Dec 21, 2008 | 8:23 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
Every year, when Christmas is just a few days away, I promise I'll do it differently next year. I'll buy Christmas presents early, I'll create the Christmas card in November, I'll go to Mass more often, I'll open up time to enjoy the season. These are the personal vows I make by about every December 22nd.
But it never works out that way.
This year, though, something occurred to me while I was scrambling up against the Christmas Deadline Clock and I was trying to decide whether a sweater or a book would make a suitable gift. I realized that for all the shopping I've done over the years, I can only remember a few Christmas gifts that I either gave or received.
That was a real Christmas bulb going off in my head.
And that led me to think about all of the Ghosts of my Christmas Past, and which ones have left an indelible mark. I can honestly say that none of them involved any physical gifts, and none of them involved a Last Minute Markdown Sale.
But there's one Christmas memory that, until last week, was half forgotten, and very close to moving into the big delete file in my head. And I'd like to share it with you now.
It was Christmas Eve 1984. At the time, I was working my first full time TV job in Manchester, NH. The first few years of a television news career is an apprenticeship; bad schedule, low pay, incredible experience.
In 1984, I was just starting out. And for some reason, the holiday schedule smiled on me: I had the night of Christmas Eve off, and I didn't have to be back to work until 3pm on Christmas day. Now, on paper that may look like I got Scrooged Big Time. But in reality, at that point in my career, it was a true act of mercy by my bosses. This allowed me time to drive home to Franklin, celebrate Christmas Eve with my folks, AND open gifts on Christmas Morning! All of the holiday bases would be covered. And I remember when that Christmas schedule was posted, I simply could not believe my luck.
On that Christmas Eve, it was lightly snowing after the 6pm news. I couldn't wait to get to my car, a '78 Plymouth Horizon, and hit the road. In fact, I was thinking about it all day long.
After I wished my co-workers Merry Christmas, I bolted to the car (before any of my bosses changed their minds), unlocked the car, turned the key and.....nothing. I tried again. Nothing. No sound, no clinking from the engine. Nothing. A Dead Car.
The reason I can remember this was 1984 is that by 1985, I got rid of the piece of worthless junk that I called my first car. In the two years I owned the Horizon, the transmission fell out, the head gasket stranded me on Route 93 in Salem, and I had to attach the front plastic grill to the rest of the car with pieces of twine. Yes, as you can see, I was quite the ladies magnet back in those days.
So, when the Horizon died on Christmas Eve, it wasn't an entirely unexpected event.
After my co-workers were done laughing at me, we tried to jump the car. But to no avail. The Horizon (the Chariot as I once called it) was done.
I called home, but I couldn't expect anyone to come get me on Christmas Eve, in the middle of a snow storm. Plus, how would I get back to New Hampshire on Christmas Day?
There was nothing left to do, but call AAA. I will say, it only took a few minutes before the mechanic showed up and diagnosed the problem.
"It's your alternator. It's got to be replaced. Won't be too expensive," he told me.
Anything less than $1,000.00 (in 1984 dollars, mind you) was a triumph. I was even a little excited by this.
"Great!," I said. " How long till you can fix it?"
"Well, it'll just take an hour. But I can't get to it until the 26th. The garage is closed, and I'm only doing AAA calls. I can tow it, and we'll take care of it then."
"Is there any other way? I'm supposed to be in Massachusetts tonight for Christmas."
What happened next, all these years later, is still unbelievable to me. It's one of those random acts of kindness that I think, for the most part, vanished from the earth a long time ago.
"Tell you what I'm going to do," he said. "I'm working all Christmas. I'm not going anywhere. You come with me to the garage in the tow truck. You can take my car home. Just fill it up with gas, and we'll call it even."
Incredible isn't it? I half remember the car was a big old Cutlass. It had an 8 track cassette player. And it got me home for Christmas.
The mechanic's name was Bill and, just like he promised, he fixed the Horizon for a reasonable price, and he didn't charge me a nickel for the use of his personal car. I did, however, leave a gift from a package store for him on the front seat.
I don't know what became of Bill. However, our paths crossed one more time in 1988 when a brutal, fatal New Year's Eve fire in Manchester, NH touched his life. But I do know that I have rarely come across anyone else with such a deep spirit of kindness and generosity.
That's just one memorable Christmas gift I've received. And it's a gift that I can give you. A gift that doesn't grow obsolete, go out of fashion, or suddenly become too small.
Who knows where next Christmas will find us. But THIS Christmas we are all here together. And I wish to share with you the spirit of kindness, generosity and compassion that was given to me back in 1984.
