. Town officials are citing breach of contract, negligence and misrepresentation of expertise, failures in calculations and design, among other deficiencies.

Deborah Morris is a native Long Islander and covers the town of Huntington.

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Huntington marinas, beaches to get improvements in off-season - Newsday

Christian Silvestri, whose Rabia's on Salem Street got a warning from the Boston Licensing Board last week about unmasked servers and too many people at tables, celebrated New Year's Eve at a Naples, FL cigar bar - where he set aside some time to yell about Florida freedom:

"You can't do this in Boston, baby!" he yelled. "Woo!"

"Whadaya have to say about it?!? Woo! Today's toast, Charlie Baker, Marty Walsh, listen to DeSantis, this is what he's got going baby!" And then, referring either to Cuba or Massachusetts, it wasn't clear, he yelled, "Freedom! We're not in a communist country!"

In another video from the dance floor, he yelled: "You can't do this back in the Northeast, you can't do this in Boston! You can't do this in Boston! Remember back in the day when you used to be able to do this in Boston? Get the fuck outta heah!"

Still, for Silvestri, those were pretty tame comments. For months now, Silvestri has been posting obscenity-packed video diatribes about Baker and, to a lesser extent Walsh, on his Facebook page, sometimes enough to earn him Facebook timeouts. Simply, he doesn't believe all the Covid-19 numbers and thinks Massachusetts politicians are intentionally out to destroy small businesses and the families who run them through their Covid-19 restrictions.

After Baker announced some Covid-19 rollbacks on Dec. 22, as numbers and hospitalizations surged, Silvestri complained about what he sees as the unfairness of squeezing gyms and restaurants while letting Home Depot, Target and other large stores stay open.

Well, well, well, here we are another week another rollback down to fuckin' stage 2 fuckin' step 2 go stick em up your sister's ass 2, 3, 4, who gives a fuck about stages nowadays?

He told Baker and Walsh, or as he called them, "pieces of shit," to go on unemployment to see what it's like and warned them they won't always be "Superman" and one day they'll be walking down the street and the people they forced to close their businesses and lose their homes would spot them and, well, he didn't say what would happen.

On Dec. 8, he complained about "the pussies" running Massachusetts and other blue states:

We all know that these governors in these fuckin' blue states are outta their minds! They got no fuckin' brain cells because the red states are wide open, baby, and they're havin' the time of their life enjoying life being normal while we're sitting here in a fucking cage listening to these fuckin' idiotic fuckin' pieces of shit Democrat trying to ram their [unclear] shit down our throats.

And after again complaining about how Baker was ruining people's businesses and lives, he added,

You better find some money to help these fuckin' businesses because God forbid, one day, you're going down motherfuckers.

Silvestri did not appear at the licensing-board hearing on Rabia's violations, instead sending his manager and lawyer, who, after being yelled at by board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce about the "extreme case," meekly apologized and vowed to never do it again.

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Guy whose North End restaurant was cited for Covid-19 violations spent New Year's Eve at a maskless, crowded dance party in Florida, where he screamed...