The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

Quake hits home for Lincoln family from Nepal

A Nepalese child in the earthquake rubble. (Photo from OLE Nepal's Indiegogo fundraising page)

A Nepalese child in the earthquake rubble. (Photo from OLE Nepal’s Indiegogo fundraising page)

Editor’s note: An April 30 letter to the editor from Diana Smith noted that her son Adrian is in Nepal and is collecting PayPal donations for supplies that will be transported to rural villages. On May 3 she noted that readers can also donate via check if they prefer not to use PayPal. Direct contributions to Adrian are not tax-deductible, but 100 percent of the gift goes to help the villagers; there are no administrative fees. Adrian and his friends will be carrying the supplies through the mountains to the villages because the roads are blocked. You can make out a check to Adrian Smith and mail it c/o Diana Smith, P.O. Box 6294, Lincoln, MA 01773. The memo can say “Earthquake Relief.”

By Alice C. Waugh

Only a few months after Rakesh Karmacharya and his family began calling Lincoln home, much of their homeland lies in rubble after the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

[Read more…] about Quake hits home for Lincoln family from Nepal

News acorns – 5/5/15

acornLibrary closes early on Saturday

On Saturday, May 9, the Lincoln Public Library will close at 4 p.m. in preparation for The Friends of the Lincoln Public Library’s Fine Arts Gala. See this Lincoln Squirrel story for more information.

Middlesex County DA to speak on parents, minors and alcohol

On Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m., Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan will give a presentation with a Q&A session on the civil and criminal liabilities of parents hosting social events at home or otherwise, where alcohol is served and teens and children are present. The issues of responsible drinking and safe driving will also be discussed.

The event will take place in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School lecture hall and is free and open event to all parents of teenagers who attend schools in Lincoln or Sudbury. Please register in advance by emailing lscommunityconnections@gmail.com.

Fundraiser for Lincoln and Sudbury girls’ lacrosse

When you dine in or take out from the Lotus Blossom restaurant in Sudbury on Tuesday, May 12 from 5-9 p.m. and you mention L-S Girls Lacrosse, 20 percent of the sale will go to Lincoln-Sudbury girls’ lacrosse as we continue to create great memories for Lincoln and Sudbury girls.

L-S girls’ head lacrosse coach and Assistant U.S. National Team Coach Bowen Holden of Lincoln will also be running a four-day clinic on July 7-10 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. in Lincoln. This is an opportunity for children entering grades 3-9 of all levels of experience to learn the game, improve skills, and have a great time. Holden will be assisted by many L-S players and alumnae. Those attending Lincoln Summer Day Camp can extend their day with this clinic, and coverage will be provided between camps. To register, please go to the Lincoln Recreation Department website and register online. The cost is $250 and includes a clinic T-shirt.

Bird-a-thon event on May 15-16

Bird-a-thon, Mass Audubon’s friendly competition to financially support conservation across the Commonwealth,will engage hundreds of enthusiasts in an all-night/all-day bird identification marathon on May 15-16. The statewide contest challenges teams of birders of all abilities to identify the most species in 24 hours—this year from 6 p.m. on Friday, May 15 to 5:59 p.m. on Saturday, May 16.

Bird-a-thon has grown to become Mass Audubon’s single largest annual fundraising event, attracting thousands of supporters and raising more than $2 million since the competition began in 1983. In 2014, 800-plus people comprised 29 teams that traversed the state, and 270 species were identified either by sight or ear.

People who can’t compete in the field may still participate in various ways, including as “Bird-a-thon Boosters” to support teams or individuals by fundraising. To learn more, visit www.massaudubon.org/birdathon.

