5 Things to Know: Fossa at Nationals Takes 5th and PR in 2-Mile

Today is Thursday, March 14. Here are five things to know today in Peabody.

1. Drew Fossa returned home from the New Balance national indoor track championships in New York last weekend with a 5th place finish in the Emerging Elite 2-mile run. His time of 9:32 was also a personal record, reports the Salem News. Chris Cennami and Christian Cedullo placed 34th (7:19) and 56th (7:34), respectively, in the 60 meter dash and then competed with Steve Villani and Scott Myers in the 4x200 relay for a 35th place finish (1:34.75). Vlasi Duni, Tom Drover, Ben Braz and Villani also competed in the 1,600 sprint medley, clocking in at 3:47.89.
2. The Peabody City Council convenes tonight, first at 6:15 p.m. for the Finance Committee, then Public Services Committee at 6:30 p.m., followed by an executive session at 7:15 p.m. to discuss litigation surrounding a billboard on Lowell Street and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.
3. Games, games, games: Friday night is Family Game Night at the Torigian Family YMCA (6:30-8:30 p.m.). Stop down for Charades, Pictionary and more.
4. Irish-American Heritage Month will be celebrated Saturday. Mayor Ted Bettencourt and the AOH Division 11 will raise the standard at City Hall, prior to the city's first annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast and Roast. “Thousands of Peabody residents trace their roots back to Ireland,” he says. “We proudly celebrate this heritage by coming together in the spirit of friendship and honoring the many contributions of our Irish-American brethren.” The flag raising begins at 8 a.m. in front of City Hall. The rest of the festivities get underway at 9 a.m. in Wiggin Auditorium. Tickets to the breakfast are limited and no tickets will be sold Saturday. Call Mary Bellavance in the mayor's office to see if any tickets are left -- 978-538-5704.
5. Reading specialist Marie Oliveira reports that Dr. Seuss' birthday celebration March 1 was once again marked with reading and fun at the Burke School. "Read Across America is a nationwide annual event that calls for every child to celebrate reading on the birthday of Dr. Seuss," she says. "We recited the Reader's Oath and guest readers from the community shared  the importance of reading and their reading experiences with us. Then each guest read a Dr. Seuss book in a classroom. The remainder of the day was filled with many enriching reading activities to reinforce and share the joy of reading."

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