Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The U.S. Senate candidates have one week to go before voters head to the polls.
Gabriel Gomez and Edward Markey spent their final debate before next week's U.S. Senate special election clashing over their records and who has the better vision for both their commonwealth and their country. The debate, taped in Boston, broadcast on several local networks and moderated by veteran city newsman and Boston University professor R.D. Sahl, was the last of three contests before voters head to the polls to fill U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's former seat. No matter the issue, be it taxes, gun control, abortion, national security and their own personal and professional histories, the two men found disagreements at every turn. Each candidate could agree on one thing: they believe the other candidate's ideas are "old and …
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The proposed sales tax free holiday weekend would be August 17 and 18.
State Rep. Ed Coppinger recently introduced late file legislation for a statewide sales tax holiday weekend in August. "It was brought to my attention by a constituent of mine that legislation for a sales tax holiday had not been introduced for this year. It’s great to see how involved my constituents are – this bill will benefit both consumers and business owners across the Commonwealth," said Coppinger, D-West Roxbury. "A sales tax holiday will enable individuals to save money while investing in our local businesses, which is vital for the improvement of our economy.” The proposed sales tax free holiday weekend would be Aug. 17 and 18. Coppinger pointed to past sales tax free holidays helping not only businesses during the slow …
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 …
Monday, June 17, 2013
District 4 Boston City Councilor Charles Yancey is keeping his name in both the mayoral and district races.
Longtime Boston City Councilor Charles Yancey plans to remain on the Sept. 24 ballot for both mayor and the District 4 seat he currently holds. "I'll be on both. I know it’s an unusual move. It may have not been done in recent history in Boston. But it is not unusual on the national level," Yancey told Patch. Yancey said constituents have requested that he remain on both ballots. "I’m asking voters for in District 4 to vote for me as their district councilor and for mayor. And out of District 4, I’m asking for their vote for mayor," he said. District 4 contains Mattapan and Dorchester, and a smart part of Roslindale will be in District 4 in January 2014 because of redistricting. Yancey said he has no plans to withdraw from either race by …
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 …
Sunday, June 16, 2013
The city councilor made his official announcement in the South End on Saturday.
City Councilor Felix G. Arroyo officially kicked off his mayoral campaign on Saturday in the South End. Arroyo outlined a series of goals that included improving Boston's public schools, and having safe and affordable neighborhoods. "My family, like many families, needed a leg up and needed affordable housing and that was provided for them right here in Villa Victoria," he said. "Everyone deserves to have a place to live, and that doesn’t happen by accident, and that doesn’t happen because you wish it so. That happens by intention." Arroyo also noted he plans to support small businesses in the city. "Boston has over a billion dollars in deposits in various banks, yet we don’t know that these banks invest at all in any of our neighborhoods…
Got a question? Ask it!
In this week's column of "You Ask, Patch Answers," a new feature where we find the answers to your questions, a reader asked about what's required to sell t-shirts or food on the sidewalk. "Can people just randomly sell stuff on the sidewalk?" she asked. According to the folks at Boston City Hall, you need a hawker's and peddlers license to be able to sell anything on the street, whether it's t-shirts or food. On the city's website, there's some information about the different types of mobile vendors allowed, such as the three different types of food trucks and the permits necessary for operating one. Note: There are several, including verification from the city's Inspectional Services Depatment and the Boston Fire Department, and a …
Saturday, June 15, 2013
If the special election was today, who would you choose as our new U.S. senator?
A week from Tuesday, Massachusetts voters will decide who to elect in the special election to fill the seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. What we at Patch want to know is - if the election was today - who would you vote for? Candidates Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez have been pullling out all the stops in the last two weeks as the latest polls show the gap is narrowing between the two. After weeks of relative quiet, the negative ads have started to clog the airways and both candidates have had high-profile folks stumping for them. Rudy Guiliani was in town last week putting his support behind Gomez and President Obama came to Boston this week showing his support for Markey. So tell us, if you had to vote…
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
His was not the story of Deval Patrick, or Mitt Romney or Bill Weld. Argeo Paul Cellucci started local on the Board of Selectmen in his beloved town of Hudson and worked his way up: state representative, state senator, lieutenant governor, governor, ambassador. He was the Calvin Coolidge of his time, according to former Minority Leader Richard Tisei, and Democrats, Republicans and Canadians, alike, loved and respected him for it. Cellucci passed away last weekend after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 65, and on Thursday he became the 13th public figure to lie in state under the State House rotunda. The memorial service and public viewing for the former governor drew a who's-who to Beacon Hill, including Romney, Michael …
Friday, June 14, 2013
Patch offers mosquito prevention tips, and the map below shows the number of West Nile cases last summer.
After a particularly tough year for the West Nile virus in 2012, Massachusetts health officials are bracing for what could be another busy summer for the mosquito-borne illness. Although, with so many factors playing into the problem, the track of West Nile is not an easy one to predict, said Kevin Cranston, director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “We can’t pin down all of the elements that go into why one season is bad and another season is not,” Cranston said. But if this summer is similar to last summer—marked by extended periods of very hot weather—some parts of the state could see a high number of cases as occurred in 2012. To give residents a sense of West Nile’s prevalence in…
Joe B
3:59 pm on Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Like John Connolly did before all these guys jumped in after Menino said he was not running again. He was the only one with guts to run before. more ›