Monday, June 17, 2013
The bill, aimed at curbing abuse and fraud, will be debated by the Senate Thursday.
State Senate Democrats have introduced a new bill this week intended at reforming the Massachusetts welfare system, including forcing applicants to prove they have searched for employment through a state program. According to Boston.com, the bill is aimed at shaking up what Senate President Therese Murray called a "stagnant" system. And the Senate expects to act quickly with a vote coming Thursday. Boston.com reported the bill would also force adult welfare recipients to use EBT cards with "photographic identity." Penalties of perjury could be imposed on recipients who use a false identity. In a statement, Republican Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said the bill "reflects a comprehensive approach that seeks to transition recipients away …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/welfare-reform-bill-introduced-on-beacon-hill-65c2bbe1
1465768
/locations/9457905
Candidates for Boston mayor, City Council and U.S. Senate were among those participating in the 2013 Bunker Hill Day Parade on Sunday.
With Boston's mayoral and City Council races heating up, many of the candidates turned out Sunday for Charlestown's Bunker Hill Day Parade, taking advantage of an opportunity to get their faces and names out in the community. Among those marching was Back Bay's city councilor, Mike Ross, who is running for mayor.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
The city councilor made his official announcement in the South End on Saturday.
City Councilor Felix G. Arroyo officially kicked off his mayoral campaign on Saturday in the South End. Arroyo outlined a series of goals that included improving Boston's public schools, and having safe and affordable neighborhoods. "My family, like many families, needed a leg up and needed affordable housing and that was provided for them right here in Villa Victoria," he said. "Everyone deserves to have a place to live, and that doesn’t happen by accident, and that doesn’t happen because you wish it so. That happens by intention." Arroyo also noted he plans to support small businesses in the city. "Boston has over a billion dollars in deposits in various banks, yet we don’t know that these banks invest at all in any of our neighborhoods…
Saturday, June 15, 2013
"Experimental" traps meant to stop the impact of elm bark beetles on city elm trees.
In an effort to curb the impact of elm bark beetles in Boston parks, the city announced Thursday they are expanding the use of "experimental" traps in several locations, including in Back Bay. According to the city parks and recreation department, the city has placed traps in 24 locations in the Emerald Necklace and Copley Square, expanding a practice that started in 2012. Six traps have been placed in Boston Common, five in the Public Garden, five on side streets near the Commonwealth Avenue Mall and one in Copley Square. In addition, five have been placed in the Fenway Victory Garden and two now exist along the Muddy River. You may see the traps, which are 18.5-by-28-inch green plywood boxes placed 15 feet above ground in trees that are …
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-71.07352
Commonwealth Avenue Mall
27 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA
/articles/city-sets-beetle-traps-near-back-bay-parks
1600751
/locations/9453269
If the special election was today, who would you choose as our new U.S. senator?
A week from Tuesday, Massachusetts voters will decide who to elect in the special election to fill the seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. What we at Patch want to know is - if the election was today - who would you vote for? Candidates Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez have been pullling out all the stops in the last two weeks as the latest polls show the gap is narrowing between the two. After weeks of relative quiet, the negative ads have started to clog the airways and both candidates have had high-profile folks stumping for them. Rudy Guiliani was in town last week putting his support behind Gomez and President Obama came to Boston this week showing his support for Markey. So tell us, if you had to vote…
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
His was not the story of Deval Patrick, or Mitt Romney or Bill Weld. Argeo Paul Cellucci started local on the Board of Selectmen in his beloved town of Hudson and worked his way up: state representative, state senator, lieutenant governor, governor, ambassador. He was the Calvin Coolidge of his time, according to former Minority Leader Richard Tisei, and Democrats, Republicans and Canadians, alike, loved and respected him for it. Cellucci passed away last weekend after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 65, and on Thursday he became the 13th public figure to lie in state under the State House rotunda. The memorial service and public viewing for the former governor drew a who's-who to Beacon Hill, including Romney, Michael …
Friday, June 14, 2013
Deputy Commissioner Jack Murray will become the department's new commissioner June 22.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will have a new commissioner June 22 when its current commissioner, Ed Lambert, steps down. This week Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rick Sullivan announced Deputy Commissioner Jack Murray will take over as commissioner once Lambert leaves to become the new vice chancellor for Government Relations and Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “Jack has proven himself a strong leader and tireless advocate for the people who use our parks and other public facilities, and I am thrilled to have him lead this important department,” said Governor Deval Patrick in a statement. “Commissioner Lambert did a tremendous job over the past two years working to …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/dcr-commissioner-lambert-stepping-down-63f4abd8
1465768
/locations/9454825
Patch offers mosquito prevention tips, and the map below shows the number of West Nile cases last summer.
After a particularly tough year for the West Nile virus in 2012, Massachusetts health officials are bracing for what could be another busy summer for the mosquito-borne illness. Although, with so many factors playing into the problem, the track of West Nile is not an easy one to predict, said Kevin Cranston, director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “We can’t pin down all of the elements that go into why one season is bad and another season is not,” Cranston said. But if this summer is similar to last summer—marked by extended periods of very hot weather—some parts of the state could see a high number of cases as occurred in 2012. To give residents a sense of West Nile’s prevalence in …
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Watch our video of the arrival of the former governor's police-led procession.
Former Gov. Paul Cellucci was honored by the commonwealth he served Thursday with a memorial service at the State House. Cellucci passed away at 65 over the weekend after a long battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. Beacon Street was closed to traffic temporarily around noon as a state police-led procession brought his casket to the place where Cellucci served as governor from 1997 to 2001. One of the police vehicles in the procession was from Cellucci's hometown of Hudson. Among the dignitaries outside the State House as the procession arrived were Gov. Deval Patrick, former Gov. William Weld and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. The Massachusetts State Police Pipes and Drums played as eight troopers carried Cellucci's casket …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/cellucci-memorial-held-at-state-house-1af16f42
1465768
/locations/9452530
District Attorney Dan Conley is the only Boston mayoral candidate with more than $1 million in cash for his campaign.
There will be at least 12 candidates on the September 24 ballot for mayor, as Boston's Elections Department continues to certify signatures. One candidate not yet to be certified as of Monday morning is Barstoolsports.com owner David Portnoy. While Portnoy may be more entertainment than a serious candidate to run City Hall, the candidates expected to garner the most votes have been certified before the June 25 deadline for the Registrar to certify all signatures. District Attorney Dan Conley has the most money in his campaign with more than $1.1 million, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance's website. At-Large City Councilor John Connolly has $564,000 in his campaign, followed by fellow city councilor District 8's …
Gus
6:22 pm on Monday, June 17, 2013
@Southender I guess you don't get around much. Felix attends a ton of events in the South End and he's a above-average height guy. Secondly, even in your shut-in condition, I guess you didn't see WGBH-TV's interviews with the candidates. He wasn't even in my original consideration set, but he had the quickest mind and best responses in the series. That said I've got four-five candidates I like … more ›