Douglas Shulman's Sad Sordid IRS

By Karin Rhoton.

Letter to the Editor: Apology for Previous Letter

The following was submitted by Deb Papalia.

I would like to apologize for hurting anyone's feelings with my comments in the recent letter about my support for Mark Mezzina. I'm sorry that I combined the themes of religion and politics. Also, I'm sorry I implied any negativity towards Mark's opponent.  I admire all the things she does in the community and her work at St. Michael's.  I actually met her the other day and admire her zeal for life.  Again, I'm sorry for making people feel uncomfortable with the words I used.    Please accept my apologies. Sincerely, Deb Papalia

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Letter to the Editor: We Need a Voice Like Mezzina's

The following was submitted by Deb Papalia.

Do you like going along with the crowd? If you do, then maybe you'd like to be on the North Andover School Committee. They often vote unanimously just like they did recently on the approval of the recommended $39 million dollar school budget and just last week they did it again when they voted to have the kids go to school on Good Friday.  By voting unanimously, the school committee makes me think of the phrase "herd mentality." When people get into groups they begin to think like one another and are influenced by their peers. Now that it's Holy Week, I was thinking of how people went along with the crowd when they told Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus. I hope that when people go to vote on Tuesday that they don't vote for someone who will …

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Letter to the Editor: Supporting Zora Warren

The following was submitted by Bill Callahan.

To the Editor, Zora Warren has earned my vote in the race for School Committee in North Andover.  Her skills, background, and approach are best suited to the challenges our public schools face. I’ve been impressed with Zora’s approach to town issues.  I’ve seen her at many town meetings, not just School committee meetings, but Finance Committee meeting and Board of Selectmen meetings.  Her questions evince a keen understanding of and different perspective towards the issues facing North Andover public schools. Zora has an extensive background in teaching and education.  She’s had experience writing teaching curriculum.  She understands the importance of good teaching.  Her expertise is in the use of technology in education, an area that is…

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Cool Fusion

1:57 pm on Saturday, March 23, 2013

OMG.. Imagine if Zora Warren should lose? What would be the reaction of the "Special Interest" cabal of bureaucrats, consultants, contractors, grant-writers, mercenary advisors, self-serving counsels, entrenched administrators, and unions that comprise the nefarious Education/Industry complex. A postmortem Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iziP3Lnq0lw&feature=player_detailpage   more ›

Letter to the Editor: Write-In Senate Candidate

The following was submitted by Brett M. Rhyne.

To the editor, My name is Brett Rhyne, and I’m running as a write-in candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the April 30 primary. Why? Because I need a job. That’s only a little facetious. Since I stopped teaching at Salem State College in 2009, I’ve been unemployed or underemployed two-thirds of the time. Put another way, I haven’t been able to provide for my five-year-old boys for half their lives. Thankfully, family, friends, our community and the state have helped greatly, and for that, I’m extremely grateful. As a teacher and a journalist, I’ve always worked to make the world a better place. Now I’d like to be your trusted servant in the U.S. Senate. As I see it, at the heart of our problems is our grow-or-die …

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Letter to the Editor: Voting for Zora Warren

The following was submitted by Don Stewart.

I’ll be voting for Zora Warren for the North Andover School Committee on March 26th. I’ve gotten to know Zora, and she’s smart, hardworking, and open-minded. I’ve been pleased, in my current job on the Board of Selectmen, to see the cooperation between my board, the School Committee, the Finance Committee, and the town manager. We get so much more done when we’re all working together for the good of North Andover. I think Zora will fit right in because she is a good communicator and someone who’s interested in helping the whole town, not just the schools. Not only does Zora have great experience, but she has kids in our schools, so she’ll be personally interested in making sure her kids, and everyone else’s, are getting a great education. …

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Letter to the Editor: School BMI Screenings Need to Go

The following was submitted by Tracy M. Watson.

To the Editor: This recent week has brought much media attention to my family. This attention has come due to the fact that my son Cameron received what has recently been dubbed a “fat letter”. These letters are sent to the homes of children throughout the state of Massachusetts under a mandate set forth by the State Department of Public Health.  These letters state height, weight and BMI percentile. They then go on to label our children into categories.  One of those categories is obese while at the other end of the spectrum it speaks to the child being in the anorexic category.  These labels are based solely on the BMI measurement method.  And therein lays the problem. As far back as the 1960’s the BMI measurement system has come under …

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What Do You Think About Gov. Patrick’s Travel Ban?

Do you agree with the governor's decision or was it too drastic?

All non-emergency drivers were ordered off the roads on Friday when Gov. Deval Patrick issued an executive order banning travel during the blizzard. (Editor's note: The ban is lifted statewide as of 4 p.m. Saturday.) Patrick's executive order is being praised by some and bashed by others, reported The Boston Globe. While former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was in charge of the commonwealth during the Blizzard of ’78, praised the governor’s move, others called the order “tyrannical” and say the strict ban and hefty fines were too much, according to The Globe. Those caught violating the ban would face up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. What do you think? Do you agree with the governor’s decision or do you think the travel ban …

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Letter to the Editor: March For Life

The following was submitted by Deb Papalia.

To the Editor: This past Friday on January 25, my husband and I traveled by bus to Washington DC to march in the bitter cold to remember the 55 million unborn babies who have died in the last 40 years because of the infamous court ruling of Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion.   Although the March for Life is an annual event and draws a half-million people to our nation's capital, many have never heard of it.  The mainstream media does not cover it, let alone give it major coverage.  Yet they gave full coverage to the Gun Control Rally that took place the day after the March for Life.   Why?  As Dr. Suess once wrote, "A person's a person, no matter how small." Could it be we are more interested in the culture of death than the culture of …

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