In the days before Proposition 2 ½ crippled local cities and towns, the thought of having private funds being raised to maintain and improve public recreational spaces would have been considered ludicrous. However as the expression goes: that was then and this is now. What brings this to mind is the recent positive local...
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Editorials
Remembering Rev. King: A Great Man Who Stood Up for the Rights of Everybody
For those of us of a certain age, it is hard to imagine that 2013 will mark 45 years since the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis while he was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Recalling the news of his murder still brings chills and a deep sense...
Not a Great Idea: Regional Housing Authorities a Disservice
Everything in life has its pluses and minuses. But in our view, whatever the pluses may be of Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to eliminate the 240 local housing authorities and consolidate them into six regional offices are far outweighed by the negatives. We simply would note that it has been our experience that corruption...
Welcome Back, Mayor Menino: It’s Nice to Have Tom Menino Back on the Job
We wish to add our voice to the chorus of residents who have been delighted to see the return of Mayor Tom Menino to his office at City Hall. For one thing, it will be a relief to see an end to the speculation about this or that possible scenario by the pundits and...
Vice-President Sal LaMattina
Charlestown’s Boston City Councillor Sal LaMattina has once again shown his political acumen with his colleagues in government by being named the vice-president of the Boston City Council by Boston City Council President Steven Murphy. LaMattina might well have been the Boston City Council president himself this time around if he hadn’t deferred to...
Ring out the Old…. We Wish Our Readers a Happy and Healthy 2013
We often quote a verse from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ring Out Wild Bells” when we write our annual New Year’s editorial. We write about the events that happened in the old year and discuss those that may come in the new, as well as our hopes for a better year than the year before....
The Tragedy in Newtown
Friday’s massacre of 26 kindergarten students and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, was shocking to every American. But it was not surprising. Mass murders of innocent American citizens, young and old alike, have become routine in the United States. There is not one place where Americans gather, whether they be churches, schools, shopping malls, public...
A Mobile City Hall
City Hall on wheels — are you serious? That is a question that many in our neighborhood may be asking our City Councillor. Our need for this type of service is negligible since we live within a fifteen minute walk at the most from City Hall. But for many other residents in neighborhoods like...
The Silent Killer
With the heating season upon us, now is the time for residents to check their homes to make sure that they have carbon monoxide alarms and that they are in operation. A winter season does not pass without some home heating-related tragedies, with people dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. What brings this to the...
State Aid Cuts
Just when we thought that we were out of the woods with regard to local aid reductions by the state, local officials across the Commonwealth were notified last week that there will be almost $9 million less in discretionary state aid available to cities and towns for the current fiscal year. However, according to...