Calculators are humming in town halls across Massachusetts. It’s budget time, and finance committees are engaged in the ever-more-difficult task of writing budgets that match expected revenue with necessary expenses.

Right now, before a pitch has been thrown or a ball has been hit in earnest, hope springs eternal in Red Sox Nation. By the time you read this, the local nine will have played several games. That opening shot of optimism will either be soaring ever higher, or Boston fans will already be writing off the campaign and apportioning blame for this obviously lost season.

The Bible says that men of the original Sodom (and Gomorrah too, I assume) were “great sinners against the Lord.” God in those days had limited tolerance for wicked behavior and destroyed both cities with a rain of fire and brimstone.

Before your political guru Bill Gouveia starts trashing the new Mansfield trash plan (“Trash plan makes no fiscal sense,” column, Mansfield News, March 30) he should really take a closer look at it. If he really understood the project he would be commending the town manager and the board of selectmen for coming up with a plan that keeps taxes under control and will encourage the increased use of recycling.

Eleven words you don’t want to hear when you have a 1 o’clock flight: “The brunt of the snowstorm will be between 11 and 3.”

Catholic theologian Henri Nouwen writes about wounded healers. He suggests that our very woundedness can be the sources of our most powerful ministry, our most effective service to the world.

In this time of giving, the steering committee members of Our Daily Bread, would like to thank this community for it's ongoing support of and generosity towards the pantry and our clients.

I teach English as a second language. It’s wonderful to meet people from other countries, and I enjoy the English language, so overall, the job is a labor of love.

Flashlight Tag is a terrific activity for an evening youth group program.

The latest tally has the state deficit for the fiscal year approaching $2 billion. But we don’t hear Gov. Deval Patrick talking anymore about how casinos will save Massachusetts and be a boon to the economy.

Recent events involving the Mansfield High School football program have a generated a good amount of anger, accusations, controversy, bitterness, and overall negativity.  Here is what I saw:

Recently I read in the Boston Globe about a Vermont village where the inhabitants have seriously split.

Quite a few people on Social Security are concerned about whether or not they will be getting a raise in January.

Can you imagine what Mansfield will be like in the year 2128?

As I sit through Mansfield board of selectmen meetings, I am deeply troubled and saddened to hear what some Town Hall employees have either taken issue with, or simply won’t do.

On Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 Mansfield’s elves were at it again, assisting children in their holiday shopping at the Mansfield Social Club’s (MSC) Secret Shop.

A grave Constitutional crisis is about to befall this nation.

It is important to teach our children the importance to caring for all God’s creatures and building a Critter’s Christmas Tree is a great way to illustrate this lesson.

Planning to make that big purchase during next weekend's sales tax holiday?  What are you shopping for Aug. 16-17?