Bad boys, bad boys what ya gonna do?

12:30 AM, 70 degrees

So yeah, today is Umass graduation which of course reminds us townies of just how BIG the University truly is. I'm doing a "ride along" tonight with Amherst PD's embattled night shift (with a few State police thrown in for good measure.)

Got my new Flip digital camera and stand-by Kodak with only 3-X optical zoom but I plan on getting up close and personal so zoom shouldn't matter. Also have Donna's i-phone, but do not expect to have to send out any Mayday's.

Short but sour

Click to enlarge/read

UPDATE: 5:00 PM:
So there's hilarious Comments (always my blogesphere favorite) over at Princess Stephanie's "blog" or whatever she calls it (that would be O'Keeffe--with two e's two f's and another e)
Princess Stephanie "reports":

Masslive Amherst Forum:
Gotta love uber-lib Lloyd Loar's all too typical response:
Yes Lloydy, anti-aircraft guns (or better yet Patriot missiles) would have come in handy over the skies of lower Manhattan on that awful morning.
##########################################################################
Original Post: Yesterday

To: ShafferL@amherstma.gov; selectboard@amherstma.gov
Sent: Wed, 20 May 2009 10:32 pm
Subject: Public Documents Request

Could I please get a copy of the memo you issued to Fire Chief Keith Hoyle on March 27 concerning Amherst fire trucks not being allowed in the July 4 Parade?

Thanks,

Larry K


Sent: Thu, 21 May 2009 6:20 pm
Subject: FW: 4th of July Parade.FD participation.032709 - RESPONSE FOR INFORMATION REQUEST


Thank you for your e-mail communication to the Select Board. Each member of the Select Board has been sent a copy of your e-mail; however, any action by the Select Board in response to your e-mail must be deliberated and decided upon in a posted and public Select Board meeting. E-mail communications with departments and officials are public documents under State Law. Thank you for your interest and involvement in our community.

To: ShafferL@amherstma.gov; SelectBoard@amherstma.govSent: Thu, 21 May 2009 7:01 pm

Subject: Re: 4th of July Parade.FD participation.032709 - RESPONSE FOR INFORMATION REQUEST

Thanks Larry. Keep your head down.
LK

What a difference 20 years makes

As the 20’th anniversary of the slaughter of protesting students at Tiananmen Square approaches, my wife Donna sent me this photo from yesterday. Looks peaceful enough now but Chinese authorities are not looking forward to June 5’th. And security will naturally be tight (or I should say tighter, as security in China is always tight.)

She took my good Kodak digital camera with high optical zoom, but even so I told her not to point it in the direction of any of those ubiquitous folks in olive green uniform.

Too bad male Amherst town officials could not show such balls.

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.)
#################################################################
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 .