watch and listen to the talking news every day at twelve noon and six pm on channel ninety six comcast dick finity and channel thirty verizon fi os you can also be heard mondays and tuesdays at four thirty pm and wednesday at twelve thirty pm on channel nine x finity and channel twenty nine listen any time on the b m c podcast network on sound cloud and i tunes just search for the belmont media podcast network and now on to the talking news the challenges of suicide prevention not much time passed in the lead up to ron attempted suicide in two thousand and nine he had recently purchased a new condo after a six successful career in academia but felt quickly into a state of depression when he suddenly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scam he started hearing voices inside his head and eventually made an attempt on his life the spirit the tailspin was wasn't  was months when ari said i saw no way out larry story echoes thousands of others throughout the commonwealth and across the united states and illustrates why suicide prevention is in many difficult because it's not always connected to mental illness indeed more than half the fifty four percent of people who die by suicide have no known met mental health condition according to the united states centers for disease control and prevention and with federal state and private entities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on trying to understand suicide and suicide prevention according to the c d c nationwide suicide rates meanwhile increased thirty percent during the same period and it's likely the numbers are understated absent evidence such as a note describing one's intentions determining suicide deaths can be tricky for medical examiners additionally many believe a portion of fatal overdoses happen on purpose but are not  massachusetts there were two thousand two hundred and twenty seven overdose overdose deaths in two thousand and sixteen according to the c d c we think probably between twenty five and forty percent of drug overdose o overdoses maybe suicide but it's hard to quantify quantify said reverend david a lima the chairman of the greater new bedford suicide prevention coalition suicide is now a leading cause of death ian ited states and is the patriot ledger reported in an extensive reported much massachusetts residents are now more likely to die by suicide than by homicides and car crashes combined practitioner dr mock green who runs site could godden twenty five flanders road in belmont said the town can help as residents by fostering a sense of community increasing awareness of risks and intervention options and talking about the struggles that people face belmont has a fair share of people with a great financial stress both of middle and older age the pressure fix success is increasingly competitive world as especially affected the the youth housing costs forced people to move to cheaper neighborhoods protective social networks said dr greene an email to the citizen herald site godden office free groups for individuals struggling unfortunately the medical system is streamed in the united states and weak on the public health front which relies on public funding that's a political issue that requires action at the ballot box said green and now over to my colleague thomas continuing on suicide here's some signs to look for for suicide prevention belmont resident annabel banks who will be studying criminal justice and psychology at merest college this fall lost a friend to suicide last april as well as a neighbor and family friend in the summer of two thousand and sixteen she also had a friend who attempted suicide during her freshman year in high school banks organized a talk on mental health and suicide prevention at bethel temple this past march based on her own personal experience banks said there are a few common warning signs to look for if someone you know may be considering suicide one is withdrawal from the world around them whether that may be from people close to them or from their usual activities another is extreme changes in their appearance such as a drastic haircut said banks banks said another important sign is sudden calmness or happiness after a period of depression quote this can be especially important to look out for even though most people would see this as a good thing rather than a warning sign the reason this could point to soothe suicidal ideation is because after directly following a period of depression feeling such as calmness can mean the person has made the choice to commit suicide and is feeling relief to be ending their suffering in this way she said green said family and friends should look for a change in outlook and interaction with the world he said these include signs of depression such as loss of interests a pervasive sense of bleakness and despair and black and white thinking which blocks out hope of a solution isolation occurs as people feel more hopeless ashamed and unlovable but increases risk  companionship is a basic healthy human need said green green said when people feel scared and that they are failing depression anxiety and suicide rise friends and family often miss the isolation thinking people just need a little time away from themselves or feeling pushed away but really they need to know you care and are there for them green said talking about the pain and sadness rather than avoiding it is important never increases suicidality but rather allows people to feel cared about and understood he said according to greene some medications can help but it is not at all clear if antidepressants help or make suicidality worse they can worsen sleep or increase irritability initially which has to be monitored and benefits take weeks to kick in psychotherapies can also get people through a crisis but success depends on a combination of therapist skill and patient therapist chemistry because there are so many factors outside the therapist's knowledge an influence it can be hard to have a big impact said greene and that is why  involvement of people in the patient's life went through the crisis people can quickly feel more hopeful connected and useful he said and now over to max thank you thomas for things to know about the selectmen meeting meter the contract does not include installation public works will be requesting bids for installation of the smart meters and director j market says he hopes implementation will start in the late fall or early winter about nine thousand five hundred meters will be installed he expected to take about eighteen to twenty four months for the project to complete with thirty dollars to fifty dollars installations per day and estimates the total cost to be three million six hundred thousand dollars including the hardware the new meters will allow residents to have instant access to their consumption using an app and even be able to set parameters limiting amounts used marcotte said the major benefit for the town will be the ability to better  national grid