Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express

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Two students from Kingston inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

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BATON ROUGE, LA– The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
Caroline Bryson of Kingston
David Shoblom of Kingston
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts annually approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society’s mission is “To recognize and advance excellence in all fields of higher education and society.” For more information, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

Plympton to send out tax bills quarterly

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Christine Kelley, Plympton Town Treasurer/Collector, wants residents to know that beginning with the February (3rd Qtr.) RE tax bill ALL RE & PP bills will now be mailed four times a year.
All residents of Plympton will receive a bill for EACH quarter a payment is due.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Treasurer-Collector’s office at 781-585-0409 Mon-Thurs 9 a.m to 2 p.m.
Our office is also pleased to announce that the Building Department & Board of Health will be accepting debit/credit card payments for permit applications effective Monday, Nov. 20.

Breaking ground to honor those who served

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It was Veterans Day, 2021, that founding member of the Kingston Veterans Memorial Work Group Rick Veno brought up the concept of a memorial to honor the service and sacrifice of all the veterans of each of the armed services in the town of Kingston, and it was Veterans Day 2023 when groundbreaking took place in a moving testament to the efforts of the Work Group Chairman Robert Ketter, and members Denbeigh Forbes, James Gallagher, Robert King, and David McKee. And it will be Veterans Day 2024 when the group plans to complete it. Ketter, who presided at the program, gave thanks to State Senator Susan Moran and State Representative Kathleen LaNatra, for their active support, as well as town officials, community partners, businesses, and donations large and small. “Most importantly, to the people of the Town of Kingston,” who have all contributed in significant ways to arriving at this milestone.
“As a community we are building an enduring reminder of the meaning and significance of freedom, democracy, and the service of all Veterans,” The Kingston Veterans Memorial will be a significant achievement to honor all Veterans and their families in the Town of Kingston, and a place to host educational programs, events, and simply to visit and reflect on its meaning.
Also speaking were State Representative Kathleen LaNatra, Selectmen Chairman Kimberley Emberg, and Town Administrator Keith Hickey.

Halifax Congregational Church Christmas Bazaar Nov. 25

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The Halifax Congregational Church will be having a Christmas Bazaar and Luncheon on Saturday, Nov. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church is located at 503 Plymouth St. on Route 106 in Halifax.
The Bazaar will be hosting several crafters that you can purchase hand-made items from to give as holiday gifts or simply enjoy for yourself. Some of the craft items being offered include handmade soaps, handmade crafts, hand-painted pictures and other art work, handmade wreaths, handcrafted jewelry, beautiful decorated lighted bottles and much more. There will be a Missions table with items handmade/donated by church members with the proceeds going to help those in need. We will also be having a White Elephant Room and wonderful raffles for you to win. Best of all, you don’t want to miss out on our delicious homemade baked items and our popular cookie walk which offers a large assortment of fresh baked cookies to choose from.
We will be serving our Christmas luncheon starting at 11:00 am which will include various sandwiches and soups, along with other selections. Please be sure to bring your hearty appetite.

Please come and join us for a fun day of holiday shopping, delicious baked goods and a wonderful luncheon and don’t forget to bring your holiday gift list.

Sturtevant murders are TRIAD topic

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Linda Redding
Special to the Express
Author John F. Gallagher was the guest speaker at the Halifax TRIAD meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Gallagher is a former Boston Police Officer with over thirty years of experience, retiring in 2008 as Chief of Detectives.
The author of four books featuring historic true crimes on the South Shore, he discussed A Monument to Her Grief: The Sturtevant Murders of Halifax, Massachusetts, detailing the triple murders that took place over 150 years ago. Gallagher credited the Museum of Halifax for providing access to many resources used in the research of this book from photographs to newspaper clippings.
TRIAD meetings are open to the public and are held in the Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall.

