December 28, 2015 1:43 PM

Dave Barry’s 2015 Year in Review

In political news, Trump trumped even Trump
In sports news, Tom Brady won sports
In world news, historic number of climate change meetings are scheduled

Dave Barry’s 2015 Year in Review. Jack Ohman TNS

By Dave Barry
Tribune Content Agency

Sometimes we are accused — believe it or not — of being overly negative in our annual Year in Review. Critics say we ignore the many positive events in a given year and focus instead on the stupid, the tragic, the evil, the disgusting, the Kardashians.
OK, critics: We have heard you. This year, instead of dwelling on the negatives, we’re going to start our annual review with a List of the Top 10 Good Things That Happened in 2015. Ready? Here we go:
1. We didn’t hear that much about Honey Boo Boo.
2.

OK, we’ll have to get back to you on Good Things 2 through 10. We apologize, but 2015 had so many negatives that we’re having trouble seeing the positives. It’s like we’re on the Titanic, and it’s tilting at an 85-degree angle with its propellers way up in the air, and we’re dangling over the cold Atlantic trying to tell ourselves: “At least there’s no waiting for the shuffleboard courts!”

Are we saying that 2015 was the worst year ever? Are we saying it was worse than, for example, 1347, the year when the bubonic plague killed a large part of humanity?

Yes, we are saying that. Because at least the remainder of humanity was not exposed to a solid week in which the news media focused intensively on the question of whether a leading candidate for president of the United States had, or had not, made an explicit reference to a prominent female TV journalist’s biological lady cycle.

That actually happened in 2015, and it was not the only bad thing.

Of the 105 billion photographs taken by Americans this year, 104.9 billion consist of a grinning face looming, blimplike, in the foreground, with a tiny image of something — the Grand Canyon, the pope, a 747 crashing — peeking out in the distance behind the person’s left ear.

This was the year when American sports fans became more excited about their fantasy sports teams — which, for the record, are imaginary — than about sports teams that actually exist.
This was the year when the “selfie” epidemic, which was already horrendous, somehow got even worse. Of the 105 billion photographs taken by Americans this year, 104.9 billion consist of a grinning face looming, blimplike, in the foreground, with a tiny image of something — the Grand Canyon, the pope, a 747 crashing — peeking out in the distance behind the person’s left ear.
This was the year of the “man bun.”

And if all that isn’t bad enough, this was the year they tricked us into thinking Glenn got killed on The Walking Dead.
(By the way: spoiler alert.)

At this point you are saying: “Wait a minute! Surely there were some positive developments in 2015! How about the fact that, after so many years of sneering judgmentalism and divisive, overheated rhetoric, we were able to have rational, open-minded conversations about such issues as gun ownership, gay marriage, race relations and abortion, so that, as a nation, we finally began to come together and ... Whoa! Sorry! Evidently I am high on narcotics.”

Yes, you are. And we intend to join you soon. But first we need to take one last look back at the hideous reality of 2015, which began, as so many ill-fated years have in the past, with ...

January

... which finds the Midwest gripped by unusually frigid weather, raising fears that the bitter cold could threaten the vast herd — estimated in the thousands — of Republican presidential hopefuls roaming around Iowa expressing a newly discovered passion for corn. As temperatures plummet, some candidates are forced to survive by setting fire to lower-ranking consultants.

For most Americans, however, the cold wave is not the pressing issue. The pressing issue — which will be debated for years to come — is how, exactly, did the New England Patriots’ footballs get deflated for the AFC championship game. The most fascinating theory is put forth by Patriot head coach Bill Belichick, a man who, at his happiest, looks like irate ferrets are gnawing their way out of his colon. He opines — these are actual quotes — that “atmospheric conditions” could be responsible, and also declares that “I’ve handled dozens of balls over the past week.” This will turn out to be the sports highlight of the year.

I’ve handled dozens of balls over the past week
 Bill Belichik, on what will turn out to be the sports highlight of the year

In Paris, 2 million people march in a solidarity rally following the horrific terrorist attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Eyebrows are raised when not a single top U.S. official attends, but several days later, Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in France with James Taylor, who — this really happened — performs the song You’ve Got a Friend. This bold action strikes fear into the hearts of terrorists, who realize that Secretary Kerry is fully capable, if necessary, of unleashing Barry Manilow.

Meanwhile in Washington, a drone crashes on the White House lawn and immediately becomes a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination.

In sports, the first-ever NCAA Division I college football playoffs reach a surprising climax when the Oregon Ducks are defeated in the championship game 42-20 by the New England Patriots. Asked how this is possible, given that the Patriots play in the NFL, Coach Belichick opines that it could be a result of “global climate change.”
Speaking of surprises, in ...

