News opinion 2008-07-11 Andanh.com

Salem homeowners should get into the recycling habit Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:03:00 EDT
To the editor:
Let's do the numbers.
Our two-family home with three full-time children and three full-time adults uses one 50-gallon and one 30-gallon barrel per week. Some weeks, the 30-gallon is not full and the 50 is never full. We recycle five full bins every two weeks. The recycle is separated glass, paper, plastic and metal. Salem has a great policy. The input to all this is a food and sundry budget of $160 to $180 per week (five people) and approximately $50 per week for the second household.

Bill Plante: Enjoy the heat while it's here Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:02:00 EDT
Ah, July, and then August. All that freebie heat. All that blistering sunshine. It's enough to warm the hearts of all those with oil burners in their basements.
The best way to keep cool is not to turn on an air conditioner. Just go down to the basement, sit by the oil tank and enjoy the sound of silence as the furnace sleeps through the dog days of summer.

Letter: Martin voted his principles Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:02:00 EDT
To the editor:
This letter is in response to a recent letter to the editor critical of City Council member Don Martin for enrolling his children in another school system under the "school choice" law, while voting against using trash fee money to support the school system budget.

Bill Plante's North Shore: Taking the heat on the cheap Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:21:00 EDT
Ah, July, and then August ... all that freebie heat. All that blistering sunshine. It's enough to warm the hearts of all those with oil burners in their basements.
The best way to keep cool is not to turn on an air conditioner. Just go down to the basement, sit by the oil tank and enjoy the sound of silence as the furnace sleeps through the dog days of summer.

Letter: Reasons Livingston didn't deserve good evaluation Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:20:00 EDT
To the editor:
Just to set the record straight. I would like the voters of the Pentucket Regional School District to know I.did not give Superintendent Paul Livingston a good evaluation for the following reasons: Complete information was not supplied during the budget season; employees (administrators) did not provide full information; correspondences from the public were withheld from the School Committee and there were too many to list here; failure to follow school policies, two examples: 1) the superintendent signed a contract with the business manager without the approval of the School Committee as required by law and the contract states it is between the School Committee and the business manager, 2) the superintendent removed the civil rights officer without a replacement and continued to list that person on all policy handbooks and did not notify the full School Committee. The district is now being investigated by the Office for Civil Rights for violations that occurred within the district.

Letter: An early connection to dog track rabbit Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:20:00 EDT
To the editor:
I heard via the news that they are thinking of banning dog racing in Massachusetts. I feel that, in a small way, I have been connected to the so-called sport. Back when I was a Seabee I once had the job of running the crane that replaced armor-plated vehicles on railroad tracks. It was at an air gunners school and the students would shoot tracer bullets at a flag it was carrying.

Letter: Why Hillary women are disappointed Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:19:00 EDT
To the editor:
I agree 100 percent with Ian Wallis's column, "Why are Hillary women angry at Obama?" (As I See It, July 8), and although I cannot answer that particular question, I would like to help him understand why so many middle-aged and older women passionately desire to have a woman president.

Letter: Renewal-energy project better than mall Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:19:00 EDT
To the editor:
In terms of Newbury's rejection of the proposed development near Route 1, why wasn't a wind farm proposed for this brownfield? Or, a small concentrated solar facility with a bike path winding through it? Right now, T. Boone Pickens in Texas, a dyed-in-the-wool oil man, is doing a lot more physical renewable-energy development than we are here in Newbury/Newburyport. The last thing we need during an energy crisis is more mall-like exurban development, no matter how polished the original design concept is. Let's walk the walk.

Welcome back, Sen. Kennedy Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:17:00 EDT
Count us among the multitudes shocked and impressed to see Ted Kennedy stride onto the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday to cast a key vote on Medicare.
Kennedy underwent surgery for a brain tumor this spring and is undergoing an aggressive treatment of radiation and chemotherapy. Many feared the state's senior senator — he has served almost 46 years — would never return to work the halls of Washington, D.C.

