Archive for the ‘Humor’ Category
Judgment Day
“The judgment-free zone.” That’s what Planet Fitness calls itself in its advertising campaign. It’s smart marketing to appeal to those who avoid gyms for fear of being judged as to heavy, too scrawny or just plain out of shape compared to the rest of the gym rats. “No gymtimidation,” is another way that Planet Fitness […]
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Tags: addiction, arrest, crime, drug dealer, fitness, genetics, gym, heroin, jail, judgment, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, opiates, opioid, Planet Fitness, prison, science, trafficker, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Police, workout
Smoke signals
There has been much hand-wringing of late regarding the opioid abuse crisis. As there should be. But when it comes to dealing with substance abuse, we know what works and what doesn’t work. Our long history with alcohol and tobacco provides a blueprint, if only we would follow it instead of looking for other dangerous […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: alcohol, beer, booze, bud, drugs, drunk driving, herb, Jeffrey's Package Store, legalization, marijuana, Mark Sardella, pot, smoke, smoking, substance abuse, tobacco, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, weed
Eve of construction
If you’ve ventured anywhere near downtown Wakefield area in the last few months, perhaps you’ve noticed that there are some trucks and heavy equipment digging up the streets. If you haven’t been napping somewhere with Rip van Winkle, you may have even heard about the coming $20 million Brightview Senior Living complex. Perhaps you even […]
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Tags: Assisted Living, Brightview Senior Living, Bronwyn Della-Volpe, building, business district, construction, Crescent Street, demolition, dust, Dust Bowl, electric, ice, infrastructure, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, natural gas, physics, sewer, Shelter Development, Wakefield Civic League, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, water
Now’s Your Chance!
We’ve arrived at the Put Up or Shut Up Season. Monday, Jan. 4 was the first day that you could pull nomination papers to run in the April 26 Town Election. For those who for the past year have been have been telling anyone who would listen that you could do a better job running […]
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Tags: Board of Selectmen, campaign, City Hall, Conservation Commission, election, Facebook, government, Mark Sardella, nomination papers, Planning Board, Politics, public hearing, public office, School Committee, social media, town, town hall, Town Meeting, Town Planner, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
The Spirit of Giving
‘Tis the Christmas season, and Mr. Paid Reporter Man is filled with the spirit of giving toward the naughtiest and the nicest in Wakefield. He’s made his list and checked it twice. If you don’t find your name on his list, perhaps you haven’t been sufficiently naughty or nice. To the Lake Quannapowitt Water Quality […]
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Tags: Alison Simcox, Brian McGrail, Bronwyn Dell-Volpe, Christmas, Colonial Point Apartments, Conservation Commission, Dan Lieber, Dennis Cloherty Heron Pond, Douglas Heath, Fred Rich, Humor, Lake Quannapowitt, MBTA, Michael Collins, Pat Bruno, Politics, Richard Stinson, Robert McLaughlin, Robert Mitchell, Seth Moulton, Shaw's, Stephen P. Maio, Thomas Mullen, Wakefield Civic League, Wakefield Human Rights Commission, Wakefield MA, Wakefield School Committee, ZBA
Fantasy League
The irony of the moment was not lost on acting Planning Board chairman Bill Spaulding. “I do find it interesting that you’re questioning the parking – the amount of it,” Spaulding told Bronwyn Della-Volpe at hearing last week on Town Meeting Article 12, which was aimed at revitalizing the downtown with more mixed-use, residential-above-retail development. […]
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Tags: Brightview Senior Living, Bronwyn Della-Volpe, commuter rail, downtown, housing, Main Street, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Melrose MA, mixed-use development, parking, Pat Bruno, Paul Reavis, Planning Board, residential, retail, Town Meeting, Wakefield Civic League, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, William Spaulding, zoning
The Right Stuff
Wakefield’s long human rights nightmare is over. No more need to tell your stockbroker to divest from companies doing business in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Last week, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee voted to endorse the establishment of a “Wakefield Human Rights Commission.” You didn’t know that human rights abuses were rampant in Wakefield? […]
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Tags: anthropocentric, Bill of Rights, blue-green algae, Board of Selectmen, Canada geese, Human Rights Commission, Lake Quannapowitt, Massachusetts, patriarchy, privilege, rights, School Committee, United States Constitution, Wakefield MA, Zoning Board of Appeals
Dunk Tank Diplomacy
The newest addition to last weekend’s Festival Italia was by far the best part of the event and should immediately be made a permanent fixture of this annual celebration. No, I’m not talking about the Wakefield Civic League booth.
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Tags: dunk tank, Evan Kenney, Festival Italia, Gerard Leeman, Gregory Liakos, Jason Lewis, Jay Ash, Joseph Tringale, Mark Sardella, Paul Brodeur, politicians, Politics, Stephen P. Maio, Thomas Markham, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Interfaith Foof Pantry, Wakefield MA. Massachusetts
Fear Factor
“Your decision will decide if Wakefield becomes more like Medford or more like Lynnfield,” attorney Alan Grenier warned the Zoning Board of Appeals last week. Grenier had asked for and was granted an opportunity to present to the Zoning Board the opposition case against building the 130-unit Brightview Senior Living facility proposed on Crescent Street. […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: Alan Grenier, Assisted Living, Brightview Senior Living, CVS, Dollar Tree, elderly, Galvin Middle School, Lynnfield, Malden, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Medford, Melrose, Shelter Group, Topsfield, urbanization, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Zoning Board of Appeals
Mark Sardella 