February

Fluoride -- The Neurotoxin In Our Water

Fluoride -- The Neurotoxin In Our Water

Weather Advisory

Weather Advisory

From: BOX Operations - NOAA Service Account [box.operations@noaa.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2015 1:22 PM
Subject: Flash Freeze in Northeast MA; New Freezing Rain (Drizzle) Advisory through tonight

Hi everyone,

Temperatures have been dropping 10 degrees in an hour across portions of Essex County, MA as winds turn to the north. Freezing drizzle in that area, combined with temperatures now in the low 20s was making for dangerous road conditions. The southward push of this flash freeze is expected to slow its progress, but it should reach the Boston metro area late this afternoon.

We have now issued an Advisory for freezing drizzle conditions across much of MA (excluding the south coast, Cape Cod, Islands), much of RI (except south coast), and for Hartford, Tolland, and Windham Counties in northern CT...lasting through at least midnight tonight. It is possible that we might need to extend the advisories into early Wednesday morning.

Please urge the public to drive with extreme caution and slow down... if they need to drive at all. Thanks.

-- Glenn Field
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
NWS - Taunton, MA

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Tax Bills

Ho! Ho! Ho!  Merry Tax Bills

 Your recent Tax Bill does not include the costs for a new school nor the police station. Ho ! Ho ! Ho!

Storm Coming

Storm Coming

• Region's DPW winter road warriors set for whatever comes

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Joseph Lebeau mixes road sand and salt at the Department of Public Works facility on Albany Street as the Worcester DPW prepares for winter weather Sunday. T&G Staff/Rick Cinclair
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  »  RELATED CONTENT
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  • • LATEST WEATHER REPORT
• By Brian Lee
  Telegram & Gazette Staff

  
  Posted Dec. 27, 2015 at 6:13 PM
  Updated at 6:13 AM
  
  

  Plows, salt trucks and sanders, resting idle entering the New Year because of unseasonably mild December weather, are ready to go by Nov. 1 of each year, regardless of the conditions, Worcester Public Works Commissioner Paul J. Moosey said.

  This month’s unusually mild weather is being attributed to El Niño, the phenomenon that develops when trade winds that normally blow warm water westward in the Pacific stop blowing. The region is on the warm side of jet streams that typically bring arctic air to the Northeast.

  Of course, with a wintry mix predicted this week, everything could change and the army of snow clearing machinery will be ready at the starting gate.

  Last year at this time the weather was also warmer than normal. But there had been snow. There was a storm the day before Thanksgiving, followed by lesser amounts during December and most of January. But on Jan. 30, a large storm set the stage for regular storms throughout February, depleting some communities' supplies of salt.

  Mr. Moosey said prior to the Jan. 30 blizzard, the prelude to five to six weeks of unrelenting snow, Mr. Moosey recalled that people in the city were asking him, "What are you going to do with all that snow money?"

  The city wound up spending about $6.5 million on snow-and-ice removal, from a budget of $4 million, he said.

  Last year, Worcester used 12,000 tons of salt and about 6,700 yards of sand.

  Currently, the city has 6,000 tons and 6,500 tons of salt, which is as much as the shed will hold, and about 300 cubic yards of sand. The city, Mr. Moosey said, can purchase sand without delay at any time.

  Elsewhere, cities and towns and state highway officials say that they are also ready for whenever wintry conditions make their 2015-16 debut.

Texas Family Awarded $3 Million in Nation’s First Fracking Trial

Brandon Baker | April 23, 2014 2:35 pm | 

It took three years, but a Texas family finally emerged victorious in a case that could long impact fracking companies and the impact they have on the communities in which they operate.

A Dallas jury favored the Parr family, which sued Aruba Petroleum back in 2011 after experiencing an array of health issues attorneys argued were the result of dozens of gas wells in the area. The family was awarded nearly $3 million in what attorneys believe was the first-ever fracking trial in U.S. history.

Lisa Parr and her daughter, Emma, are pictured in 2011. This week, the family was awarded about $3 million in the nation’s first fracking trial. Video screenshot: Fox 4

“They’re vindicated,” family attorney David Matthews wrote in a blog post. “I’m really proud of the family that went through what they went through and said, ‘I’m not going to take it anymore’. It takes guts to say, ‘I’m going to stand here and protect my family from an invasion of our right to enjoy our property.’

“It’s not easy to go through a lawsuit and have your personal life uncovered and exposed to the extent this family went through.”

