Saturday, April 13, 2013
State lawmakers have proposed four ways to fund transportation going forward.
Officials, legislators and members of the public have debated four plans unveiled during the course of the past two months all with one goal: Paying for transportation in Massachusetts for the foreseeable future. Writers of these plans are trying to find ways to pump as much money as possible into the system, while trying to avoid dramatic fare increases, tax hikes and fees. These are the plans in chronological order based on the time of their announcements: Writer: Gov. Deval Patrick, Mass. Department of Transportation Money: $1 billion Date of Announcement: Jan. 14, 2013 Gov. Deval Patrick unleashed “The Way Forward: A 21st Century Transportation Plan” in Januray. The plan is an ambitious, multi-billion dollar budgetary proposal for …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Do you agree with the governor's decision or was it too drastic?
All non-emergency drivers were ordered off the roads on Friday when Gov. Deval Patrick issued an executive order banning travel during the blizzard. (Editor's note: The ban is lifted statewide as of 4 p.m. Saturday.) Patrick's executive order is being praised by some and bashed by others, reported The Boston Globe. While former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was in charge of the commonwealth during the Blizzard of ’78, praised the governor’s move, others called the order “tyrannical” and say the strict ban and hefty fines were too much, according to The Globe. Those caught violating the ban would face up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. What do you think? Do you agree with the governor’s decision or do you think the travel ban …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Tell us: do you think we need to increase taxes to strengthen education and transportation?
In his State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night, Gov. Deval Patrick proposed raising the state's income tax by 1 percentage point and lowering the sales tax to pay for $2 billion in transportation improvements and early childhood education programs. "There is no good time to raise taxes. I know how tough the times have been on the people and families of the Commonwealth. And though the worst of the recession is over, many, many families still face tough decisions and have deep anxiety about the future. I would not ask if I did not believe in my heart that investing meaningfully today in education and transportation will significantly improve our economic tomorrows," Patrick said. Patrick said he wanted a more fair and …
Thursday, November 1, 2012
The two utility companies have had complaints in recent storms—Hurricane Irene and Snowtober—but say they stepped it up for Sandy.
Hurricane Sandy blew out of the region earlier this week, but not without causing massive power outages, some of which have yet to be fixed. Both National Grid and NStar say they did a better, faster job in fixing power outages than in previous storms, according to WBUR. Not everyone agrees, however. According to the story, Newton Mayor Setti Warren said NStar was faster, but there's still work to be done. Gov. Deval Patrick also told WBUR the companies worked faster, but said a "total victory" can't be declared. Do you agree? Have they improved since the last storm? Or is there still work to be done? Tell us in the comments.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick speaks with Patch readers live at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Which questions do you want him to answer?
If you could ask Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick one question, what would it be? Patrick will join Patch Thursday at 1:30 p.m. for a live chat with readers. Now isyour chance to ask the executive of the commonwealth your question about casinos, the economy, elections or whatever else you want to know. Can't make it to the live chat? Leave your questions for Patrick in the comments to have them considered for the live Q&A session. We'll be sure to ask about the most popular topics when we chat Thursday. To join our chat, head on over to our homepage from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Ask Gov. Deval Patrick about any topic you like during our live chat at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Gov. Deval Patrick will take your questions live on Patch this Thursday. The governor will spend 45 minutes fielding your questions as they come. Head to our homepage from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. on Thursday to join our chat. You'll simply have to provide your name, and you'll be able to ask your questions immediately. If you can't make the live chat, leave your questions as comments to this article, and we'll do our best to add them to the queue. We will publish the live chat transcript immediately and a recap first thing on Friday morning. Questions submitted will be subject to moderator approval. No vulgar or libelous comments will be allowed. Because we expect a high volume of questions for the chat session, we will keep the questions …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Patrick visited the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary Monday to announce $5 million in grant funds for the state.
Gov. Patrick announced $5 million in cultural grants for the state at Natick's Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary Tuesday morning. $185,000 of the total grant funds will benefit the Broadmoor sanctuary itself by paying for renovations to the facility's nature canter and to upgrade its green energy systems. "It's important to remember this is also an economic investment to create jobs," Patrick said while announcing the grants. "Working to maintain and improve these facilities will continue to draw visitors to Massachusetts and provide creative outlets and activities for residents," Marty Jones, President of MassDevelopment said in a press release.
The Concerts on the Common series continues this evening with a performance by Stacy Peasley.
1. Stacy Peasley will perform today on the Natick Common as part of the town's Concerts on the Common series. If you're interested in some free tunes, head down to the common for a 6:30 p.m. start. 2. Governor Patrick was in Natick yesterday to announce cultural grants for the state at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary. Excited young day camp attendees shook hands with the Governor and welcomed him to Natick. Check out our photos from the event. 3. Roots & Wings yoga studio is hosting "Stretch What Matters", a yoga class designed for those with special needs. The event aims to provide the benefits of yoga by using breathing techniques and stretching. The class begins at 4:30 p.m. 4. Eat, Drink and Paint today at Palettes. The art studio is …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Deval Patrick will announce $5 million in new grants for Massachusetts cultural programs.
Govenor Deval Patrick will head to Natick's Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary on Tuesday to announce $5 million in new grants for Massachusetts cultural organizations. According to a press release from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, the formal announcement and celebration of the grants begins at 10 a.m. The funds will benefit "56 arts, heritage, and science organizations across the Commonwealth." The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund aims to grow the cultural sector in Massachusetts by funding various arts, humanities and science initiatives. The fund has donated more than $50 million since its inception 5 years ago. State officials and non-profit leaders including State Rep. David Linsky of Natick and Laura Johnson, …
JT
3:40 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
People should use their common sense in situations like this--but there are always some who won't and will endanger others in the process. The ban was good in that respect, and the $500 fine certainly should have made folks think twice if they were hesitating over driving or staying home for no particular reason. However, the threatened jail time was absurd--and enough's been said about that here… more ›