Week in Review Sept. 6-12: Fair Prep, Primary Election Campaign Heats Up

Organizers prepared for the 30th annual Melrose Victorian Fair which runs Sunday 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. 

With just a few days left before Tuesday's primary, when voters will decide whether Michael Day or Katherine Clark should face off as the Democratic state Senate candidate against Republican candidate Craig Spadafora, Clark has called Day a hypocrite in response to his attacks on her record. Campaign finance records filed this week show that Clark and Day have been locked in a tight fundraising battle.

In more political news, former Melrose Mayor Patrick Guerriero talked about changing his party affiliation from Republican to Independent, gay rights and more.

In police and fire news, the FBI arrested a man in Melrose on charges that he and a co-defendant used a scheme to sell vehicles to a businessman from Mexico—actually an undercover law enforcement officer—and then report the vehicles stolen in order to collect insurance payouts.

Also, Massachusetts State Police arrested a man accused of sexual assault on Sunday in Stoneham after a police dog tracked him to Melrose and, thanks to an off-duty Melrose Police sergeant, police eventually located the man in Malden.

A spike in house burglaries and car break-ins in Melrose and surrounding communities over the past year may be part of a regional trend fueled by criminals with drug addictions, according to a recent gathering of area police departments.

Melrose firefighters knocked down a suspicious fire at a vacant house on Groveland Road late Monday night, and in the police log, the State Police tracked a Jeep stolen out of Boston to Melrose and kids allegedly stole a bucket collection of donations for veterans from Shaw's.

The Melrose Housing Authority (MHA) Board of Commissioners approved three contracts totaling $79,000 at a meeting early Wednesday morning for an exterminator and a fire services company for the extermination of bed bugs at the C.J. McCarthy Apartments senior housing.

Volunteerism was on display in Melrose, as with Friday's Amazing Grace Golf Tournament, through which the Zinck family raises awareness—and over $100,000—to fight a rare genetic disorder while their six-year-old daughter Grace Zinck continues to defy all predictions.

Also, the Melrose For Danny team is walking for its fourth year in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk in honor of Danny Williams, while Joy Fay of Melrose Boot Camp is training a group of 8 to 10-year-old girls to run in this today's road race to support EMARC.

In school news, the Melrose School Committee decided to continue its practice of holding a open to residents, but the question remains if committee members—or members of the public—will show up for them. The committee also approved a set of field trip procedures and a trip for Melrose High School sophomores to Georgia.

The Melrose High School boys soccer team opened its season Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over visiting Belmont. In our recap, the Melrose football team had a rough beginning to the season dropping a 34-0 decision to Wilmington, while the Melrose Lady Raiders Volleyball team defeated Belmont in their opening match 3-0.

Artists Stephanie Mahan Stigliano and Lisa L. Sears explained the works they have on display at The Beebe Gallery this month.

Our parenting columnist why she doesn't want her daughter learning certain words—not just because they're "bad" words, but what they might make her daughter think about.