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February 8, 2012

The Daily News of Newburyport Wed Feb 08, 2012, 03:57 AM EST

To the editor:

Why is it that when times are tough, the MBTA sees fit to make it more difficult than ever to access public transportation? More people than ever rely on the T to get to school, work, doctors' appointments, stores, everyday living, and now the MBTA is planning on rate hikes, ending weekend train service altogether, ending train service weekdays after 10 p.m., ending bus routes altogether.

Public transportation is the heart of a community; it is its nerve center. We must contact our state legislators and Gov. Patrick and remind them what this service means to us. Budget shortfalls due to the expansion of the highway should not take away from public transportation. If there is a funding issue, it is time to think outside the box and work on new revenue sources. There can be a $5 fee for every parked car in every parking facility in Boston; there can be a $3 fee on every sports ticket sold; colleges and universities could be required to purchase an annual pass for city travel for each student; wind turbines could be purchased so that the MBTA does not have to deal with the fluctuation in gas prices.

Public transportation must be made available and must be affordable to all in the cities of Boston, and public transportation must connect in a coherent way the suburbs to each other and the city to the suburbs. Every person who has a connection to public transportation must take the time to speak up, either to their legislator, the governor or at the public hearings. Let them know your ideas for funding, let them know how important this is to you. Make yourself heard!

Danby Whitmore

Rowley

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Goodbye to supermarket price stickers

Those of us who started out our careers in the aisles of a grocery store no doubt remember the monotonous "ka-chunk" of the price tag gun. The endless patter of small, sticky tags getting slapped onto the tops of hundreds of cans, bottles and packages of every sort provided the ideal time to drift off and think about all the good times you were missing as piped-in store music droned on in the background.

The Daily News of Newburyport Tue, May 22
Posted 7 hours ago
Less bang for the buck

An interesting article appeared in the Orange County Register on March 3 relative to the national trend that reduces the size of products we buy, but with no reduction in price. Jan Norman, writer of the article, quotes a California State College marketing program that states, "When profits are pinched, a company has thee options: raise the price, substitute lower-cost ingredients or make the products smaller."

As I See It The Daily News of Newburyport Copyright 2012 NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Tue, May 22
Posted 7 hours ago
A Feast for the Senses ... Books in Bloom

To the editor:
The Friends of the Newburyport Public Library and the Newburyport Horticultural Society would like to thank everyone who supported our first Books in Bloom event held on May 5 at the Newburyport Public Library. Those who attended were in for a treat beyond their expectations.

The Daily News of Newburyport Tue, May 22
Posted 7 hours ago
Before you vote yes, consider this

To the editor:
I am sure that the schools in Newburyport do need some updating, but before you vote yes for the new Bresnahan School, there are some facts that need to be considered.
Did you know that the location of the proposed new Bresnahan School was once a sand pit that was about 50 feet deeper than it is now? The land was filled in sometime before the current Bresnahan School was built. It is a mystery as to what it was filled in with (the EPA was not as important then). Some neighbors feel that it was used as a dump for a while. It must have been something that was not stable enough for the current Bresnahan School to be built upon because even though the land belongs to the city, officials took private land by eminent domain to build the school at its current location. I have a 1955 news article that was published in the Daily News that says a foundation on this property would be so expensive that the city would not be able to afford the school. This was for a one-story school.

The Daily News of Newburyport Tue, May 22
Posted 7 hours ago
Vote yes on June 5

To the editor:
I love Newburyport. My eight-month pregnant wife and 10-year-old son Drew moved here in January of 2005 in about 6 feet of snow right before the third Patriots Super Bowl Victory.
Since then, the city has embraced us and we have made so many lifelong friends in this amazing community. We found out shortly thereafter that not all was great, specifically as it pertained to our schools and facilities for seniors. It is for this reason I write to you today.

The Daily News of Newburyport Tue, May 22
Posted 7 hours ago
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I'm voting no on June 5 Posted 7 hours ago
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