Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The plan calls for the state to invest $13 billion in transportation over the next decade.
Gov. Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation unveiled a plan Monday to pump billions of dollars into the state's transportation infrastructure over the next decade, according to Masslive.com, WBUR and other reports. The plan, which lists the Green Line Extension through Somerville as one of a handful of projects on the state's transportation agenda, says Massachusetts needs to raise $13 billion—$1.02 billion a year—over the next 10 years, according to Masslive.com. It lists the state's transportation needs and proposes several options for raising the revenue. It says any one of the following options would raise $1 billion a year: The plan does not, however, recommend any particular option. WBUR reported on air …
Friday, January 11, 2013
Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation that would require teachers, workers at child care centers and school bus drivers to submit fingerprints for criminal background checks.
UPDATED FRIDAY, JAN. 11 at 11:55 A.M. Should school and child care employees fingerprinted before starting employment in order to check their criminal backgrounds? The Associated Press recently reported Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is considering signing legislation that would require teachers, workers at child care centers and school bus drivers to submit fingerprints for criminal background checks. On Friday, the state education office announced in a press release that Patrick signed the bill on Thursday, authorizing the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and school districts to conduct fingerprint-supported national criminal history background checks on all teachers, school employees and early education providers in …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Gypsy Vidal, André Morgan and Pam Garramone help advise state government and agencies on matters related to young LGBT people.
Gov. Deval Patrick swore in three Somerville residents Wednesday as members of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBT Youth. Gypsy Vidal, André Morgan and Pam Garramone will all serve on the commission, which advises state government, service providers and educators on ways to improve lives for young LGBT people. Julian Cyr, chair of the commission, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, said the commission's work often focuses on health disparities seen in LGBT youth. LGBT youth are disproportionately prone to attempting suicide and getting bullied, he said. According to a press release: Gay, lesbian and bisexual youth in Massachusetts are seven times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year; twice as likely to skip …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
In January, the cabinet will have new secretaries of finance, education, health and public safety.
Governor Deval Patrick announced late last week that he has appointed four new secretaries to join his cabinet. In January, Glen Shor will replace outgoing Secretary of Finance Jay Gonzalez; Matt Malone will replace Secretary of Education Paul Reville; John Polanowicz will replace Secretary of Health JudyAnn Bigby; and Sheriff Andrea Cabral will replace Secretary of Public Safety Marybeth Heffernan. “Glen, Matt, John and Andrea are the real deal. They come to their new positions with the expertise, the talent, the respect and the vision to achieve our bold agenda over the next two years,” Patrick said. “Jay, Paul, Judy and Marybeth were instrumental in achieving the cornerstones of an agenda that is making a difference,” he added. “This …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Internet retailer said the collection would begin in time for next year's holiday shopping season.
Checking out at Amazon.com will be a little pricier starting next November. Gov. Deval Patrick's office announced the deal Tuesday, stating the company would be adding jobs to Massachusetts in the next few years, WBZ reported. Amazon.com and Patrick said they would work together to support a federal bill allowing individual states to collect sales tax in states where they have no physical location. "I value the contributions large and small employers alike make to Massachusetts' economic vitality, and this agreement captures that," Patrick said in a statement. "We are thankful Amazon was willing to come to the table and we will continue our conversations with them about creating jobs here. This agreement is a win for all sides, and I am …
Patrick said the Green Line project would "absolutely" be completed, even without federal dollars.
"Of course there are naysayers, there always are," Gov. Deval Patrick said Tuesday, speaking in Somerville about the Green Line Extension. "They say we should stop trying to extend the Green Line and stop trying to build South Coast Rail. They want us to hunker down and wait, wait out the fiscal cliff, wait out the next budget cycle, wait me out, for that matter." It's an economic growth strategy that doesn't work, the governor argued, and the state needs to invest in infrastructure projects like the Green Line Extension. "We cannot afford to wait and let our future happen to us," he said. Watch more of Patrick's speech here. Patrick was in Somerville to kick off construction of phase one of the Green Line Extension, the first step in a $1…
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Monday, December 10, 2012
Phase 1 of the Green Line Extension consists of reconstructing two bridges and tearing down one building. It represents about one precent of the total cost of the transit project.
Gov. Deval Patrick will be in Somerville Tuesday to kick off the construction of Phase 1 of the Green Line Extension. The governor will be joined by Rep. Michael Capuano, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey, according to an announcement from the Green Line Extension team. Phase 1 of the Green Line Extension consists of reconstructing two bridges and tearing down one building. Workers will reconstruct the Medford Street railroad bridge in Somerville and the Harvard Street railroad bridge in Medford. Doing so will allow both Commuter Rail and Green Line trains to use the bridges. Crews will also knock down an MBTA-owned building at 21 Water St. in Cambridge, which will help prepare …
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180 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA
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Thursday, December 6, 2012
Gov. Patrick gave Xavier Rodgers, 3, of Somerville, the microphone for the countdown to the tree lighting. The governor read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."
Gov. Deval Patrick read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to children at the State House Wednesday and then went to the front steps to count down to the tree lighting. Xavier Rodgers, 3, of Somerville, took center stage during the lighting.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
The Internet giant has been exempt from collecting sales taxes in Massachusetts, but some say that changed when it bought a North Reading company this year.
The Patrick Administration is arguing that after Amazon, the huge online retailer, bought a Massachusetts company this year it is no longer exempt from collecting the state's 6.25 percent sales tax as soon as the 2013 holiday season. Under federal law, online retailers are not required to collect state sales taxes if they do not have a physical presence in the state, such as an office building or a store, the Boston Globe reported. But Amazon bought North Reading company Kiva Systems this year, and is recruiting engineers for a Cambridge office, according to the Globe report. This, Patrick says, means it needs to start collecting the state sales tax in Massachusetts. Amazon has faced similar pressure from other states and collects sales …
Friday, November 23, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick plans to ask lawmakers to raises taxes to make up for the shortfall in Massachusetts' transportation system. What options should they consider and what's off the table?
Would you be willing to pay more at the pump, have a tracking system on your car that taxes you by the mile, or see tolls on state highways? Those are just some of the possibilities looming as Massachusetts looks to erase the state's transportation system's deficit. The Boston Globe reported that Gov. Deval Patrick will ask lawmakers to raise taxes in order to pay for a transportation system—from the MBTA to roads and bridges—that continues to operate in the red. The administration will present a specific proposal by Jan. 7. One option is raising the gas tax, a route Patrick sought in 2009 only to be rebuffed by the legislature. Patrick sought a 19 cent increase while business groups endorsed a 25 cent increase. Ultimately, the state …
kevin slattery
9:42 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
I will pay my taxes just bring in the green line please more ›