Does anyone know where I can take an American flag for proper disposal? VFW? American Legion? Please publish if you know. Thanks. We hear that the Marine Corps League Westfield River Valley Detachment 141 at 71 North Elm Street on occasion has a drop box and that they regularly dispose of flags properly.
Southwick: Here we go again with that damned motocross. Every Friday and Saturday all summer long, Sunday, too, and now they’re having the nationals here. I’ll be glad when they shut down. The noise down here is overbearing. My neighborhood was here before they were. The noise is terrible. You try to sit in your back yard comfortably on the weekends and all you hear is the dog-gone motorcycles racing their engines down there doing nothing but putting a lot of noise and dust in the air. We don’t need this in our town. I hope they go out of business. Thank you.
Hi. Today is Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012 and in The Westfield News on page 14 and 15 they have today as Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012. How come? Thank you.
I want to sing some praises. First and foremost is to Patrick Berry. I want to thank you for all the things you do for your paper. I appreciate the smiles and hellos no matter how busy you are. You will stop to listen to ideas no matter how big or small they are. Most importantly, I thank you for going above and beyond for your employees from the highest to the lowest. You are a wonderful person in business and in personal friendships. That being said, I am giving a heartfelt thank you to all of the delivery customers that have given out water bottles on those extremely hot days. I most certainly appreciated them! So many have shown their kindness in so many ways to me and other carriers and I’m sure all of us appreciate it. Lastly, a gigantic thank you to the wonderful customer that went above anything ever expected and helped me finish my routes when my vehicle broke down. I have never experienced such an unselfish act of kindness such as what you did for me. Every one of you is an angel for how you have touched my life. Your caring is the reason this job is so satisfying. I am truly blessed to have had each of you in my life, professionally and personally. From a very grateful Westfield News carrier.
In recent articles regarding the Concerned Citizens of Russell (CCR) and anti-business from these people, why haven’t any people from Russell First have come forward and formed a group and tried to bring economic development ideas to the Select Board? Is there any other business in the world other then Biomass? If they truly love their town then they would help. As far as the leaks from the brown field in Russell is concerned and the DEP finding, we will be reporting a “Possible violation of an environmental law or regulation”….the Clean Water Act of 1972! We want the EPA New England Region to investigate the toxic oozing from the lagoons reviewing all the actions by MA DEP, the chemical analyzes by Tighe and Bond and Spectrum Analytical sampling methods, to determine if these lagoons are “out of control” and should be remediated to stop the uncontrolled release of toxic trace metals into the Westfield River… resulting in potential harm to aquatic organisms in the Westfield River. The latest Executive Report concerning the April 20, 2012 sampling concluded with: “there is no significant impact of the oozing on the river”… even though inadequate sampling was done at the site and no samples of fish were evaluated for tissue damage and trace metal accumulation in their kidneys and livers. In the latest round of sampling, DEP reports the existence of chromium, nickel, lead, and zinc in river sediment samples taken near the site of “oozing.” All of these trace metals, when released into the river can enter the food chain and become bio-magnified resulting in harm to resident trout and salmon, which are Apex predators. For example: Nickel can cause a thickening of gill tissue which will lower the uptake of oxygen from the water which is critical especially during the warm summer months when oxygen levels are low in the river. The latest DEP sediment sampling sites are located in high-energy parts of the river, about 40 feet from the river bank, instead of more appropriate “depositional areas” further downstream. Analyzes were not done for: Barium and Iron….all elements which were detected in 2010 in July during low water by a Russell Citizens Group. The latest DEP Executive Report concedes that toxic wastes were consolidated into “unlined lagoons” during 1996….and that an oozing stain is evident on the river bank near the lagoons. The report fails to mention the presence of ground water or an aquifer underlying the waste lagoons….an aquifer that was mapped out by a Tighe and Bond geologist in 1996, who described the presence of a Hydraulic Head in the aquifer of about one meter or more between Shatterack Mountain and the river bank, mapping out the flow regime of the aquifer under-lying the lagoons with arrows. By filing this complaint with EPA New England Region, we are asking them to review the history of this toxic waste dump and the chemical analyzes that were done to determine if the Clean Water Act of 1972 is being violated by the uncontrolled release of toxic chemicals into the Westfield River and to recommend remediation of the lagoons. Hopefully, an unbiased objective investigation of this situation will be done by EPA….an investigation done by someone who can look at all the history and data of this toxic waste lagoon situation in Russell, and come up with a strategy which will protect the Wild and Scenic Westfield River.
This is in reference to Wednesday’s paper. I think your reporter owes it to the Town of Russell and to the current Select Board an apology for the way she reported the police chief hiring the other night. She was there and she took the ramblings of an emotional wife of a state trooper that was not considered for the job instead of getting the true facts. It was not three candidates being looked at for this position. The third candidate, Mr. Wiedass, she eluded to as being a candidate when in fact his application was over a year old and he did not follow up on it. Mr. Cortis, the chairman of the board, explained this at their last meeting and when your reporter was listening to the remarks of this emotional wife of the state trooper, she could have opted to turn around and walk back into the building and ask the Select Board if any of these remarks were true or not and she did not. She obviously got what was the better or juiciest story. You really do more damage than good when you have bad reporting like this. The Russell Select Board is a new board, a green board. Mr. Cortis has been on the longest with two years and granted, maybe the remaining two even though they had a quorum should have been able to make a decision. They probably shouldn’t have if they don’t have the experience. Obviously, your reporter doesn’t want to know the facts so you, as a newspaper and especially the reporter, should get a hold of Mr. Cortis and/or the Town of Russell and print a true testament of what really went on that night and what the process entailed. Thank you.
A large portion of the last Select Board meeting was taken up by reading a letter from an unidentified writer questioning the selection process used to choose the new police chief. A person was quoted at the end of the story, responding to what happened at the meeting. We stand by our story, and our reporter.
Lady, you have a hell of a nerve instructing The Westfield News when they should or should not print entries to the PulseLine. You even have the audacity to question freedom of speech. Who do you think you are, someone special? Let me let you in on a little secret: No one is better than the next one and what you say has less meaning to me than what some bum might blither to me down at the bus stop. Have a nice day and keep up the good work, Westfield News.
i write this line w/a very heavy heart, this will be my last post as i am very displeased w/some people in this city or surrounding town. in regards to my very dear friend and brother from another mother jose torrez i think it is very distastful for someone to post something on the day of jose’ funeral. and the paper for printing it ( more on that in a min). i am a true believer in the rights of us citizens and freedome of the prees. freedom of speech, and all the rest. but on the same day!!!! PLEASE. for the westfield paper i have this to say. when i was posting a smart post to dig the major about a sign issue you sent me an e-mail explaning that you wanted to verify info before you printed it! ( i still have your e-mail to me) you mean to tell me you couldn’t hang on to that post for a day or two? and sent the writer a e-mail explaining why you did it???? everyone has rights but be smart about it. i would also like to add that everyone quit the paper unless they come forward w/an apoligy. so consider this my cancellation. i will be telling my dilivery boy this week. what a shame on some people of this city. to the family love and prayers forever. to the respected men and women of blue, my thoughts and prayers to all of you. from the WFD we will always stand together w/WPD
