Just in time for Halloween, Salem has enacted a partial ban on bullhorns on one key downtown street, following a confrontation between a street preacher and Nosferatu.

More from the Salem News.

Seems Beck has been making an issue of how Salem canceled a contract with anti-gay Gordon College several weeks early and his fans have been flooding Mayor Kim Driscoll with angry, sputtering phone calls. Driscoll's response: For every call, she'll donate $5 to the North Shore Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth.

Matt Conti attended the Columbus Day Parade in the North End, where a number of people dressed up as pirates.

Tim Mouradian, meanwhile, journeyed to Salem, which, he reports, "is fun in October."

North End photo posted under this Creative Commons license; Salem photo under this one and in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

WBZ reports some girl up in Salem now faces a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a police officer for allegedly attacking a cop in the local police station with an eyeliner pencil. The officer was taken to the hospital with an unspecified injury from the attack but is expected to survive.

Right in the lobby.

The Salem News reports the city licensing board put a local witch on watch for a spell for making alleged online threats against other witches and psychics. The board voted to suspend his witchcraft license for six months - but to belay the punishment if he stays out of double, double toil and trouble for a year.

Hello U-Hubbers,

I know some of us still have snow on the ground and summer time seems like a far away midsummer night's dream. But I thought I'd throw this out there in case some of you are looking for a summer program for your kid(s) that is a little different/interesting/unique than the average summer camp program.

Rebel Shakespeare Company is located in Salem MA and this year we find our enrollment for July and August is a lot lower than it usually is (ie: by now we're usually full with a waiting list).

So this could be your opportunity if you're looking for something different for the summer activities. Our regular program is for kids aged 9-15, and no acting experience is needed. Everyone is taught, learns, explores, grows. In July we're doing "Romeo and Juliet" with this age group, and in August we're either doing "Hamlet" or "A Comedy of Errors," depending on the enrollment. Our Teen program is doing "The Scottish Play"... ahem, in July. And in August, "The Tempest." The Teen program is usually for kids who have had acting experience, and we take a tour around the north shore and Boston doing 10 shows in a week's time. It's a great adventure.

The Conservation Law Foundation and HealthLink yesterday sued the owner of the Salem power plant, alleging the facility is pumping far more visible pollution into the air than allowed under state and federal regulations.