Marblehead Tries To Close $1.6 Million Budget Gap: Patch PM

MARBLEHEAD, MA — It's Monday, June 22. Here's what's happening in Marblehead and the rest of Massachusetts this afternoon.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 22 new confirmed coronavirus cases Monday, bring the county's total to 15,851. There was also one reported COVID-19 death in Essex County, bring the total to 1,077.

Statewide, there were 149 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 17 new reported deaths, DPH said Monday. There have been 107,210 confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts since the first case was reported May 1. Since the first reported death on March 20, there have been 7,874 reported coronavirus deaths in the state.

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Like towns across the state, Marblehead is facing a budget crunch, thanks to the coronavirus crisis.

Marblehead Town Administrator Jason Silva is projecting a 10 percent cut in state aide for the fiscal year beginning July 1. In addition to asking unions that represent town workers for concessions, Silva is taking a $5,000 pay cut to help close a $1.6 million shortfall in the $37.7 million budget.

Selectmen signed off on the budget last week. The finance committee is scheduled to deliberate it Monday before it heads to town meeting for final approval.

Also on Marblehead Patch today:

• Marblehead School Committee Approves $41.5M Budget

Elsewhere Today

A Swampscott selectmen, already under fire after being accused of calling the Black Lives Matter movement "liberal bull----," tried to clarify his position and continued to deny the allegations in a social media post Monday. Don Hause also said he had misinterpreted the term "white privilege" in an earlier message on his Facebook page.

The Wenham Tea House, which billed itself as "America's Oldest Tea House" said it is closing for good. The Tea House, which opened in 1893, could not get staff to come back to work because of the "massive" unemployment checks they were getting, among other reasons. Owner Chris Keohane, who took over the business in 2015, said he hoped to find a new owner willing to buy the business.

A Melrose man who was arrested in 2018 in Beverly and accused of standing over a sleeping woman in her Endicott College dorm room is facing new charges. Tyler Jacquard, 34, of Melrose, is accused of watching young girls from his car with his penis out while parked at Lynnfield MarketStreet last weekend. Jacquard, a Level 3 sex offender was ordered held on $50,000 bail.

Across Massachusetts

• Massachusetts has entered the second part of phase two, and all eyes will be on the return of indoor dining. Phase three won't start until at least two weeks of data on indoor dining is examined, Gov. Charlie Baker said late last week. The earliest phase three can start is July 6.
• While the state's health data appears be moving in the right direction — even as many states outside the Northeast see unprecedented spikes of COVID-19 — Baker is resolute in procuring personal protective equipment and exponentially increasing testing capacity and procuring ahead of a potential fall return of the virus.
• A Dominican news outlet is reporting David Ortiz has been issued a restraining order after his former partner said he "intimidated and threatened her."
• The Massachusetts Teachers Association called on state officials to address racism and implement several coronavirus safety measures before schools reopen in the fall. The association's demands, released Thursday, include ending the presence of police officers in schools and having the state provide personal protective equipment and coronavirus testing.
• The MBTA is increasing bus, subway and commuter rail service this week, even though the transit agency said ridership remains scant. The service boost comes as Massachusetts enters the second part of phase two of reopening, which will, among other things, see office capacity increase to 50 percent.

Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).