An accident...a horrible, horrible accident

Update 8:30 PM

So yeah, as you can well imagine, the DA’s office received at least two—possibly three—calls from newspapers’ and maybe one from a local TV station within hours of this upload.

The official comment was “the investigation is still ongoing.” Hmmm…

What that really means in bureau-speak is the State Police Reconstruction Team issued their report to the DA saying NO negligence involved and she can of course overrule that and file charges if she so desires.

Thus, while she’s thinking it over, the “investigation is still ongoing.” And as a result it’s currently immune to a Public Documents request (you know that transparency-in-government law her office is charged with upholding.)
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Original Post 1:45 PM

My ultra-reliable sources (note plural) are telling me (off the record of course) the State Police Accident Reconstruction Team finally finished their investigation of the horrific death of 2-year-old Abraham Espinoza almost 8 months ago under the wheel of an Amherst School Bus, and forwarded the results to Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel.

No criminal charges will be filed, no negligence on the part of the driver or maintenance personnel. Although, school officials are bracing for a civil lawsuit.

It was an accident--a horrible, horrible accident. And why it has taken THIS long for state officials to release those results is anybody's guess.

What else can I say?

July 4 Parade fiasco: the prequel

The Republican reports--again!

Princess Stephanie Reports: Comments are the best!

So I feel a tad like the new Star Trek movie: earlier I uploaded the 7:35 PM 'Town Manager Report' and now (a few minutes past midnight) I've just uploaded the opening 6:30 PM 'Question Period'.

But ACTV screwed up the live broadcast, so I only just now got ahold of the digital version of the first part of the meeting (although obviously I was there in the flesh).

With "friends" like these...

So I guess Fox News would come up with a great graphic and run this as a Cable News Exclusive: People's Republic of Amherst disses Public Safety (yet again)!

Since ACTV (operated on municipal funds) screwed up yet again, the illustrious Amherst Select Board meeting from last night will not air until 9:00 PM this evening. And of course the bricks-and-mortar newspaper media did not find much of interest to relate in today's black-and-white print editions. Although the Springfield Republican, as usual, scooped the Gazette covering this controversy a few days back.

The Springfield Republican reports

The Town Mangler's final solution

Well, at least we know who wears the pants in that room
(Original post, a little after midnight)

UPDATE: 9:00 AM

So yeah ACTV screwed up yet again; nothing of the Select Board meeting went out live last night. I must be jinxed, because the last time I set up a strafing run and was going to have someone capture the 'Question Period' on a flash drive so I could instantly upload on the blog, ACTV sent out only audio for the entire live meeting.

Luckily I just purchased a 'Flip Camera' that does two hours of video.

I believe the Town Mangler even made an issue of ACTV's amateur-hour coverage last winter at the following Select Board meeting. Keep in mind this organization is essentially a town-owned, tax supported $250,000 per year business .

Have tree will travel

Groff Park 10:00 AM (two more are comin)

Slow news day

So my Amherst “Institutional Memory” is like a point-and-shoot digital camera. There’s rock solid “optical zoom” and beyond that (pushing the envelope) enhanced, slightly blurry, “digital zoom”.

I realized this when I stretched my older Kodak camera to the limit to get a recognizable photo of former Select Board Czar Ann Awad (at the time an AMHERST town official) w-a-y off in her South Hadley garden, and it came out blurry.

Fortunately she has an oversized distinctive body, instantly recognizable (even from a good distance) and yeah; you don’t even want to see the few I did not publish.

My “institutional memory” (‘optical zoom’) dates back to 1982 the year I opened my small business in what was then called “The Dead Mall” in bucolic Hadley, the next town over.

Wal Mart moved in a dozen years or years ago after I relocated to my hometown ‘The People’s Republic of Amherst’ and these days that “dead mall” is about as lively as you can get.

But for pre-1982 events I rely on “old timers” I trust and—God forbid—the Gazette, and sister publication Amherst Bulletin. And of course the Amherst Record (a 200+ year old publication killed by the Amherst Bulletin)

Got an email this afternoon from a fellow Town Meeting member about a water outage at Puffton Village, the second one this year. But by the time I got there on my bike it was already repaired. The joys of dealing with the private sector.


My slightly foggy (“digital zoom”) memory reminds me that Puffton Village was constructed in the late 1960's early 1970’s in response to the dramatic growth of Umass/Amherst and received a pass from the Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board.

BUT, the Zoning Variance was only good for 25 or 30 years and the complex was originally envisioned as “temporary housing” and upon expiration the buildings would be terminated. So you can imagine the original infrastructure was not exactly constructed to the highest standards.

WELL of course once the vital housing owned by Steve Puffer, a famous long-time Town Meeting member, came into being and served a purpose (not to mention generated lots of money) …

Just a little respect

And let's remember Army Maj. Steven Hutchison as well



-----Original Message-----
From: amherstac@aol.com
To: marx@amherst.edu; sh.events@state.ma.us
Sent: Fri, 15 May 2009 3:09 pm
Subject: Your majestic American flag on Chapel Hill

Hey Tony,

So Wednesday was one of those state-wide local edicts issued by our Governor to fly the flag at half-staff, commemorating the ultimate sacrifice of Massachusetts resident Explosive Ordinance Disposalman John Trahan, age 22--and with that "job description" you can imagine how he died (at least it was quick .)

But today is Peace Officers' Day--and the President of the United States has ordered all flags to half-staff to commemorate those men and women in blue who have also given up their "last measure of devotion" to keep us safe.

Your flag on Chapel Hill is the most prominent in Amherst. Could you maybe please (since the College tends to bring it down to half-staff for employees) subscribe to the Mass state listserve for those rare occasions when the Governor orders it down, and also observe the Federal ones as well (also rare) for flag protocol? Memorial Day is coming up.

Top be perfectly honest, it's kind of embarrassing.

Larry Kelley


Previous Amherst College observances