[Update] BREAKING: Fire Destroys Jimmy’s Food Mart, Damages Block of Stores

Photo: The fire at Jimmy’s Food Mart that occurred on Saturday, April 18. 

A three-alarm fire destroyed the convenient store Jimmy’s Food Mart and damaged a business block – including a new restaurant days away from opening – at the corner of Belmont and School streets on the Watertown line.

At this time, no one is thought to have been injured in the fire that occurred just after 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 18. 

Belmont Fire Department Fire Chief David Frizzell told the Belmontonian the department received a call reporting a fire in the store.

“When we arrived, there was heavy fire in the back of the market. We don’t know if the store was open but there was someone there,” Frizzell said.

The inferno and smoke could be seen blocks away as flames reached high into the twilight sky as dozens of firefighters battled the conflagration so it would not spread to an abutting residential building at the corner of Lewis Road. Bystanders flocked to the scene as sirens and a helicopter brought attention to the scene. 

The blaze halted traffic on the normally busy thoroughfare as fire equipment from neighboring communities – including Watertown, Cambridge and Waltham – lent mutual aid, sending vehicles and the MBTA 73 bus onto Fairview Avenue. In addition, electricity was cut off in the blocks near the fire. 

“A Watertown engine arrived when we did so we had help from the start,” said Frizzell.

It took about half-an-hour to knock down most of the flames.

“Jimmy’s is heavily damaged, the roof has come in and there’s heavy fire damage. It’s a loss,” he said.

Parmjit Singh, owner of Jimmy’s, located at 297 Belmont St., was watched from across the street as his business burned.

“I put all my dreams in this town,” Singh told the Belmontonian. “A lot of people supported us. Now my business, everything is gone.”

Singh and his wife and partner, Surinder Kaur Dhaliwal, bought the shuttered site of the former Shore Drug in 2013 and opened it as a convenience store in January 2014. The store is managed by their son and business partner, Jimmy Singh.

Since opening, neighborhood reaction has been overwhelmingly favorable, with residents commending the owners for operating a clean and inviting business. Earlier this year, the Belmont Board of Selectmen rejected a beer and wine license to Singh and Dhaliwal. 

“I was here until 10 a.m. when I went home to sleep. Then my wife called to say the business was on fire,” Singh said. He does not know what the future holds for Jimmy’s.

“I want to open. I need to open. But I don’t know right now,” he said.

The fire caused heavy smoke and water damage to the other retail establishments on the block, said Frizzell. The businesses including Shine on Salon, Parmagian & Marinelli Law Office, Dr. Edward J. Burns Optometrist, Hemmingway Tailoring-Alterations, and a new eatery, “Tony G’s Barbecue,” in the former location of Gustazo Cuban Restaurant at 289 Belmont St. It was reported to open soon with new furniture and fixtures already installed.  

The fire is currently under investigation by the Belmont Fire and Belmont Police departments as the Massachusetts Fire Marshall was also at the scene, said Frizzell.  

“We’ll be here for the rest of the night. There’s pockets of fire we still need to get to. There’s quite a bit of work ahead of us,” he said. 

Butler Reaches 150 Goals as Belmont Boys LAX (4-3) Down SpyPonders

Photo: Trey Butler setting up to score his 149 goal in his high school career. 

Junior attack Trey Butler reached the 150 goal milestone as the Belmont High School Boys’ Lacrosse won its first Middlesex League match of the season, defeating Arlington High School, 17-11, in a chippy affair at Harris Field on Friday, April 18. 

“From freshman year, it’s been a team effort and it’s all part of the teammates passing me the ball and encouraging me every step of the way,” Butler told the Belmontonian after the game in which he scored four goals and two assists.

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“Last year there was a lot of pressure and it was hard not to get frustrated when things aren’t going your way,” said Butler, who is also a standout defender on the hockey team.

“But this year, we’ve been winning because everyone has been putting in a lot of work in the off season and it’s starting to pay off this year,” said Butler.

“Huge win of us,” said Belmont Head Coach Josh Streit after the win, lifting the program over .500 at 4-3. The SpyPonders drop to 2-4. 

“Arlington has been a rival for us in my tenure and they have played us very tough in the league so we knew this was a place for us to see to kind of see where we could stand and if we can make some noise,” said Streit. The win puts Belmont five victories from a return to the Eastern Mass. Div. 2 playoffs since 2011.

