Gun Deaths Surpass Motor Vehicle Deaths in 21 States

Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 21 states and the District of Columbia in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, a new analysis from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) finds.

Merry Christmas 2014

Ken O'Brien

Festivus Is A Week Away – Air Your Grievances

Ken O’Brien

Once again that time of year is almost upon us.

The pressure of locating just the right tchotchke that will pacify that annoying relative for another year.

Relentless repetition of saccharine yule time ditties that make you wish you’d been run over by a reindeer.

In summary all the angst and loathing of an entire year crammed into a thankfully brief period.

Southbridge MCAS Results: Grade 10 in Math Since Grade 3

Ken O'Brien

Some have expressed the belief that a more useful presentation of the MCAS data would result from

comparing the progress of the same class over time.

While I believe that such an approach is problematic in numerous ways, I have nevertheless compiled such data for the most recent MCAS results for Grade 10 in Mathematics as it has progressed since Grade 3.

The results are provided in the chart below:

Southbridge MCAS Results: An Eight Year View

Ken O'Brien

After considering the 2011-2014 MCAS results as presented in the preceding post, I decided that they told an incomplete story.

A more comprehensive view of the pattern of "progress" in the Southbridge school district is given by incorporating an additional four years of MCAS data. The charts below provide this perspective.

MCAS 2014: 4 Year Comparisons

Ken O'Brien

Results for Southbridge, all grade levels.

2014 MCAS Results Are In

Ken O'Brien

The District remains Level 4

Southbridge Town Election Candidates 2014

Below is a list of candidates for contested positions in the June 2014 Southbridge Annual Town Election who had submitted papers with a sufficient number of signatures as of yesterday’s deadline and who have not withdrawn previously submitted forms.

            Town Council                        School Committee
              (3 openings)                             (3 openings)
            Miguel Estrada                        Brent Abrahamson

            James Marino                          Scott Lazo

            John Pulawski                         Christopher Olivo

            Gus Steeves                            Raymond Page

            Albert Vecchia, Jr.                  LeAnn Pate

            Paul Zotos

Southbridge March Unemployment Rate 9.5%

Ken O’Brien

Southbridge’s unemployment problem remains among the worst in Massachusetts. While unemployment in Central Massachusetts dropped sharply in March and is down from March of last year this community remains 2.5 percentage points above the regional average and almost 3 points above the statewide average.

Greater Worcester's seasonally unadjusted jobless rate fell from 7.3 to 7 percent over the month, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. That's well below the 7.7 percent unemployment rate recorded in March 2013.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Mass. GOP Swings Further Right

Ken O’Brien

On Tuesday night the Massachusetts Republican State Committee, by a vote of 52 to 16, adopted a new state party platform.

The new section on Values has sparked controversy among members who object to what they perceive as a shift to the right that is incompatible with the realities of Massachusetts voter preferences. 

Can Southbridge Hit The “Reset Button” In 2014?

Ken O’Brien

As we enter 2014 and anticipate our town’s Bicentennial in 2016 there is little doubt that Southbridge is a community with serious problems. Is there any way to hit the “reset button?”

Once the hub of economic, industrial and political energy in Southern Worcester County, “The Eye of the Commonwealth” has become an eyesore.

Unfortunately, even saying such a thing seems to automatically brand one as negative and worthy of dismissal.