Quick Hits: October 12, 2009
by Bill Dusty
["Quick Hits" is a new weekly digest of news and commentary that will be replacing the Intruder's recurring "Local News Briefs & Tidbits" following the SI's upcoming design conversion. That re-design should be introduced by the middle of October.]
THOSE TROUBLE-MAKING AGAWAM RESIDENTS
First it was Susan Dawson and her well-chronicled confrontations with rival Celeste Benoit (pronounced “ben-waa” in Longmeadow and “ben-oit” everywhere else). Then we heard that one of the mayoral candidates who beat her out in Agawam’s recent primary had also found mischief in our fair city. (Unfortunately for him, the first hit on a Google search now-a-days for “derek benton agawam” comes up with his embarrassing little moment.)
But those are just a couple of the higher profile cases in which folks from Agawam are coming across the Connecticut River in search of mayhem. They are from being alone. After all, where do you suppose all the fine people from Agawam go to make their drug purchases? Why cross through West Springfield to get to Holyoke when Springfield is just a South End Bridge away from satisfaction?
A year-and-a-half ago my front yard fence and driveway were on the receiving end of an out-of-control car being driven by drunken kids out for a joy ride on the 4th of July. The car flipped on its side and ended up in my driveway after ripping down the entire length of my chain-link fence. Wanna guess where the misunderstood young folks were from?
You guessed it. Agawam.
Springfield gets all the blame and ridicule for drug dealers roaming our streets, but what’s rarely mentioned is the residency of their customers, a good amount of whom hail from quiet little Agawam, among other small outlying towns.
Give us a break, out-of-towners. Drink in your own bars, will ya? And stay out of our driveways.
FANS OF RIVERFRONT PARK
Not everyone who visits Springfield’s Riverfront Park has cheery things to say about it. Graffiti remains a constant problem, and vagrants find the river banks and other secluded places convenient spots to call home for a day.
But every once in while, the park finds a fan.
The blog “On Larch lane” has this admiring post about a walk through the park on a nice, sunny day.
The writer admit being a bit hesitant to visit the park. But the journey, in the end, was quite rewarding.
THE DREAD IS (APPARENTLY) DEAD
Remember in early 2008 when former Springfield city councilor and online enthusiast Brian Santaniello came out with his own sort-of blog, called The Dread Report? It was all the rage (according to him), raking in literally tens of thousands of hits (if you can believe the cheap-o hit counter that used to decorate the page). The Valley Advocate came out with a story on it that April. At about the same time, Santaniello was promising visitors exclusive interviews with local politicians, and he later announced that Springfield City Councilor Kateri Walsh would soon be blogging on his site. At one point, too, there was a quote posted on his site from an “admiring fan” swooning about how The Dread Report would no doubt be voted as the best blog in the Valley.
Alas, none of it ever came to pass.
The exclusive interviews – usually announced as “Coming next week!” – never arrived. Neither did Kateri Walsh’s blog. And in a supreme disappointment, The Dread Report also lost out on its bid for best blog in the Valley.
These days, there are no original stories emanating from the DR (not that there ever were many to begin with). Santaniello, who this past summer was appointed to the Springfield Parks Commission by Mayor Sarno, appears to have lost interest in his little hobby. When he first started his site, he had high expectations – apparently thinking folks from all over the country would flock to The Dread Report after mistyping The Drudge Report. Unfortunately for him, nobody really types that bad. The fame – and the riches, never came.
Santaniello’s link-laden website today is a clunky, RSS feed-driven robot. Kind of sad, actually. But stop by there anyway, if you care, and click on an ad or two. Then you can reminisce about the glory days of the once proud and mighty “sort-of” website called The Dread Report.
NEW SPRINGFIELD SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE
Finally, word came across my email inbox of a new local social networking site that started up recently. I thought I’d give them a little plug here for anyone who might want to stop by there, join up, and contribute a few things. It’s called, simply, “Springfield, MA.” The site is a local effort that is powered by a company called Ning, which lets people from all over the world start their own, locally grown “little Facebooks” on the Web.
Check out the site, here.
PDF
2 Responses for “Quick Hits: October 12, 2009”
Comments are closed
ADVERTISE AT THE SI
 |
 |
Thanks for continuing to accentuate a positive but realistic view of the Springfield Riverwalk, Bill. And thanks to the On Larch Lane blogger and his family who checked it out and wrote about their positive experience.
Let’s hope other families follow their example in the next couple of weeks. The riverfront is beautiful in the fall as the leaves change color and river views open up. Gold and scarlet leaves against the blue autumn sky and water..what could be more typically New England?
Look for steady progress on solving Riverwalk problems.
Thanks for mentioning my blog, and reminding me we have to get back to the Riverwalk soon. We are hoping to walk north this time, under the Memorial bridge and up to the railroad crossing . We are hoping to get back there this week, to see the fall foliage along the river.
Is it okay for us to visit? I live in Agawam, but I promise to behave…lol. I have written a few really nice blogs about how much we enjoy going to Forest Park, too, with so much beauty to enjoy.
I have a few things to say about out-of-towners, also. Come sit on my front steps any summer evening after Six Flags closes. We have a steady stream of them walking by, yelling, singing, screaming and doing god-knows-what, at all hours of the night…. same thing, except my out-of-towners come from your side of the river… lol. (I’m just teasing.. these kids just need someone to give them some direction and keep them off the streets. I guess dropping them off at Six Flags is a good place for them, but jeepers, you’d think someone would think ahead a bit and figure out how they are going to get home, instead of letting them roam the streets half the night… just sayin’)