Live Chat with Easton Town Administrator Scheduled for Thursday at Noon

Town Administrator David Colton will take questions from Easton Patch readers live this week.

Have burning question for Town Administrator David Colton? Thursday, Easton Patch will give you the opportunity to ask it without leaving the comfort of your home (or your work desk). On Thursday, April 26 at noon, Easton Patch will hold its first ever live chat with Colton, who will help provide the answers you're looking for. Come back to Easton Patch on Thursday and enter our chat room where you can type in your question. (The article with the chat room will go live in the morning, before the chat begins, so you can bookmark it and come back once we're underway, or enter your email address and receive a reminder before the chat starts.) Easton Patch editor Patrick Maguire and Patch staff will choose the best questions and publish them …

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Editor's Notebook

Easton Budget Process Moves Forward, Deficit Gap Begins to Close

Easton Patch Editor Patrick Maguire takes a look at some of this week's notes.

As this year's May 21 Town Meeting draws closer, Town Officials on Elm Street are working to finalize a budget and provide a final draft of this year's Town Meeting warrant. They are making tangible progress on closing the deficit, which was approximately $800,000 when Town Administrator David Colton first presented a preliminary budget in February. As of last week, the budget subcommittee had closed the deficit to $361,000, according to Finance Committee chair Carol Nestler. "I thought that was pretty good news and we’re early on in the process," she said. "We should be able to get that down to where it needs to be." The Finance Committee, which will meet again this week, also discussed the Fire Department's budget with Fire Chief Kevin …

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Town Elections 2012

2012 Easton Selectmen Candidates Debate Issues

Easton selectmen candidates squared off in a debate Monday night

In a debate co-sponsored by Easton Patch, the Easton Journal and Easton Community Access Television, the four Easton selectmen candidates squared off in an hour-long debate on live television Monday night. Incumbent candidates Colleen Corona and Daniel Murphy are fighting to serve for another three years while Finance Committee member Pat Goodman and newcomer Michael Maloney are hoping to win one of the two available seats. The debate was moderated by Easton Patch Editor Patrick Maguire and Easton Journal Editor Donna Whitehead.

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The View From Here

Laugh And The Whole World Laughs With You – Or At You!

The columnist never fails to give us a little giggle.

"What may seem depressing or even tragic to one person may seem like an absolute scream to another person, especially if he has had between four and seven beers." ~ Dave Barry  Life is! That may seem like a rather mundane statement, but as humdrum as it may appear to be, the statement is true nonetheless.  Life is! Life is funny. Life is sad. Life is beautiful. Life is ugly. But no matter your situation, irrespective of your current point of view; regardless of your present state of mind; life is! Life exists. Yes, life changes; it’s capricious. But it is.  I'm a big proponent of laughter. It keeps me from crying! And there are certainly plenty of things for us to cry about. As I said, life is sad. But whatever we can say about life; the …

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Bob Havey

8:03 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Thanks, Nancy. Glad you got a laugh! @Friend Uvyurs - No, you can't make this stuff up. Life is full of laughable moments. It's all a matter of perspective. Thanks for reading and thanks for laughing. Glad you enjoyed it. As an epilogue to the insurance - Sue emailed me again and apologized for spelling my name incorrectly. That's really going the extra mile! Great customer service! As I said, …   more ›

Editor's Notebook

Blog on Easton Patch

Got something to say? Patch.com has a platform for local bloggers.

Easton Patch has made room for local bloggers on the site. We're looking for bloggers who can sound off on various topics, share their personality and engage our readers in discussions. Patch is more than a news site, it's an online conversation about your community. Then, we want to hear from you! Whether it's food, family, schools, government, business, social issues, exercise, fashion or business— if it's your thing, we'd like you to consider blogging for Patch. A few local residents have already taken advantage of the opportunity. If it has a local connection, we’re interested. Anyone may apply. Best part, you can do it on your schedule, whether that's posting multiple entries per day or a couple times a month. Patch won't own what you…

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: February 16

Here is what is happening in Easton today.

1. Today at Ames Free Library, there will be an author Meet and Greet with Kristi Marsh and Rachel Vidoni. The event will be at 6:30 p.m. For more information, click here. 2. There will be an Overeaters Annonymous meeting at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church today at 7 p.m. For more information, click here. 3. The Shoveltown Baseball Club will have tryouts for all U14 and U15 participants at Evolution Sports Performance today. For more information, click here. 4. The Oliver Ames girls' basketball team will look to avenge its only loss of the season tonight in the Hock Crossover game at Franklin High School. Patch will have coverage. To view all of the Hock Crossover games, click here. 5. In case you missed it, Joseph Kennedy is officially …

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The View From Here

The Devil You Know - The Devil You Don’t Know

The columnist shares a reflective moment.

“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can …

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Bob Havey

10:50 am on Friday, February 17, 2012

Jasmine - Thanks! Now get that kicked-butt of yours down to the school of your choice and register! :-)   more ›

The View From Here

A Morning Without Coffee Is Like Sleep

The columnist confesses to a blatant caffeine addiction and a propensity for being a bit snippy in the early morning hours.

If it weren't for the coffee, I'd have no identifiable personality whatsoever.” ~ David Letterman  I’m not a morning person; never have been; probably never will be. The only good thing about the morning is coffee; lots and lots of coffee. Other than that - mornings stink!  My animosity toward the morning hours isn’t grounded in an explicit aversion for getting out of bed. I’m up fairly early every day, even on the weekends I’m up between 5:45 and 6:00. If I happen to sleep until 6:30 on Saturday or Sunday, I consider that sleeping-in.  No, I don’t mind getting out of bed. But I do mind being incoherent for two to three hours after I get up, even after slugging down 32 ounces of coffee.  I don’t get it! Why do I have so much trouble …

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Bob Havey

1:21 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Thanks for the advice, Emily. No sleep disorder here, though. I'm just not a morning person. Thanks for reading - I appreciate it!   more ›

The View From Here

On The Edge And Hanging On For Dear Life!

The columnist seems to be in a bit of a jam this week. Let’s see what it’s all about.

  "One of the dangers of Facebook--really, the entire Internet--is that it enables people to post quotes and falsely attribute them to the wrong people." -- Abraham Lincoln  I don’t remember where I found this quote or misquote, as the case may be, but I do remember I laughed out loud when I read it. I’m laughing right now. Oh, and just so you’ll know; this bogus quote has absolutely nothing to do with what I’m writing about today – at least I don’t think it does.  Confused? Me too, but let’s not let a little confusion on my part, or yours, put the brakes on the creative process, which I’m hoping will kick in at any moment.  So now I have a dilemma, though in my estimation dilemmas are highly overrated. They’re no big deal. Everyone has …

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Video Tutorial: How to Post an Announcement or Press Release on Any Patch Site

This nifty video tutorial shows users of any Patch site how to post an announcement, including full press releases, by using the tools available to all users on the Patch.

Have you ever sent a press release to the editor of your Patch site and wondered when it was going to post? How about sent him or her a birth announcement or perhaps an obit (which are published free on Patch sites) or school award only to wonder if it was ever going to be published? Well, our Patch sites are designed in a way that is easy for users to post their own announcement without having to wait for the editor to post it for you. It really is the best way to post your announcement or press release if you are a nonprofit agency, for profit agency, government body or other group to get your stuff on the Patch, instantly. Follow this video tutorial to see how to do this, step by step. After you finish watching the video, consider using…

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