The match started off at a crawl, going more than half the first quarter before a pair of goals from junior Michael Cole (3 goals, 1 assist) and Butler’s first gave Belmont a 3-1 lead going to the second.

Goals by Cole, senior Samuel Bozkurtian (3 goals, 1 assist) and two from by Butler with outstanding defense from seniors Joseph Paolillo and Luke Paolcari along with junior Andrew Ballard allowed the Marauders to enter halftime with a 7-3 lead.

It was at 3:38 left in the third – in a half which saw a multitude of penalties calls – when Bozkurtian passed to Butler to the left of the goal, snapping the ball into the net to hit 150 goals as Belmont doubled its goals to take a 14-6 advantage into the final period.

After the game, Streit continued to speak highly of his team after a mid-week loss to Reading High, in which he discovered his team “could grind and have the grit to stay with everyone in the league.”  

Down 10-2 in the third quarter and unable to generate an offensive surge, the team “stood up for themselves”, grinding out four straight goals against the Rocket’s top squad, falling 12-8 but putting Reading on the back foot for the remainder of the game.

“We made people notice and they saw the heart of this team,” said Streit.

The squad’s next match will be against Dracut next Saturday. 

Belmont’s Fast Nobel Prize Winner Racing in Monday’s BAA Marathon

Photo: The BAA Marathon.

It’s likely Wolfgang Ketterle will be the fastest Nobel Prize winner participating in Monday’s 119th Boston Athletic Association Marathon, but the 57-year-old academic could have another impressive distinction; first Belmontian to cross the finish line on Boston’s Boylston Street.

The MIT professor of physics, who with Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 for their work on Bose–Einstein condensate, will be running with the low bib number 655.  Ketterle, who is a member of Somerville Road Runners, finished last year’s BAA race in 2 hours, 44 minutes and 6 seconds, good for 528th overall and third fastest runner in the 55-59 age group. 

“With science and running, you should never give up. You should challenge yourself and be willing to exhaust yourself. I like that, both in science and running,” Ketterle told Runner’s World when it profiled him in it’s “I’m a Runner” feature in 2009. 

In the past decade, the fastest Belmont master runner (those over 40 years old) was Robert Cipriano, who runs the marathon in the 2 hour, 40 minute range in his early 50s, but the long-time resident – and like Ketterle, a Somerville Road Runner – pulled up stakes to Brighton. 

In addition to Ketterle, 27 Belmont residents will hopefully be toeing the line in Hopkinton on what is likely a cool and cloudy day (although there will be a head wind). Find out if your neighbor will be racing (many for charity and causes) on Marathon Monday. 

Name, age, bib number 

  1. Peter Arsenault, 29, 28943
  2. Apo Ashjian, 58, 28793
  3. Stefanie Baker, 28, 31298
  4. Rachid Belhocine, 55, 11071
  5. Cara Brickley, 40, 29699
  6. Laurent Canneva, 37, 28397 (France)
  7. John Carey, 48, 5278
  8. Sarkis Chekijian, 41, 26400
  9. Kaleigh Connors, 24, 30565
  10. Charlie Conroy, 45, 2194
  11. Virginia Cox, 48, 23429
  12. Kelly Fanning, 37, 29181
  13. Paul Firth, 47, 30320
  14. Julie Holt, 33, 27895
  15. Richard Horgan, 61, 26017
  16. Glenn Imboywa, 28, 28713
  17. Satomi Kato, 49, 22623
  18. Wolfgang Ketterle, 57, 655
  19. Carolyn Mehaffey, 51, 24532
  20. Stephen Najarian, 59, 31462
  21. Carrie Palmer, 40, 25700
  22. Christina Pickering, 37, 16226
  23. Damien Pinault, 42, 8260
  24. Becca Pizzi, 35, 16965
  25. Kai Saukkonen, 52, 29973
  26. Emily Seaver, 30, 31440
  27. Kimberly Usseglio, 29, 27125
  28. James Winter, 43, 31342

This Weekend: Jazz Times Three on Saturday, See Cuba from Belmont

Photo: Cuba From a Different Angle

The John Arcaro Trio will be part of the Music on Saturday concert on Saturday, April 18, at 3 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Playing classic American jazz, John Arcaro is an internationally known pianist, recording artist, and clinician. Music on Saturday concerts are free to all thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.

