As part of an ongoing study of town government, a sub-committee of the consolidation committee always looks at new efficiencies, from combining functions of school and municipal building maintenance to streamlining human resources.

First, Plymouth has a standing committee on consolidation and a variety of elected officials comprise its membership. They study town government and suggest ways the town can run more efficiently.

One subcommittee is studying whether the Harbormaster should continue to report to Assistant Town Manager Melissa Arrighi. The subcommittee considers better ways of running the Harbormaster’s Office, as it does all town departments.

Arrighi also serves as staff to the consolidation committee.

“One of the issues they have looked at is the whole natural resources area,” Arrighi said. “They see some overlap with what the Harbormaster does in protecting our natural resources and then they see some of the work the environmental management division does. Certainly, the whole security aspect is something they see as an overlap with the Police Department. So, consolidation committee is looking at all these things and seeing what the best fit would be for the town and no decision or determination has been made yet.”

The committee may make a recommendation regarding the harbormaster in the fall.

A gift from the state has also fueled the rumor. Police Chief Michael Botieri accepted a 27-foot boat from the Massachusetts State Surplus Office. It will berth at Town Wharf alongside the Harbormaster’s collection of boats. Police will concentrate its use on crime prevention and control.

If the consolidation committee recommends a re-organization in the fall, the Town Manager would have the duty to report it to Selectmen who would have to bring the idea to Town Meeting.

More than 200 students, faculty, and community members in support of gay and transgender rights marched Tuesday afternoon draped in rainbow colored flags chanting “stop the hate”.

Local church-goers attended the rally in support. Reverend Catherine Cullen from the First Parish Church in Duxbury said she spoke about the hate crime incident during Sunday’s service, “We are intentionally welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender folks and to think that this young woman wrote this article in the newspaper and was physically accosted was sickening.”

Editor–in-chief of The Comment, Mary Polleys, explained the 20-year old journalist was recognized by the attackers for wearing a sweatshirt with the newspaper’s name, “We’re here for Destinie. She’s our girl and our staff member and it was terrible something like this happened to her.”

The university and community is not only recognizing the attack as a hate crime but a crime against freedom of the press and speech.

BSU President Dana Mohler-Faria stated hate will not be tolerated and human rights will be protected, “We can make today an expression of our outrage; outrage over the fact that our freedom of speech, a freedom we so easily take for granted, has been threatened.”

The 20- year old student journalist worked with Plymouth County Sherriff’s Department to generate sketches of the attackers. The sketches have been released and Bridgewater University police are offering a reward for further information.

A release outlining Joe Biden’s plans for the week showed him traveling to Providence in misspelled “Road Island” on Thursday for a campaign event. The vice president is scheduled to visit Boston and Manchester, N.H., on the same day. No misspellings there.

An updated schedule sent out by the White House on Monday night noted the correct spelling of the state.

The play “A New Brain” that opens Thursday features two
characters who are gay.

A school spokesman says a man and a woman approached 20-year-old Destinie Mogg-Barkalow last Thursday, and the man questioned her about the article titled “Prop 8 generates more hate” before the woman accompanying him punched the victim, leaving her with a bruised eye. Sketches of the suspects have been released, but no one has been arrested.

“The assault reportedly occurred early Thursday evening in the area of the Lower Great Hill-South parking lot/MBTA tunnel,” according to the University website.

The website identified the two suspects as follows:

1) White female (with pale skin); 18-22 years of age; about 5’2″ tall; red (almost maroon) died hair (in ringlet curls, past shoulder length); large nose stud (square-shaped) in right nostril.

2)  White male; 18-22 years of age; about 6’1″; thin build; short, dark hair.

should begin spinning over the next few weeks – and CEO Sumul Shah of Solaya Energy LLC, a main partner in the construction of the project, says its errection was completed, over the weekend.

CEO Sumul Shah of Solaya Energy LLC, a main partner in the construction of the project, says its errection was completed, over the weekend – with the adding of the “Rotor.”

The town of Scituate should begin seeing the blades on a new turbine in town start to spin over the next few weeks.

Shaw says after that, there could be another two to three weeks before the turbine begins producing energy.

The new 1.5 megawatt wind turbine is 263-feet tall – and located on land next to the Water Treatment Plant on The Driftway, which will provide power, for most, if not all, of the municipal buildings in town

Shah says a big red light on the top of it – to alert passing aircrafts – still isn’t active – but no sweat, it will be.

Shah says in-the-meantime, a crane being used on the construction site – does have a red beacon on the top of it – which is active.

Nathan DelaPlain-Zook was slated to go on trial on Monday on four counts of attempted murder in connection with the alleged incident. However, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Russ Eonas says Delaplain-Zook will be in court on Thursday where he is expected to make a change in plea in front of Superior Court Judge Carol Ball.

Delaplain-Zook, who had pled not-guilty, is expected to now plead guilty.

Delaplain-Zook allegedly drove his mother’s minivan into a group of teens which had allegedly gathered to watch a fight in Rockland between some teens from Rockland and Norwell, striking several of them.

When Delaplain-Zook was arraigned a court-appointed pshycologist questioned his mental competency–he was later deemed fit to stand trial.

BSU Junior Kayla Cummings joined South Shore’s Morning News hosts Rob Hakala and Lisa Azizian Monday morning.

Cummings’ organized the march with fellow students, after student newspaper editorial writer Destinie Mogg-Barkalow, a lesbian, says she was assaulted and given a black eye. Mogg-Barklow says she was attacked by a couple after she responded with a “Yes” when the alleged assailants asked her if she was the author of an editorial in a student newspaper, which called people in favor of an overturned gay marriage ban in California intolerant and bigoted.

Cummings’ says the march, Tuesday at 11 a.m.  at the Moakley Building, will feature several speakers and then be opened up to public comments.

They met again late Friday. Duties of the Town Manager include signing the payroll and developing next year’s budget. The next payroll needs to be signed Wednesday. The budget needs to be ready for Town Meeting in April. Given the Monday holiday, the Open Meeting Law prohibits Selectmen from meeting again until next Thursday, so they had to act Friday. The Open Meeting law also prohibits them from discussing candidates for Acting Town Manager in private.

Chairman of Selectmen Ted Carr suggested appointing the Fire Chief. The Chief had a doctor’s appointment. Carr looked into the audience, saw his friend and neighbor Mike Melanowski and asked if he would volunteer. Melinowski, an economic development consultant and Conservation Commission member, said he would. Carr recused himself. After some discussion with Town Counsel Paul DeRensis, Vice Chairman Paul Carlson called for the vote.

“The first thing we did this evening was we had an extensive review of our financial situation with the Finance Director, Mary
Gallagher,” Carlson said after the meeting. “The other thing we discussed is the creation of the position of Interim Town Manager. We appointed Mike Melinowski of Cohasset to a two-week position. He’ll be an unpaid volunteer.”

Cohasset Selectmen will meet February 28th to re-assess how well their interim management system has worked. They will vote on a final Town Manager removal resolution March 13th.