PLYMOUTH– Documents at Plymouth Superior Court show that allegations against Robert Tinkham, the current Plympton Health Agent, have been amended. The complaint, submitted by counsel for the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District, details and expands allegations against Tinkham, specifically.

He stands accused of nine civil charges, including Conversion and Civil Theft, Fraud, Civil Conspiracy, as well as violations of the Uniform Procurement Act and the Conflict of Interest Law.

He is accused with two other defendants, Ray Pickles and his wife, Diane Bondi-Pickles. Pickles is the elected Marion town clerk while Bondi-Pickles is a real-estate agent.

The corruption by the defendants has resulted in monetary damages to the waste district in an amount in excess of $838,458.22, according to court records, and the investigation is ongoing by state and local officials.

The Office of the Inspector General is investigating, as well.

Tinkham, of Carver, previously worked as the Carver Health Agent, and, in that capacity, served as Carver’s representative to, and, at times, chairman of the committee overseeing the waste district. Pickles was the Executive Director of the waste district and the authorized signatory of all its accounts.

Committee members did not receive compensation for their services to the district, yet Tinkham received monetary payments from the district for periods of time between 1995 and 2018. He did not have a contract or employment agreement with the district, and no taxes were withheld on the payments, according to the lawsuit.

He stands accused of billing the waste district for landfill inspections while working for the Town of Carver. The Town of Carver job description for the health agent includes inspecting the Carver landfill, according to public records.

In 2007, Carver officials reaffirmed this aspect of Tinkham’s job description, and that he would be “paid for such work by Carver, even if the work occurred outside his normal working hours.”

But, the Carver landfill, leased by the district, is inspected by a professional engineer. Tinkham is not an engineer, according to his résumé, and he kept no records of his inspections for Carver, if they indeed occurred, the lawsuit alleges.

The total amount paid to him for inspections by the district was $88,990.

The plaintiffs submitted 13 representative examples from 2004 and 2005 alone of Tinkham collecting payments from the district while being paid a salary from the Town of Carver.

Tinkham also stands accused of providing no goods or services in connection with money he was paid for the district’s “Grant/Recycling” services, between 2012 and 2018, totaling $88,100.

He allegedly submitted false documentation for payment for that work.

Tinkham finally stands accused of receiving payments not supported by any documentation at all. “In total, there are 82 payments totaling $86,703.82 for which payment was made but the District has no invoice or proof of any services rendered.”

The fraud was discovered when Pickles, in 2017, without the authorization of the committee, sought payment of assessments from the district towns for the first time since 2015.

When Carver and Wareham refused to pay, claiming a lack of documentation, Pickles used district counsel, again without authorization, to sue for breach of contract in Wareham District Court.

That suit was voluntarily dismissed.

The actions by Pickles led to the discovery of inappropriate expenditures by the district. Pickles was terminated Jan. 29, 2018.

The district is seeking triple-damages, interest, costs and attorneys’ fees.

The district was created as a regional refuse disposal district in 1973 by a special act of the General Court. It is an independent body-politic, based in Marion, funded by user-fees, assessments to the member towns and agreements with third-parties.

Pickles and Bondi-Pickles are seeking to go to trial. Tinkham is seeking to have the proceedings dismissed.

Tinkham denies all accusations.

The Silver Lake High boys’ football team will stay within the Patriot League in the first week of the regular season.

The Lakers are scheduled to host the North Quincy Red Raiders on Saturday, Sept. 8 (2:00 p.m. start time) in their opener. Certainly, a win to start the season would give the Lakers a leg up on the competition as they hope to earn their third straight playoff bid. Right now, it appears as though the Lakers have a strong chance to achieve that feat.

The Red Raiders are in a different position than many teams this season. They went 4-7 last year, graduated the majority of their offensive line and will have a new quarterback taking over. Plus, they have a new head coach in Ryan Craig, who coached youth football for the past several seasons.

Since the Red Raiders experience is primarily on the ends on both sides of the ball, as well as at running back and in their secondary, a strong run game and tough run defense will likely be the key to victory for the Lakers in this one.

Neither team has much experience on the line, but having senior co-captains Marshall Roy and Cam Danahy at linebacker should give the Lakers some confidence when it comes to stopping the opposing running backs.

Regardless of who is at quarterback–junior Jesse Miller or sophomore Ben Lofstrom–having Bobby Ohlson, a senior co-captain, at wide receiver should help the team gain some yards in the air when needed. However, the running back corps led by the other team’s captain, Jake Waters, will likely determine how the game goes offensively for the team–as will the protection they receive up front.