Climate justice activist to appear in Lincoln

A screening of “Bidder 70,” the award-winning documentary about 32-year-old climate justice activist Tim DeChristopher will be held on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church. The film will be followed by an audience Q&A with DeChristopher, now a student at Harvard Divinity School, who was sentenced to two years in federal prison for an act of peaceful civil disobedience protesting fossil-fuel extraction on public lands in Utah. The evening will be hosted by journalist, activist and St. Anne’s parishioner Wen Stephenson of Wayland, a contributing writer for The Nation and author of a forthcoming book featuring Tim’s story. Hosted by the Climate Justice Ministry at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields, together with 350Mass MetroWest, part of the statewide grassroots climate-action network 350 Massachusetts for a Better Future.

Organization seeks household items for former shelter residents

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable is having its annual Shower for Shelters that benefits families transitioning from shelters to new homes. Until Monday, May 11, people can bring donated items to the Lincoln Public Library. New items being sought include twin size sheets, pillowcases, and blankets; bath towels and face cloths; laundry detergent without scent or other allergens; cleaning products; flatware; water glasses and coffee mugs; diapers (all sizes); and gift cards to places like CVS and grocery stores.

Hanscom civilian pleads guilty to child pornography charges

scales-of-justiceEditor’s note: The following is a press release from the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. A spokesperson declined to provide any further information.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that Rene Walker, 44, formerly a civilian at Hanscom Air Force Base Lincoln, has pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court to charges of trafficking in a person under the age of 18 for purposes of sexual servitude, enticement of a person under 16 years of age, enticement of a person under 18 years of age by electronic means, posing a child in a state of nudity, disseminating visual material of a child in a state of nudity, disseminating material harmful to minors, possession of child pornography attempted extortion, and criminal harassment.

Judge Kenneth Salinger sentenced Walker to six to eight years in state prison, followed by ten years of probation.

“The unfortunate reality is that predators are online,” said District Attorney Ryan. “This man began messaging the minor, and the conversation quickly escalated into enticement to engage in sexual activities and then into extortion. His behavior was manipulative and now he will be held accountable.”

Chief Kevin Kennedy of the Lincoln Police Department added, “I would like to credit the tireless and dedicated efforts of the investigators assigned to this case who worked hand in hand with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office to bring this case to a successful resolution. This case is a harsh reminder of the dangers that can present themselves in the cyber world.”

The incidents in this case occurred between May 2013 and May 2014 during which Walker disguised his identity and corresponded with a minor on hundreds of occasions sending pornographic images, encouraging the minor to take nude photographs, offering the minor money in exchange for nude photographs, and then forcing the minor to continue taking and sending nude photographs by threatening to send the photographs of the minor to the minor’s friends and family.

This case was jointly investigated by the Lincoln Police Department, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Kate Cimini. The Victim Witness Advocate is Beth Lane and the Child Interview Specialist is Alicia Compitello.

 

Lincoln veterans invited to join new group

military-logosLincoln military veterans are invited to come together to form a new veterans’ group to have occasional meetings and perhaps a service project to advance a worthy veterans’ cause.

The group is open to all who have served in any of America’s five formal armed services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines), including Reserves and National Guard.

Organizers need veterans to respond to news articles such as this one because they can’t easily be contacted as a group directly. Although residents’ veteran status is part of the information collected in the U.S. census, the Town Clerk is not permitted to release a list of those names.

“We don’t even know who they are in Lincoln—that’s why we’re putting out this word,” said retired Navy Capt. Tom Risser of Lincoln, a former flight surgeon who served in Iraq and one of the effort’s organizers.

Risser said he hoped to find more riflemen for the town’s annual Memorial Day celebration as well as a contingent of veterans to march in the parade that day and in Independence Day.

“That parade is getting smaller and smaller,” said Priscilla Leach, the town’s Veterans’ Service Officer, who helps connect veterans with services and apply for federal, state and local benefits (including property tax abatements).

Participation in the group will be entirely optional, and organizers guarantee there will be no solicitation for donations or activities that each vet doesn’t choose to make time for. Anyone who’s interested should contact one of the people in Lincoln below.

