If you have ESPN…
This Thursday, ESPN is broadcasting the Vlasic Pro/Celeb Pickleball Classic in New Jersey. Belmont resident, Ann Reynolds, a top 10 nationally ranked pickleball player, is paired with Country singer Carrie Underwood. The match is being aired at 7pm. Reynolds has been known to dominate the pickle ball courts in Massachusetts causing many opponents to switch back to tennis.
Huge disappointment for Belmont Center…
The real estate developers who purchased CVS with the intent of building a boutique hotel with rooftop bar ended up selling the property after being informed the expected timeline for approvals etc was 3.5 years. The ownership group turned around and sold the building to a non-profit LLC that is religiously affiliated and has built houses of worship in prior transactions. The Church of Raelism would be the first of its kind in Massachusetts.
Claypit water samples…
Claypit Pond has long had rumors about what is in the water. Now we have some facts. The Pit was formally a dig site for the Parry Brothers brickyard. It was later abandoned and in 1933 the Town built a culvert and diverted the Wellington brook into the area creating today’s pond. Water sampling tests by MASSDEP have for years shown high levels of e-coli and fertilizers leading officials to ban the consumption of fish at the pond. The latest testing showed continued contaminant as well as a high concentration of 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid. The latter is otherwise known as byproduct of THC found in human urine and waste. Belmont Police are working with MASSDEP to trace the waste back to the source (somewhere around Prospect Street and surrounding areas). So, if you see police dogs in your neighborhood don’t flush it down the toilet.
BHS Fall Sports controversy
What was expected to be a solid year for girls’ field hockey took an unexpected turn as close to a dozen boys tried out for the team. Apparently, an article shared with a boys’ baseball team parent caused the surge in interest. The article “Why men in skorts make better cricket players” was published in the European Journal and looked at the linkage of male professional cricket players and having played field hockey in secondary school. Only 8 of the Belmont boys made the final cut and now the athletic director is scrambling for XXXL skorts. Even after this shocking development…. Belmont is still rated below perennial All-USA Watertown.
Belmont Center Bridge Tunnel right of way
The debate over who has the right of way at the Belmont Center railroad bridge tunnel intersection continues. The best answer is there is no right of way. It is supposed to be treated as you would a four-way intersection (yes, 4 even though one is technically one way) and in those cases the first one in is the first one out. After that it comes down to a game of chicken, how well insured you are, your ability to verbally abuse an offender without being recorded, your prioritization of cyclist in the food chain, and what mood you are in.
School Committee debates $36,021 for rubbers…
Last week’s school committee meeting was one for the ages. After finding out that Kamala Harris choice for her running mate was Tim Walz, some on the board felt Belmont should follow Walz lead. Walz known for his “stolen valor” lie about carrying a weapon in combat is also known as “Tampon Tim” in Minnesota for mandating free tampons in 4th – 12th grade Boys restrooms. After consulting with the equity staff, it was determined that tampons, condoms, and deodorant should be provided free of charge in boys and girls rooms as well as at the nurse’s office. The estimated cost was over $36,000 and the vote was pushed off to a later date.
Brutal jobs revision… for US citizens
The Labor Department released a dose of reality to the media that falsely has been claiming the economy is strong while most Americans are living in fiscally strenuous times.
The BLS restated a years’ worth of jobs growth reducing the growth total by 818,000 jobs which is the worst since the 2009 Banking crisis. That meant the monthly gains went from 242,000 to 174,000 jobs. Little known is those numbers count individuals working multiple jobs as individual jobs. In other words, if you do a side gig with door dash or uber in addition to working a full-time job, the BLS counts that as 2 or 3 jobs and we know plenty of people working multiple jobs to survive so the number is inflated as to how many are benefiting. Additionally, the number of job openings dropped by 4 million down to 8.2 million from 12.2 million in 2022 again explaining the validating poor economic views many have.
Here is the worst part… The number of jobs that native born Americans held dropped by 300,000 from May 2023. Guess where most new jobs went? If you guessed to illegal immigrants and H1B visa’s then you win half a chicken dinner (inflation adjusted). Instead of buying tampons for boys’ bathrooms maybe we should pay for counseling for the recent high school and college grads who are just realizing that the Democratic party prioritizes non-citizens and Hollywood elite over them. Of course, the Dems that gave us runaway inflation, crime, open borders, war mongering, homelessness, and told you to take on massive amounts of debt for an education that is less likely to land you a job than a person crossing the border with no education is now telling you that “Joy and Hope” is going to fix all the ills they created.
Free Beer at the “The Wellington”
I heard from a friend that the Wellington is offering “Free Beer Tomorrow”. That friend keeps going and they keep telling him to come back tomorrow. BTW kudos to The Wellington for keeping the beer fridge and tap temperature low. Colder the better.
TownieTalk rejects hostile takeover…
TownieTalk has rejected a hostile takeover by a consortium of Blogging Belmont, The Belmontian, and The Belmont Voice. The consortium was struggling to find readers from many key market categories such as Under 18, 18-34, 35-65, Seniors, attractive people, smart people, highly intelligent people, athletic people, beer and wine drinkers, creative people, and those who like to have fun. The only categories the consortium had solid readership from was bike lane enthusiasts, Select Board members, and mask enthusiasts. The deal fell apart when the consortiums bank account took a hit when dogecoin lost half its value recently.
“Lemons for a cause”?
Ever the entrepreneurs, Jimmy and Nick are at it again. After an expensive and poorly timed restaurant adventure failed, the duo is now into Lemonade and in a big way. The boys have purchased a couple dozen lemonade stands and will be looking to franchise their game changing idea this Fall. Both Men are big defenders of the planet. Their newly patented idea is to sell organic lemonade using recycled water and no cups. This would have a net zero carbon rating and is sure to have customers lining up for a taste. I know you are wondering how they can possibly make organic lemonade. Nick told me that they have a deal with Country Time for the mix. Jimmy collected dozens of “rain barrels” from homes in and around Belmont and promised to return them empty. A friend of theirs showed them how to insert drain spouts into the barrels. The product will launch this Fall and will be $1 for as much as you can hold in your mouth from a pour. Franchise opportunities will come later.
TownieTalk02478
No, I have not lost my mind. Due to an elitist demand for more, more, more… Townie Talk was not able to post an April Fool’s edition. Instead, the focus went to trying to appeal to the good will in people to consider their neighbors on fixed incomes and struggling financially before passing a massive override. Alas, greed is a powerful vice, and Belmont today is more representative of the Sol Gittleman descriptive “25 men, 25 cabs, Red Sox team”. Neighbors could care less.
Although all the news briefs have elements of truth, only the horrific jobs report is true.