News opinion 2008-05-27 Andanh.com

Our view: SJC calls halt to pension hijinks Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT
There was another victory for common sense and the taxpayers in last week's Supreme Judicial Court decision barring municipal officials from using the value of their city or town-owned vehicle in figuring their retirement benefits.

Editor's view: We'll help you find 'cheap' gas Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT
In the time it takes you to read this column, gas prices will have probably risen another few cents.
As I write this Friday morning, the news wires are reporting gasoline prices have hit yet another record high, reaching a national average of $3.83 a gallon. The $3.82 a gallon I spent filling the family pickup that morning had me yearning for the diminutive, fuel-sipping Ford Festiva I drove early in my career.

Letter: Leave Olde Salem Green the way it is now Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT
To the editor:
It's that time of year again! The warm weather is approaching and the conversation and controversy over Salem's municipal golf course is as predictable as gas price increases each summer.

Letter: Northeast Health continues to do difficult job well Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT
To the editor:
Every member of the Northeast Hospital Corp. team — including the administrative leadership and medical staff — is united in our mission to provide expert, quality and compassionate medical care to the residents of the North Shore. Doing so in a complex fiscal, regulatory and competitive environment requires difficult discussions, deliberations and decisions among the many committed stakeholders who must find consensus for moving an institution forward.

Letter: Son inspired by ancestor, local artists Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT
To the editor,
It was with great appreciation that I read the fine article by Steve Landwehr in your May 16 edition on my son, George S. Patton Jr., a mentally-challenged person whose artistic talents are being highlighted in a current exhibit sponsored by the North Shore Arc.

Our view: Taxpayer largess invites pension abuse Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT
The cost of funding employees' pensions and medical benefits in retirement is threatening to bankrupt state and local government. Evidence of just how generous these packages are can be seen in the lengths to which people will go to make themselves eligible.

Our view: Amesbury should look in the mirror Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT
It's an odd day indeed when an employee earns more than her top-ranking boss, but that's precisely what may happen in Amesbury.
Amesbury Mayor Thatcher Kezer earns $60,000 a year. He's advocating that his chief of staff be paid a little over $63,000, starting in the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

As I See It: A time of renewal, except for the economy Tue, 27 May 2008 05:57:00 EDT
This time of year always brings back wonderful memories of gardening with my Mom and watching my Dad putter around in the yard. It is preparation of the soil, planting, fertilization and spurt of growth that always gives me a boost in spirit.

Letter: Amesbury spending money too freely Tue, 27 May 2008 05:55:00 EDT
To the editor:
I am not certain what kind of air remains on the Amesbury's (mayor's) planet but in these troubled economic times the mayor and the Amesbury Municipal Council have granted the mayor an astonishing and historic raise. In an equally openhanded fashion, the mayor would now like to give his aide an extraordinary raise (21 percent), along with a generous increase for town employees, maybe a new police station, at least give the one we have climate control. Throw in a new fire station and while we're at it, why not add new town hall. It's "full speed ahead!"

Letter: A bonus, not a raise, for the mayor Tue, 27 May 2008 05:55:00 EDT
To the editor:
Although, as an economic conservative, I hate to see increased municipal spending, I applaud Amesbury's Municipal Council's efforts to increase the salary of Mayor Kezer. All cities must find ways to attract outstanding candidates for important municipal offices. We can't expect qualified applicants to run for a full-time office with compensation below their existing salaries. So, I have no problem with the new proposed $80,000 salary. I also believe that the city councilors need a substantial pay increase. Since the Legislature and executive branches represent arms of government with equal power, I think that their pay and expense budgets should be equal. The council's pay would be split nine ways. A pay increase for one should automatically be a pay increase for the other.

Letter: Paying tribute to a dear friend Tue, 27 May 2008 05:55:00 EDT
To the editor:
For most of us oldtimers, when we get The Daily News, we first turn to the obituary column, discovering one of our dear friends has passed away. Recently, a dear friend, a so-called Ward 5'er, passed away. I admit, I do not attend many wakes or funerals, choosing to remember them as I knew them, alive and reasonably well. I made an exception in this case, attending the wake and funeral of Rose Tirone. The exception was due to the many years I, and my family, knew Rose and her husband, John, as well as her family and children. If it were me being waked, I am sure Rose, even at an advanced age, would be there for me.

