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Months After Heart Transplant, Woman Seeks To Give Back

Lynnfield resident Jane Tecce lost two brothers to heart disease and received her own transplant less than two years ago. Now, she wants to help spread the word about organ donation.

Jane Tecce has the unique perspective of having experienced both sides of being an organ donor. Years ago after her son's death at the age of 24, his organs were donated so that others could have a new chance at life. Now, Tecce herself is still recovering from a heart transplant that she received some 16 months ago. She also received a kidney transplant at that time.  "My kids are starting to have kids now. I'm being a grammy. I can't imagine not being here," she said in a recent conversation with Patch.com. Tecce said that she was first diagnosed with heart disease about 12 years ago. Tecce moved to Lynnfield two years ago and grew up in Wakefield, graduating from Wakefield Memorial High School. Her family owns Santoro's in Peabody, she …

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New Accuser Reported in Burbine Case

Accused serial child sex abuser John Burbine is now reportedly facing additional charges in Essex County.

Accused serial child sex abuser John Burbine is now reportedly facing additional charges in Essex County. According to a Wednesday Salem News report, a new accuser, a boy from Saugus, has stepped forward with allegations about actions that would have occurred from May 1990 to January 1994. The accuser reportedly came forward after seeing the initial media coverage in the case.  In Middlesex County, Burbine is already facing nearly 100 counts stemming from the alleged sexual abuse of children from the Melrose area. Burbine and his wife Marian were proprietors of the Waterfall Education Center in Wakefield, which offered tutoring and daycare services despite not being fully licensed to do so. Mrs. Burbine is facing six counts of reckless …

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Meet Adrienne Jeanne, Professional Photographer

Former Melrosian has photography business in the Carriage House on Church Street, across from the Congregational Church - in Wakefield with more projects in the works.

Melrose native Adrienne Jeanne has been building her photography business in recent months from a studio in the Carriage House building near Lake Quannapowitt and Church Street. Jeanne, a Wakefield resident and 2004 Melrose High School graduate, graduated from Suffolk University with a major in interior design, and she also has a BFA with a minor in fine arts from the New England School of Art and Design. She recalled starting off as an interior design student with more of an eye on making a living, but her instincts as an artist never faded. "I was doing photography in high school, everyone said you'll never make any money," she said in a recent conversation with Wakefield Patch about her business, Adrienne Jeanne Photography. "The …

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Burbine Attorney: Media Coverage Has Been Fair So Far

Attorney Bill Barabino of Wakefield took a minute to discuss how the media has covered his client, John Burbine, so far. Burbine is accused of sexually abusing children from the Melrose area.

Wakefield attorney Bill Barabino has a task that few would envy. Barabino is responsible for defending a client, John Burbine, in what the district attorney has called one of the worst child sex abuse cases in recent memory - while also working amid very intense media attention to the case. In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Wakefield Patch asked Barabino if amid the media crush, the coverage of his client has basically been fair. Burbine is accused of sexually abusing children from the Melrose area. "I think people have reportedly accurately the facts that have been represented in court," said Barabino, adding that nothing specific came to mind about a story that was unfair or inaccurate in the region's media. The Wakefield-based …

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Trial Date Set For Wakefield Man Accused of Sexually Abusing Melrose Children

Wakefield resident John Burbine is facing nearly 100 counts of child sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty last month and his next court action is a motion to dismiss in April.

John Burbine is expected to go to trial in December to face nearly 100 counts involving the sexual abuse of Melrose area children, according to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone. A spokeswoman for the DA's office reported that a tentative trial date of Dec. 10 has been set for Burbine. His next court proceeding is April 13 when his attorney, John Barabino of Wakefield, is expected to file a motion to dismiss. Burbine pleaded not guilty last month to nearly 100 charges involving the sex abuse of children, one of whom was as young as 8 days old. Burbine allegedly sexually abused children in these communities: Melrose, Woburn, Newton, Reading, Stoneham and Waltham. A separate Boston Herald article quoted Barabino outside …

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Melrose Bests Wakefield in Thanksgiving Day Football Game

Melrose beat Wakefield 28-15 on Thanksgiving in Wakefield.

The Melrose High School football team beat Wakefield Memorial 28-15 on Thanksgiving Day in Wakefield. Did you attend the game and take photos? Upload them to this post, and please make sure to provide the photographer's name and a full-sentence caption for each photo submitted.

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Melrose Considers Banning Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers

A joint public hearing between the Melrose Board of Aldermen and the Melrose Planning Board was held Monday night at City Hall.

While a formal vote may not have taken place Monday night following a joint public hearing between the Melrose Board of Aldermen and the Melrose Planning Board at City Hall, city officials generally seemed to support a proposed ordinance that would ban medical marijuana treatment centers from being established in the community. Only a couple non-city officials spoke during the roughly half-hour hearing, including a pair of Melrose High School students and one Melrosian. However, all three agreed that banning medical marijuana treatment centers is the right thing to do. The Planning Board is expected to discuss the ordinance and submit a recommendation to the Aldermen in the next 21 days. If the city eventually approves the ordinance, …

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Wakefield Resident Wins Melrose Raffle

Linda Rizzo, of Wakefield, recently won a raffle that benefitted the Milano Senior Center, according to Melrose Council on Aging Executive Director Dawn Folopoulos.

A Wakefield resident recently won a raffle that benefitted the Milano Senior Center, according to Melrose Council on Aging Executive Director Dawn Folopoulos. Linda Rizzo, of Wakefield, won 150 $5 scratch tickets from the Friends of the Aging raffle, according to Folopoulos. The drawing was held on Sept. 9 at 5 p.m.  "A special thank you to everyone who participated in this raffle, which allowed the Friends of the Aging to support the Milano Senior Center with a donation of $2,363," Folopoulos wrote in an email.

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Beyond Melrose's Borders

News Nearby: Protestors Dump Trash at Bank of America Branch

Also in news from Melrose's neighbors: Reading residents talk drugs and denial; a Medford woman takes her fight against rats to city hall; and three options are presented for the Galvin Middle School Project in Wakefield.

Each Saturday, Melrose Patch will run a round-up with links to stories from surrounding communities that are of interest to Melrosians.

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