Up late last night? You're not the only one. With Super Bowl Sunday in the books as a crushing defeat for Patriots fans, the seemingly annual debate continues for football fanatics around the country. Should today, "Super Bowl Monday," be a national holiday? A Yahoo Sports column from 2010 makes a compelling argument for a day off across the country. "What else brings Americans together like the Super Bowl?," the writer says. "One hundred million people all did the same thing yesterday. When does that ever happen? As a nation, what else do we universally agree on, quite like the fact that we …
Reading Municipal Light recently passed on a chance to sell several renewable energy certificates that town employees said could have earned millions. On Jan. 5 the RMLD voted to retire these RECs, rather than sell them. On Jan. 25, the board declined to revisit its decision, opting instead to delay retiring them until more public input can be gathered. So let’s get this party started. This topic has generated a lot of comment recently, so get in the game and speak up as well. We want to know your thoughts on this impacts Wilmington. Take our poll, and tell us what you think should be done …
Budget season is officially upon us. Wilmington's Annual Town Meeting isn't slated until Saturday, May 5, at 10:30 a.m., but there is plenty of work that goes into the meeting in advance. That work includes Finance Committee meetings with all of the departments in town that start next week. So for today's questions, we want to know: Where do you think the town could cut back on spending to save money on the overall budget? How do you rate the town's efforts in saving money for residents in town? Will you attend Wilmington's Annual Town Meeting? Let us know your thoughts on these topics and …
Under a proposal by Gov. Deval Patrick, "sin taxes" on cigarettes will increase and new sales taxes on candy and soda will be put into place. Patrick is proposing the increase as a way to raise $260 million in new revenues for the state budget, according to an Associated Press article on Wednesday. Under the plan, the cigarette tax will be increased from $2.51 per pack to $3.01 per pack - an increase of 50 cents. The plan will also ask to impose the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on candy and soda — both items are currently exempt from the tax — and expand the state’s bottle deposit law to …
In his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama challenged Republicans on tax reform and immigration, among other topics. On the tax reform front, Obama cited the nearly $1 trillion set aside to provide for tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, citing that billionaire Warren Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. He challenged his political rivals to close loopholes in the interest of reducing the deficit "Now, you can call this class warfare all you want," Obama said. "But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? …
President Barack Obama welcomed Boston Bruins players, coaches and management to the White House Monday in recognition of the team's 2011 Stanley Cup title. Noticeably absent from the festivities, however, was Boston's star goaltender, Tim Thomas, who was one of just two American players on last season's roster. According to a report from the Boston Globe, Thomas declined the visit for political reasons and later explained his reasons on his Facebook page saying it was a statement against the federal government, which he says has "grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and …
Wilmington is expanding on plans for the state's No Name Calling Day this week, setting its own event for local students with "Kindness Week." Bullying isn't just an issue of concern in Wilmington. It's also a troubling topic throughout the state of Massachusetts and the country. So how do you think Wilmington schools do in their efforts to fight this serious issue? How big of a problem is bullying among local youths? What have been the strengths of the school district in this area? Have school officials been proactive enough? We want to hear your opinion in our poll and also in the comments…
New Year's Resolutions are about three weeks old, which means many people have forgotten about theirs already. But at Patch, we're still looking to establish ours. We take pride in bringing you everything local from news and sports to photos and video. But we also know we're not perfect. So for today's questions, we want to know: What do you want to see more of on Wilmington Patch in 2012? Is there a specific group that you feel warrants more coverage? Do you want to see more video? Who in town do you want to hear from this year? Is there something we do that you want to see less of or that …
There were a host of crashes across the state overnight as roads were hit with snow and ice in the early morning hours of Tuesday morning. Though there hasn't been significant snowfall to date this winter, there have been several evenings where black ice has made for dangerous driving. So for today's questions, we want to know: What area in Wilmington is most dangerous when ice hits? Is there a particular intersection you avoid in town during slick conditions? How would you rate the town's ability to treat roads and make for safe driving? What tips do you have for your fellow drivers who are…
Martin Luther King, Jr. did a lot in his very short life. With his speeches, he moved a nation. He enlightened the public and faced the struggle of civil rights head on, despite great obstacles, and eventual assassination. King won a Noble Peace Prize, at 35, the youngest ever to win the prize. He was named TIME Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1963. He also pontificated about economic rights and against America’s war in Vietnam. Today is the day we honor the slain civil rights leader. He would have been 83 yesterday. Wilmington Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton shared her thoughts earlier…