The family lives in Wise County, which is surrounded by gas wells from Aruba Petroleum and other firms. Bob, Lisa and their young daughter, Emma, all noticed the deterioration of their health in the months after fracking operations begin in the immediate area, some time in 2008. Lisa reported breathing difficulties, nausea and headaches, while Bob said he began having about three nosebleeds per week, compared to the rest of the 50-year-old’s life.

“We can’t drink our well water,” Bob Parr told FOX 4 of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2011. “We can’t breathe the air without getting sick.”

Young Emma also suffered nosebleeds, along with rashes and nausea. She was soon diagnosed with asthma.

Emma Parr and her father Bob began having nosebleeds after moving in to a home surrounded by gas wells. Photo credit: Earthworks

 

Pumping Station Transfer Discussed

Pumping Station Transfer Discussed Town Meeting gave OK, but board is still reviewing the details

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by Tara Vocino Cook Pond Estates board member Garth Weiderman said he is glad that a discussion regarding a potential pump transfer was held Tuesday. Tara Vocino Reporter TEMPLETON — About 20 Cook Pond residents gathered at Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting in the hopes of having the town take over their sewer pump. Currently, the residents own the pump, which is on Victoria Lane and Weston and Sampson Engineers Inc. of Peabody service it. According to Nathan Wilder, trustee of the homeowners association which is spearheading the movement, the town has several other pump stations that are managed by the Sewer Department. “We are paying into it with our sewer bill,” Mr. Wilder said. He explained that the Cook Pond residents feel they’d be better served by having the town run the pump station. The town voted that the Sewer Department could take over the pump at a July Special Town Meeting by a voice vote. But ultimately, the transfer lies in the hands of the Planning Board. The board voted to take over the pump station on Tuesday, but it failed to pass, 2-2, and with two members abstaining. The board will get together with the highway superintendent and bring it back on the agenda either late January or early February. Many Planning Board members wanted to know more from the Sewer Department and had questions about what would happen if a pump failed. Mr. Wilder said the legal paperwork has been drawn up and an engineering study has been done, costing about $10,000 for the homeowner’s association. He believes the town should have the pump station since all town residents including those along Cook Pond pay a sewer bill that pays for maintenance of pump stations. Garth Weiderman, a board member of the Cook Pond Estates, said they got somewhere on Tuesday. “We were able to hear the board’s concerns and views,” Mr. Weiderman said. “We got some good information out of it. With their help and direction, we can work to get the pump station under the maintenance and ownership of the town.” Mr. Weiderman is in favor of the town servicing it instead of paying a private agency.

Historic Los Angeles methane leak puts natural gas emissions under scrutiny

As SoCalGas works to plug a monster methane leak, warnings abound for the electricity sector

By Herman K. Trabish | December 21, 2015 

Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) is working to clean up the biggest known gas leak in U.S. history at one of its natural gas storage facilities in the Los Angeles region.

The leaking methane — a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide — threatens the state's progress in the fight against climate change. It could also compromise the supply of natural gas, which is predominantly methane, to electricity generating plants and gas heating customers in the Southern California region.

Fines will eventually be levied against SoCalGas for the ongoing release of what initially was 25% of California’s monthly methane emissions and could be as much as 15% of the hourly greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. natural gas industry.

The company expects to stop the leak in April, meaning LA basin residents will have to live with a plume of methane over their communities until at least then. But beyond the localized consequences, the massive leak raises some larger questions about the electricity sector's move to natural gas as a more environmentally-friendly resource than coal: Since studies suggest that methane leakage of more than 3% of total production can negate any climactic benefits over burning coal, what can the electricity and gas sectors do to limit and eliminate leaks? And what are the alternatives to a move toward natural gas?

The leak

The LA basin leak was discovered October 23 during one of SoCalGas’s twice-daily well observations at its Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility. The repurposed oil field is in the Santa Susannah Mountains about a mile from the upscale Porter Ranch suburb at the northern edge of Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. Its 115 wells hold up to 86 billion cubic feet of natural gas for distribution to residences, businesses, and electric utilities in the L.A. basin.

Planing to stop the leak began immediately and notifications to the appropriate regulatory agencies were sent on October 24. By October 25, a dozen or more local and state agencies were involved.
Porter Ranch residents are angry and frightened. The city is moving to close nearby schools. Those who aren’t staging protests and demanding action are evacuating. As of December 16, 1,807 households had been relocated.

The actual cause of the leak is still undetermined. SoCalGas’s hypothesis is the leak is no more than 500 feet down in the column used to move gas in and out of the well. But six attempts to stop the flow by pumping in fluids failed, according to Spokesperson Kristina Lloyd.

The company is now drilling to the caprock, 8,000 feet down, to close the opening to the column. It is expected to take three to four months.

