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	Historic Print Job before the Virginia High Court The Salem News January 16, 2009 http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_016000855.html SALEM — A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence printed in Salem in 1776 was the center of a big legal squabble this week before the Virginia Supreme Court. The document is one of 11 surviving copies of the estimated 250 "broadsides" printed by Ezekiel Russell for all the parishes of Massachusetts to be read to congregations. Originally, this copy belonged to the town of Wiscasset, Maine, which back then was part of Massachusetts. Through the years, it changed hands a few times until Richard Adams Jr., an Internet entrepreneur in Virginia, bought it from a London book dealer in 2001 for $475,000. Wiscasset wants it back. "There's no evidence the town ever intended to transfer its ownership in this document to anyone," a Maine assistant attorney general told the Virginia justices. "It's certainly our belief this document is a public record ..." The court is expected to rule Feb. 27. Topless coffee The hearing this week on the new adult entertainment regulations was rather tame. If it were to get a rating, it would probably be PG. Only a handful of folks turned out Monday night, including four city councilors — Joe O'Keefe, Steve Pinto, Bob McCarthy and Jean Pelletier. At one point, Licensing Board member John Casey leaned over to City Solicitor Beth Rennard and asked if the infamous topless coffee shop about to open in Vassalboro, Maine, could happen here. Her answer was "yes." City officials want to have rules in place in case somebody shows up here with a topless coffee shop, or some other X-rated idea. Our city fathers don't want to get caught, some jokester said, with their pants down. Floor's just fine The Salem High School girls and boys basketball teams are back home. The teams played at Salem State College during winter vacation after at least one coach raised concerns that new floor surface in the high school field house is slippery. At the time, Superintendent William Cameron said there was no evidence the new synthetic, or rubberized, floor is unsafe, but said it would be tested over the vacation period. "The games are being played at the field house again," Cameron said yesterday. Replacing the field house floor was one of the last pieces of the recent $67.3 million renovation of Salem High. The floor work had to be rebid, delaying installation. Not competent Douglas Roberts, the troubled homeless man who expressed his "concerns" about Mayor Kim Driscoll by hurling a large piece of cement through her second-floor office window last March, has been found not competent to stand trial. Judge Robert Brennan made the determination yesterday following a hearing in Peabody District Court. The decision means Roberts, 57, will be sent back to Bridgewater State Hospital, where he's being held on $5,000 bail. During a hearing last year, Roberts testified that he believes the mayor is involved in various enterprises including the Mexican Mafia and smuggling drugs in coal shipments to the Salem power plant. Obama op Do you want to have your picture taken with President-elect Barack Obama but can't afford to go to Tuesday's inauguration in Washington, D.C.? Worry not. The Friends of Forest River Park are holding an inaugural ball Saturday night at the YMCA and will have a cardboard cutout of the next president at the dance. Jennifer Barz-Snell, one of the parents raising money for a new playground at the city park, actually sent away for the life-size Obama. Wonder if her husband knows. 'Hand of God' The Rev. John Sheridan, pastor of St. James Church, put an interesting note in the church bulletin after seeing "Hand of God," the award-winning documentary by Salem's Joe Cultrera about his brother's abuse in the 1960s by a Catholic priest at St. James. Sheridan said he has a copy of the "troubling" film if anyone wants to see it. "I think it was helpful to me to begin to understand this nightmare at St. James, St. Joseph and in other parishes," he wrote. "... I want to sit down with anyone in our parish or in our town to begin to listen. I have no answers, but I want to help ..." License suspended Looks like you won't be able to buy a specialized Salem license plate at the Registry anytime soon. Destination Salem had to prove to the state that it could sell 3,000 plates in four years and put $100,000 up front. Their survey showed there wasn't much interest, but it also exposed a deep political divide rivaled only by the red state-blue state split in American politics. "There was such a schism between people who thought there should be a witch on the license plate or some other icon," said Executive Director Kate Fox. "Based on the survey results, it wasn't going to be a positive process." 'Bad Boys, Bad Boys' Someone at the Police Department has a sense of humor. If you call the station these days and get put on hold, one of the songs you'll hear on the department's phone system is the theme song to the TV show "Cops." Shelter II Anyone attending an evening meeting at 120 Washington St., the City Hall annex, may have been surprised to see a security guard patrolling the building. Seems there has been a problem with homeless people coming in late at night pretending to be headed to a public meeting but sneaking off to sleep in the alcoves and hallways. The situation reportedly has improved since the security guards went on duty. End run This happened a few weeks ago, but is still worth a mention. On Dec. 29, a skunk got its rear end stuck between a home foundation and a wooden picket fence on Balcomb Street, according to the police log. A call for help went out to the city's part-time Animal Control Officer Don Famico — aka The World's Bravest Man. Famico, if you don't recall, once freed a skunk that had its head stuck in a fence. Unfortunately, Famico couldn't get to Balcomb Street right away, so somebody else was called - maybe a state or county inspector. "When I got there, you could smell the skunk had been in distress, but he had been removed prior to my arrival," Famico said. So there are two possible conclusions here. Either the skunk got free by itself, or somebody else deserves the title "World's Bravest Person." Staff writer Julie Manganis contributed to this report.
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