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Dracut After Dark
The Best Issues & Information Forum in Dracut
Untitled Document

Bon jour. Dracut After Dark is a moderated forum (a sounding board or bulletin board) which gives people the opportunity to express their views, ideas, questions, or concerns relative to Dracut Massachusetts and its surrounding area -- a local networking watchdog advocate or blog, if you will.

Any comments which are deemed: vulgar, inappropriate, libelous, slanderous, or in bad taste WILL NOT be posted here. Changing the subject on an already established string is strictly prohibited. Postings which contain specific addresses to other Dracut Internet message boards will also be rejected. Another thing we don't allow here are posts containing specific names and/or street addresses of private citizens, i.e. neighbor disputes. Furthermore, those who guess at pseudonyms will have their postings rejected, as well.

Opinions expressed on Dracut After Dark solely reflect those of the participants, and are not necessarily shared by the management of this message board. Participants post and read messages here on their own Free Will thanks to the First Amendment. We merely discuss issues here – we DO NOT profess to initiate, or even resolve, anything on this message board. If this Internet forum is not to your liking, then please, by all means, feel free to do your websurfing elsewhere.

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Dracut After Dark

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LINKS: Please check out these fascinating and informative local websites, which come highly recommended by the management of this forum: Official Town of Dracut website; Dracut Pop Warner football & cheerleading; Dracut's lowest gas prices; Dracut's restaurant directory; NObama Network; Warren Shaw.com (Deeb's view on Warren Shaw); Dracut School Department; Dracut Assessor Online; Property Deeds; Valley Patriot monthly newspaper; Obituaries; Dracut Weather Forecast; Citizens for Limited Taxation; Vote On Marriage.org; Tewksbury Issues; Dracut Street Map; Helpful Dracut websites; Official State Website; Official Federal Government Website; Public Bus Information; Storm-related Public Closings; Mass Backwards; Affordable Auto Insurance for All; Shawn's Dracut Blog; Howie Carr; Jay Severin; and Anonymous Proxy Server.

Some of my personal favorites sites include: Bible verse reference; Teen Challenge; Youth Storm (local Christian youth ministry); Battle Cry (national Christian teen ministry); Unclaimed Money/Property; Reverse telephone number & address lookup; Curt Schilling's baseball blog; Town Hall.com; Laura Ingraham; Deval Patrick Watch; New England Patriot's Fan Club; Boston Red Sox Fan Club; Boston Celtics News; Person Locator; Online World of Wrestling; D-Tension; Singer/D.J. Sharon DiFronzo; New England Stone Masonry; Whatever Happened To?; and Dead or Alive?.

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”There is nothing so powerful as truth and often nothing so strange.”

–Daniel Webster

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Public Service Announcement

NEW MILLENNIUM SEPERATED/DIVORCED SUPPORT GROUP: Meets every Sunday from 7-9 p.m., at St. Michael’s School, 15 Sixth Street, off Bridge Street (Route 38) in Lowell. New subject matter is addressed every meeting dealing with topics such as: anger, loneliness, surviving Divorce, lawyers, Judges and our Court system, Alimony, Child Support, Child Custody, Visitation Rights, asset/property entitlements, children, finances, forgiveness, acceptance, faith and prayer, moving on, and, planning for your new life. This is a non-profit support group. No fees are required. For further information, please either attend this Sunday’s meeting, or contact Carlos Kilberg @ 978-957-2063 (cck3353@MSN.com).


Dracut After Dark
Subject: Where are the missing Drugs and/or What are the Police doing to find them?


Author:
Mike Brennan
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:55 06/24/08 Tue
What's up with the missing drugs for good old DPD? Have we forgotton they are still missing and no one knows who took them?
Replies:
Subject: Do you need some more convincing to vote “YES” on Question 1 this November?


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 13:44 09/24/08 Wed
(published in, Boston Herald, Howie Carr’s column, 9-24-08)

Statie cruising on your dime, but not in a cruiser

Happy Birthday, Mass. State Trooper Terry Nugent!

The pride of Troop D turns 37 today, and for his present he gets to be this week’s poster boy for the Vote Yes on Question 1 campaign to abolish the state income tax.

According to the I-Team on Channel 4, Nugent has been running a charter-fishing business, while working out of the Bourne barracks. Base pay in 2007: $70,794.60. With overtime etc.: $84,591.

Only problem is, the trooper can’t stop posting about his adventures - on the open sea, not Route 6. And according to Ch. 4, it appears that on some of the days he was “gone fishing,” he was also calling in sick.

Here is his defense, as posted on stripersonline.com yesterday morning:

“First I’d like to say that all of this has stemmed from an ANONYMOUS complaint letter . . . The complainant chose to hide their identity.”

Yep, that’s what “ANONYMOUS” usually means. But why would anyone want his name attached to a dime-drop on a guy with a badge and a gun?

“They found a couple of instances where I had taken sick leave or family sick leave and I had fishing reports posted for the following day.”

And those suspicious bleepity-bleeps immediately jumped to their own damn conclusions. Did I mention Riptide Charter’s rates? A half-day inshore for bass and bluefish is $600, a full day $900. Canyon trips, which run 14 to 18 hours, will run you $1,950. He’s also available for “Speaking Engagements.”

How much would it cost to book Trooper Nugent for “How Great Is It To Have a State Job!”

“At this point IA (Internal Affairs) has not found grounds to charge me with any wrongdoing.”

What a surprise. As Juvenal once said, “Who will guard the guards themselves?”

In the old days, it would have taken a lot of time to bag someone like Trooper Nugent. You’d need a Deep Throat down on the docks. Then you’d have to stake out his berth with a camera crew, and bag him coming off the boat, all the while hoping like hell that he’d phoned in sick, instead of taking a vacation day off.

Now, though, with the Internet, the guy hangs himself. On Aug. 25, 2007, he happily posted a note about his new boat under “Rippy Got a New Ride.” It’s a real beauty - “the new Contender 33T!!!”

Delivery was scheduled for the next Wednesday or Thursday. Ch. 4 reports that he banged in sick the following Wednesday.

According to his payroll records, Nugent called in sick May 18, May 25 and June 15, and then went fishing, according to his postings, which he assured us yesterday are always factual because “I have always believed that being honest with my reports was a major factor in building a successful business.”

Yes, Trooper, we can all agree, honesty is the best policy. Like on June 15, when you called in sick, and advised your angler pals, “Take a day off-call in sick.”

