Top 5 Local Stories Last Week

Here's a look back at the past week of news in Hamilton and Wenham and some of the top stories.

1. An incredibly destructive 8.9 earthquake hit Japan on Friday morning, setting off equally destructive tsunamis. The family of teacher Bill Melville, who live in Japan, . His brother-in-law had a six-hour commute to get home afterward because the trains in Tokyo were not running.

2. One of the four men indicted in 2009 in connection to an involving the pleaded guilty on Tuesday. Henry Michalski Jr., a former fire chief in Ipswich and Middleton, to charges of perjury, two counts of attempted obstruction of justice and six counts of emergency services violations for submitting attendance roster for training classes that never happened and then lying about it. He was sentenced to one year of administrative probation. He faced a possibly penalty of up to 20 years in prison and prosecutors had asked to have him sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison and to serve one year.

3. All the students at in Hamilton were safe after a . A janitor discovered the leak before students arrived so they spent about the first hour of school at until the coupling that was the source of the leak was fixed.

4. The townwide art exhibit called “Arts Grows Here" for artists in advance of its deadline that is coming up at the end of March. The show – all across Hamilton and Wenham – along roadsides, in yards and on homes.

5. On Monday, a petition with 21 signatures was submitted to the seeking to have an article attended to the warrant that would have voters decide on whether they want Wenham to join the or if they want to stay with the Hamilton-Wenham Emergency Center.