Wikimedia Commons/Michelle Maria

Keelan: What is going on in Burlington?

Once the envy of many towns and cities, the city’s police department is now in shambles. The race to the bottom in morale, police coverage and expectations has been devastating: three police chiefs in one year, personnel departures, and lawsuits have only exacerbated the downward spiral.

Flickr/401kcalculator.org

McClaughry: Retirement fund blues

The total of the two pension funds and expected OPEB obligations went from $4.637 billion a year ago to the present $5.657 Billion. That’s an increase in required expenditures of over a billion dollars in a single year. How did we get to this dismal situation?