• THE PRICE OF GOING DIRECT: So how good a deal is Direct Air’s newly announced service? Let’s compare, using one of the most expensive weekends of the year to fly. A Christmas Day flight from Worcester to Orlando-Sanford, with a return flight on Sunday, costs $350.18, with taxes. From Boston to Orlando International Airport is $410, on Airtran, according to multi-airline search site kayak.com, and that includes a stopover on the way home. From Providence, the lowest fare is $445 on US Airways to Daytona, with stops in both directions. From Manchester, the cheapest is $486, also on US Airways to Daytona, also with stops. And from Hartford, you can’t go for less than $520. What about the drive when you get there? From Orlando-Sanford to Disney World is a 66-minute drive; from Orlando Airport is 36 minutes; from Daytona Airport is 88 minutes. The difference is obvious even during a “regular” weekend: A January 15-18 trip from Worcester to Punta Gorda/Fort Myers is $239, with taxes; from Boston to Fort Myers is $280 with a stopover on the way down; from Manchester is $242 with stops in both directions; from Providence is $295 with stopovers; from Hartford is $259 (both airports are equidistant from Fort Myers, the city).
• QUESTION ON QUESTION 2:Councilor Barbara Haller doesn’t like Question 2, the ballot question that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and make it a civil offense. On Tuesday night, she proposed that the City Council pass a resolution against the question. Most surprising about Haller’s Question 2 item was that it was a, well, surprise, to some of her colleagues. Multiple colleagues said they hadn’t even noticed it on the agenda originally, while others didn’t know why it was on in the first place. “I don’t know why we’d even discuss this,” said Councilor Joff Smith a few hours before the meeting. “We have more important city issues. …This is going to be on the ballot, so voters decide no matter what the city council says.” He got his wish; the item was filed on Bill Eddy’s motion that it was outside the council’s purview.
• FAMILY MATTERS:Rick Rushton was among the councilors who voted with Eddy to file away Haller’s resolution against Question 2. But at least one member of Rushton’s extended family has clearly stated his position. Rushton’s brother-in-law and DA Joe Early Jr. is part of a statewide group of DA’s (all of ‘em) who have publicly come out against Question 2; Early has been quoted by NECN as saying decriminalizing weed will give young people the idea that drug use is OK.
• THEY’RE NOT HERE RIGHT NOW:Here we go again with Wyman-Gordon? Earlier this summer, after reportedly ignoring calls for month, the company finally told city administration officials that they were considering expanding to use five more acres or so on their largely vacant 17-acre property downtown. They were expected to get in touch with the city about their official plans by the end of the summer but Assistant City Manager Julie Jacobson said on Tuesday that the company is once again neglecting to return calls.
• RUSHTON V. RUSHTON:Rick Rushton is among the worst when it comes to pols calling us while driving. Still, while recognizing his habit, Rushton proposed this week to file for a home rule petition that would ban motorists from talking without an ear piece or texting while driving, saying that it is a danger, especially for young drivers.
• PALMIERI’S VOCAB LESSON:City Council meetings have their own lexicon and lingo, with hidden meanings behind every statement. For example: “filing” an order is nowhere as official as it sounds, and essentially means it is disappearing. Let’s go to Phil Palmieri for another definition. After Palmieri asked Assistant City Manager Julie Jacobson when the next rail summit was being scheduled for — it was supposed to be on for sometime this fall – Jacobson answered that she’d give a more complete answer “in the form of a report.” It’s a common answer from the City Manager and his staff, but Palmieri wasn’t hearing it. “A report. That means we don’t have an answer,” retorted Palmieri.
• THE ODD THREESOME:And if you had to guess which two councilors came to a Konnie Lukes fundraiser earlier this week, you certainly wouldn’t get it right. So we’ll just tell you: Rick Rushton and Phil Palmieri.
• GEMME SAYS NO:Buried in the bowels of the agenda this week was this little gem from Police Chief Gary Gemme. He had been asked to prepare a report on the number of shoplifting incidents in the city over the past two years, and the types of goods that were being stolen. He responded with the numbers, but then wrote, “To answer the questions concerning the types of articles stolen and the type of store/establishment affected would require the Crime Analysis Unit to review each of the 1,623 shoplifting arrests reports. The amount of time spent on this request would negatively affect the [units’] ability to provide timely information to the Department.”
• MAYBE NEXT YEAR:And color the city shocked, but Assistant City Manager Julie Jacobson says we might be seeing the CitySquare wrecking ball not as soon as previously expected. “We were hoping for the fall,” said Jacobson. But Berkeley Investments still hasn’t gotten a key “trigger” tenant, so she “can’t give a date at this time.” Councilor Mike Germain, along with a few colleagues, pushed for negotiations to make Unum Provident, currently looking for a new home, to maybe be that key tenant. o