Per usual, the first game of the season will give fans a glimpse of what the Lakers are capable of achieving this season. Playing against another young team should be a good test to see how they will fare in the league this season.

The SIlver Lake High football team has a bit of a different look this season.

The team which made it to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, graduated quite a bit of talent and is now working with a younger, less experienced squad.

This time around, the Lakers have just nine seniors on their roster and more than 20 juniors; the issue they face is that not a lot of these players have a ton of varsity experience. Perhaps the biggest unexpected blow was losing their return man Diamani Williams, whose family moved elsewhere.

Right now, it’s unclear who will be the team’s starting quarterback; competition exists between Jesse Miller, a junior, and Ben Lofstrom, a sophomore. What is clear is that the Lakers do have some talent at wide receiver. Two of their captains, Bobby Ohlson and Jake Waters, man the position.

Defensively, the linebacking corps should be a strength for the Lakers. This is because two more of their captains, Marshall Roy and Cam Danahy, play there. Waters also brings experience on the defensive side of the ball, playing cornerback.

However, the Lakers offensive line will be brand new. They lost every one of their starters to graduation which gives opportunities to some other players like seniors Alex Duke, Derek Ingersoll and juniors Will Hesketh and Aidan Crone.

T he Lakers are coached by Chris DiGiacomo, who is in his fourth season with the team. So far, he is 18-15 in his head coaching tenure with the Lakers; last year’s squad finished the season at 7-4.

The Lakers open up their regular season at home on Saturday, Sept. 8 against the North Quincy Red Raiders (2:00 p.m. start time). In all, they have seven regular season games scheduled, not including their annual Thanksgiving day bout with the Pembroke Titans.

PLYMPTON/HALIFAX– On Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018 candidates for federal and state offices will face off in party primaries. In Plympton and Halifax, residents will choose from the following candidates. (In no particular order.)

Democratic Ballot

Incumbent Elizabeth Warren, of Cambridge, is running uncontested for another 6-year term as U.S. Senator.

Two candidates for Governor are running in the primary, Jay Gonzales, of Needham, and Bob Massie, of Sommerville along with their respective Lieutenant Governor candidates Quentin Palfrey, of Weston, and Jimmy Tingle of Cambridge.

Incumbent Maura Healey, of Boston, is running uncontested for another term as Attorney General.

For the office of Secretary of State, incumbent William Galvin is running against Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim, both of Boston.

Incumbents Deborah Goldberg of Brookline and Suzanne Bump of Easton, are each running for Treasurer and Auditor, respectively, uncontested.

Incumbent Bill Keating, of Bourne, is running for Congress again in the Ninth District, and is being challenged by Bill Cimbrelo, of Barnstable.

Incumbent Christopher Iannella, Jr., of Boston, is running for Governor’s Council. Mark Rooney, also of Boston, is running against him.

Senator Michael Brady, of Brockton, is running for another term as State Senator for the Second Plymouth & Bristol District.

For the Twelfth Plymouth District, Kathleen LaNatra, of Kingston and a former selectman there, is running uncontested for State Representative.

Robert S. Creedon, Jr., of Brockton, is running for Plymouth County Clerk of Courts and John Buckley, Jr., also of Brockton is running for Register of Deeds, both unopposed.

The Democrats do not have anyone running for Plymouth County District Attorney or Plymouth County Commissioner.

Republican Ballot

Republicans have three choices for U.S. Senator, Geoff Diehl, of Whitman, John Kingston, of Winchester, and Beth Joyce Lindstrom, of Groton.

Governor Charlie Baker, of Swampscott, and Karyn Polito, Lieutenant Governor, of Shrewsbury, are running for another term. Scott Lively, of Springfield, is running against Baker.

James McMahon, III, of Bourne, and Daniel Shores, of Hingham, are facing off for Attorney General.

For the office of Secretary of State, Anthony Amore, of Swampscott is running uncontested.

Keiko Orral, of Lakeville, and Helen Brady, of Concord, are each running for Treasurer and Auditor, respectively, uncontested.

Peter Tedeschi, of Marshfield, is running uncontested for Representative in Congress for the Ninth District.

The Republicans are not fielding candidates for Governor’s Council, Plymouth County Clerk of Courts or Plymouth County Register of Deeds.

Scott Hall, of Brockton, is running for a term as State Senator for the Second Plymouth & Bristol District.

For the Twelfth Plymouth District, Halifax’s own Summer Schmaling, an Elementary School Committee member, is running against Joseph Truschelli, of Plymouth, for State Representative.

Timothy Cruz, of Marshfield, is running uncontested for Plymouth County District Attorney.

