June 26, 2013

Here’s some random thoughts for this mid-summer edition from the House of News.

With less than two weeks to go until the 4th of July holiday interrupts the middle of the work week, the neighborhood is getting louder and louder and it’s not from car stereos or screaming kids. No, what’s becoming evident is that the city’s ban on fireworks will once again go largely ignored again this year.

This newsdog isn’t looking forward to the big day, given that anything with gunpowder is likely to be exploded, and yes, we’re referring to the DIY stuff that shakes the rafters and rattles the glasses in the china cabinet.  The police department has already warned that they’ll be largely ineffective that day just given the voluminous number of illegal firework calls that will come in. Really about the only thing to do is suck it up and keep the garden hose handy for those stray skyrockets that land on the roof.

Anyone else notice the mowing contractors are leaving a wide berth of overgrowth next to the wooded areas in Kessler Park? This observant newspooch sure has. We notified the Parks Department about the issue because a.) its unsightly, and b.) neighborhood volunteers spent countless hours clearing invasive underbrush from the treeline over the past two years and now the mowing contractors are letting it grow back. Parks dude Forest Decker wasn’t aware of the new “buffer zone” and has notified the crews responsible for said oversight. Sadly, however, the situation will require the city’s intervention before the contractor will cut what they’ve lazily ignored all year. Just more proof that the lowest bid often isn’t the best bid.