Disqus - Latest Comments for nbombard

Re: “Open Road Tolling” coming soon: Time to get an E-ZPass

Noah R. Bombard — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 18:33:41 -0000

Your transponder will work in NY. It will appear on your E-ZPass bill.

Re: Lancaster Selectman Eugene 'Pete' Christoph dies at 84

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 21:26:38 -0000

Very sad news. He was one of a kind. I always loved running into him. He had such a passion for ... well ... just about everything.

Re: Worcesteria – October 8th, 2015

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 15:45:55 -0000

Hey, get your own AP subscription you punks. ;-)

Re: Things Ernest Hemingway didn’t say

Noah R. Bombard — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 22:42:02 -0000

Thanks. Yeah, I need to dig into some more, although I don't see as many misquotes as I was seeing a couple of years ago.

Re: Worcester Superintendent of Schools Melinda Boone raises issue of journalists contacting students on social media

Noah R. Bombard — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 18:08:25 -0000

Good point, Victor. The ethics of it depend entirely on the situation.

Re: Worcester Superintendent of Schools Melinda Boone raises issue of journalists contacting students on social media

Noah R. Bombard — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 16:02:36 -0000

Parents have certain rights over the decisions and actions their children make up to a certain age, but there is no legal statute in Massachusetts that prohibits teenagers from talking to whomever they want or that requires them to have their parents' consent to speak to a member of the press or anyone else.

Re: Worcester Superintendent of Schools Melinda Boone raises issue of journalists contacting students on social media

Noah R. Bombard — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:45:55 -0000

I think a 15, 16, or 17 year old absolutely has an understanding of their own world they live in. A student at a high school not only has insight as to what effect a police officer at their school has on their educational experience, that insight is a vital part of any discussion on it. To not include that perspective leaves a gaping whole in both the coverage of the story and public discussion over the issue.

And, no, you don't have the right to kick the ass of people who write things you don't like. In fact, at minimum you'd be charged with assault and battery. In short, it would not go well for you.

Re: Things Ernest Hemingway didn’t say

Noah R. Bombard — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 13:32:15 -0000

Thanks for that eloquent thought, Jack. Which short story are you referring to?

Re: This is not goodbye

Noah R. Bombard — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:42:32 -0000

From one former Worcester Magazine editor to another, best of luck, Brittany. You were an excellent steward of the legacy.

Re: Walking in Worcester: Pedestrians, vehicles battle for right of way

Noah R. Bombard — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 18:13:25 -0000

Massachusetts does have laws against jaywalking. The fines are a couple of bucks and they're rarely, if ever, enforced: http://www.masslive.com/new...

Re: Walking in Worcester: Pedestrians, vehicles battle for right of way

Noah R. Bombard — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 16:48:39 -0000

I often feel like the only person in the city who presses the walk lights and waits. I think part of the problem -- as I've watched people next to me get frustrated and jump out in front of traffic -- is that the timing on many of the lights is horrible. There's an amount of time (and I'm not sure what it is) that people will reasonably tolerate to wait to cross the street before they just say "screw it" and walk out. I don't often get the feeling the timing of the lights is intentional, that someone who programed them actually stood there themselves and thought it out.

I will say the DPW is good about fixing walk buttons that don't work if you call them. Found one that didn't work two years ago, called. It was fixed the next day.

Re: UPDATE: Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme nixes meeting with press after ‘provocative article’

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 19:33:50 -0000

Wait ... I was fired? When did this happen?

Re: UPDATE: Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme nixes meeting with press after ‘provocative article’

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:44:53 -0000

Sorry, I didn't mean to appear snarky. I'm all for reader criticism and can't remember the last time I deleted someone's comment.

Re: UPDATE: Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme nixes meeting with press after ‘provocative article’

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 13:43:35 -0000

Well, just coming off three years at the Telegram, I'm not sure how to take that. Why do you think I lack integrity and what do you want local media to do differently?

