Don't fool with Mother Nature (golf or skating)

Kendrick Park Ice Skating Rink Tuesday, 1:00 PM
Kendrick Park today 1:00 PM

And I'm not even going to ask--or theorize--what the Hell that yellowish hue is in the middle to upper part of the photos (click them to ENLARGE, if you dare). Yikes!

Arrest that man!

Amherst Middle School auditorium 7:01 PM

So tonight I violated my official “trespass order”—hand delivered by a Sheriff at taxpayer expense--three times in under a half-hour. That has got to be a freakin record!

First I went to, oh you know, what we townies still call the "Jr. High School" now designated the "Middle School" where School Committee Chair Andy Churchill (but he works for Umass so what the Hell does he know) previously said tonight’s tumultuous SC meeting was taking place.

A location I have reported to for duty as a venerable Amherst Town Meeting member for the past 18 years.

I found former math teacher, former head of the teacher’s union Sy Friedman leading some sort of dance class to about a dozen people (in an auditorium designed to hold hundreds).

Then I went to the Amherst Regional High School, and the peanut gallery was empty. From my ‘Vagina Monologues’ days I know that auditorium seats 800. Yes, some activity was taking place on the stage, but not much. Looked, smelled and sounded like they were building a set for a theatrical production (thankfully not ‘Vagina Monologues’).Amherst High School Auditorium 7:09 PM

And then I thought WOW they could not be that obvious and that lame to reschedule at the last moment to bring hundred of people to a venue that some consider “expendable” in these trying economic times.

Of course the main Marks Meadow supporters seem to be the folks who send their kids to that particular school (the smallest of four elementary schools and the only one not owned by the town)

But sure enough, that’s where the packed meeting occurred. I had to leave (not because the cops were arresting me--although since Umass owns MM I’m certain the not so Super Amherst School Superintendent’s trespass order is invalid at that location.) My wife is in Korea (the good half) and I promised to Skype her at 8:00 PM our time.

Marks Meadow School 7:17 PM

So you can read about the meeting (and maybe even see a decent photo) in tomorrow’s Ultra Crusty Gazette.

Life is never boring in the People’s Republic of Amherst--or Korea.

A little background (comments are the best)

Don't worry.

Well, it's not like the average person was going to throw it on top of their car and drive away.

A gathering, although not perfect, storm.

UPDATE: 11:30 AM So I'm told the numbers have materialized (and--Thank God--they were assembled by staff other than our acting Super Supers so they are meaningful)

ORIGINAL POST: 9:30 AM
So will our not so super, acting interim Superintendents cough up the data unanimously requested at the School Committee’s February 3'rd meeting (called specifically to pass one motion requesting the damn data) by tonight’s School Committee meeting, after failing to provide the material by Friday’s deadline?

This will be even better attended than an Amherst Town Meeting (maybe somebody should sell popcorn and beer to raise money)

A sense of where you are

Gotta wonder how much it would cost to white out "Amherst" from all the nifty signs, replace all the stationary and repaint the vehicles.

Free at last, free at last; thank God almighty...

At a meeting a few years back when the DPW was defending the taxpayer cost of adding a fire alarm system to their ancient brick building one of the Finance Committee members joked that they don’t need an expensive system since Larry Kelley lives next door (and yeah, once you inhale smoke from a major structure fire up close and personal you NEVER forget it)

So I’ve been hired to protect the damn sand. And I’m authorized to enforce limits with a shuffle hook kick upside the head (aka Billy Blanks good night kick).

Come on folks, there’s no such thing as a free lunch! Only in Springfield! (And the rest of America)

The Springfield Republican reports

Hell hath no fury...

Meanwhile intrepid School Committee member Catherine Sanderson is now both perky and pissed. And she has every right to be (pissed I mean).

Apparently the acting, interim Co-Superintendents cannot or will not do their $135-K job; so much for the Regional Chair’s "We're really getting two for one,” enthusiasm over their hiring 7 months ago.

The School Committee asked them (or told them) to run numbers on the all the options they need to look at for dealing with the current economic meltdown, and they did not do it.

Worse yet, they may actually have the numbers but simply will not cough them up. Maybe 40 years ago you could treat your bosses like mushrooms and keep them in the dark, but not any more—especially in overly enlightened Amherst.

Seems a little odd that School Committee members need to do a Public Documents request to get pertinent information to allow them to do the job they were elected to do.

So far the only good thing about Amherst’s interim Superintendents is the word interim.

Ms. Sanderson's Sunshine