Letter: McElligott should not have been let go Tue, 27 May 2008 05:55:00 EDT
To the editor:
What's happening right now inside Triton High School's Athletic Department is wrong and needs to be put to a stop. First, going into last season, Drew Wile, the excellent Triton hockey coach, was not brought back because he refused to give a kid a letter who quit the team halfway through the season and then showed up at the banquet and expected to get a letter even though there would be some bench players and jayvees who show up everyday for the 6 a.m. practices and would not get one.

OUR VIEW: Answer the question, chief! Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

New Bedford's Police Department has done a good job under the Lang administration and the supervision of Chief Ron Teachman.

YOUR VIEW: Sheriff's appeals are costly and anti-union Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

Like an old malfunctioning washer-dryer, Sheriff Tom Hodgson's spin control has gone awry. He can no longer claim guest rights to Bill O'Reilly's "No-Spin Zone."

NATIONAL VIEW: The audacity of Doug Wilder Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

Before Barack Obama ever popularized it, "the audacity of hope" was more than a phrase in Virginia politics; it was lived experience. When L. Douglas Wilder, the first African-American state senator elected in Virginia since Reconstruction, weighed a...

LETTER: Lobby group out of touch with sportsmen Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

Lobby group

LETTER: Hoping Randall is up to the task Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

Hoping Randall is up to the task

NATIONAL VIEW: China's earthquake rattles party's control Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

The tragedy of the Chinese earthquake may be redeemed somewhat by long-term, positive changes in China's civil society. The response to that disaster shows how much prosperity, openness to the outside world and the revolution in communications has...

LETTER: Brain tumor survivor wishes Kennedy well Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

Brain tumor survivor wishes Kennedy well

Public discourse Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

In this season of town meetings, the revered New England institution of direct democracy and citizen participation, it may surprise you to know that James Madison, a founding father, was no fan.

Esteem based on lies seems little worth having Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

We disagree with Walter Jaworski's May 16 letter, "Bush has restored America's esteem.

Roadblocks catch fewer drunks than patrols Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

The sobriety checkpoint planned for Cape Cod this weekend ("State police will operate sobriety checkpoint," May 22) will serve to funnel limited state and federal grant money away from measures that have proven to be most effective in combating drunk...

McCain will have to be specific on positions Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

If he's going to win the presidency, John McCain will have to say much more than: "Vote for me because I'm experienced and Obama is young and naive." Rather, he'll have to explain his positions.

One step forward, two steps back with energy Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

With reference to the economic toll exacted by rising gasoline and other energy costs, one wonders what the U.S.

Private profits vs. public health Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

There is no doubt that corporate surgical centers are a growing and controversial new force in health care on the Cape. They're also a major force behind the declining revenues of local nonprofit community hospitals.

Remembering a friend on Memorial Day Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00 EST

It was a sunny day last month when I looked for my friend's name on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. I found it — Walter Ralph Daley — inscribed about half way up on the east wall amid thousands of others. Over 58,000 in all.

State GOP won't contest three-quarters of legislative races Tue, 27 May 2008 19:07:43 -0400
BOSTON - Republicans are contesting fewer than a fourth of all legislative races this year, guaranteeing Democrats an overwhelming majority on Beacon Hill. There are 200...

Electrical fire disrupts Boston subway service Tue, 27 May 2008 18:29:42 -0400
BOSTON - Two Boston subway stations have been evacuated following a small electrical fire in a Red Line tunnel. Smoke was reported in the Park Street and Downtown Crossing...

Firefighter pleads not guilty in sex sting Tue, 27 May 2008 18:23:19 -0400
A Boston firefighter allegedly caught offering an undercover police officer $29 for sex pleaded not guilty this morning and was ordered to enter into a treatment program. ...

Gloucester birth control flap prompts resignations Tue, 27 May 2008 18:10:50 -0400
Two fed-up medical officials have quit Gloucester High School's health center amid a teen pregnancy "crisis" in a fight over handing out condoms and birth-control...

Woman whose car struck Sandra Bullock's SUV pleads guilty Tue, 27 May 2008 17:24:24 -0400
GLOUCESTER - A Gloucester woman whose car struck actress Sandra Bullock's SUV last month has been placed on probation for one year. Lucile Gatchell pleaded guilty...

Storm clouds quickly darken Hub afternoon Tue, 27 May 2008 17:12:40 -0400
Weather did a 180-degree turn today when sunny skies darkened into severe thunderstorms, with lightening strikes and downpours sweeping across the region. Boston felt...

