News opinion 2008-05-16 Andanh.com

Essex County Chronicles: Great tale in how Marblehead woman stole Sir Harry's heart Fri, 16 May 2008 00:32:00 EDT
A quick first trip through the wonderful "Wedded Bliss" exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum calls to mind some of our region's best-known love stories.
The courtships and marriages of Simon and Anne Bradstreet, Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne, and Sir Harry and Agnes Frankland, for example, all have the makings of a great novel or movie.

Taylor Armdering: Random thoughts offered before they, er .... get too ripe Fri, 16 May 2008 00:32:00 EDT
Random thoughts accumulated over random weeks:
I got a press release a while ago telling me World Vegetarian Week was nigh. It gave me an irresistible craving for a burger.
nnn
I used to think ripe was really a positive word. You know, perfect. At the natural peak. Full of health and flavor. Until I got to be my age. Now, my friends remind me that ripe is just this side of rotten. Thanks.

View from Beacon Hill: Biotech leaders upset over gift ban Fri, 16 May 2008 00:24:00 EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray are taking a road trip to San Diego next month for a major biotechnology conference. The way things are shaping up, they could end up as the proverbial skunks at a lawn party.

Our view: Region's sports fans need a lift Fri, 16 May 2008 00:23:00 EDT
New England sports fans need a big win — another NBA title for the Celtics, perhaps, or a repeat of last October's World Series victory — to lift the funk that has enveloped the region since the Patriots fell to the Giants in February's Super Bowl.

Our view: Beverly school budget needs more than a Band-Aid Fri, 16 May 2008 00:23:00 EDT
It's the talk of the city: How to address the estimated $2.67-million funding gap schools in Beverly face in the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Parents have been rallying around their neighborhood schools and some have proposed an override of Proposition 21/2. Superintendent James Hayes has proposed a consolidation of the elementary school system that would result in teacher layoffs, higher class sizes and new uses for the McKeown and Cove schools. And Wednesday night Mayor William Scanlon finally unveiled details of his mystery plan for the schools that would keep the Cove School open by supplementing the city's educational budget with funds that become available due to anticipated savings in its trash disposal accounts.

Letter: Historic city has lost its way Fri, 16 May 2008 00:22:00 EDT
To the editor:
Unlike Newburyport and Portsmouth, Salem has lost its way.
It all began in October 1954 with the demolition of the unique and castle-like railroad station directly across from the post office. Then, back in the 1960s under Mayor Collins and his redevelopment authority, urban renewal began. By the time Mayor Zoll stopped the bulldozing, 137 building had been torn down, including five movie theaters, a large number of homes and over 100 retail establishments. The latter included the Sears Roebuck, Woolworth, and Almy's department stores.

Our view: Tax hike boosts black market for tobacco Fri, 16 May 2008 00:22:00 EDT
The Massachusetts Legislature seems to think cigarette smokers are a bottomless piggy bank. But there is a bottom, and with their latest raid on smokers, lawmakers could be reaching it.
The House and Senate have both passed bills that would hike the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, putting it at $2.51, which is expected to bring in another $175 million.

Nelson Benton: On the mend, Berry has ideal foe Fri, 16 May 2008 00:22:00 EDT
Seated in a wheelchair, Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry kicked off his bid for a 14th term Tuesday night before a packed house at the Danversport Yacht Club.
His opponent, as the Peabody Democrat quipped, is "Mr. Blank." All kidding aside, Berry is fortunate not to have any opposition this year since, while wife Gayle pointedly noted that the 58-year-old legislator can get around on his own, it's clear recent medical problems have taken their toll on him physically.

Letter: Saltonstall a good value for Salem children and taxpayers Fri, 16 May 2008 00:21:00 EDT
To the editor:
As principal of Saltonstall School, I must respond to the letter from Kathleen Ward that appeared in your newspaper on Wednesday, May 14.
Mrs. Ward questioned keeping Saltonstall School's extended day and year, and she incorrectly referred to the school as "an elitist program that services a small population."

Barbara Anderson: Activist warns of cost of government intrusion Thu, 15 May 2008 00:44:00 EDT
As a taxpayer activist and longtime friend of Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, I have a standing invitation to attend what has been called the most important meeting in Washington — the monthly Wednesday meetings of conservative Capitol Hill aides and center-right "Leave Us Alone Coalition" representatives held in Grover's offices.

