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Tag: Massachusetts

  • At least 1 dead, 16 injured after car drives through Massachusetts Apple store | CNN

    At least 1 dead, 16 injured after car drives through Massachusetts Apple store | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    At least one person is dead and 16 people are injured after a car drove through an Apple store in Hingham, Massachusetts, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said in a news conference Monday.

    Around 10:45 a.m. numerous 911 calls came in for help at Derby Street Shops, Cruz said. Hingham police and fire personnel responded shortly thereafter to find several people injured at the Apple store, Cruz added.

    “A dark-colored SUV appears, went through at a rate of speed undetermined, through a … glass window and struck multiple people,” Cruz said.

    Responding units found “multiple patients injured out in front of the store and in the store, including a few patients that were pinned against the wall by the vehicle,” Hingham Fire Chief Steve Murhpy said during a news conference Monday.

    There were seven fire engines and 14 ambulances on scene to treat the injured victims, Murphy said. The chief was unable to provide updates on victims’ conditions. Authorities are not releasing the names of the injured victims at this time as they are working on notifying family members, Cruz added.

    Kristen Perfetuo, a spokesperson for South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts, said the hospital is treating 17 patients from the crash, all of whom sustained “some kind of traumatic injury.” Perfetuo said multiple patients are in critical condition, with some undergoing surgery while others are being prepped for surgery.

    Cruz said the investigation into the car crash is “active” and ongoing.

    “Regarding the operator of the motor vehicle, we’re looking into that. Regarding the status of the motor vehicle, we’re looking into that,” Cruz said. The driver of the vehicle has not been taken to the hospital, according to Cruz.

    “My understanding is he’s not been taken to the hospital as of yet,” Cruz said. “He is, right now, with police officers.”

    When asked how many people were possibly inside the Apple store when the car crash occurred, Cruz noted that it is the beginning of a holiday week.

    “Obviously the Apple store is a very busy place. It’s Monday of a holiday week,” Cruz said. “So therefore I don’t know exactly how many people were in there – I’m sure that we will find out.”

    Hingham is about 20 miles south of Boston.

    Apple’s Derby Street location in Hingham is currently closed, according to its website.

    “We’re sorry for the inconvenience while this store is closed,” the website said. “Until we can reopen again, please consider using our online services.”

    Apple released a statement Monday saying “our hearts go out to our team members and customers who were injured and all of those who were affected by this terrible incident.”

    “We are devastated by the shocking events at Apple Derby Street today and the tragic loss of a professional who was onsite supporting recent construction at the store,” the company’s statement read. “We are doing everything we can to support our team members and customers at this very difficult time.”

    The Apple store, which boasts a large glass storefront, is located in the back corner of the upscale Derby Street Shops. The entrance to the store faces a large parking lot that hundreds of visitors drive through daily.

    The shopping area is especially busy during the holiday season, with the Apple store and the surrounding restaurants and shops garnering large crowds this time of year.

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  • 1 dead, 2 dozen injured, when bus carrying students crashes

    1 dead, 2 dozen injured, when bus carrying students crashes

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    WALTHAM, Mass. — A college student died while more than two dozen other passengers and the driver were injured when a bus returning from a hockey game struck a tree in suburban Boston, authorities said.

    The preliminary investigation suggests the bus was returning to Brandeis University from a hockey game at Northeastern University in Boston at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday when it crashed in Waltham not far from campus, according to a statement from Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Waltham police Chief Kevin O’Connell.

    One student died at the scene. The remaining 26 passengers and the bus driver “sustained injuries of varying degrees” and were taken to area hospitals, the statement said.

    Brandeis in a statement early Sunday said 17 of the injured had been released from the hospital and the remainder have been admitted.

    “Given the number of injured people and the different hospitals to which they were transported, it is taking time to determine the status of everyone involved, including which passengers are Brandeis students,” the statement said.

    No names were made public and no one has been charged.

    The crash remains under investigation and police are asking witnesses to come forward.

    Brandeis said grief counselors were available at the university’s counseling center.

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  • More Mixed Signals On The Housing Economy

    More Mixed Signals On The Housing Economy

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    I grew up in the 80s, a period of time when inflation and recession were common language. At the end of the 70s inflation was raging and so the Federal Reserve dialed up interest rates, a recession followed. My memory of 1982 includes endless reports about layoffs and economic hardship and big midterm wins for Democrats. Then things turned around. Today, the story isn’t so simple, and it never is as events are unfolding. The Ringer has a great podcast called Plain English and I found their episode The Housing Recession is Coming informative and interesting. I speculated last month on what’s happening with the housing economy, but the podcast got me thinking again about what might happen to housing in 2023.

    Host Derek Thompson starts with the weird signals coming from data sources reporting on various economic trends especially housing. Some measures show housing prices and rents falling beginning earlier this year while the so called “headline inflation rate,” the one reported by the government shows inflation up, driven largely by increased housing costs. A broad category called “shelter” is a third of the CPI calculation, and when that indicator gets hot, then overall inflation goes up. Meanwhile, in the broader economy, Gross Domestic Production (GDP) is down and has been two quarters in a row, yet employment numbers are holding strong.

    Thompson hosts Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics to tap his brain on what’s going on, especially with housing. First, there is a good conversation on methodology. The rent tracking platforms like Zillow are must faster with their surveys of rent data, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics lags, using a survey instrument that uses a unique sampling methodology. The point Zandi makes is that the BLS numbers lag behind other measures of rent, so rents actually probably, overall, started falling early in the year and continue to fall or flatten. Those changes won’t show up in the BLS tallies until later, perhaps easing inflation toward the end the year.

    Zandi takes on the Thompson’s question about whether “this is 2007 again,” with housing teetering on the edge of a precipitous crash. I found Zandi’s answer sensible. Probably not. We are not on the verge of crash but more of a correction; because of lagging production of housing over the last decade, supply still has not caught up after the 2008 housing crash. Therefore, even though prices for housing did rise steeply, the lack of supply creates a ceiling. He echoes my point about people that may have bought houses in places like Boise and Austin at the top of the market with cheap money, but now are seeing the market value of their purchase falling back to earth.

    He also echoes my concern that if there is a real and sustained recession, those households who went all in on buying housing may face big challenges. If a Fed driven recession hits in early 2023 to correct for inflation, and hours are cut or jobs are lost, the mortgage payment might be more difficult to make, leading to foreclosures. This all depends on how deep and lasting any recession may be, and Zandi posits that we’re not in a recession now and because of strong job numbers, may not really tip into a deep and lasting one in 2023.

    To Thompson’s question about the construction industry and whether jobs will evaporate there, Zandi bets on multifamily housing construction to keep that sector at least flat since that housing type seems to be doing well even while single-family construction is lagging. I’m skeptical for no good reason about Zandi’s view of multifamily other than I think it remains to be seen what happens with job growth and income and growth.

    And that’s where I’ll jump in with my own thoughts as we move toward the end of 2022. I’m no economist of course, but I’d revise my early thoughts and guess that we will be entering a period of recession in 2023, one that will see many of the housing purchases of 2021 seem like a big mistake. I also think that building of multifamily projects, especially townhomes, which are for-sale products, will see high vacancy rates. Many townhomes and condominiums will be sitting on the market for months before they get pulled off the market or sold at big discounts. Interest rates are high, and I think people – investors and buyers – are going to stay out of the game through the first quarter of 2023.

