Archive for the ‘History’ Category

Serious question: Are all educational gurus Marxists? Or is it just random luck that we keep finding them to guide curriculum development and teaching practice in Wakefield Public Schools? We’ll get to the latest example in a moment, but first a quick review.


Last Saturday’s Special Election, which saw 18 percent of the voters give 100 percent of Wakefield homeowners a hefty tax increase, brought back a hazy memory from about 40 years ago. As a member of the Board of Assessors in the 1980s, Paul Faler was a fierce advocate for residential taxpayers. As I recall it, […]


For the past few years, we’ve been subjected to endless lectures informing us that voting is incredibly difficult and we must do everything in our power to make it easier for voters to participate in elections.  Anything less would be VOTER SUPPRESSION!  We’ve been told that democracy shouldn’t place even the slightest burden on the […]


School choice

04Nov22

Most of us know at least one person who grew up in Wakefield, attended Wakefield Public Schools and then had to reluctantly leave his hometown as it became increasingly unaffordable. Well, living in Wakefield is about to get even more expensive, if the current plans for a new high school go through.


Not so long ago, Italian-Americans were actually seen as a disadvantaged group that faced real discrimination. For that reason, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the first federal observance of Columbus Day in 1937 to recognize the contributions of Italian-Americans and to assure them of their rightful place in American history. “We are celebrating today the […]


Lady killer

10Sep22

Tony Costa is the most vicious serial killer you never heard of, which is all the more remarkable considering he plied his trade right here in Massachusetts. He didn’t just murder his victims. He eviscerated and dismembered them. And like so many other serial killers, Tony Costa was a real tough guy. He preyed on […]


The state of Massachusetts wants more control over municipal decision-making and is threatening to withhold state funding from cities and towns that do not comply with its social and climate goals disguised as zoning. New state guidelines based on a law passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last January require that […]


A Boston University study recently found that municipal zoning boards, planning boards and redevelopment boards are dominated by white male homeowners. Wait. Men are more interested in construction, development and zoning than women are? What’s the next bombshell revelation – male drivers won’t ask for directions? Fight the urban planning patriarchy! Speaking of zoning and […]