welcome to talking news we're delighted to have you with us listening to our presentation by members of the beech street center patty jonathan and irene we will be reading local news and happenings from the community newspaper overcoming addiction all looked lost for belmont high school graduate until her daughter was born by bram berkowitz the walls and page words apartment sprinkled with baby pictures a pair of miniature shoes that could only bond to a toddler lie near the door and a plastic toy kitchen equipped with all the amenities rests next to the television like many two and a half year olds me a midair us is the center of her mother's life but mia is far from your ordinary child mia saved pages life like thousands of others before her the opioid epidemic had cast a dark shadow over pages world her support system was gone most of her old friends from belmont high school had deserted her her mother and siblings were suffering from opioid addiction pages mother was even injecting her with heroin when the two live together then mia came along i had no choice said page during a recent interview at her apartment in the rural town of webster i knew what it was like to have a mom on drugs i'll be damned if my daughter has to grow up without a mom it was either get high and lose her or get clean and be a mother is me the decision which eventually led to her sobriety proved a tumultuous experience that forced the twenty five year old to overcome not just physical challenges but a heap of emotional issues that had built up and ultimately led to her addiction is the root of addiction opioid addiction has plagued pages family since she was a little girl her mother had gotten hooked on opioids after a surgery led to a prescription of oxy code on page said her father fred harvey said he first started using heroin in the late one nine hundred seventy s with her mother and older brother rob ward actively using interfaith are in prison at the time pages uncle took custody of her and her sister taylor harvey he built a beautiful house in belmont for the two girls said paige but taylor eventually moved out in the tenth grade when you were a twelve year old girl you need your mother said paige paige attended belmont high school and fell into a sociable group she was captain of the cheerleading squad and dated football players during a high school experience she described as fairly normal after every football game there was always party to go to or a spot in the woods with alcohol around everyone would have fun but i would take it to the next level said page speaking of parties where she would drink until she either passed out or in tears at the end of the night  partying attitude paige said she never did drugs in high school except for some occasional nights when she smoked marijuana then an eighteen two significant events pushed paige over the she moved back in with her mother and she became pregnant preparing to attend college at mount ida in newton page had an abortion that really messed with my head she said after i had the abortion i tried to medicate myself and numb i feeling sick because i had a lot of regrets the first time paige try to opioid page was in a normal belmont basement during a normal get together among friends hanging out after their first year of college you feel numb you feel great you get energy she said describing her first time the feeling quickly caught on and took over paige said she started by snorting half of a percocet pill then she was doing a full pill each day then three or four pills each day an expensive habit considering each pill was running her thirty dollars she said eventually pages sister started giving her heroin it was weighed cheaper and a stronger high said page i immediately fell in love in roughly two months paige said she was dependent on opioids it sounds horrible but that's just house quick that lifestyle happens she said each morning she woke paige said she felt like she had the flu her nose was runny her eyes watery and her whole body irritable at the end of the day i wasn't using to get high i was using to get normal she said from there it was a downhill slope page dropped out of school and broke up with the boyfriend with whom she became pregnant she grew depressed she had all these feelings but instead of coping with them she said i was just hi jonathan the road to recovery with a new boyfriend who's also shooting heroin paige found herself pregnant pregnant again and this time she said an abortion was not an option although fully committed to being a good mother trying to kick the habit while surrounded by other addicts was not a winning formula page tried going cold turkey but after spending christmas in two thousand and twelve and the following valentine's day in detox she went right back to her mom's house and got high page said she used heroin up until she was seven months pregnant for me to know there was a baby inside of me and i was still getting high that's how bad it was she said if i didn't have my daughter i don't think i would have ever gotten clean or had a reason to get clean finally a little after me a was born paige resorted to drastic measures removing herself from her existing life she joined the community health lank orchard street program which provides housing for families trying to cure their addiction page said the program was strict every move she made was monitored and she wasn't even allowed a cell phone in order to prevent communication from the outside world after fourteen months the orchard street program then referred page to the subsidized housing unit she currently lives in and she eventually found a nearby job with a twenty four hour restaurant services provided by the state said paige provide transportation to her doctor's appointments and we're going to pay for her to go back to school they just also currently working with a nonprofit called good news garage dana card page last consumed an opioid on august sixth two thousand and thirteen and she vows never to do so again if i was going to use today i would probably over knows the heroin out there is deadly she said school where she hopes to train to become an addiction counselor paige regularly goes to the ad care hospital in western speak to others in detox next month she will speak to a group of foster parents to try and educate more about children they're hosting who like her grew up in a family affected by the opioid it but demick the story is heading for a happy ending well pages mom is still using fred has been clean for several years now her brother rob thirty four graduated from a treatment program in california earlier this month and now works at the facility taylor is currently in a treatment program page is happy with what she has her daughter her apartment her sobriety and her boyfriend matt mundane iris who is miss father and got clean soon after page she's a wonderful mother and an awesome daughter said fred she's doing it and i'm proud of her it's not easy i grew up in a very violent alcoholic home rob said page was one of the factors that led him to want to get clean my sister being a young girl her generation is the one that really went through it with doses and