Thanks everyone for being here. I truly enjoy meeting you all here on the blog. Your comments are always thought-provoking and honest. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support.
I'll soon be taking a few days off for the holidays. So, in the meantime, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. If you celebrate something else this time of year, thanks for remembering me, and all the best to you.
In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, one that you will long remember after all the physical gifts are unwrapped.
Bob
December 21, 2008
Dec 17, 2008 | 8:28 AM
Category:
Entertainment
Well, it ain’t Disneyworld, and it ain’t the Griswold house, but the Christmas lights at Chez Ward are finally up.
In years past, I remember stringing the exterior lights before Thanksgiving. I’d be out on a ladder all day long, intricately wrapping strands of lights along each tree branch. My arms would ache, my hands would get deeply scratched on the outstretched branches which resisted my attempt to bring Christmas to the wild outdoors of my front yard. But then I’d throw on the juice, and the red and green glow made all that Aleve worthwhile.
Then something happened.
I got a look at the electric bill.
From time to time, I'll pack the family into the station wagon and prowl the backyards and alleyways of my area to see how others are decorating their homes. Some of the houses are just beautiful.
And then are the homes where the owner just didn’t know where to stop. Somewhere underneath all those inflatable snow globes and mechanized madness, is a lawn struggling to yell: “GET OFF OF ME!”
When I see these places, I really fight the urge to walk up to the front door, and just ask: “What were you thinking?”
Ah, it’s all in the spirit. And it’s great to see so many people sharing Christmas by spreading goodwill, even at the expense of good taste.
As for me, well, the aching back, the inflated electric bill all conspired to keep things in check. For a week or two, I was tempted to not even bother. Heck, when December rolled around, I was still raking leaves. It all seemed to be too much bother.
But then, like the Boris Karloff cartoon character, I had a change of heart. I was off to buy supplies.
Now, I know it’s a bit late to be stringing up Christmas lights, seeing how it’s the week before Christmas. But I couldn’t believe how the stores were practically sold out of Christmas lights. You’d think it was Valentine’s Day or something. I bet if I went Christmas light shopping at Halloween, I’d have my pick off the good stuff. But now? Even if I was in the market for a moving reindeer, I’d be snowed out.
I did, however, manage to find a couple strings of multi-colored lights and some spotlight bulbs at one store. Trouble was, I didn’t have any spotlights. Nothing about Christmas is easy, is it?
So, that meant another trip to another store. By this time, I’d already been Christmas shopping all day, so one more store was probably like running one more hill in the Boston Marathon.
We got home just as the sun was going down. Just enough time to figure out where the extension cords were in the basement, and how to configure them on my lawn.
I bought six spotlight bulbs, even though I only put up three spotlights. Good thing. At the house, one of the bags dropped on the garage floor. I don’t know which was louder: the pop of the bursting bulb, or the flurry of curses that stopped the kids dead in their tracks.
Two other bulbs simply didn’t work. At four bucks a piece, that’s a great scam: selling burned out lightbulbs.
The best surprise, though, came when I went to string the bushes on both sides of the front door.
I don’t know what happened to me in 2008, but I can honestly say this was not the Year of Lawn Maintenance. The shrubs need trimming, the lawn is getting way too thin in places, what can I say?
There was even more neglect: I forgot to take down last year’s Christmas lights! Every branch on my overgrown shrubs still has 2007’s lights strung up. I couldn’t believe it. You have no idea the joy I get out of deriding other people when I see Christmas stuff still hanging on the rafters in March. And my lights are still up a full year later.
So what did I do? Well, I did what any other self respecting American male stressed out the week before Christmas would do: I plugged them in.
And they worked! Huzzah!
So this year's Christmas lights are a lot like a bride's wedding: a little something old, a little something new, but it works.
It's lit up.
I think I'm ready for Christmas now
Bob
Dec 11, 2008 | 10:28 PM
Category:
News
We don't even know yet if the skeletal remains discovered in Orlando, Florida Thursday morning belong to two year old Caylee Anthony, but everyone is talking about whether this will mean the death penalty for Caylee's mother, Casey.
Casey is already facing first degree murder charges. And prosecutors have already decided NOT to see death for Casey.
But things are changing.
A body is found. A child's skeleton, wrapped in a plastic garbage bag, and dumped less than a quarter of a mile from the Anthony home. The odds that this is not Caylee seem astronomical to me, and I have to admit, I'm struggling to keep an open mind.
Casey Anthony has told so many lies during this investigation, that it's hard think she has any credibility left. Plus, the pictures of her partying in the month after Caylee disappeared, but before she was reported missing, reveal to me a stunning lack of concern for the welfare of her little girl. It's difficult to imagine a scenario where Casey Anthony is blameless in this terrible tale.
