Snarled traffic a preview of things to come?

Date: 4/2/2015

As a movie fan, I love previews of coming attractions, but the look into the future I experienced on Friday afternoon was particularly frightening.

No, I didn’t see a glimpse of a new horror film, I saw miles worth of tie-up on the I-91 viaduct due to road repairs on the northbound side.

My wife and I needed to get to Northampton to attend a wake and it took me almost a half hour to get out of Springfield.

Once I realized that 91 was a parking lot I thought I would take Columbus Avenue until it merges with the highway – a thought shared by hundreds of other motorists.

Then I assumed cruising down Main Street would work – why no. Many people had that strategy as well.

I wound up getting back to Maple Street, following it until it turns into Chestnut Street and taking that through the North End and accessing the highway that way.

At that point the traffic was moving.

I try not to be an alarmist, but is this the shape of things to come when a lane on each side of the highway is affected? If so, can you imagine what three years of this agony will be like?

I truly hope for our mutual sanity what we witnessed will not be the norm. If it becomes such we will be facing a huge impediment to our tourism industry and to the businesses in downtown Springfield and in West Springfield.

Drop a dime

So who is behind the “Westfield Truth Squad?” This Facebook page is pretty interesting in how it presents an insider’s look at Westfield politics and positions itself as “A fountain of truth for Westfield’s citizens.”

I guess my concern is that it appears to me to be a vehicle to present the mayor’s side of issues – not that it’s a bad thing – but it would be more credible if readers knew who was writing the material.

With attribution comes context and with context comes greater understanding. 

And they are off!

If anyone thought this year’s Springfield mayor’s race was going to be boring, then think again. Challenger Sal Circosta formally started this campaign last week and then lost no time with an aggressive reply to Mayor Domenic Sarno’s statement about the ninth homicide in the city.

Among his remarks, Sarno said, “Those who live by the sword, die by the sword” at a press conference on Saturday, a statement to which Circosta took exception.

Although Sarno is a popular mayor with a trifecta this election year of major accomplishments to speak about – MGM, the Chinese rail car company and Union Station – Circosta doesn’t seem fazed.

And as a journalist covering this race, I have to admit that makes my job more interesting.

Sign of spring

Before the tornado, our home was regularly visited by wildlife. Possums, raccoons, squirrels and even a red tailed hawk were seen in our very urban backyard.

Since the tornado destroyed all of the trees and our shed, there is little habitat for these critters, except apparently for a skunk.

As a sign of the changing seasons, my wife spotted our first skunk of 2015, a handsome rascal who was initially challenged by our black cat Edgar. My wife, fearing that we would have the job of washing Edgar, succeeded in urging the cat to reconsider his actions.

This is more than what Lucky the Wonder Bichon has done on several occasions. He is not a fast learner.

Regardless of the dangerous potential represented by our little visitor, it gives me a certain pleasure to know we still have a little wildlife in our backyard.

Agree? Disagree? Drop me a line at news@thereminder.com or at 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. As always, this column represents the opinion of its author and not the publishers or advertisers of this newspaper.