News Briefs

Arrigo Cites National Consumer Protection Week

Mayor Brian Arrigo acknowledged National Consumer Protection Week (March 3 through 9) by encouraging residents to make use of the Revere’s Consumer Affairs Office when confronted with any type of consumer issue such as using credit, shopping for a used car, or dealing with problems resulting from ordinary consumer transactions.

“Our Consumer Affairs Office is always ready to help residents any time of the year,” said Mayor Arrigo.  “They not only can help with problems, but they are a great resource of information and guidance that can help everyone be a wise and careful consumer.  It is important that people understand their consumer rights and make well-informed decisions about money.”

Janine Ellis is Director of Revere’s Consumer Affairs Office and can be reached at 781-286-8114.  A local consumer Complaint Form can be downloaded from the City’s website revere.org/departments/consumer-affairs.

Senior’s Property Tax Application Due April 1

Mayor Brian Arrigo reminds everyone that the April 1 application deadline for the Senior’s Property Tax exemption is fast approaching.

Seniors can receive a discount of $502.06 on their April tax bill.  Residents who turned age 65 as of July 1, 2018 have until April 1 to apply for the exemption. 

To qualify, an applicant must have owned the property in Revere on July 1, 2018, used it as a principle domicile on that date, and have owned that property as a principle domicile for at least five years prior.  Applicants may also have owned another property in Massachusetts as a principle domicile for the previous five years.  Applicants whose income exceeded $57,000 in calendar year 2017 are not eligible. 

Applications for the Senior Tax Exemption program can be obtained at City Hall in the Mayor’s and the Assessors’ office, or can be downloaded from the City’s website www.revere.org. 

ARRIGO Announces Expansion of Recycling Program

Mayor Brian Arrigo announced this week that the City of Revere has partnered with Simple Recycling to provide free curbside pickup of discarded clothing, textiles, and small household items.

“This is one more important step toward conservation and environmental protection,” said Mayor Arrigo.  “There are zero costs to our city and residents, and meanwhile the program removes potentially hundreds of tons of materials from our ordinary trash disposal stream.” 

Revere residents will soon receive two “pink bags” that they can fill with unwanted clothing, jewelry, shoes, toys, blankets, drapes, pillows, and assorted small household items.  Residents simply place the bag next to their recycling bin during regular recycling weeks, and a Simple Recycling vehicle will pick it up and leave a replacement bag for future use. 

Residents can obtain more bags, or notify the company of a missed pick-up, with a simple request through Simple Recyclings’ website simplerecycling.com. The program provides dual financial benefits for the City. Since Revere pays “tipping fees” for trash disposal, reducing the amount of material dumped at the RESCO incinerator, the fees are reduced.  Beyond that, Simple Recycling pays a fee to the city for each ton collected.

It is estimated that nationwide, some 14.3 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that across the country, an average of 85 pounds per person of textile items end up in the municipal trash.  Through the Simple Recycling program, materials are sorted and either re-used or processed for raw material.

Resident can expect to receive their ‘pink bags’ and informational fliers in the mail within the next two weeks.  Anyone who has not received their bags can request them through the SimpleRecycling website.

Simple Recycling is based in Solon, Ohio.  Currently, they serve more than 4 million households across the country.  Revere joins 19 other Massachusetts communities where the program is in place, including Saugus, Medford, Somerville, Brookline, Burlington, and Natick, among others.

EastIE Man HITS, Injures MASSDOT Worker in Revere After Carjacking Uber Driver

Several minutes after midnight last Thursday, an Uber driver’s car that had been carjacked a few minutes earlier crashed into the rear of a Massachusetts Department of Transportation pickup truck on Route 1 northbound near the Sargent Street exit in Revere. The DOT employee, a 52-year-old Revere man, was stepping out of the truck at the time of the collision and suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Civic tried to run from the scene but was apprehended by Massachusetts State Police Trooper Devon Surian.

At the time of the crash, the DOT pickup truck was pulling an electronic arrow board to support Troopers who were already at that location for a previous crash involving an impaired driver. Trooper Surian was backing up another Trooper at that earlier OUI arrest scene when the crash occured and he apprehended the suspect, who was determined to be under the influence of narcotics.

The suspect, Matthew Ricco Tyra, 29, of East Boston, allegedly carjacked the Uber car, a 2017 Honda Civic, a short time earlier in the area of Route 1 at Route 16. The Uber driver was a 29-year-old Revere man.

Tyre was transported to State Police-Revere, where he was booked on numerous charges, including carjacking; OUI drugs; assault with a dangerous weapon; assault and battery on a police officer; and negligent operation. He was held overnight and arraigned in Chelsea District Court.

The DOT worker was transported to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital for treatment.