The Belmont Gallery of Art explores the intimate lives of the Cuban people as well as the country’s architecture and geography with “Cuba From a Different Angle” by photographer and Harvard lecturer  Jonathan Hansen. The gallery – located on the third floor of the Homer Municipal Building, 219 Moore St., in the Town Hall complex – is open on Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Easier Than Ever to Drop off Household Hazardous Waste; First Collection Date Saturday

Photo: Deposit hazardous waste drop off set for Saturday, April 18.

Half-used paint, mothballs, antifreeze and insecticides are just a few of the common household products that are classified as hazardous waste that most residents have in their homes or garages.

Belmont residents looking to clear their homes of these harmful chemicals as part of their spring cleaning will have an opportunity this Saturday, April 18 as Belmont residents can haul those materials to Lexington’s Minuteman Hazardous Products Facility site at no cost. 

And now it’s easier than ever to drop off the material; advanced registration is NO LONGER required; all Belmont residents need to bring is some state approved official identification (driver’s license) or proof of Belmont residency such as an utility bill to participate in a collection event. 

Here is a list of acceptable and unacceptable materials as well as a video on the do’s and don’t’s when heading off to the facility.

Winning Life’s Lottery, Kristof Asks Belmont to Key on Closing the Empathy ‘Gap’

Photo: Nick Kristof.

Nicholas Kristof recalled a story about a friend who came home to the US from a year helping refugees in Darfur, the area of western Sudan still suffering the humanitarian after effects of a decade-long war.

“She comes back over Christmas vacation, she’s in her grandmother’s backyard and totally loses it, weeping with abandon,” Kristof told the audience attending his talk on “A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunities,” the bestseller written by him and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn.

What caused his friend’s sudden reaction was seeing a bird feeder hanging close by.

“She was thinking about all the things she saw in Darfur and thought how incredibly lucky she was,” growing up in a country where the basic necessities; housing, ample food, clothing, and security is taken for granted, so much so that there remains enough “to help wild birds get through the winter,” he said at the talk sponsored by a new community group seeking to build on the book’s theme of creating a better world.

“And I do think that, in the same sense, the fact that we are here in Belmont, means we have won the lottery of life,” the New York Times columnist told attendees in the Belmont High School Auditorium on Wednesday, April 15.

And by being in that fortunate state, “there are obligations that come with it;” of demonstrating compassion, empathy, and dignity to those who are burdened by poverty and circumstance.

Kristof’s talk came as A Path Appears in Belmont, the community group using the book’s themes to decide on a town-wide project “on how can we make a difference,” said Jackie Neel of First Church, Belmont’s Social Action/Human Rights subcommittee and who started and now spearheads the effort beginning last year.

After reading the book, “it was as if a spark had gone off in my head, and it has certainly exploded this evening,” Neel said to the nearly full hall.

After several months of events and discussions, the three areas of concern for a possible “call to action” by the group in the fall are hunger, homelessness, and human sex trafficking, said Neel.

Before introducing Kristof, Neel invited State Sen. Will Brownsberger and four Belmont High students to the lectern.

For Olivia Cronin, Maggie O’Brien, Ritika Sexena and Rose Carlson, the event was an opportunity to introduce A Path Appears’ effort by students to expand on last year’s success in creating a garden at the High School providing fresh produce to the Belmont Food Pantry.

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Rose Carlson (left, head turned), Olivia Cronin, Ritika Sexena (white dress) and Maggie O’Brien of Belmont High School.

 

“We want to connect Kristof’s ideas of change and put that in our community and we decided to focus on food and gardening as achieving that,” O’Brien told the Belmontonian before the talk.

The program will expand on last year’s model to include a multi-generational component, involving the elementary schools and the Belmont Senior Center, “connecting gardens around town and trying to use it to change our educational system and achieving awareness about food insecurity and having cooking classes, all done to make a difference,” said O’Brien.

Kristof’s journey from a journalist focused on international reporting – he won his first Pulitzer Prize (with his wife) in 1990 on China’s mass movement for democracy and its subsequent suppression – to writing about humans in crisis when he traveled to Cambodia in the late-1990s to write about child prostitution. There he came across pre-teenaged girls in a house waiting to be sold for sex, “just like slaves from the 19th century. That haunts me.”

“So it’s hard to go from that to writing about exchange rates,” he said.

He later returned to “buy” two girls from the brothel and brought them back to their families.

“In each case … I got a written receipt,” he said. “When you get a written receipt in the 21st century, you know that that is profoundly wrong.”

