Firefighters Ratify New Contract

A parade of AFD hardware

Amherst Firefighters Local Union 1764 voted to accept the recent three year contract offered to them by the town which provides a 2% raise but brings a bit more security to the citizenry they serve in Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury and Hadley by upping the minimum staffing level from seven to eight professional firefighters per shift (when UMass is in session).

   AFD New Contract

In The Line Of Duty

It really doesn't matter if officer Dmitry Makovkin knew he was going to die, whether he consciously embraced 22 pounds of high explosives to muffle the deadly blast, or he was simply acting instinctively to subdue a suspicious perp. 

The fact remains his selfless split-second actions saved countless lives, almost all of them innocent civilians.  At the ultimate price of his own life, cut w-a-y too short at age 29.

I always thought the police motto "To protect and to serve" was an American thing.  Not any more. 

Thoughtful Customers

 Food For Thought Books ends the year on a positive note

Food For Thought Books will live to see their 38th year in business thanks to generous customers who came together via the Indiegogo fundraising site to the tune of over $40,000.  Not bad considering the goal was $38,000.  Actually not bad period. 

The left of center bookstore has been a mainstay in the downtown since the early 1970s back before Al Gore invented the Internet.  But now, everything has changed -- and bookstores, newspapers and video rental stores are under the gun.  More like an assault rifle. 

Meanwhile just around the corner, fair and balanced Amherst Books -- also in a building owned by Barry Roberts -- seems to be weathering the storm. 

Banned In Amherst

 

Cumbys come into compliance

Cumberland Farms is no longer serving their 99 cent coffee to go in Styrofoam containers, coming into compliance with the Amherst polystyrene packaging ban that goes into effect January 1st. 

They are now using paper coated in wax with a high gloss plastic-like  exterior which certainly feels the same as polystyrene.

I buried one of each variety in my back yard and will dig them up in 25 years and let you know if the new one passes the biodegradable test.

Meanwhile, Dunkin' Donuts (at least the one on University Drive) is still using polystyrene; but hey, they have another two days.

Freedom's Just Another Word

Washington Monument (still feeling the effects of an earthquake)

Screw the NSA!

And Another One Gone

 UMass Football coach  Charley Molnar heads to the unemployment line

In addition to the $6,312,074 UMass FBS gamble is projected to cost this Fiscal Year (on top of the $5,644,099 it cost/lost last year) you can now add another cool $1 million to buy out the remaining three years of coach Molnar's contract and a couple other coaches who were pushed into falling upon their swords.

And yes, remember it also cost a cool $1 million to buy out the previous coach Kevin Morris and staff, when UMass brought in Molnar to make the BIG jump to FBS.  A million here and a million there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

Maybe higher authorities in the food chain should start fearing the thud of an ax.

No coach, staff, or team worked harder to build a championship program than we did. Disappointed in the results but proud of the foundation!
— Charley Molnar (@CharleyMolnar) December 26, 2013

Twitter has the solution





As does Reddit

Then There Were None

12/24/13 Kendrick Park

As always seems to be the case the Boy Scouts sold the last of their Christmas trees, just as we head into the day.

And all is right with the world, even in Amherst.