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16 • THE WEBSTER TIMES • Friday, February 27, 2009 www.webstertimes.net Relay for Life to increase its coverage area RELAY continued from page 1 $100,000” and that with the other towns included, he believes they can surpass this number. He also mentioned that by bringing in the additional towns, he hopes new ideas will form as well. “The main thing is to get as many research dollars as we can,” he said. Relay for Life of Auburn co-Chairman Karen Sisko said she is in support of Gallant’s goal. She said she feels it is time for the Auburn event to experience growth. “If we don’t grow, I’m concerned the Auburn Relay for Life will fizzle out,” she said. Gallant is starting to drum up awareness about the idea to the other towns. He has already presented it to the Millbury Board of Selectmen and he said State Sen. Michael Moore has been helpful in getting him into contact with people from the town. “I think everyone was happy that I went and spoke,” Gallant said. “I’m hoping that things will get off the ground.” Millbury Board of Selectmen Vice Chairman Joseph Coggans expressed his enthusiasm for the expansion and said he has no doubt that Millbury will be a hefty contributor. He said Millbury has always been a “generous contributor” to the similar events adding that Millbury holds a Walk for Cancer every year. “The Millbury community has always stepped up to the plate,” Coggans said. Millbury Town Manager Robert Spain is looking forward to the event as well. “I think anytime you can raise money for cancer, it’s a good thing,” he said. “The Relay for Life has done really well.” Gallant said at last year’s Relay for Life there three areas for reform — ethics, process and voting. Highlights of the package include an eight-year limit on the Speaker’s term, mandatory ethics training, clarifications on gifts from lobbyists and the elimination of so-called “phantom voting,” which occurred last spring when a computerized voting mechanism on the house floor recorded several votes for State Rep. Charles Murphy, D-Burlington, who was in the Virgin Islands at the time. While democrats like Alicea hailed the reform bill as a good “first step” in the process of making the legislative method more open, some republicans, including State Rep. Paul Frost, R-Auburn, said the rules package lacked the necessary punch to drive ethics reform fully home. “We think it was a good thing, however, I don’t think the rules went far enough and it was somewhat of a disappointment,” Frost said. “It deals with the issues, but it has no teeth.” Frost said Republicans proposed several additions to the rules package, including splitting the House’s Ethics Committee membership evenly between democrats and republicans and calling for more transparency and accountability in Ethics Committee dealings. “There’s no question that there’s a dark cloud on Beacon Hill and this would have been a good step toward clearing that,” Frost said. “What [democrats] did do in the rules was a step forward to some degree, but when we attempted to add some teeth … and make each member responsible for their actions … that got rejected.” Under the new ethics guidelines, the Speaker and Minority Leader will be able to unilaterally remove both rank and file members and those appointed to leadership positions upon their criminal indictment. Representatives will also specifically be prohibited from receiving gifts from lobbyists. This rule has been on the books for some time, but until now only referred to “cash gifts” in excess of $100, not in-kind presents. Under process reform, the new rules will also make heavy use of the Internet, which legislators agree is the perfect medium for creating transparency in state affairs. Alicea said the state was working on implementing new software to improve ease of access on these sites. “We want people to be able to pull up the voting records, etc. [of their legislators],” he said. “You shouldn’t have to go through windows to figure that stuff out.” As a result of the changes, all bills introduced and admitted for consideration in the House will be available to members electronically and for online posting. Notice of committee hearings will also be posted on the Internet. The new rules will also hopefully eliminate “phantom voting” by requiring officials to disable the voting system of any member who has were 36 teams that participated. He said he is hoping to get at least 10 teams out of the three additional towns. Gallant also mentioned by adding the towns, there are more businesses and organizations that will be able to contribute to the event. He said he does understand that because of the economy, businesses might not be as willing to donate money. So, the committee is going to target the employees of these businesses and encourage them to form their own teams. Gallant stressed that the event is so important because there is not a single person who has not been affected by the disease. “I don’t think there is anyone in the population who has