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Capping off a great year
Posted on May 24, 2008 by mbowen
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Wow, is it really the end of May. Let’s see, checking the calendar. Wow, it is. Huh. Kind of snuck up on me there.
You’re probably wondering where my concern for the end of the month comes from. Well, it’s because it’s graduation time. Time to clean out your lockers and turn in your textbooks. Time to stop thinking of yourself as a big fish in the small pond and ready yourself to be a newbie once more. Time to make ready the family car for the big move to college.
And speaking of time, the time’s almost upon us. Billerica High School’s graduation is on June 3, and that same week, Shawsheen Tech’s students will be collecting their diplomas and tossing their motorboards into the air on June 5. It’ll be a big week for them, and for us as well, since of course, since the staff of the Minuteman will be there in full force to cover the events.
It’s my first time covering this town’s graduations, and since I started as editor at the beginning of September, I can relate when the students stop for a moment and realize how fast the year has gone by. One minute, you’re groaning over your class schedule and how your only study hall is on Tuesday and it’s with that creepy guy who talks to his pennies and smells like old trout….hmmm…no wonder no one wanted to sit next to me in study hall.
Anyhoo, where was I? Ah yes, one minute you’re meeting your teachers for the first time and the next, you’re saying goodbye, wishing them well, even going so far as to forgive them for that one B- that kept you off the Valedictorian’s list.
It’s a big day, all right, and it’s understandable to be so nervous. A lot is happening at once. You’re saying goodbye to a lot of old friends, your hometown, and your school as you begin your journey onto bigger and better things. Just remember, you got this far for a reason, and it wasn’t to just fail and run home to mommy. Remember what you’ve learned, and that everyone is rooting for you.
Even the creepy guy. Hey, you can leanr a lot from pennies.
Reflections on the ballot box battles
Posted on April 11, 2008 by mbowen
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Well, it’s finally over.
The votes have been tallied, the winners have had their victory parties. My voter’s guide can finally be taken down, and the last article on the election results has had to yield its first-place ranking in favor of more interesting and current tales. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief at not having to conduct 45 candidate interviews each day. Okay, I’m exageratting a bit there, but you get the point.
I’ve been working as a journalist for almost four years now, and I have to say this election was far more intense than normal because. And along with depriving me of some much-needed sleep, the experience introduced me to the world of local politics in a whole new light. I got to moderate a candidate’s forum, and while the prospect of being on television terrifies me to no end, I had a great time, and I’m looking forward to doing it again next year.
We had a lot of great candidates this year, some returning faces and some walking the political path for the first time. There were some expected victories, like Marc Lombardo being elected for a second term, and some upsets even I didn’t see coming, like Marti Mahoney beating incumbent Richard Tortola for a seat on the planning board or Thomas Galligani being ousted after several terms on the school committee. Bob Accomando won a seat on the board of selectmen, which frankly, I’m happy for. He’s a man who has been accused countless times of having a conflict of interest, and rather than ignore it or brush it aside as not being a big deal, he’s come forward and honestly dealt with it. I’ve always respected that sort of honesty, which was a big part of why I wanted him to win.
But there has to be a little darkness in order for the light to exist (yeah, I’m deep, that’s me pretty much), and this particular shade came in the form of the patheticly low voter turnout. A mere 4,900 residents, less than a fifth of the voting populace took time out of their schedules to hit the ballot box. Voting is not a long and complicated process: a few minutes would have done the trick. I know sitting in on a selectmen’s meeting or a planning board hearing can be hard (oh, boy do I know), but here’s where all the important decisions are made; how many police will be hired, if the after-school programs are going to be kept, whether or not the potholes will be filled. I’ve talked about this before, but it remains a sore spot when so many people don’t seem to care what happens in their own backyards.
But there are many that do, and to them, Billerica thanks you.
Keynote singer
Posted on March 9, 2008 by mbowen
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Who says you can’t combine business with pleasure? Oh, he said it? Well, I guess I can’t argue with his logic.
Oh heck, I’ll aruge what I want. Anyway…
A week ago I had the chance to see performance by local musician Jon Menard. Now anyone who’s seen my CD collection (you poor souls) will know piano music is not at the top of my list. But living with three musicians has given me the chance to experience several new kinds of music, so I decided to give Jon’s a try. I made the trip out to Destare in Fitchburg, and after getting a little turned around (thank you, MapQuest), we got there.
In short, the music is breathtaking. Jon is able to create an entire world with his music, each song painting a different portrait. Some were peaceful, tranquil tunes that cast all my worries away. Others evoked some sadder emotions, but for the most part, the music was soothing, and despite the hour and a half travel time, I was very glad I went.
That evening I also had the chance to interview Jon, who had a lot to say about his new CD, and music in general. Some musicians can be a little closed-mouthed about their work, but not Jon. He had a lot to say and he was more than glad to share it with me.
If you haven’t heard his tunes yet, I strongly urge you to check them out at his web site, jonmenard.com. You’ll be glad you did.
Passing notes
Posted on January 16, 2008 by mbowen
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A few days ago the police announced they charged five Billerica High students with the threatening note left on a bathroom wall warning people that a gun would be brought to the school.
One has to question the wisdom of people who pull these stunts. Just what motivates someone to do something so stupid, especially when almost everyone who does it gets caught?
