Front page news
Posted: July 31, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment »Er, um, telegram.com home page today
Er, um, featured blog
Whatever we did to the least …
Posted: July 31, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffJeff got this right.
Wormtown Taxi: Darlene Haynes Murder:
“There are young mothers all over this city, living lives that may be a bit worse or a bit better, but still struggling day by day to make the best of whatever’s possible for them and their children. They may not be quite able to mix with those who feel comfy at the Hanover or a wine tasting at KJ Barrons, but they sure do deserve our respect for the full time jobs they’re doing to take care of their kids.None of them deserve a fate like the one that Darlene Haynes suffered.”
It’s good that we didn’t cause an international incident
Posted: July 31, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffThe Helsingin Sanomat – International Edition took its summer holiday starting about the same time that we were in Finland. We left the place in good shape.
Notes To Readers: “The International Edition returns today after a lengthy absence, during which time – mercifully – not so very much has happened in Finland,”
OntheCommon.com – Just a closer walk with Thee
Posted: July 31, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffOntheCommon.com: “You might not meet your Maker, but you’ll likely say His name a few times.”
Finland Travel Notes
Posted: July 31, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffHere are our notes from our 2009 trip to Finland and Iceland.
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Crime in suburbia
Posted: July 31, 2009 Filed under: crime in suburbia Comments OffFrom The Landmark (subscription required):
Holden
Monday, July 20
2:04 a.m. Caller heard gunshots or fireworks on Causeway St.
8:17 a.m. Suspicious vehicle not familiar to neighbors in the area of Laurel Hill Lane; okay, private investigator working in the area
10:20 a.m. Caller about an incident that occurred last week
3:20 p.m. Party asking about ticket issued and how many days to pay it
6:07 p.m. Request for officer to check wires that are down on Quinapoxet St. to see if they are live or not; lines are on driveway and nothing blocking road
9:47 p.m. Caller reports hitting a deer
10:10 p.m. Report of people driving back and forth between liquor stores after being turned away
10:29 p.m. Bat in house on Shrewsbury Street
Tuesday, July 21
12:15 a.m. Well-being check requested for employee who didn’t show up for work; okay, she called in earlier and got no response
9:43 a.m. Youths playing around Wachusett Fitness
1:41 pm. Construction motor vehicle crossed over into southbound lane
4:58 p.m. Caller inquiring about any cats found
5:35 p.m. Caller inquiring about person arrested on Quinapoxet St.
Wednesday, July 22
9:32 a.m. Princeton PD advised of deceased dog on Rte. 31
9:32 a.m. Caller from WRHS found cat
9:41 a.m. Worcester resident reports harassing phone calls from Holden resident
10:01 a.m. Tree crew working without detail on Shrewsbury St.
12:02 p.m. Walk-in concerned about removal of animal carcass
12:20 p.m. Customs and border protection in town for local check
2:42 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Malden St; okay, Jehovah’s Witnesses
4:25 p.m. Skunk in yard on Somerset Lane caught in trap
4:32 p.m. Tree down blocking portion of street; tree warden contacted
5:59 p.m. Teenagers gathered in front of business on Main St. dispersed
7:35 p.m. Senior citizen missing; found at Big Y
8:12 p.m. Smoke behind Big Y reported; kids lighting firecrackers
Thursday, July 23
12:20 a.m. Dogs barking on High Ridge Rd.
1:09 a.m. 911 Report of bright light and noises coming from house near parking lot of church on Brattle St.; Worcester informed
4:01 a.m. Dome light on in car on Wentworth Dr.
4:28 a.m. Vehicle reportedly broken into by newspaper delivery person on Shrewsbury St.
9:24 a.m. Coyote carcass removed on Wachusett St.
1:41 p.m. Caller concerned about youths loitering in lot on Main St.; group dispersed
1:49 p.m. Elevator phone hang-up from Starbard Building/town hall
6:37 p.m. Water coming up out of ground on Larkspur Rd.
