Reporter's Notebook

From the Election Day Files...

On Election Day, Crimson reporters resorted to innovative methods in order to cover polling sites in every corner of the city. One reporter hitched a ride with City Council candidate Mike Baldasaro. On the way from the Peabody School to the Harrington School in the back of Baldasaro's late 1970s Lincoln, the candidate regaled the reporter with tales of Baldasaro's grandfather, former Mayor Alfred E. Vellucci.

Baldasaro claimed to have a perfect solution to the city's parking problems. "My grandfather suggested this 50 years ago. Pave Harvard yard and give the streets back to Cambridge," Baldasaro said.

An innovative proposal, to be sure. But perhaps not exactly the message to be sending to a reporter from The Harvard Crimson. That realization apparently sunk in after a short while.

A few minutes later, Art L. Moretti, a campaign aide sitting next to Baldasaro, Art L. Moretti, said, "Just a joke."

Last Candidate Hero

Baldasaro said he was educated on the streets of Cambridge. If elected, rather than run to the D.A., he'll grab muggers himself, he claimed.

From the Halloween Files

As a courtesy, The Crimson typically'calls the professors and administrators it plans on visiting for Halloween to give them a chance to buy candy. A call last week to Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles yielded this interesting conversation:

Intrepid Crimson Reporter: "Hi, this is The Crimson. We just wanted to let the Dean know that we may stop by his home on Sunday evening for our annual trick-or-treating visit."

Surprised Dean's Assistant: "Well, you know the dean is British, and, while I think he's familiar with the holiday, I'm not sure he typically goes out spooking."

In fact, while it is unclear whether the dean went out spooking on his own, he was home when The Crimson stopped by, and he had candy. Lots of candy: Gummi Bears, raisins and peanut butter M&M's.