Tuesday, June 18, 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 …
Monday, June 17, 2013
A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect through 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
Salem is in the line of fire for a severe thunderstorm on Monday evening, prompting a severe thunderstorm warning to be issued through 6:30 p.m. The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 5:37 p.m. for southern Essex County, including Salem, as well as parts of Middlesex County and Suffolk County. A line of severe thunderstorms “capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 miles per hour" stretched from Wilmington to Weston and were headed east at 40 mph at about 5:30 p.m. Salem and much of the North Shore is in the path of the storm, the weather service said. “Severe thunderstorms produce damaging winds and large hail,” the weather service said in issuing the warning. “Go inside to an interior room on the …
Debate to air on WCVB Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Another U.S. Senate election for Massachusetts is drawing to a close, with the two combatants set to square off one final time before voters head to the polls June 25. Democratic Congressman Edward Markey of Malden and Republican businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez will hold the last of three debates Tuesday evening in the race to fill the seat formerly held by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The debate will air live from 7 to 8 p.m. on WCVB (Channel 5). The debate will be moderated by R.D. Sahl of Boston University. The two previous debates for the candidates were held in Boston and Springfield. Recent polling has suggested an edge for Markey in the race. Both candidates have received visits from high-profile …
Applicants will vie for 140 coveted plates including numbers Z7, 740 and 6868.
140 lucky Massachusetts drivers could soon find themselves sporting a brand new low number on their license plates. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has begun its annual low number license plate lottery, with plates made available from a specific low number cache, according to a Massachusetts Department of Transportation statement Friday. Applicants will vie for 140 coveted plates including plate numbers Z7, 740 and 6868, according to the statement. “We expect to receive hundreds of applications leading up to the annual lottery,” Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian said in the statement. “We see interest and fascination from customers year after year. Some are trying to win a lucky number or letter combination, others…
Sunday, June 16, 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 …
Friday, June 14, 2013
Watch our video of the arrival of the former governor's police-led procession.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, June 14
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 …
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
The debate raged on Beacon Hill Tuesday.
A packed hearing on Beacon Hill Tuesday dealt with the issue of possibly raising the mimimum wage for commonwealth workers, according to an Associated Press report posted on WBUR.com. While those in favor of the wage increase believe it to be about fairness and economic justice, the AP reported business groups said raising the minimum wage would make the state less competitive. Prior to Tuesday, SEIU Local 509 Director of Communications Jason Stephany said in a statement the minimum wage in the state has been at $8 an hour since January 2008. "Many jobs at large retail and restaurant chains pay so little that even full-time workers must rely on public assistance for the most basic necessities," according to the statement. The Senate …
Margin between the two Senate candidates was 52-35 a month ago.
- ELECTIONS
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Wednesday, June 12
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez has narrowed the polling gap with Democratic candidate Edward Markey in a new Suffolk University poll. In a survey of what the university called 500 "tightly-screened" likely voters, Markey has garnered 48 percent of support to Gomez's 41 percent. Ten percent have not yet made up their minds while one percent refused to answer and another one percent are supporting Twelve Visions candidate Richard Heos. “Ed Markey continues to lead but the margin has dwindled,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston in a statement along with Monday's poll results. “Markey’s core ballot test number has fallen below 50 percent and recent Obama administration…
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Eddie Jenkins is no longer the director of diversity and civil rights at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Boston Herald reports.
The Boston Herald has uncovered that a top state transportation official is out from his job. Eddie Jenkins, the one time chair of the state Alcohol Beverages Control Commission, is no longer the director of diversity and civil rights for the state department of transportation, a job that paid $107,000 per year, according to the Herald Friday. Jenkins was investigated in 2008 and ultimately cleared of wrongdoing when authorities learned $10,000 in state money ended up in his personal bank account, the paper reports.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Here's a photo gallery showing recent progress at the former St. Joseph Church site on Lafayette Street.
As each day passes, Salem's new $27 million four-story apartment building on Lafayette Street moves closer to completion. Click through the photos above for a closer look at recent progress.
42.516469
-70.892843
150 Lafayette St, Salem, MA
/articles/photos-lafayette-street-development-taking-shape
/locations/9435015
too big too fail
5:30 pm on Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Thank you phillip, that's the 4th point I should have made, bill I am not mean. more ›