I am posting several articles from the Providence Journal and Boston Globe. One is about concerts performed to raise awareness and funds for missing persons. The others had interesting details about clothing, etc. I'll post each separately.


The Boston Globe

November 1, 2007 Thursday
THIRD EDITION

Music for the missing

BYLINE: Emily Sweeney Globe Staff

SECTION: SOUTH; Pg. Reg9

LENGTH: 453 words

GLOBE SOUTH 1
Two local singer-songwriters - Jodi Griffith of Weymouth and Grace Morrison of Wareham - will perform tonight at the Beachcomber in Quincy as part of the Squeaky Wheel Tour, a national concert series that raises awareness about missing people.

During the show, they will ask attendees to post fliers in their communities to help find three New Englanders.

One is from Quincy: a 14-year-old girl named Soomaiiah Quraiishi. She was last seen on April 13, 2001. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, authorities believe she was abducted by a family member and taken overseas, perhaps to Lebanon, Syria, or Pakistan.

The Squeaky Wheel Tour is an annual event that was founded in 2001 by Jannel Rap, a singer-songwriter from southern California. The concert series and website (411gina.org) were established in honor of her sister, Gina Bos, who vanished on Oct. 17, 2000.

Griffith got involved in the Squeaky Wheel Tour about a month ago, after she received an e-mail from Rap.

"I jumped at the opportunity because this is one of my goals in life, to help people with my music," said Griffith.

The other two missing people who will be highlighted at tonight's concert are William Paul Smolinski Jr. and Mary Edna Badaracco - both from Connecticut.

Smolinski was 31 when he disappeared on Aug. 24, 2004. He was last seen at his home on Holly Street in Waterbury, Conn., and his personal belongings were left behind at his home. He was never seen again.

Badaracco was 38 when she disappeared on Aug. 20, 1984. She would now be 61. She was last seen at her home in Sherman, Conn., and her husband reported her missing when he returned home from work. Her car was still at the house, its windshield smashed. A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Badaracco's disappearance.

Griffith has been posting fliers about the coming show and missing person posters at businesses and schools in Quincy and Weymouth. "When I was handing out fliers, there were a lot of people concerned about the people who are missing," she said.

She's hoping tonight's show will generate more buzz around these three missing people, and uncover information that can help investigators locate them. "I've gotten a lot of feedback," she said. "I think it will generate some response."

The show is free and starts 9 p.m. The Beachcomber is at 797 Quincy Shore Drive, in Quincy. For more information, visit 411gina.org.

Anyone with information about Quraiishi should contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the Quincy Police Department at 617-479-1212.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com

LOAD-DATE: November 2, 2007

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

GRAPHIC: Ken Burg Jodi Griffith will perform tonight at the Beachcomber in Quincy.

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper


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