I'm reading Joanna Weiss' inaugural op-ed while Mrs. O.L. is reading about the season's hottest new toy.The President talks about his foreign trip, and the hope of opening new markets to American made goods and in so doing creating new American jobs. He talks of his efforts to stop nuclear proliferation, as well as commenting on efforts made to promote American values during his trip to [...]
They call themselves pro-life, but their votes against stem cell research are pro-death. We should call them out on that. [...] Today, Diane Patrick, the Commonwealth's First Lady, announced that she will endorse Mike Capuano for U.S. Senate.
Mrs. Patrick will formally endorse Congressman Capuano tomorrow at his 50th "Open Mike" conversation with voters at the Dedham Community Theater, 580 High Street, at 10:30am.
... A partner at [...]
Defending Net Neutrality
A Pagliuca for Senate Report
Preserving the internet as an open resource for free speech, innovation, and job creation
Since its creation, the internet has been a transformational force [...]
NORTH ADAMS, MA-In conjunction with the North Adams Christmas tree lighting festivities, DownStreet Art Thursdays are back for one special night: DownStreet Art on Ice.
On Thursday, December 3, gallery openings, artist receptions, performances, and shopping specials will bring life to the start of the winter season.
The annual [...]
Williamstown, MA - All are invited to the 36th annual 1753 House Carol Sing at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 21. Dress warmly and bring a candle to see by. Gail Burns will lead the singing and carol books will be provided. The 1753 House Carol Sing is a free, [...]
Bennington, VT - The explorations of European explorers 400 years ago left indelible imprints on our area. Within a few days of each other, in the fall of 1609, Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River as far as present day Albany and Samuel de Champlain investigated the lake that [...]
North Adams, MA - Co-presented by MCLA Presents!, Williams College Dance Department and MCLA’s African, Latino, Asian, and Native American(ALANA) Student Clubs and Organizations.
After sell-out performances at the world famous Apollo Theater, Craig Harris’s God’s Trombones returns to the Berkshires in a stirring concert version at MCLA’s Church [...]
Williamstown, MA – On Saturday, December 5 from 1-7 pm the Williams College Students for Social Justice group will be holding their 6th Annual Alternative Gift Fair in the Sanctuary of the First Congregational Church of Williamstown.
The Alternative Gift Fair is an opportunity to shop for socially responsible holiday [...]
Dan Hill, a 36-year-old Charlestown [...]
North Adams, MA - The city of North Adams will hold the annual Christmas Tree Lighting / Visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus on Thursday, December 3 at 5:30 pm at Monument Square. The Drury Band, directed by Christopher Caproni will perform; vocalist Diane Maynard will sing seasonal carols. The [...]
Candidate -- $ Raised -- $ on hand
Coakley -- $1.9 million -- $1.9 million
Capuano -- $1.8 million -- $1.1 million
[...]
Governor Deval Patrick yesterday called the State Legislature to task for going out of formal session, going to the state house press room personally to urge the Speaker to call the Legislature back into session. The Governor is upset with the lack of House action on an education bill that [...]
Is this the most casual self-outing by a gay Republican in the history of politics or what?
It will be interesting to see how the GOP base in the state reacts. If Charlie Baker does pick Tisei as his LG, it's possible that someone could run against him on an anti-gay [...]
The Furniture Fixer New England store had its grand opening yesterday. The Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce joined owner Jonathan Anderson and his family as he opened his Furniture Repair shop in Railroad Square at 5 Pelham Street. Best of luck to Jon and his lovely family.
some unscrupulous entertainment conglomerate could make a fortune selling a interactive video game built around a violent coup d' tat aimed at the current administration. Deeply dispossessed wingnuts would pay Big Bucks for something like this in the holiday season.I had to open my big mouth last week to my husband. I said to him, wow, I think it’s been a long time since you were sick! Or me…though I get colds less than he does. He tends to get sick at the turn of seasons, so I was [...]
Martha supports the Senate bill. She believes it represents great progress toward assuring quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans; and she is [...]
COAKLEY, CAPUANO, KHAZEI AND PAGLIUCA TO PARTICIPATE IN CONSORTIUM DEBATE AT NECN STUDIOS ON WEDNESDAY, DEC 2
BOSTON GLOBE, WBUR, WGBH-TV AND NECN CO-SPONSOR FINAL TELEVISED DEBATE BEFORE SPECIAL SENATE ELECTION PRIMARY
NEWTON, MA - The four Democratic candidates contending for the late Senator Ted Kennedy's Senate seat will debate for one [...]
The Massachusetts unemployment rate fell last month for the first time in more than two years, plunging nearly a half-percentage point as employers trimmed payrolls by just 900 jobs, the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported today. The state jobless rate dropped to 8.9 percent in [...]
Hey, here's some news to crack a few smiles in the governor's office: the Massachusetts unemployment rate dropped from 9.3% to 8.7% in October -- the first monthly decline in 28 months.
Total net job losses for the month were under 1000. Construction jobs eked positive for the first time since [...]
Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday made the move that all have been awaiting, unveiling a Health Care Bill that will be the focus of an intense legislative battle in the Senate. Reid’s bill has received a positive fiscal score from the CBO, which estimates that the fiscal impact will shave [...]
There is an abortion restriction, but early reports indicate that it's not as bad as Stupitts.
The Senate version would require at least' [...]
So sez DeLeo. His letter to the House membership (and released publicly) is below. The tone is remarkably positive. I'm impressed by both chambers' willingness to take on CORI, which must be a tough (but correct and necessary) vote for a lot of members.
