Editorials – Everett Leader Herald

Sal Salchetta has 39th birthday

We won’t get into exactly what number birthday has passed for former councilman Sal Sachetta.

Lets say the late great comedian Jack Benny used to always joke to those who asked him about his age on his birthday well into his eighties, he always replied that he spent his lifetime being 39.

Remembering James Soper

The sudden death of Everett’s popular Building Department chief James Soper comes as a tragic bit of news about a very nice guy, an honest man who did his job by the book but knew how to bend to make everything work here.

Across the board, people who knew Jimmy Soper said they liked him.

His colleagues inside the offices of the Building Department thought well of him.

The members of the various city boards he often appeared in front of liked him.

He was an easy guy to like.

He died of a massive heart attack, one of those things that just comes out of the blue and takes down the best of us without warning.

He was, to the end, a very physical type, playing ice hockey with much younger men.

The virus is wreaking havoc

An EMT from Cataldo Ambulance administers a COVID-19 test at Rivergreen Park. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

The lack of national leadership in containing the virus and eradicating it has led us to a point where it is out of control all across the nation.

This is where the outside has come inside for those of us who live in Everett and who have businesses here.

In many respects, the local economy has been ruined.

Thousands have been laid off.

Unemployment for those thousands out of work ends the day after Christmas.

Thousands more have become ill. Dozens have died.

The trend right now is soaring numbers of new infections, new hospitalizations, and added deaths.

Many thousands in Everett who have become infected have recovered from the virus only to find that its lingering effects make life miserable.

Our condolences to the Matewsky family

Like many thousands of Everett residents, we know the Matewsky Family very well.

They are all very nice people — generous and caring about others.

Right now, they are suffering the loss of their beloved brother and son, Anthony Matewsky.

Mr. Matewsky died last week at the age of 68.

What happens next without a stimulus

Without more direct aid from the Federal government to Americans in the form of a second stimulus, many, many local residents and homeowners are going to lose their properties.

They’ve already lost their jobs and their unemployment benefits which run out in another month.

Without further federal aid, the future is looking dismal for this city’s most needy residents, and for the city itself. For those who were employed in the cleaning industry and at restaurants, there are very few opportunities for a new job.

Many, many families are running low on funds.

The lines for free food are longer than they were during the complete shutdown of the economy – another bad sign of things to come.

There is no easy way to highlight just how serious a moment we are at.

The Encore Boston Harbor Hotel and Casino has laid off more than 4,000 employees.