Friday, July 24
7:58 a.m. Power outage on Parker Ave.; branch on wires, was on fire but now out
9:25 a.m. Flooding on Rte. 31
9:26 a.m. Red light out on Salisbury St.
11:06 a.m. Loose dogs on Rte. 68
12:43 p.m. Walk-in to report her Instant Message name compromised
9:17 p.m. Lost motorist on Main St.
Saturday, July 25
7:48 a.m. Several calls about cars parking on both sides of street for yard sale on Main St.
6:37 p.m. Holden resident’s property left in Dartmouth
Sunday, July 26
8:30 a.m. Tree limb removed from Chapel St.
9:40 a.m. Caller having trouble with neighbor regarding property boundary
4:01 p.m. Walk-in with complaint about daughter
7:41 p.m. Vehicle parked in roadway on Main St.
Paxton
Monday, July 20
3:56 p.m. Person at station to report being attacked by a cat in her back yard, Pleasant St.
11:46 p.m. Elderly male upset over sleeping arrangements, Maple St.
Tuesday, July 21
No calls for service
Wednesday, July 22
8:14 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, West St.
1:48 p.m. Stray dog running in and out of traffic, Sawmill Rd.
5:57 p.m. Caller’s washing machine broke, water flooding basement, needs assistance, Grove St.
Friday, July 24
12:07 p.m. Person on bike weaving in and out of traffic, Pleasant St.
Saturday, July 25
7:54 a.m. Caller reports dog on his porch looks lost, Pleasant St.
9:20 a.m. Assistance with motorcycle ride coming through town, Rte. 56 to Rte. 122
10:16 a.m. Caller concerned that stray dog in road may get hit, Pleasant St.
5:38 p.m. Dog running in and out of traffic, West St./ Holbrook Ln.
8:39 p.m. Person locked out of residence, Village Rd.
11:49 p.m. Caller complaining about loud party, Pond St.
Sunday, July 26
7:59 p.m. Someone putting items into Dumpster, West St.
Princeton
Monday, July 20
7:50 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Beaman Rd.
10:05 a.m. Assist other town department, Connor Ln.
3:06 p.m. Abandoned call, Esty Rd.; investigated
5:37 p.m. Suspicious incident, Goodnow Rd.
Tuesday, July 21
5:36 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Hobbs Rd.
Wednesday, July 22
8:00 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Mirick Rd.
10:05 a.m. Assist light department, Westminster Rd.
4:48 p.m. Assist fire department, Worcester Rd.
8:41 p.m. Disturbance, gun shots, Coal Kiln Rd.
9:25 p.m. Assist fire department, Worcester Rd.
Thursday, July 23
7:36 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Mountain Rd.
Friday, July 24
8:24 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Coal Kiln Rd.
Saturday, July 25
9:22 a.m. Request for light department, Sterling Rd.
3:36 p.m. Public service, Town Hall Dr.
5:29 p.m. Request for traffic control, Worcester Rd.
6:01 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.
Sunday, July 26
8:31 a.m. Summons served, Coal Kiln Rd.
8:37 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Mirick Rd.
4:05 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Hubbardston Rd.
4:08 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Hubbardston Rd.
4:30 p.m. Fire investigation, Hickory Dr.
Rutland
Monday, July 20
6:24 p.m. Person at station to discuss bicycle received from neighbor, Tanglewood Cir.
6:49 p.m. Report of small raccoon in yard periodically, Maple Ave.
Tuesday, July 21
1:01 p.m. Tree across the road, Pleasantdale Rd.
4:31 p.m. Small tree limb sticking out into Barre Paxton Rd.
4:50 p.m. Branches sticking out into roadway, Barre Paxton Rd.
Wednesday, July 22
2:04 a.m. Youths walking in between homes on Marjorie Ln.
6:06 p.m. Caller advising that individual is now at home on Tanglewood Cir.
9:49 p.m. Assist motorist out of gas, E. County Rd.
Thursday, July 23
9:28 a.m. Officer wanted to discuss ongoing neighbor issues, Main St.
9:30 a.m. Person heard banging at door, no one there, Heritage Hill Dr.
