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| Sen. Scott Brown (MA) |
Republicans Warn Against Passing Health Care Bill
Newly arrived Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts accused President Barack Obama and Democrats on Saturday of a "bitter, destructive and endless" drive to pass health overhaul legislation that Brown warned would be disastrous. "An entire year has gone to waste," Brown said in the weekly GOP radio and Internet address.
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| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) |
Pelosi: Hill closing in on health care overhaul
President Barack Obama put off the start of a scheduled Asian trip on Friday as the White House and senior Democrats reached for agreement on long-stalled health care legislation they hope to push through Congress within days. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is voicing fresh confidence there are enough votes to pass sweeping health care legislation, saying lawmakers are "one day closer" to a historic achievement. Summing up intense work to get the measure through Congress, Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill she felt "very exhilarated" by the tone of conversation in a caucus of Democrats Friday morning. She said, "We stand ready to stay as long as necessary" to finish the bill, which has been heavily debated for well over a year.
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Cities and towns face local aid cut up to 4 percent
Legislative budget leaders say Massachusetts cities and towns should expect a cut in state aid next year, but it won't be more than 4 percent. In a joint statement Friday, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Steven Panagiotakos and his House counterpart, Rep. Charles Murphy, said state education funding will also be held at so-called "foundation" levels. Gov. Deval Patrick drafted a budget that avoided cuts to state funding for schools and municipal services such as police and fire.
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Data Breach
There's a new law in effect in Massachusetts aimed at cutting down the number of people exposed to identity theft. The new regulations require companies to encrypt personal data that is stored in laptops or sent over the internet. Still, the Boston Globe reports that data breaches remain a big problem.
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Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Bad Idea
Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas says he's against a proposal to allow up to five dispensaries to be set up around the state for medical marijuana. Douglas won't say if he'll veto the legislation if it reaches his desk. But he says Vermont is already at odds with the federal government in allowing some medical patients to use the drug, and he says the state shouldn't push the issue further.
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Murder For HIre
Two men who were the star witnesses in a millionaire businessman's murder-for-hire trial have been sentenced for their roles in the killing of a Derry, N.H., handyman. Michael Benton of Manchester and Joseph Vrooman of Las Vegas were hired by John "Jay" Brooks to help lure Jack Reid to his death in 2005.
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| Senate President Therese Murray |
Senate president floats idea of Mass.-owned bank
Senate President Therese Murray is floating the idea of a state-owned bank to spur job creation and free up lending to Massachusetts businesses. Murray told the business group Associated Industries of Massachusetts on Friday that a state-owned bank has worked in North Dakota, helping insulate that state from the worst of the recession, while also keeping its foreclosure rate down.
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| Senate President Therese Murray |
MA Senate president Murray headed to White House
Senate President Therese Murray has a date at the White House. The Plymouth Democrat was invited to the Executive Mansion on Wednesday evening to commemorate St. Patrick's Day with President Barack Obama and Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen. Aides say Murray has not been invited before, though she is active in Irish-American affairs.
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VT says "no" to plan to dump dioxins at landfill
The state of Vermont is rejecting a plan by the Environmental Protection Agency to dispose of 33,000 tons of hazardous soil from Massachusetts at a Moretown landfill.
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Lynn restaurant shooter pleads not guilty
The New Hampshire man accused of opening fire with an AK-47 assault rifle at a Lynn restaurant after a worker refused to serve him a beer has been ordered held without bail.
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NH student critical after electric class accident
An 18-year-old New Hampshire high school student remains hospitalized in critical condition after suffering an electrical shock in class.
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| WBZ-AM file |
Tax changes proposed to boost business, create jobs
The Massachusetts Senate will consider a series of corporate tax policy changes aimed at helping grow small businesses and spawn new companies. Senate President Therese Murray announced the proposed changes Friday at an Associated Industries of Massachusetts breakfast in Waltham. Murray describes the proposals as a way “to create a more favorable and stable business tax climate.” She descirbed the proposals as “relatively low cost” , but didn't give any estimates. Murray cited a study showing that between 1990 and 2007, the number of firms in Massachusetts increased 67 percent, but the average firm size shrunk almost 40 percent. In 1990, the average firm in the state employed approximately 17 people; by 2007, the average firm size here was almost 10 people.