lock out affecting belmont's road reconstruction product projects director of community development glen clancy told the selectmen the national grid lock out which has caused a delay for the town's road reconstruction projects for pay and lawndale roads and common and clifton streets he said he wants the community to understand they are aware of the condition of the roads and will make sure they are safe for winter travel he said he hopes the situation with national grid gets resolved quickly so they can resume work by mid september the last day they can do any paving work is november st because it gets too cold he said he hopes to get some work completed even if the national grid lock out isn't  three former resident donates to belmont public library philip f may is leaving five percent of his estate up to two hundred and twelve thousand five hundred dollars to the belmont public library according to library director peter thousand five hundred dollars for tax relief for seniors the selectmen approved a request from the council on aging to double the amount for the senior work of program from seven hundred and fifty dollars to one thousand five hundred dollars the max helping conservation efforts with sheep is a retired engineer with what she calls a passion for pharmacy things she grew up in belmont and has always been has always held an interest for sustainable agriculture over the years she has spent much of her time working  volunteering on local firms after retiring she decided to pursue this interest further teabag he had heard about nearby communities such as lincoln implementing conservation grazing this uses livestock grazing as a means to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi natural grasslands teabag thought this might be an interesting program to try out in belmont rock metal conservation land meadow to stay a meadow it has to be the mode grazed o'beirne and said otherwise in new england it would just go back to woods according to teabag belmont has been more wing rock meadow annually to maintain the land she says that grazing is a greener method and can have a positive impact on the soil such as improving and fifteen teabag approached belmont's conservation commission with the idea here they liked it and decided to give her the go ahead to set up a pilot program the commission set aside two acres of land during the day the sheep a confined and intellect rick net that protects them from loose dogs and coyotes that netting is rotated around the two acres so it is not to over graze the same area in the evenings the sheep penned up in a portable hut for the most potty beg he has not had any trouble protecting her sheep on the whole he has says said that the belmont community has been supportive  of the only complaint she has received concerns what she does with the sheep in the winter since this is a pilot program there are no permanent structures housing the sheep as a result t v teabag has to sell the sheep when weather becomes too cold to keep them outside unfortunately we don't have a place in belmont to winter the sheep so i generally have to have been using lambs and at the end of the season they get slaughtered she said for this uncomfortable truth brings up good discussions about where our food comes from of course we said no one likes the thought of the lambs becoming meat but then everyone walks down the supermarket without a care she said this is a great way for animals to be raised out on pastures and maybe makes people think more about where their food comes from and what is involved in it teabag he hopes to see the program become a permanent fixture in belmont she wants to get better fencing and even add goats to the livestock whether or not she can do this she said will depend on the conservation commission and their goals for rock meadow and now over to thomas thank you bob master plan developed for rock meadow by angela tom the belmont conservation commission in conjunction with the conway school has created a ten year master plan to enhance and preserve the wildlife and natural landscape of the town's rock metal conservation land while the plan is completed the commission is still in the early stages of executions seventy acres of wet loons streams woods and meadow make up the public conservation area known to belmont as rock meadow the land is part of the western greenway undeveloped green spaces that joined together while family and belmont it features diverse habitats and both belmont residents and nonresiden alike enjoy the area for hiking biking picnicking and community gardening the conservation commission acquired oversight and stewardship of the property after belmont purchased the land from mclean hospital in  they look after them owing of the fields and the paths as well as administer the community gardens however the area is not protected by conservation restrictions meaning there is no defined use of the land conservation commission board member jeffrey north said the commission often receives requests to use the property in ways other than conservation such as for dumping snow from belmont streets or parking for various events the commission approves or denies these requests as they come in but they soon realized that they needed to think long term about the meadows use and what the land might look like for future generations agent of the commission mary trudeau and other conservation commission members set out to remedy this problem the commission gave the students four main objectives st to design an eco historic walking tour nd to develop a management plan for controlling and reducing aggressive exotic plants rd to increase ecosystems ecological corridors and wildlife habitat and forth to redesign the main parking lot to accommodate more cars and reduce roshan conway student team both worked with the commission and engaged the belmont community to collect input on design priorities they held to public meetings in may two thousand and eighteen where they discussed initial site analysis and heard feedback from the public they completed the plan in july the plan is comprehensive and contains cost estimates which range from six hundred and thirty five thousand dollars to nine hundred and eighty four thousand dollars it includes the creation of observation decks a picnic piggery foundation a nature inspired playground of logs stumps and log piles and americans with disabilities act compliant trail to provide walker and wheelchair access an eco historical tour with education signage and much more there are also detailed recommendations that address concerns regarding maintenance of the property how much of the plan the commission might implement will depend on funding they may have access to  town money but they will most likely rely on grants and donations the commission is only in the st phase of this ten year long plan but they hope to begin moving the project forward as soon as possible and now back to max thank you thomas local author publishes new novel