“It’s a tough city, a poverty city,” said a teary Zulayka Ovalles, as she stood in line for donations at a senior center. Firefighters on Saturday were investigating two natural gas leaks just blocks from where several houses burst into flames a few days ago. Some worry that the gas company — Columbia Gas of Massachusetts — had not taken longtime complaints of gas smells seriously, and politicians accused the company of being slow to respond to the disaster, though the company says it has devoted all available resources to the response. Lesly Melendez, deputy director of Groundwork Lawrence, a social service organization, stood in front of the Lawrence Senior Center on Saturday morning, directing cars and people. The company’s owner famously paid employees — largely Lawrence residents — while the factory that made Polartec fleece was rebuilt.

Source: Washington Post September 15, 2018 23:14 UTC