I know of one, but can we get the names of the other Grafton residents who may be seen in the movie? View Comment

And by the way, yes, I too am worried about people's lives, and especially about our children's lives. I was extremely worried about my little boy's life when he was in the hospital this month having surgery to remove a tumor from his brain that was likely the result of our exposure to environmental toxins. I hope none of your children or my children contract EEE or West Nile, but when there are other many other safe ways of avoiding mosquito exposure (by the way, ErikaS27, not all insect repellants contain DEET, try Jason's Mosquito Repellant for example), I choose to avoid adding one more neurotoxin to our already polluted environment so that hopefully, not one more child in Grafton will have to go through what my son has endured. Those who voted against this article did it not because they had a lack of knowledge, were merely "hysterical" or had lack of concern for our health and safety, but because they reasoned that the risks of the program outweigh the benefits. Also, Dura Mater, the finance committee never "blindly" approves anything. They spend hours/days culling over the details of these articles before town meeting. Do all of our BOS do the same? View Comment

All we have left is hope? I think our situation is a little less desperate than that. First of all, spraying Sumithrin does not guarantee that no child or elderly person in Grafton is going to die from EEE or West Nile. Second, there are many options available for those who want to reduce their risks of exposure: individual insect repellant, wearing long clothing, even installing plants that encourage dragonflies and bats, which are mosquito predators. You are perfectly free to install a butane tank mosquito trap in your own yard if you are concerned about your risk. On the other hand, I encourage Grafton residents (if they haven't already) to do a little research on Sumithrin. Just because a government agency has labeled it "safe" does not mean it is not without risks to our health. For a quick read, for example, you might read the following fact sheet: http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/sumithrin or the EPA's analysis: http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0140-0046. Weighing the risks of the treatment to the risk of going without it is not hysteria, it's reasoned decision-making. View Comment

Please vote no on the mosquito spraying issue! I realize that there is more involved than just spraying (monitoring, testing, etc.), but the spraying is the problem. First of all, there has been no conclusive proof that mosquito spraying actually works to control the spread of EEE and West Nile. Instead, what we ARE doing is infesting our yards, parks, whatever it may be with a neurotoxin that has been linked to thyroid tumors, breast cancer, and other neurotoxicity issues. If we are concerned with mosquitos there are MANY alternatives to spraying--wear long clothes, remove breeding areas in your yard such as stagnant water, stay indoors during peak hours, or use a non-toxin mosquito spray on your person. I realize mosquito spraying sounds like a great solution, but it does not come without a cost, and the cost outweighs the risk. Vote no on Article 27! View Comment

Just because something comes from a plant does not mean that it is safe. Pyrethroids have been linked to thyroid tumors, breast cancer, lower sperm counts and excessive estrogen levels, among other things. Studies also suggest that the neuro-toxin is more harmful to children than to adults. Also, just because your neighbor sprays his yard does not mean that you are in the clear. Once the chemicals become airborne they could easily travel your way as well. All of this and there are no studies that show that spraying for mosquitos really helps reduce the risk to EEE and West Nile. Unfortunately, our vote tonight is non-specific, so we either get all or nothing, and while I'm in favor of testing and monitoring, when you're putting my kids at risk for some diseases to possibly reduce the chance of them getting something else (which is preventable my many other means, by the way), I vote NO! View Comment

If there actually is mold in the Children's Room, I completely agree that we need to address this immediately! I encourage residents to look into the effects of black mold, which can cause allergies, asthma, and other serious respiratory conditions. I have a good friend who's one-year-old nearly died due to exposure to black mold in her home (and the pnemonia she contracted as a result). This is serious--more important than handicap accessibility and political agendas--and it needs to be addressed at town meeting! Elizabeth View Comment

Nelson Library? View Comment

Like Mr. Ed said, while I'm sure the Department of Defense was very interested in what the Grafton BOS had to say about the building of the F-35 Strike Fighter, that was not the decision they had before them. If a Selectman felt it went against his conscience to support the expenditure, he did not have to sign the letter. That being said, the planes are going to be built--they might as well be built here. View Comment

Paying $24 a day now (with parking) to ride the commuter rail, I suppose I am glad for the bailout so that it is not more. Yet it remains frustrating that I was a half hour late to work because of a "mechanical failure" and the guy sitting in front of me was able to get a free ride by convincing the conductor to feel sorry for him because he was a veteran. My husband is a veteran too, but he doesn't ride for free. They really need to tighten the reigns on collecting fares and find a way to keep up the maintenance on their trains so that more people can rely on them to get them to work, etc. View Comment

We are so lucky to have something like this in Grafton, and it just gets better every year thanks to the hard work of very dedicated committee members. Locally grown fruits and vegetables, such as those sold at the market, provide more nutrients to the body because they are allowed to ripen longer than those that need to be shipped, and they also provide the comfort of knowing where your food was grown and who grew it! I am really looking forward to the opening on Thursday, and I hope to see a big crowd there buying freshly picked produce, etc. and showing your support for our local food producers! Elizabeth Spinney View Comment

Beginning in July I am going to pay over $300 for a monthly commuter rail pass. If I were paying that increase so that we could repair our engines, like the one that broke down Wednesday night leaving a train full of passengers stranded in cars with no air in 90 degree heat, that would be one thing. If we needed to pay for more conductors so that we didn't have to close off most of the train cars in the morning and squeeze passengers into a few cars because their aren't enough conductors on the train, I would be ok with that. But, given what I know about how the MBTA has been managed, it makes me want to get into my gas-guzzeling, air polluting SUV and drive to work rather than give the MBTA more money. I just wish we had an answer for fixing the underlying problems rather than discouraging people from taking the train. With the increase, it is cheaper for me to drive and park in Boston, which is ridiculous. We should be encouraging people to take the commuter rail, a much better option for the environment, rather than discouraging it. How is it that other states seem to do this so much better than we do? Elizabeth Spinney View Comment