Fraser speaks on Beacon Hill

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On Oct. 30, Jason Fraser of the Plympton School Committee and Silver Lake School Committee provided testimony to the Joint Committee on Education in favor of what is known as the Rural Schools Bill (H.3567/S.2388) which would provide additional funding to school districts considered “rural” to help cope with economy of scale issues including special education, transportation and building construction.  In 2018, the Plympton School Committee joined a group of rural schools in Massachusetts who gathered and analyzed data on school department struggles in small communities.  This data was used to advocate for dedicated state funding to rural schools.  In FY 21, Plympton received $12,272 in rural aid.  These funds have increased over the past few years leading to Plympton receiving $55,294 of rural aid in FY 24.  Similarly, Silver Lake Regional School District received $47,951 in rural aid in FY 21 and this too has grown to $173,580 in FY 24.  The Rural Schools Bill which is based on the Massachusetts Legislature’s Report on a Sustainable Future for our Rural Schools would further increase state funding for rural school districts by a factor of four.  Additionally, if passed, this legislation would create a commission to look at special education financing, which would provide key data for future legislation and state funding to support our schools.
Fraser also provided testimony to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government on Oct. 24, in favor of two bills which would help cities and towns prepare fiscally for unanticipated special education cost and extraordinary budgetary increases due to assessments from regional schools.  H.2075 would increase the allowable maximum balance in Special Education Reserve Funds to 5% of net school spending (NSS), creating a more resilient tool for municipalities to use in addressing unanticipated special education costs.  Special Education Reserve Funds are currently capped at 2% of NSS.  H.2076 would allow municipalities to create a Regional School Assessment Reserve Fund.  A Regional School Assessment Fund would create a mechanism by which a municipality could save funds in a year when the Regional School Assessment is low to be used in a future budget cycle when the Assessment may be extraordinary.   In both of these bills, municipalities have the control over the creation of the reserve fund, making investments into these funds and using these funds via the legislative body of the municipality, which, in the case of our towns would be town meetings.

Congratulations and best wishes to Plympton Fire Chief weds

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Plympton Fire Chief Cheryl Davis, daughter of Joseph and Jennifer Davis, wed Patrick Duddy, son of Richard and Carol Duddy, Sept. 23, in Wilmot, NH, a special venue for the couple who has spent many weekends camping there. Helping in the ceremony were the couple’s two dogs. Wilden, left, was ring-bearer. Patrick is a firefighter with the Fall River Fire Department.

Winter Overnight Parking Ban in Halifax

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No overnight on-street parking will be permitted on any street in the Town of Halifax effective November 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024.
Residents must remove all basketball hoops, hockey nets etc. from within the town layout (i.e.: the side of the road). This will prevent them from being damaged when plowing occurs.
A warning will be issued for first-time violators. Vehicles will be ticketed or towed, if necessary, for repeat offenders.

Comfort Dogs for Halifax and Plympton

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The towns of Plympton and Halifax are richer in many ways with the adoption of two Labrador retriever puppies to serve on their forces as “comfort dogs” to support students and residents. Roxy and Aggie, 5-month-old pups purchased with the assistance of two $5,000 grants from the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office, will be used to reduce stress and promote wellness for students, and also attend town events. The pups are receiving their official training at Professional Canine Services in Middleboro.
Plympton Police Chief Matthew Ahl said, “The Plympton Police Department is extremely excited and thankful to be able to launch the comfort dog program with the assistance of the Plymouth County DA’s Office. Our comfort dog, Aggie, and her handler, Officer Cameron Broderick, will work together to assist and benefit the community in many ways, whether being present at the school, community events or sensitive incidents. There has already been a significant positive impact of this program and we’ve only just begun. We look forward to seeing the great work that this program does and continuing to strengthen our relationship with our community and residents.”
Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves said, “The Halifax Police Department wants to thank District Attorney Cruz and his entire staff for the generous gift that started the Halifax Police Department Comfort Dog Program. Roxy is extraordinarily popular with the entire community. The impact she and Officer Campbell have made on the community has been overwhelming, and they are just getting started. They will be a very busy pair as they meet all our residents. We are truly grateful for this partnership which will take our community engagement to new heights.”
DA Cruz developed the Plymouth County Comfort Dogs Program to provide additional services and resources to our communities. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office provides a mini grant to Plymouth County Police Departments to assist with costs associated with acquiring, training and caring for their comfort dog.
The pilot program has been designed to be implemented by either local School Resource Officers or the PD’s Community Outreach Officer, who in turn becomes the dog’s handler and sole caretaker. Both the handler and the comfort dog become members of the Plymouth County Comfort Dogs Program and are required to undergo all necessary training in the certification process to qualify as a comfort/therapy dog.
The network of Plymouth County Comfort Dogs is present in schools and are on hand to provide emotional support for students during the day, and available to the community at night and on weekends. Additionally, the handler and the comfort dog work with the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office staff at community events across Plymouth County and provide comfort services at its Children’s Advocacy Center and office.