    The psychology of 2023 is going to be key as it always is an economy. Will people feel happy that we made it through a relatively Covid-free 2022, and will that lead to an exuberance that will keep production high? Won’t that lead to more inflation and thus more pressure from the Fed on interest rates? How will those things work in combination? How will all this impact housing policy, something I know much more about that economics?

    That last question depends on something Thompson and Zandi discuss, the nature of our measures of monthly housing costs. Unlike gasoline, prices for housing don’t go up and down perceptibly on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis. Generally speaking, if the news reports big spikes in rents, most people’s rent stays the same. And mortgages don’t move at all. If the market remains volatile, with “corrections” or “collapses” or “spikes” (choose your adjective or adverb), people will have to compare their own experience with signals in the economy.

    I’ve often thought we’d be better off if rent and mortgages were paid on a weekly or even daily bases, or withheld from each pay check. This might ease the sting of fluctuations in prices, making them less perceptible. If people had to write a check for their taxes every month or every quarter like small business owners do, attitudes about taxes might be different. I wonder if people would be less panicked and thus less inclined to call for rent control if they didn’t have to write a huge rent or mortgage check every month. Right now, broad economic volatility in the housing economy doesn’t feel abstract; it makes people worry and crave things like rent control.

    Volatility in the housing economy is going to continue well into 2023, and depending on the outcome of the election, there will continue to be pressure on policy makers to regulate the ups and downs out of the market. Whether that pressure pushes us further toward more and more government intervention or better policy will depend on whether policy makers can keep their heads and whether they can find better alternatives like less regulation and more efficient subsidies.

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    Roger Valdez, Contributor

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  • Used chopsticks transformed into furniture, decor by Mass. business

    Used chopsticks transformed into furniture, decor by Mass. business

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    Millions of used chopsticks that otherwise would have been discarded are being transformed into furnishings by a new Boston-area business franchise. ChopValue Boston collects used chopsticks from area restaurants and transforms them into sterilized, state-of-the-art building tiles through a process that involves sorting, dipping, baking, hammering and pressing. “It’s very strong,” said Elaine Chow, the founder of ChopValue Boston. “Bamboo is a strong material in itself and when you bundle it all up like this, this has been rated stronger than oak and maple.”Chow spent decades working in the non-profit world but during the pandemic decided to make a change. She stumbled across a video about ChopValue online and realized there are plenty of used chopsticks in the Boston area to support the business. “Do people want to buy recycled materials? Do people want to buy sustainable building materials, carbon-negative stuff? The answer to that – I truly believe is yes,” she said. Once her ChopValue operation was up and running in Charlestown, Chow quickly confirmed her findings.”We signed up 100 restaurants in March and within six months we had collected almost eight tons of material,” she said. That’s roughly 2.5 million used chopsticks that are diverted from going to the dump and instead find new life in corporate holiday gifts, light features, tabletops and more. “A lot of times when people see and touch our product they say ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is made out of chopsticks. I can’t believe it’s made out of recycled materials,’” she said. ChopValue Boston is only the second franchise in the U.S.

    BOSTON —

    Millions of used chopsticks that otherwise would have been discarded are being transformed into furnishings by a new Boston-area business franchise.

    ChopValue Boston collects used chopsticks from area restaurants and transforms them into sterilized, state-of-the-art building tiles through a process that involves sorting, dipping, baking, hammering and pressing.

    “It’s very strong,” said Elaine Chow, the founder of ChopValue Boston. “Bamboo is a strong material in itself and when you bundle it all up like this, this has been rated stronger than oak and maple.”

    Chow spent decades working in the non-profit world but during the pandemic decided to make a change. She stumbled across a video about ChopValue online and realized there are plenty of used chopsticks in the Boston area to support the business.

    “Do people want to buy recycled materials? Do people want to buy sustainable building materials, carbon-negative stuff? The answer to that – I truly believe is yes,” she said.

    Once her ChopValue operation was up and running in Charlestown, Chow quickly confirmed her findings.

    “We signed up 100 restaurants in March and within six months we had collected almost eight tons of material,” she said.

    That’s roughly 2.5 million used chopsticks that are diverted from going to the dump and instead find new life in corporate holiday gifts, light features, tabletops and more.

    “A lot of times when people see and touch our product they say ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is made out of chopsticks. I can’t believe it’s made out of recycled materials,’” she said.

    ChopValue Boston is only the second franchise in the U.S.

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  • Massachusetts Voters Approve ‘Millionaires Tax’ As Californians Reject An Income Tax Hike On High Earners

    Massachusetts Voters Approve ‘Millionaires Tax’ As Californians Reject An Income Tax Hike On High Earners

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    In the 2022 midterm elections, residents of California, like those of Massachusetts, voted to put Democrats in commanding control of their state government. Yet these two left-leaning electorates rendered opposing verdicts on similar tax measures seeking to raise state income tax rates on upper income households.

    With 57% voting No, California voters resoundingly defeated Proposition 30, a ballot measure that would’ve added a new, 15.05% top marginal state income tax rate applying to income above $2 million. At 13.3%, California already levies the highest top personal state income tax rate in the country.

    With the defeat of Proposition 30, upper income filers and thousands of small business owners avoided being hit with a 1.75 percentage point, 13% increase in their top marginal state income tax rate. According to IRS data, in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, more than 86,000 pass-through business owners filed under the individual income tax system in California and have income above $1 million. How many have income above $2 million is not delineated by the IRS data, but it’s likely ten of thousands of small business owners who would’ve seen their job creating and sustaining capacity diminished had Proposition 30 passed.

    The ride-sharing company Lyft
    LYFT
     was the primary financial backer of Proposition 30, which directed the additional funding to the buildout of electric vehicle infrastructure. Had Proposition 30 been enacted, the new 15.05% income tax rate would’ve raised an additional $3 billion to $4.5 billion annually, according to projections from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

    Governor Gavin Newsom (D), along with the California Teachers Association, urged Californians to reject Proposition 30, in part, because it would make revenue collections less predictable. “California’s tax revenues are famously volatile, and this measure would make our state’s finances even more unstable,” Newsom said of the proposed income tax hike.

    “Proposition 30 is a special interest carve-out — a cynical scheme devised by a single corporation to funnel state income tax revenue to their company,” Newsom said. “Californians should know that just this year our state committed $10 billion for electric vehicles and their infrastructure.”

    “The election results are an unfortunate setback for the climate movement,” a Lyft spokesman said the day after the election. “Millions were spent by the opposition to confuse and misguide voters, however we are undaunted … we remain committed to achieving our collective climate goals.”

    While Golden State voters rejected an income tax hike on high earners, in Massachusetts another “millionaires tax” proposal, Question One, passed with nearly 52% support. Question One is a constitutional amendment that will move Massachusetts from a flat to progressive income tax structure. Massachusetts currently has a 5% flat state income tax rate and passage of Question One will create a new 9% rate on income above $1 million dollars.

    Question One is projected to raise an additional $1.5 billion annually for state coffers. Whereas the progressive tax hike rejected by Californians would’ve been used to fund EV infrastructure, the income tax increase approved in Massachusetts will use the additional funds to boost education and transportation spending.

    While the state teachers union was a major opponent of the defeated California income tax increase, they were the top proponent and funder of the Massachusetts income tax hike. The California Teachers Association spent $5 million to defeat Proposition 30. The Massachusetts Teachers Association, meanwhile, spent $15.5 million in support of Question One. The American Federation for Teachers also kicked in $6.7 million to help pass the income tax hike.