10:46 a.m. Small German shorthair dog running down Rte. 68
2:38 p.m. Officer wanted, man trying to flag down motorists, Main/Maple Sts.
9:07 p.m. Missing dogs without collars, golden retriever and Labrador, Paddock Rd.
Friday, July 24
6:03 a.m. High water alarm, Miles Rd.
7:21 a.m. Irish setter running down Pommogussett Rd.
8:33 a.m. Officer wanted, Inwood Rd.
8:34 a.m. Report of incident with two dogs during night, Clealand Cir.
3:15 p.m. Dog on porch won’t let person get near it, Marjorie Ln.
5:04 p.m. Person says she has evidence for police, St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester
11:33 p.m. Caller reporting loud party, Skyline Dr.
Saturday, July 25
8:00 a.m. Stray chocolate Labrador in yard, Proprietor’s Place
12:38 p.m. Report of man walking around boat ramp just staring at people, Barre Paxton Rd.
3:12 p.m. Motor vehicle accident, car hung up on hydrant, Miles Rd.
6:15 p.m. Parakeet found at swimming pool, Main St.
9:01 p.m. Water bubbling up from roadway, Beechwood Dr.
Sunday, July 26
1:15 a.m. Erratically driven vehicle with three girls “hooting and hollering” traveling from Hubbardston to Rutland, E. County Rd.
12:46 p.m. Missing cocker-poo, Prospect St.
7::49 p.m. Lost black dog with red collar, Summerhill Dr.
11:47 p.m. Hubbardston PD requesting back-up, Gardner Rd.
Sterling
Monday, July 20
7:35 a.m. Open window at building, Clinton Rd.
8:35 a.m. Report that tree company has traffic backed up on Kendall Hill Rd.
12:39 p.m. Officer wanted, Hall Ave.
Tuesday, July 21
3:39 a.m. Caller reports suspicious activity around house, Jill Ln.
8:43 a.m. English pointer broke leash and is loose, Lucas Rd. Very timid; later found
Wednesday, July 22
7:59 a.m. Window shot out by BB, Boutelle Rd.
10:45 a.m. Injured cat near dance studio, Leominster Rd.
11:00 a.m. Request for officer for obstinate child, Gates Rd.
2:34 p.m. Stray dog in yard, Newell Hill Rd.
4:13 p.m. Caller concerned about pile of tree debris close to travel lane, N. Row Rd.
6:29 p.m. Two people bitten by dogs, Justice Hill Cutoff. Dogs up-to-date on shots, will be quarantined
Thursday, July 23
9:06 a.m. Complaint about barking dogs, Boutelle Rd.
9:35 a.m. Report of large turtle in yard, Matthew Ln.
10:58 a.m. Caller concerned about baby skunk in yard, Chace Hill Rd.
12:58 p.m. Suspicious male on bicycle; went into business that caller thought was closed, Worcester Rd.
2:12 p.m. Truck parked on sharp curve, Upper N. Row Rd.
3:06 p.m. Caller locked out of residence, Wiles Rd.
Friday, July 24
1:13 p.m. Report that television was taken off wall of home, Wiles Rd.
1:41 p.m. Person wants to speak with animal control officer, Boutelle Rd.
Saturday, July 25
8:19 a.m. Stray bloodhound in yard, Albright Rd.
8:57 p.m. Caller reports front door suddenly opened, Mellon Hollow Rd.
Sunday, July 26
2:56 p.m. Complaint about tree vehicles blocking Osgood Rd.
6:41 p.m. Caller reports her cat is salivating at the mouth, Muddy Pond Rd.
8:57 p.m. Woman with long red hair cutting through caller’s yard, Kendall Hill Rd.
9:24 p.m. Officer investigation follow-up, Kendall Hill Rd.
You can’t stay here, either.
Posted: July 31, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffAs a follow-up to my earlier note, Don’t care where you go, but you can’t stay here, from the Telegram and Gazette, July 31, 2009:
Westboro State Hospital will close June 30, 124 years after it opened and nearly two years before a new psychiatric hospital is expected to open in Worcester to replace the state hospitals in Worcester and Westboro.