A hopeful start for child welfare reform Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:17:00 EDT
Creating an extra layer of government bureaucracy to solve a problem, however serious, rarely proves effective.
Here's hoping the newly created Office of the Child Advocate is the exception that proves the rule.

City retirees seek financial recourse Friday July 11, 2008
Clive McFarlane wrote an interesting column on retirees' pain, "Feeling pain of city retirees' Medicare cost" (Telegram & Gazette, July 2).

What has happened to nation's character? Friday July 11, 2008
As I watched the rain on July 4 morning, I wondered if God was weeping over America?

On the road again Friday July 11, 2008
For all the talk of reform, streamlining and leaner, more efficient government that accompanies each new administration, Massachusetts has a disturbing habit of reverting to bureaucratic form. The most recent example is the startling revelation that thousands of drivers with suspended or revoked licenses were permitted to remain on the road for months or even years after a judge ruled they were unfit.

Shifting resources Friday July 11, 2008
It is regrettable that a move to use Fire Department resources more efficiently while better responding to a neighborhood's public safety needs has drawn criticism from some residents and elected officials.

YOUR VIEW: Coastal insurance bill plays Robin Hood Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

As head of the Citizens for Homeowners Insurance Reform, I feel obligated to speak out to coastal citizens to explain why we do not want bill No. 2778 (FAIR Plan reform) to pass the House.

LETTER: Needed: curious chemist Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

Needed:

NATIONAL VIEW: Going for the gold in diplomacy Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

President Bush will attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing next month. It's the right decision, good diplomacy, and he and the first lady will enjoy the festivities. And the Chinese will be glad, even relieved, to welcome them.

LETTER: Dismantling the Conservation Commission Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

Dismantling

OUR VIEW: A farce in the House Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

The Massachusetts House of Representatives' vote on Wednesday to attempt to bypass the Constitution by pulling an end run around the Electoral College's role in electing the president of the United States is a ham-handed effort to trifle with the...

LETTER: Tax 'slumlords' Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

Tax 'slumlords'

NATIONAL VIEW: Remembering Jesse Helms Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

In adulthood people will spend any amount of money, seek any therapy, and commit any act just to prove their parents were right. The pursuit to become what parents tell us we are is indelible on our lives.

LETTER: Bush should face our loss in Iraq Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

Bush should face our loss in Iraq

Cheers & Jeers Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

Treasures that washed ashore this week; flotsam we hope the next tide carries away:

History unveils the irony in a Falmouth road name Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

The petition to rename a sewage plant in California after George W. Bush is in the best tradition of American political irony. There's a precedent right here in Falmouth, more subtle but in the same spirit, for naming a public road.

A flag lapel pin confers no intrinsic patriotism Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

Columnist Charles Krauthammer ("Obama flips and flops," July 8) tries at every turn to denigrate flip-flopping.

Making jewelry of bugs is not to be celebrated Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

I was appalled to read about the two young people in Sandwich who are selling jewelry designed using dead cicadas ("Wing bling," July 9).

Random act of kindness keeps the traffic moving Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

If Padraic Tynan (Letters, July 3) has lived on Cape Cod longer than 12 months, he must realize that making a left-hand turn is never easy and nearly impossible during the summer months. (Try turning left onto Union Street in Yarmouth off Exit 8.

U.S. depends on citizens to be informed voters Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

Recently I observed protesters carrying crudely fashioned signs with inflammatory slogans and vitriolic messages that exhibit an appalling ignorance of the issues, and then demand "solutions" that are clearly not tenable.

Insurance bill needs a rewrite Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

As head of the Citizens for Homeowners Insurance Reform, I feel obligated to explain why we do not want Bill No. 2778 to pass the Massachusetts House.

Going the distance for others Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00 EST

There's something you notice when watching the dismal footage of flooded areas in the Midwest: the basements always flood first. When the Titanic went down, the steerage quarters were the first to flood.