    While this tax hike was sold to Bay State voters as a way to make the rich pay more, small businesses will also be hit with this tax increase. According to IRS data, more than 19,000 owners of sole proprietorships, LLCs, partnerships & S corporations that filed under the personal income tax system in Massachusetts in 2019 would’ve be hit by the 44% income tax rate hike imposed by Question One had it been in effect at the time.

    In Moving From Flat To Progressive Income Tax, Massachusetts Becomes A National Outlier

    Question One marks the sixth time in the past 50 years that a measure seeking to move Massachusetts to a progressive income tax has been put on the ballot. The previous efforts occurred in 1962, 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1994. In 2022, Question One became the first progressive income tax proposal to receive voter approval.

    By moving from a flat to a progressive income tax structure, Massachusetts is bucking a national trend, as more states have been moving in the opposite direction, going from a progressive to a flat income tax. In September, Idaho became the fifth state in the past two years where lawmakers enacted legislation moving from a progressive to a flat state income tax structure. Other states where lawmakers have passed legislation to move from a progressive to flat income tax over the past two years include Georgia, Mississippi, Iowa, and Arizona.

    North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R) has a proposal to move his state to a flat tax. Until passage of Question One, enactment of Governor Burgum’s plan would’ve made North Dakota state number 25 with a flat state income tax rate. Approval of Question One, however, will reduce the number of flat tax states by one, bringing it down to 23 currently. That means enactment of the flat tax proposal pending in North Dakota would get the total number of flat tax states back to 24.

    One of the now 23 states that has a flat tax, Colorado, had an income tax cut on the ballot in the 2022 midterm elections. Proposition 121, which was approved with 65% of the vote, will cut Colorado’s flat income tax rate from 4.55% to 4.40%. Passage of Proposition 121 marks the second reduction in the state’s flat income tax rate to be approved by Colorado voters in the past two years.

    There are a number of possible take-aways from the results of these 2022 ballot measures. It’s clear that it’s very helpful for progressive tax hike initiatives to have the teachers unions on board, at least in states as blue as California and Massachusetts. Another potential take-away for many will be that, while the 2022 midterm elections went much better for Democrats than was expected going in, the results do not appear to represent an endorsement of progressive policies, even in Democratic strongholds.

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    Patrick Gleason, Contributor

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  • Maura Healey makes history as first openly lesbian U.S. governor and first woman elected governor of Massachusetts

    Maura Healey makes history as first openly lesbian U.S. governor and first woman elected governor of Massachusetts

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    Maura Healey hopes campaign serves as inspiration


    Maura Healey hopes campaign serves as inspiration

    02:00

    Maura Healey made history on Election Day, becoming the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts and the first openly lesbian governor in U.S. history. 

    Healey, who was the first openly gay attorney general elected in the country in 2014, was previously a civil rights lawyer. She led the first state challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned same-sex marriage. 

    Maura Healey
    Maura Healey won her campaign for governor of Massachusetts.

    CBS Boston


    As attorney general, she worked to hold Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family accountable for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic, and her office sued Exxon Mobil for lying about climate change.

    She ran on a platform of investing in housing, public transportation, the clean energy economy, and job training.

    Healey won the gubernatorial race against Republican Geoff Diehl. Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, decided not to seek re-election.

    Massachusetts has had a woman governor before — Jane Swift was the first woman to fill the office in 2001 — but she was appointed to the role, not elected, when former Governor Paul Cellucci was named U.S. Ambassador to Canada. 

    Healey ran alongside lieutenant governor candidate Kim Driscoll, the mayor of Salem.

    The Human Rights Campaign applauded Healey’s win, saying, “as one of our nation’s first lesbian governors, she will not only be a champion of pro-equality policies, but also a role model for the entire LGBTQ+ community.”

    The U.S. also has a chance to see its second openly lesbian governor elected on Tuesday. Tina Kotek, Oregon‘s Speaker of the House, is running for governor of her state against Republican Christine Drazan and independent candidate Betsy Johnson. Oregon has had a Democratic governor since 1987. 

    Caitlin O’Kane


    caitlin-okane.jpg

    Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

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  • Meet the history-makers of the 2022 midterm elections | CNN Politics

    Meet the history-makers of the 2022 midterm elections | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    While the overall midterm election results may not be known for hours or even days in some spots, candidates from both parties are already celebrating historic victories.

    Heading into Election Day, both parties were looking to diversify their ranks of elected officials, both in Congress and beyond, and they appear on track to do so.

    Republicans are excited about growing their roster of female governors and electing more Latino members to the US House. Democrats are on track to make a breakthrough for LGBTQ representation in governor’s offices.

    In Massachusetts, Democratic state Attorney General Maura Healey is poised to become the state’s first elected female governor and the nation’s first out lesbian state executive. Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former Trump White House press secretary, has been elected the first female governor of Arkansas. And Maryland Democrat Wes Moore will be the state’s first Black governor.

    Election results are still coming in, and many races won’t be called for days, if not weeks. But for now, here’s a look at the candidates who CNN projects will make history in the 2022 midterms.

    This list will be updated as more winners are projected.

    AL-SEN: Republican Katie Britt will be the first elected female senator from Alabama, CNN projects, winning an open-seat race to succeed her onetime boss, retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby. Britt is a former CEO of the Business Council of Alabama and was the heavy favorite in the general election in the deep-red state. Two women have previously represented Alabama in the Senate, but both were appointed to fill vacancies.

    AR-GOV: Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be the first woman elected governor of Arkansas, CNN projects, winning the office her father previously held for over a decade. Sanders, who earned a national profile in her role as press secretary in the Trump White House, is also the first daughter in US history to serve as governor of the same state her father once led.

    AR-LG: Republican Leslie Rutledge will be the first woman elected lieutenant governor of Arkansas, CNN projects. Rutledge, the state attorney general, originally sought the open governor’s seat but switched to the lieutenant governor’s race after Sanders entered the GOP gubernatorial primary. Lieutenant governors are elected on separate tickets in Arkansas.

    With the election of Sanders and Rutledge, Arkansas will join Massachusetts as the first states to have women serving concurrently as governor and lieutenant governor.

    CA-SEN: Democrat Alex Padilla will be the first elected Latino senator from California, CNN projects, winning a special election for the remainder of Kamala Harris’ term as well as an election for a full six-year term. Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrant parents, was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to the seat Harris vacated when she became vice president.

    CA-SOS: Democrat Shirley Weber will be California’s first elected Black secretary of state of state, CNN projects. Weber, a former state assemblywoman, has been serving in the position since last year after Newsom picked her to succeed Padilla, who was appointed to the US Senate.

    CA-AG: Democrat Rob Bonta will be California’s first elected Filipino American attorney general, CNN projects. Bonta, who was born in the Philippines and immigrated with his family to the US as an infant, has been serving in the position since last year after Newsom appointed him to succeed Xavier Becerra, who left to become President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services secretary.

    CA-42: Democrat Robert Garcia will be the first out LGBTQ immigrant elected to Congress, CNN projects, winning election to California’s 42nd Congressional District. Garcia, who immigrated from Lima, Peru, in the early 1980s at the age of 5, is the current mayor of Long Beach.

    CT-SOS: Democrat Stephanie Thomas will be the first Black woman elected secretary of state of Connecticut, CNN projects. Thomas, a member of the Connecticut House, will succeed appointed Democratic incumbent Mark Kohler.

    FL-10: Democrat Maxwell Frost will be the first member of Generation Z elected to Congress, CNN projects, winning the open seat for Florida’s 10th Congressional District. Generation Z refers to those born after 1996. Frost will succeed Democrat Val Demings, who vacated the seat to run for Senate.