“It is too early to know what is broken or leaking,” Lloyd said. “Once we get the flow of gas stopped, we will do a root cause analysis.”

Such a relief well, according to Lloyd, “is an established approach to dealing with leaking wells when they don't respond to other procedures.”

The well, she said, is similar to the relief well BP’s engineers drilled to stop oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The SoCalGas plan to plug the leak

Credit: From SoCalGas (used with permission)

Fluoride News

 Fluoride News

Infowars

The most convenient way to protect yourself and your family from the effects of sodium fluoride in drinking water is to use a water purification system that can remove most contaminants and sodium fluoride.

Reverse osmosis and water distillers are usually recommended for removing sodium fluoride. You may also want to look into Natural Action Technologies Structured Water systems. Structured water is healthier than tap water because its molecules are more active, making it more energetically alive, fresh, and vibrant.

If you are interested in portable water purification systems that can remove sodium fluoride, I recommend the Berkey water filtration system. Make sure you purchase its PF-2 fluoride filters. These filters are needed to filter out fluoride.

I do not recommend buying cheap water filters from your local retail stores. These filters do a poor job removing water contaminants, especially sodium fluoride. Bottled water and filtered water from your local stores are also not as purify as they should be, unless they are purified with activated alumina filters or reverse osmosis technology.

By using a water filtration system that can filter out sodium fluoride, you are taking a big step to protect your health from the dangers of sodium fluoride. After you stop consuming sodium fluoride, your head should be clearer, allowing you to think better. If you suffer from dental fluorosis, your teeth should start to look whiter after a few months of not consuming sodium fluoride.

Holden electricity rates to go down

• Holden electricity rates to go down as Seabrook debt is paid off




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  By George Barnes
  Telegram & Gazette Staff
  

  
  Posted Dec. 22, 2015 at 5:55 PM
  Updated Dec 22, 2015 at 6:31 PM
  
  
  

  HOLDEN - At the start of the new year, customers of Holden Municipal Light Co. will find some pleasant news in their light bills, and that trend may continue into the near future.

  As of Jan. 1, electric rates for all of the utility's customers will be reduced by three-quarters of a cent per kilowatt-hour. For residential customers who use 600 kilowatt-hours per month, the savings would be $4.50 per month on their bills. The rate reduction for non-residential customers who use 10,000 kilowatt-hours per month, the monthly savings would be $75.

  Light company General Manager James S. Robinson said the reduction is partly because of lower fossil fuel costs, but mainly from the retiring of debt owed for the building of the Seabrook nuclear power plant.

  "We're finally paying it off," he said.

  Mr. Robinson said Holden, as a member of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co., owns a piece of both the Seabrook Station nuclear plant in Seabrook, New Hampshire, and the Millstone Unit 3 nuclear plant in Waterford, Connecticut. He said Seabrook began generating power in 1990, but Holden has been invested in the plant since the 1970s when it was first being built. MMWEC as a whole owns 11.59 percent of Seabrook, or 144 of the 1,244 megawatts the plant produces.

  "We've been involved from the beginning," he said.

  Mr. Robinson said paying off the Seabrook debt should mean significant decreases in costs for the Holden utility in 2016 and 2017. He said he is not ready to suggest the possibility of future rate decreases, but this coming year ratepayers will benefit.

  The reduction amounts to about a 5 percent decrease in electric rates. Mr. Robinson said the current rate for the average rate payer is $13.75 per kilowatt-hour. It would drop to $13. The reduced rate will cut revenues for the light company, but still pay expenses through fiscal 2019. The top 20 customers served by the Holden Municipal Light Co. will save about $200,000 per year, according to Mr. Robinson.

  At $67.27 per month for 500 kilowatt-hours, Holden is on the lower end of the rates for utilities serving communities in Central Massachusetts. The highest rate of the 12 utilities in Central Massachusetts, according to a chart provided by the light company to the Holden Board of Selectmen, is Princeton at $121.48 and the lowest is Boylston at $59. Other communities with rates lower than Holden are Shrewsbury, at $62.98 and West Boylston at $62.64.

  The Holden rates last changed in July 2014 to recover high power costs from the previous winter, but have remained stable in 2015. In the light company's 2016 operating budget, revenues are set at $14,052,627, with expenses slightly lower at $14,036,204, for net income of $16,423.

Stay Out Of the Dog House

Merry Christmas!

Return to the Dog House

NORAD Santa Tracker

NORAD Santa Tracker

Audits and Free Cash

Audits and Free Cash

Free cash can't be spent until it is certified by the DOR. 

DOR won't certify Free Cash until the audits  for FY 13, FY 14 and FY 15 are completed.

