Patch Facts

5 Things: Special Town Meeting Tonight

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know on June 17 in Lexington.

1. Special Town Meeting Tonight: A special Town Meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Cary Memorial Hall. Here's a peek at the warrant, which includes a medical marijuana moratorium and TIF agreement. 2. Other Public Meetings: According to the town website, other public meetings posted for today include the Lexington Housing Authority at 6 p.m. at the Housing Authority Offices, the Board of Selectmen at 6 p.m. at the Town Office Building, the Planning Board at 6 p.m. at the Town Office Building and the Appropriation Committee at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building. 3. From the ICYMI Department: Some interesting conversation over the weekend around state Sen. Mike Barrett's blog post about banning Styrofoam takeout containers. 4. …

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Barrett Wants to Ban 'Toxic' Takeout Containers

Lexington's state Senator is backing a bill that would institute a first-in-the-nation statewide ban on the use of take-out containers made of polystyrene -- the main ingredient in Styrofoam.

Should the State Minimum Wage Be Increased?

The debate raged on Beacon Hill Tuesday.

  A packed hearing on Beacon Hill Tuesday dealt with the issue of possibly raising the mimimum wage for commonwealth workers, according to an Associated Press report posted on WBUR.com. While those in favor of the wage increase believe it to be about fairness and economic justice, the AP reported business groups said raising the minimum wage would make the state less competitive. Prior to Tuesday, SEIU Local 509 Director of Communications Jason Stephany said in a statement the minimum wage in the state has been at $8 an hour since January 2008. "Many jobs at large retail and restaurant chains pay so little that even full-time workers must rely on public assistance for the most basic necessities," according to the statement.  The Senate …

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State Sen-Elect Mike Barrett Talks Legislative Priorities

Appearing before Bedford's Board of Selectmen recently, Mike Barrett, state Senator-elect in the Third Middlsex District, discussed his legislative priorities.

  During a recent meeting of the Bedford Board of Selecmten, incoming state Sen. Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, was one of two incoming lawmakers to present his legislative priorities to the local officials. During the Dec. 4 meeting in Bedford, that town's newest advocates on Beacon Hill -- Barrett and state Representative-elect Ken Gordon -- spoke with the Bedford Selectmen during their Dec. 4 meeting about Bedford's legislative priorities. Barrett, representing the 3rd Middlesex District, said one of his first priorities after being sworn into office would be securing state funding for the costs Bedford incurs in educating students from Hanscom Air Force Base at Bedford High School. The base, which is situated in the middle of Bedford, …

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What are Your Expectations for Barrett as the 3rd Middlesex's State Senator?

A Boston Phoenix blog post casts the Lexington Democrat as ‘an unapologetic liberal’ committed to environmental gains. But what are your expectations from the Third Middlesex District's incoming state Senator?

In Lexington and the surrounding suburbs, quite a bit of attention was paid to the race for the Third Middlesex state Senate seat claimed by Mike Barrett. So much so in fact that, in the lead up to Election Day, incumbent state Sen. Ken Donnelly, an Arlington Democrat, joked he was Lexington's other candidate for state Senate, despite the fact that his Fourth Middlesex District includes six Lexington precincts compared to the three in the Third. But for those looking at the bigger picture, it seems the Third Middlesex race—with its densely populated Democratic primary and polar opposites facing off in the general—may have been lost in the shuffle of higher profile races, like former Gov. Mitt Romney’s run for the presidency and the hotly …

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Barrett Bests Martinez for 3rd Middlesex State Senate Seat

Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett defeats Chelmsford Republican Sandi Martinez to claim seat long held by retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo.

While they’re saying goodbye to Susan Fargo, the Democrats aren’t ready to let go of her seat in the state Senate. Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett, after outlasting four challengers from his own party in the primary, has defeated Sandi Martinez, a Republican from Chelmsford, to claim the Third Middlesex District seat Fargo, a Lincoln Democrat, held tightly for eight terms before deciding to retire. “I’m excited about returning to the Senate,” said Barrett, who was a state Senator from Cambridge from 1987 until a failed bid for governor in 1994. “Eighteen years older, probably not 18 years wiser, but I think smarter and I’m looking forward to it.” The Third Middlesex District represents Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, …

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Patch Facts

Five Things: William Diamond Jr. Open House, Selectmen and More

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know today in Lexington.

1. Fife & Drum Corps - New Member Open House: From 7 to 8 p.m. tonight at Hancock United Church of Christ, the William Diamond Jr. Fife and Drum Corps. Young people between ages 8 and 18 are welcome to join, and the experiences include learning to play the fife or drum, marking in parades and participating in unique events.  2. BOS Meeting: The Board of Selectmen are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. tonight at the Town Office Building, and its agenda includes voting the fiscal 2013 water/sewer rates, a Child Safety Zone presentation, an update on the Estabrook School budget and a review of fiscal 2014 capital projects. 3. Third Middlesex Candidates at LWV Forum: Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett and Sandi Martinez, a Chelmsford Republican, the …

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Patch Blogs: PSATs Slammed, Endorsements Announced and Insurance Advice

A look back at this week in the 'Local Voices' populating Lexington Patch.

It was an eclectic week when it comes to blog posts from the Local Voices featured here on Lexington Patch.  FOLMADS -- or, the Friends of Lexington Music, Art and Drama Students -- started things off with a wonderful photo of the LHS Wind Ensemble helping to open Lexington's 300th celebrations last month at Cary Hall. In political content, Mike Barrett, the Lexington Democrat seeking to replace retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo representing the Third Middlesex District, announced his endorsements by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and National Association of Social Workers Circling back to education, Mark Greenstein, from Ivy Bound Test Prep and Academic Tutoring, shared why he believes PSAT scores have become almost useless. Mid-…

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See How Lexington Voted in the Sept. 6 Primary

Primary winners Barrett and Martinez carried Lexington precincts in the Third Middlesex state senate district. Wrestling legend Ric Flair received votes in several categories on a Republican ballot.

Seventeen percent of Lexington's 21,710 registered voters cast ballots in Thursday's state primary, but participation wasn't exactly consistent all around town. In precincts 3, 8 and 9, which are in the Third Middlesex State Senate District, turnout was consistently higher than in the town's other six districts, which did not have a seven-candidate race for an open seat.  Voters in those districts overwhelmingly supported Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett and, by a slimmer margin, backed Chelmsford Republican Sandi Martinez, the two candidates who will face off in November for the right to replace retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, who has decided not to seek a ninth term. Carrying his hometown but losing his race was Lexington …

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Barrett and Martinez Take Third Middlesex Primaries

The Lexington Democrat and Chelmsford Republican will face off in the general election after emerging from a field of seven candidates seeking the seat retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, will leave behind after eight terms.

Looks like it’ll be Mike Barrett vs. Sandi Martinez for the right to replace retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo as the Third Middlesex District’s next state senator.  According to the unofficial numbers Thursday night, Barrett, a Lexington resident, bested a field of four other Democrats, while Martinez, of Chelmsford, defeated Republican opponent Greg Howes. Interest is almost always high around an open seat, and true to form, the Third Middlesex race heated up early and the field and plots thickened over the winter, spring and summer.  Martinez has challenged Fargo in the past and was a presumed opponent. But the first new candidates to emerge were Howes, a Concord resident, and Lexington's Barrett, both of whom announced their intentions …

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