A MEETING OF the Board of Zoning Appeals once again refused to grant a permit for the construction of a new Baptist church on Bland Street. Pastor Lambert J. Lambert had made some provocative remarks about the First Amendment, but the consensus of the Board was that a Christian church in this community would be an insult to the victims of the Inquisition.

The Blandville branch library is holding its annual plant sale this Thursday afternoon.This year we will be selling the old United Steel plant down the hill, which has been vacant since 1983. Bidding starts at $1.98, so get your bids in early!

There are several openings on the Blandville Badgers softball team. Coach promises to control his temper this time as long as the team gets its act together and wins a few games for Pete’s sake.

At a community meeting hosted by City Councilman Bob Smollett, residents expressed concerns that, while the recently closed Foodland is being renovated to accommodate a new upscale grocery, no state-lottery counter is available in Blandville. Mr. Norbert Cavatelli, proprietor of the Cavatelli’s Cuts barber shop on Bland Street, mentioned that, although he did not handle the state lottery, he was able to provide a similar product as long as no one said anything to the vice squad.

Facade-improvement loans are now available to qualifying Blandville homeowners from the Potemkin Facade Corporation. Applicants must demonstrate that their facades are currently ugly.