'Coward' locked up for good Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:07:40 -0400
The hard-bitten custodian of a city housing project brought a bustling courtroom to silence yesterday as he confronted a man convicted of murdering one senior citizen and...

Paws for concern Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:55:40 -0400
A tight economy has local shelters overflowing with pets that are being abandoned by their cash-strapped owners at three times the rate as last year, and officials fear a...

SUV-riding T chief takes his lumps Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:31:29 -0400
Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen urged T General Manager Dan Grabauskas to take the T to work yesterday after a Herald article detailed the T chief using his agency-owned...

Remains of missing Lawrence soldier found in Iraq Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:39:08 -0400
LAWRENCE - The remains of captured U.S. Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez and those of a comrade were positively identified yesterday, marking the end of a grueling 14-month ordeal for...

Contractors admit to role in Big Dig $$$ scam Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:31:46 -0400
Two Big Dig contractors admitted yesterday they overbilled for the Central Artery/Tunnel project and now face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine each, according to the...

Convict struck, killed by car Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:29:55 -0400
Police are investigating a car accident in Masphee that killed a 30-year-old New Bedford convict who was picking up trash with a jail litter crew. Emanuel M. Moniz, who...

Pike trims fat in work force Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:25:52 -0400
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is slashing 28 jobs targeted as redundant - including help desk and tourist information clerks - in a move that will save the cash-strapped...

No arrest made in Newbury St. death Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:23:24 -0400
More than a week after a 47-year-old Malden woman died after being struck by a car as she stepped off a curb on Newbury Street, police continue to investigate and say they...

State gets license to keep tax cheats off roads Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:21:21 -0400
Massachusetts could soon have a new weapon in its ongoing war against tax cheats: Don't pay your taxes, and you will lose your driver's license. That's...

'Jaws'-size fear sweeps Vineyard Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:15:51 -0400
A Martha's Vineyard harbor master raised the alarming prospect of "Jaws returning" after a large shark was spotted cutting through the waves just 70 yards off...

Survivor of cancer is game for anthem duty at Fenway Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:03:34 -0400
When Jon Lester doffs his cap before the national anthem tomorrow at Fenway Park, he might not know Coby Brown, who's going to sing it. But the Red Sox hurler shares...

SJC: Gay couples can't claim pre-wed benefits Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:59:55 -0400
Same-sex spouses cannot sue for marital benefits that predate the 2004 legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts simply because they would have wed sooner if the law allowed,...

Solons: No pooch rentals, doggone it! Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:52:11 -0400
You must leash your pooch in Boston, but you can't lease it under a ban on rent-a-dog franchises headed for the books as the Hub becomes the first city to pass such a...

3 teens hurt in Dot drive-by Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:43:57 -0400
Three teenagers - one as young as 13 - were shot early yesterday as they stood on the porch of a Dorchester home that was sprayed with bullets in possible gang-related gunfire,...

Safety boost Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:41:22 -0400
Parents hit area children's stores to buy booster seats after a tough state law went into effect yesterday, setting new rules for securing kids younger than 8 in cars....

Archdiocese still struggles with red ink Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:56:51 -0400
Six years after the clergy sex abuse scandal struck, draining its coffers, the Archdiocese of Boston is still two years from getting its budget back in the black, according...

Trooper charged in gun incident Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:54:34 -0400
A state trooper has been charged with improperly storing his service weapon in his Cape Cod home. Sandwich police said Lt. Richard Bolduc's 12-year-old took the gun...

Weekend Red Line disruption announced Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:52:35 -0400
Bus shuttle service will replace Red Line service between Park Street and Kendall/MIT stations this weekend while track work is done, the MBTA announced yesterday. Buses will...

SJC: Gay couples can't claim past benefits Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:36:14 -0400
The state's highest court ruled today that marriage benefits for gay couples can't be applied retroactively to the time before same-sex marriage was legalized -...

MIT researchers develop windows to channel solar energy Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:42:20 -0400
WASHINGTON - Perhaps Johnny Nash should be singing, "I can see energy now." Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a system that...

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