The problem is, if you have a job in the Dreaded Private Sector, you can get fired for doing that. Probably won’t, in most cases, but you are at risk. Most people in the DPS don’t have a powerful union covering their backs at every turn.

“It would seem that my honesty in posting details of my daily agenda may in turn be the lynchpin (sic) in this situation.”

No, Trooper, no one is questioning whether you were honest with your buddies, and potential customers, at stripersonline.com. The question is, were you honest with the MSP brass, and the taxpayers who paid for your, ahem, sick days, and for the OT to whoever had to replace you on the Cape.

Every week, there’s at least one or two more excellent examples of why you need to vote yes on Question 1, to abolish the 5.3 percent Mass. state income tax. Last week it was the no-shows at the T, one of whom is the brother of a former judge and state rep. Before that, it was the sticky-fingered Mass Pike toll takers, and the T thief at Kenmore Station, and the Boston firefighter who claimed he was unable to work because of an injury yet could still take part in body-building contests.

This is how they’re squandering your money in the hackerama. They’re not spending it “for the children,” they’re spending it on themselves. And guess what - chances are, they’re make a lot more money than you do for a lot less work, and behind the “job” comes the 80 percent pension, not to mention the health care.

Happy Birthday, Trooper Nugent. Is that a day off too under your contract?
Subject: Cheer Declarations


Author:
Parent
[Edit]
Date Posted: 11:09 08/27/08 Wed
Does anyone know what our surrounding towns are declaring for each team and level?
Replies:
Subject: Football


Author:
Dracut Mom
[Edit]
Date Posted: 10:15 09/18/08 Thu
Huge Game for Dracut High Varsity football team this weekend........ Best of luck to all the Middies.....
Replies:
Subject: BOOZE BUST


Author:
DIRTY HARRY
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:03 09/09/08 Tue
It seemed that at least one of the selectman was upset the way the penalties worked out.Selectman Malliaros wanted stiff penalties and the others would not go along with it.Malliaros had a very good point that the store owners did not even ask for I.D.It's not like the young under age person even showed any I.D.at all.It doesn't get any more neglegent than that.Shame on the rest of the boy's for giving such a shallow punishment.We all no what happens when teens get behind the wheel with alchol.I think Malliaros on this one.
Replies:
Subject: Pros & Cons of this year’s ballot referendum questions in November


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 00:48 09/21/08 Sun
Question 1: Should Massachusetts Abolish its State Income Tax?

FOR: Committee for Small Government

AGAINST: Coalition for Our Communities


Question 2: Should Massachusetts decriminalize marijuana possession?

FOR: Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy

AGAINST: Massachusetts District Attorneys Association


Question 3: Should Massachusetts ban dog racing?

FOR: Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

AGAINST:
Massasoit Greyhound Association, Inc.

Replies:
Subject: Unions lose on police details


Author:
The Boston Globe
[Edit]
Date Posted: 07:45 09/22/08 Mon
Patrick moves to tighten rule for work sites

By Matt Viser
Globe Staff / September 22, 2008

Governor Deval Patrick has toughened his new rules on police details at road construction sites, outmaneuvering local police unions that were making a last-minute push to get around efforts to rein in the costly assignments.

The governor eliminated a provision that would have allowed local police details to continue at all state-supervised work sites - even on lightly traveled roads where the danger is low - if a local labor contract or municipal ordinance required it.

The governor tightened the rules following a Globe story last week that said local unions were scrambling to exploit the provision and protect the lucrative details for their officers before the rules take effect Oct. 3.

Police officials were furious yesterday when told of the change, saying the new rules will dramatically reduce their ability to make public-safety decisions in their own communities.

"In my 25 years in law enforcement in this state, I have never worked with a more insensitive and arrogant administration that is simply unwilling to listen on this issue," said Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan, who is also a spokesman for the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs, which represents police chiefs in the state's largest communities.

"In a labor-friendly state like Massachusetts, it's outrageous that the administration would try to implement a policy that trumps labor's well-established . . .bargaining rights," he said.

An administration source briefed on the plan said the intent of the change was to treat all communities the same, regardless of what type of union contract they have negotiated with their police union.

"The administration decided to remove the provision and treat all communities equally," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the final plan has not yet been announced. "The elimination of this provision means that in any city and town, projects where the state is the awarding authority would fall under the regulations."

The new regulations, which are final and were obtained by the Globe last week, were filed late Friday with the secretary of state.

The last-minute revision could have a major impact in Boston, where contract language and city ordinances guarantee the use of police details at construction sites.

"You're kidding me," Thomas Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, said yesterday when told of the regulations. "This is a complete surprise to us."

Mayor Thomas M. Menino declined to comment until reviewing the changes and exploring whether it would be legal for the state to trump local collective bargaining contracts.

"The mayor has not heard anything about these proposed regulations, and would be interested to learn how they'd impact the city," said Menino's spokeswoman, Dot Joyce.

Already, the Massachusetts Highway Department is preparing to place civilian flaggers on state projects early next month.

It will mark the first time police details are replaced, at a lower cost, with civilians to monitor construction projects in Massachusetts, the only state that automatically assigns police officers to nearly all utility and road work sites.

"Congratulations to the governor," said David Tuerck, executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University and a longtime critic of police details. "The unions will dig in further and do whatever they can on the local level. But they've lost this battle."

The new regulations will place civilian flaggers on nearly all state roads where the speed limit is below 45 miles per hour, as well as on low-traffic roads where the speed limit is higher. Civilians would also be used at sites where barriers are used to block off construction sites on a high-speed, high-traffic road.

Some roads - generally those with speed limits of 45 miles per hour and above, and with more than 4,000 vehicles per day - would still rely on police officers to monitor traffic.

The state currently spends about $20 million to $25 million annually on police details. The new policy will mean annual savings to the state of between $5.7 million and $7.2 million, according to administration estimates.

Municipalities could still allow police details on projects that the state is not overseeing, such as locally funded road sites, utility projects, or private construction projects.

Administration officials have said they hope their new policy will set an example for municipalities, but there's nothing in the state regulations to compel local officials to challenge police unions and make changes on town or city roads.

Completion of the regulations marks a political victory for Patrick, who has overcome an issue that plagued his predecessors. However, the move has generated heated criticism from unions that are among the governor's biggest supporters.