not been touched by cancer,” he said. Gallant encourages anyone who would like to be involved with the event to call him at 508- 832-3664. notified the clerk that he will be absent for a formal session. The measure also requires the clerk to disable the voting system of any legislator failing to answer the first non-quorum roll call. House officials were debating installing card swiping systems that would unlock voting mechanisms, but Alicea said the aforementioned rule was reached as a compromise and a way to save money for the state. Overall, however, legislators universally said they hoped the numerous House rules reforms would simply help pave the way to a smoother and more open legislative session. Such caveats are important, legislators said, since 2009 is likely to be a year when cash will be short, cuts The Relay for Life was started in the mid- 1980s by Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Wash. who wanted to increase the income of his American Cancer Society office and show support for his cancer patients. Participants raise money and walk the entire night to signify that the disease never sleeps. The relay starts off with a survivors’ lap where any one who has battled the disease walk around the track. Since then it has grown to an annual international event. Every year, cancer patients, survivors and their friends and family flock to their local events and do laps around the track overnight to show their support and raise awareness. Teresa A. Franco may be reached at 508-909- 4136 or e-mail her at tfranco@stonebridgepress.com. Ethics reform pact approved by state representatives TRUST continued from page 1 FEELING THE LOVE will be made and all eyes will be focused intently upon the leaders on Beacon Hill. “We hope that this session is going to move in a way that people will understand that their voices are being heard,” Kujawski said. “The budget is our top priority, but we had to get [the rules] in order before we can do anything else … We want the people to see that there has been a definite membership response to the things that are going on [and] we want to correct anything out in the public’s mind — we want to make them a part of the process.” Patrick Skahill may be reached 508- 909-4129, or by e-mail at pskahill@stonebridgepress.com. Friday Nights at the Oliver Wight Tavern at Old Sturbridge Village… Join us for our Winter Escape BY POPULAR DEMAND! Prime Rib Dinner Room New England Clam Chowder Queen Cut Prime Rib of Beef Roasted Butternut Squash, Potato Whipped Cheese Cake Martini Traditional English Style Fish & Chips also available February 27th thru March 13th • Featuring tableside magic by “Bob Olsen” • Costumed Staff 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM • $18.95 • *Reservations required Upcoming Events @ the Oliver Wight Tavern… • A Weekend to Be Irish… Friday, March 13th thru Sunday, March 15th • Traditional Irish & Celtic Music · Featuring Full Gael March 13 &14 w/complimentary hors d’oeuvres before the concert. • Irish Pub Lunch · Sunday, March 14th • Irish Breakfast & Brunch · Sunday, March 15th Please visit our website for more details & to purchase tickets Courtesy photo WEBSTER — Brownie Troop 30104 visited with residents of Christopher Heights Friday, Feb. 13, to pass out Valentine’s candy and sing songs. The girls were greeted with smiles and claps. This was a truly heartwarming experience for all. Troop consists of Gianna Boucher, Felicia Munroe, Kacie Grenier, Ashlee Cuellar, Mariya Lempicki, Emma Bonneau, Haley Trudeau, Mikayla Chenevert, Hailey Fairhurst, Hannah Smith and Lexianna Wheeler. 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road • 508-347-0303 www.osv.org “Harbro Sales and Service would like to welcome any previous WEBSTER DUDLEY LINCOLN MERCURY CUSTOMERS” “We know you are used to being treated with RESPECT and HONESTY... and we invite you to come to HARBRO to be treated the same way.” $ 9.95 Oil Change and 35 point vehicle checkover for any previous Webster Dudley Lincoln Mercury customers expires 3-31-09 *bring your last W.D.L.M. receipt to receive this offer TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS: Harbro Sales & Services, Inc. 546 Providence Rd. (Rt. 122) Linwood, MA 01525 Phone: 508-234-6767 Harbro Sales & Services, Inc. 103 Worcester Rd. (Rt. 12) Webster, MA 01570 Phone: 508-943-6969 HarbroAuto.com “ASE Certified Service department for ALL of your SERVICE needs”
