I sincerely hope no one has to head out onto Route 1 this afternoon because a gas main break has shut down the road from the Main Street exits to Lynn Fells Parkway exits. According to the Boston Globe, traffic is being diverted onto Lynn Fells Parkway and Main Street.

Here’s hoping that it will be resolved by rush hour.

It’s a sad day for Saugus when negativity, frustration, and anger have turned what should be a proud moment into more bickering, squabbling, and name-calling. I’m referring to comments left on the other Saugus newspapers’ websites regarding the April 24 fire on Central Street. To assume the actions of men who, while off-duty, literally ran into a burning building to rescue citizens only reinforces the belief that the town departments can run at bare-minimum staffing is not only preposterous, it’s ungrateful. During a situation in which most people would run away, these men took action and if not for their quick-thinking, whether on-duty or off, the outcome of that fire could be, WOULD BE, much worse.

In reality, I think the Saugus jakes are the latest scapegoats for a community that is outraged, not at the firemen themselves, but at the town’s financial situation overall. What happened to the beautiful community that my grandparents chose to raise their children in and the community that my parents chose to raise me in?

Instead of leaving misdirected, mean-spirited, anonymous comments on a newspaper website, there are things to do. Take action! Get involved in the process to bring Saugus back to the town we love. Attend town meetings. Pay attention to what the Charter Commission is trying to do. Vote. Fund raise. Even something as simple and enjoyable as attending an event such as the Taste for Education can help. There are people that are trying to change things, such as members of the Youth and Recreation Commission, but they can’t do it alone.

Bad news for insomniac juice lovers. Chris Stevens of the Lynn Item reports that the Oasis Nightclub has withdrawn its application to run a late-night juice bar.

A lot of work goes into publishing a newspaper each week… writers must submit their stories, advertisers send in their ads, stories and photos are placed on the pages and finally, the finished paper is sent to our printer.

Sometimes, like everything else in life, we have an “Oops” moment and this week, when our freshly printed newspapers were delivered, we noticed something odd. Our printer had difficulty printing this week’s new edition and printed last week’s instead. We were delivered bundles of March 28 instead of April 4!

Don’t worry - the problem was corrected and new papers were printed but as a result, we’re running a little late getting the papers to the stores. They’re on the way… I promise!

Quick reminder: Tonight from 5 to 8 pm, there will be a Pizza Fest in the high school cafeteria. Everyone loves pizza, and while you sample slices from some of the best pizza establishments in Saugus, you’re supporting the Class of 2008.

All pizza is being donated by J&M, Nick’s Place, Bacci’s, Angela’s, Prince, Nicky’s Pizza Time, and Saugus House of Pizza. Thanks to all of the establishments for their gracious donations!

Welcome to the new Saugusadvocate.net. We’ve worked hard to update our website and provide a few new features including, most importantly, the ability to add your comments to our stories.

The website is a work in progress, so expect some more updates in the near future!