    IL-03: Democrat Delia Ramirez will be the first Latina elected to Congress from Illinois, CNN projects, winning election to the state’s redrawn 3rd Congressional District. Ramirez, a Chicago-area state representative and the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, was also the first Guatemalan American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly.

    MD-GOV: Democrat Wes Moore will be the first Black governor of Maryland, CNN projects, becoming only the third Black person elected governor in US history. Moore, an Army veteran and former nonprofit executive, will succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

    MD-LG: Democrat Aruna Miller will be the first Asian American lieutenant governor of Maryland, CNN projects. Miller, who immigrated to the US with her family from India as a child, is a former member of the state House of Delegates. She was elected on the same ticket as Moore.

    MD-AG: Anthony Brown will be the first Black person elected attorney general of Maryland, CNN projects. Brown, who currently represents Maryland’s 5th Congressional District, has a been a longtime fixture in state politics, having also served as state lieutenant governor and in the state House and run for governor in 2014.

    MA-GOV: Democrat Maura Healey will be the first out lesbian governor in US history, CNN projects, winning an open-seat race for the governorship of Massachusetts. Healey, the current attorney general of Massachusetts, will also be the commonwealth’s first elected female governor.

    With the election of Healey and her running mate, Kim Driscoll, Massachusetts will join Arkansas as the first states to have women serving concurrently as governor and lieutenant governor.

    MI-13: Democrat Shri Thanedar will be the first Indian American elected to Congress from Michigan, CNN projects, winning election to the state’s 13th Congressional District. Thaneder, who immigrated to the US from India, was elected to the Michigan House in 2020 and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018.

    NY-GOV: Democrat Kathy Hochul will be the first elected female governor of New York, CNN projects, winning a full four-year term to the office she assumed last year after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned. Hochul, who previously served as the state’s lieutenant governor and a Buffalo-area congresswoman, will defeat Republican Lee Zeldin.

    OH-09: Democrat Marcy Kaptur will win a 21st term to the House from Ohio, CNN projects, and will become the longest-serving woman in Congress when she’s sworn in next year to represent the state’s 9th Congressional District. Kaptur, who was first elected in 1982 and is currently the longest-serving woman in House history, will break the record set by Barbara Mikulski, who represented Maryland in the House and Senate for a combined 40 years.

    OK-SEN: Republican Markwayne Mullin will be the first Native American senator from Oklahoma in almost 100 years, CNN projects, winning the special election to succeed GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe, who is resigning in January. Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, currently represents the state’s 2nd Congressional District. Democrat Robert Owen, also a member of the Cherokee Nation, represented Oklahoma in the Senate from 1907 to 1925.

    PA-LG: Democrat Austin Davis will be the first Black lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, CNN projects, winning election on a ticket with gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro. Davis is currently a member of the Pennsylvania House representing a Pittsburgh-area seat. He will be elected on a ticket with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro.

    PA-12: Democrat Summer Lee will be the first Black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania, CNN projects, winning election to the state’s 12th Congressional District. Lee, a Pittsburgh-area state representative, will succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle.

    VT-AL: Democrat Becca Balint will be the first woman elected to Congress from Vermont, CNN projects, winning election to the state’s at-large district. With Balint’s win, Vermont will lose its distinction as the only US state never to have sent a woman to Congress. Balint, the president pro tempore of the state Senate, will also be the first out LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Vermont.

    VT-AG: Charity Clark will be the first woman elected attorney general of Vermont, CNN projects. Clark previously served as chief of staff to Democratic Attorney General T.J. Donovan, who stepped down in June for a private sector job.

    This story has been updated with additional developments.

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  • Massachusetts museum returns sacred items to Sioux tribes

    Massachusetts museum returns sacred items to Sioux tribes

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    BARRE, Mass. — About 150 artifacts considered sacred by the Lakota Sioux peoples are being returned to them after being stored at a small Massachusetts museum for more than a century.

    Members of the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes traveled from South Dakota to take custody of the weapons, pipes, moccasins and clothing, including several items thought to have a direct link to the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota.

    They had been held by the Founders Museum in Barre, Massachusetts, about 74 miles west of Boston. A public ceremony was held Saturday inside the gym at a nearby elementary school that included prayers by the Lakota representatives. The artifacts will be officially handed over during a private ceremony.

    “Ever since that Wounded Knee massacre happened, genocides have been instilled in our blood,” said Surrounded Bear, 20, who traveled to Barre from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, according to The Boston Globe. “And for us to bring back these artifacts, that’s a step towards healing. That’s a step in the right direction.”

    The ceremony marked the culmination of repatriation efforts that had been decades in the making.

    “It was always important to me to give them back,” said Ann Meilus, president of the board at the Founders Museum. “I think the museum will be remembered for being on the right side of history for returning these items.”

    The items being returned are just a tiny fraction of an estimated 870,000 Native American artifacts — including nearly 110,000 human remains — in the possession of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, museums and even the federal government. They’re supposed to be returned to the tribes under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

    Museum officials have said that as a private institution that does not receive federal funding, the institution is not subject to NAGPRA, but returning items in its collection that belong to Indigenous tribes is the right thing to do.

    More than 200 men, women, children and elderly people were killed in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Congress issued a formal apology to the Sioux Nation a century later for one of the nation’s worst massacres of Native Americans.

    The Barre museum acquired its Indigenous collection from Frank Root, a traveling shoe salesman who collected the items on his journeys during the 19th century, and once had a road show that rivaled P.T. Barnum’s extravaganzas, according to museum officials.

    Wendell Yellow Bull, a descendant of Wounded Knee victim Joseph Horn Cloud, has said the items will be stored at Oglala Lakota College until tribal leaders decide what to do with them.

    The items being returned to the Sioux people have all been authenticated by multiple experts, including tribal experts. The museum also has other Indigenous items not believed to have originated with the Sioux.

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  • Michael Dukakis Fast Facts | CNN Politics

    Michael Dukakis Fast Facts | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Michael Dukakis, three-term governor of Massachusetts.

    Birth date: November 3, 1933

    Birth place: Brookline, Massachusetts

    Birth name: Michael Stanley Dukakis

    Father: Panos Dukakis, an obstetrician

    Mother: Euterpe (Boukis) Dukakis, a teacher

    Marriage: Katharine “Kitty” (Dickson) Dukakis (June 20, 1963-present)

    Children: Kara,1968; Andrea, 1965; Adopted: John, 1958, Kitty’s son from her first marriage

    Education: Swarthmore College, Political Science, B.A., 1955; Harvard University, J.D., 1960

    Military service: US Army, 1955-1957, Specialist Third Class

    Religion: Greek Orthodox

    First Greek-American to run for president.

    His first cousin was Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis.

    As a high school senior, he ran the Boston Marathon.

    Michael and Kitty Dukakis’ first child, a daughter, was born anencephalic in 1964 and died shortly after birth.

    October 1960 – Joins the Boston law firm Hill & Barlow as an associate.

    November 6, 1962 – Dukakis is elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

    1966 – Unsuccessful bid for Massachusetts attorney general.

    1970 – Loses race for lieutenant governor.

    1970 – Becomes a partner of Hill & Barlow.

    October 1, 1973 – Announces candidacy for Massachusetts governor.

    November 5, 1974 – Defeats incumbent Francis Sargent in the gubernatorial election.

    January 2, 1975-January 4, 1979 – 65th Governor of Massachusetts.

    September 19, 1978 – Loses the Democratic gubernatorial primary to Edward King, who goes on to win the general election.