Tom Risser
thomas_risser@hms.harvard.edu
781-789-6253

Adam Hogue
Commanding Officer, 1166th Transportation Company, Massachusetts Army National Guard
adam.m.hogue@gmail.com
978-828-6184

Priscilla Leach
Lincoln Veterans’ Services Officer
lincolnvetservices@gmail.com
781-259-4472

Candidates sought for Campus Master Plan Committee

The Lincoln School campus.

The Lincoln School campus.

In response to community interest in locating a community center on the Lincoln School’s Ballfield Road campus, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee are jointly creating the Campus Master Plan Committee (CMPC). The purpose of the CMPC will be to consider infrastructure and safety issues related to the possible co-location of Council on Aging, the Parks and Recreation Department, and school functions on Ballfield Road. The CMPC’s charge will be to examine the implications on roadways, traffic, parking, public safety and accessibility, and recreational facilities, and to understand site issues such as wetlands, conservation land, septic fields and geotechnical conditions.

The CMPC will be responsible for hiring, subject to approval by the Selectmen and the School Committee, a firm with the skills needed to do the work. At the 2015 Town Meeting, Article 33 authorized $75,000 for this purpose. The CMPC will determine its own meeting schedule, but it is expected that it will meet frequently between June and December, with the delivery of a final report by the end of the calendar year. The committee will gather input from the public and relevant boards, and an interim report and public feedback will be one of the items for discussion at the fall State of the Town meeting.

Interested candidates should have experience and skills that will further the work of the committee. The at-large members will join representatives from relevant town boards. Letters of interest should be submitted to both the Board of Selectmen at selectmen@lincolntown.org and the School Committee at schoolcomm@lincnet.org by Friday, May 15. The Selectmen and School Committee will hold a joint meeting to finalize the CMPC’s charge and to appoint the at-large members on Monday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m in the Donaldson Room in the Town Office Building.

May activities with the Council on Aging

bemisArabic conversation
May 4 and May 18 at 9:45 a.m.
Azza Omer from Sudan has generously offered to teach a free informal, light and easy conversational Arabic language class on Monday, April 6 at 9:45 a.m. at Bemis Hall. Learning something completely new is great for brain fitness and for having fun! You’ll learn some common words and phrases. Come give the class a try!

Lincoln Academy with Alison Taunton-Rigby: Biotechnology in Massachusetts
May 4 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, May 4 at 12:30 to hear Alison Taunton-Rigby discuss “Biotechnology in Massachusetts.” Bring a bag lunch. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. [Read more…] about May activities with the Council on Aging

Letter to the editor: Lincoln native helping Nepalese

letter

(Editor’s note: This letter was updated on May 5 with additional information on how to donate by check.)

To the editor:

Our son Adrian Smith lives most of the year in Nepal. Here is a copy of the letter he wrote to his friends on Facebook to thank them for their contributions to his earthquake relief efforts:

Thank you so much for your concern, your generosity, and your trust in me. 100% of the funds you have donated will go towards providing the most basic support to Nepali farmers who have lost everything. We are working in the rural village of Chaukati and surrounding areas to bring basic shelter, safe drinking water and food to people who have lost their homes. The homes in Chaukati, as in much of rural Nepal, are built of stone without cement mortar with stone roofs. As in the neighboring villages, all 50 houses in Chaukati have been reduced to rubble. Thankfully the devastation occurred during the day when most people were out working in their fields. It is reported that only four have died in Chaukati. There is no electricity, no running water, and food sources are scarce and buried within their homes. Their crops have largely been destroyed. The earthquakes have been followed by rain and residents have had to endure with only the clothes on their back without even a tarp overhead. Road access has been compromised by a collapsed bridge and landslides. Provisions will need to be carried in through strenuous mountain terrain. As of writing, no disaster relief has yet come to this area.