My view: Trouble on the Tobin Bridge Thu, 15 May 2008 00:44:00 EDT
There's been a curious lack of public outrage over the quiet decision by the Massachusetts Port Authority to close one lane of the northbound Tobin Bridge for repairs this summer and fall.
The fact that the Tobin is in urgent need of repair should not come as a surprise to those who use it regularly. It is alarmingly rusty in places and earlier this year I swear I saw small pieces of debris falling from the upper deck onto the roadway below.

Our view: Danvers blast should spark needed reforms Thu, 15 May 2008 00:43:00 EDT
"The system had zero tolerance for that mistake ... and it was an expected mistake," John Vorderbrueggen, lead investigator for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, told editors and reporters Tuesday, previewing the final report released that evening on the cause of the Nov. 22, 2006, Danversport explosion.

Our view: Not quite all night Thu, 15 May 2008 00:43:00 EDT
Apparently members of the Peabody City Council just can't abide the thought of a business open 24 hours a day, even if it's on a major highway like Route 114. But it will allow the Dunkin' Donuts planned for the former KFC site near the Danvers line to be open 21 hours a day.

Letter: Yard waste pick-up should be early in the spring Thu, 15 May 2008 00:42:00 EDT
To the editor:
I love spending my hard-earned dollars purchasing approved, biodegradable yard waste bags to clean up my yard — only to have them degrade in my yard.
We killed ourselves numerous evenings after work to pack 40 or so of these bags with all of our leaves and yard waste material. This was back in March and April when most people want to get out in the fresh air and clean up their yards for spring. This activity is even more prevalent now that Daylight Saving Time has been pushed up two weeks earlier.

Letter: Student group responds Thu, 15 May 2008 00:41:00 EDT
To the editor:
Your May 6 article ("Campus club rejected") contained several misrepresentations about a Gordon College Student Association meeting that we would like to address.
The article stated of student Tania Green's proposal for a support group for LGBTQ students, that Ms. Green had been "stymied" and that "if she's denied, there won't be a club next year." These statements imply ill will on the part of GCSA, and also imply that once a proposal for a student organization is denied, the rejection is permanent and will not be reconsidered. This is not the case.

Letter: Local group urges tolerance at Gordon Thu, 15 May 2008 00:41:00 EDT
To the editor:
As members of the Hamilton-Wenham Committee for Tolerance, we admire the courage of student Tania Green who requested the Gordon College Student Association form a campus support club for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning students.

Letter: Montserrat project threatens historic Beverly neighborhood Thu, 15 May 2008 00:40:00 EDT
To the editor:
I feel strongly that Beverly needs to protect and preserve the Second-Period homes and structures abutting the Beverly Common and the library.
Second-Period structures are houses built after 1750 until about 1820. Two of these Federalist structures by the Common that are in danger of demolition are those at 11 and 13 Winter St. These beautiful, white-clad structures are not stately homes, but homes for the common man and are unique in that they have survived. One was built in 1794 for mariner David Thomas and the other in 1795 for David Fornis by bricklayer William Fornis.

Our view: Progress on the tourism front Wed, 14 May 2008 09:33:00 EDT
Salem is doing many things right when it come to marketing its No. 1 industry, but it could do some things better, according to those directly and indirectly involved in the tourist trade.
Destination Salem's adoption of the tag "America's Bewitching Seaport," which adorns the cover of its 2008 travel guide, reminds potential visitors of the city's link with both the witchcraft hysteria of 1692 and its maritime history. The organization has been revived under the leadership of new Executive Director Kate Fox, and Monday it provided an update to some 100 stakeholders at a conference held at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Thanks: Art Corner will rise from the ashes Wed, 14 May 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
Now that we have more than a week of our ordeal/adventure — the terrible fire at the Art Corner the night of Thursday, April 24 — behind us, I'd like to take the time to offer my thanks and praise to those who were so helpful in those gut-wrenching hours when my husband and I rounded the corner to see the smashed-out windows and spewing smoke from the store, which was our passion and our livelihood.

Letter: College's effort do deal with gay lifestyle more complicated than portrayed Wed, 14 May 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
I recently attended the Gordon College Student Association (GCSA) meeting at which the proposed student group "Spectrum" was denied.
I am involved in neither GCSA nor Spectrum, but was simply there to observe the meeting. I have thoughts in response to the article of May 7 headlined, "Campus club rejected: Vote against gay support group leaves some Gordon students feeling isolated."