    1979-1982 – Dukakis teaches at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

    January 1980 – His book,”State and Cities: The Massachusetts Experience,” is published.

    January 1982 – Announces his campaign to take back his job as the governor of Massachusetts.

    November 2, 1982 – Defeats John Sears in the gubernatorial election, with 60% of the vote.

    January 6, 1983-1991 – Governor of Massachusetts.

    June 1986 – His book, “Revenue Enforcement, Tax Amnesty and the Federal Deficit,” is published.

    November 4, 1986 – Wins a third term as governor, defeating George Kariotis 69% to 31%.

    April 29, 1987 – Formally declares his candidacy for president of the United States.

    February 1988 – His book, “Creating the Future: The Massachusetts Comeback and its Promise for America,” with Rosabeth Kanter is published.

    June 1988 – During the campaign, George H. W. Bush, the Republican nominee for president, paints Dukakis as soft on crime because of an incident involving Massachusetts’s weekend furlough program for prisoners. Inmate Willie Horton failed to return and later terrorized a Maryland couple before being captured.

    July 12, 1988 – Names Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) as his running mate.

    July 20, 1988 – Receives the nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta.

    October 13, 1988 – In the second presidential debate, moderator Bernard Shaw asks Dukakis if he would favor the death penalty if his wife, Kitty, was raped and murdered. Dukakis says no in an answer that many considered emotionless.

    November 8, 1988 – Loses the election to Bush by roughly seven million votes, earning 111 electoral votes in the Electoral College to Bush’s 426.

    1991-present – Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University in Boston.

    1991-2022 – Visiting professor at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA.

    2000 – His book, “How to Get Into Politics and Why: A Reader,” with Paul Simon is published.

    April 27, 2007 – Is awarded the city’s Medal of Honor in Athens, Greece.

    July 7, 2008 – Is quoted in the Boston Herald as saying that the country should get rid of the Electoral College and elect presidents through a popular vote.

    July 9, 2010 – “Leader-Managers in the Public Sector: Managing for Results,” with John H. Portz is published.

    October 16, 2014 – Testifies for the defense in the trial of Robel Phillipos, a friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing. Phillipos is charged with lying to the FBI during its investigation.

    November 13, 2016 – Dukakis again calls for an end to the Electoral College, Politico reports. Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump in the presidential election is because of “an anachronistic Electoral College system which should have been abolished 150 years ago.”

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  • Merrimack defeats Sacred Heart despite blowing 15-point lead

    Merrimack defeats Sacred Heart despite blowing 15-point lead

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    NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Gavin McCusker threw for a touchdown and got decisive score on the ground, leading Merrimack to a 31-25 victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday.

    McCusker, who threw for 124 yards, including a 20-yard TD pass to Pat Conroy, scored on a 2-yard run with 15 seconds left in the third quarter. Midway through the fourth quarter the Warriors’ Jared Dunn blocked a Sacred Heart punt and Lliam Davis capped the scoring with a 37-yard field goal.

    Trailing 31-25, Sacred Heart had two remaining possessions. Sam Renzi missed a 27-yard field goal with 5:22 remaining and later time ran out with the Pioneers at the Merrimack 27-yard line.

    Shayne Butler’s 42-yard interception return for a touchdown gave the Warriors (6-2, 4-0 Northeast Conference) a 21-6 lead early in the third quarter. Highlighted by a safety and a 68-yard touchdown pass from Marquez McCray to Kenneth Womack, Sacred Heart (4-3, 2-1) scored the next 19 points to take a 25-21 lead.

    Marquez completed 20 of 37 passes for 315 yards with a touchdown and interception. Grant Malik rushed for 97 yards and Rob DiNota had 120 receiving yards for the Pioneers, who had a 464-298 advantage in total yards.

    ———

    More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

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  • Cell biologist from Duke named new president of MIT

    Cell biologist from Duke named new president of MIT

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    CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — While there were myriad reasons Sally Kornbluth felt pulled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it was the chance to help address some of the world’s greatest challenges that played perhaps the biggest role, the school’s new president said at an introductory news conference on Thursday.

    “Maybe above all, I was drawn here because this is a moment when humanity faces huge global problems, problems that urgently demand the world’s most skillful minds and hands,” she said. “In short, I believe this is MIT’s moment. I could not imagine a greater privilege than helping the people of MIT seize its full potential.”

    Kornbluth, a cell biologist who has spent the past eight years as provost at Duke University, was elected MIT’s 18th president on Thursday by the MIT Corporation, the school’s governing body.

    She will officially take over on Jan. 1, succeeding L. Rafael Reif, who in February announced that he planned to step down after 10 years on the job. She is the second woman to lead MIT.

    Kornbluth has been on the Duke faculty since 1994, and is currently a professor of biology. As provost at the North Carolina school since 2014, Kornbluth was responsible for carrying out Duke’s teaching and research missions; developing its intellectual priorities; and partnering with others to improve faculty and students.

    It was her accomplishments at Duke that made her the clear frontrunner out of the four finalists for the MIT presidency, said Diane Greene, chair of the MIT Corporation.

    “Dr. Kornbluth is an extraordinary find for MIT,” Greene said, noting that the vote was unanimous. “She’s an exceptional administrator, widely respected for her ability to create an environment that breaks barriers, and importantly, enables every student, faculty and staff member to contribute at their highest levels. She is known for her judgment, plain-spokenness, and integrity.”

    Kornbluth also pledged to keep MIT a welcoming and comfortable environment where everyone can reach their potential.

    “I’m absolutely committed to building a more diverse and increasingly inclusive environment here at MIT,” she said.

    Kornbluth already has one strong tie to MIT. Her son, Alex, is a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering and computer science at the school. Her husband, Daniel Lew, is a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke School of Medicine, and her daughter, Joey, is a medical student at the University of California at San Francisco.

    She grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and has degrees from Williams College, Cambridge University, and Rockefeller University.

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  • Woman charged with sending bee swarm on deputies at eviction

    Woman charged with sending bee swarm on deputies at eviction

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    SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — A Massachusetts woman who released a swarm of bees on sheriff’s deputies as they tried to serve an eviction notice is facing multiple assault and battery charges, authorities said.

    Rorie S. Woods, 55, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Oct. 12 in Springfield District Court and was released without bail, Masslive.com, citing court records, reported on Wednesday.

    She and other protesters maintain that they were trying to prevent a wrongful eviction. The homeowner, Alton King, brought evidence of a bankruptcy stay to court the next day, at which point “everything should have stopped,” said Grace Ross of the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending.

    Woods’ lawyer did not immediately respond to a voicemail left by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

    Hampden County deputies were met by protesters when they went to the home in Longmeadow on the morning of Oct. 12, according to the official department report.

    Woods, who lives in Hadley, arrived in an SUV towing a trailer carrying bee hives and started “shaking” them, breaking the cover off one and causing hundreds of bees to swarm out and initially sting one deputy, according to the report.

    Woods, who put on a beekeeper’s suit to protect herself, was eventually handcuffed but not before several more sheriff’s department employees were stung, including three who are allergic to bees, the report said.

    When Woods was told that several officers were allergic, she said “Oh, you’re allergic? Good,” according to the report.

    Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi said Woods could have faced more serious charges if anything worse had happened. “We had one staff member go the hospital, and, luckily, he was all right,” Cocchi said.

    The deputies were simply doing their duty, Chief Deputy Sheriff Robert Hoffman said.

    “We had a court order that’s been presented to us and it’s our job to effectuate that court order,” Hoffman said. “It was Miss Woods’ arrival with her vehicle and her trailer that really caused things to go haywire.”

