It is said in Malden…

That most of the newly painted lines for the single-lane of travel on Route 60/Eastern Avenue/Centre Street are down, and after a very quick look, it does not appear to be clogging up traffic on one of Malden’s busiest thoroughfares.

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That the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE), which oversees all public education in Massachusetts, announced Wednesday it had acquired some 200,000 Rapid Antigen COVID-19 test kits and was determining a way to distribute them free of charge to Massachusetts educators and other staff before classes resume on Monday, January following the Winter Break.

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That the City of Malden sponsored a “Trash Holiday” over the weekend, for pickups “at no charge” to help with clearing out abodes from the holiday buildup.

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That even though the holiday season of gift-giving has passed, there does not seem to be much of a slowdown on the caravan-like multitudes of FedEx, UPS and Amazon delivery trucks motoring through Malden.

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That Monday’s 2022 Malden Inauguration Ceremonies for Malden City Council and Malden School Committee are open to the public at Jenkins Auditorium in Malden beginning at 6:00 p.m., though masks are mandatory to attend.

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That Malden Square restaurants and nightlife in general in Malden Square continue to be booming, particularly Thursday through Sunday evenings, with nary a parking space to be found.

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That construction has begun in full swing at the new Amazon Center on Squire Road in Revere, and it is still a bit of a shocker to drive by that site and see the former Revere Showcase Cinema completely gone.

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That longtime Maldonians can still recall the old “$5.00 a carload” days at the Revere Drive-In Theater, which preceded the Showcase Cinema there, into the early 1980s.

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That political talk in Malden and the area still touts outgoing Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, a vocal and outspoken opponent of outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker for years, as a potential candidate for Governor himself in 2022.