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“That’s why I got engaged, because of the people I met,” Kristof said. People such as the Ethiopian 14-year-old, who crawled 30 miles to obtain surgery after childbirth who then worked her way to became a nurse at the hospital.

“It’s kind of a reminder that we’re talking about is not just a personal tragedy, but also real opportunities to empower people, to serve themselves and their families,” said Kristof.

Kristof believes that part of the reason both philanthropies – which Kristof said is undergoing a revolution in seeking facts on backing initiatives – and government policy are not as effective as they can be is due, in part, to “an empathy gap.”

He noted the wealthiest families donate half as a percentage of its income than poorer families to charities. It’s not that they rich are less caring, said Kristof, but rather the affluent “are more isolated from need;” living in an upscale neighborhood with reasonably well-off residents.

“You are aware of disadvantage need but it’s more of an intellectual awareness, while in contrast, if you are poor in America today, everyday you encounter people who are truly are in need so when you encounter that, you reach into your pocket to respond,” said Kristof.

“More and more, I think this empathy gap is one of the real barriers towards making a difference,” he said.

To break this cycle, people should “get out of your comfort zone,” whether it is committing yourself to public service, travel or, for students, taking a gap year between high school and college. That should not be exclusively helping with need overseas as there is much to do in the US such as teaching literacy or working with those incarcerated.

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger (left) with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.

 

“But whatever you find works … will be a real part of your education and to chip away at the empathy gap,” he said.

Kristof ended the night answering a question from a woman who spent the past year working in Rwanda, who noticed how many aid workers were caught up in the “white savior” complex, coming of means to provide, without empathy, what their own government or people can not.

Kristof said everyone “should show dignity … and do a lot more listening” when going to assist people.

But he thought it would be a real misfortune if American were to back away from helping because of the fear of offending.

“Right now, the basic problem is not that too many people want to help Africa; it’s not enough,” he said.

“Acknowledging that helping people is hard. And the challenge is to find a way to pay some of that back.”

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Excellence: Foundation Honors Inaugural Group of ‘Outstanding’ Belmont Teachers

Photo: Belmont High Biology teacher Suzanne Lijek named one of “Outstanding Teacher of the Year.”

Suzanne Lijek had no idea why Principal Dan Richards had called her down to the main office for a “meeting.” 

The AP Biology teacher at Belmont High School was preparing for the day’s classes when when she headed to the offices at 9 a.m. on April 15. 

It was only when she was ushered into the guidance room did she suspect that something was amiss.

Inside were many of her students, colleagues, Superintendent John Phelan and members of the Foundation for Belmont Education along with flowers, balloons and a certificate.

After a few seconds of being surprised, Lijek was informed by FBE President Jamie Shea she was the very first honoree of the foundation’s “Belmont’s Outstanding Teachers of the Year” award. 

The six honorees, from each of Belmont’s public schools, were recognized for their excellence in the classroom and for consistently making a difference in the lives of Belmont’s children. Recipients were nominated by students, parents and community members. 

“Teachers don’t receive the recognition they deserve in many places in the country, so this is a great opportunity for Belmont to tell them how important they are,” Phelan told Lijek and those assembled.

Shea noted that Lijek was the very first recipient of the award that the FBE hopes to make an annual event.

“I’m happy to receive this award because it validates the work all teachers do,” Lijek told the Belmontonian. 

In addition to Lijek, the 2015 honorees – all who were told in person at their schools – are: 

  • Katharine Caritey, Burbank Elementary, Grade 2 
  • Audrey Ruddock, Butler Elementary, Kindergarten 
  • Steven Tenhor, Wellington Elementary, Grade 4 
  • Danielle Pandolfo, Winn Brook Elementary, Grade 3 
  • Ben Ligon, Chenery Middle School, Grade 6 (Math) 

The ceremony to honor Belmont’s Outstanding Teachers of the Year award winners will be held on April 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School. The award celebration, sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank, is open to the public. 

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ConCom Approves Parking on Rock Meadow for Major Golf Tournament

Photo: The location on Rock Meadow where parking will be located for a golf tournament in June.

The Belmont Conservation Commission narrowly approved a conditional agreement to allow the Professional Golf Association Tour (PGA) to use approximately 11 acres of Rock Meadow Conservation Land off upper Concord Avenue for up to 1,000 parking spaces to support a major golf tournament taking place at Belmont Country Club during the second week of June.