It is now the end of December 2015. All three audits would need to be complete by when? In order for the DOR to certify free cash to be used for FY 16? or FY 17?

Looks like FY 18 is the earliest that Free Cash will be certified.

Can't use Free cash until the DOR ceritifes it. DOR can't certify Free Cash  until the audits are completed.  

It would be unwise to spend Free Cash before it is certified by the DOR. 

Quite the pickle this Town is in! Let's add in 50 million dollars of new debt. How's that going to work out? 

US electrical grid vulnerable to foreign hackers

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

 Brian Wallace, a private security researcher in California, discovered that cyberattackers based in Iran had opened a pathway into networks running the nation’s power grid.

By Garance Burke and Jonathan Fahey Associated Press  December 21, 2015

 

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Security researcher Brian Wallace was on the trail of hackers who had snatched a California university’s housing files when he stumbled onto a larger nightmare: Cyberattackers had opened a pathway into networks running the United States power grid.

Digital clues pointed to Iranian hackers. And Wallace found that they had already taken passwords, as well as engineering drawings of dozens of power plants, at least one with the title ‘‘Mission Critical.’’

The drawings were so detailed that experts say skilled attackers could have used them, along with other tools and malicious code, to knock out electricity flowing to millions of homes. The breach involved Calpine Corp., a power producer with 82 plants operating in 18 states and Canada.

Wallace was astonished. But this breach, the Associated Press has found, was not unique. About a dozen times in the last decade, sophisticated foreign hackers have gained enough remote access to control the operations networks that keep the lights on, according to top experts who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter.

The public almost never learns the details about these types of attacks — they’re rarer but also more intricate and potentially dangerous than data theft. Information about the government’s response to these hacks is often protected and sometimes classified; many are never even reported to the government.

Northbridge, Douglas team up to save residents electricity costs

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  By Susan Spencer
  Telegram & Gazette Staff
  

  
  Posted Dec. 17, 2015 at 6:39 PM
  
  
  

  Massachusetts electricity ratepayers have had the ability since 1997 to apply the power of competition to lower their utility bills. That year the Electric Utility Restructuring Act deregulated the electricity market and allowed consumers to select who would provide their power supply.

  But it wasn't until electricity supply rates skyrocketed last winter that many communities took notice.

  In the last few weeks, residents and businesses in Northbridge and Douglas who are currently National Grid basic service customers have received cards informing them that unless they opt out within 30 days, they will automatically be enrolled in a community electricity aggregation program at an electricity supply rate below what National Grid provides.

  "We knew at the time that we were going to have high winter rates last year," said Northbridge Town Manager Theodore D. Kozak. "We were trying to save money for the town, the taxpayers."

  Northbridge and Douglas signed on with a broker, Good Energy, to participate in a group purchase with 21 other towns, most in southeastern Massachusetts. Good Energy went to bid on those communities' behalf and secured a two-year contract with Con Edison for 9.49 cents per kilowatt per hour.

  For comparison, National Grid's current supply rate is 13.038 cents per kWh. Last winter it was up to 16.273 cents per kWh, although it dropped in summer to 9.257 cents.
  

Porter Ranch gas leak a catastrophe not seen since the BP oil spill

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/19/15 04:16 PM—Updated 12/19/15 04:34 PM

By Erin Brockovich

Since October, residents of Porter Ranch California have been exposed to dangerous contaminants from a massive natural gas leak that continues to seep into the air, causing a catastrophe the scale of which has not been seen since the 2010 BP oil spill.

After only a week of visiting families in Porter Ranch, I am already experiencing the headaches, nausea and congestion that have plagued this community living at the center of one of the most significant environmental disasters in recent history.

Southern California Gas Co., or SoCalGas, has essentially ignored the impact to victims and its actions have instead added to their suffering. The company has refused to release air quality data that could be used to protect its residents, it has made relocation very difficult, and it has forged ahead with plans to expand its facility before the leak has even been contained.

Massive gas leak imperils people, environment

The enormity of the Aliso Canyon gas leak cannot be overstated. Gas is escaping through a ruptured pipe more than 8,000 feet underground, and it shows no sign of stopping. As the pressure from weight on top of the pipe causes the gas to diffuse, it only continues to dissipate across a wider and wider area. According to tests conducted in November by the California Air Resources Board, the leak is spewing 50,000 kilograms of gas per hour — the equivalent to the strength of a volcanic eruption.

At this rate, in just one month, the leak will have accounted for one-quarter of the total estimated methane emissions in the state of California.