Re: UPDATE: Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme nixes meeting with press after ‘provocative article’

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 12:49:03 -0000

It's no secret to anyone in local media that the usual relationship between the press and police is a bit bizarre when you cross into Worcester -- with the police frequently taking a stand that appears to be a "don't call us, we'll call you" policy with the press. That, of course, is just not healthy in an open democratic society where government is held responsible by the people.

But I don't see where the online chat in any way represents an admission by police that they do not comply with public records requests to "minor media" organizations. In fact, they're saying in the post that they do. Of course, you can read a lot into that comment -- including the "minor media" comment, which appears to simply be a dig, which is fine. WoMag, of course, has long been the number two paper in the city and MassLive serves up news to more than 100,000 unique visitors every day. Your readers and our readers -- many of whom are tax-paying residents of Worcester -- don't consider us minor in any way.

But police in that chat admitting they don't comply with the law? I'm not seeing it.

Re: 42 Miles of Hell; The Story of the Worcester Tornado of ’53

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:50:35 -0000

No, this looks squarely at the tornado of '53 and the personal stories by and with Telegram staff at the time of the tornado and over the 60 years since.

Re: 42 Miles of Hell; The Story of the Worcester Tornado of ’53

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:09:26 -0000

A good book, Pam. Mr. O'Toole is quoted in one of our chapters.

Re: Facebook likes for major New England newspapers

Noah R. Bombard — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:16:50 -0000

Wow. Good catch. Not only is the Sun-Journal up there in the top four of likes, it also has a respectable "talking about this" number. I had actually looked for their Facebook page originally then moved on when I couldn't find it linked to from their homepage.

Re: Is that Worcester’s DPW Commissioner in an ad for a bar?

Noah R. Bombard — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:18:25 -0000

I'm not sure, but I like where you're going with this.

Re: Market Basket ‘Climber’ spreads wings; a look at your photo rights

Noah R. Bombard — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:33:20 -0000

Also, I'll add that personally I love my Leominster Market Basket. Other than the fact that it's absolutely mobbed on most days, it's got great bakery and produce departments and a fair amount of organic and health foods. And the prices are excellent. The aisles are very narrow, which lends to the crowding problem, but I've learned what days are leaner and try to adjust my shopping accordingly.

Re: The Moxie Man is back, but has the legendary soda lost its bite?

Noah R. Bombard — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:31:44 -0000

Interesting. I bought mine in Leominster, too (at Market Basket). I didn't think it was much different from what I'm used to. Although I sometimes notice slight differences from batch to batch -- usually changes in fizziness. I do think it's not quite as strong as the Moxie I first had in the early '90s.

I'll have to order some from the West Coast soon to see how the bottler out there compares these days.

Re: Farewell to a friend

Noah R. Bombard — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:01:48 -0000

Thank you so much. You guys gave both Indy and Skidder so many great times visiting their New Hampshire grandparents. Thank you for making their lives richer.

Re: Is this the end for Friendly’s or a fresh start?

Noah R. Bombard — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:05:46 -0000

I'm not sure about closing stores in the '70s. They seemed to be doing pretty well right up until they took the company public in the early 2000s.

You're right, though. Friendly's is one of those "in between" places that isn't quite a diner and isn't quite a nice quiet meal with family and friends. That's a tough place to try to carve out a niche.

Re: New Gingrich Endorser Says Obama Is Bringing Us Closer to the Apocalypse

Noah R. Bombard — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:45:27 -0000

Ah yes, because Christ MUST have been a capitalist -- 13 guys forsaking possessions, sharing what they had and living a commune-like lifestyle.

Re: Who needs community news?

Noah R. Bombard — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:34:34 -0000

I agree. And I'm probably hitting this point a little harder than needed. But I do believe that when looking to the now and the future, you've got to have something more than just a central place for information culled from other sites. West Seattle Blog has more than that. And you also have to look at what a specific community has for online resources and how web and mobile savvy the residents in that area tend to be. Not every place is the same.