At a public hearing last week on the regulations, Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, lashed out at the plan, saying it "reeks of political motivation."
Subject: Healthy fare at fair price in Dracut


Author:
THE BOSTON GLOBE
[Edit]
Date Posted: 08:29 09/21/08 Sun

September 21, 2008

Pho Saigon
10 Dinley St., Dracut
978-957-5049

Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.- 11 p.m.; closed Mondays until October
MasterCard and Visa accepted
Accessible to the handicapped.

For months, I had been hearing about a new hot spot in Dracut. My brother and his wife raved about Pho Saigon, a restaurant that artfully blends its signature Vietnamese dishes with a bevy of Pan-Asian delights. Even my parents, die-hard fans of the traditional steak and potato dinner, gave Pho Saigon two thumbs up. So, naturally, my husband and I had to give the restaurant a try.

We came with high expectations, and were not disappointed. We were greeted warmly by Tram Dang, daughter of proprietor Thien Dang, and seated at a booth by the window. The restaurant's rich wood tones and Asian-themed artwork matched Dang's vibrant personality.

At first glance, the menu appeared a bit overwhelming, with more than 100 items to choose from. Luckily, our server, Kelly, was happy to make suggestions.

She recommended the restaurant's most popular dish, Ga Xao Rau Cai (chicken with vegetables, $9.50). It features tender slices of chicken breast stir fried with a medley of veggies: broccoli, onion, mushrooms, baby corn, snow peas, cauliflower, squash, celery, carrots, and red and green peppers.

"We're trying to get the word out, and let people know that we offer more than the standard Vietnamese fare," said Tram Dang, a recent graduate of Bentley College who uses her skills in marketing management to help her father promote Pho Saigon, the family's first restaurant. (The Dangs also own the adjacent Frosty Boy ice cream stand.)

My husband and I started our culinary adventure with Kha Vi Dac Biet (the Saigon Delight, $12). The appetizer combo plate is great for folks like me, who want to sample everything. It features several classics: egg rolls, spring rolls, shrimp toast, chicken teriyaki, and beef teriyaki. My husband particularly enjoyed experimenting with the accompanying sauces, which, he said, reminded him of his wife: sweet, spicy, and nuts. (The nutty sauce was his favorite.)

The spring rolls consisted of shredded lettuce, fresh mint, rice vermicelli, sliced pork, and steamed shrimp, all wrapped in low-fat rice paper. Paired with the sweet sauce, it was a delightful blend of tastes and textures. The beef teriyaki was also delectable. The tender meat was marinated in the house sauce, grilled to perfection, and topped with scallions.

For the main course, I decided to order Do Bien Xao Rau Cai (seafood with vegetables, $11) a dish similar to the one our server recommended. Instead of chicken, the entrée features shrimp, scallops, and squid. The brown sauce was light and flavorful, a wonderful complement to the many veggies. The seafood was very fresh, and tender to the bite. The dish is served with white rice, but fried rice can be substituted.

My husband, who usually orders Pho, the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, when we dine at Vietnamese restaurants, decided try something new: Ga Xao Dau Phung Hoac Hat Kieu (chicken with peanuts or cashews, $10). Like my dish, his entrée featured sautéed veggies and was served with white rice. He's not a veggie lover, but paired with the peanuts, the medley of snow peas, broccoli, onion, mushrooms, baby corn, cauliflower, and bell peppers was a hit.

We had more than enough food to satisfy, with leftovers for lunch the next day. The night would have been perfect if the restaurant offered dessert. Alas, Thien Dang is still tinkering with the dessert menu. The Dangs believe the traditional Vietnamese puddings would fail to find an audience in Dracut and are striving to come up with their own custom creation, Tram Dang said.

The only other downside to Pho Saigon is the lack of a children's menu. At Pho Saigon, children can pair chicken fingers or a teriyaki dish with a side of lo mein or fried rice, but there are no entrees designed specifically for them.

Still, the fresh ingredients and vast array of healthy dishes make Pho Saigon worth trying. And the cost-conscious will appreciate the wide range of entrees available for less than $10. The two of us paid roughly $45 to enjoy a relaxing dinner, including drinks, tax, and tip.
Subject: Vote for Barack!


Author:
1 of 3
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:28 09/13/08 Sat
I don't understand how anyone can vote for the republican party this election. In the past 8 years we are in a war that has become a disaster, and never should have been initiated in the first place, we were attacked by terrorists, the economy has gone to sh*t, the environment has been put on the way back burner and on and on I can go. And people want more of this? I don't get it. If 9/11 happened while a democratic president was in office, the republicans would have a field day blasting them, saying 9/11 happened on their watch, they failed to protect America. Also if Barack Obama had a pregnant 17 year old daughter who was pregnant with her black boyfriend, it would not go over that well. However, Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant, and Americans are somehow relating to this thinking "oh isn't that cute, see, everyone has problems, she is just like us". Any other Barack supporters in Dracut?
Replies:
Subject: police officer sleeping in cruiser


Author:
sleepy pig (tired)
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:46 08/27/08 Wed
the other night i was driving home at 3.30 am and got a flat tire, i pulled over into a parking lot on broadway road and noticed a police car sitting there, so i approached him for help but he was passed out in his cruiser. what gives is there no donut and coffe shops open around here?
Replies:
Subject: Unqualified, incompetent Karabatsos seeks a new 5-year deal with a $12K increase, plus a 3% annual raise


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 08:32 09/16/08 Tue
(published in, Lowell Sun, 9-16-08. Nicknames inserted for added emphasis.)

Dracut board waiting to OK contract for housing director

By Dennis Shaughnessey
dshaughnessey@lowellsun.com

DRACUT -- Housing Authority Executive Director Mary "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" Karabatsos will have to wait several more weeks to find out if her one-year contract will be extended.

Saying they were unprepared, the five-member commission put off a formal vote last night to review Karabatsos' request for a five-year contract and a $12,000 salary increase. Her proposal also seeks an annual raise of 3 percent. Commissioners all received a copy of the request in their meeting packets, but some, including Kenneth Martin, did not get to review the proposal.

"I'd like a chance to look at it because there are a couple of things in here jump out at me and we have state guidelines that we have to follow," Martin said. "She's not going anywhere. (Former director) Joe Tully had one contract when we hired him, and he was here for 23 years."

