Tag: Josh Resnek

Gasoline prices have plunged

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Drivers need to use common sense

By Josh Resnek

With the collapse of the world economy due to the Coronavirus, the price for a barrel of oil has tumbled to a near all time low for the modern era.

Because world use of oil has plunged as the world’s economies closed up, less and less crude oil is needed although more and more crude oil is coming into the marketplace.

When supply far outstrips demand, prices come down.

It is the way of the capitalist world.

Quick translation of the above: the price for a gallon of regular gasoline has come down dramatically and will continue to fall for the next few weeks unless something dramatic happens in the international marketplace.

In Everett, the price for a gallon of regular gasoline on Tuesday at some stations was as low as $2.19 on Broadway, and at $2.49 at the Citgo about 20 yards down the street.

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Social distancing in Everett; not cracking up to be what we expected

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Everett’s Panera Bread is open but it looks closed. Like all other food purveyors, only take-out is allowed. (Photo by Josh Resnek)

Are we missing something here?

By Josh Resnek

Noontime Monday I took ride down Lewis Street to number 86, the home of Councilor Wayne Matewsky and his mother Marion.

Matewsky and his mother, and her caretaker, Celia O’Brien came onto the front porch for a photograph defining social distancing.

Marion Matewsky, in her 90’s, and O’Brien, both wearing masks, stood by one another for the photo. Wayne Matewsky stood below them next to the American flag.

Matewsky wasn’t wearing a facemask but he remained a good eight feet away from his mother and her caretaker.

We didn’t shake hands. We traded elbow hellos which has become a replacement for shaking hands.

This is how its done when you are paying attention to life in the age of Coronavirus.

“It is unimaginable our lives have come down to this,” said Wayne Matewsky. “How else are we going to beat this virus? Social distancing isn’t everything, but it is a big step toward containing the virus,” he said.

At other locations throughout the city, dozens of people in dozens of places worked close inside with one another or worked and shopped at large businesses.

At many food outlets that remained open – restaurants turned into food to go outlets – lots of people were coming and going, walking into the locations, picking up their plastic bags with food, and getting into their automobiles and driving away.

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Schools equipping students with Chromebooks for at home study

Huge effort underway

By Josh Resnek

At home instruction under the management of the School Department and its staff of teachers, administrators and assistants is now underway to augment the closure of classroom instruction which began March 12 with real time video and audio instruction on the computer.

This effort is now underway with a free supply of Chromebook laptops now being distributed to parents of students for their use.

Free distribution of the laptops began Tuesday at the Encore site and was very well received by a steady stream of parents who picked up the computers in a drive through staffed by School Department employees and volunteers.

An estimated 7,000 Everett public school students are presently at home.

It is not known yet how such instruction will impact on state education department requirements for students to be deemed to have finished a school year.

At this moment, with the coronavirus spreading rapidly and the city, state and nation in lock down, the school department has been rushing to set-up virtual teaching for Everett students by their teachers to fill the void caused by the closure of the schools.

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Taxes now due in July; deferred Rental payments; no evictions

Everyone sinking in same boat

By Josh Resnek

With the economy shut down, extraordinary government and business efforts to contain the damage are being announced nearly everyday.

Governor Charlie Baker announced Friday that state taxes will not be due on April 15 this year. That date has been moved up to July 15.

This is to bring the state in line with the IRS directive ten days ago to cancel the April 15 deadline and to replace it with a July 15 deadline for filing federal taxes this year.

No penalties or late filing charges will be made by the Department of Revenue or by the IRS.

The added time is intended to give taxpayers and wage earners as well as company owners added needed months to accrue what is necessary to make the filings.

In addition, many major landlords, banks and credit companies have announced reduced or deferred rental and mortgage payments for the duration of the emergency period.

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Costco cutting down hours; Setting up new protocols

Mobs packing Everett locations

By Josh Resnek

Costco will be closing at 6:30 pm everyday for the duration of this crisis in order to keep a handle on what company officials have called “panic buying” and “hoarding.”

This includes the Everett Costco warehouse which has been besieged by shoppers since the beginning of the emergency.

Management has instituted strict cleaning and sanitary operating procedures and standards in order to avert the spread of the virus by shoppers.

Employees have ben wearied by the panic shopping and the superhuman effort it takes to restock the 150,000 square foot shopping behemoth.

New Store Hours: Warehouse store hours will be cut on Monday, March 30 by 2 hours. That means that most stores will close at 6.30 p.m. instead of 8.30 p.m. It appears that the weekend hours will remain the same since they are top shopping times. As a result, the hours remain unchanged: on Saturday, from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Senior Shopping: Senior hours at most warehouses have been instituted on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. These exclusive hours are excellent shopping times for senior citizens who are most at risk during this scary period, since it allows people who are more vulnerable to the virus to shop in greater safety and comfort.

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