So it is no surprise that residents here feel sick. While I can escape to my home to recover from my symptoms, this community wakes up to conditions that cause vomiting, nosebleeds and serious respiratory issues daily. And no one really knows the potential long-term side effects of benzene and radon, the carcinogens that are commonly found in natural gas.

This dangerous environment is why the Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously voted last week to close two Porter Ranch schools and relocate their nearly 1,900 students and staff to protect their safety.  

SoCalGas’ response to this disaster is almost as alarming as the impact on the community.

Meetings the Week of December 21, 2015

-->

Meetings the Week of December 21, 2015

Monday 12/21/15

BOS***                              E. Temp                   6:30 pm

Conservation                      E. Temp                   7:00 pm

Tuesday 12/22/15

Planning                             E. Temp                    6:30 pm

Wednesday 12/23/15

Assessors                           E. Temp                     2:00 pm           

***Discuss Tree at Tucker House

The tree on top of the Tucker Building?

Phillipston Drivers Warned Of New, Temporary Stoplight

Phillipston Drivers Warned Of New, Temporary Stoplight

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by Tara Vocino Officer William Chapman said the number of motor vehicle stops have significantly decreased since four stop signs and two stop lights were first installed a week or so ago. Tara Vocino Reporter PHILLIPSTON ––– The police department parked along the side of the road and nailed 34 cars in less than two hours for failure to stop along the Queen Lake Road/Route 101 bridge, which is due for some minor repairs. The state has loaned two solar-powered flashing stop lights to the town during the partial lane closure of the bridge. The state also placed four stop signs on both sides of the bridge for both north and soundbound traffic. The town also placed two warning signs, indicating that drivers will soon be asked to slow down before the bridge from each direction. Officer William Chapman called the cause distracted driving. To ensure safety and to prevent accidents, the issue needed to be addressed – quickly. “They would have had to miss the signs alerting them to the situation as well,” Mr. Chapman said. “It’s a down hill from both directions.” The department issued verbal warnings the morning that the new signs were placed on the road. A citation for failure to stop is normally $105. Police Chief Kevin Dodge said the stops were simply meant to educate the public.

Fudge Makes Christmas Giving A Little Sweeter

Fudge Makes Christmas Giving A Little Sweeter

+ click to enlarge News staff photos by Tara Vocino David Nash, who turned 80 on Friday, tries a sample of chocolate peanut butter fudge from The Farm at Baptist Common at the Senior/Community Center’s Sugar Rush and Candy Sale on Friday. TEMPLETON –– The Farm at Baptist Common and the Friends of the Templeton Elders sponsored a Sugar Rush and Candy Sale on Friday afternoon to help pay for siding, a kitchen or a wheelchair lift for the Senior/Community Center. Friends President Gail Noel said $97 in candy was sold at the senior center, at 16 Senior Drive in Baldwinville, during the first hour of the sale. The Friends is a major fundraising source for the center. The Farm at Baptist Common will donate half of its profits. David Nash, who turned 80 years old on Friday, said he was in quandary about which fudge flavors to purchase. “I’m looking at all of the choices, and there’s no bad choices,” Mr. Nash said, pointing to Mr. Brook’s fudge selection. “They all look delicious.” Mr. Nash said the raspberry and chocolate mint fudge looks tempting. Since he already finished Christmas shopping, he said the fudge will be a Christmas treat for him and his wife, Margaret “Peggy.” He said he came to support seniors less fortunate than him. “Being seniors ourselves, we can relate to their needs,” Mr. Nash said. “For us, we’re healthier than most since we don’t have limitations or aren’t handicapped. But there are a lot of seniors who do. Our day will come.”

The downsides of Prop. 2½ and Community Preservation Act

Well-intentioned policies are exacerbating inequality in Massachusetts 

  Lawrence S. DiCara and Michael Nicholson Dec 17, 2015

 

IN HIS RECENT book, Our Kids, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam argues that the American dream of obtaining a good education, joining the workforce, owning property, and being a prosperous citizen has become increasingly skewed during the past half century. A nation that was built upon the concepts of opportunity and social mobility has been replaced by a bifurcated nation. Likewise, a recent book by Bill Bishop entitled The Big Sort confirms that, across America, people are choosing to live in neighborhoods with people like themselves. Sadly, this trend extends to where we worship and with whom we socialize.

In Massachusetts, this economic stratification that controls where people live and how they conduct their lives is being exacerbated by two big public policy measures we have put in place: Proposition 2½ and the Community Preservation Act. At a time when income inequality is a topic of frequent and intense debate, it is important that those of us who care about the future of Massachusetts acknowledge the impact of public policies enacted over the past 35 years that result in an ever-increasing division between the haves and the have-nots in the Commonwealth.

