Man About Canton: Connors Still Open

Did you know …

Despite a report to the contrary in last week’s edition of Man About Canton, Connors Wayside Furniture at 2239 Washington Street (Route 138) is still open for business and the property has not yet been sold. According to the Connors family, a sale is currently pending and the building is under agreement, but there are “many hurdles that need to be overcome before the property can be sold to the prospective buyer.”

“We are in fact open and conducting business Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 6 p.m.,” states the family. “We will remain open until all aspects necessary for the proper conveyance of title are met.”

Semi-retired since July 2007, the Connors family stated in a recent advertisement that they “now are trying to remove the word ‘semi’ from semi-retired.” One thing is for certain: Connors Wayside Furniture has been a Canton staple for more than 70 years and will be sorely missed when it does finally close up shop. MAC apologizes for the misunderstanding and wishes the family the best in its future retirement.

The internet is replacing the library, the mailman, newspapers and photo albums.

In about two years, June 30, 2016 to be exact, 410 Massachusetts Turnpike toll collectors will lose their jobs when the pike begins electronic collection of all tolls, meaning these workers will be replaced by machines. A recent article in the Boston Globe, written by Tom Keane, stated that a report from Oxford University estimates that about 45 percent of all existing jobs in America will be lost over the next 30 years with almost all of them being replaced by computers and robots. Those include administrative jobs in offices, logistic-related positions in transportation, and construction work. So the toll collector (MAC included) will not be alone as technology replaces the workers.

Talking about the Boston Globe, John Henry, Red Sox owner and new owner of the Boston Globe, recently named himself the ninth publisher in the paper’s 141-year history. Henry brought the Globe and its website from the New York Times Company in October 2013 for $70 million in cash. The price is a big drop from the $1.1 billion the Times Company paid for the Globe 30 years ago.

The online news company Patch is being restructured with many of their editors and writers losing their jobs. The company, which launched in 2007 and was bought out by AOL in 2009, provides web-only news coverage to individual towns supported by online advertising. AOL recently sold is majority stake in Patch to the Hale Global Company.

The town of Sharon and its 250^th anniversary celebration committee recently approved numerous events for the town’s yearlong celebration in 2015. Committee co-chairman and longtime Sharon Recreation Director David Clifton said that the kickoff will take place on January 1, 2015, with a bell drop, ice sculptures, and other activities in the town center.

The Canton Association of Business and Industry will be hosting its Business Roundtable on Tuesday, April 29, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Dunkin’ Brands headquarters off Royall Street. The guest speaker will be Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz.

The Olympics in 2016 will feature the return of golf, last played in 1904, and rugby, last played in 1924.

The Massachusetts senate recently voted to raise the state’s minimum wage from $8 to $11 per hour by 2016 and tie subsequent increases to inflation. The state’s minimum wage has not changed since 2008. The senate also voted that the state’s minimum wage will be at least 50 cents higher than the federal minimum, which is now $7.25 per hour. The bill now heads to the State House for deliberations.

The top supermarkets/grocers in Massachusetts are: Stop & Shop with 131 stores, Shaw’s with 84, Market Basket with 39, and IGA with 30 stores.

John “J.R.” McCourt was reelected as the president of the Canton Town Club; Kevin Kelley was elected vice president; and Rich Hagerty was elected secretary.

Former Canton High School basketball star Erika Bornemann recently became the seventh UMass Dartmouth basketball player to record 1,000 career points. The senior has averaged nearly a double-double during her entire career with UMass Dartmouth, averaging 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Talking about scoring 1,000 points, CHS senior Sam Larson also reached that elusive figure. In a recent win over first-place Sharon High, Canton won 97-71 with Sam scoring 36 points.

Done Deal Motors has moved from 705 Turnpike Street to 1027 Turnpike Street. They have a Class II license to sell cars.

Elizabeth Fiore of Canton has been appointed by the Canton Community Preservation Committee as its administrator.

Eagle Scout candidate Andres Chappuzeau of Canton recently asked selectmen for permission to work with Blue Hills Regional Technical School to build a handicap ramp from the parking lot at Reservoir Pond to the Earl Newhouse waterfront area.

Canton state Representative Bill Galvin was among several south shore lawmakers pushing legislation that would prohibit any development within 1,000 feet of the Fowl Meadow that falls within Canton and Milton.

Canton, like many other communities on the south shore, has exhausted its snow and ice removal budget (and then some). It may double or triple the original budget of $364,000. It has been a tough winter.

The post-World War II “baby boomers” officially ran from January 1, 1946, to December 31, 1964. More than 78 million Americans were born during that period.

According to medical reports, pound for pound, women can absorb 30 percent more alcohol into their systems than men.

Sometimes there is not a better way. Sometimes there is only the hard way.

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=24725

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Mar 20 2014. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.