We are providing each household in Chaukati with basic provisions: a tarp for shelter, a ceramic water purifying system, soap, rice and lentils, foam sleeping mattresses, and bowls for food and water. They are incredibly resilient people and the help now is critical for their recovery. We will not be able to give much in the way of updates but will be writing again in two weeks to update you on their progress and our work in the surrounding area. This is a village that is dear to my heart. I have been bringing American student groups to Chaukati for 15 years. They are some of the kindest, most honest, hard-working people I have ever met and they will use this minimal support to get back on their feet and rebuild their lives. Thank you again for your generosity. Probably never before have your dollars gone so far. Please help spread the word. 

With best wishes,
Adrian

If anyone else wants to contribute, you can do so through Paypal. Adrian’s ID/email address is adrian_108@yahoo.com. Direct contributions to Adrian are not tax-deductible, but 100 percent of the gift goes to help the villagers. There are no administrative fees. Adrian and his friends will be carrying the supplies through the mountains to the villages because the roads are blocked.  You can make out a check to Adrian Smith and mail it c/o Diana Smith, P.O. Box 6294, Lincoln, MA 01773. The memo can say “Earthquake Relief.”

Sincerely,

Diana Smith
8 Trapelo Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

News acorns – 4/30/15

acornPMC Kids Ride needs riders and volunteers; prizes announced

Lincoln’s first annual PMC Kids Ride to fight cancer is Sunday, May 3 (see this Lincoln Squirrel article for more information). If you can’t ride but wish to donate, Something Special is selling limited-edition PMC bracelets for $10 created by sixth-grader Will Levy, founder of the Lincoln event. All riders get a PMC Kids Ride T-shirt, water bottle and glow-in-the-dark wristband (volunteers get a T-shirt as well). The minimum fundraising commitment is $25 per rider, though most kids raise a lot more than that. Riders who raise $250+ also receive a PMC string bag and those who raise $750+ receive a special New Balance PMC backpack. In addition, Something Special will donate a $50 gift certificate to the child who raises the most money. To register to ride or volunteer, visit the Lincoln PMC Kids Ride page. Questions” Send email to pattylevy.pmckidslincoln@gmail.com.

Chinese animated short films to be shown

The Lincoln Library Film Society (LLFS) will show a medley of short Chinese animated films at the library on Tuesday, May 5 starting at 7 p.m. The animation industry in China was slow to recover from the stagnation of Mao’s cultural revolution, and it wasn’t until the early 1980s that animated films would start to be produced regularly. The best animated shorts to come out of Chinese studios show little influence from their larger and more lucrative counterparts in Japan and the U.S. A luminous example from 1981,The Monkey Who Wanted to Catch the Moon, uses nocturnal lighting and deep layering to make its 2-D moving figures appear as though they are lit from within. For more information on this and other LLFS events, email lincolnlibraryfilmsociety@gmail.com.

Walk in a maypole labyrinth on May 8

Celebrate Spring in one of Lincoln’s many secret wonders—a local labyrinth with our very own maypole. Walk the labyrinth with Jai Kaur Annamaria in a special Council on Aging event that’s open to all by donation on Friday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (rain date: May 9). Location given upon registration; sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. You’ll experience the ancient meditative practice of walking a labyrinth, indulge your senses in flowers, create your own may basket, and enjoy spring foods.

Panel on sexual assault at colleges

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable presents a panel discussion on “The Culture of Sexual Assault on College Campuses: Challenges and New Responses” on Tuesday, May 12 at 3 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Wayland Public Safety building (38 Cochituate Road). The panel, moderated by Jessica Teperow, Director of Prevention Programs at REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, will feature Karen L. Raye, assistant professor at Lasell College who teaches classes on domestic violence and in the college’s Criminal Justice Department; Jacqueline Anchondo Silva, director of Title IX Compliance at Mt. Ida College; and Steph Trilling, manager of community Awareness and prevention services at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. Panelists will discuss their roles and what they want parents and/or students to know in regard to their own safety or safety of others when getting ready for college. There will be a Q&A session at the end.