Our view: Arlen Specter needs to find a real issue Fri, 16 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
New England sports fans need a big win — another NBA title for the Celtics, perhaps, or a repeat of last October's World Series victory — to lift the funk that has enveloped the region since the Patriots fell to the Giants in February's Super Bowl.

Oil conspiracy theories are just too slick Fri, 16 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
With the price of gasoline at the pump climbing to $4 a gallon and heating oil already over that, conspiracy theories over suspected reasons are everywhere about.
Understandable, but I don't buy them. Too much else going on.

Letter: Angry over health-care costs Fri, 16 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
To the editor:
I am writing to express my anger at the health insurance companies that jack up their rates higher and higher every single year like clockwork. Before the rate increases come through they have to be approved by the Commission of Insurance in Boston.

Letter: Bunny's advice always good Fri, 16 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
To the editor:
If there is a solitary and sane voice in the Merrimack Valley — it is that voice of the forever grounded and always unflappable Bunny Fernald of your Opinions page.
My only regret is that he writes only once a month instead of once a week. He's got that Yankee simplicity and sensibility about him that — if he lived in LA — he'd probably have his own cult!

Thanks for heping with food drive Fri, 16 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
To the editor:
We would like to thank those who contributed to the Post Office Food Drive this past weekend. And a huge thank you to the mail carriers who picked up and delivered the food to The Salvation Army.

Letter: Clarifying why Yellow School group was ousted Fri, 16 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
To the editor:
In reference to the article by Victor Tine titled "Byfield arts groups clash over return of donations" (Daily News, May 9), the report seemed fair and generally accurate. (He might have mentioned the dozen or so representatives of area nonprofits in attendance supporting the directors of The Yellow School Center for the Arts.)

Letter: Jackmans dedicated to open space in Newbury Fri, 16 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
To the editor:
Fred and Eva Jackman are the owners of the 43-acre parcel David Hall speaks about in his letter (published May 9). We are a First Settlers Family still farming the land that James Jackman bought in 1648. We are in Land Court with David Hall because he has presented an argument that the road we use to access our farm land does not exist. However the Town of Newbury and the Trustees of Reservations are both listed as defendants in land court defending the "2 rod public way."

Thanks for supporting Comedy Night Thu, 15 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
To the Editor:
The Amesbury Rotary Club would like to thank everyone who attended the Comedy Night on May 3 at Amesbury Sports Park. Nearly 100 people enjoyed three great comics from North Shore Comedy and wonderful company, and supported Amesbury Rotary projects, such as Roto-Plast, Polio-Plus, Scholarships for High School Students, and many more.

Witch hunt aimed at drug companies Thu, 15 May 2008 03:36:00 EDT
To the Editor:
As a nurse practitioner, who has followed the legislative debate over of the banning of "gifts" to health care professionals by pharmaceutical companies, I find it laughable to consider the notion that this practice has increased the cost of health care. Is a pen emblazoned with a medication's logo in my hand going to compel me to prescribe this drug? Is a modest dinner going to drive me to write a prescription of the sponsor's medication? Is a lecture by a leading expert going to make me fawn and prescribe the most expensive medication?

To the editor: Thanks for helping Rowley library Thu, 15 May 2008 03:35:00 EDT
To the Editor:
On behalf of the Friends of the Rowley Public Library, I wish to extend a sincere thank you to so many people without whom the Rowley Public Library's Annual Book and Bake Sale could not have taken place. Volunteers contributed in all areas, including planning, sorting books, helping with publicity, baking and working the days of the sale.

To the editor: Thanks for helping find Angel Thu, 15 May 2008 03:35:00 EDT
To the editor:
We just have to share our great news with you all. Our 18-year-old cat Angel, missing for 17 days, has been found! We have all of you out there to thank who looked, prayed and sympathized with us. Thanks to everyone who called with sightings, especially Kim Heidt and Kathy Schlick, who found Angel hiding in the shed. We are so grateful for this miracle and for all the caring people who lifted us up along the way.

To the editor: Statistics in letter were misleading Thu, 15 May 2008 03:35:00 EDT
To the Editor:
This unsolicited letter comes from one who has substituted over several decades for teachers at Triton and many other high schools mentioned in David Shelbourne's statistics, which I find highly misleading.