So, if the body discovered today is Caylee, and if authorities rule that this is a homicide, should prosecutors change their strategy and seek the death penalty for Casey Anthony?
Women rarely get the ultimate punishment, what about this case?
Let me know,
Bob Ward
Nov 24, 2008 | 10:47 PM
Category:
News
TAYLOR MEYERIt was just over a month ago that Taylor Meyer, a King Philip Regional High School senior, was killed after an underage drinking party in the woods of Norfolk. And since Taylor's death, police have busted three major underage drinking parties, arresting dozens of teens, many of them Taylor Meyer's King Philip classmates.
Taylor's grieving mother still isn't talking about what the tragedy of her beautiful daughter's death. Instead, she is taking action. And her actions are speaking louder than any words.
In Wrentham, Plainville, and Norfolk, the three towns that make up the King Philip Regional School district, the color pink has come to symbolize Taylor's Meyer's death. Kathi Meyer even had pink bracelets made and she gave them to Taylor's classmates.
To drive the point home, at Taylor's funeral, Kathi Meyer said,
"We need to stick together as a community ... and not let Taylor's death
be for no reason. We need for everyone to learn from this."But it seems that message is not getting through. Yet on Friday, twenty of Taylor's classmates were busted for an underage drinking party. And police say all of them were wearing the Taylor Meyer pink braclets. Not only that, but one of the cars parked outside the house still had a Taylor Meyer memorial message painted on its glass.
Monday morning all twenty teens appeared in Wrentham District Court for arraignment. And right in the front row was Kathi Meyer.
She didn't speak. Instead, she took back from each teenager the pink bracelet she gave them just a few weeks ago.
Sadness and pain were clearly etched on Kathi Meyer's face as she held up the collected bracelets in court.
I know I'm not the only one asking: why don't these teens get it? Will they ever?
Bob Ward
Nov 23, 2008 | 7:58 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
We all know about the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list. The Mass State Police also have a Most Wanted list, as do most law enforcement agencies.
Right now there are thousands of fugitives on the run from our area, and there are hundreds of dedicated law enforcement agents, troopers, and marshals tracking them down.
This year, two Massachusetts fugitives received national attention: Clark Rockefeller (now known as Christian Karl Gerhartstreiter), and Michael Bresnahan. Both of them were determined not to get caught and both took steps to remain at large for the rest of their lives. And both of them were caught this year.
There is another common denominator between these two cases: both fugitives were caught with team work. That team included police and detectives from local, state, and federal agencies, and it included the media.
I find the strategies employed to reel in these fugitives fascinating. The men and women who worked these cases live and breathe this stuff, and their dedication is incredible. In the Rockefeller case, agents were driven by concern for his daughter, Reigh. In the Bresnahan investigation, members of the State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Unit were very concerned that this suspected rapist might attack someone else. These people simply did not rest until these fugitives were caught.
Check out my story HERE to see how this all went down.
This story features just two cases out of thousands. I think it shows a side of law enforcement we rarely see. These are the men and women who go to work every day, trying to make life safer for all of us.
Bob Ward
Nov 23, 2008 | 12:45 PM
Category:
Music
This post has been edited by an administrator
Original Beatles Drummer Pete Best & Me
Fox25 Studios 11.21.08
"Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head."--A Day In The Life (Lennon/McCartneyThat line from the middle of the epic Beatles track A Day In The Life, is exactly what happened to me Friday, and it's exactly what put me on the path to meet a Beatle.
When I rolled out of bed at 6AM Friday to help the kids get to school, it dawned on me that I forgot to record my voice for Saturday's New England's Unsolved, which was set to edit Friday morning. Since I wasn't due in to Fox25 until 3pm, that meant one thing: jump in the car and get moving.
Ordinarily, this would be a real chore, especially with little or no coffee in my system. And at first, it was.
But when I was finished recording my track, I wandered into our lunchroom. And who should be sitting there, nonchalantly drinking a coffee (or was it tea?), but AN HONEST TO GOODNESS BEATLE!!!
Pete Best missed not only super-stardom, but being part of a cultural revolution, by about a month. Pete Best actually drummed on the first recorded version of Love Me Do, the Beatles first single, but the song was re-recorded a month after the firing of Pete Best. And it's the Ringo version we know best today (actually there's yet another version with a session drummer that might be even more familiar, but that's another story).
The fact is that Pete Best is an ex-Beatle. And right now, there are only three of them left: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Pete Best.