After a week of hype, it's finally time for some football. National sports media members have spent endless hours this week covering everything Tim Tebow, but there's another guy named Tom Brady who could have a big say in the result of Saturday's AFC playoff game between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. Though Brady has won three Super Bowl titles for the local team, the Patriots haven't won a postseason contest in four years. The Broncos, however, backed into the playoffs before upsetting the Steelers behind Tebow's overtime winner. This weekend's game is set for 8 p.m. on CBS, …
There wasn't a ton of white stuff falling in Wilmington this morning, and schools in town went on as scheduled. But the communte was certainly messy in certain spots. Not everyone who lives in Wilmington works right in town, so at times it can be a tricky dilemma. If you're still asked to be at work, but the roads are dangerous, you have a decision to make. So for today's questions, we want to know: How do you decide whether inclement will keep you from driving to work or not? Have you ever run into issues in the past with an employer because the office was open but you weren't able to make …
New Hampshire voiced its choice on Tuesday by a large margin when it supported Belmont resident Mitt Romney in the Republican primary. So it got us to thinking. If you could pick one Wilmington resident that would be a great next president, who would it be? We're not suggesting that any of these officials with Wilmington ties are going to even consider making a run for the White House. We just want to have a little fun this election year. Would it be Town Manager Michael Caira for his work with the town's finances, Board of Selectman Chairman Louis Cimaglia because his Veteran's Agent skills…
Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton has been sitting down with Wilmington High School teachers to ask them what they would like to see inside the classrooms of the new school. Town and school officials are in the planning phases to decide what equipment will be in the school, and what materials the building itself will be made of. So for today's questions of the day, we want you to weigh in on the school planning process. What do you want to see inside the walls of the new Wilmington High School? What is the most important item or items that should be approved inside classrooms? Do you …
If you made a New Year's resolution to eat healthy, now comes the time when you face adversity. Wilmington Girls Scouts are now selling those deliciously tempting cookies. So for today's questions we want to know. What is your favorite kind of cookie and why? Vote in our poll and let us know why in your comments section below. And if your troop is selling cookies, let us know where so we can make sure Wilmington residents know how to get their fix. Eat up, Wilmington!
If you rely heavily on public transportation out of Wilmington in your everyday life, you'd better get ready for some changes. According to the state's transportation website, there are two MBTA scenarios for the near future and both would feature fare increases and cuts to services. Those cuts could include elimination of commuter rail services after 10 p.m. during the week and completely on the weekend. "While the MBTA continues to identify and adopt strict measures to close the budget gap, less costly ways of doing business and additional revenue-generating measures are necessary," said …
There were plenty of newsworthy stories in 2011 in Wilmington. Now that 2012 is upon us, we want to know what you anticipate the headlines being in the next 12 months. Is there anything in particular you are expecting to happen in town this year? There are local and presidential elections in 2012, the construction of the new high school is set to begin, Wildcat teams will be in action throughout the year and much more. So vote in our poll to let us know what you're expecting, and let us know in the comments section below what you predict will happen in the upcoming year.
Go figure. Wilmington was pelted with heavy snow and power outages on Halloween weekend, but now that it's almost New Year's Eve, the grounds are bare without an inch of snow in the area. So for today's question of the day, we want to know how you feel about the lack of white stuff. Are you upset because you haven't been able to go sledding, build snowmen and enjoy all of the best winter activities, or are you hoping Mother Nature keeps the snow away for the rest of the winter? Vote in our poll, and tell us what you think about winter weather in the comments section below. Happy New Year, …
There were many headlines in 2011, and we want to know what stood out most to you the most. Will the approval of the high school be the most memorable story of the year? Was it the untimely passings of resident Kim Forte and Officer Shawn Lee that most impacted the town by bringing residents together in support through fundraisers, donations and other events? Or was it the discovery of a major drug crop that happened over the summer? Make your vote in the poll below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
This morning, our Life in the Mom Lane columnist Christine MacKenzie touched on the topic of New Year's resolutions And that got us to wondering. How did your goals for 2011 go? For today's questions we want to know: Did you accomplish all that you'd like this year? If so, what was your biggest feat? If not, what would you have liked to do more of? Vote in our poll above, and be sure to let us know all about your year in the comments section below.