www.webstertimes.net Friday, February 27, 2009 According to the state, the recyclables market has been pummeled by the recent economic collapse. Since October, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reports the price for recyclables in the northeast has dropped by 75 percent or more. This drop correlates to a drastic decline in consumer demand for new products, writes DEP official Brook Nash, a decline that reduces the need for metal, plastics and other materials used to manufacture new goods. “The result: a market that could barely keep up with the demand for new products six months ago was suddenly overstocked with inventory and needed less feedstock for new production,” she wrote. Proctor-Gray agreed, saying studies from the Sierra Club reported the market price for recyclable paper fell from $105 to $20 per ton from October to December. Tin dropped from $327 to a shocking $5 per ton. One way to combat this market drop is to buy recycled materials, Proctor-Gray said, adding residents should urge local businesses to carry recycled products. “We can all do our part to help by making it a point to seek out products made from recycled materials and to let store managers know that we will buy those products,” she said. “For instance, we have noticed that facial tissues made from recycled paper (such as Marcal or Seventh Generation brands) are no longer available at our Webster Price Chopper, CVS, Walgreen’s or Rite-Aid. Let these stores know that you are looking for recycled brands.” Proctor-Gray said she was incredibly pleased with the high recycling rates Webster residents posted and added her hopes more people would make use of the town’s transfer station to get rid of their waste. The process is not complicated, she said, as Little River employs a single-stream recycling system that does not require sorting into separate recyclable types. Glass, mixed paper, tin, aluminum, corrugated cardboard and plastics are all accepted. Newspapers are the only item residents will need to separate. In addition to the program at the transfer station, Proctor- Gray called attention to several other opportunities for recycling in Webster: • Books, videos, DVDs, and CDs may be donated to the Got Books program by placing them in the large collection bin at the Webster Police Station on Thompson Road. • Cell phones may be recycled via postage-paid envelopes available at Corbin Public Library or at Bartlett High School. • Rechargeable batteries and mercury-containing products (thermometers, thermostats) are collected at the Board of Health in Town Hall. The Webster Recycling Commission is a nine-member, all-volunteer committee that originally formed with the charge of putting a recycling program in place in Webster. Today their activities focus mainly on litter cleanup, raising communal environmental awareness and hazardous waste collection days. Both state and local officials say they are hopeful the global • THE WEBSTER TIMES • 17 Webster residents thanked for ‘keeping town green’ RECYCLE continued from page 1 recyclables market will soon recover, but acknowledge much of this will hinge on a broader economic recovery in U.S. markets. For now, however, Proctor- Gray just wants everyone in town to keep up their high level of stewardship and keep on recycling. “Anything that just gets thrown away is either going to be burned or thrown in a landfill … and we all know that spaces for those are running out and burning pollutes our air,” she said. “So it just makes sense to avoid creating this kind of trash whenever we can.” RITUAL TEAM PLACES SECOND IN STATES Courtesy photo The Ritual Team from the Auburn/Webster Lodge of Elks was the runner up in the state competition held recently. The Lodge Team was the state champion last year. Pictured, front row, from left, Pat Sargent, Susan Vecchio, Nancy Cronin. Back row, from left, Bob Wambach, John Berube, Brian Camillucci, Mike McNamara, Chuck Grosvenor, Chet Hood (coach). 24/7 Oil Burner & Air Conditioning Service Now Accepting New Customers Don’t be fuelish $ave Money and Oil OIL BURNER CLEANING only $ 70 CALL NOW! *Some restrictions apply Dave Baker ★ 1.774.696.2391 ★ Licensed & Insured BUYING DISCOUNT OIL? BUY PROFESSIONAL DISCOUNT SERVICE! Demand the very best from your bank. That’s where we come in. .50 % APY 2on savings Introducing Essential Checking with Interest Only NewAlliance gives you this powerful combination so your everyday cash works as hard as it can. Interest on checking Cash rewards on debit card purchases Member FDIC 800-892-2096 www.NewAllianceBank.com For personal customers only. Offer subject to change and may be withdrawn at any time. Annual Percentage Yields (APYs) available as of 02/02/09. NewAlliance Essential Checking with Interest account: Requires a minimum opening deposit of $500 and a minimum daily balance of $1,000 to earn 0.50% interest and avoid a $10 monthly fee. Rate may change after the account is opened. Requires a companion NewAlliance Essential Savings account. NewAlliance Essential Savings account: Requires a minimum opening deposit of $50 and a minimum daily balance of $500 to earn interest. If the balance on the interest posting date falls below $500, there will be a $5 monthly fee. 2.50% APY on balances of $500 or more. Rate may change after the account is opened. Requires funds from non-NewAlliance sources and requires a NewAlliance Essential Checking with Interest account. NAB267_A_0208 MITTENS DOESN’T LIKE THE VET. A 100 MILE RIDE IN THE CAR IS NOT GOING TO ENDEAR MITTENS TO YOU EITHER. All local. All the time. TheHeartOfMassachusetts.com
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