Five Things to Know on Dec. 28: ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Friday, Dec. 28. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Sun: The sun is expected to return to the sky on Friday, with the forecast calling for high temperatures in the mid-30s and wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. 2. Trash: Another reminder – trash pickup is delayed by a day all week. That means Friday morning pickup will be for residents that typically get pickup on Thursday in Hamilton. It is a “blue bag week,” so there will not be any collection of the black trash barrels, only recycling, organics and any paid blue bags. 3. Gas: The least expensive gallon of gas in the two towns is $3.37 at G & M Motors at Asbury and Highland streets. It is $3.39 at Hamilton Convenience and Oliver Gulf in downtown …

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Court Strikes Down Portion of Drunk Driving Law

Sen. Bruce Tarr called court's decision “deeply concerning and undermines the effectiveness of a major law that protects our public safety.”

The state Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday removed a portion of a law that targeted drunk driving, known as Melanie’s Law. The court Thursday disallowed the portion of the law that allows the Registry of Motor Vehicles to increase sanctions against those who admit to driving drunk, but whose cases are later dismissed, reported the Boston Globe. The issue is that when lawmakers changed the state’s drunk driving law, they did not change what a “conviction” means. Supreme Judicial Court Justice Margot Botsford wrote in the unanimous decision that the law did not “explicity include cases that are ‘continued without a finding’ in its list of what can be considered drunk driving convictions,” reported the Globe. The court decision did not …

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Sobriety Checkpoint Expected Somewhere in the Region This Weekend

State police will set up a routine sobriety checkpoint for drivers somewhere in Essex County this weekend.

If you spot a state trooper camped out by the side of the road somewhere in Essex County this weekend, he or she may be doing more than just watching for speedsters. State Police Superintendent Col. Marian McGovern announced Monday that a sobriety checkpoint will be established on an undisclosed public way in Essex County from Saturday into Sunday. The checkpoints, which are funded by a state grant, are routine operations performed by the state police. McGovern said in a press release that the purpose of the checkpoint is to further educate motorists and strengthen public awareness to the need of both detecting drivers who are operating under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and taking them off the road. She said the checkpoint would …

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Police Log

Man Arrested for Drunk Driving on Main Street

A roundup of Wenham Police and Fire Department activity for March 18-21.

The following activity for the Wenham Police and Fire Department comes from the Hamilton-Wenham Emergency Center log for Friday, March 18 through Monday, March 21. Friday, March 18 2:02 a.m. A lockout was handled at a Puritan Road address. 8:03 a.m. Somebody was transported to the hospital after a call for assistance at a Pleasant Street address. 8:08 a.m. An alarm at Wenham Museum was caused by an accidental activation or defective alarm. 10:31 a.m. A disabled vehicle was assisted at Main and Arbor streets. 10:42 a.m. Traffic control was conducted on Dodges Row. 10:50 a.m. Assistance was rendered on Larch Row. 12:20 p.m. An alarm at a William Fairfield Drive address was caused by an accidental activation or defective alarm. 12:54 p.m. A …

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