(3/2/07)  Here's the latest collection of bits and pieces of news and information from around town.

Breakfast with the Governor:  The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce is presenting Breakfast with Governor Deval Patrick, Friday April 6th at 8:00 a.m. at Hampshire College's Robert Crown Center.  Attendees must reserve tickets in advance.  Ticket prices are $35 for Chamber members, and $45 for non-members.  Learn more about VIP seating and sponsorship opportunities here, and for additional information e-mail the Chamber or call 253-0700.

Focus on Wireless:  The Community Wireless Project will be the topic on Focus, Sunday, March 4th at noon, on 91.1 FM WMUA.   The Town's IT Director Kris Pacunas, along with UMass Computer Science faculty Mark Corner and Brian Levine, will join host Rob Kusner for an update on that project and discussion of its implications for economic development in Amherst.  In the second half of the show, Ruth Hooke and the Raging Grannies will sing and discuss topics including their activism at School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia.

And Speaking of Wireless:  Family Wireless, the Verizon wireless cell phone retailer, relocated this week from a space deep within the Carriage Shops to the prime street-side location on the end, with the big display window.  Store Manager Brian Harrison said the new space will make the store more visible from the road, and hopes it will lead to increased foot traffic.  The store is open weekdays 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5:00 p.m.  Harrison expects those hours to expand in the future. That space was formally occupied by Trade Roots, which had had upstairs and downstairs locations, and has now consolidated upstairs.

The MCAS Guy:  David P. Driscoll, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, will give a talk titled “Public Education in the Commonwealth: Reflecting Back and Moving Forward,” on Thursday, March 8th at 11:00 a.m. in the second floor reading room at the UMass Campus Center. The talk is free and open to the public, and is part of the Educational Policy Forum sponsored by the UMass School of Education. Driscoll has been Commissioner since 1998, and was Deputy Commissioner for five years before that.  He has overseen implementation and expansion of the MCAS exams, development of School and District Accountability System and the Educator Certification Test among other policies and programs.

Career Opportunity:  Management of Town-owned Cherry Hill Golf Course is being put out to bid.  An RFP was issued this week.  Proposal packages are available from the Town Manager's office, and are due back by noon on March 15th, with a mandatory site visit scheduled for March 8th at 11:00 a.m., followed by a Q&A session at noon.  Interested parties can e-mail the Town Manager's office or call 259-3002 for more information.

21st Century Politics:  You'll meet them at events and get letters from them in the mail, but some local candidates are also harnessing the power of the Internet to help voters learn more about who they are and where they stand on the issues.  Robie Hubley, seeking re-election to the Select Board, is on-line at www.RobieHubley.org.  Alisa Brewer, a challenger in that race, and for whom this reporter is a campaign volunteer, is at www.AlisaForAmherst.org.  Kathleen Anderson is seeking a seat on the School Committee, and is at www.KDQAnderson.blogspot.com. (That's KDQ, by the way – per chance the underline makes it look like an “O.”) Incumbent School Committee Chair Andy Churchill expects to launch his re-election site very soon.  Did I miss any?  Let me know.

OK Smarty-pants:  Put some of that useless knowledge to work for you.  Tuesday nights are Trivia Nights, 9:00 p.m. to midnight at The Harp in North Amherst.  You can go it alone or be on a team of up to five people.  It's $5 per person to play – which includes a buffet – and winners get a cash prize. 

Benefit for the Schools:  The Amherst Regional High School's Spring Arts Benefit concert will be held Friday, March 9th at 7:00 p.m. in the High School auditorium.  Performers will include The Hurricane Singers, members of the ARHS Jazz Ensemble and Dance Theater Ensemble, and Blackberry Jam.  The event is presented by the Amherst Education Foundation and the Friends of Amherst Regional Performing Arts.  Proceeds will support music and performing arts programs in the schools.  Tickets can be purchased in advance at Jones Library and Food For Thought Books, for $10 for adults and $5 for children and students.  At the door, tickets will be $15 for adults and $5 for children and students, with a maximum of $35 per family.  No, that doesn't mean they won't let more of your family in; it means they won't charge you for them.

Carpe Diem:  So your new LSSE catalog came in the mail.  Don't just throw it in the recycling bin again.  Take a class!  Do something different!  What if you have an innate and as-yet-untapped talent for pottery, tango, oil painting or speaking French?  How couldn't your spring be a little more fun with lessons in belly dancing, calligraphy or tennis?  Adult classes start on page 37.  The registration deadline is March 26th, with a small late fee after that date.  Register on-line at www.LSSE.org.

Emily Update:  The Emily Dickinson Museum opens for the season March 3rd.  During March, the hours will be Wednesdays and Saturdays, 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.  For April and May, that will extend to Wednesdays through Sundays, at the same hours, and will further extend to 9:30 a.m. opening times come June.  For more information, check out www.EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org, or call 542-8161.

Be Careful What You Say:  You know those little snippets of conversation you hear from the people at the next table, or standing in front of you in line?  Well, someone has decided to catalog them on – of course – a blog.  Active eavesdroppers and innocent bystanders alike submit their choice morsels, and an anonymous local blogger called “Audiophile” posts the best ones on www.OverheardInTheValley.blogspot.com.   Kinda silly.  Kinda fun.  Kinda creepy if you were to recognize your own fragment of conversation there.

It might seem like we've been reduced to just nuggets and recaps here, but real articles are on the way again.  Stay tuned.

-- Stephanie O'Keeffe