'Twas A Conspiracy!

Helen Berg, former Select Board candidate

Forget who fired the fatal shot on the Presidential motorcade or how much thermite was used to bring down those gorgeous towers of glass and steel, little old Amherst has its very own wacky conspiracy theory:

The Blarney Blowout, the most disruptive public disorder of the decade, was a plot "fabricated and orchestrated" by town officials to increase the (woefully inadequate) public safety department budget.



Umm ... yeah.  Safe bet Ed Davis did not interview Helen Berg for her observation about the Blarney Blowout as part of his $160,000 study, due out any day now.

Culinary E-X-P-A-N-S-I-O-N

Judie's Restaurant, arguably the top sit-down-and-stay-a-while eating establishment in the downtown and icon for most of their 37 years of operation, received unanimous approval from the Amherst Select Board for an expansion into the 650 square foot ground floor of Boltwood Place, formerly occupied by Scandihoovian's.

The function room is a separate stand alone open space attached to the rear of the restaurant with a lift allowing for handicapped access.  Partner Dave Williams told the Select Board, who are the town's Liquor Commissioners, an operation that does group art will be hosting events in the new facility, which is expected to be operational in late September. 

Dave Williams (left) and  Attorney Kristi Bodin (right)

A Question Of Priorities?

 

Leisure Services & Supplemental Education (aka Recreation Department)

In addition to the $212,000 tax dollars lost on one golf course and two outdoor pools last year, the main governmental recreation entity that manages both of those, LSSE, also lost an additional $349,246 on other recreational programs.

Yes, that brings total losses last year on recreation to well over a half million dollars.  Or $561,246 to be exact.  For RECREATION.

Recreation program fell short of budget revenue projections by $141, 984

Hidden costs:  Employee Benefits, capital = $207,262 in additional losses

Expensive Summer Pastimes

 Mill River Pool, North Amherst

So in addition to the $100K the town spent subsidizing the expensive game of golf last year, we also lost another $112K on the outdoor pools.  No big surprise since they, like the golf course, never break even.

But still, $112K is a lot of cash.  

 

$66,600 total revenues, well below projected $90,000

Expenses of $178,969 on revenues of $66,600 = $112,370 in red ink

Main difference between the two recreation items is of course the pools attract far more families -- especially children -- and folks of lesser economic means, since swimming does not require expensive equipment to participate. 

In addition, a few years back when I requested under Public Documents Law (which the town bitterly opposed) the names and hometowns of Cherry Hill season pass holders, it turned out that a majority were not even Amherst residents. 

Dimming The Light

The door to open government just closed a few inches with an "emergency" measure signed earlier this month by Governor Duval Patrick (so it went into effect immediately) forbidding police departments from releasing the names of perps arrested for domestic violence.

Apparently proponents of the measure feel victims are less likely to report acts of domestic abuse, fearing the local paper will publish their address, thereby identifying them.

But most (good) newspapers have policies in place to protect underage victims or those impacted by sensitive issues such as sexual abuse, suicide, or domestic violence.

In the interests of protecting the victims of this sordid scourge that strikes 25% of American women, this broad stroke measure will also serve to protect the perps. 

Last Fiscal Year APD arrested 59 individuals for domestic Assault & Battery.  

If A Reporter Falls In The Forest ...

The painful decline in the newspaper industry nationwide continues unabated.   Once again it hits close to home.  The Daily Hampshire Gazette has parted ways with Bob Dunn, yet another front-line reporter from the ranks of an already decimated stable.

And nowhere is that more apparent than in Amherst, home of the state's education flagship -- and city unto itself -- UMass/Amherst:  25 years ago the Daily Hampshire Gazette/Amherst Bulletin news operation employed 13 full-time benefited employees (10 Bulletin, 1 Gazette, 1 shared) and another 15-20 Bulletin part-timers. 

Now the Gazette/Bulletin operation consists of only two full time benefited employees:  reporter Scott Merzbach and editor Debra Scherban. 

And that simply reflects national trends, although probably a lot worse, set in motion by a rise of the Internet over the past ten years: Classified advertising down 74% (thanks to Craigslist), overall print advertising down 61%, weekday circulation down 47%.

Simply put, the newspaper industry is drowning in red ink.

Plunging profits mean cuts in overhead.  Newsroom staffing has dwindled from 54,700 journos in 2002 to 38,000 in 2012, a drop of 31%. And it's only going to get worse.

If you really think Facebook works as a news provider then simply look what happened last week.  The riotous events in Ferguson, Missouri dominated Twitter and cable news, while Facebook was awash in the "Ice Bucket Challenge."

The loss of this vanishing breed -- a good reporter -- should be a wake up call.  You know, like a bucket of ice water dumped on your head!

Last year's lay off, quickly overturned

DUI Dishonor Roll

 Scott Urban, 22, stands before Judge Madous on Monday 

This week it's a tie:  the perp, Scott Urban, and the downtown bar that served him his last drink, obviously when he was already quite intoxicated, McMurphy's Uptown Tavern.

Even if he did have only "two cups of bud light" while at McMurphy's, with a BAC a few minutes later of .189% -- more than twice the legal limit -- he was pretty plastered when the bartender slid him those drinks.

McMurphy's Uptown Tavern, Blarney Blowout day 2012