November 18, 2009
Dear Colleague:
As you know, [...]
The Boston Globe estimated that 300 people filled State House hearing room A1 for the 11/17/09 hearing on anti-bullying legislation. That estimate sounds about right: it was standing room only. A large number of the seats were filled by students from the Rashi School, [...]
As you may have heard, we just passed CORI reform in the Senate as part of the crime bill, a momentous, innovative step toward a criminal system that works to return productive citizens convicted of a crime to a contributory life. I am proud of the work my fellow [...]
In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I write about some of the ways the Democratic candidates for US Senate are trying to get attention and position.
I start with a look at how Congressman Michael Capuano is trying to use prominent female [...]
Several things seem to be happening:
* Harry Reid meeting with moderate Senate Democrats
* The Congressional Budget [...]
[Crossposted from ONE Massachusetts by Harmony Blakeway]
As our community leaders and advocates look through the dramatic cuts being made to all manner of state structures and programs, we thought it would be good to look at one of our many success stories. This is just one example of [...]
North Adams, MA - The North Adams Public Library hosts "Rhythm, Roots, Blues and Poetry" with singer Robin O'Herin on Monday, November 23 at 6:30 pm at 74 Church Street. For more information or to sign up, please call Kim Di Lego or Kirsten Rose at 413.662.3133.
[...]
North Adams, MA - The First Congregational Church of North Adams will present a concert featuring the Bay Path College Choirs on Friday November 20 at 7:30 pm. The concert, directed by Scott Bailey, will feature Advent and Christmas music that will be presented by the choirs at a choral [...]
North Adams, MA - REACH for Community Health will promote the Great American Smokeout on Thursday, November 19, to encourage smokers to kick the habit.
In support of the American Cancer Society’s efforts throughout the country on the Smokeout, REACH will offer support to the north Berkshire community as [...]
The state legislature calls it quits for the year today, and here are the recent developments, according to reports from the State House News Service:
--Speaker Bob DeLeo is indicating that he will not try to rush through the education bill that the Senate passed Tuesday, which is a major priority [...]
According to a Christopher Scott story in today’s Sun, “City Councilor Jim Milinazzo has the five votes needed to become mayor on Jan. 4, and then some.”
Scott reports that CC Milinazzo has the supports of CCs K. Broderick, B. Martin and CC-elects F. Descoteaux, J. Mendonca and P. Murphy. [...]
Yesterday in New York City, a police car assisting Vice President Joe Biden’s motorcade collided with another vehicle. And on Monday, a sheriff’s vehicle escorting Biden’s motorcade in New Mexico was hit by a car that went around the police vehicles blocking the intersection.
Coincidence? I think not. A [...]
A friend who lives in Lowell sent me this link to a LGBT blog towleroad . This past weekend in Puerto Rico a 19-year-old gay man, Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was murdered, his body was partially burned, his head decapitated and his limb dismembered. The story was disturbing on [...]
Jacob Cohen was recognized at our last School Committee meeting for his outstanding achievement in math and science. An 800 on the SAT’s? WOW! I struggled to hit 800 combined English and Math! Great job Jacob.
Jacob scored a perfect 800 on his SAT’s in Mathematics
Reasons for Recognition:
Jacob [...]
David and I sat down with Steve Grossman for about an hour this afternoon. Grossman, the former DNC chair, 2002 gubernatorial candidate and chairman of Howard Dean's 2004 campaign, has in the meantime returned to the family business in Somerville, where we met him. (David will have video later.) [...]
“The days of highway expansion in Massachusetts are over,” declares James Aliosi, who stepped down last month as Secretary of Transportation. He said now is the time to act and particularly to level the playing field by developing passenger rail and public transit.
In our podcast today, he ticked off [...]
The podcast [...]
In the previous post, I told you about my exchange with an academic at UCLA who studied candidate attractiveness. Well, it turns out that when you mention Massachusetts to people who study candidate attractiveness, their minds turn to one thing: the beautiful man with the perfect hair, Mitt Romney himself.
Although [...]
I recently came upon an academic paper in which three UCLA poli-sci researchers concluded that more competitive election contests produce better-looking candidates than less competitive ones. For example, if the 'out' party has a good chance of beating the incumbent and taking the seat, somehow they come up with [...]
Faced with declining revenues, cuts to local aid and rising costs, many Massachusetts towns are increasing hotel and meals taxes as well as overriding Proposition 2 1/2 to raise property taxes.
In Rockland, residents voted 2-1 in favor of a Proposition 2 1/2 override to build an [...]
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Berkshire County invites its members and the community to participate in our annual holiday collection and distribution of gift bags to the patients in the hospital psychiatric wards at Berkshire Medical Center and at North Adams Regional Hospital. "The holiday [...]
First up: Budget Cuts will Imperil State's Poor:
The state estimates that the children of 9,100 families with parents so severely disabled that they qualify [...]
Not funny at all, but right on point...Yesterday, I announced my candidacy for State Representative in the Fourth Suffolk District, including all of South Boston and the Upham's Corner and Harbor Point neighborhoods of Dorchester. The Democratic Primary will be in September of 2010 with the General Election in November of 2010.
I look [...]
The effort by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to find consensus that will get him sixty votes to consider health care reform in the Senate continues to be a difficult task, with the Congressional Budget Office playing a large role in that effort. Yesterday’s New York Times details his difficulties [...]
When he first heard a plea to protect circus elephants around 2001, Sen. Robert Hedlund, a Weymouth Republican, said he thought it was a "crazy type of left-wing" effort.
But Hedlund, at a Monday press conference, said he found himself captivated by [...]
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