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Middleboro Review 2

NEW CONTENT MOVED TO MIDDLEBORO REVIEW 2

Toyota

Since the Dilly, Dally, Delay & Stall Law Firms are adding their billable hours, the Toyota U.S.A. and Route 44 Toyota posts have been separated here:

Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon



Thursday, August 20, 2015

MASSterlist: Ashley Madison scandal spreads to local government, military | Fresh details emerge in Flaherty case | Privatization of bus routes eyed




 

Thursday, August 20, 2015



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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
Today: Tomatoes, followed by a brown bag lunch
It's here at last: The Massachusetts Tomato Contest, in its 31st year, is held at a new site -- the demonstration kitchen of the recently-opened Boston Public Market in Haymarket Square. Judging begins at 11am., and the awards presentation is at 1pm., 100 Hanover St., Boston, Festivities begin at 9am... Treasurer Deb Goldberg hosts the Women's Leadership Fellowship Brown Bag Lunch, One Ashburton Place, Conference Room, Boston, 12:00pm... Greater Boston Cycling Community gathers for a Ghost Bike Ride Memorial in memory of the loss of Anita Kurmann, who was hit and killed by a truck while riding her bicycle, Corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Beacon Street, Boston, 6:30pm.
 
Breaking: Details emerge in Flaherty witness tampering case
The State House New Service's Andy Metzger digs into court filings to reveal fresh details in the federal witness tampering charges against Tim Flaherty, a defense attorney and former candidate for state senate. Metzger's story outlines the underlying criminal case that led to the witness tampering charges. Flaherty is accused of trying to convince a man not to cooperate with authorities in the matter, offering money to the man while representing a client facing a variety of charges that came about after an alleged road rage incident in Cambridge last December. The story is breaking this morning on the State House News Service website.www.statehousenews.com

Ashley Madison hack spreads to local government, military
You could call the Ashley Madison hack the ultimate economic stimulus for divorce lawyers and marriage counselors. And when the hackers, who call themselves The Impact Team, released the names and email addresses, along with other personal information, of a reported 36 million registered users, it quickly became a government matter, as government domain addresses were the first to be made available for search. Boston Magazine's Garrett Quinn did some searching of his own, and discovered that at least five City Hall addresses were used for accounts with the service, which is designed to connect married people looking to have affairs. Quinn also reports at email addresses were used in several other local municipalities, including Somerville, Newton and Framingham. The Boston Business Journal's Craig Douglas also digs into the data, finding military addresses at Hanscom and Westover Air Force bases. It probably won't be long before the data is completely searchable by name and town. Will there soon be stories on towns with the highest number of Ashley Madison users per capita? Here's Quinn's storyhttp://bit.ly/1J6nirZ. Douglas' story on the BBJ site is here: http://bit.ly/1HXEjmx
 
Uber, Lyft, take bite out of taxis
In a startling data point that's sure to inform pending efforts to regulate the ride-sharing industry, city regulators released data that showed the Boston taxi business dropping by 22 percent year over year. That comes to $33 million less in revenue for the first six months of the year, the Boston Globe reports. "The taxi industry isn't going to survive without any kind of reform or regulations on Uber," says the leader of a taxi driver advocacy group. Uber claims it has 10,000 drivers in greater Boston. Hearing on regulations for ride-sharing companies are scheduled next month on Beacon Hill. The controversy, with interviews with cabbies, is well told by Dan Adams and Jack Newsham of the Globe. http://bit.ly/1MDH18E
 
MBTA to privatize some bus routes 
The MBTA has set plans in motion to hand over operation of some 30 bus routes to a private company, a move that has the T's largest union fuming, the Globe reports. Late night and low-ridership routes are among those being targeted for privatization, as Gov. Baker looks to take advantage of the suspension of the Pacheco Law's limitations on privatization granted him by the legislature. The head of the Boston Carmens Union called the move a "betrayal."

Ambulance Co. taps Coakley 
Fallon Ambulance, which has complained about the process through which the city of Quincy hired a competitor, says it will hire former Attorney General Martha Coakley to help it understand and possibly change local procurement laws, the Patriot Ledger reports. Fallon recently dropped a suit against the city over the contract award process. 

Food fight looms in 2016 
Animal welfare groups kicked off a campaign to use the 2016 ballot initiative process to prohibit the sale of meat and eggs from animals kept in small crates, setting up what promises to be a hard-fought and costly battle between this advocates and farmers, who say the regulations will drive up food costs for consumers, the Globe's Joshua Miller reports. http://bit.ly/1TV7dzS

More DCF workers handle crisis level workloads
Massachusetts has added 500 workers at the Department of Children and Families, but the number of case workers handling "crisis-level" workloads of 20 or more cases is on the rise, the Herald reports. Citing data received through the union representing DCF workers, the Herald said the number of workers with the heavy case load burden rose three-fold from 385 late in 2013 to 1,250 as of May. 

Activists to Baker: Don't be like Trump 
Immigration advocates rallying at the State House Wednesday sought to compare Gov. Baker to presidential candidate Donald Trump, WGBH's Mike Deehan reports. Activists scheduled the rally after Baker said he would veto a bill to create statewide limitation on how much information about undocumented immigrants local police share with federal authorities. http://bit.ly/1E6Kidy 

Markey: Yes on Iran Deal 
Sen. Edward Markey says he will vote in favor of the Obama administration's deal with Iran to lift sanctions in exchange for rolling back and monitoring the country''s efforts to build nuclear weapons, the Globe reports. Markey's support -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren is also backing the agreement -- could help Obama secure a veto override-proof margin in the Senate. http://bit.ly/1LkJd1x
How to reach me and MASSterList
Nothing makes me happier than comments, tips, suggestions. Also, opinion articles also will be considered. Please don't hesitate to weigh in on what we're missing and where we should look. Reach me atgdonnelly@massterlist.com or on Twitter @geodonnelly.



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