Sandra Wright, of Bridgewater, is running again for Plymouth County Commissioner uncontested.

The Republicans are not fielding candidates for Governor’s Council, Plymouth County Clerk of Courts or Plymouth County Register of Deeds.

Libertarian Ballot

The Libertarians are offering one candidate for office, Helen Brady, of Concord, for Auditor. Brady is also running for the office as a Republican.

Where do I vote?

All Plympton residents vote from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Road, Plympton.

In Halifax, all precincts vote 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the all-purpose room at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth Street, Halifax. Voter registration for the primaries has closed.

The winners of the primary election races will face off in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.

The Silver Lake High football team has already made it clear who they expect to be among their team’s leaders this season.

Sometimes, teams may wait until the season to determine who those leaders will be, but the Lakers made the decision early. According to the Silver Lake High football Twitter account, the Lakers have already named their captains for the 2018 season. In all, they selected three players: Bobby Ohlson, Cam Danahy and Marshall Roy, all of whom are incoming seniors.

Ohlson, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, will certainly help the Lakers passing game once again this season; he served as the team’s primary wide receiver last season. 

Danahy, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, has shined in two sports. Not only has he played well as an outside linebacker, but he is also a key player on the Lakers basketball team.

Roy, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds provides the Lakers with some versatility. An experienced outside linebacker, he is also capable of playing tight end and even long snapping on special teams.

Outside of the three captains, the Lakers will likely receive leadership from the rest of their senior class. What is clear though is that this group of seniors has the opportunity to earn a third straight appearance in the postseason. After all, they made trips to the postseason in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, when this group of seniors were sophomores, the team made school history with their playoff win over Scituate; it was the Lakers first football playoff win since 1980. The Lakers also won a playoff game last season, 20-18 over Dighton-Rehoboth.

According to MaxPreps.com, the Lakers open up their upcoming regular season on Friday, Sept. 9 at home against a Patriot League opponent, North Quincy (2:00 p.m. start time).

HANOVER — The job title and office are new, but South Shore Tech Principal Mark Aubrey, 49, is a familiar face at the school where he has been a teacher or administrator since 1999. Following a lengthy interview process, he stepped up to the principal’s office to succeed Margaret Dutch, who retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

“This is where I belong,” Aubrey said. “I’m a believer that, if you’re a good teacher you can teach anywhere, but to be a great teacher you have to be in the right place.”

The son of a Greater Lowell Tech graduate, Aubrey — who was born in Montana while his father served in the Air Force — is a believer in the benefits of a vocational education.

Like his WHRHS counterpart Dr. Christopher Jones, he did not set out after graduating from high school to become a teacher. Aubrey initially wanted to become an architect, but his experience as a youth sports coach made him realize that teaching and connecting

It would be an accurate statement to say that many players from the Silver Lake High baseball team are enjoying success as they play together this summer.

Although Plympton and Halifax do not feature American Legion baseball teams, players who attend Silver Lake are eligible to play for the Kingston Post 387 Senior Legion team–and the results have been positive. At the start of the week, Kingston was 12-8 so far this season, good for fourth place in the District 10 standings.

Last week, the team competed in five games and managed to win three games in a three-day span.

On Monday, July 9, they came up with a 6-3 win over Plymouth. In it, Kyle Haugstad was sharp on the mound, picking up the win. He went six innings, allowed three runs and struck out eight batters. Offensively, Ryan Bellew and Jacob Armstrong shined, collecting three hits apiece.

A day later, they took home a 15-7 win over Orleans. Jake Holmes tossed five innings and picked up the win. At the plate, Haugstad, Bellew, Armstrong and Aidan O’Neill each had multi-hit games. And on Wednesday of last week, Kingston won their game in a completely different manner. This time, they ousted Brockton, 1-0, thanks to a 1-hitter thrown by Armstrong. In the pitchers’ duel, Haugstad knocked in the game-winning run for Kingston on a double.

However, as of the start of the week, the team was on a two-game losing streak. This is because they fell 8-5 to Bridgewater on July 13 and two days later, Sandwich beat them 13-3 in what would be the final game of their regular season.

Now, the team’s focus will be on the playoffs and await the news of who they may face either this upcoming weekend or at the beginning of next week.

WHITMAN — Less than a month before his death from cancer on May, 15, 2013, Dr. John F. McEwan was thinking of the pain of others in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, assuring their friends and loved ones that faith would help see them through a dark time.

