Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Five states and the District of Columbia offer a full gamut of rights to gay people, according to The Guardian.
Considering Massachusetts was the first state in the country to allow same sex marriage, you would expect the Commonwealth to be among the leaders of gay rights. In the wake of North Carolina's decision to amend its Constitution to ban same sex unions, The Guardian has created a model looking at gay rights in each state. President Barack Obama announced support for same-sex marriage last Wednesday in an interview with ABC. That came a few days after Vice President Joe Biden made similar comments on NBC's "Meet the Press." According to the graphic, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, along with Washington state, Iowa and the District of Columbia, have the most rights afforded to gays. Massachusetts allows: Massachusetts prohibits: …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
The USPS presented a plan Wednesday that would avoid closing some of the rural post offices and instead, reduce the hours of 13,000 rural post offices across the country.
West Roxbury's US Post Office is safe from being closed, unlike many Massachusetts post offices. With May 15 as the end date to the United States Postal Service's "moratorium" on post office closures, decisions could be made soon on whether some local branches will stay open. Despite a new cost-saving measure presented today for some of the country's rural post offices, local USPS Spokesman Dennis Tarmey said the Postal Service is still going to go through and consider the those post offices on the list of proposed closures. According to Tarmey, the USPS plans to abide by the moratorium it set back in December and will not make an official decision on post office closures until after Tuesday, May 15. A decision related to the proposed …
According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the drug court approach reduces crime by as much as 45% more than other sentencing options.
- GOVERNMENT
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Saturday, May 12
Editor's note: The following is a press release from Congressman Stephen Lynch, D-9th. The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved an amendment sponsored by Congressman Stephen F. Lynch that would increase funding by $4 million for the Department of Justice’s Drug Court Program. Lynch’s amendment will now be included in H.R. 5326, the FY2013 funding bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. “Drug addiction affects every city and town in our country and reaches across every demographic. It shatters lives, breaks up families and, according to one report, costs over $600 billion annually. But drug courts have begun to make a real difference in Massachusetts by not only providing support, …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Public hearings will be held on student assignment, school quality and student transportation, as it relates to the Boston Public Schools system.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, May 10
Editor's note: The following is a letter sent out by At-Large Boston City Councilor John Connolly, a West Roxbury resident. I am writing to invite you to be a part of a series of upcoming hearings to be held by the City Council’s Education Committee. Beginning on Tuesday, May 22nd, I will chair hearings on three related topics: the current student assignment lottery, what makes a quality school, and student transportation. I want to make sure that your voice is heard on each of these important issues. If you are interested in testifying at one of the hearings, please email me or call (617) 635-3115. The schedule for the hearings will be: Student Assignment: Tuesday, May 22, 4:00 PM School Quality: Wednesday, May 23, 4:00 PM Student …
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The Bellevue Hill Improvement Association met on Monday night, and all members were offered a free petunia plant.
State Sen. Mike Rush presented a PowerPoint slideshow on his 8-month deployment to Iraq as an intelligence officer in the US Naval Reserves, at Monday's Bellevue Hill Improvement Association spring meeting. "I was part of the last wave of service members to be in Iraq," said Rush, a lifelong West Roxbury resident. Rush said he is one of four current Massachusetts state legislators who have been mobilized for the military. Rush talked about the cultural clashes the miltary transition teams dealt with while working with their military Iraqi colleagues, "I certainly learned a lot and I hope they did, too." He added that while he wore military garb, the higher ranking Iraqi military members preferred to wear suits when possible, to present …
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St. George Orthodox Church
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick supports same-sex marriage and championed the President's public support of same-sex marriage.
The following are statements from officials on US President Barack Obama's public support for same-sex marriage: Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick: “President Obama has once again affirmed that we are a country that stands for the basic values of equality and opportunity. Since 2004, same-sex couples in Massachusetts have had the security of knowing that their families have the same rights and protections as every other family, including health care benefits and hospital visitation rights. The President's words today give same-sex couples across the country still awaiting those rights a powerful reason to feel hopeful." Matt O'Malley, District 6 Boston City Councilor: “It’s a great day for equality. I applaud President Obama for …
Massachusetts was the first state in the union to allow same-sex couples to get married.
US President Barack Obama officially announced he believes same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry in the United States of America. The Massachusetts Democratic Party was one of many state Democratic parties that recently pushed for the national Democratic Party to support same-sex marriages in the US. What do you think of President Obama's official public stance on same-sex marriage? Remember that same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts in 2004 - how has your life changed since then?
Brown campaign video was shot by taxpayer-funded staffer working at an official event, allege Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman.
Did US Senator Scott Brown, R-Mass., violate campaign ethics rules by having a US Senate staffer shoot a campaign video? Let us know what you think in the comments section below the article. The Massachusetts Democratic Party alleges US Senator Scott Brown had a taxpayer-funded employee shoot a campaign video, which they believe is an ethics violation. A complaint filed with the US Senate Select Committee on Ethics calls for an investigation into Brown’s "use of official, taxpayer-funded resources for campaign purposes," according to a press release from the Massachusetts Democratic Party. On April 28, Brown's campaign circulated an online video of the Republican's successful fifth attempt at making a half-court shot at the Hyannis …
City Councilor Mike Ross said Charles Street on Beacon Hill is an example of a business district where retail is being strangled by too many street-level banks.
Clusters of banks can strangle the retail vitality of certain Boston streets, warned Boston District 8 City Councilor Mike Ross. Ross said Charles Street on Beacon Hill is an example where too many "big box banks" are buying up storefronts at inflated prices mom and pop shops can't afford. The resulting row of banks deadens what could be lively retail zones. "It’s not right for every street to make this 'No Bank First Floor' zoning change, but I believe it’s right for Charles Street on Beacon Hill," said Ross, who represents District 8. Ross said that banks close at 5 p.m. and aren't open on weekends, all of which has a deadening effect for the neighborhood businesses. He made his remarks at Wednesday's City Council meeting. The matter …
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Sunday, May 6, 2012
The VALOR Act is intended to expand benefits and increase access to services for veterans, active-duty military and their families. The bill will now go before the House of Representatives.
State Senator Mike Rush was the lead sponsor for a bill that would expand benefits and increase access to a range of services for veterans. On Thursday, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed "The VALOR Act," which is for activite-duty military, and their families. The bill will now go to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. VALOR is an acronym for Veterans’ Access, Livelihood, Opportunity and Resources. “This omnibus veterans legislation encompasses some of the very best ideas presented by my colleagues in the legislature and the veterans of the Commonwealth to assist veterans and their families with employment, education and services at a time when we are seeing an increase of military men and women returning from …
seliot
8:43 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
Enough! Let's get back to work and stop 'milking' this tour of duty for everything you can get out of it. And where is he getting all these flags he's been handing out like candy? Did he leave any back at the base he was assigned to for them to use? more ›