By Chris Cassidy and Tom Dalton
SALEM — A new Lizzie Borden museum opens up on the pedestrian mall next month.
We know what you're thinking: Lizzie Borden has nothing to do with Salem.
Well, you are sooooo wrong.
Borden is the sixth cousin, once removed to Elizabeth Montgomery, the "Bewitched" star whose image is on the downtown statue.
Borden was once played by Montgomery in the 1975 ABC movie "The Legend of Lizzie Borden."
Montgomery was also the narrator of the 1992 documentary "The Panama Deception" with Lou Diamond Phillips, who was in "Death Toll" with Keshia Knight Pulliam, who was in "Beauty Shop" with — you guessed it — Kevin Bacon.
So, as you can see, there's a pretty strong connection.
Return of the native
David Weiner is back on the Planning Board after stepping down three years ago.
City councilors were singing his praises last week, including 15 years on the Boston Redevelopment Authority, where he worked on projects including Government Center, the Charlestown Navy Yard and Copley Plaza.
His term ends in 2013.
Slow and steady
Nothing much happens on Orchard Street.
At least, until two weeks ago.
That's when Lucille Martin, a grandmother, went out for a walk and picked up a little turtle plodding along the road. She turned it over to her daughter, Sandra Meuse, who looked long and hard at the little creature.
"He looked really different than any other turtle I ever saw," she said.
They brought the turtle home, took a cell phone picture of it and showed it to an employee at PetSmart, who told them it was an African spurred tortoise. They also e-mailed a photo to the New England Aquarium, which confirmed the finding.
The tortoise, which is a baby, can live to 100 years old and weigh up to 200 pounds, Meuse was told.
"It's the third-largest tortoise in the world, and it was just walking down Orchard Street," she said.
They have checked with police and neighbors, but nobody reported a missing tortoise. Today, Muffy is still living on Orchard Street, resting on a heating pad in the Meuses' home and eating collard greens and carrots.
They are searching for a good home, but did — just for a moment — think about keeping the little guy.
"With gas prices, I could put a saddle on him and ride him to work," Mrs. Meuse said.
A moving film
October is a big month in Salem, and it has nothing to do with Halloween.
That's when the state plans to move the former First Baptist Church to the corner of Federal and North streets — a journey of about 100 yards. The historic church building will become the law library for the new J. Michael Ruane Judicial Center. Construction on the courthouse will begin next spring.
If the church move isn't big news here, it is overseas. A British company is coming here to film the big event, a state official announced last week.
Good as Goldie
Hollywood actress Kate Hudson saved the Fourth of July in Salem this year.
All right, so that's not really true at all.
But 20th Century Fox, which used Old Town Hall to shoot scenes for the upcoming movie "Bride Wars," starring Anne Hathaway and Hudson, the daughter of actress Goldie Hawn, donated $1,000 to the city for its Fourth of July fireworks display this year.
The company was just one of several to privately fund the $55,000 event.
"All our sponsors are really important to us," said the city's chief event organizer, Ellen Talkowsky. "We can't do it without any of them."
Farewell to Dr. Winer
There was a large crowd at Temple Shalom last Friday to bid farewell to Dr. Richard Winer, the former temple president and one of its guiding lights.
Winer, 80, a Marblehead resident, also was past president of the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore. The group has a photo exhibit at Eastern Bank in Salem, which features some Winer family pictures.
He was in the Class of 1945 at Salem High School and a member of its unbeaten football team. That's the team that defeated Miami Senior High School, 7-6, in the Orange Bowl in one of those mythical schoolboy clashes.
Winer, a reserve, got in for a few plays and even tackled Miami star "Pistol" Pete Williams. He was proud of that claim to fame and loved his high school class.
He will be missed.
