Man About Canton: Snakes Alive
By Joe DeFeliceDID YOU KNOW …
According to a recent story in the Boston Globe, there are only two species of venomous snakes in New England, the northern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. Both make their home in the Connecticut River Valley and “surprisingly right here in the Blue Hills Reservation,” bordered by Canton, Milton, and Quincy.
Northern copperhead
The endangered snakes are protected by law under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, and it is illegal to collect, kill, possess, or harass them. Penalties include fines and jail time. The copperhead and rattlesnake will only bite humans or large animals in self defense. The state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife estimates that about 50 copperheads make their home in the Blue Hills.
The cost of the 4th of July festivities in Canton is estimated at $30,000, which includes $18,000 for the fireworks display.
Derek Jeter recently turned 38 and has 3,181 hits. When Pete Rose turned 38, he owned 3,170 hits. Rose went on to become the all-time hits leader with 4,256. He retired in 1986 at the age of 45.
On April 1, 2012, the average price of gasoline was $3.95 a gallon. On July 1, the average pump price fell to $3.35 a gallon, down 60 cents in three months. Gas prices are expected to keep falling for the next few months and may average $3 a gallon by the fall.
Our very liberal Governor Deval Patrick vetoed the provision that would require applicants to present a license, ID card, Social Security number, or other “proof of residency in Massachusetts” to register a car in the state. His actions, according to an editorial in the Boston Herald, “are beyond mere political pandering; they’re just plain nuts.” Governor Patrick’s answer: “I will not accept any Arizona-style legislation while I serve in this office.” (Although this provision is hardly “Arizona-style legislation”). Recently, an illegal immigrant from Stoughton without a license but a registered car killed a nurse from Stoughton in a car accident on Route 138 in Canton. House Speaker Bob Deleo vowed to fight Governor Patrick’s veto with an override.
Investigators have said that Rafael “Toribio” Vasquez of 33 Rockland Street in Canton was one of the kingpins of a multimillion-dollar drug-trafficking enterprise that imported hundreds of pounds of cocaine into Boston from Mexico each year. He was recently arrested by state and Canton police.
This fall, Massachusetts voters will decide three statewide ballot questions on (1) medical marijuana, (2) assisted suicide, and (3) whether to give independent repair shops access to data now available only to certified dealers.
A bill was recently signed into law that most consumers dislike. The bill allows supermarkets to not have to put a price sticker on each item and instead the store will provide electronic price scanners around the store for customers to use. Opponents say this anti-consumer bill will make it difficult for consumers to verify they are being charged the right price at checkout.
The Canton school system will receive nearly $4.6 million in Chapter 70 money, which is an increase over last year’s $3.8 million.
Nikita Amelchenko of Canton won the Canton Fourth of July five-mile road race for the second consecutive year in 31 minutes and 38 seconds, the same time as the runner-up, Marybeth Baxter of Brookline, formerly of Canton, in the closest finish in the race’s 45-year history.
In case you missed it, the cost to ride the MBTA bus from Cobb’s Corner to Mattapan jumped from $1.25 to $2.
The legislature recently passed a transportation bill that includes $300,000 for improvements to the Canton Center railroad station.
The Paul Revere House, Boston’s oldest standing house, was built in 1680. Revere bought the house in 1770 and lived there with his family (he had 16 children) until 1800 before moving to Canton, where he owned and operated a copper mill and foundry. As a matter of fact, the original mill room still exists within the old Plymouth Rubber plant on Revere Street. From the Revere plant came not only the cannon balls for the American Revolution, but also the copper for the State House dome, Robert Fulton’s first steamboat, and the copper for the hull of the U.S.S. Constitution together with its bolts, braces, and other fittings. The Revere Estate in Canton was located in the area between Cape Cod Lane and the Plymouth Rubber plant.
A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.
This is all for now folks. See you next week.
Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=15124
Posted by Joe DeFelice
on Jul 18 2012. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion.
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