It's tempting to write off Pete Best as a footnote to Beatles history, to lump him in with Lennon's best friend and original bass player, the late Stu Sutcliffe, and call it a day. If you did that, you'd miss something huge.
Think about this. The early Beatles story from the very beginning, centered on finding a drummer. And drummers were few and far between in Liverpool in those days. Before the Beatles went to Hamburg, Germany, they begged Pete to join them. They knew, without a drummer, there was no beat in Beatles.
So, Pete Best was there. If Pete Best didn't go to Hamburg, and the Beatles couldn't find a drummer there, it is likely John Paul and George would have given up and gone home. Ringo at the time was playing for another band. And if the pre-Fab 3 called it a day, it's highly likely there would have been no British Invasion, no Ed Sullivan Show appearance, and no rock revolution that we still feel today.
There's an old saying that there are two kinds of rock musicians: those influenced by the Beatles, and liars. I'd have to agree. Modern music would be vastly different if the Beatles never made it to America.
It's true that the Beatles may not have been the Beatles without Ringo Starr, but if there was no Pete Best, the story might never have even gotten that far.
So, this is the guy I encountered at the Fox 25 lunchroom. I knew Pete was booked for the Morning Show, but I didn't think our paths would cross. Just in case, I brought my baby Nikon with me, and I'm glad I did. Pete was in the lunchroom with his half brother Roag, and a publicist. The three of them could not have been nicer. Pete, especially, was gracious and wanted to know more about my line of work. When I asked for a picture, he simply said, "Of course!"
I've always wondered if Pete Best was bitter about what happened with the Beatles. After all, John, Paul, and George were his mates, and they completely stabbed him in the back. Not only did they never pay him (not until the 1995 Anthology project anway) they never again spoke to Pete Best. Even when the Beatles shared a bill with Pete Best's band, they never said a word to him. How sad is that?
Instead of finding an embittered man, I saw a warm, engaging guy who realizes, even with that simple twist of fate, he's had a fulfilling life. In other words, he is OK with it.
And the other cool thing? Unlike the guy who replaced him, Pete Best was happy to not only share a picture with me, he gave me an autograph, too!
And here it is, on a copy of an old Beatles handbill:
So Pete Best: Thanks!
Fate may not have smiled on you back in 1962, but it may have actually done you a favor!
Bob Ward
Nov 22, 2008 | 9:26 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
Tonight's New England's Unsolved (11/22/08) examines the murder of Richard Coulstring, a Plymouth pipefitter found shot to death on Dorchester's Ellington Street in January 1990.
There is no question Richard was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And there is no question that on the night of the murder, Richard made a series of fatal decisions that put him in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But to classify this as simply a drug deal gone wrong is to give a free pass to Richard's killer. In other words, there is a lot more to this story.
In January 1990, Richard Coulstring was a husband and a father of three young children. On the night of his death, Richard had a pocket full of cash (at least $1700) that he earned that day for selling a car to a friend of Richard's brother.
Richard didn't go straight home to Plymouth after he sold the car. Instead he went into downtown Boston, got intoxicated, and wound up picking up a woman who drove him to Ellington Street. Boston Police believe Richard showed the woman the money, and wanted her to buy drugs for the two of them.
At 3AM on January 30th, the woman pulled Richard's van up to the curb on Ellington Street. She left him in the van as she went in search of cocaine. She eventually found a dealer, and bought drugs.
When she stepped out of the drug house and onto the sidewalk, she was approached by two men. Boston police call these men "stick up boys." It's an old fashioned phrase that means these two men would prowl the streets looking for drug dealers and customers to rob.
They approached the woman at gunpoint. She said she didn't have any drugs or money. But, she said, the guy in the van had plenty of cash. The woman actually walked the two men right to Richard Coulstring who, by this time, was in the driver's seat.
One stick up boy jumped into the front passenger seat, rifling through Richard's pockets. At the same time, the other stick up boy stood outside the van and held a gun to Richard's head. Maybe Richard didn't realize the danger, maybe he was terrified, but for whatever reason, Richard Coulstring made one final fatal decision. Instead of simply handing over the cash, Richard put the van in gear.
The gunman squeezed the trigger, and Richard Coulstring was shot at point blank range. He never had a chance.
Richard Coulstring was part of a very large family, six boys and one girl. This week I met Richard's brother Michael and his sister Sandra at Oliveira's Restaurant in Pembroke. They know full well the events of that terrible night. They are under no false illusion of how this all went down.
But here's the thing: they both tell me Richard was not addicted to alcohol or drugs. They firmly believe the troubling events of that night are way out of character. They tell me it's very likely that Richard had no idea where he was in Dorchester, and had no idea of the danger he put himself in.