Karabatsos was hired one year ago after Tully, who suffered a massive stroke in 2006, officially retired. Her one-year contract paid her $67,000 a year and included five weeks of vacation. Before coming to Dracut, Karabatsos spent 24 years in the Lowell Housing Authority.

After the meeting, Martin told The Sun that Department of Housing and Community Development guidelines call for a two-year contract after the first year.

"That gives you three years under your belt, and then the state is a little more agreeable about giving out five-year contracts," Martin said. "But until then, they're very strict. You can go around it if you wanted to but it could also impact state funding down the road."

DHCD guidelines also suggest that salaries be based on the number of units in a particular housing authority. Dracut oversees 262 units.

"I'm all for a contract," Martin said. "I just want to make sure we do things the right way."

Commission Chairman Robert "Go Along to Get Along" Audet praised Karabatsos' performance after the meeting, saying she has proven herself to be a capable manager.

"She fought to get this job, and she has earned the respect of the tenants and her staff," Audet said. "Her performance is outstanding, and she is worthy of a five- or 10-year contract, although I don't have the authority to say that. The terms of her (proposed) contract are very normal and within the guidelines of the DHCD."

The hiring process that brought Karabatsos to Dracut was fraught with discord among members of the commission. Her name was added to a list of four finalists at the 11th hour. She was selected on a 3-2 vote.

Karabatsos declined comment, saying she would wait until a final decision is reached by the commission.
Replies:
Subject: Was Gov. Patrick’s proposal to ax toll collectors just a vain attempt to kill ballot Question 1?


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 21:32 09/19/08 Fri
(published in, Boston Herald, Howie Carr’s column, 9-19-08)

Convenient timing for phony Pike plan

Gov. Deval Patrick is becoming to state government what the cartoon character Wimpy was to Popeye. He will gladly fire a Mass Pike toll hack next year, or maybe in 2010, for a “No” vote on Question 1 today.

We’re expected to believe that Deval is serious about getting rid of toll takers at the Pike. Please, Deval, we were born at night, but not last night.

Odd, isn’t it, how state government suddenly comes up with these reforms now that there’s a referendum question on the Nov. 4 ballot to abolish the state income tax. And that the proposals are all aimed at wildly unpopular public-sector abuses. The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to call these phony pre-election crackdowns “boob bait for the bubbas.”

Remember, these trial balloons are being floated by the same guy who just two years ago was promising you “property tax relief” if you elected him governor. How’s that one working out for you?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

A few days ago, Deval was holding a public hearing on police details. Granted, the use of civilian flagmen would be restricted to state roads, which are only 10 percent of the total, and just on the ones with lower speed limits. And then of course the flagmen will have to be paid “prevailing wage” to minimize any real savings.

But rest assured that you will see at least one civilian flagman, on at least one state road, before Nov. 4. They need a photo op for the media, to show how “serious” they are about doing something.

The cops, of course, are in on this police-detail gag. Deval pretends to crack down on them, and the cops pretend to believe him. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. In a few weeks, the hack unions will start running TV spots saying Vote No on Question 1.

There’s no need to abolish the state income tax, the TV spots will say. Your state government has heard you. Look at what we’re trying to do with the toll takers (B roll of Allston and 128 toll plazas) and police details (fat cops yelling in Gardner Auditorium).

Taxpayers, your state government gets it. Vote No on Question 1. It goes too far. And what about the children? This ad authorized by Local 782, the International Pinky Ring Brotherhood of Payroll Patriots for Phony Disability Pensions at Age 45 PAC.

Stand by for more insincere cosmetic gestures. At the State House these days, it’s all about Question 1, and how to stop it. Next they’ll be unveiling some phony reform proposal on state pensions.

The reality is, there’s only one way to really do something about any of the above abuses, and that’s by voting Yes on Question 1.

Take $12 billion away from the hacks and you wipe the smiles right off their puffy faces. Spending money is fun. Spending other people’s money is even more fun. No money - that’s like being in the Dreaded Private Sector, which is definitely no fun.

Even if Deval et al. wanted to crack down on the toll hacks, do you really think the Legislature would permit a hack holocaust at the Pike? Do you know how many relatives and friends of State House politicians are or have been employed at the Pike, not just at the tollbooths, but at 10 Park?

If the administration was really interested in putting an end to this nonsense, they would tear down the toll booths and propose an increase in the gasoline tax. It costs less than a penny to collect a dollar in tax at the pump. At the tollbooth it costs maybe 30 cents to collect a dollar.

But what do you expect when your toll takers are making $70,000-plus with overtime and health benefits and a pension for the exact same unskilled job that a 16-year-old at the supermarket is paid minimum wage to perform?

That’s “public service,” baby. I just hope if they ever do fire the toll hacks, they don’t forget to pat ’em down on their way out the door.
Subject: New direction for the war on terrorists — Send prior service vets over 60


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 22:48 09/14/08 Sun
I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. (You can't be older than 42 to join the military.)

They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year-olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.

For starters:

Researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. "My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry!" We are impatient and maybe letting us kill some asshole that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for a while.

An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10 a.m.
Old guys always get up early to pee so what the hell.

Besides, like I said, "I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical son-of-a-bitch.

If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we like soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.

They could lighten up on the obstacle course however. I've been in combat and didn't see a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training. I can hear the Drill Sgt now:

"Get down and give me ..... er ..... one."

Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him He's still learning to shave, to start up a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head. These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.

Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten cowards who attacked us on September 11. The last thing an enemy would want to see right now is a couple of million pissed off old farts with attitudes and automatic weapons who know that their best years are already behind them.

If nothing else, put us on the border and we will have it secured the first night.

We've all had a good run and after 75 or 80 years what a Helluva way to go. Beats a chair in a nursing home.
Share this with your senior friends. It's purposely in bold-face type so you can read it.
Replies:
Subject: Police and firetrucks on Loon Hill Rd


Author:
concerned resident
[Edit]
Date Posted: 17:02 09/09/08 Tue
On Tuesday around 11:45am there were numerous police and firefighters on Loon Hill Rd Looking near the little brook that is there. They appeared to be looking for something. Does anyone have any idea?
Replies:
Subject: Walgreens in Dracut ?????


