• THE BEETLE DIED AT MIDNIGHT: Last week, we reported that we had captured an Asian longhorned beetle. We’ve gotten a lot of questions publicly and privately about the beetle’s subsequent status/livelihood. For the record, the bug (missing a leg at the time of capture) was at all times in total captivity, after which it was entirely and completely and 100 percent euthanized without ever being outside a closed and secure environment. The beetle is, was, and will remain totally dead. In no way should beetles EVER be transported outside the quarantine zone, something we are now very aware of.
• OPEN SESAME: It’s easy enough to poke fun at a problem, and it’s even less frequent that someone who can get something done responds directly to a reporter. But mere hours after our paper hit the stand last week, complete with a fix-it list for the new Union Station garage, Worcester Assistant Traffic Engineer Jim Kempton sent us an e-mail, looking to fix the problem of the locked door at Union Station we had complained about. No word on if the problem is solved yet.
• AT-LARGE CHARGE CARDS: It’s hard to believe, but we’re already at the midterm for this city council. You know what that means: campaigning starts in four short months! So where do our current at-large politicos stand financially? They’re all over the map. From top to bottom: Mayor Konnie Lukes — halfway through August, she had $8,253.38 on hand. Joe Petty’s account reads zero, but on September 2, he reported $3,605 in deposits from July 30. Michael Germain had $997.80 in his account as of the end of July. Gary Rosen has $692.82, Rick Rushton has $805.88, and Kate Toomey has $155.38.
• PLAYING WITH HOUSE MONEY: Among Worcester’s State Representative incumbents, only a few have their 2008 pre-primary reports so far. Rep. Stephen DiNatale has $23,813.78 on hand; Rep. George Peterson Jr. has $16,750.46; Rep. John Fernandes is at $12,060.39; Rep. Karyn Polito has a staggering $140,521.07.
• BOWSER, PEDONE, AND PIKES PEAK: The Worcester Democratic delegation is back from the DNC convention in Denver with a bunch of stories to tell. Rick Rushton was glowing over the political and entertainment celebrities he ran into; but state Rep. Vincent Pedone (pictured) might have the story to beat them all. Pedone, who spent the days after the breakfast meetings and before the convention picked up at night traveling up and down the Rockies around Denver, says he was simply looking for a ride when he ended up trading credentials for a rental car. His bartering partner? Jon Bauman, Bowser from Sha Na Na, who didn’t have a way on to the convention floor otherwise. “Bowser was at one of the events on Monday night and he was saying how he couldn’t get credentials, so I was able to scrape up credentials for him and he let me use his car,” he said. Still, Pedone told the State House News that he was more interested in scenery than celebrities. “You can see celebrities anywhere,” he said. “You want to see Chevy Chase, turn on TV and watch ‘Caddyshack ... looking out over America is breathtaking. That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.” For the record, the car was a Hyundai.
• COST OF FREEDOM: You’re free to vote, but voting in Worcester isn’t always free. As was reported last week in Boston, mailing an absentee ballot in Massachusetts costs 59 cents based on the size and weight of the ballot and envelope. But that’s not the only cost. To GET an absentee ballot in Worcester, you must submit an application in person or by mail. If by mail, it’s a required 42 cents first-class stamp. So, combined, to vote TRULY absentee in Worcester costs $1.01. Still, probably cheaper than driving to the polling place. “We take all comers,” says City Clerk David Rushford. “It’s a small price to pay for the operation of democracy.” Elections head Josh Medina, who says that the office has received ballots without postage in the past, explains that there are alternatives. “Any sort of written communication can serve [as an application]...we’ll even accept a fax. And we have over-the-counter voting...usually up to a month in advance.” Additionally, says Medina, there are some envelops that are prepaid. “International ballots/military are in postage paid envelops [to send out]. I believe the return is postage paid as well.” o