This belief is backed up by evidence and testimony that Boston police have uncovered over the years.
So it does look like Richard Coulstring was in way over his head that night.
Boston Police have not forgotten this case. In fact, there is a great deal of work being done on the Coulstring murder right now. For example, physical evidence recovered from the crime scene is, right now, at the Boston Police Crime Lab, where technicians are using modern forensic techniques to search for more clues.
On top of this, Boston police have a "person of interest" in this case.
This person, right now, is roaming the streets of Boston.
Boston Police believe that former residents of Ellington Street likely know the killer's identity. Police are hoping someone will step forward with what they know, and help solve this troubling and sad case.
As for Richard's family, they remain devastated by this murder. Time has not healed any wounds for the Coulstrings. Michael and Sandra are very friendly, open, and caring people. They are quick with humorous stories about their brother; it is obvious the void left by this senseless murder is huge. And they have never given up on Richard's case. Neither should we.
If you know anything about the murder of Richard Coulstring, please call Boston Police Crimestoppers at 1.800.494.TIPS. You can also
TEXT the word TIPS to CRIME.
You may remain anonymous; it's the information police want, not your identity.
Thanks for your interest in this case,
--Click here for the story--
Bob Ward
Nov 15, 2008 | 10:14 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
Tonight's New England's Unsolved (11/15) gives us a unique and exclusive look into the dramatic robbery of the East Cambridge Savings Bank in Somerville earlier this year.
The same bank was the subject of a New England's Unsolved just last summer, when a teller was kidnapped at night, driven through the area for six hours, and then taken to the bank at gunpoint when the timer on the bank vault opened. That teller was found by her co-workers the next morning, just outside the emptied vault, tied up in duct tape. You might remember that case. There has since been an arrest.
This robbery is every bit as brazen. And this week the FBI has given me exclusive video surveillance pictures to illustrate what happened.
In this case, a masked and armed man arrived at the bank at closing. Just as the head teller was about to lock up, the robber pulled a gun, and pushed his way in. The thief took the head teller and all of the other tellers to the basement and tied them all up, except for the head teller. The robber sent her back upstairs. He wanted her to open up the ATM.
The woman tried to do it twice, but for some reason, could not. So, the thief sent her back upstairs to clean out the money drawers, which she did. After the head teller handed over a bag of cash to the robber, he tied her up, stole her car, and got away. The car was later recovered.
The FBI believes the thief did not act alone. He was using a cell phone or some other communication device during the robbery, and may have been talking to someone else who was running surveillance for him.
The FBI's pictures reveal the robber definitely had a gun, and it was drawn for the entire bank robbery. The FBI told me that the level of meticulous planning and the use of a gun is alarming; agents are concerned this man, and his possible accomplice, could strike again and at any time.
They also consider this guy highly dangerous. This bank robbery ended peacefully, but that's only because the employees did exactly as they were told; no one challenged him. What about next time? What happens if a customer just happens to walk in?
Check out my story and the pictures. And if you know anything about this case, please contact the Boston FBI at 617.742.5533.
What a strange coincidence that these two dramatic robberies would hit the same bank twice in a short period of time. Right now, that's all this is, a coincidence. I'll let you know if that changes.
Click here to watch the story.
Thanks for your interest,
Bob Ward
Nov 8, 2008 | 4:27 PM
Category:
Music
This post has been edited by an administrator
Greatest Album of All Time?
I Get The Biggest Kick Out Of This!
During my AM commute to the FOX25 Mothership in Dedham this week, I was channel surfing on the car radio. When I'm left to my own devices, I'm a talk radio, classic rock kind of guy with some NPR and classical sprinkled across the top (if that makes me old, I guess, guilty as charged!).
Anyway, I stumbled onto not one, but TWO radio stations already playing nothing but Christmas music. And it's only the first week of November.
I'm not going to write about how it's too early, or whether the songs are overplayed. Or whether this is just further evidence of how our society is slipping away. That's too obvious.
Instead, I want to comment on the unique experience of listening to Christmas music any time of year.
It dawned on me last Friday that this is the only time of year some of these once omnipresent artists are ever played on the radio. Think of it: Bing Crosby was the first superstar of recorded music, yet outside of his Holiday Classics, when is the last time you heard Bing on the radio? Ditto Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, the Beach Boys, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, John Denver. Hey, even Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers who released hit after hit when I was growing up are complete strangers to radio in the new century. Yet just as surely as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, they come back into our lives sometime around Halloween. And they are gone at the stroke of midnight on December 26th. Banished for another year.