Were they trying to get out of a test? Maybe get a little early Christmas vacation? Whatever the reason, these brilliant young minds are now facing possible jail time (although that’s wishful thinking on my part).
In the end, people will say these are good kids who got lead down the wrong path by MTV or Playstation, and that what happened is the responsibility of their celebrity role models as opposed to their parents.
You know, the people who raise you and teach you values, like not writing threats in school?
Guess they missed that lesson.
Winter wonderland
Posted on December 17, 2007 by mbowen
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Normally, my trip home is a mere 40 minutes. A tad long compared to my previous commutes, but I’ve gotten used to it. Thursday night, however, I managed to set a new record in travel times.
I left my office in Concord around 1:15 p.m., just as the snow started falling, patting myself on the back for having the quick thinking to leave early before people clogged the roads in a desperate attempt to escape the blizzard.
I should have known better. I rarely think, so thinking quickly isn’t even on the menu.
At first things went relatively well. Relatively meaning it took me an hour to travel what usually takes my 20 minutes. But my spirits were high as I imagined how sweet it would be relaxing in my Boston apartment, laughing as I listened to the radio relay the gridlock caused by Old Man Winter.
Oh, there were people laughing, all right, but not me.
As 4 p.m. rolled along I found myself on Storrow Drive, the last leg of my journey home. My friend Matt had texted me, asking if I wanted to go sledding. I told him in a little while, that for the time being I was playing stop and go with several hundred other commuters. A friend called me with a similar offer. Once more, I relayed the message that while I stuck for the moment, soon I’d be ready to hit the slopes, which in Boston are the hills on Boylston near the Charles River.
Along the way I saw several cars either abandoned by the side of the road, or in it, which did wonders for the commute. I talked to a DPW worker, who told me many cars had simply run out of gas, and the drivers had left them to hoof it the rest of the way. Not a bad idea.
Three hours later. I’m still on Storrow. I could literally spit and hit my apartment. What have I done to deserve this?
As I near my homestead, my friend Matt calls me again, this time to tell me that Mayor Menino has declared a state of emergency due to the snow, and a citywide parking ban is in effect. What this means is that streets which have been designated as arteries for emergency vehicles are now no-parking zones. And they just so happen to be the only places to park around my home. Ain’t irony grand?
Now with no place to park, I’m faced with the question of what to do. Leaving my wheels to the tender mercies of the tow trucks isn’t a bad idea, and at this point I’m ready to tell Boston they can have the car. Just make sure you keep up the payments, guys. Another option is to head to my mother’s home in Hanover, but that means another five hours on the road, and trust me, I’ll drive off a cliff before I do that.
In the end, luck finally decided to give me a little breather. At 8:30 p.m., seven hours after I left the office, I pulled into a parking garage. It cost me $15 to park, but trust me, I’d have paid $50 to end that nightmare.
Any idea what rents in Aruba are like?
The next generation
Posted on November 8, 2007 by mbowen
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If only I had a place like that when I was a kid.
That’s one of the marching songs of each generation, right up there with “you kids don’t know how easy you got it,” although to be frank, I am quite aware of how easy I got it, thank you very much.
Anyhoo, that anecdotal opening I used is meant to refer to the Billerica Boys and Girls Club, which held a groundbreaking ceremony last week to usher in their multimillion dollar renovations to expand and improve the current facility. There’ll be a 7,000 square foot gymnasium, a teen center and technology center, along with a great deal more space, something I’m told the club is desperately in need of.
As corny as it sounds, I really wish I had a place like that growing up. It’s a great social environment, where kids can make new friends and have a good time doing it. Plus they learn a few things about fair play, teamwork and all those other things our parents try to hammer into our heads at a young age but eventually lose to video games, comics and the idiot box.
I got a chance to check out the club a few weeks back, and it’s amazing what they do there. Along with all the sports teams they manage, they offer a slew of after-school programs for the kids, or they can just hang out and shoot some pool or try their skills at Dance Dance Revolution.
I’d try it myself but I’m not allowed to dance. Court order.
The fact of the matter is that not every town can offer a program like this, and the parents of Billerica should be glad they have a safe place where their kids can make some new friends or just catch up with their old ones. Too often these kinds of places run short of volunteers or funding and are forced to close, and frankly, the Boys and Girls Club is too important to have a fate like that befall it.
That these renovations are taking place after so many years of fundraising is to reason to start taking it easy. The club still needs help from the residents (That’s you. Hey, don’t start looking at your watch, I’m almost done), if it’s going to continue watching out for the youth of Billerica.
First impressions
Posted on October 25, 2007 by mbowen
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Welcome to the first chaper of Bowen’s Beat, an in-depth, thought provoking……okay, even I can’t look at that with a straight face anymore.
Starting over: this is Bowen’s Beat, a forum for my own irreverent take on the happenings, goings-on and shennanigans in Billerica. My name is Max Bowen, the new editor of the Billerica Minuteman.
There’s going to be a lot of issues covered in this blog, from the latest happenings at the Fall Town Meeting to what new businesses have opened up shop in Billerica to how much is that doggie in the window? With my trusty freelance reporters Liana Measmer and Bruce Gates, we’re going to do our very best to bring you top-quality coverage of this town and everything in it.
Well, that’s it for now. Stay tuned for future updates and don’t be afraid to leave comments, questions or answers.