when we disappear by joanna cates of atlas belmont resident lee's haynes recently published her th novel when we disappear of mystery with two st person narrator in one story line we follow a father who loses his job and leaves his family in search of an opportunity in the other story line we follow his teenage daughter who tries to hold the family together both must confront a reality that haunts them said hans aids has been writing since she was about nine years old when she wrote a novel about a cat but became more serious about writing novels as a career when she was in her twenty's when she's not writing haynes is a senior writer in residence at everson college i have the privilege of working with bright accomplished students on their stories opening up a deep conversation about literature and providing information on the fiction market and the creative life hangs down with the belmont citizen harold recently to talk about her new book and her career how do you come up with the ideas for your stories many things work together i have the blessing and curse of a vivid imagination my parents were journalist so stories were a big part of my childhood as well as conversations on wide ranging subjects i love to read fiction and at least one newspaper every day i also have an endless curiosity and interest in people if you tell me you operate a backhoe i want to know how the machinery works how you feel after a long day of running this equipment when something went wrong and so on what inspired you to write your st novel in my sister's country as a journalist my mother worked on saving some of the grand old houses in chicago that fall into disrepair and were threatened with the wrecking ball much of in my sister's country is set in a ruin of a home that has a ball room and an intercom system for upstairs maids yet the mother and her two daughters can barely afford to heat any of the house the eldest sister rents out the maids quarters to a man the rest of the family never sees so this book involves a mystery what inspired you to write when we disappeared people do a lot of strange and terrible things in this world and we want to know how do they look at themselves in the mirror each day that's part of what i wanted to understand how does someone who seems to have good intentions do something so wrong that how do they live with for the belmont porch fest is closed was seventy performances and fifty nine porches signed up for the event on saturday the september the th a rain date is sunday september th nearly half of the performers and porches signed up as a pair the other half a waiting to learn with whom they matched we applaud the adventurous and generous spirit of our hosts we asked them what inspired them to participate in porch fest and he is what they said chris herrick i decided to host because i love the arts and excited to have the opportunity for something like this to come to belmont this is been a cool event in neighboring towns i grew up here and i would like to and would be proud to see everyone come together to support a fun community event sagna plus sont i decided to volunteer as a porch host because i think this is a wonderful way to bring together the community of belmont i can't wait to hear the music streaming from porches through a belmont seeing friends and neighbors perform and hearing music of all varieties will be an experience we can all enjoy and remember together rachel vanda voigt stated when a band started by parents at my children's school cambridge montessori school asked us to host them and belmont sports fest i was beyond excited i have heard so many great things about porch fests and other towns what a great way to enjoy a fall afternoon and bring some music to belmont whenever i see this band play i get my dancing shoes on and i know others will too joanna savalas stony brook road is such a quiet street we try to have a block party once a year i see belmont porch fest as a way to bring not only our neighborhood together but residents from all over it's a community celebration and an appreciation of performing and talent and over to thomas thank you bob belmont high students experience economics teacher and cross coach organized the trip with the goals of connecting belmont students to the history of peru and the connecting them with a different culture and to connect them with students and people who are simultaneously a lot like them and a lot different from them according to streit the whirlwind tour started with a day touring the peruvian capital of lima before returning to the airport for a domestic flight to the ending and city of cusco the gateway to match your t quote on their way to much of picchu the travelers were immersed in peruvian culture eating alpaca steak for lunch touring a peruvian pottery factory visiting and alpaca and llama garment warehouse and driving through the  countryside along the in control route straight in an email to the citizen herald on the rd day the students and chaperones took a train from the town of where they would be staying for their visit to match your picchu wrote the town of aguas calientes is a small and quaint mountainside village complete with a river running down the heart of it in the morning the villagers can be seen transporting various products from the train tracks to the stores by a push cart since there was only one car road that ran halfway up the town parallel to the village route stright when they arrived in much of picchu stright said they learned the ruins and picturesque mountain they had seen on many travel brochures and posters was not in fact much of picchu but an unnamed city in the shadow of a mountain called whatever the name the travelers were overwhelmed by the inspiring views and the beauty of the ruins and mountains and of course the many lamas grazing throughout the grounds he wrote after much of picchu the group returned to the sacred valley of the inca to meet their service project coordinator and begin their work on their service learning project the belmont group was paired up with the sacred valley project a nonprofit whose objective is to create housing close to the cities and villages of the sacred valley so that girls who live throughout the area have a place to stay during the week in order to access education quote the group learned that universal education is not something that is granted by the peruvian government to all especially those in rural communities and even more so to women road stright and in email the sacred valley project has built two dormitories one in the town of origin tombo and one in the town of so that young girls who have to travel up to eight hours from their houses can access local education the belmont students spent two days constructing rock and mud walls sanding and painting the walls excavating earth to make m we thank you for listening to the talking news and hope you'll enjoy the show we were returning next week for another edition of local news happening around belmont