The 3-2 vote came after an hour in which the commission members and Conservation Agent Mary Trudeau debated whether the land – never used for such an activity – would be damaged by vehicular pollution or whether a “yes” vote would set a bad precedence versus the commission’s real need for outside funding to continue the upkeep of the land and the nearby Victory Gardens.

“I am literally begging to find grants and money as the [Town Meeting] doesn’t give [the Conservation Commission] a penny,” said Trudeau, in an impassioned plea to the board to pass the proposal.

The approval came with the proviso that all fees for using the meadow will be placed in the Conservation Commission’s Victory Garden Revolving Account to provide money to mow the meadow.

With the Commission’s approval, the PGA and the town – through its Town Administration Office – will begin negotiations on a contract that will include both fees for parking and for other town services. In addition, the PGA has made considerable charitable contributions to municipalities and

The PGA is scheduled to meet with the Belmont Police Department on Thursday, April 16, to discuss required traffic control and details.

Rock Meadow is 70 acres of public conservation land that includes a meadow, wetlands, streams and woods. It is a part of the Western Greenway, a corridor of undeveloped green spaces that connects the towns of Belmont, Waltham and Lexington. It is a favorite place for hiking, birding, biking, picnicking, cross-country skiing, and community gardening.

The meeting began with a presentation from the PGA’s Joe Rotellini and Geoff Hill to give a highlights of the Constellation Senior Players Championship, one of the five “major” tournaments for older (those on the PGA’s Champions Tour for players over 50 years old) but still very popular golfers such as Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Fred Couples and Vijay Singh.

Rotellini, who oversees the day-to-day operation of the tournament, told the commissioners that people will come out to see the marque players and it’s critical to have parking in the area. He stated that the PGA was also in negotiations with other nearby communities for parking.

As part of its extensive management plan, the PGA will require parking from Tuesday, June 9 to Sunday, June 14 with the number of vehicles “ramps up” during the four days of the actual tournament, starting on Thursday, June 11, said Rotellini.

The temporary parking lot will begin to accept cars at approximately 7:30 a.m. with most vehicles departing by sunset. During the week, Winter Street from Concord Avenue to Route 2 will be one-way towards Lexington.

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The parking plan will be laid out by a professional management firm hired by the PGA. Under the plan envisioned by the Tour, a pair of temporary curb cuts will be placed along Concord Avenue near the intersection of Winter Street (see image) that will allow a one-way circular loop where a shuttle bus will pick up attendees and deliver them to the country club. The cut will require moving large rocks that occupy the spaces.

“It is a temporary roadway that may require stones if it rains,” said Trudeau.

That portion of the North Meadow will be the location of the largest of three parking areas, used by 700 vehicle spaces from June 9 to 14. The activity will likely require moving a proposed sheep grazing site. (see image)

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The second lot, expected to be used from June 12 to June 14, is what most residents recognize as Rock Meadow adjacent to the Mill Street entrance and the Victory Gardens. Up to 250 vehicles can use this location.

A final, and smallest, parking area will be located to the south of the first two sites, accompanying 150 spaces. Rotellini said if it does rain during the event, it’s unlikely to use the second and third areas as crowd numbers will be dampened.

In addition to setting up and roping off the parking areas, the PGA is insured up to $10 million, is set to acquire all permits, will bring in public restrooms and trash containers which will be cleaned at the end of each day, and have the necessary number of shuttle buses available to allow for 10 minutes between trips.

Rotellini said he and Trudeau have had discussions on repairing and restoring the meadow for any damage beyond the normal wear and tear expected from the activity that week. He said the property will be video recorded before the land is used to resolve any problems.

“We are the PGA tour. We do things the right way,” said Rotellini, saying the PGA hopes to create a working relationship with Belmont so when the tour hopefully returns – the Senior Players Championship will be in other locations in 2016 and 2017 – “we can rekindle those partnerships.”

Trudeau said she had discussed the proposal with Belmont Town Counsel George Hall, who judged that there didn’t appear to be a conflict using conservation land, granted to the town via state charter, for this activity.

Commissioner Margaret Velie asked if it wouldn’t be prudent to request a review with the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs “because it is conservation land.”

In addition, she expressed concern for restoring the land and the possible release of pollution by the vehicles while on the meadow for up to six days.

Following on Velie’s line, David Webster said Rock Meadow was created “for passive recreation uses,” and by approving the plan, “how do tell our neighbors they can’t use the meadow for another uses?”

