I learned with sadness Tuesday that Mr. Welch was seriously ill. I learned with greater sadness the next morning that he had died. I didn’t know the cancer had come back.

I got to know Michael Welch, principal of St. Dom’s high school, from a parent’s perspective 12 years ago. He did all the good things a principal should, and more.

When our family found ourselves in crisis with a divorce, he listened and offered support. The school offered tuition assistance so my sons’ education would not be disrupted.

At Christmastime, Mr. Welch stopped in with gifts for Joey, Charlie, and even Eddie, then a Cony High goalie. During Charlie’s senior year Mr. Welch wrote a letter of recommendation that helped him not only get accepted at St. Anselm’s, but also with a scholarship that made it possible.

He cared.

I know there are many more Mr. Welch stories out there. When he drew his last breath, our community lost a great friend.

– Bonnie Washuk
Quality control

A note to aspiring criminals and drug addicts. If you have a police dispatcher on the line, it is best to keep chatter about your product to a minimum.

On Thursday, police were called to a downtown address after dispatchers took a call. The caller may have believed he was on hold, but the dispatcher could hear everything that was being said on the other end of the line.

“Be advised,” the dispatcher said to the responding officers over the radio, “I can hear them talking about how good the weed is.”

Police love a stupid criminal. But then, don’t we all?

– Mark LaFlamme
Grooving on Park Street

The call came in shortly after nightfall: a group of eight kids skateboarding in the new skateboard park that is still under construction on Park Street. Police went to the scene. And indeed, there were eight people cruising the dips and slopes of the spiffy new park. But these were not kids. They were the workers who have been toiling on the construction project day after day. What better way to wrap up an afternoon of labor? And of course, they need to test the construction to make sure it is adequate for radical skateboarding. Yeah, that’s it. Testing the construction.

– Mark LaFlamme