Of course, the responsibilities we all have to our family, friends, community, and our work will always take a place of precedence in our lives. However, those should not always trump the responsibility to ourselves and our own well-being.
Food, housing (both cost and inventory) and heating costs are among basic living expenses putting a squeeze on middle class families. Meanwhile, school districts and departments are threatening significant reductions and funding for roads has remained stagnant while inflation has not.
This is all a very longwinded way of introducing myself as the new executive editor for Reminder Publishing. It’s hard to explain what I plan to do without first explaining where I’ve been. I suppose a much simpler way to put it is I’m a news man and I always have been, whether I knew it or not.
Normally I don’t find myself becoming invested in many of the ballot measures that are proposed to Massachusetts voters come election season. This year however, several of the questions caught my eye.
On June 20, the Northampton City Council voted down the fiscal year 2025 budget after three councilors voted against it because it did not include a requested 14% budget increase for the schools, as approved by the School Committee at a meeting in April. The 14% budget increase would have ensured a level-service budget and no cuts to positions.
Twenty-four years as the head coach of the New England Patriots. Six Super Bowl titles. Nine AFC Championship victories. Seventeen AFC East titles. Bill Belichick is no longer the head coach of the New England Patriots.
Since starting at The Reminder, I dreamed of one day having my own opinion column in the paper. Well, it looks like that day is finally here and I could not be more excited!
