Category – Columns

Columns
“Camaraderie” by James Meehan
Latest posts in Columns
Talking Transportation: The DMV Is Judging You
Six characters may not seem dangerous, but in the wrong order your choice of vanity plates may pose a serious threat to public morality. Or so says the DMV.
Talking Transportation: Snow, Salt and Unplugged Promises
Columnist Jim Cameron, calling snowstorms a test of Connecticut’s transportation system, gives high marks for highway clearing while faulting local streets and rail platforms.
Talking Transportation: Winter Travel Tips to Beat Cold, Snow – and Connecticut’s Roads and Rails
Jim Cameron delivers helpful tips, fun facts and one piece of particularly timely advice: Sometimes the smartest winter travel decision is not traveling at all.
Talking Transportation: Big Brother, Facial Recognition and AI
The future is here, and it’s shopping with us. Jim Cameron takes a skeptical look at where convenience ends and surveillance begins.
Talking Transportation: Strawberries in January and Other Climate Impacts
How fruit and vegetables make their way to our supermarkets is not only a tale of botany, but of logistics and long-distance transportation at some cost to our environment.
Talking Transportation: Who’s Running This Railroad?
Jim Cameron explains “the bizarre patchwork of ownership and responsibility” that makes the state’s railroads possible.
The Movie Man: ‘Fire and Ash’ a Must-See Addition to the ‘Avatar’ Franchise
Movie critic Kevin Ganey recommended viewing the film at an IMAX theater, where “butt-kicker” speakers under the seats amplify the bass sounds so viewers can feel the explosions.
Talking Transportation: Best of 2025
Columnist Jim Cameron shares his five most widely read columns from 2025 for readers to re-enjoy – or fume over.
Gardening Tips for Early Winter from ‘The English Lady’
Maureen Haseley-Jones reminds readers to make the most of restorative winter days in and out of the garden.
Talking Transportation: Happy Birthday to I-84
Last week marked yet another birthday for Interstate 84 in Connecticut, first opened on December 16, 1961, a milestone that deserves candles, cake, and perhaps a moment of silence for every commuter who has ever thought, “How is this highway still not finished?”
Talking Transportation: Ticket Turmoil on Metro-North
Jim Cameron laments confusion and frustration wrought by Metro-North ticketing changes.
Talking Transportation: EV vs. Gas – The Real Cost
Jim Cameron explores how the Trump White House is changing the cost of citizens’ driving commutes.
Talking Transportation: Rebuilding Amtrak
Jim Cameron looks at how rebuilding Amtrak and regional rail fits into the broader conversation about transportation in Connecticut.
A Cornucopia of Lee’s Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
We are republishing several of the late Lee White’s Thanksgiving recipes to honor her legacy and once again share her culinary wisdom with our readers.
Talking Transportation: Can You Live Carless in Connecticut?
Jim Cameron examines the cost and necessity of cars in a state where the average driver pays about 70 cents a mile to drive.
Talking Transportation: Truth in Flying
Jim Cameron calls for greater transparency from airlines and regulators who mislead travelers about delays and service.
Talking Transportation: Memoirs of a Metro-North Conductor
A longtime Metro-North conductor shares humorous and poignant stories from 36 years on the New Haven Line, revealing the human side of daily rail travel.
A View From My Porch: The President’s Coattails Are Tattered and Threadbare—A Treatise on Misbehavior
Tom Gotowka takes a long, hard look at what he describes as the ‘misbehavior’ of the US President and its effect on the election.
Early Fall Gardening Tips from The English Lady—’Take Time to Sit and Watch the Leaves Change’
The English Lady is back with gentle fall gardening tips and interesting tidbits like this one — rodents consider tulips to be caviar of the bulb family!
Talking Transportation: Blinded by the Light
Jim Cameron warns that poor nighttime visibility remains a serious problem on Connecticut roads.