Think about this:
Every single style of music that we enjoyed when we were younger is gone now. All of it replaced by rap, hip hop, teen pop, or some hybrid of the above. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but it's a fact. The music we long ago loved is now as dead as Jacob Marley.
Yet the Christmas songs that endure are mostly orchestral based pop from the 40s to the 60s. Yes, there are a few rock era classics that have stood the test of time from people like John Lennon, Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and U2, but none of those songs sound remotely like anything that's being recorded today. It's all a throwback.
For me, Christmas music represents a special place in my life, back to when I was a boy and the music was the official roll out of an exciting season of endless possibilities and hope. A truly magic time.
My kids are growing up in an entirely different culture. Yet they love the same Christmas music that I've enjoyed. If anything, it's almost the one music we can play in the car for any length of time without getting on each other's nerves.
For example, you don't want to see the look on my face when the kids go to blast "Womanizer" for the fifteenth time in ten minutes. On the other hand, you can probably sense their reaction when I say, "Listen to these incredible lyrics" just as I'm loading Bob Dylan's brilliant new Tell Tale Signs into the CD player.
You get the picture. And it ain't pretty.
But if suddenly, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops version of Sleigh Ride bursts through the speakers, all is well with the world. For about 3:07.
So yes, I agree, it's early to hear any rendition of Rudolph, or Frosty, or Silent Night. And I agree I'll be tired of them all by, say, December 1st.
But there is something to be said about music that bridges generations.
Music can bring peace to my car!
I know I'm not alone, as these Christmas songs are never going away.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Bob Ward
November 8, 2008
PS. The guy on the album cover is not related to me in any way. No. Really!
Nov 8, 2008 | 3:36 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
Tonight's New England's Unsolved (11/8/08) takes a look at the unsolved murder of Timothy Finch.
If you watch this story, it is likely it will leave you extremely frustrated, outraged, or both.
Why?
Timothy Finch was murdered in front of Faneuil Hall on the 4th of July, in BROAD DAYLIGHT, in front of witnesses!
How can this case still be unsolved?
Need more?
Boston Police have released to me the surveillance video that captures the scene immediately after the murder of Timothy Finch.
This video shows Finch lying on the ground by himself, while people just walk by. So, while Timothy Finch is sprawled out on the sidewalk, just feet away there are people visiting the Holocaust Memorial.
In other words, they are reading about murders that took place 60 years ago, but right in front of them is a murder taking place right now.
To be fair, someone did call 911 right away, and EMS was on the scene within minutes.
Still, it's hard to look at the video and not just yell out loud.
Okay, I've got that off my chest.
But there is something that can be done today, right now.
If you were at Faneuil Hall on the Fourth of July, sometime from about 11am to 1pm, and you took pictures or video out front of Faneuil Hall, take a close look at what you have. You may have captured an image of the killer.
This happened in the park directly in front of the Purple Shamrock, between the Curley statue and the Holocaust Memorial.
The killer got away, but he was seen walking or running up Congress Street in the direction of the Old State House.
Maybe you have pictures or video that you shot as the killer was getting away. Were you on the Freedom Trail that morning? You could have walked right into the killer. You may have taken his picture, or captured his image on video. You may not have even looked at the video since then.
Please check it now.
And check out my NE Unsolved story below. The surveillance video might jog your memory. Or you might see yourself on the video. You could be an eyewitness to murder. Did you see anything? Did you hear anything? Think!
I don't think people purposely ignored Tim that day. Goodness knows we can all be in our own little bubble, unaware of what's going on around us in the big city. So, I don't think anyone refused to help Tim.
It's possible people thought this was nothing more than a minor fight. Or that Tim was sleeping on the sidewalk.
It's just that now we know this wasn't a minor fight. Tim wasn't sleeping. He was dying.
Even all these months later, there is still time to help Tim Finch.
Tim Finch leaves behind a loving family, which includes a little boy who shares his name. Tim Finch had his issues in life, but his brutal death in a very public place, on the Fourth of July, is not only senseless, it is a disgrace.
Nothing will bring Tim Finch back. But doing the right thing now will give his family justice. And right now, that is all they ask.
If you think you have more information about the Murder of Timothy Finch, please call Boston Police Crime Stoppers at 1.800.494.TIPS.
You can also leave a text. Just text the word TIP to CRIME (27463).
You can remain anonymous, it's the information Boston Police need to break this case.
Thanks so much.
(Click here to watch the story.)
Bob Ward
Nov 6, 2008 | 10:33 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
It is looking more and more as if disgraced former FBI Agent John Connolly has lost his freedom forever.
