Part 1 of 3

It is a debate that has occupied this country for years. Should college be free to all Americans or should we continue to pay for it? Those in favor argue it is one of our inalienable rights. Those opposed say college is a privilege to be earned and paid for in order to have meaning and merit.

I suspect the majority of Americans who are still paying off student loans or are already paying for a college education (or soon will be) would vote for free tuition. Who can blame them?

Anthony Shadid, called the “most gifted foreign correspondent in a generation” by his then Washington Post colleague, Rajiv Chandrasekaran (author of the widely heralded book “Imperial Life in the Emerald City”), didn’t really need a byline. For anyone familiar with his peerless, unique reports from the Middle East would read them and just know they were a Shadid special.

Some of the older houses in town have the dates they were supposedly constructed prominently displayed, usually over the front door. The vast majority have dates that have proven to be accurate, though it seems to be human nature to embellish one’s property, either to enhance its value or as a topic of conversation.

Members of the elderly community at Winsted’s Chestnut Grove apartments have plenty to be upset about these days, after the long arm of the law overreached into their affairs and admonished them to stop holding community dinners there without a permit to serve food.

The decree, leveled by the Torrington Area Health District, came in the form of a verbal warning, but the message was clear: Cooking community-style dinners for your neighbors is a health hazard that cannot be tolerated.

There hasn’t been a brokered convention — the kind unhappy Republicans, independents and media elites are dreaming about this year — since the Republicans had their last one in 1948 and the Democrats in 1952.

The candidates nominated then, Tom Dewey and Adlai Stevenson, lost the presidency — twice, as it turned out. A brokered convention hasn’t produced a winner since Franklin Roosevelt 80 years ago.

Mailbox placements are a hazard on Torringford Street

In December 2011, an elderly resident on Torringford Street in Winsted was struck and killed by a vehicle as he retrieved his mail. This accident was not a surprise to those who live on this street as the difficulty crossing this state highway has long been a concern.

Let me comment on a few loose ends:

Open government

I believe that government, especially local government, needs to be open about everything, with only the few exceptions permitted by state statute (and those exceptions should not be abused). Pretty much every document that enters Town Hall becomes a public document (and thanks to technology, this now includes “virtual” documents and email messages).