dying for this disease she said i think it's amazing that she's building herself things that she has by herself i think it is awesome she is trying to put her message out there for other women but pages journey has not come without sacrifices page lost her seventeen year old cousin and two of her best friends to heroin overdoses a belmont resident paige said she knows high school students are tempted to try opioids and strongly encourages those who encounter these people to get help right away before it is too  late community unites for muslims in america discussion it was standing room only march twenty fourth at belle isle temple center for a panel discussion muslims in america hearing their story and what we need to know to counter bigotry over one hundred people turned out to hear speakers professor of indo muslim and islamic religion and cultures that covered university shannon irwin our world is marked with greater misunderstanding and escalating levels of tension and conflict between cultures and people said assignee people don't have the tools to engage and understand differently we are country hunted with global illiteracy about the nature of religion ignorance breeds prejudice it breeds fear and it breeds hatred for democracies to be strong we must have respect and trust between citizens also a deep gratitude for those who recognize what is happening and stand up and stand with us we may be one primary target community but we are not the only ones she said islam does not say or do anything it's not a person it is a concept islam means the act of submission to god said assignee he also explained the difference between silent islam and loud islam loud inside and gets coverage in the media by using tradition for political purposes and to degenerate other muslims groups such as isis fight to redefine themselves all under the cover of nationalism they use certain religious language but one has to understand is grounded in a political context he said people who feel marginalized they don't feel that they belong in society because they are discriminated against or they feel prejudice these people look for other forms of identity these sometimes leads to radicalization every human being has multiple identities when you see a human beings who just want to mention it dangerous when asked why don't muslims speak up assignee said his sense is that muslims are speaking up but you are not listening islam is currently the world's largest second largest religion after christianity it is also the fastest growing major religion with one point six billion muslims or twenty three percent of the world's population as of two thousand and ten the majority of muslim sixty two percent live in the asia pacific region just as there is no single christian religion there are several them nominated as within islam most muslims are six sunni or sh a in the u s sixty five percent a dent if i is sunni when i member and man asked the panel how do we help urban responded with their call to action she asked people to sign a petition against countering violent extremism cv a federal surveillance program her organization says is targeting massachusetts and endangering muslims people of color and political dissidents petition can be found on the muslim justice league facebook page data march twenty fourth for further reading erwin recommended a new can danis book the muslims a coming islam phobia extremism and the domestic war on terror two thousand and fifteen and a society recommended professor christopher a dale's book terrified how anti muslim fr organizations became mainstream two thousand and fourteen i mean fire and assessors present fiscal two thousand and seventeen budgets by jack kelly the board of assessors and fire department presented their fiscal two thousand and seventeen budgets to the selectmen on march twenty eight robert riordan chairman of the board of assessors said the f y seventeen budget is three hundred eighty eight thousand one hundred forty five dollars approximately twenty six thousand less than the f y sixteen budget rearden said the board currently has three full time and one part time employees the value of an individual single family home in belmont now exceeds nine hundred thousand said reardon adding this valuation is a result of the limited supply of single family properties and the desirability of living in belmont the proposed f y seventeen budget for the dominant fire department is six million ninety one thousand five hundred and sixty five dollars an increase of four point five percent from f y sixteen this breaks down to eighty four percent for fire suppression twelve point eight percent for fire administration fire prevention and three point two percent for emergency medical services fire chief david l physical said this is a fairly flat budget increase the budget growth was primarily because of the need for computer software upgrades and the purchase of new fire gear for the fifty full time uniformed employees working in fire suppression he said with new smart meters in the next two years at an estimated cost of two point seventy five million dollars which will come out of the water and sewer retained earnings budget line market said the new said the new smart meters will reduce meter reading costs and maintenance because they will be one hundred percent automated this will allow customers billing on a monthly basis reducing the risk of payment defaults smart meters will also enhance water conservation and savings for both the town and consumers he added our customers will be able to set water usage parameters and enable them to instantly check their water consumption using their smartphones or mobile devices in addition markets said the belmont water distribution system contains no lead the pipes and made of concrete iron or steel recreation incorporated won the contract with a low bid of two hundred four thousand nine hundred thirty eight dollars which was approximately ninety thousand less than the amount appropriated for the project market said we under took a thorough due diligence process including checking for mot recreations references for the past work in addition the signed contract is bonded meaning that the company must complete the project of the green price the project is expected to be completed this june patty water and sewer rates jay marco director of the department of public where it's presented in overview of the proposed fiscal year seventeen water and s rates he recommended the water fees be increased by four point eight percent and sewer fees by four point six percent this increase translates to four hundred one thousand dollars a quarter for water versus four hundred dollars a quarter for fiscal year sixteen and two hundred seventy one dollars a quarter for sewer usage versus two hundred fifty nine dollars in fiscal year sixteen in addition there is an increase of two hundred thousand dollars in the fiscal year seventeen budget to accelerate the testing sample ng and evaluation of water in the mystic river watershed recut also noted belmont's capital infrastructure reinvestment program an issue in one thousand nine hundred five has completed twenty five point six miles sixty