The Village At Little River: a challenging opportunity Thu, 15 May 2008 03:35:00 EDT
In the next few weeks, residents of Newbury will be asked to make a series of decisions that will either approve the development of The Village at Little River or reject it.
The Newbury Planning Board has worked with the developers, other town committees and groups throughout the community to modify and redesign the proposal so it honors the character of Newbury and makes intelligent and sensitive use of the site. The board's duty is also to provide to the town the best and most complete information available about the development's proposals. The presentation planned for May 31 will continue to do that.

Editorial cartoon by David Hitch Friday May 16, 2008

If voters had say, tax bill would have failed Friday May 16, 2008
With all the opinions exchanged concerning the recent $392 million tax package by the Legislature, I believe most people have missed the great crime against the citizens perpetrated by House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and the vast majority of Democratic representatives (of the 160 members, only 19 are Republicans) with no notice to the public that the tax issue was on tap. Mr. DiMasi wrapped the whole thing up in a single day. This gave the voters zero chance to urge our representatives to oppo

Oil should be distributed to everyone fairly Friday May 16, 2008
I never thought I'd ever see us beaten, but today, oil is being used as an economical weapon to destroy our economy and others.

Who to vote for in presidential race Friday May 16, 2008
Let's see, I'm supposed to vote for an empty suit for president because he says he is for hope and change. Change/hope to what - increased taxes for a liberal agenda?

Money talks Friday May 16, 2008
While Worcester city councilors and the administration tried to put a positive spin on their huge raises, it is hard to gainsay the perplexity of residents who struggle to make ends meet while tax bills and fees continue to climb.

Readers address upcoming election ballot issues Friday May 16, 2008
On this year's local election ballot on May 19, we will be asked to vote on three questions. All three questions ask that we exclude capital expenditure lease payments from the budget. The lease payments are for the Highway Department loader, police cruiser and new Fire Department ambulance. These vehicles were all purchased/leased within the past year or two, and payments total about $60,000 annually.

Specter's new role: Congress' Keystone camera cop Friday May 16, 2008
Things must be pretty rosy from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh these days, because Sen. Arlen Specter seems to have nothing better to do than push for an independent inquiry into the videotaping practices of the New England Patriots.

(No heading) Friday May 16, 2008
Prior to the Election Day vote on a Proposition 2 1/2 override for $1.5 million, all our town boards selectmen, finance, school department and town manager, recommended a "yes" vote. Two days after it failed, the town manager saved $660,000 on insurance. He and the town employees need to be commended. I commend them all.

YOUR VIEW: Transportation funding: How we got into this mess Fri, 16 May 2008 06:00 EST

I've been a regional transportation planner for 28 years. I've seen fat years and lean years in our budgets for maintaining our roads and bridges. You would think that it would all even out over time, but in the fat years money tends to get wasted, and...

YOUR VIEW: Only Clinton will do Fri, 16 May 2008 06:00 EST

I am amazed at the number of Republican pundits who are pushing for Sen. Clinton to get out of the race and who are obviously for Sen. Obama to be the Democratic nominee.

LETTER: Region doesn't need more space for jobs Fri, 16 May 2008 06:00 EST

Region doesn't need more

YOUR VIEW: Casinos, other Patrick initiatives worth the effort Fri, 16 May 2008 06:00 EST

All of the efforts of Gov. Deval Patrick represent what many other governors failed to do: engage the community, be present in government and put forth proposals to help Massachusetts succeed.

LETTER: Reverse VFW boycott decision Fri, 16 May 2008 06:00 EST

Reverse VFW boycott decision

OUR VIEW: Disaster as a root of change Fri, 16 May 2008 06:00 EST

If only the world's compassion for human suffering in Myanmar and China could shift the thinking of their authoritarian regimes.

YOUR VIEW: VFW's Murray is making poor choices Thu, 15 May 2008 06:00 EST

A mere five weeks after the tragic loss of one of Fairhaven's kids, Steve Murray has the audacity to appear in The Standard-Times whining about how he's getting picked on and how "the community, including both elected officials and town residents, has...

YOUR VIEW: Understanding crimes against the disabled Thu, 15 May 2008 06:00 EST

The Standard-Times and reporter Brian Fraga are to be complimented for the excellent coverage of the recent controversy over the prosecution of four years of horrible crimes against a young man with developmental disability and his family. ("Law...

LETTER: Onset Fire District needs better oversight Thu, 15 May 2008 06:00 EST

Onset Fire District needs better oversightIn answer to a recent article in a local paper regarding police cruisers, maybe it is inappropriate to give something like that to the Onset Fire District.

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