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$1.00 INDEX The South Shore’s Newspaper Since 1837 PATRIOTLEDGER.COM com W E D N E S D AY | AUGUST11,2010 NEWEST CELTIC Personality: No doubt Shaq has it PROVIDING HOPE TO HAITI, WITH LOVE ON THE WEB ■ Check out a special Haiti report from our sister paper, The Enterprise, at PatriotLedger.com. SEE OUR SHOW ■ More scenes from Haiti in a special slide show PatriotLedger.com. College board asks for a ruling City solicitor to determine whether vote was legal By Jack Encarnacao THE PATRIOT LEDGER QUINCY – During a three-hour meeting punc- tuated with bizarre charges involving trash picking and lying about it, a divided Quincy College gov- erning board attempted to resolve a long-simmer- ing dispute over the hiring of a new president. In the end, the board voted Tuesday to ask City Solicitor James Timmins to determine whether its vote to hire Mount Ida College ad- ministrator Philip Conroy was legal, and, if not, how to fix the situation. “We have to move on,” board member Don- ald Gratz said. At issue is whether the board’s June 14 vote was invalid because the board contained more non-Quincy residents than the four allowed un- der the 1994 law that created the board. Three meetings to address the matter were can- celed earlier this summer. The state attorney gen- eral’s office refused to weigh in, Timmins said, be- St. Boniface group embarks on new mission By Jennifer Mann THE PATRIOT LEDGER M ore than six months after an earthquake devastated Port au Prince, about 24 million metric tons of rubble are still strewn about Haiti’s capital. Tent cities have taken the place of buildings, occupying every spare bit of land, even a 10-foot-wide median strip along a highway. Progress is hard to pinpoint. A recent visitor said she spotted only three or four of the heavy ma- chines that are supposed to be picking up piled debris. She was left with the image of a man who resolutely tapped with a pick, still digging for pieces of his life amid the devastation. But that is not the whole story in Haiti. Seventy-three miles southwest of Port au Prince, in the rural town of Fond des Blancs, is TERRY SEBASTIAN PHOTO/ST. BONIFACE HAITI FOUNDATION ■ A young patient who was injured in the earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12 uses a walker to get around. HAITI/ PAGE 3 Ground Zero flap a non-issue locally No change in Ramadan rites By Lane Lambert THE PATRIOT LEDGER QUINCY – Like their brethren across the country, South Shore Muslims are beginning Ramadan observances today under the darkest cloud of controversy since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A plan to build a $100 million Islamic com- munity center and mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center Towerssite in New York City has provoked intense protests from some who see the project as an affront to the victims of the attack. A local imam said that hostility hasn’t touched the Muslim community here, and won’t dampen the monthlong season of prayer and fasting. “We watch the news like everyone,” said Imam Khalid Nasr, the spiritual leader of the Is- What should Shaquille O’Neal’s nickname be in Boston? A lot of monikers have been bandied about – including by Patriot Ledger followers on Twitter and Facebook. Vote for your favorite at PatriotLedger.com. TAKE OUR POLL ■ The Big Shamrock ■ The Big Leprechaun ■ The Green Monster ■ Shaq-et on the Parq-et ■ Boston Pops ■ Shaqzilla ■ CelShaqTic ■ Bo-Shaq ■ Sean McShaq ■ Jolly Green Giant ■ Red Auershaq By Catherine Groux THE PATRIOT LEDGER BRAINTREE – As the Boston Celtics welcome basketball legend and jokester Shaquille O’Neal to the team, some may be skeptical about his playing abilities, but not about his “Diesel” personality. “I think he’s a unique athlete, but at the same time I think it’s going to sell and put people in the seats,” said Brian Macauley of Holbrook. “I think it’s a good thing.” Matthew Guest of Brain- tree said the man who has been called everything from Shaq Fu to the Big Aristotle will bring a new, charismatic energy to Bos- ton, and hopefully some SHAQ/ PAGE 2 R A M A DA M / PAGE 5 QUINCY COLLEGE/ PAGE 2 COLUMBIAN SQUARE THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FEELING LEDGERLAND 9 STOPPING PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS BUSINESS 23 STOPPING PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS BUSINESS 23 Good Afternoon The latest news from the South Shore and the world NATION / WORLD CHINA BRACES FOR MORE LANDSLIDES ■ Heavy rains today lashed a remote section of northwestern China where weekend flooding killed at least 702 people, as hopes of finding more survivors faded and crews worked to stave off outbreaks of disease. PAGE 22 S TAT E JOBS BILL COULD BE ACE IN THE HOLE ■ A vote by the U.S. House to approve a $26 billion jobs bill revives talk on Beacon Hill about casino legislation declared all but dead just a week ago. PAGE 7 LOCAL ALFREDO’S PASTA FOUNDER DEAD AT 82 ■ Alfredo Aiello, who died Monday at 82, built a company that became known throughout New England for its fresh fettuccini and lobster ravioli. PAGE 12 BUSINESS S P O RT S COMING TOMORROW NO IMMEDIATE JOB CUTS SEEN FROM WEYMOUTH POWER PLANT SALE ■ Constellation Energy says there would be no job cuts in the short-term if Constellation’s $1.1 billion bid to buy the Mystic and Fore River power plants is successful. PAGE 23 HE’S HAVING FUN PLAYING ■ Scituate native Mike Conroy, who was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Indians nine years ago, is playing with a restored love for baseball as a member of the Brockton Rox. PAGE 17 BACK IN THE SADDLE ■ Despite offstage distractions, Aerosmith regroups and is ready to to rock Fenway Park in Boston on Saturday. W E AT H E R Tonight: Partly cloudy, Low of 65º Tomorrow: Clouds and sun, High of 77º Page 16 Dear Abby 28 Business 23, 24 Classified 29-32 Comics 15 Editorial 6 Food 25-27 Locals 9-14 Obituaries 21, 22 Sports 17-20 TV listings 28
