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Roxy’s Bakery a taste of Central America

JANUARY 18: Different cakes and treats on display at Roxy’s Bakery on Broadway. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

By LORENZO RECUPERO

Everett is undergoing a revamp in its demographic, with more Latinos flocking to the city than ever before, according to local business owner Elmer Melara,

For this reason, he felt there was no better time than now to introduce the city’s residents to what he believes is the only Central American bakery in Everett: Roxy’s Bakery & Café located at 614 Broadway.

“In Everett, there’s plenty of Brazilian bakeries but there’s not an exclusive Central American bakery,” said Melara, a native El Salvadorian who moved to the U.S. 12 years ago.

Residing in Malden, Melara stated his desire to set up shop in Everett stemmed from the heavier Latino presence here now.

“Everett, for me, is a better place for business than Malden. There’s more of a Latino representation here than in Malden. From what I’ve seen, over the last five years, a lot of Central American families are coming to live here,” said Melara, who also owns NEON Graphics at 608 Broadway, just a few doors away down from Roxy’s, specializing in a variety of different web design and printing services.

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City spent more on holiday decorations than mortgage, rent assistance in December

Only $216K has reached needy residents so far

By JOSH RESNEK

The city has so far distributed $216,000 in rent and mortgage assistance to those qualifying for it since December, according to the mayor’s chief of staff, who reported the official figure to the city council last week.

Ironically, that amount for rent and mortgage assistance is $53,000 less than what the mayor’s office approved to spend for Christmas decorations and in fact paid for.

More $838 wreaths (about 250) were placed on light poles than applications processed (70) for working people behind on their rent and mortgages because of being laid off from their jobs.

The report from the mayor’s office produced the predictable amount of gushing and perfunctory thank you’s from the mayor’s obedient city government.

“I’m really glad at the great job you’re doing,” Councilor Stephanie Martins gushed.

She told the mayor’s chief of staff at the council’s Zoom meeting she couldn’t say enough about the mayor’s effort.

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— Eye on Everett —

“The Mayor is wearing me out”

By JOSH RESNEK

The mayor went into his version of overdrive when he returned from Arizona.

He went from a three-week Aruba-Arizona vacation mode into a Carlo “I’m back in Everett” style work mode.

This was bad news for the Blue Suit – his blue suit, who the mayor loves…to wear that is. Special consideration must be given to what exactly Carlo’s work mode can be compared with. His work ethic is about that of a domesticated gorilla on display in a zoo. All the caged gorilla can do is eat and sleep and mope around looking for something, anything to do.

The gorilla sleeps more than he eats.

The mayor isn’t a gorilla – but he sure acts like one.

The mayor back in Everett was a hard, bulked up fit for the Blue Suit to have to endure.

“Carlo put me on when he got back. He went through the whole routine…fussing with the gel in his hair, a shave and face lotion tossed on, the choice of shirt and tie and then putting me on, pants first, and the suit jacket. Then came the posturing and posing for himself in front of the big mirror in his bedroom in the Abbott Avenue mansion. I can take most things weighing me down when he puts me on, but I can’t stand the way he looks at himself,” the Blue Suit told me.

“He hasn’t taken me off or hung me up in the closet since he got back. He doesn’t sleep with me on. Boy, is he sleeping since he got back,” the Blue Suit said to me.

“Have you watched the mayor’s Facebook video bit about the 311 Department? It’s better than cinema verite mixed with Hollywood comedy,” the Blue Suit asked.

“Oh, yes,” I said.

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Martin Luther King

American public figures due to world acclaim do not get much bigger than Martin Luther King.

MLK was our Mahatma Gandhi.

He was our profit of peace gained over madness and doom by never using violence.

MLK got it. He understood the human mind, the human predicament, the insanity that pushes white people to injustice and hate judging black people by the color of their skin.

MLK’s life was an homage to non-violence, to turning his cheek, to being beaten and arrested, set upon by dogs, and knocked to the ground by powerful streams of water at the hands of white haters.

White America didn’t come easily or willingly to grant black people their rights.

Martin Luther King was the enemy for many white Americans.

But many more white Americans approved of him and what he stood for.

The vast majority of Christian America and Jewish America stood for him and the just cause for equality he waged a life- long battle to achieve.

When he was cut down in the prime of his life in 1968, the nation was teetering somewhat like it teeters today.

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The inauguration of Pres. Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris

JANUARY 18: The United States flag flies in fro of the State House. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

We wish the president and vice-president good luck.

They are going to need it.

The nation is rather hopelessly divided without much unifying force to bring people together for the general good.

The nation is languishing during an era when science is trashed, when leadership is missing, when there are no heroes. Biden and Harris will find exercising leadership difficult to impossible in such a jaundiced national social and political environment.

The divisions between the rich and the poor continue to grow. They will be hard pressed to do anything to change all that.

Bringing the nation together is a fantasy at this point. Certainly, they know this.
What can they do?

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