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  • City unveils plan for major makeover of Boston Common

    City unveils plan for major makeover of Boston Common

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    BOSTON — Boston Common, America’s oldest public park, is getting a multimillion-dollar makeover that includes an expanded visitors’ center, more restrooms, additional sports facilities, and even a sit-down restaurant at the famed Frog Pond, city officials announced Wednesday.

    The goal is to make the 50-acre (20-hectare) swath of green space in the heart of the city more welcoming, convenient, fun and accessible for both city residents and tourists.

    “Boston Common’s gorgeous tree-lined paths and open spaces have hosted so many moments marked in history, from shaping our collective conscience to celebrating our communities,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. “We’re excited to be sharing a plan that honors the Common’s history, reflects the community’s vision, and creates a space that will be more accessible, more resilient, and more inclusive for generations to come.”

    The Common was founded in 1634 and draws millions of people per year. It has been used as a place for public executions, as a pasture, and a military training field, according to the nonprofit group Friends of the Public Garden, which helped develop the Boston Common Master Plan.

    More recently it has hosted civil rights marches, Vietnam War protests and a 1979 Catholic Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II attended by an estimated 400,000 people during a soaking rainstorm. It was also the site of huge protests in 2020 against police brutality.

    The multiyear plan also includes tripling the size of a children’s playground, a dog park, and adding wheelchair ramps to the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial, and the Parkman Bandstand.

    “With this Boston Common Master Plan, America’s first public park will have a unified vision for evolving and adapting to meet the needs of Boston’s residents and visitors to our city as well as of the park itself,” said Liz Vizza, president of the Friends of the Public Garden.

    The planned changes are the result of years of public input and will be funded in part by $28 million from the 2019 sale of a city parking garage. The city has opened a 45-day public comment period for residents to share their priorities for the makeover plan.

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  • DeSantis’ migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard appear outside the scope of Florida transport program guidelines, state documents show | CNN

    DeSantis’ migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard appear outside the scope of Florida transport program guidelines, state documents show | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A pair of flights carrying migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last month, orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, may have exceeded the original scope of the state’s plan to transport undocumented individuals, according to records obtained by CNN.

    The records show that in the months leading up to those flights, Florida had planned a narrower mission for a controversial new state program to transport migrants to other states. The goal, according to a callout to contractors and guidelines for the program, was to, “relocate out of the state of Florida foreign nationals who are not lawfully present in the United States.”

    But that’s not what transpired. On September 14, two planes picked up 48 migrants in San Antonio – not Florida – and dropped them off in Martha’s Vineyard.

    The documents, provided to CNN through a records request and released Friday evening by the Florida Department of Transportation and the governor’s office, offer new details about the stunt that thrust DeSantis even deeper into the middle of a national debate on immigration. From the White House to Florida, Massachusetts and beyond, the condemnation from Democrats was swift. So was the praise from Republicans for DeSantis, who only further bolstered his standing in his party as he considers running for President in 2024.

    A Democratic state lawmaker is already suing the state and asking a judge to stop future flights, arguing the DeSantis administration was illegally spending taxpayer dollars. The budget act that created the $12 million program specified the money was set aside to relocate “unauthorized aliens from this state.”

    The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The records for the first time also directly tie a $615,000 state payment made to Vertol Systems Company for the September flights that sent migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard. Previously, the payment to Vertol was disclosed by the state, but the governor’s office for weeks declined to confirm that the check was linked to the flights that landed in Massachusetts.

    The Florida Department of Transportation, the agency tasked with executing the new migrant relocation program, received a price quote from Vertol CEO James Montgomerie on September 6 for “the first Project,” one document showed. Montgomerie identified that project as “the facilitation of the relocation of up to fifty individuals to the State of Massachusetts or other, proximate northeastern state.” The price, he said, was $615,000.

    The next day, FDOT officials sent a letter asking for authorization for the $615,000 and the state made the payment within the next 24 hours, according to financial statements maintained on the Florida Chief Financial Officer’s website previously reported by CNN.

    In communications with FDOT earlier during the summer, Montgomerie offered the state services that suggested a considerably less ambitious mission for the migrant relocation program.

    On July 26, after a discussion with FDOT’s general counsel, Montgomerie gave the agency estimates for his company to charter flights that could carry four to 12 people from Crestview, Florida, to the Boston or Los Angeles areas, according to an email from the Vertol executive to FDOT.

    “We are certainly willing to provide you with pricing information on specific ad-hoc requirements on a case by case basis,” Montgomerie wrote in the email.

    The prices quoted for flights originating from Florida more closely aligned with FDOT’s guidelines for the program that it sent to prospective contractors and the agency’s request for quotes. In the three-page guidelines, FDOT stipulated the chosen company needed to ensure “that the Unauthorized Alien has voluntarily agreed to be relocated out of Florida.” The quotes also showed Montgomerie early on anticipated Vertol would be moving less people. Later, in September, his quotes evolved to include many more people on board.

    Ultimately, the planes that left San Antonio briefly touched down in Crestview before eventually landing in Massachusetts.

    At the time of the state’s request for contractors, DeSantis was publicly claiming that President Joe Biden could send buses of migrants from the US-Mexico border to Florida. But DeSantis acknowledged last month those buses never arrived, and his focus began to shift hundreds of miles away to Texas.

    DeSantis has said the intention of executing the flights from Texas was to stop the flow of migrants at the source before they came to Florida.

    “If you can do it at the source and divert to sanctuary jurisdictions, the chance they end up in Florida is much less,” DeSantis told reporters in September.

    DeSantis has vowed to use “every penny” of the $12 million allocated to his administration for migrant transports. However, the state has not publicly taken credit for any transports since the two planes landed in Martha’s Vineyard.

    State Sen. Jason Pizzo, the lawmaker now suing DeSantis, said the governor cannot choose to ignore the law when spending state money.

    “You can’t even play by your own rules,” Pizzo told CNN last month when speaking of DeSantis. “This isn’t something that we passed 12 years ago. It was done four months ago at your request.”

    DeSantis’ office previously said the lawsuit by Pizzo was an attempt at “15 minutes of fame.”

    The state has paid Vertol $1.6 million so far through its migrant program, which is funded by interest earned on federal coronavirus relief money, according to the state budget documents. The initial payment of $615,000 was made by the FDOT on September 8, six days before the Martha’s Vineyard flight. Another payment for $950,000 followed on September 16, though it’s not clear what that payment went for.

    A few days after that second payment, reports of a similar flight plan from San Antonio to Delaware, Biden’s home state, sent officials there scrambling to prepare for migrant arrivals. The flights, though, never arrived.

    The state did not provide a contract with Vertol in the records released Friday night. Nor do the documents offer further insight into why Vertol was chosen over two other companies that appeared to submit quotes to the state, according to records.

    CNN has reached out to Montgomerie for further comment.

    Vertol had an existing link to a DeSantis administration official prior to its work with the state. Lawrence Keefe, Florida’s “public safety czar” appointed by DeSantis to lead the state’s crackdown on illegal immigration, represented the aviation company from 2010 to 2017.

    In its quoted price to the state, Vertol said it was providing “Project management, aircraft, crew, maintenance logistics, fuel, coordination and planning, route preparation, route services, landing fees, ground handling and logistics and other Project-related expenses,” according to the documents.

    The request for quotes from the state also asked that potential contractors have “multilingual capability for Spanish.” The chosen contractor would also have to develop procedures for “confirming with Partner Agencies that the person to be transported is an Unauthorized Alien.” Pizzo and others have questioned whether the migrants are considered “unauthorized” by the federal government if they are legally seeking asylum.