Author:
Bob
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:22 09/07/08 Sun
In Sundays Lowell Sun Dennis Piendak mentioned that Walgreens has propossed building a store at the corner of Lakeview Ave and Mammouth Rd. There arent any empty parcels of land there so where exactly are they planning on going?
Replies:
Subject: Dracut High hurting, but solutions cost plenty


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:22 09/14/08 Sun
(published in, Lowell Sun, 9-14-08)

By Dennis Shaughnessey
dshaughnessey@lowellsun.com

DRACUT -- One thing is certain: Dracut High School is overcrowded.

More than 1,200 students fill the corridors and classrooms in the 51-year-old structure. Enrollment projections in the next few years put that number even higher.

What is also certain is that the school is in desperate need of repair or renovation. The canopy in front of the building -- original to 1957 -- poses a safety threat. A corridor link -- known as the catwalk -- is rotted, has a leaky, sagging roof and the window walls need to be replaced. Auditorium ventilation is inadequate. The cafeteria is too small. Ventilation in the locker rooms and the showers is inadequate, and heat and ventilation are uneven throughout the building.

And one more thing is certain: The solutions cost a lot of money. Depending on who you talk to, a new Dracut High School could cost $72 million. A renovated building with an addition would cost about $40 million.

The first step is a feasibility study, which has created a great deal of uncertainty. School officials say it's up to the town to come up with at least $450,000 for the first phase of the study, which takes the town through the schematic- design process. A second, more costly option, is to pay as much as $850,000 to study the feasibility of new construction. But some town officials aren't trusting those figures.

"Is there a chance that after the study is completed, (the Massachusetts School Building Authority) will come back and say renovation is not possible and that we have to build a new high school?" asked Alison Hughes, a member of the Finance Committee, during a meeting of an ad-hoc committee looking at the possibility of placing an article to fund the study on the November Town Meeting warrant. "And I'm not even sure that the $450,000 covers the schematic design. That is not what we were led to believe in the past."

Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin said state officials assured him that the first phase of the study includes a schematic design.

"Get it in writing," said Town Manager Dennis Piendak. "And even if it is decided that $450,000 will cover the cost, where are we going to get that money? I don't have it in the budget. It's just not there."

Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds Andrew Graham said the money could come out to the town's free cash account. Piendak was adamantly opposed to the notion, saying, "I will fight it on the Town Meeting floor."

Mullin will contact officials at the Department of Education this week to see if Dracut can use school-choice money to take over the $90,000 annual lease payments for the next four years on modular classroom units at the high school. That would account for four-fifths of the cost for the study. Piendak said he could probably find the remaining $90,000 in the town's budget.

Another uncertainty is that the state may not allow the use of school-choice money to pay for modulars.

School officials are forming a warrant article for the Nov. 3 Town Meeting, seeking an appropriation to fund the feasibility study. They agreed, for the time being, not to attach a dollar amount to the article.

Long-range, a new school may cost less than anticipated. Dracut is on a short list of communities that could take part in the MSBA "model schools" pilot program. This will allow the town to choose from among designs for schools built in other communities. That means lower construction costs, plus added state reimbursement. A dozen high schools have already been identified as potential model schools. Among them are Littleton High School and Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, which opened new buildings in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
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Subject: A perfect reason NEVER to trust or float a hot tip in a local daily newspaper like The Sun, or Eagle Tribune


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 00:25 09/15/08 Mon
(published in, The Valley Patriot, September 2008, last five paragraphs)

(Lawrence) Eagle Tribune cuts 52 jobs

Circulation and subscription losses result in biggest downsizing in troubled newspapers’ history

By Tom Duggan
Valley Patriot Reporter

...Circulation for the Eagle Tribune has dropped significantly in the Lawrence and Methuen area including decreases in subscriptions and distribution in North Andover and Haverhill area communities.

Last month, the Tribune ran a front page story revealing the identities and postings of two Haverhill elected officials who had anonymously written messages on the newspaper’s Internet blog sparking outrage in the news publishing business.

“What they did was out a source who posted anonymous messages on their Internet blog,” said Haverhill City Councilor Jim Donahue who, along with Haverhill Mayor Jim Fiorentini had posted messages using pen names with the expectation of anonymity offered by the site.

“I don’t see how this is any different than publishing the names and pictures of people who call them on the phone with anonymous tips for news stories,” Councilor Donahue continued.

“What is really troubling is that they were able to, and quite willing to, investigate the blog postings, track the messages back to the people who posted on their website, and then publish that information in their newspaper. It ought to make people very nervous about visiting the site or posting any kind of messages on their blog whether it’s a news tip or just their opinions about their coverage.”
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Subject: QUALIFACTIONS


Author:
PRESIDENTS REQUIRMENTS
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:17 09/06/08 Sat
To me this is a no brainer.Obama is no moore than a car salesman that would sell you his left shoe.There is no question he can speak to people and get them excited.He has a gift to gab.He has a nickname as the testorone kid.He excites the young and preys on the poor.People need to remember that he is a young senator.Desperate people do desperate things.Please think before you vote this year very carefully.Although Senator Mcaine appears to be worn from his heoroic life as a HERO to all.GOD pics and chooses when he takes anyone of us.Just take a look at the obituaries and look at the ages of people that have passed.There no definative age.So please do not vote on his age and vote on that he cares deeply about everyone.He is as mature as you can be.Just take a look who he picked for a running mate.Sarah is not only beautiful from the outside she has that true respect as a hard working middle class person.What a great choice he made.I did not even know her and can't believe what a great pick she is.It shows how intelligant JOHN MCAINE IS"Please vote your concious and not your party.Mcaine is the only one that makes sense.
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Subject: Even more excellent arguments on why voters should abolish State income tax this November


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 20:17 07/27/08 Sun
(published in, Boston Sunday Herald, Howie Carr's column, 7-27-08)

Vote ‘yes’ to stick it to those jokers

By Howie Carr

“This town needs an enema.” The Joker was right, only it’s not just the town, it’s the state, and I have the prescription: Question 1, the referendum question on the November ballot to abolish the state income tax.

It becomes clearer by the day the entire hackerama has careened utterly out of control. It requires an intervention. It’s got to go cold turkey. And since the hacks can no longer even pretend to control their spending habits, someone has got to stop them.

On Nov. 4, vote “yes” on Question 1. If it passes, it will return to working people $12.5 billion the hacks now squander handing each other six-figure jobs, lifetime pensions beginning in their 40s, endless raises, free health care - you know the list. Every day brings more headlines about new outrages. Yesterday, it was the news that 337 employees of the MBTA made more than $100,000 last year.