seven point three percent of the plant water main replacements the project will be concluded within the next five to ten years he said belmont's current water meters will be replaced i mean you're in town is coming to the stage show is put on by the seventy five student belmont high school performing arts company by bramber go it's a dystopian future a bizarre economy and underdog looking to start a revolution can all be found in belmont high school spring musical you're in town a comedy that loosely parodies bricks the threepenny opera and spoofs many famous musical moments the belmont high school performing arts company will present their show four times between april seven and nine in the belmont high school auditorium with tickets sold in advance and at the door from ten dollars to eighteen dollars according to ezra flam projects or produce or and director of the belmont high school performing arts company while the title year in town may alarm some parents and students the show is a musical comedy at heart flam said the show a broadway musical that was written by mark holeman and greg codice is appropriate for anyone older than the age of ten and is likely appropriate for those even younger the plot takes place in a dystopian future where a massive drought has created extreme water shortages capitalist clad well is at the helm of water management and has a stablished a pay to pieces stem requiring everyone use public amenities shortly after clad well establishes a fee hike and idealist custody and named bobby strong on at public amenity number nine to states decides to start a revolution for freedom things intensify even more when strong falls in love with clad wells daughter hope it's a modern show it has a very modern sensibility said lamb who said actors speak directly to the audience while in character and acknowledge they are in a musical during the show last year the musical was anything goes which is a very classic broadway show to do something so much more modern and new it's nice for our students to explore different styles of the musical genre flamm said a lot goes into the performance more than seventy five students are in the b h s performing arts company which began additions for you're in town in september and rehearsals in january with students practicing three to four days every week being the director and producer flamm who touched theatre in cambridge boston brookline and newton before coming to belmont three years ago said he works on overseeing everything including the actual performance choreography the band publicity and custom and lighting ultimately flam said he tries to design a system where the students can really take ownership for instance flamm said an interest senior worked with a professional set designer to create the stage design for the show flam said the growth of students from the start of additions in september to the actual performances in april is remarkable spring fundraiser of the belmont hill school gymnasium march nineteenth this year's theme was f b fever catch it and many guests did dressing disco style and lounging on a white leather couches wit pillows dancing under the chandelier of disco balls and visiting the selfie station with disco era props for fun photo opportunities one hundred shimmery bracelets were sold during cocktail hour at one hundred dollars each with a chance of winning the live auction item of your choice the lucky winner chose the cocktail party for up to thirty guests donated by a loading dock owner flawed mubarak or double of his offer to give someone else the opportunity to bid on it during the night master of ceremonies neil ferry kept the bids rising for all the live auction items such as the dinner for ten guests donated by or for tickets to see the piano man at fenway aug eighteenth including a round trip private car service and one hundred dollars to go toward dinner and drinks in town stove and spirits the hottest auction item was a special cooking experience with  winning chef matt jennings of townsmen wrestler restaurant in boston dinner was catered by belmont's chave moves dessert was a candy bar and  raised more than two point nine million in support of hundreds of projects initiated and organized by administrators teachers and staff to enrich the education provided by the more public schools  phone in town or within the church steeple a number a number of church neighbors who are adamantly opposed to the antenna due to health concerns say if history is any indication the belmont historic district commission could grant the request despite neighbors asportation it defies town by laws in august two thousand and thirteen belmont's historic district commission approved a request from the church which is located on pleasant street in in a historic district to replace its front wooden columns with fiberglass material and stead of wood several of the church's neighbors at a b h t c meeting earlier in the month pointed out that  c bylaws state original siding material should be retained whenever possible the church should not have been allowed to use fiberglass material they say now these same neighbors are concerned that h d c will soon make a simular to situation and allow the church to replace wooden livers with fiberglass material the request is pivotal for the proposed cell phone in tanna because the signals from the antenna pass through fiberglass materials but not wood ron kramer one of the neighbors leading the movement to block the proposed in tanna says allowing the church to use fiberglass materials would not be consistent with pas d c decisions we the residents of the pleasant st historic district were stunned upon discovering this two thousand and thirteen decision he said there is one clear published set of standards and procedures for districts yet there seems to be an entirely different set of standards and procedures for the plymouth church cramer also comp claims the two thousand and thirteen hearing was not published and thus did not allow others in the historic district to have a say in the decision at the time senior planner jeffrey wheeler could not be immediately reached to confirm the claim michael krag who lives in the storage district stated when he was renovating his property he asked the ph d c to use fiberglass columns and a more durable decking material to replace the decking and damage comes in on his front deck they members of the  the time said that there was no way the historic commission would allow us to use such replacements for either the columns or decking stated craig we have found the application of the standards on equal creat also said b h t c guidelines to not allow him to install visible air conditioning unions designs for the in town are approved by the zoning board would have highly visible air conditioning units he said joe corners chairman of the b h d c said town by allies allowed the commission to approve alternate materials like fiberglass on a case by case basis the church had an engineer and two would need to review and approve any air conditioning units visible from the street corners said irene thank you for joining us for this episode of tracking news please join us next week