Danvers 'Thin Blue Line' Advocates Left 'Dissatisfied': Patch PM

DANVERS, MA — While the battle over whether a "thin blue line" flag should be allowed to fly on Danvers police and fire apparatus appears to be winding down, opinions remain strong on whether the town should be doing more to show support for law enforcement.

Keith Lucy, whose group Citizens to Restore Respect of First Responders in the Town of Danvers gained the signatures necessary to have the article allowing the flags introduced on the special town meeting warrant, told Patch he was "dissatisfied" with the process on Tuesday after a "no action" vote was taken Monday night.

He said the town's support of law enforcement in a time when police across the country are facing backlash, criticism and have been the target of violence amounts to no more than "a few words on a piece of paper."

"We feel as though we did what we could to bring an issue to light," Lucy told Patch, "but are, of course, dissatisfied with the outcome and the level of debate that was allowed."

Read the full story here.

Also on the North Shore today

Beverly Early Voting Brisk, Busy, Secure: City Clerk

As Beverly residents make strong use of mail-in, drop box and early-voting options, City Clerk Lisa Kent is looking to assure them that whichever method they choose to cast a ballot for the Nov. 3 general election it will be secure.

"We are pretty impressed with Beverly (voters)," Kent told Patch Tuesday morning.

Kent said extra police patrols are scheduled for the ballot box areas and that they will be "locked down" with a metal bar on Halloween at 3 p.m. through Sunday morning, in accordance with guidance from Secretary of State Bill Galvin's office.

Salem To Lock Ballot Drop Boxes At 1 P.M. On Halloween

Salem officials are also locking down ballot drop boxes on Halloween afternoon and night after a drop box in Boston's Copley Square was set on fire and ballots were damaged this weekend.

The Salem City Clerk's office said drop boxes will be locked from 1 p.m. on Halloween until 9 a.m. the next morning.

Peabody Man Charged With Having Stolen, Loaded Gun: State Police

A Peabody man, who was wanted on a warrant for firearms violations and assault and battery on a police officer, was also charged with illegal firearm possession and driving violations after State Police said a loaded pistol was found during a highway stop in Salisbury early Sunday morning.

Peabody Traffic Stop Leads To Gun Charges: State Police

Two men face several gun charges after Massachusetts State Police troopers said they found a loaded revolver during a traffic stop on Route 1 in Peabody Sunday afternoon.

Across Massachusetts

Baker Warns Of 'Significant Increase' In Coronavirus Cases Among Younger People

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker warned residents that in recent weeks, there has been a "significant increase" in the number of people under 30 years old who are testing positive for coronavirus.

"The share of positive cases between the under 30 crowd and the over 60 crowd has basically flipped," said Baker. "Today fewer older people are getting sick, while the under 30 group makeup a much bigger percentage of our positive tests than they did in April."

Puppet Showplace Theater Says Someone Emptied Its Bank Account

The Puppet Showplace Theater has fired its managing director after the iconic children's puppet theater learned of "fiscal irregularities in its bank account," earlier this month, according to the theater's board of trustees.

In early October the theater's board discovered that their fiscal controls had been "circumvented" and that the 46-year-old theater's bank accounthad been fully depleted. Brookline Police are investigating just what happened, and the board said based on the developments it fired the theater's manager.

Somerville Bar Going Into 'Hibernation,' Promises Spring Return

A Somerville bar that weathered the pandemic with an assist from a nearby pizza parlor will go into "hibernation" this winter. Sligo Pub, which operates the Sligo Dragon Patio with neighboring Dragon Pizza, will close Oct. 31 as colder weather creeps in.

But Halloween won't spell the end of Sligo: "we are hibernating till we open up the patio again in March!!" a statement on the bar's Facebook page reads.