Stories and comments from Worcester's Web diaries

Compiled by Scott Zoback

• Posted by "Train Rider" on trainstopping.blogspot.com: I hate the commuter rail today!

So, the 7:19 a.m. showed up to Grafton at 7:55 a.m.. I was on my way to my car to drive in, but heard the train so booked back to the platform. All of the doors were shut, so passengers had to open them to board the train. There were no conductors to be seen to either explain the delay or collect passes. The biggest issue is the fact that NO ONE made any announcements the entire trip, but especially to say the train became a local, so we've stopped at every station, including all of the Newton stops. No doubt the P508 turned into a local train because the P510 was delayed due to the P508 delays.

I am beyond irritated. Sure, I'll get $15.50 back in 6-8 weeks, but really, I just want to get to work on time.

• Posted by "manddd06" on manddd06.livejournal.com: After that I kind of blew off the team and class night and went rock climbing with Rob, Emily, heather and Steve at the Y in Worcester. 5 bucks for all the climbing you can do for like 3 hours? Is pretty sweet. esp since they givey ou shoes and equipment ect. A good time. I tried the upside down ones... that was interesting. I kind of failed haha. And one time steve fell and because he weighs like 50 pounds more than me (and I was belaying him) he fell like 4 feet and because i was holding the rope and doing my job I flew 4 feet up in the air and was just kind of hainging there with him. It was hilarious. After that they made me use anchors when I was belaying. And rob is really good, but I guess tahts because he goes all the time.

• Posted by "ms crystal" on crystalstailsmeowww.blogspot.com: Why doesn't Worcester have better public transportation? Each day I am one more jerk on the road closer to selling my car and use that money for the bus and cabs to where I need to go. When I lived in Denver there was one of the best Public transportation systems, and in Providence too. Providence was kick ass before the city blew up and became a place people wanted to be. Providence who goes back and forth with our city here for 2nd largest in New England, needs to step it up. If I wasn't cleaning houses now I would consider saying bye bye to my car I hold so dear, if I knew in the winter months I could rely on a great transportation system in the city I live. I am one of the people that when I travel somewhere I take the public transportation, so I have done the likes of Toledo, OH, Tulsa, Ok, and Miami Beach. Not to mention places like Chicago and New York. But looking over the schedules for the buses here, it is a sad sad state. I would be more than happy to get rid of my very cute Toyota Yaris and say hello to the Bus and Cabs in the winter and scooter in the summer. I miss that freedom that comes from not owning a car. I miss the extra income that I had to spend on other things instead of a car payment and my high insurance premium. Worcester get a move on a better bus system and you will reap the rewards.

• Posted by "Brendan Melican" on radioball.net: After being called out, repeatedly, for being misinformed about the cities median incomes, I've finally figured out why everyone believes me to be wrong ... the city is making shit up. I've found at least two places where the city of Worcester is using what appears to be the county median family income instead of the city median family income without making that very clear. One is page two of this presentation which has us at $71,000. The other was in the cities most recent economic development email which lists the area median family income as $72,800. Both are about 20k over the actual city median family income. The key is the use of the word area in that last one. Since there is no such official number (the census bureau American community survey looks at city/county/state) it would seem that the city is cherry picking which towns they want to fold in to pad the city median. It's important for anyone who actually takes Worcester's future seriously to note that fudging reality doesn't actually help us.

• Posted by "Jeff" on wormtowntaxi.com: According to this story in the T&G today, undercover officers purchased an illegal handgun and ammunition from this guy in mid-October. Then, in mid-November, they bought some illegal drugs from the guy. A couple weeks later, they called him up and bought another illegal handgun. Here's an interesting quote from this story, "This individual had access and was willing to sell firearms to anyone that called him. We consider him a very dangerous person," Sgt. Boss said. "Anyone that is selling drugs and firearms to someone he had just met is a danger to the community." So, why didn't they lock this guy up in mid-October? How come this guy was given two and half months of opportunity to sell guns to OTHER people who, in my opinion, would ALSO constitute a danger to the community JUST BECAUSE THIS GUY SOLD THEM A GUN? That first point of sale was a crime. How come he wasn't immediately arrested? o