Sentinel & Enterprise (Newspaper) - February 10, 2002, Fitchburg, Massachusetts SPORTS Indoor track championships Page Cl 8-6 WORLD official surrenders Special poster celebrating Super Bowl champion Pats VOICE OF MASSACHUSETTS SINCE 1838 Public Fitchburg city officials mull the option of quarterly billing of real estate taxes By Benjamin Cole Every homeowner has to pay real estate there is no way around it. because of a new trend that has been popping up more and more across the how often the is paid has become an Fitchburg residents pay real estate taxes twice a City officials may soon examine if quarterly billing of real estate taxes are A petition presented before the City Council in December by Ward 1 Councilor Kevin Maynard asked that the city study quarterly and to see if it would be beneficial to city residents by placing less of a burden on them not necessarily in favor of Maynard was merely a tion to weigh the benefits and and to see if the merit of terly billing speak for Another one of the main reasons Maynard said he proposed the tion was to see if by using quarterly the city treasurer would not have to borrow money using figures according to the expected tax and as a result pay no interest on these borrowed Proponents of quarterly billing say this is one of the main benefits of the process. According to Leominster City Treasurer and Collector David the has not had to borrow in anticipation of revenue since it started using quarterly billing in 1991. love it. We would never go back to the other way if I have anything to say about said Leominster Treasurer and Collector David have a nice cash flow it benefits towns and cities because the interest expense goes It's a Laplante added that although he heard complaints about the new tem when it first over the years more people have come to appreciate quarterly especial ly those on a fixed four times a year is said Leominster senior zen Coula only have a certain amount of money every so it's better to have four small bills than two big According to statistics released by Department of Division of Local 250 Massachusetts com- use the quarterly billing while 150 twice a Several area com- including Townsend and have quarterly billing in recent During a 2001 Town caster approved terly and will use the process for the first time during fiscal year 2003. think it's better and a lot said Joan a longtime Leominster resident who experienced paying real estate taxes both terly and a perfect people would put away money for their but they usually You're taxed according to a 100 percent and homes have gone up ly in When the tax bills it's tough to come up with that money twice a When Maynard first proposed the at large Please see TAX AS New prisoners delivered to Guantanamo U.S. says all are treated despite denial of POW status 5HN5 illustration by Rossie Newson St Petersburg Times By Lisa J. Adams The Associated Press GUANTANAMO NAVAL Cuba Marines equipped with machine grenade pepper spray and batons rushed to greet a transport plane delivering 34 more detainees from Afghanistan on Gearing up for their some of the young members of the Quick Reaction Force jammed to the hit Queen song Will Rock as a ferry carried them across the bay toward the airfield at this remote U.S. Navy 1 enjoy getting my hands on said Michael a 22-year-old from Baltimore who was among Marines on guard when the cargo plane a 25-hour are the actual ple who are responsible for the destruction in New York and It feels good to see them inside their little They're where they he The fresh arrivals came two days after Washington announced that the Geneva Convention a group of treaties dealing with the treatment of war prisoners should apply to detainees from the ousted Afghan iban but not to detainees of the Regardless of the legal Gen. Mike the Marine in charge of the detention said both groups would be treated the same He said they may be separated later if Con- gress gives approval to build See Page A2 Perspective needed on priest cases Democrats still jockeying for delegates O'Brien clearly out front but Reich coining up fast By Frank Tutalo Sentinel Enterprise State House Bureau As totals pour in from Democratic caucuses being held across the two Senate President Thomas Birmingham and State surer Shannon O'Brien are ing from a pack of five gubernatorial But threatening to ruin that lofty status is candidate Robert a former labor secretary under President a Brandeis University said on Thursday he is hopeful that he will garner support from 15 percent of Democratic the amount necessary to be listed on the ballot in September But if he falls short of that he would need help from either O'Brien or Birmingham by picking up gates ceded by one or While both say they're undecided whether they'll hand over any delegates at the June nominating pundits say they are already contemplating the decision a moderate most likely wants Reich in the race because he could split the labor vote between himself and a labor lawyer by on the other most likely doesn't want Reich in because the two hold the same views on several and are both considered made no decisions about our convention said Dwight O'Brien's campaign referring to the two-day Democratic nominating convention in is still several months and our efforts are still solely focused on getting as much support from gates as Birmingham campaign spokesman Paul Wingle says Birmingham and he have not discussed the issue But if Reich has his he won't need to appeal to Tm confident that after day's showing have 15 said a Cambridge in a ranging phone if Fm on the I believe 111 win this The crux of the matter is state Democratic Party No Democrat's See Page AS By Peter Ward Sun Philip Jenkins has studied the behavior of Catholic priests for a professor at Perm State University and the author of and contends that the incidence of child abuse is no more common in the Catholic Church than in other sions that involve contact with Some people call him an But he insists he merely wants to put sexual abuse cases involving priests into is no evidence that a celibate clergy is any more or less likely to be involved with child abuse or improper sex with children than any other Jenkins name the tion Jehovah's nesses there have been scandals as bad or even worse than the Geoghan he Since the more than 130 people have come forward with allegations that former priest John Geoghan sexually abused them at Greater Boston parishes ing a 30-year span. The Archdiocese of Boston quietly settled child tion claims against at least 70 priests in the last 10 Cardinal Bernard Law has admitted to reassigning priests to other parishes after he knew they were accused of molesting boys on church Law approved transfer to St. Julia's Church in saying medical experts assured the archdiocese that See Page A3 INSIDE TODAY'S SENTINEL ENTERPRISE EDUCTION Hands-on experience Criminal justice majors at Mount Community College are spending more time in crime learning the latest STATE tuitions to rise Many area colleges and universities are expected to announce tuition and fee hikes for the 2002- 2003 school D5 Princess Thwarted rebellious image NATION Heat plan contentious President Bush's new federal energy aid plan is spurring a North-South debate over priorities N K W fi C VISIT US AT snow high E4 This Queen Elizabeth's dies at 71 By Audrey Woods The Associated Press LONDON Caught between the old social order and the sudden freedoms of a more democratic Princess Margaret led a life shadowed by the great dis- appointment of her ed romance with a divorced who died day at 71, added tan glamour and romance to the royal family's reserved But she won respect as an attentive patron of charities and happiness as the mother of two well-adjusted children and grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II announced the death of her who had been taken to King Edward VII Hospital at from her apartments in Kensington Palace and died four hours The princess had suffered a stroke Friday afternoon and developed cardiac problems during the ham Palace At her side when she died were her 40-year-old Viscount and daughter Lady Sarah 37, the children of her former marriage to the Earl of Lord Snowdon said he and the children were The queen was at Windsor where she had Friday from her estate in eastern The 101-year-old Queen Mother who is recovering from a persistent stayed at V PHOTO Princess Margaret's casket is borne to Kensington Palace on Saturday This is a terribly sad day for all my Prince Charles said in a televised lived life and loved it to the We shall all miss her Buckingham Palace said the coffin would rest at Kensington Palace for several days to permit family and close friends to pay their A private funeral will be held Feb. 15 in St. George's Chapel at Windsor The a heavy smoker for many had had two strokes since 1998. At her last public many were shocked to See A2
