Vote Results…
The Townie Talk Board of Director’s has voted to re-recognize Columbus Day in Belmont. As a result, there will be no edition next Monday. This special double edition will have to carry you over till the 17th.
Poll results…
According to a recent Community Chat internet poll of over 100 Belmont residents about 2/3rd of residents see the skating rink as most at risk of catastrophic failure, 16% say the library, and 15% believe both can go another decade with moderate repairs. Scientific… no. Just a small sampling of resident’s priorities.
Rumors…
Leaks in the new BHS roof. Not the end of World but worth noting.
Rumors…
A Brazilian Steakhouse is coming to Belmont Center.
Rumors…
The SB are not happy with Townie Talk.
A former clothing model and 2006 Time Magazine “Person of the Year” is chairing the NO on Question 5 “Not this Library” campaign to preserve the Belmont Memorial Library. Renovation would be best for the taxpayer, environment, and to maintain our New England charm. The Mega Modern Library proposal is not consistent with the Town’s values and is the opposite of what the critical Collins report suggests. The campaign website is NotThisLibrary.org.
Kudos to Townies….
Jay Monahan, head of the PGA Tour (Professional Golfers Association), is fighting the good fight against Saudi money (LIV Tour) and is showing his Townie toughness.
Katie Reynolds, one of the best baseball players the Town has produced since Wilbur Wood, is also an actress. You can see her in the “League of their Own” TV series.
Above and beyond…
BPD Officers Cory Taylor and Anthony DeStefano with assists from Electrician Robert Taylor and Contractor Ernie Ramey for rehabbing the Departments Firing Range. 150 hours volunteered to make the range operable as it wasn’t included in the Police Station renovation budget. The replacement of the Police Station was estimated at $50m yet some pesky residents questioned why it couldn’t be renovated and we now have a renovated building at 1/5 the cost. Good enough for the BPD should be good enough for the library.
Above and Beyond II…
Josh and Dan from the Belmont Electric Light Department heading into the Belly of the Beast to restore power to millions impacted from Hurricane Ian in Florida.
Touch a Truck is Saturday October 8th from 11am-2pm at the Claflin Parking lot in Belmont Center. Great opportunity for kids of all ages and Adults to get up and close with Police/Fire/Highway and other vehicles. (Tip: Avoid the back seat of the Police cars… just a hunch)
Great to see people from both sides of the political aisle agree that “Spray-gate” is disturbing and needs answers. This is the second example of the Town’s toxic work environment made Public. It demands answers from the Select Board as to when did the Board and the Town Administrator become aware of the complaint and subsequent investigation, why didn’t they immediately notify Town workers that they may have been exposed to this potentially dangerous chemical, how will they make right by the victims of said misconduct, at what point did the Supervisors leave the Town of their “own volition”, and what are they doing to change the “climate of fear” and toxic work environment in Town? The misogyny card excuse won’t work on this one.
Foodies…
Cushing Square sometimes gets overlooked but it is becoming a culinary delight. Latest updates… Teddy’s is mixing in daily specials to their breakfast and Lunch menu (Meatball subs/Chili etc). Moozy’s is now serving Taco’s and still has the best Burger in Town. Soon a “Sushi’ restaurant will replace the old Ben Franklin store.
Burma became Myanmar, Liberal became Progressive, and Facebook became Meta. Relabeling to hide a negative connotation is nothing new and is happening again… Socialism is now Equity. In a prior article, I hinted that the “E” in DEI would likely cause a further decrease in our student population. I believe eliminating academic exceptionalism will drive a fair number of students to other districts or private and parochial schools. Why?
Equality means equal opportunity whereas Equity means equal outcome (Sounds like Socialism huh?). Belmont has some history with this. Belmont 2nd Soccer eliminated keeping score.
Townie Talk has learned that a nearby top 20 Public HS has just changed their grading system to points (4,3,2,1). An A+, A, and A- are all a 4 and so on. There will be no GPA, weighting of classes, and homework and class participation will carry less weighting. This was instituted as part of the DEI plan. Belmont has become an education destination… a place where many swoon over so-called elite schools and move here for the perception BHS gives them an edge… this new system if implemented changes the playing field and as a result it would not be surprising to see several families looking at private or parochial schools as a result. Like not keeping score in soccer… equity programs are eliminating keeping score in academics. What makes me think that would be the case?
An outside consultant advised the Chenery Middle School against offering advanced math classes for 7th and 8th grade students due to the lack of representation by certain races. A cohort of parents were upset. This was their first exposure to an equity implementation. How would they respond with this new change in grading systems? I suspect the exodus would grow. Belmont families have an expectation that BHS is the free alternative to a private school education. The Collins report says “cut, cut, cut” or “tax, tax,tax” but then says we have already overburdened the resident with property taxes.
Not sure how I feel about the Chenery program cut to be honest. Public School is not Private School. The focus should be on providing a minimum decent education to all students… and not catering to the few. I do feel that changing the grading system would unfairly hurt the “unicorn” students even more than present. Unicorn is a term for students who are perceived as being privileged but without any “connections” to assist getting into their preferred college.
“There are three types of people in Belmont, those who can count and those who can’t.” Think about it.
Awful news…
Former Belmont resident, Adam Howe 34, was charged with the murder of his mother, Susan Howe 70, also formerly of Belmont. Details can be found online.
Adam Howe is a reported Heroin addict. Heroin and for that matter any drug addiction affects all of society not just the addicts. We need to do better with treatment but also in educating students about the dangers of both illicit and prescription drugs.
The BHS Class of 1986 was an amazing class and until the fire at the Kendall Center for the Arts was known to have the highest collective IQ of any class at BHS. They stopped recording this data in the ‘90’s (just trust me 😉). Had the chance to get together with many of them last November at the 35th Reunion. The best stories are not fit to print but this one I can use as a segway to an important message. The class of 1986 had a major cheating scandal Senior year just as kids were being accepted to college. The scandal involved an honors or AP level class and at the time many of the top students were worried they might have their acceptances revoked. Yes… academic pressure has always been present in Belmont.
Flash forward to present times. Cheating is rampant at Belmont High. It’s a high-pressure environment and students are looking for every edge they can get. The cheating is elevated at the Honors and AP level classes. Cheating is not new although the internet has made it an art form compared to the old days. The reason I bring up this story is the other form of cheating (using Adderall) can have deadly consequences and BHS is not immune. Rhode Island police recently confiscated 660,000 fake Adderall pills. They were laced with meth. Students have been known to use Adderall as a study aid because of its perceived benefits and assumed low risk. Adderall is a prescription drug that is not meant to be used off prescription. Students think if its ok for some to use then its not harmful. Dealers are on to this and producing fake Adderall laced with meth and their top customers are HS and College campuses. The more you know the better. The more the students know in this case the better.