Hi everyone!
Looking out the window, it seems spring is here, but there has been a chilly breeze all week. Hopefully this weekend we’ll have less wind and more sun. It’ll be nice to finally put away my winter coat!
Last week I wrote about Sgt. Mark Ecker II, who lost both feet in a blast while serving in Ramadi, Iraq.Sgt Ecker is currently recuperating at 
Walter
Reed
Military
Hospital, and a family member has been with him every day of his stay there. He has been fitted for a right foot prosthesis and will be fitted with a left foot next week.The Springfield Republican, along with Romito & Sons Restaurant, have raised almost $40,000 for the Ecker Family.
Rotary Club treasurer James A. Rintoul says, “When we first started, I thought if we got four or five thousand, that would be a lot. I think people feel for this family, and the difficulty he’s going to have as time goes along,” Rintoul said. Contributors have come from communities across Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, he said. “I think this says a lot about people in this area. When there’s a need, people will give,” Rintoul said.
‘”Contributions and cards can be mailed to the Eckers via the Springfield Republican at:
Box 2350, Springfield, MA
01102
Aid mounts for injured soldier
By MARY ELLEN LOWNEY of the
Springfield Republican March 29, 2007
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In nearby
Springfield, the buzzword is “Solar.” Springfield Technical Community College is set to begin 
construction on the largest solar energy system in Western Mass. Built with $461,000 in grants and $265,000 from bonds, the project, once completed, will save the college $17,000 a year (the college’s annual energy bill is about $1.1 million). When it is running in the Fall, it will generate 82.3-kilowatts.
I get a little confused when thinking about energy output, so I did a little research to put this into perspective. The average suburban household uses 600-800 kwH of electricity per month. This new system will generate about 1300 kwH during the winter and about 3000 KwH per month during the summer. More information can be found here.
STCC to install Western Mass’ largest solar energy project
By MARY ELLEN LOWNEY of the
Springfield Republican 2007-03-28
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Our next story brings us down to
Florida, where we find buddies Paul DiMaura and Bob Schroeder becoming legends. On a recent fishing trip with his friend Bob Schroeder to the Keys, Mr Schroeder captured the largest bonefish on record – 16 lbs. 3 oz (the normal size is 8-10 lbs). For region that is known for its bonefish, that’s pretty impressive. After catching the whopper,
“Then it was time to head back to World Wide to fill out the forms required for an application for a world record. It was also time to start basking in the glow of a once-in-a-lifetime fishing experience. The word had gotten out quickly that Capt. Paul and some snowbird had brought in a monster 
bonefish, and since fishermen instinctively gravitate to wherever they think the action is, a crowd of old-timers had gathered, and most likely a few tall tales were exchanged.But here are the facts. There have been only two other bonefish recorded that were larger than Bob’s, both caught in deep water off
South Africa. Bob will be thrilled if the fish is recognized as a world record, but it might be hard to beat the excitement that built around him last week. He was on a couple of local Keys radio stations, his picture was in the Miami Herald, and the photo of Bob and his fish will be up there among fishing legends on the wall in World Wide Sportsman.
Congratulations to Paul and Bob. When he is not fishing in the Keys, or fishing around
Martha’s Vineyard, Paul lives at home in Chilmark. “
DiMaura, Schroeder team up for a record
By Whit Griswold of the
Martha’s Vineyard Times 2007-03-29
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And finally, here is a story too fun not to share. Baseball season opens in just a few days, and Gary and Lynn Smith of
Wellesley are so excited
they have to go to the bathroom – quite literally. This
Wellesley couple
“…has completely renovated her downstairs bathroom to make it look as though it’s in the middle of
Boston’s famous baseball diamond. The bathroom walls are painted as a Fenway panorama that includes all the park’s major features, including the Green Monster, the giant scoreboard above the centerfield bleachers and the numbers of retired Red Sox players that hang over the right field grandstand. The display even includes an overhead lamp painted like the Hood Blimp that frequently flies over the park.”
As cool as it looks, the bathroom isn’t quite finished yet… The Smiths are still shopping for NY Yankee toilet paper.
Take me out to the bathroom
By Brad Reed of the Wellesley Townsman 2007-03-27
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Well folks, that’s it for me. Oh, before I forget… Taunton is known as the “
Silver
City” for its silver goods in former days, AND it’s known as the “Christmas
City” for its impressive holiday displays. This week’s quiz:
Springfield’s nickname is the “The City of Firsts.” Can you name two things that have been invented in
Springfield? Good luck!!!
