Saturday, May 25, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
The rush from Beacon Hill to the westbound turnpike this week had as much to do with two of Worcester's political sons beating feet from the capitol as with the impending Memorial Day weekend. As Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray attempted as graceful an exit as possible from politics, fellow Worcester Democrat Rep. John Fresolo made his hasty escape under an ethics cloud feeling "marginalized" by his peers and pressured to resign, which he did. If not for those two storylines, the focus may have been on the Senate's breakneck budget debate concluding Thursday night as senators wiped their hands clean of 725 amendments and passed a $34 billion fiscal 2014 budget without the need for Senate President Therese Murray to threaten a Friday or Saturday …
Friday, May 24, 2013
New regulations will go into effect today.
New rules for the medical use of marijuana have been written into the commonwealth's regulatory code by the Massachusetts Public Health Council, according to State House News Service report. Among the new regulations are how much marijuana can be generally used by patients, the licensing procedure for medical marijuana dispensaries and how low-income patients can get access, according to the report. These regulations will go into effect today, according to the Lowell Sun. In November, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana as part of a treatment. Under the law, the state was operating under a 120-day window starting Jan. 1 for creating regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries…
Thursday, May 23, 2013
New buildings for the Sharon Fire and Police Departments may be on the horizon.
The Sharon Police and Fire Departments are looking to upgrade their facilities. Voters approved a Safety Feasbility Study Committee at town meeting. The committee, made up of the town administrator, DPW superintendent, town engineer, two citizen members from the standing building committee and the fire and police chiefs as proponents, is looking to hire an architect. “They’re going to look at whether the buildings are adequate, which they certainly are not, and also see if either building could be rehabilitated,” Sharon police chief Joseph Bernstein said. “It could also be that neither one of them are worth rehabbing and the way to go is to build a public safety complex where both departments are housed in one building.” Bernstein added …
42.113581
-71.187097
Town of Sharon Police Department
213 S Main St, Sharon, MA
/articles/town-moving-forward-with-policefire-buildings
203531
/locations/9413362
42.12049
-71.180836
Sharon Fire Department
92 S Main St, Sharon, MA
/articles/town-moving-forward-with-policefire-buildings
1586933
/locations/9413363
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Outgoing lieutenant governor said recent controversies had nothing to do with decision to resign.
Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray said none of the controversies that have dogged him during his tenure on Beacon Hill contributed to his decision to announce his resignation. In a press conference at the State House Wednesday, Murray said his final day on the job will be June 2. The next day he will take over as president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce where his salary will reportedly be around $200,000. In January, Murray said he had no intention of running for governor when Gov. Deval Patrick's term expires in January 2015. "This has been a very difficult but empowering decision," Murray said. "It has been an honor to serve as lieutenant governor." Patrick called Murray an "outstanding partner" during his time in …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/murray-to-resign-june-2-patrick-calls-him-outstanding-partner
1465768
/locations/9409818
CBS Boston reports Murray has a new job lined up already.
UPDATE, 12:15 p.m.: The Massachusetts Republican Party was quick to jump on the reports about Murray's resignation, saying Murray is trying "to outrun the scandal that dogs him" in a statement on their website. MassGOP attempted to liken Murray's exit to that of former House Speaker Thomas Finneran, who was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2007. “History doesn’t always repeat itself, but in this case it looks like Tim Murray is following the same path as a previous, disgraced Democratic official,” said Nate Little MassGOP Executive Director in the scathing statement. “Only time will tell if Murray follows the Finneran playbook to the end, complete with indictment and guilty plea.” UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: Boston.com has updated their …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/lt-gov-tim-murray-to-resign
1465768
/locations/9408680
Senator Brian A. Joyce submits proposed amendments to Senate's FY 2014 Budget.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Wednesday, May 22
(From the office of Senator Brian A. Joyce) Senator Brian A. Joyce (D-Milton) has submitted his proposed amendments to the Senate’s FY 2014 budget. Joyce’s amendments further promote his longstanding legislative priorities of supporting children, offering protection to vulnerable and mentally ill residents and ensuring transparency in government. “The budget recommended by Ways and Means was a good starting point, making targeted, balanced investments to protect our seniors and support our children without overburdening taxpayers,” said Joyce. “The amendment phase will give us the chance to give further voice to the issues facing our particular communities and publicly debate and shape next year’s budget.” Joyce filed several amendments …
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Town election results for Sharon.
Sharon will see some changes in town officials this year, but not completely. Selectmen incumbent William Heitin won the contested selectmen race and Emily Smith-Lee and Marcy Kaplan won the school committee race. Smith-Lee had 735 votes and Kaplan had 999, against incumbent Jeff Cuzan’s 693. Bill Heitin beat out challenger Steven Ross with 1,048 votes to 452. “I’m clearly pleased with the results, I put a lot of hard work into the town over the years,” Heitin said. “I think the people here recognize that.” Heitin said he wants to continue what he and the other selectmen have started. “I think we have a lot of initiatives from a board of selectmen standpoint that we’d like to bring to closure,” he said. School committee newcomer Marcy …
General election numbers relatively low at 5 p.m.
The election in Sharon Tuesday turnout was on the low side by the afternoon . Election warden Lynn Callanan said there were 1,073 votes counted at 5 p.m. “It’s a little slow,” she said. “It’s hard to tell at town election. We’ve had as low as 400, and we’ve had higher. We just had an election on April 30, and we had a big turnout. This is a little off from that, but we should have over 10 percent.” Residents also braved the weather reports to come out and show their support for their candidates. There are two contested races on the ballot for selectmen and school committee. In the selectmen's race, incumbent William Heitin is facing a challenge from Steven Ross, while in the school committee race, incumbents Jeffrey Crum and Emily Smith-…
The bill would protect off-duty firefighters and EMTs in emergency situations. State Rep. Lou Kafka and State Senator James Timilty file bill.
The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Senate Bill 829 an Act relative to the protection of off duty firefighters and emergency medical technicians out of committee at a public hearing held May 7. Lead sponsor, Senator Jim Timilty (D) Walpole, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, filed this bill along with members of the House of Representatives: Chairman Louis L. Kafka (D) Stoughton, Daniel B. Winslow (R) Norfolk, and Aaron Vega (D) Holyoke. The bill seeks to broaden the list of people protected under the Good Samaritan Law in the Commonwealth. “I have a deep appreciation for first responders and the heroism they exhibit while working,” said Senator Timility . “This legislation protects…
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Like pieces of a puzzle that don't quite fit together yet, the Big Three may have been separated at birth, but with each incremental step their destinies seem to grow more intertwined. No, we're not talking about those Big Three - Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker Robert DeLeo - though they play major character roles in this thickening plot. Instead, three bills have come to define the early months of the 2013 legislative agenda and resolutions on tax hikes, local road funding and the annual state budget continue to be elusive and dependent on one another. Patrick spent the early part of his week welcoming British Prime Minister David Cameron to Boston for a few quick meetings and a visit to the Copley …
Paul
12:15 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Yes Indiana striking that you would say something so moronic about a guy we elected twice. more ›