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| CBS |
Senate approves anti-bullying legislation
The Massachusetts Senate has unanimously approved a bill designed to clamp down on school bullies. The bill would prohibit bullying at schools and discourage so-called cyberbullying by prohibiting the use of e-mails, text messages, Internet postings and other electronic means to create a hostile school environment.
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Panel rejects effort to trim film tax break
A key legislative committee has unanimously rejected a bill that would have drastically cut the state's tax credit for the film industry. The Revenue Committee voted 8-0 on Thursday to reject a bill introduced by state Rep. Steven D'Amico that would have cut the credit to a maximum of $7 million per movie. Gov. Deval Patrick 's proposal to cut the tax credit to $50 million per year for the next two years was not acted upon.
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| AP file |
Greenway developments delayed again
Another setback for the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the open space above the Big Dig that replaced the old Central Artery. The Boston Globe reports the organization, New Center for Arts and Culture has folded it's plan to build an 80-million dollar performance center adjacent to Rowe's Wharf. The center had raised only about a quarter of what it needed.
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| (Photo: David G. Curran, SatelliteNewsService.com) |
Rescuers back to try and free dolphins on Cape Cod
Rescue teams have reached another of the white-sided dolphins that became stuck in the mud off Cape Cod. A spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare says it's too early to know if the animal -- one of 16 that stranded in two locations in Wellfleet on Thursday - will survive. Four of the original 16 have died and three are unaccounted for. Six others that were rescued were taken to Provincetown and released back into the ocean. IFAW spokesman Chris Cutter says hip-deep mud he compared to quicksand had been preventing rescuers from reaching the remaining dolphins, but Friday morning's high tide has helped those efforts.
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| In this image from video provided by C-SPAN, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., speaks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, Wednesday. (AP Photo/C-SPAN) |
Rep. Kennedy rips media in speech - VIDEO
Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy is blasting the news media as "despicable," accusing it of ignoring the war in Afghanistan even as troops continue to die there. On Wednesday he shouted, pointed and waved his arms excitedly during a speech on the House floor about U.S. policy in Afghanistan. He chastised the media for focusing "24/7" on former Rep. Eric Massa of New York, who resigned from Congress amid sexual harassment allegations, at a time when lawmakers were debating the future of the war.
Click here to watch the speech.
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Columbus Center development goes belly-up
The Columbus Center project had been on hold for 13 long years. Now, the plan is officially dead.
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Philanthropist Ray Tye dies of cancer at age 87
One of Boston's biggest philanthropists, Ray Tye, has died.
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USS Constitution's cannon tradition to continue
The USS Constitution will continue firing its cannons twice a day across Boston Harbor as it has done for more than 200 years despite the objections of well-heeled neighbors.
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| Amy Bishop following her arrest in Alabama (AP file) |
Inquest of Bishop death set for April
A Massachusetts judge has set aside four days in April to conduct an inquest into the 1986 death of the brother of a university professor accused in Alabama of killing three colleagues last month, authorities announced Thursday. The inquest was ordered by Norfolk District Attorney William Keating to investigate whether Amy Bishop intentionally shot her 18-year-old brother, Seth, at their Braintree home. Quincy District Court Judge Mark Coven will preside at the inquest from April 13 through April 16, said David Traub, a spokesman for Keating.
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Senate approves school nutrition bill
The Massachusetts Senate has approved a bill designed to ban the sale of high-calorie sodas and salty and sugary snacks in elementary and high schools. The House passed a similar bill in January. The Senate bill would require state health officials to develop nutritional standards for all food sold in public schools, including snacks and sodas sold in vending machines. The bill would also require schools to sell fresh fruits and vegetables, ban deep fried foods and require students be taught about nutrition and exercise.
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| FBI |
FBI celebrates 'Most Wanted' anniversary
The FBI will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives program this weekend. The Top Ten program is designed to publicize particularly dangerous fugitives. It is an extremely important law enforcement tool and media involvement is crucial to its success.
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