Fact Check: Clinton and the 1992 campaign Tue, 27 May 2008 16:45:52 -0400
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton often says her husband wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination in June 1992 in defending her decision to press ahead until the...

Rep. Kennedy makes 1st R.I. appearance after dad's diagnosis Tue, 27 May 2008 16:26:14 -0400
CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. - A week after his father was diagnosed with brain cancer, Rep. Patrick Kennedy said today that his family was prepared for the fight ahead. "All...

3rd teen charged in Brockton cabbie's slaying Tue, 27 May 2008 16:12:40 -0400
BROCKTON - A third teenager had been charged in the slaying of a cab driver in Brockton. Seventeen-year-old Jeffrey Milton pleaded not guilty in Brockton District Court...

Lynn police shoot and kill knife-wielding man Tue, 27 May 2008 15:52:18 -0400
LYNN - A knife-wielding East Boston man was shot and killed by a Lynn police officer early this morning after a foot chase resulted in gunfire, police said. The officer,...

Norwood woman, 24 dies in house fire Tue, 27 May 2008 15:29:31 -0400
NORWOOD - A 24-year-old woman has died in a two-alarm fire at her Norwood home. The Norfolk District Attorney's Office says Lauren Ayala died yesterday in the fire...

Six Flags cuts Agawam park's ticket prices Tue, 27 May 2008 15:27:00 -0400
AGAWAM - At a time when most things are getting more expensive, Six Flags New England is hoping to lure customers with a cut in ticket prices. The amusement park in Agawam...

OSHA proposes $240,000 in fines in Taunton building collapse Tue, 27 May 2008 14:10:30 -0400
TAUNTON - Federal regulators have cited a Rhode Island construction company for 15 alleged safety violations and proposed nearly $240,000 in fines for a building collapse...

Critic: 'Murderabilia' site a crime Tue, 27 May 2008 13:52:34 -0400
What is thought to be the first Massachusetts-based online shopping mall for twisted murderabilia opened for business this month. PrisonBoundSerialKillers.com, which...

Jockeying for position Tue, 27 May 2008 13:31:52 -0400
At 72, Frank Amonte isn't ready to give up. A jockey for 56 years, the wise-cracking grandfather has set his sights on breaking into the Guinness World Record book...

Jury awards $4.5 million in Cambridge discrimination case Tue, 27 May 2008 12:11:04 -0400
CAMBRIDGE - A woman who once worked as director of Cambridge's police review board has been awarded $4.5 million by a jury that found the city retaliated against her...

Ted Jr.: Don't count dad out Tue, 27 May 2008 10:22:57 -0400
HYANNIS - A resilient Sen. Edward M. Kennedy seized the helm of his schooner Mya yesterday, sailing the final leg of the annual Figawi regatta, prompting his son to predict...

Bumper cars Tue, 27 May 2008 09:03:10 -0400
Drivers hoping high gas prices would give them a break from bumper-to-bumper drives home this Memorial Day weekend were stuck yesterday as traffic jams plagued vacationers...

Luckily, the sun didn't take a holiday Tue, 27 May 2008 01:43:57 -0400
It was a Memorial Day to remember for Bay State sun lovers. The National Weather Service reported highs in the lower 80s and clear skies across the city yesterday, causing...

Memories bittersweet after train tragedy Tue, 27 May 2008 01:05:07 -0400
Stephen Garbarino used to play nearly every day on the swing outside Louis and Kathy Hartman's Woodland Avenue apartment in Revere. Lewis Hartman cut down the swing...

Oh, deer! Was that Bambi in Roxbury? Tue, 27 May 2008 01:04:35 -0400
They've seen some strange things on Juniper Street in Roxbury but nothing like the commotion caused when a wild deer galloped into the neighborhood, jumping 7-foot fences...

Remembering Bay State's heroes Tue, 27 May 2008 01:03:31 -0400
Boston residents paused in remembrance of fallen soldiers yesterday at the annual Memorial Day Parade in Dorchester and at formal ceremonies at Cedar Grove Cemetery. ...

Kennedy gave boys a life lesson they'll never forget Tue, 27 May 2008 01:02:08 -0400
A senator's pearls of wisdom mean more today for two Malden brothers who earned Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's respect years ago after they returned a diamond ring they...

Teen nabbed in slaying of Revere man Tue, 27 May 2008 00:59:01 -0400
Police yesterday arrested a teen in the stabbing death of a 61-year-old Revere man. Richard Southern, 18, of Revere was to be arraigned today for the murder of Storm...

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