Help wanted at the wheel

Jul. 22—The dad arrived with his young son in a stroller to the new bus driver and recruitment center in the heart of downtown Lawrence Thursday with no inkling the governor would be there within a few minutes to cut a ribbon and celebrate its opening.

Julio Mella, 55, of Lawrence, a former dump-truck driver two years removed from the Dominican Republic and living in Lawrence with his wife and their two children, had heard that 276 Essex St. was a place where he could apply for work.

He drove there looking for a dependable job with benefits that pays enough for him to support his family.