A Miami federal jury has convicted Connolly of second degree murder in connection with the 1982 mob hit of John Callahan. Connolly is convicted of telling Whitey Bulger and Steven Flemmi that Callahan might implicate them in the murder of Oklahoma businessman Roger Wheeler. If that happened, Connolly warned, they'd all go to jail.
At the time, Bulger and Flemmi were FBI informants for John Connolly.
Connolly was convicted back in 2002 of alerting Whitey Bulger of impending federal indictments in 1995. That heads up allowed Bulger to stay out of Boston. To this day, Whitey Bulger is one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.
This conviction really does mark the end of a dark chapter in not only Boston's history, but the FBI's history as well.
Connolly's fall from grace is stunning. The proud, good-looking, tough talking G-Man is now reduced to a prison issued red jump suit, living out his life in a jail cell.
Steven the Rifleman Flemmi told the jury during this trial, that the only reason he's not a fugitive is that when Connolly warned him about the indictments, he simply delayed his trip to Montreal, where Flemmi planned to start a new life with a new identity.
That leaves Whitey Bulger, who through good luck, remarkable foresight, or a little of both, is still out there, somewhere. Maybe, one day, justice will catch up to Whitey too.
Former US Attorney Donald Stern told us tonight that Connolly's conviction will help to restore relations between the feds and the State Police, relations that were deeply frayed once Connolly's betrayal of trust was apparent.
I don't know how that will all shake out.
I can only hope that the families of the victims of Bulger and Flemmi tonight feel some small amount of justice.
Bob Ward
Nov 4, 2008 | 7:04 PM
Category:
Political
While I sit here at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, John Kerry's Election Night HQ, waiting for polls to close, I'm talking to people and letting my mind wander just a bit.
This election could dramatically change the Massachusetts political landscape, couldn't it?
Here's what I'm thinking. If Obama is elected tonight, does he offer Senator John Kerry a seat at his cabinet? Maybe Secretary of State?
It's not so far fetched. It was only four years ago that the Kerry campaign offered the unknown Illinois Senator, Barrack Obama, the keynote address at the DNC right here in Boston. That was an electrifying speech and it put Barrack on the road that leads to tonight's election.
An offer to Senator Kerry in the cabinet would be a nice way to say, thanks.
But that's not all. Tonight Governor Deval Patrick is not here in Boston. He's in Chicago with Barrack Obama. The Governor has repeatedly denied he's looking for a seat in Obama's cabinet, but how do you say no when the President of the United States calls?
Tonight I interviewed MA AG Martha Coakley. I asked if she'd be interested in Senator Kerry's seat, should it become available. She said she'd have to look at it, but it's too early to say.
Can you imagine the changing landscape if a US Senate seat, the Governor's office, and the Attorney General's office (at least) all came into play?
Would this open the door for Republicans who really are on life support in Massachusetts?
OK, back to reality. Votes are still being cast. Senator Kerry should be here at the Fairmont any minute. Long way to go, but just some of the idle thoughts crossing my mind tonight.
Bob Ward
Nov 4, 2008 | 3:31 PM
Category:
Political
Depending on which media outlet I'm watching, this election is either a) very close or b) all over. Incredible isn't it? Endless campaigns, millions of dollars spent, and no one knows if this is a formality on the way to a mandate, or the beginnings of an historic November surprise.
Like you, I couldn't believe the turnout when I cast my ballot today. The line of cars into Franklin High School stretched as far as I could see. The only thing I can compare this to is a Prop 2 1/2 override which brings people in my town out of the woodwork.
So what I want to know is, if you voted...did you vote FOR a candidate?
Or did you vote AGAINST the other guy?
You don't have to tell me who you voted for, I'd just like to know your thoughts that went into your important decision.
Bob Ward
PS. I am at John Kerry's election night HQ at the Copley Fairmont. I wonder if we are in for a surprise in his race? Or is he in for a big win tonight?
See you on TV!
Nov 1, 2008 | 9:10 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
Tonight's New England's Unsolved (11/1) takes a look at the disappearance of Jerald Gelb (above), missing from Brookline, MA since August 2001.
It is likely you have never heard of Jerald Gelb. There was never any massive search, no media blitz, just a family doing whatever it can to find Jerald.
I first became aware of Jerald's case by simply searching the net, looking for new cases to profile. Jerald may not be known to most of us, but in circles where people are trying to keep cases like this alive, Jerald is well known.
Jerald Gelb is 48 years old. He disappeared on August 16, 2001 after he suddenly appeared at his parent's Brookline home. His mother and father hoped he'd spend the night, but the next morning he was gone.
