Colby’s Law

On June 15, 2024, a fearless and loving 14-year-old boy named Colby Lippincott was killed in a motocross accident at a recreational track in Wareham. Tragically, it had also been the site of another child’s death just a few years prior.

That child was Ava Pioppi, a young girl from Carver. Two children. Two families forever shattered. And still, no meaningful protections have been put in place to prevent the next tragedy.

This is not just a local issue — it’s a glaring gap in public safety across Massachusetts.

We are now working with State Representatives Steven Xiarhos and Dylan Fernandes to introduce Colby’s Law, which would mandate liability insurance and basic safety requirements at recreational tracks statewide. This legislation is painfully overdue, and it shouldn’t take another preventable death to make it a priority.

In Colby’s honor, we’re hosting the 2nd Annual Colby Lippincott Memorial Wiffle Ball Tournament on Aug. 9 in Sandwich, where hundreds of people will gather to celebrate his life and raise funds for scholarships through The Cape Cod Foundation.

We’re calling on Governor Maura Healey, our state lawmakers, and the people of Massachusetts to join us in demanding action. Support Colby’s Law. Stand with grieving families. And help us ensure that what happened to Colby and Ava never happens again.

Jackie Densmore, on behalf of the Colby Lippincott Memorial Fund

Bourne

Street Markings

As an Italian American and longtime transportation official, I was deeply disheartened by Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s decision to unilaterally remove the Italian flag-colored street markings on Adams Street in Nonantum — just weeks before the St. Mary of Carmen Festival.

This was more than just a technical road change — it was an erasure of tradition and identity. The claim that these markings needed to be replaced with yellow lines for safety lacks merit. That stretch of road has operated safely for decades with the red, white, and green markings.

If the mayor had genuine safety concerns, there were numerous alternatives — such as painting festive crosswalks or wrapping poles in the tricolors. Instead, she acted without community input or transparency, stripping away a cultural symbol in the dead of night.

These markings were never about politics; they were about honoring the history of a proud Italian American neighborhood. To remove them without warning, just before a cherished annual celebration, showed a profound lack of respect.

I urge the City of Newton to restore the markings — not as a side feature, but in full and in place. Streets should reflect the spirit of the people who live along them.

Gina Fiandaca

Former Secretary and CEO, MassDOT

Former Commissioner of Transportation, City of Boston