At first glance, it looks as if the Mike and Ike candy billboard on Essex Street near Smith's Tavern has been a target of graffiti tagging, but further examination shows that isn't the case. Just Born, Inc., which makes the candy, is running an ad campaign where Mike and Ike are splitting up due to "creative differences," leading to the "Mike'' having a line drawn through it on the billboard.
Some people who attended the city's fireworks display at the stadium the night before the Fourth of July said it took them much longer to get home than in past years. The reason? A traffic pattern orchestrated by police that drivers said forced them to take unnecessary turns. Drivers living not far from the stadium said they had to take a roundabout way home, which caused nearly an hour's wait in traffic.
Speaking of the Fourth, the Acre, which had a big police presence, wasn't the only neighborhood troubled by illegal fireworks on the holiday. Some people living near Sacred Hearts School in Bradford lit off fireworks that bothered their neighbors. They were concerned not just because of the noise, but for safety. Neighbors said they feared the possibility of fires or other problems in the tightly-packed area.
The popularity of Plug Pond, the city's only public beach, has been evident during recent hot days. The Lamplighter has noticed many families walking to the pond from their inner-city homes to spend a few hours on the sand and in the water cooling off.
School is indeed out for summer, despite the activity you may have seen last week if you were driving by Pentucket Lake School. As part of a program that happens there occasionally, volunteers were providing bags of groceries to elderly people who drove up to the school's entrance. It looked a bit like a morning during the school year when students were being dropped off by their parents.