Jerald's father, Sidney, reported his son missing to police. He also sent notice to homeless shelters across the country. There have been a few sporadic sightings, but no one is sure what happened to Jerald. He has literally fallen off the face of the earth.
Jerald's story is a heartbreaking one. Jerald comes from a very giving and loving family. He attended college, and worked as a defense contractor. He made good money and traveled the world.
Sometime in his 30s, Jerald suffered a breakdown. His personality simply shattered. Sidney strongly suspects Jerald is schizophrenic, but Jerald refused all treatment and he was never diagnosed. There was nothing the family could do but watch Jerald fall apart. They tried to support him the best they could, but there was only so much they could do.
Maybe there is something we can do to help.
Check out my New England's Unsolved and see if you recognize Jerald. Or somehow get the word out.
If you see Jerald Gelb, please call the Brookline, MA Police at (617) 730-2222.
Thanks so much for your help.
Click here to watch the story.
Bob Ward
Oct 31, 2008 | 12:45 PM
Category:
News
This post has been edited by an administrator
Not long ago, Taylor Meyer (above) was a beautiful high school senior at King Philip High School, looking forward to her senior year, and enjoying life to the fullest. After graduation, Taylor planned to study business in college.
All of that changed on Friday, October 17th.
Taylor Meyer is the Plainville teenager who died in the woods of Norfolk after an underage drinking party near the abandoned Norfolk Airport. The question I hear, over and over, is how could this possibly happen?
Two weeks after Taylor's tragic death, it's the same question investigators have. I'm told by a source close to the investigation that detectives feel strongly that some of the people at that party have not been honest with police.
Already, one of Taylor's classmates, 18-year-old Christopher Moran, has been arrested. He faces a charge of intentionally misleading police with false information. Police say this has to do with his explanation of how some of the alcohol got to the party.
But as this investigation unfolds, Christopher Moran may not be the only teen in trouble for what happened to Taylor.
Here's why:
The basic story is that at about 10:30 that night, Taylor told the crowd she was leaving the party. She may have said she was going up to the airport to call for a ride home to Plainville.
At around 11pm, Taylor made a phone call to close friend, but the friend could only make out the words "airplane," or "airport." I visited the campsite last night, and I can tell you, the cell service there is very spotty.
Police didn't learn of Taylor's disappearance until Saturday at 5pm. Taylor may have had plans to spend the night elsewhere, and I'm told her family started making calls looking for her at about noon.
Taylor's body was found Monday morning in a swampy, marshy stream that feeds the Charles River. The medical examiner has ruled Taylor drowned, and the DA says there were no signs of foul play.
Those are the basic facts.
Now, this is what I'm hearing:
First, the lay of the land. The campsite can be found by following a simple path into the woods. The path leads to a clearing, and there are two fire pits and camping chairs strewn about. I found a huge pile of children's books that looked like they were going to be used for kindling. Empty beer cans and bottles are scattered everywhere.
On the other side of the campfires, there are two identifiable paths. Both lead to the swampy marshy area where Taylor lost her life. These paths are 180 degrees in the opposite direction of the path that leads back to the airport.
A reliable source close to the investigation told me that when police started questioning the other teens who were in the woods with Taylor that night, they got back an almost unanimous response.
Yes, the teens saw Taylor walking down the path towards the marsh, they said. They even laughed at her. But, they said, they redirected her to the right path, the one that goes back to the airport.
Based on that description, I'm told searchers spent Saturday and much of Sunday looking for Taylor in the opposite direction of where they found her on Monday morning.
I'm told investigators say they're deeply skeptical about the teens' story for one simple fact. One of Taylor's shoes was found on the path that leads to the marshy swamp.
The only way the teens' story can work is if Taylor made it up near the airport, then turned around and walked back to the campsite, and then onto the original path. The problem with that is obvious: no one saw Taylor return to the party.
If the teens' story is a lie, the simple question is why? And if the story is true, how did Taylor's shoe end up on that path when no one saw her come back to the campfire?
I visited the campfire site as the sun was fading fast. Once the sun fell below the treeline, the darkness was complete. At the very least, Taylor was in those woods alone, on the wrong path, unable to see, completely disoriented, when she stepped into the muck or the water that carried her away.
The questions remain. The teens say they saw her on the wrong path. Why didn't anyone walk her back to the airport? Why did the teens tell police Taylor was last seen walking towards the airport, when the evidence suggests she was likely last seen in exactly the opposite direction? And the biggest question of all, the one every single parent is asking: why didn't someone do more to help Taylor as she started to take those final steps that led to her death?
Bob Ward