“This will set a bad precedence. What’s next? Soccer fields? Dog parks?” he said.

But Commission Chair James Roth said he didn’t see any long-term problems from having the vehicles on the site as the “hard and firm” soil is similar to farmland “just that we’re growing grass.”

For Trudeau, the concerns of conservation and possibly opening the area for other activity were trumped by the desperate financial state the commission finds itself. She noted that Belmont is an outlier from surrounding communities as it does not fund the Conservation Commission – what she called “our zero budget” – to pay for the necessary upkeep of the land.

“We’re in a tight spot, and there is no willingness by Town Meeting to fund us,” said Trudeau.

The PGA’s Rotellini reiterated that through the Tour’s “charitable side” that gives to locales where events take place, a donation to fund two years of necessary mowing – approximately $2,000 – could be forthcoming.

“That’s what interests us,” he said.

When it appeared that the commissioners were evenly split 2-2 on the measure – with Miriam Weil joining Roth willing to vote to approve the plan – Commissioner Charles Chiang arrived and immediately voted “yes” to move the plan forward.

The plan now goes to the town where a contract is expected by April 28.

Nicholas Kristof To Speak Tonight on Transforming Lives

Photo: Nicholas Kristof.

Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author will speak tonight, Wednesday, April 15, at Belmont High School on the best-selling book co-written with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, “A Path Appears; Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunities.”

The 7:30 p.m. speech has sold out. The event will be broadcast by the Belmont Media Center.

“A Path Appears” describes how ordinary people can make extraordinary differences in the lives of others both globally and locally. The issues addressed include; human sex trafficking, domestic violence, poverty, hunger and many others, all closer to home then we may think.

The book inspired members of the Belmont community to gather together and initiate a local campaign, A Path Appears in Belmont: A Campaign to Make A Difference which has received wide spread support across the community from both community non-profits, to public and private entities.  

The ultimate goal is to identify the top concerns and to bring people together to find ways we as a community can Make A Difference in the Lives of Others.

Current community supporters include:

  • Belmont Against Racism,
  • Belmont Chapter of Amnesty International,
  • Belmont Health Collaborative, 
  • Belmont Human Rights Commission,
  • Belmont Media Center,
  • Belmont Public Library,
  • Belmont Public Schools,
  • Belmont Religious Council,
  • Founding Member: First Church in Belmont Unitarian Universalist. 

A Path Appears; Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunities provides a roadmap of sorts for how to navigate through all the different organizations and information in order to make the best choices for use of resources. It also highlights how giving not only benefits the receiver but also the giver. 

Several events were held to share ideas and concerns. There were community film screenings and discussions of the three PBS films based on the book.  Then for the first-time ever over 25 non-profits seeking volunteers all with links to Belmont were showcased, followed by a talk given by Rick Weissbourd, senior lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-director of the Making Caring Common Project, who spoke about “Raising Caring, Ethical, and Happy Children.”

Donors who have supported these series of events and made “A Path Appears in Belmont: A Campaign to Make A Difference “ possible are:

  • Lawndale Realty,
  • First Church in Belmont Unitarian Universalist,
  • Belmont Against Racisim,
  • Jackie and Tom Neel,
  • Carl Brauer and Nancy Sheifflin,
  • Anne Stuart and Paul Santos,
  • Electric Rushe,
  • Hamill Builders, and
  • Donna Perry 

Belmont Baseball Comes from Behind to Take Opener vs. Stoneham

Photo: Junior pitcher Joe Shaughnessy vs. Stoneham High, April 13. 

A three run, two-out sixth inning and a great relief pitching stint by junior Joe Shaughnessy saw Belmont High School Baseball reel in a tough Stoneham High team for a 8-6 victory in the team’s home opener at Grant Field on Monday, April 13.

The win raises Belmont’s record to 2-0 overall and in the Middlesex League. 

A 3-2 triple by third baseman Nick Call drove in junior right fielder Matt Kerans and sophomore catcher Cal Christofori to give Belmont a 7-6 lead before scoring on a wild pitch for the final run.

Starter pitcher junior Cole Bartels (7 strikeouts) got through the fourth before giving up a three-run, bases loaded double to Stoneham’s center fielder Justin Oliphant for the Spartans to go ahead 6-5. 

Shaughnessy then came in for the final 2 2/3 innings of shut out pitching including striking out three Spartan in the top of the 7th.