Vote yes on Question 1. If you make $50,000 a year, by abolishing the income tax you’ll be giving yourself a $2,600 pay raise.

Next week, I predict, we will learn that one of the $100,000 sign painters at the Mass. Turnpike is the brother-in-law of a crooked, convicted-felon legislative leader. Another nationwide search. Who needs your $2,600 more? The felon’s brother-in-law, or you?

The economic reality is that you cannot have an ever-dwindling group of productive, working citizens supporting an ever-larger mob of indolent hacks, moonbats, illegal aliens and perverts. The parasites have learned to rally around one another - and the more heinous the crimes, the more hysterical the support. Think Sen. Jim Marzilli, the perv in the Prius. Or the 5-foot-3, 300-pound woman with the nine-page rap sheet (including common-nightwalking charges) who went crazy on the Expressway this week, Sandra Howes.

How dare the cops pull guns on her, her (public-defender) lawyer fumed, just because she was ramming cars? How dare the Herald put quotation marks around the word “wife” to describe her galpal? Six restraining orders against her by four different women - what are you, a homophobe?

Vote yes on Question 1. The teachers’ unions redefined “marriage” for you without your permission, now you get a chance to redefine “budget” for them.

Another scandal: One of Gov. Deval Patrick’s judicial picks was on the Parole Board when they cut loose a convicted murderer who was just charged with a vicious rape in Haverhill last weekend. At Maureen Walsh’s hearing before the Governor’s Council, no one thought to ask her about the fact that the district attorney and the murder victim’s family begged her Parole Board not to let this fiend out to commit more crimes.

Walsh followed the traditional modus operandi of future judges: She gave money to pols, ponying up nicely for Governor’s Councilor Tom Merrigan, a prep-school classmate of mine, who just happened to chair the confirmation hearing for his campaign contributor.

Merrigan shrugged off the fact that no one asked a Parole Board member about a rape committed three days earlier by a plug-ugly who’d been cut loose by that very same Parole Board. “You do the best you can with what you’ve got and you can’t guarantee the future,” said Merrigan, who collected $100 from the future judge who can’t guarantee the future, although I can. I guarantee she will be confirmed, on Wednesday.

Vote yes on Question 1. Give yourself a pay raise, just like they’re giving out at the Pike.

Consider the brother of ex-Sen. Cheryl Jacques. Two years ago Steve Jacques, the Pike’s “director of business development,” was making $90,000.43. Last year, his pay rose to $96,484.59. What Pike budget crisis? And now the former solon is herself back at the public trough, compliments of Gov. Patrick, with a $108,000 sinecure at the Industrial Accidents Board for which she is surely just as qualified as Maureen Walsh.

Then there’s the brother-in-law of Rep. Michael Kane of Holyoke. With overtime, Kane’s in-law made $66,512.88 last year as a Pike “maintenance worker.” Hey, Rep. Kane, try to move up in leadership will you. Doesn’t your brother-in-law deserve to make more than 100 large too, just like the felon’s?

This state needs an enema. A Question 1 enema.
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Subject: Porky


Author:
Yaz
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:43 09/04/08 Thu
Saw Porky Pig Shaugnessy at the Hess station on Lakeview last night. He looks like he lost about 30 pounds. He neds a new knichname. Remember when Colleen lost all that weihgt a while back and the paper did a big story on her? Well, she found all the weight back and then some. Maybe Porky seen the light.
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Subject: Who Do You Plan On Voting For Prez?


Author:
Quick & Easy
[Edit]
Date Posted: 23:55 09/11/08 Thu
Subject: Club Fleur De li for SALE


Author:
row bot
[Edit]
Date Posted: 16:13 09/11/08 Thu
the fleur de li is for sale!! maybe deputy take a bite out of crime will buy it for the dirty dozen
Subject: Mullin seeks to limit number of school-choice students in town


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 07:36 09/09/08 Tue
(published in, Lowell Sun, 9-9-08)

By Dennis Shaughnessey
dshaughnessey@lowellsun.com

DRACUT -- Superintendent of Schools W. Spencer Mullin stopped short of declaring a freeze on school-choice students coming into town, but told the School Committee that the cutoff number is fast approaching.

"I'm worried that the classes are so full that the kids aren't getting what they deserve," Mullin said. "And I'm talking about the Dracut kids now."

There are currently 30 out-of-town students enrolled in grades 7 through 12. Twenty-three of those students attend the high school. In May, the School Committee voted to limit the number of school-choice students at the high school to 30.

"I just want to make you aware that we are getting dangerously close," Mullin said, adding that there are high-school English classes with as many as 34 students. "That is just too high. When you have that many students in an English class, it's almost unreasonable. As an English teacher, I'd find that extremely difficult."

Coming on the heels of last week's ad-hoc committee meeting, where officials were trying to come up with a palpable plan to fund a high school feasibility study, Mullin said the school choice numbers support the argument that the high school is overcrowded.

"It's just one more reason that we need to expand somehow. We could certainly use 10 additional classrooms," he said. "We're taking kids from other communities and that's good because it demonstrates that we offer quality programs and MCAS scores indicate that Dracut High School did very well last year, but there is a limited number of seats."

Committee Chairman Ron Mercier Jr. said school-choice money is helpful but not if it comes at the expense of crowded classrooms.

"It says a lot that kids from out of town want to come here, but we have to take care of the kids in Dracut first," Mercier said.

The total number of school choice seats at the Lakeview Junior High School is limited to five in grade 7 and five in grade 8. There are currently three out-of-town students in grade 7 and four out-of-town students in grade 8. The high school as 9 school choice freshmen, 5 sophomores, 2 juniors and 7 seniors.

"It's becoming a serious concern," Mullin said.
Subject: Voters force meeting on taxes.....Petitioners seek use of reserves


Author:
The Boston Globe
[Edit]
Date Posted: 07:53 09/08/08 Mon
By Julia Quinn-Szcesuil
Globe Correspondent / September 4, 2008

Fed up with paying one of the highest property tax bills in the state, a group of Acton citizens has forced a Special Town Meeting next month to try to get some of the town's cash reserves returned to taxpayers.

Town Clerk Eva Taylor said the newly formed Acton Voters Group submitted a citizens' petition Aug. 18 with 1,515 certified signatures, more than 1,300 over the number required to call such a gathering. The meeting is set for Oct. 2 at the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.

