Tuesday, May 21, 2013
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 …
Friday, May 17, 2013
Treatment will begin the week of May 28.
By the end of the month, mosquito spraying will begin in Norfolk County, including Sharon. Norfolk County Mosquito Control District Director David Lawson said in a press release this week that the group will start mosquito spraying in the Sharon area on Tuesday, May 28. The aerosol spray, designed to lower the population of mosquitoes during a significant breeding season, will start in the late evening, and will continue until Sept. 30. Residents in Norfolk County can click here to see when spraying will begin in their area. And to see a specific street map, click here.
Officials have set aside $200,000 to study Sharon's police and fire stations and determine the best way for the departments to be brought up to current standards.
A new committee in Sharon was formed last week to choose an architect who would do a feasibility study on the town's aging police and fire stations. The Public Safety Feasibility Study Committee comprises Town Administrator Ben Puritz, Department of Public Works Superintendent Eric Hooper, Town Engineer Peter O'Cain, Police Chief Joseph Bernstein, Fire Chief Jim Wright, Selectman Joe Roach and two citizens, Rick Rice and Bill Croteau, who are both architects. The town has set aside $200,000 for the study. “It’s actually to look at the current facilities and then suggest proposals for solutions to bring them up to current standards," said Wright. "So that could be anything from a new combination public safety building somewhere or …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Massachusetts' problem is now Virginia's. After a macabre, around-the-clock stakeout of a Worcester funeral home this week by frenzied reporters and furious protestors, the remains of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev were secreted out of central Massachusetts and buried in a small Muslim cemetery in rural Virginia. No cemetery in Massachusetts, or public official for that matter, wanted Tsarnaev's body. And Gov. Deval Patrick just seemed relieved the tense standoff was over. "No. I have enough to do," Patrick said, when asked if he wished he had gotten involved to end the theatrics sooner. The April 15 attacks on the finish line of the Boston Marathon threw Beacon Hill policymakers off stride, quieting the raging debate …
Friday, May 10, 2013
New regulations will go into effect May 24.
New rules for the medical use of marijuana have been written into the commonwealth's regulatory code by the Massachusetts Public Health Council Wednesday, according to State House News Service report published on LowellSun.com. 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 May 24, according to the 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 …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The only article that was shot down was Article 9 which would have imposed a local meals excise tax of .75 percent.
Sharon's Annual Town Meeting was held Monday night in the Arthur E. Collins auditorium at Sharon High School. There were 24 articles on this year's warrant and all 24 were voted on Monday night. All article motions passed with the exception of Article 9 which would have imposed a local meals excise tax of .75 percent. The Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen each unanimously recommended favorable action on the article. Article motions that were passed include Articles 2 and 3 that dealt with the establishment of a zoning district that would allow for assisted living use (Article 2) and Article 3 was to allow for a waste water treatment facility to service the newly created district. Article 8 was approved which increased the hotel room…
The structurally unsound building is located in Deborah Sampson Park.
Demolition of the old Sacred Heart Building in Deborah Sampson Park began Thursday morning. “There’s a long history to it that goes back to the 1960’s when the property was acquired by the town from the Brothers of the Sacred Heart,” Sharon Town Administrator Ben Puritz said. “But, it fell into disrepair and some years ago any of the hazardous waste was abated and removed and the building was evaluated for repurposing and reuse a number of times and it was found to be structurally unsound,” he said. The demolition is being funded through the Community Preservation Committee which will use town and state money. The cost of the demolition will be about $68,000. The town is planning to turn the site into an all-purpose field. “One of the …
Results from a recent executive survey ranked Massachusetts 47th for business.
A CEO magazine ranks Massachusetts as one of the worst states in the nation for business. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Massachusetts 47th based on a survey of corporate leaders. Survey respondents reported the Bay State is one of the worst for taxation and regulation. The state Republican Party is pointing to the survey and saying that Gov. Deval Patrick and the Democratic-led Legislature are bad for the economy and business. What do you think about Massachusetts’ business climate? Is this a good state in which to do business?
Monday, May 6, 2013
Massachusetts delegation applauds the government's decision to buy more cranberries.
United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and William "Mo" Cowan, along with Congressmen James McGovern, William Keating, and Joseph P. Kennedy III, Friday applauded the decision of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase up to $5 million of cranberry concentrate for federal nutrition assistance programs, including food banks. "I'm pleased the USDA has announced plans to buy cranberry products for federal nutrition assistance programs," said Senator Warren. "This purchase will help support hardworking cranberry growers throughout Massachusetts who play an important role in our local economy and will provide our children with another drink alternative." "While meeting and talking with cranberry growers in the …
David H. Cheresh
4:53 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
PODESTA reminds me of "THE SMOKER" on the "X-FILES." more ›