Such events, much like chronic illness “remind us that life is precious and our lives can suddenly change in a moment … you do have the opportunity to evaluate what is important in your life and how you choose to spend your time,” he and his wife Margaret wrote in an email to family and friends on April 20, 2013 — five days after the attack.

An organ donor, he wanted to share that life with others after he was gone, just as he had in his career in education. At first, the family was told that his cancer made that impossible, but a call from the New England Organ Bank advised them that his corneas could and would be used to help two blind people — who could now see the world through his eyes.

“This was the final gift of John’s legacy,” Margaret P. McEwan wrote in a May 18, 2013 email.

It turned out to be a premature coda to that legacy.

Those emails, written faithfully — in every sense of the word — to help inform and bouy the spirits of others during the illness faced by the retired Silver Lake and W-H superintendent of schools, have been used as the framework of a new book by his widow, “Every Day Is a Gift: A Couple’s Cancer Journey,” [201 pages, trade paperback, 2018 SDP Publishing ISB 978-0-9992839-8-1 eBook ISBN 978-0-9992839-9-8], for which she shares author credit with him. The book is locally available at Duval’s Pharmacy in Whitman as well as online through Amazon Books, Barnes & Noble and SDP Publishing Solutions.

“It all started because he was working at W-H and he had so many people … interested in his progress that I sent out emails the entire time he was being treated,” Margaret said in an interview at her home Thursday, June 21. The emails were frequently passed along to friends the initial recipients thought might be interested in reading them. Several people who read the emails later urged her to consider writing a book.

“People were very interested in knowing how things transpired,” she said.

The title is a nod to an inspirational sign John had received as a gift from his Administrative Assistant Michelle (Kelley) Lindberg while he worked at WHRSD.

“When I was trying to think of a title for the book, I thought, ‘That was always our philosophy,’ because we felt very fortunate in our marital relationship,” Margaret said. “That’s the way he was.”

John was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma in 2008, when he had a spot on his scalp examined. While not a textbook “outdoorsman,” he did like working in his yard and never wore a hat when doing so, Margaret said.

“John always said ‘Things don’t happen for a reason — you find a purpose for why things happen.’ I finally thought that maybe I wrote all these emails so that I could compile them and make a book about his journey,” she said. Also included in the book are letters he wrote to W-H staff even before his diagnosis, to illustrate his long-held positive outlook to readers.

“He really believed that you really needed to do what you could in order to bring joy into other people’s lives,” Margaret said.

John McEwan began his career as an English teacher and later as a principal at Silver Lake Regional High School, W-H superintendent from 2001-09 and the first lay president of his high school alma mater Cardinal Spellman.

“It was something he took great pride in being able to do because he was very committed to trying to give back,” she said of the Spellman position.

Initially given a prognosis of six months to a year, John lived for five years in his cancer battle and never stopped working until his health forced him to give up the Spellman presidency in March 2013.

They had also done the traveling they had planned for their retirement years — to China, Rome and the Amalfi coast, a Baltic cruise, the Canadian Rockies and Yellowstone — during his illness.

“We attribute that to fortunate proximity to hospitals in Boston where they do clinical trials,” she said of her husband’s long-term battle.

When she got to work on the book, Margaret had one main request to the publisher, referred by her friend, Kathleen Teahan, whose book, “The Cookie Loved ’Round the World,” they published: “Do not edit the emails.” John was an English teacher, she reasoned, and if he dangled a participle — leave it dangling.

She said people who knew John say they hear his voice in his writing. Her accompanying narrative took about a year to write, submitting it on his death anniversary of May 15, 2017 with the goal of publication this May 15 to mark his fifth anniversary year, and was successful in reaching that goal.

“The idea was to provide other people with hope and give purpose to whatever their journey is,” she said. “You hope that in living your life — even if it’s under a cloud — you can find joy every day. … It’s work, but he always said you can choose your attitude.”

The book is also a gift to the couple’s grandchildren, who were very young, the oldest being 8 and 6, when John died so they could get to know their grandfather.

The writing process also helped Margaret grieve and she had Dana-Farber’s Director of Bereavement Services Sue Morris, PsyD, and IMPACT Melanoma Executive Director Deb Girard read advance copies for feedback on the book.

“Margaret captures the essence of living well with cancer,” Morris said. “A must read for families and clinicians.”“I believe anyone finding themselves on the cancer journey can identify the roads that Margaret and John traveled together and find tidbits of solace, grace and hope to journey down their own roads,” Girard wrote.

W-H named its performing arts center in John’s honor in 2014. Margaret McEwan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food and nutrition, was a registered dietitian and first female vice president of Shaw’s Supermarkets, from which she retired as vice president of corporate communications in 2004.