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  • Fire damages Mark Wahlberg’s childhood home in Boston

    Fire damages Mark Wahlberg’s childhood home in Boston

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    BOSTON — A home where entertainers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg’s family once lived was damaged by fire Sunday in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, the fire department said.

    The blaze in a nearby home at around 10 a.m., but spread to another three buildings because of strong winds, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke said. Two firefighters suffered injuries and one resident was taken to the hospital. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.

    One of the homes involved was 25 Peverell Street, where the Wahlberg family used to live. Mark Wahlberg visited the home during the production of his Netflix movie “Wonderland” in 2018 and 2019. In one video posted on social media, the actor stands shirtless in front of the house, describing it as “where it all started.”

    The homes affected by Sunday’s fire were a type of classic Boston architecture called a triple decker, a three-family home that’s common in the city.

    “It was a total of four three-deckers that were on fire, mostly in the rear of the buildings on the porches,” the fire commissioner told WCVB-TV. “It’s a very tight street.”

    Boston Fire Department spokesperson Brian Alkins said 15 people were displaced by the fire. He estimated damage to the buildings at $2 million.

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  • News Chopper Crash Lands in Central Boston

    News Chopper Crash Lands in Central Boston

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    News Chopper Crash Lands in Central Boston – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    A helicopter operated by WCVB, ABC’s TV affiliate in Boston, was forced to make an unexpected landing in Boston Common, located in the center of the city. WBZ-TV’s Jonathan Elias reports.

    Be the first to know

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  • WAMC Gives Back During June Fund Drive

    WAMC Gives Back During June Fund Drive

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    Press Release
    –

    Jun 9, 2022


    ALBANY, N.Y., June 9, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    WAMC/Northeast Public Radio completed its June Fund Drive on June 9, 2022, raising over $1,000,000 to support the station’s award-winning news and cultural programming thanks to the generosity of listeners contributing during 12 hours over four days of on-air fundraising and also to the Locked Box. This drive marks the second of three this year.

    Taking precautions for the health and safety of volunteers and staff, WAMC has continued to delay returning to its traditional Fund Drive. Instead, the Locked Box and Fund Drive were completed with the help of a few volunteers and the WAMC staff, who fielded calls and online donations.

    WAMC was honored to partner with The Food Pantries For The Capital District and Janitronics to help feed hundreds of families this summer through the drive. 

    WAMC President and CEO Alan Chartock says, “Even in our most challenging times, including COVID and political disruption, WAMC’s listeners have come through to keep this station going. This is an incredible family, and I couldn’t be more proud. I’m forever grateful for the support once again.”

    Ray Graf, newscaster and Vox Pop host, adds: “These are tough economic times; it’s difficult for many to even put food on the table. Add to that a world that is still picking up the pieces of a pandemic and still the WAMC family is there to help. It amazes me.”

    WAMC is a listener-supported station that relies on contributions to stay alive. Its Fund Drives primarily occur three times a year: February, June, and October. Each drive has a $1 million goal to support the general operations of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio.

    If you’re interested in finding out more about their Fund Drives, or to donate or volunteer, please contact Amber Sickles at 1-800-323-9262 ext. 133.

    WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a non-commercial, public radio station and nonprofit organization that presents award-winning news and cultural programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. WAMC’s listening area reaches parts of seven states, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire; as well as parts of Canada. With over 400,000 monthly listeners, WAMC ranks among the most-listened-to public radio stations in the United States. WAMC is a member of National Public Radio and an affiliate of Public Radio International. For more information on WAMC, please visit www.wamc.org or call 518.465.5233.

    WAMC-FM 90.3 FM, Albany, NY; WAMC 1400 AM, Albany, NY; WAMK 90.9 FM, Kingston, NY; WOSR 91.7 FM, Middletown, NY; WCEL 91.9 FM, Plattsburgh, NY; WCAN 93.3 FM, Canajoharie, NY; WANC 103.9 FM, Ticonderoga, NY; WRUN 90.3 FM, Remsen-Utica, NY; WAMQ 105.1 FM, Great Barrington, MA; WANZ 90.1 FM, Stamford, NY; WANR 88.5 FM, Brewster, NY; WQQQ 103.3FM Sharon, CT; 103.9 FM Beacon, NY; 97.3 FM, Cooperstown, NY; 106.3 FM Dover Plains, NY; 96.5 FM Ellenville, NY; 102.1 FM Highland, NY; 97.1 FM Hudson, NY; 88.7 FM Lake Placid, NY; 106.3 FM Middletown, NY; 90.9 FM Milford, PA; 107.7 FM Newburgh, NY; 90.1 FM Oneonta, NY; 99.3 FM Oneonta, NY; 95.9 FM Peekskill, NY; 93.1 FM Rensselaer-Troy, NY; 92.9 FM Scotia, NY, 107.1 FM Warwick, NY, and online at www.wamc.org, www.facebook.com/wamcradio, www.instagram.com/wamcradio, and www.twitter.com/wamcradio.

    Source: WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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  • Solar Therapeutics and Clear Path for Veterans New England Announce Partnership During Month of November and Beyond

    Solar Therapeutics and Clear Path for Veterans New England Announce Partnership During Month of November and Beyond

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    Massachusetts-based Cannabis Manufacturer Partners with New England Veterans Advocacy Organization to Help Raise Awareness and Support

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Nov 10, 2020


    SOMERSET, Mass., November 10, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Solar Therapeutics (Solar) – America’s only energy-independent cannabis company – today announced its partnership with Clear Path for Veterans New England (CP4VNE) in efforts to help raise visibility and deliver support for its wellness-based Veterans’ Community Center located in Devens, MA. 

    “Solar and CP4VNE share a common belief about how we need to aid and assist our Veterans throughout all stages of their reintegration into civilian life,” said Ed Dow, CEO of Solar. “We’re beyond excited to partner with Clear Path for Veterans New England. We will do everything in our power to inspire our network and community to support Clear Path’s amazing mission and programs.”

    CP4VNE mission is built on providing a safe and supportive community for Veterans to access the assistance they need to successfully reintegrate into civilian life. Rather than disjointing these resources into different locations, CP4VNE consolidates its services onto its campus, which is spread throughout Fort Devens. Their newly renovated headquarters is an epicenter comprising programs that enable Veterans the opportunity to interact with their fellow servicemen and women. While on the campus, service members have access to programs including, service dog training and pairing, peer-to-peer mentoring, workforce redevelopment, yoga, meditation and fitness classes, family aid and support networks, as well as other various social activities and events.

    “This is an exciting time for us,” said Donna Bulger, Executive Director & Vice President at Clear Path for Veterans New England. “It takes a united effort to offer the proper care for our servicemen and women and we’re proud to support all of those who have proudly served our country. Partnering with an organization such as Solar allows us to continue connecting our Veterans with the resources they need to thrive in civilian life.”

    To kick off the partnership, Solar will be retailing custom-branded CP4VNE camouflage apparel at its Somerset dispensary and online store. All proceeds from sales will go directly to Clear Path to help support its wellness center, as well as other initiatives planned for 2020 and beyond.

