Sal's!

Remember Nate Negative from this morning's post? He's been fed, and he's very, very happy.

If you need a little sliver of hope for Fitchburg -- I suggest a slice, actual -- look no further than the Sal's Pizza that opened today on Whalon Street. The Save Fitchburg family enjoyed tonight, with some whoppingly big cupcakes on hand to wash it all down.

Since the news about Sal's first popped up, a lot of folks were unsure about its prospects. Kind of isolated out there, tough to get in and out, it's not Espresso, and so on. It was packed tonight, with a half-hour wait and no slices on hand. They were pretty much turning people away. That's something they're going to need to get a handle on (although a half-hour meant a half-hour, which was good. Ahem, Parkhill Pizza), although you'd have to think it was bit busier than they would have ever expected.

So anyway, Sal's is open. The city's pizza options just got a whole lot better.

Ugh

I don't really know what else to say today.

Let's start with the fact that today is the first day of the new Fiscal Year. Or, the day when all the horrible things in the budget start to take effect. Goodbye police officers and firefighters. The library cuts are in effect. And so on.

If that wasn't bad enough, there's a bunch of little financial news today, none of it good. The state is going to review changes, which isn't horrible news, but a reminder that times are bad.

The library wants the city to pay back a loan the city used to fix the library elevator. There might be an argument to make here that this was more an accounting maneuver than a loan, and the library did benefit from the loan, but I'm not sure it's a compelling argument. And now, of course, the library wants its money back. Can't say I blame them, but at some point this bickering needs to get resolved.

A new audit report discovers $8,000 found in a desk drawer. I don't whether to get supremely upset, or merely shake my head in quiet, shocked, disapproval. I guess it's more head-shaking, but good lord. Why can't that be my desk drawer?

Finally, someone was shot in the Parkhill Park yesterday afternoon. It's particularly troubling in that one of the Save Fitchburg tots was at the splash park during that time. From reports from her friend's mom, there was some confusion if there were even shots fired, which reinforces the feeling that the incident was far removed from the splash park, but there are a bunch of kids at that splash park every day, and this incident is disconcerting for every parent who has a kid that goes there. The SF clan goes there rarely, but it will do so probably only after second thoughts at this point.

Let's try to end on a high note: It looks like Sal's Pizza is opening any day now over near Twin Cities. Can't come soon enough. If you missed the news last month, Sal's Pizza is most tasty, and we'll be enjoying some tasty Sal's as soon as we can.

Verrrry Exciting Pizza-Related News

If you go the Fitchburg Pride website, you'll find out that Sal's Pizza is moving to the spot that once was home to the Kalimba Grill.

For those who know Sal's, this is very, very, very good news. Sal's is fantastic. There was a Sal's in downtown Lowell back in the day, and both myself and Mrs. Save Fitchburg fell in love with its wonderfulness. We're both giddy at the news.

Anyway, that's about that. Although I'm sure you've signed up for the Fitchburg Pride e-mail news alerts by now, and this is all old news to you. Right?