Acton Voters Group president Clint Seward said residents are feeling the pinch of a lackluster economy and want to have a say in whether the town should use $2.4 million in cash reserves to help offset an anticipated 3.8 percent hike in the local property tax for fiscal 2009. The initiative would effectively repeal that tax hike. Town officials fear possible cuts in state aid might lead to an additional tax hike, though, in fiscal 2010.

"We have hit a chord with voters," said Seward. "Why not give voters a chance and give a tax break? The issue is the town shouldn't use reserves for operation. Acton is lucky; we have enormous reserves in town."

Lauren Rosenzweig, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, confirmed that the town would still have approximately $5 million in reserve funds if the citizens' initiative passes.

Seward said the signatures show that residents are clearly concerned about their finances. The group, he said, also believes the town could do more for residents on limited or low incomes.

"Our motivating factor is we think Acton is forgetting its less fortunate citizens," he said.

But not everyone is convinced that drawing down the town's reserves by so much in one year is a good idea. Peter Ashton, a former selectman and former member of the Finance Committee, says another group of residents has formed to let people know that not everyone thinks the reserves should be returned.

"We are mostly concerned that this is a short-sighted proposal," he said. "It doesn't take into account the budget plans presented at Town Meeting last April."

Ashton said the level of reserves the Acton Voters Group wants returned is too high, given the economic uncertainty. "There is another side to this," he said. "Sure, everyone wants to reduce taxes, but it has to be done in a fiscally responsible way."

The reserve cash comes from Acton's past membership in the Northeast Solid Waste Consortium, in which towns collaborated to have their solid waste burned in a central incinerator in North Andover. According to Town Manager Steve Ledoux, Acton accumulated $5.2 million through the sale of dump stickers, by selling leftover solid waste tonnage credits to other towns participating in the collaborative, and by setting aside tax revenues to cover costs of any potential environmental problems after the town landfill was capped. Those anticipated problems have not materialized thus far.

Acton has not been a member of the waste consortium for several years. Rosenzweig said the state has approved Acton's capped landfill site, which is no longer in use, and now the town must decide what to do with the funds that were set aside to mitigate possible environmental issues.

So far, the town has been reluctant to release the money. Ledoux says to let go of so much cash at once in the midst of a slow economy isn't in the best interests of the town. "We'd like to have some reserves to fall back on," he said. "It is always good for a community to keep reserves. You just never know what can happen."

Ledoux recalls that as Westford's town manager, he was faced with an unexpected oil spill in town that cost several million dollars to clean up. In addition, he said, there is the potential that Acton will be financially liable for a portion of fly-ash cleanup costs at the North Andover incinerator. The cost could be a couple million dollars, he says.

That alone, says Robert Bliss, spokesman for the Department of Revenue, is something both sides of the debate over the town's reserves must consider. "That would be a reason for caution," he said. "But this is a good problem to have, in a sense - to have a number of options."

Rosenzweig said she understands the taxpayers' argument for releasing the reserves.

"I'd err on the side of conservatism, but I see the other side, too. Speaking for myself, I understand their objective, but I am worried," she said. "This is a difficult choice, but, as a selectman, I would advise citizens to be cautious. A town is a big investment."

Rosenzweig said selectmen had worked on the past year's budget to prepare the town for a recession. They made cuts so the town's reserves would remain untouched. If something unexpected were to occur, it might force a tax increase if the reserves were not there, she said.

With a fiscal year 2008 residential tax rate of $15.39 per $1,000 of assessed property value, Acton residents pay one of the highest residential tax rates in the state. According to the Department of Revenue, Acton's average single-family home value for 2008 is just over $523,000, with residents paying an average single-family tax bill of $8,051.

Seward said if voters approve the initiative, next year's property tax increase will not happen. And while the town would still have millions in reserve, he argued, many residents do not have such cushions to depend on. In some households, he said, even a few hundred dollars a year would make a huge difference.

"Lots of people going into this recession are hurting," he said. "It is time to be prudent."
Subject: Something’s still a wee bit BLEEPED up in The Sun’s forged letter controversy


Author:
Nostradamus
[Edit]
Date Posted: 01:41 09/06/08 Sat
Forgery -- The act of forging, fabricating, or producing falsely; esp., the crime of fraudulently making or altering a writing or signature purporting to be made by another; the false making or material alteration of or addition to a written instrument for the purpose of deceit and fraud; as, the forgery of a bond.

--Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

For those of you who haven’t noticed it yet in this week’s Valley Dispatch, which is an insert publication of the Lowell Sun, Editor Jim Campanini issued a four paragraph, public apology to Roger L. Daigle for last week’s forged Letter to the Editor titled, “Shining Some Light on Dracut After Dark”.

Aside from this retraction being approximately one-eighth of the size in copy inches to last week’s seemingly endless rant against this message board, Daigle told me that he had sent in a Letter to the Editor to the Dispatch in response to that one, which not only didn’t see the light of day but didn’t even prompt a phone call for verification.

In defense of the Dispatch, Daigle said that he sent it in Tuesday’s mail so perhaps it didn’t make it in time for this week’s issue, but if there was no call for verification – as of Friday evening, 9-5-08 – there’s got to be a question if the Dispatch plans on running it at all. Even if Daigle’s letter exceeds 150 words (which last week’s letter absolutely did), the Dispatch owes Daigle AT LEAST the courtesy of publishing his response letter VERBATIM IN ITS ENTIRETY in next week’s issue.

For that matter, whatever happened to Daigle’s 4-5 Letters to the Editor that he sent to The Sun, which it “inadvertently misplaced”? Perhaps they could give Daigle a regular column in the Dispatch at least till all these articles are exhausted.

Unlike Randal J. Skeffington of 11 years ago and Martin P. Dumphey of just a few months ago, Roger L. Daigle is a very REAL PERSON – not a pseudonym. The Sun, through its reckless and irresponsible actions as a supposedly reputable newspaper, allowed this Forgery to take place in its publication.

Campanini stated in this retraction:

”...The letter was e-mailed to The Dispatch in Mr. Daigle’s name, but it lacked a telephone number and other identifying requirements used for verification purposes. It should not have been published...”