Proposition  2½ and the Community Preservation Act determine how Massachusetts municipalities collect and spend the money they take in from property taxes. Proposition 2½, approved by voters in 1980, limits, with statutory exceptions, the amount of money a municipality can collect from property taxes. The Community Preservation Act, which must be adopted by a local approval of voters in a community, creates a special municipal fund that collects a surcharge on property taxes and then apportions the amount raised for the purposes of purchasing open space, historic preservation, recreational upgrades, or the building of affordable housing units. Both laws may have had good intentions, but there are unanticipated consequences resulting from each which should now merit our attention.

The main problem with Proposition 2½ arises from the reality that affluent communities are far more likely to pass override and exclusion votes to fund projects through property tax increases. It is simple math — the rich have more expendable income than do the poor. The rich can afford the extra tax increases, while the poor cannot. Affluent communities pass overrides regularly; in poor communities, overrides fail frequently. Newton passed an override to approve $11.5 million in spending in 2002. Duxbury passed an override in 2008, that increased the average household tax bill by $108 in order to design renovations for the town’s public pool. North Attleboro, however, voted down an override to increase spending by $4 million ($413 per household) in April of 2015, causing large cuts to be made by municipal officials. In July of this year, residents of Rutland also voted down an override that would increase taxes $135 per household for the purpose of increasing funds for the Wachusett Regional School District.

People who are in lower-income brackets often settle in low tax/low service communities partly because they cannot afford to pay the taxes in the more affluent communities. There results an economic segregation far greater than prior to Proposition 2½.

 

We looked at three communities of similar size, but with very different demographics.

Since 1990, the town of Marblehead, population 19,808, has collected $5.1 million in additional tax revenues obtained by override votes. The funds gained through these overrides enabled the town to build a new school, repair roads and drainage systems, and provided much needed updates to the town’s infrastructure. In the city of Gardner, in contrast, all eight override ballot questions proposed since 1990 have failed.

Wachusett Praying For A Cold Snap

Wachusett Praying For A Cold Snap Snowmaking guns ready to blast if temperature drops

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by DONEEN DURLING The slopes are being prepared for snow guns as the pond water is fountain-cooled for best results. Doneen Durling News Correspondent PRINCETON Even though there was no snow on Friday, by Sunday, there should be enough snow on the slopes of Wachusett Mountain Ski Area to dress the mountain in its Christmas glory. Carolyn Crowley Stimpson, one of the owners and operators of Wachusett Mountain, said that even though winter has not hit the slopes Santa Claus will be visiting the mountain on Sunday, Dec. 20. Santa is due to be delivered by helicopter at 1 p.m. sharp at the ski lodge. And she’s hoping the weather will cooperate enough so the ski area can do some good snowmaking. “A point of confusion for many of our guests is they don’t know that it has to be freezing to make snow,” she explained. She pointed to a fountain flowing in the center of the pond at the base of the mountain. “Do you know we do that to lower the temperature of the pond so the ambient air will actually decrease the temperature of the water. We are trying to do whatever possible to try and make snow whenever we can.”

Taking A Ride With The Templeton Police

Taking A Ride With The Templeton Police

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by Tara Vocino Sgt. Derek Hall said larceny and breaking and entering are the most common incidents that are reported. + click to enlarge Tara Vocino Tara Vocino Reporter TEMPLETON Gardner News reporter Tara Vocino is taking a closer look at the inner workings of some of the local institutions that sometimes get taken for granted. Today she pays a visit to the Templeton Police Department and shares her insights as she takes a ride with the police. I took an evening ride-along in an unmarked cruiser to experience a day in the life of a police sergeant. It was a chance to see the inner working of the men in blue, responding to the call of duty, putting their lives on the line when need be. A common consensus among Sgt. Steven Flis and Sgt. Derek Hall is that no one day is the same. Calls that came in were for a car that hit a deer, a motor vehicle stop for improper use of headlights and executing an arrest warrant. During the ride-along, the sergeants talked about the challenges of the job, including handling child deaths or domestic cases involving children, working irregular hours and on major holidays as well as the high-pressure environment. They also spoke of the highlights of their position, including when former addicts later thank them for helping them to become sober, saving lives, and solving difficult, investigative cases. Mr. Hall began the evening by giving a tour of the station and pointing out the cell and station addition that is currently being done thanks to a donation. He pointed to where a new, bigger addition will be, in the current parking lot behind the station, due to the ballot vote passing earlier this week. “This is our booking room, where we handcuff prisoners to the wall,” Mr. Hall said. “We previously had to transport them to Athol, where we had to pay an officer to watch the prisoners and the cruiser would be out-of-town.” Mr. Flis said the vote passing is good both for the town and for the department.

