The other side of Arizona

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

The state senate has weighed in on the illegal immigration debate, and most of those protesting outside of City Hall in the past month over the boycott Arizona measure won’t be pleased.

And, from The Boston Globe this new law calls for a business boycott like the Arizona measure did, but comes at it from a different angle:

The measure would bar the state from doing business with any company found to break federal laws barring the hiring of illegal immigrants.

But…

The prospects for the measure to become law, however, are uncertain. Not only would it have to make the final budget plan lawmakers approve for next fiscal year, but it would also have to survive a possible veto by Governor Deval Patrick, who has been cool to such initiatives.

Want to know how your local senator voted? The Telegram has the run-down:

The measure got strong support from Senate members from Central Massachusetts. Leominster’s Ms. Flanagan, Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre; Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester; Michael O. Moore, D-Millbury; Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge; and Karen E. Spilka, D-Ashland, all voted for the amendment. James B. Eldridge, D-Acton, opposed the measure.

More to CORI reform

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

As CORI reform makes its way towards becoming law, an amendment offered by State Rep. Lew Evangelidis during the deliberations is saddling up beside it.

Unlike the bill just passed by the House, Evangelidis’ amendment calls for tougher laws and more transparent records when it comes to sex offenders. Evangelidis wants to see the Sex Offender Registry Board put level 2 sex offenders’ information online, like it already does with level 3s.

The reform, called An Act Reforming the Administrative Procedures Relative to Criminal Offender Record Information and Pre and Post-Trial Supervised Release has been passed by the House and Senate, and a committee will reconcile each of the branches’ versions.

Glodis gets a write up

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

Borrowed from the Phoenix

On the heels of next weekend’s Massachusetts Democratic Convention at the DCU Center, The Boston Phoenix has a big write up on Worcester County Sheriff and State Auditor candidate Guy Glodis. Glodis is up against Suzanne Bump and Mike Lake in the hunt for delegates to vote him onto the September primary ballot.

Oh, and the article gives Worcester Magazine a shout out.

*Blogger Nicole had it this morning, and Google alerts sent out two notices for this because even algorithms know Glodis always gets hits.

Water and sewer increases

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

We ran out of space in tomorrow’s paper to run a stat, so we’ll post it here.

$62.40
-How much the average Worcester single family’s combined water and sewer costs will rise with the rate hikes

Last night the council voted to pass and advertise the increase.

It glides as softly as a cloud

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

Last night while discussing the airport transfer and the potential future changes to transportation within Worcester, City Manager Mike O’Brien referred to a transportation study done three years ago which included looking at how best to move visitors/travelers from Union Station to the airport.

While no specifics were given out, immediately an image of a monorail came to mind. I wasn’t the only one to have that thought either.

This is exactly what I was thinking about:

City Council live blog: 5/26/10

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

Tonight’s meet was going to be a snoozer (albeit a short one), but word is the Massport people will be there. Get a jump on all the details of the ORH purchase so you can impress your friends at lunch tomorrow. Cover it Live is here. Starts at 7:00. Schmoozing starts at 6:30.

7:10: Here we go. O’Brien notes the ten medical professionals visiting from Russia. Robert Green, head of the Worcester Tennis club, is also here. He talks about the Tenacity Program, which would combine a literacy and tennis program for at-risk kids. He said a similar program in Boston has been successful, and students involved have a 96% graduation rate.

Beshai endorses Bove for sheriff

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

Frank Beshai, a Republican former candidate for Worcester County Sheriff, has endorsed Democrat Scot Bove in the race, and threw some barbs while doing so.

When pressed about possible blow-back from crossing the proverbial party lines, Beshai stated, “[w]hen I got into this race, I did it to make a statement – that there was no qualified candidate from the Republican Party. In withdrawing my name from consideration for personal reasons, I want people to know that there is no Republican in this race that has what it takes to effectively run the prison in our backyard.”

The one Republican in the race is Holden State Rep. Lew Evangelidis.

In his short-lived campaign, Beshai harped on the prison recidivism rate and believes that Bove can carryout policies similar to what Beshai would’ve wanted to do.

“My vision and mission for the Sheriff’s Department has remained the same for over 20 years and, despite withdrawing my name from this race for personal reasons, I still believe I can help make that vision become reality.”

More in the race for governor

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

Green party gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein has released her 2009 taxes so that every voter in Massachusetts can know her business, and she’s calling on the other candidates to do the same (from a press release sent this morning):

As candidates, we owe it to the people to give them as much information as possible to help them make an informed choice. That means developing well-articulated policies, offering honest answers to difficult questions, and participating in debates and community forums. This should also include the release of key financial information, such as tax returns. This is the sort of transparency that I think the voters want from the person who will be their next Governor.”

But let’s get to the good stuff (more from the press release, all [sic]’ed out):

Steins returns, which are a joint filing with her husband, showed that the bulk of the family income was in the form of wages earned by Steins husband who is a surgeon. Stein is herself a physician, but most of her work in recent years as a public health researcher and environmental health physician has been done pro-bono, or in uncompensated support of grants given to non-profit public interest organizations. The familys gross income for 2009 was $324,000.