UPDATED: Town Meeting passed five major financial articles at its seventh session, held the evening of Monday, May 16.

Approved were Article 50, appropriation of the town budget; Article 51, the capital budget; Article 53, sewer infrastructure; Article 54, water infrastructure; and Article 57, town celebrations. Article 60, requesting two more years’ funding of the Bluebikes program, was discussed, but no decision was reached.  Discussion will continue Wednesday, May 18.

Article 50 contains budgets for numerous entities, such as the town manager, planning and community development, public works, facilities, police department, fire department, inspections and the Arlington Youth Center enterprise fund. The vote to approve Article 50 was 224-7, with three abstaining.

“Alex” Francis with Charlie.

The owner of a new shop in Broadway Plaza hopes hungry mutts will find satisfaction by barking up the right “tree” --  hers.

Alexandra (“Alex”) Francis is the force behind Charlie's Barkery, a dog bakery and pet boutique at 307 Broadway.

The grand opening is Thursday, May 19, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., in Broadway Plaza, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony plus door prizes and refreshments.

Among those attending are expected to be Beth Locke, executive director of Arlington Chamber of Commerce; Jenny Raitt, director of planning and community development; and Select Board members.

Francis was born and raised in Burlington and now lives in Melrose.

With a bachelor's in business administration from Framingham State University, she said, “It was always a dream of mine to own my very own business.

“When the pandemic hit, I began baking my own all-natural, homemade treats for my rescue dog, Charlie. One day, I posted a picture of my treats on social media and had friends asking me if I was selling them, and that got the wheels turning.

“I began selling my treats at the 2021 Melrose farmers' market and a handful of craft fairs -- all very successful -- which got me thinking I want to take this to the next level and finally open that small business I had always dreamed of.”

Eduardo Betancourt

The 2022 Arlington International Film Festival (AIFF) is celebrating the arts through music with a presention by Eduardo Betancourt, a Grammy Award-winning harpist, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 19, at Town Tavern, in East Arlington.

This is the second of two music concerts this spring with support from the Arlington Cultural Council.

Considered “one of the iconic harpists of this new age,” Betancourt​ is a Venezuelan musician, producer, arranger, composer, instructor and multi-instrumentalist with 30 years of experience in traditional and fusion Venezuelan music.

In 2010, Betancourt won a Latin Grammy Award for his participation on the album ​“​Tesoros de la Música Venezolana" by Ilan Chester​, and in 2016, he was nominated on the ​album ​"​Pa' Tío Simón" with Rafael "Pollo" Brito​.​

Menotomy Concerts presents "Crossing the Space Between Us," featuring music by Ukrainian and American composers, in person at Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 20.

Performing are Hazel Dean Davis of Arlington, horn, with the Raha Duo as well as Amelia Hollander Ames, viola; Elaine Rombola Aveni, piano, and Nicholas Auer, horn.

The program: 

Two scenes from "Shadow Bang" by Evan Ziporyn;

"Eclogue (Elegy)" by Théodore Akimenko;

"Songs of the Wolf" by Andrea Clearfield;

"The Stone and the Milkweed" by Jonathan Bailey Holland;

 'Our No. 1 priority is to make sure we stay open for in-person learning.'

-- Superintendent Homan

Teens and those who work with them now must wear masks indoors at public schools as the Town of Arlington rides the wave of Covid-19 cases, the School Committee learned at its regular meeting Thursday, May 12.

This is the situation even though some 90 percent of students in grades seven through 12 are vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, according to the Arlington Public Schools’ “dashboard,” or specialized website that displays current and historical data related to the ongoing pandemic.

“The rates are high enough” that returning to required masking at several campuses is needed to ensure that in-person classes continue, Superintendent Elizabeth Homan told the six members present. Jeff Thielman was absent.

“Our No. 1 priority is to make sure we stay open for in-person learning,” Homan said.

Ottoson Middle School and Arlington High School, comprising grades seven through 12, now have mandatory masking. Those on campus at Dallin, grades K-5, continue to have to wear masks indoors, as does Menotomy Preschool, which has never yet lifted the mandate due to the age of the pupils, who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Bishop School, grades K-5, is now under mandate. On the other hand, Gibbs School, serving grade 6, no longer must wear masks -- but they are strongly recommended there and at the other five elementary schools.

The Arlington Advocate has been the town's paper of record ...."

                                                                                                            -- Town website

The weekly remains valuable as an archived, historical source,
not as a 'paper of record.'

UPDATED May 12: The Arlington Advocate, a storied weekly delivering news here since 1871, is no more. As of Thursday, May 12, it becomes the Advocate & Star, a newspaper merger of two highly distinct towns, Arlington and Winchester.

The demise began slowly after the Jorgensen family sold the paper in 1986 to Harte-Hanks, the first of many newspaper-chain owners. The Gannett Corp. of McLean, Va., is only the latest.

As editor of The Advocate in 1994-95, I saw the early decline firsthand. Not two months after I began, two men in dark suits arrived at 5 Water St., where the paper then was located, and measured the offices, without comment. Turns out, they were from Fidelity Investments, which included the paper in its many purchases later that fall. After that, the new owner cut the share it paid for employee health benefits.

To be fair, Fidelity supported the weekly. Sometimes the paper was 36 pages deep, had a full-time editor and reporter (Marc Levy, now of CambridgeDay.com) and a full-time sports editor (Walter Moynihan, who died in 2013).