More on Lawsuit Against Fluoride In Canada

More on Lawsuit Against Fluoride In Canada

 Donna Westfall's letter to Peel Region Canada



Hello Donna,

Just another point that I missed mentioning. Health Canada recommends that Toxicology testing be done on Hydrofluorisilicic Acid [HFSA] to ensure the safety of the product. It is interesting to note that there is no one on record that has ever done Toxicology testing on HFSA in Canada nor the U.S.

As you may be aware, the Federal and Provincial Governments in Canada do not mandate Artificial Water Fluoridation to Municipalities. Rather Municipalities have taken the responsibility  to decide whether to Artificially Fluoridate or not Artificially Fluoridate its water supply. I would say that It stands to reason that the Toxicology testing responsibility rests on the Municipalities that have decided to Artificially Fluoridate their water supply.

From my understanding, the Fluoridation Act that was enacted by the Province of Ontario in 1962, gave the option to Municipalities to Artificially Fluoridate their water supply, but did not Authorize the use of Hudrofluorosilicic Acid to be added to the water supply. The Act says that Municipalities can install Fluoridation equipment and add Fluoride Ions to the water supply.

Should Peel Regional Council decide not to discontinue Artificial Water Fluoridation, this issue will eventually be decided in the court of Law. Given the fact that Health Canada recommends Toxicology testing be done and Peel Region has not done the tests. Given the fact that the Fluoridation Act does not Authorize the Municipality to use a Toxic Chemical, such us HFSA to be added to the water supply,

I have no Idea how a Councillor will be able to justify, adding a Toxic Chemical to the water supply to the Judge, especially given that the recommended Toxicology testing have never been done.

Templeton Groups Turn To Sweet Tooths To Help Senior Center

Templeton Groups Turn To Sweet Tooths To Help Senior Center Sugar Rush Fudge and Candy Sale on Friday to serve as a fundraiser

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by Tara Vocino Friends of the Templeton Elders President Gail Noel asked, “Who doesn’t have a sweet tooth,” while promoting the Sugar Rush Fudge and Candy Sale at the Templeton Senior Community Center on Friday. Tara Vocino Reporter TEMPLETON –– Everyone has that hard-to-buy-for person on their Christmas list and The Farm at Baptist Common and the Friends of the Templeton Elders are hoping to satisfy that need by sponsoring a Sugar Rush Fudge and Candy Sale on Friday, Dec. 18, from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Senior/Community Center at 16 Senior Drive. Money raised will go toward siding, the kitchen or a wheelchair lift. The Friends is a major fundraising source for the Senior Center. According to Friends President Gail Noel, the sale is an opportunity to purchase some last-minute Christmas gifts exactly one week before Christmas for that hard-to-buy-for person. “People can buy stocking stuffers at excellent prices,” Ms. Noel said. Fudge will cost $6.50 for half of a pound and about $13 for a pound. Featured flavors include: chocolate, chocolate walnut, penuche walnut, peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter.

Welcome To The Real World

Welcome To The Real World GFA Reality Fair teaches seniors financial sense

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by Andrew Mansfield Seniors Christoph Knoll, second from left, and David Belitsky, third from left, who are members of the GFA Student Advisory Board, talk about living costs with GFA Real Estate Sales Development Officer Edmond Perry. Andrew Mansfield Reporter GARDNER  Seniors from Gardner High School received a firsthand experience of how to crunch the numbers and make their budget work as an adult. GFA Federal Credit Union held its Reality Fair for students on Wednesday morning at the school’s gym. Representatives from the bank and local businesses gave them a tutorial on a future with financial responsibilities. “We go around and look at all the expenses of life and that’s why it’s called a Reality Fair,” said senior David Belitsky. Mount Wachusett Community College, Walmart, Heywood Hospital and Salvadore Auto Group were among the local outlets on hand to instruct students on the costs they will face paying monthly bills for student loans, cell phone plans, health insurance and transportation, among other costs. GFA Federal Credit Union President and CEO Tina Sbrega said the bank has been hosting the fair at the high school for many years. Several volunteers from different departments were on hand to guide students on how to approach financial decisions regarding cost of living, loans, paying taxes and saving for the future. Real Estate Sales Development Officer Edmond Perry hosted a table to guide students through the decision of where to live. “I’m showing them the difference between what it takes to own a house or rent an apartment, especially with utilities,” he said. “A lot of students end up realizing the value of money. It’s not uncommon for them to say, ‘I’m going home to thank my parents because I didn’t know how expensive it is to live,’” said Ms. Sbrega.