    About Solar Therapeutics

    Based in Somerset, MA, Solar Therapeutics, Inc. (Solar) is a 67,000 square foot, triple-tier marijuana cultivation facility coupled with on-site and off-site dispensary storefronts that supply both medical and recreational cannabis products. Solar is organized as a MA. domestic for-profit corporation and has secured a Certificate of Registration from the MA. Cannabis Control Commission to operate in the Commonwealth. Developed behind the mantra Elevated. By Design™, Solar is unlike any cannabis manufacturing facility in America. Its key differentiators are its production architecture, which is centered around the facility’s innovative design that utilizes green infrastructure and microgrid assets comprising a combination of solar arrays and high-efficiency combined heat and power generation units. These green concepts enable Solar to produce sustainable cannabis both by lowering its overall energy profile as well as by generating all of its own clean power. While initial facility design lowered Solar’s energy profile by over 40%, the microgrid assets help to further reduce the remaining emissions by at least 60%, with a goal to offset completely. Learn more at www.solarthera.com

    About Clear Path For Veterans New England

    Based in Devens, MA, and founded in 2017 by a team of dedicated volunteers, Clear Path for Veterans New England (CP4VNE) is a 501(c)3 with one mission — to build a safe, supportive and respectful establishment for Veterans to seek the help and resources they need to successfully reintegrate into their communities. What makes CP4VNE unique is the consolidation of its services and programs into one campus, which is located on Fort Devens. CP4VNE is modeled after the successful programs of Clear Path for Veterans New York and its decade-long success, where the emphasis of “family” is the integral part and the first line of defense in upholding wellness. Clear Path NY continues to provide assistance, training and mentoring to support CP4VNE to provide programs and services that work. Learn more at www.clearpathne.org

    Source: Solar Therapeutics

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  • Whittier Street Health Center Among 100 Organizations Selected for AG Grant to Partly Fund Summer Jobs for Youth

    Whittier Street Health Center Among 100 Organizations Selected for AG Grant to Partly Fund Summer Jobs for Youth

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    Summer Youth Employment Program at Whittier Gets a Financial Boost From Healthcare Settlement Money From AG Maura Healey’s Office

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Jul 16, 2019


    ROXBURY, Mass., July 16, 2019 (Newswire.com)
    –
    ​​​​Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey recently announced her office will award Whittier Street Health Center ​part of the state’s healthcare settlement money in a grant to support the summer hiring of youth. Whittier is one of 100 organizations across the Bay State who were selected for the grant.

    The generous support of Healy’s office will partly fund youth counselors for Whittier’s Summer Youth Enrichment Program, a summer day-camp which began in 2003 to meet the needs of working parents in the community. The majority of Whittier’s campers are from housing developments in the Roxbury area, where the opportunity for positive and safe summer activities is slim.  

    Throughout the six-week summer program at Whittier, children ages 6 to 11 participate in sports and fitness activities, maintain and contribute to Whittier’s community garden, participate in cooking classes and nutrition workshops, and receive mentoring about healthy lifestyles.  

    “Our summer jobs program provides hundreds of young people across the state with an opportunity to challenge themselves, gain new skills and make a difference in their own community,” said Healey, who launched the Healthy Summer Youth Jobs Grant Program in 2015, and has funded more than 800 jobs to date.

    One of those jobs belongs to Roxbury resident Tryshten Suazo, who has been employed as a youth leader at Whittier Street Health Center’s Summer Enrichment Program since 2015. Suazo began the program as a day-camper himself and credits the program for having a profound impact on him. 

    “It impacted me in the way it increased my ability to socialize,” said Suazo, who appreciates the opportunity to work at the summer program and interact with the community. For young people like Suazo, the options for summer work in his urban Boston neighborhood are minimal and primarily in customer service or retail. “Not only are you making money and occupying yourself, you’re focusing on something that you’re interested in. I just love coming to hang out. I’m learning something new every day,” he said. 

    “It really does benefit the community,” added Suazo. “Parents need to find a good place to bring their children, not only to have fun and learn stuff from other people but also expose them to new things they can bring back to their neighborhoods.”

    For low-income youth without a summer day program, a Johns Hopkins Learning Association Report found a phenomenon known as the “summer slide,” which manifested in lower rates of high school graduation, seasonal weight gain three times as fast and deficits in valuable social-emotional learning skills such as conflict resolution, cooperation and communication abilities.    

    The mission of Whittier Street Health Center is to provide high-quality, reliable and accessible primary health care and support services for diverse populations to promote wellness and eliminate health and social disparities. The health center also provides community-based cancer care in partnership with Dana Farber Cancer Institute; general dentistry; HIV services; laboratory; obstetrics and gynecology; pediatrics/adolescent health; LGBTQ clinic; eye care; and mental health counseling. Whittier also runs over 40 social service initiatives from a food pantry to a wellness center/gym, addressing everything from substance abuse, violence, trauma, food insecurity and total person holistic wellbeing. Whittier Street Health Center is a 501c3 charitable organization.

    Media  Contact:
    Jesse Migneault Phone: 617.989.3283
    Email: jesse.migneault@wshc.org
    @Whittier_Boston

    Source: Whittier Street Health Center

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  • Vision Films Presents MURDER on the CAPE, Based on the Christa Worthington Murder

    Vision Films Presents MURDER on the CAPE, Based on the Christa Worthington Murder

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Sep 27, 2017


    LOS ANGELES, Calif., September 27, 2017 (Newswire.com)
    –
     Vision Films is proud to present MURDER ON THE CAPE, based on the 2002 Cape Cod murder of Christa Worthington. Written and directed by Arthur Egeli, MURDER ON THE CAPE is a stunning and deeply human retelling of the case that shocked the nation.

    The film stars Jade Harlow (Passions, The Bay), Josh Walther (Eugene O’Neill: Art as Life), Chris Lazzaro (Jersey Shore Massacre), Heather Egeli (Ghost Forest ) and Tim Misuradze (The Young and The Restless).

    It struck me while I was watching this film that there was even more to the typical ‘torn from the headlines’ movie, it is a compelling murder mystery, where a real ‘who done it’ is unfolding before our eyes in the news.

    Lise Romanoff, Managing Director, Vision Films

    MURDER ON THE CAPE is available on Digital for an SRP $4.99 – $9.99 Rent or Buy across all platforms and to Buy on DVD for $14.95.

    MURDER ON THE CAPE is based on the true story of New York fashion writer Christa Worthington, who has an affair with a married fisherman while spending a winter holiday in Cape Cod. She returns two years later with his child looking to rekindle their love. When she is found murdered, a mystery unfolds within the tight-knit community, shedding doubt on the prime suspect’s guilt.

    “The heart of the story is that there were all these personal struggles that you cannot read in a book about the crime,” director Arthur Egeli says. “You don’t get to see how everything affects each other, so we produced a narrative film about the characters who all had unique perspectives.”

    Get MURDER ON THE CAPE

    Amazon: http://bit.ly/MurderontheCape-Amazon

    Vimeo On Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/murderonthecape

    FandangoNow: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/murder-on-the-cape-2017/MMVF15B8E8E70C0E067F877099D8DCC882FC

    http://www.Facebook.com/capemovie

    ABOUT VISION FILMS:

    Vision Films is an Independent Worldwide Distributor and VOD Aggregator of over 800 Feature Films, Documentaries and Music Programs from some of the most prolific independent film producers in the world.   Led by Lise Romanoff, Managing Director/CEO Worldwide Distribution, Vision Films releases 2-4 films a month, across Theatrical, VOD, DVD, and television. www.visionfilms.net

    We are excited to present MURDER ON THE CAPE for review, and editorial inclusion. Review links are available; request yours today!  

    PRESS CONTACTS:

    Nicole Newton-Plater

    For Vision Films

    Nicole@ppmg.info

    310-860-7774

    Source: Popular Press Media Group

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