First of all, with the many, many Letters to the Editor that Daigle has sent to The Sun over the years, have ANY OF THEM ever been, e-mailed??? Daigle DOES NOT subscribe to the Internet. Secondly, why would you even entertain publishing a Letter without the required phone number, as well as “other identifying requirements used for verification purposes”? That alone, should’ve served as a “Red Flag” to just throw that Letter in the trash. Last, but by no means least, whatever happened to The Sun’s policy of Letters to the Editors being limited to 150 words or less? Multiply 150 times 8-9 and that’s about how lengthy that Letter last week appeared.

”...The breakdown in the verification procedure is regrettable and once again we apologize to Mr. Daigle.”

Wow, I really feel like crying or something like that. It sort of reminds me of last week on the radio when both Warren “Barnyard Animal” Shaw and Shawn “Pee Wee Herman” Ashe both “claimed” that they had nothing to do with this forged letter appearing in The Dispatch. If you honestly believe that statement, Mr. Campanini, why not afford Roger Daigle an open, unedited, verbatim publication of his Letters to the Editor as a fair remedy to this forgery incident?

If not, it almost appears as if you allowed this to “slide through the proverbial cracks” as an indirect swipe at, Dracut After Dark. This November, we’ve been operating as an Internet message board for seven years and this just happened to be the one and only time you mentioned Dracut After Dark, specifically by name, in either the Dispatch or The Sun. You really have to wonder if there’s more to this forged letter than what Mr. Campanini is disclosing in that retraction.

This also begs the question, if The Sun and The Dispatch represent the mainstream media and the more supposedly responsible entity than anything the Internet can produce, how exactly are they more professional than Dracut After Dark?

5 words of advice for Daigle: “Report this to the Police”

If I were Roger Daigle, I’d report this incident to the Police. I’d tell them that my name was illegally forged on a Letter to the Editor published in the Valley Dispatch and specifically that I wish to have them use their investigative resources to identify the guilty culprit via their Computer IP#, along with their e-mail address. I’d tell the cops that I wish to prosecute this guilty culprit to the fullest extent of the law. In addition to that, I’d also want the cops to question The Sun’s inner sanctum to find out if this Letter was pre-meditated.

“Barnyard Animal” Shaw and Dennis “Porky Pig” Shaughnessey are both columnists with The Dispatch who have a few “burnt bridges” with Daigle and Dracut After Dark. It’s really hard to believe that neither of these gentlemen had any foreknowledge to this Letter appearing in The Dispatch BEFORE it actually got published last week.

“Pee Wee Herman” Ashe brought out the “Internet complaint letter generator” on his own blog within a couple hours of The Dispatch hitting the streets with the Letter in question – how ironic! How many people in Dracut would you assume actually know about these Internet complaint letter generators? When he first began his blog about four years ago, Shawn put himself in a bizarre position when he blatantly admitted on his Internet board that he was driving by the home of George and Martha Starkey of Collinsville at night, a number of times, hoping to ask them why they were posting under a pseudonym on his message board. Then, more recently, Mr. Ashe was quoted in The Sun as saying he had hoped to register more kids for our Skateboard Park by keeping registration forms in his car for them. BTW, did I mention that Shawn Ashe definitely has the Internet savvy to pull off a stunt like getting a forged letter published in The Sun or The Dispatch? Aside from the fact that Shawn has had a very “weird” interest in this forged letter since it hit the streets last week on his own blog, I honestly believe the Police would have to appropriately view Mr. Ashe as a, “Person of Interest” in this case.

Besides, if Daigle does want to pursue a lawsuit at some future point, a Police investigation – at taxpayers’ expense – could save him a ton of money that would ordinarily be paid to a lawyer. Especially when it comes tracking down this person’s e-mail address and Computer IP#. Yahoo or AOL, for example, may ignore attorney requests for information but I don’t think they’d be stupid enough not to cooperate with the police.

If nothing else, assuming the guilty culprit hid his tracks well enough not to be traced, a Police investigation might be just what the doctor ordered to finally straighten things out on the verification procedures – or lack thereof – currently taking place at the Lowell Sun. Let this serve as that newspaper’s, wake-up call.
Subject: O’Reilly-Kerry Senate Primary debate airs this Sunday (9-7-08), 8:30 a.m., Channel 4


Author:
Kopy Kitten
[Edit]
Date Posted: 09:12 09/03/08 Wed
(posted on GateHouse News Service, 8-26-08)

Kerry agrees to debate O’Reilly

By Stephanie Silverstein
GateHouse News Service

BOSTON — After multiple requests from Gloucester resident and Senate candidate Ed O’Reilly, Sen. John Kerry has agreed to a debate before the Sept. 16 election.

Both candidates have accepted an invitation from Jon Keller of WBZ-TV to participate in a debate that will be filmed on Sept. 5 and broadcast on WBZ on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 8:30 a.m. The debate will be 30 minutes, including commercial breaks.

O’Reilly, who has been challenging Kerry to debates for about a month, said he will continue to push for more debates, and wants a live debate that will air on a weeknight.

“This is unbelievable. If this is John Kerry’s idea of democracy, we have a serious problem,” O’Reilly said. “I’m pursuing more.”

With a 30-minute segment, O’Reilly expects to have about 25 minutes of airtime, including the time Keller speaks as moderator. “How can we get into depth of the issues?” he asked. “He wants to skim over the top like he does for everything. My energy proposal, ‘Renew America,’ alone takes about three minutes to talk about.”

The candidates will have one minute to answer each question, posed by Keller, and there is no set time limit for the rebuttal, O’Reilly said.

On his blog, Keller @ Large Blog, Keller invites anyone to submit questions for the debate, and says he will consider each one.

Brigid O’Rourke, Kerry’s campaign press secretary, said Keller was the first person to offer to host a debate between the two candidates. “We just accepted his invitation,” she said. “At this point in time, it is the only one that we’ve talked about.”

O’Reilly said he has taken offers from Jim Madigan of WGBY, Jim Braude and Chet Curtis of NECN, and Emily Rooney of WGBH to debate Kerry, but Kerry’s campaign did not accept the offers.

“Jon Keller was the first to invite the Senator to debate and so he was the one whose invitation we accepted,” O’Rourke said.

After it airs, the debate will be posted to the WBZ web site, and excerpts will be made available to other news outlets.

Contact Stephanie Silverstein at ssilvers@cnc.com .
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Subject: In Home Day Care


Author:
Dan
[Edit]
Date Posted: 14:41 09/04/08 Thu
I was just wondering if anyone could recommend anyone who does licensed in home day care. My wife and I are expecting our first child next month and need to start looking into day care. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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