SALEM — The death last week of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi reverberated around the world.
Including right here in Salem.
"He killed my niece," said Roger Leger, commander of the Salem Veterans Council.
Nicole Boulanger, 21, a senior at Syracuse University and a talented singer and actor, was one of the 270 people killed when Pan Am Flight 103 crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, a bombing ordered by Gadhafi.
The news of Gadhafi's death brought that horrific day back for Leger. He remembers watching TV and seeing families waiting at a New York airport for a plane that never arrived, watching a mother collapse on the ground crying "my baby, my baby." That woman was his sister, Jeannine Boulanger.
Leger remembers going to Lockerbie with his sister a month after the tragedy to bury Nicole's remains and finding an eerie, empty village.
"As we drove through Lockerbie, it was so weird," Leger said. "There was not a person around, and all the stores were locked."
When they got to the cemetery, a row of Girl Scouts lined one side of the entrance, Boy Scouts the other.
"We walked into the cemetery, got to the top of a hill and looked down — and the whole town of Lockerbie was there."
That village treated the victims of that tragedy like family.
"What they did was just unbelievable," Leger said. "Every bit of clothing or material that was found they washed, they had cleaned, they pressed ... and they took pictures of all the belongings. They found my niece's identification card. A farmer found it in his field. ... I can't thank the town of Lockerbie enough for what they did."
Leger has mixed feelings about Gadhafi's death.
"I was glad in a way, but in another way I wish they had captured him alive," said the 67-year-old Salem resident. "That way, he would have gone to the Hague to stand trial" at the International Court of Justice.
"I would have gone to the Hague just to see him on trial, just to see the look in his face."
Mayor Walker
Is it possible that police Lt. Jim Walker is a descendant of the legendary New York Mayor Jimmy "Beau James" Walker?
Walker's performance Wednesday night — the police officer, that is — was nothing short of mayoral.
As president of the Police Superior Officers Union, he persuaded the City Council to delay a vote on health care reform for two weeks to give police officers more time to prepare. Walker was articulate, passionate, almost theatrical, as he out-slugged Mayor Kim Driscoll, who wanted a vote this week.
He might, however, have exaggerated just a wee bit.
At one point, Walker warned that a quick vote would cause police officers anxiety of "biblical" proportions.
There is an unconfirmed report that when Walker left the council chambers, the doors parted like the Red Sea.
Conflict resolution
It was interesting to see how many city councilors face a conflict in the vote on health care reform. Eight of the 10 councilors present for Wednesday night's committee of the whole meeting said they either took the city health insurance themselves or had a brother, sister or another relative working for the city.
The Conflicted Eight were Council President Jerry Ryan and Councilors Steve Pinto, Arthur Sargent, Bob McCarthy, Jean Pelletier, Tom Furey, Mike Sosnowski and Joe O'Keefe.
Although city officials generally have to recuse themselves and not take part in deliberations when there is a personal conflict, City Solicitor Beth Rennard ruled the councilors can vote due to something called the "rule of necessity."
In other words, so many have conflicts that if they recused themselves they wouldn't have a quorum.
"This is one of those rare times," Rennard said, "when you have to invoke the rule of necessity or you couldn't get something done."
Lulu in LoLa
Red Lulu held its grand-opening party Wednesday night.
The new Mexican restaurant and tequila bar is where Strega's used to be on lower Lafayette Street — or "LoLa" as Mayor Driscoll calls it.
Tribute to Tom
If you go on the website of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, there is a moving video on Tom Leonard, the president emeritus of the Essex National Heritage Commission. Leonard has made an amazing recovery after losing a leg due to a serious infection.
Go to www.spauldingnetwork.org to hear Leonard tell his inspirational story.
Saturday Night Salem
Salem just can't catch a break.
"Saturday Night Live" opened with a funny bit last weekend on the Republican presidential debates, with actors playing all the leading candidates.
When long-shot Rick Santorum was introduced, the moderator said: "It seems like if there was a time and place that best fit your values, it would be Salem, Mass., in 1692."
Good luck, Rick.
Halloween TV
Salem got a plug on the "Today" show yesterday morning and was the big prize on "Wheel of Fortune" last night.
Kate Fox of Destination Salem put together a great prize of a week at the Hawthorne Hotel, dinners, museum passes and more. It was worth about $3,000.
Bloody Saturday
Police were over at Derby Lofts on Monday night to talk to residents about a bloody incident two weeks ago that shook them up.
It was a wild fight involving a gang of young people on Lafayette Street near the fire station and right under the windows of the condo owners. One woman said blood was splattered all over her husband's car.
"There was a large gang fighting," said Chief Paul Tucker, who met with residents along with Sgt. Dennis King. "Two cops tried to break it up. ... They actually had to step back and pepper spray the crowd."
According to one report, some of the combatants were swinging snow shovels they apparently grabbed out of a trash can behind the fire station.
The assailants ran off before police could make any arrests.
Police actually had two incidents at almost the same time and place on that Saturday, Oct. 15. In the other one, an Irish visitor was badly beaten by two men, one weighing more than 300 pounds, on New Derby Street. Arrests were made in that case.
Tucker said they had a good talk with residents and even showed them a detailed report showing that only three assaults took place in that part of town over the past year.
"It's a very safe area," the chief said.
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