NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA Opinion

Gisele and Mitt share a common problem

2012-02-11T03:59:00-05:00

Big Freddy was tapping his morning newspaper with one hand while reaching for his coffee cup with the other when I joined him.
"What's this all about?" I asked.
"Idle thoughts," Freddy said.
"About what?" I asked.

David M. Shribman: Eisenhower statue should reflect role he played in nation's history

2012-02-11T03:58:00-05:00

In World War II, he tamed America's allies and conquered its adversaries. As a conservative college president, he defended liberal professors caught in a virulent red scare. As NATO commander, he projected strength without projecting force. In the White House, he presided over the sort of peace and prosperity that today's presidential candidates can't plausibly promise.

Barbara Anderson: Speedy Registry visit leaves less time for reading, more for thinking

2012-02-11T03:57:00-05:00

So there I was, sitting on a comfortable bench at the Registry of Motor Vehicles office at the Liberty Tree Mall and reading Robert Kelly's 2011 book on "the closest presidential elections," which I'd been saving for election year 2012.

Jetty repairs are a saving grace

2012-02-10T03:59:00-05:00

Welcome news arrived this week that will go a long way toward fixing a big part of what ails Plum Island.
The Army Corps of Engineers has set aside $3.5 million for emergency repairs to the island's south jetty, the half-mile-long granite jetty that has contributed to erosion on the island. The money will be used to rebuild the slumping jetty to its designed height, which will prevent currents from washing through its breached sections.

Where do we go from here?

2012-02-10T03:58:00-05:00

Having lived to what was once known as "a great age," I find myself dealing with what I hadn't seen coming. It wasn't there when I was born, and it wasn't there when I came home from the great war more than a half century ago.

Between faith and real estate

2012-02-10T03:57:00-05:00

To the editor:
Regarding my letter (Jan. 30) refuting Newt Gingrich's attempt to make the name "Saul Alinsky" the political equivalent of the skull and crossbones warnings found on labels of potent cleaning agents, I must correct a miscalculation:

Pedestrian path not worth safety, cost

2012-02-10T03:56:00-05:00

To the editor:
The concept of being able to see down the Merrimack River and some of the surrounding area from the new Whittier Bridge as a pedestrian or cyclist has appeal. However, one has to wonder just how safe the concept is.

Land for school said to be sand pit

2012-02-10T03:55:00-05:00

To the editor:
At a meeting with abutters to the Bresnahan School, the mayor announced plans last week to build a three-story school in the playing fields behind the current school. Neighbors who were here in 1947 when the houses were built on Norman Avenue, Murphy Street and Low Street stated that those fields were then a giant sand pit. There were a number of complaints lodged with the builder, K.W. Wolsey and Company, regarding sand blowing over from the fields.

The incredible, shrinking Romney

2012-02-09T03:59:00-05:00

Mitt Romney was handed a triple defeat earlier this week in GOP presidential primary races, a setback that has political pundits predicting that the road ahead will continue to be dangerous and rocky for our former governor.

An outstanding duo for 48 years

2012-02-09T03:58:00-05:00

In the past few years, I have been friends with a couple whom I admire greatly. Their commitment to each other is strong and the humor they share with each other and their friends make them endearing to be with.