Don’t care where you go, but you can’t stay here
Posted: July 30, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffDuring the 1970s, the Commonwealth started closing state hospitals. I was working in a restaurant in Gardner at the time. Folks who’d been discharged from the hospital would stop by, find enough change for a cup of coffee, and stay for as long as my boss would let them. One guy, a big affable guy named Dave, sit and talk with us, drinking large tumblers of water (a sign of untreated diabetes).
When I opened the restaurant in the early morning, I’d see folks climb out of the Salvation Army bins in the parking lot (before the bins had been redesigned to make bin tenancy more difficult).
Eventually, however, the people just went away.
The PIP shelter in Worcester is in a similar situation to the state hospitals in the 70s and 80s – an expensive embarrassment that is not able to treat a population that is, at once, vulnerable and troublesome. And, the solution to the problem is pretty much the same as back then: shut it down.
The same spirit, wrapped in practicality, has given New York City the unsubtle idea about homelessness that might catch on – pay ‘em to go away.
In an article in InCity Times, The PIP shelter and what it means to Worcester, District 4 City Councilor Barbara Haller answers the question of ‘What will become of these people?’
My answer to that question was always to explain that it is not the responsibility of the struggling neighborhood around 701 to bring solution to homelessness, but rather it is the responsibility of the whole community.
A friend used to say, “Everybody’s cow is nobody’s cow.” There’s no dispute that the PIP shelter has failed its mission to bring drunks and addicts to clean and sober lives and that, in the process, has also failed the community. Conflating the issues of alcohol and drug addiction with homelessness (issues that are deeply connected, but also separable), diminishes the focus that each issue requires.
We have a plan (PDF file) and a Worcester County Regional Network. A Google search of news and documents, however, shows several mentions of people claiming membership on the Leadership Council, but scant mention of drugs or alcohol. (Nearly all of the discussion regarding drugs and alcohol came in testimony regarding continuation of programs at Dismas House.)
One effort, the Almost Home program at Dismas House, has drawn praise from officials and participants alike by addressing the complex needs of prisoners returning to society, needs that include drug and alcohol treatment. Naturally, state funding has been cut and the program shut down.
County-wide solutions are important, but are rare. There are, by one assessment, 72 sober houses in Massachusetts, with just four in Worcester County. Gardner certainly went the distance to ensure that SMOC wouldn’t open a new sober house in its downtown.
Getting and staying clean and sober is very hard. Getting other people clean and sober is even harder. Nevertheless, we’re not going to make any significant progress on the problems that make people need the PIP shelter until we’re also willing and able to address the vexing problems of alcohol and drug addiction and other forms of mental illness in people on the street.
I think that it might rain this afternoon
Posted: July 29, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments Off
Newton’s First Law vs. attic mice
Posted: July 29, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffSheesh. This is only the second box of papers that I’ve brought down from the attic. I don’t know how many more are up there. Two. Or two dozen. Who keeps all this stuff? Oh. Right.
- This is the person who taught me how to write, my mother:
- Even the mice didn’t want to nibble on a folder labeled Misc. Poetry 1977.
- For a time, I wrote stories for those true confessions magazines. I didn’t get published in the real True Confessions; they were the big leagues. My stories got into the knock-offs.
A friend of a friend made a good living writing those kinds of stories; that’s where I got the idea. I made a few hundred bucks. Some of the magazines are still around, but, with reality tv shows and all, who needs to read?
I found folders with quite a few completed, but unsold stories and many more drafts. - Those were some tough times, financially, but I had my cheerleaders:
- How did those mice get all that bird seed from the back yard into these boxes in the attic? That’s a long way to travel with a mouthful of anything.
- I was a reporter for the Enterprise-Sun newspapers. The McDonald’s near the office paid more, but they didn’t hand out press passes such as this:
- As always, when you dig deeply enough in the archives, you find stories that inspire you with their great wisdom:
