Tuesday, March 8, 2016

MASSterList: After T fare hike, now what? | Marijuana madness | The sad saga of 38 Studios




Protesting the SCAMS! “Keep The Cap On Charter Schools”, Baker's Charter School SCAM, et al



Protesting the SCAMS!
Bravo!
Demands of the students, former teachers, and supporters was for full funding of schools, rather than the School Committee implementing budget cuts at a budget hearing in the evening on the same day as the walk-out. The other major demand of the students and supporters was to “Keep The Cap On Charter Schools”.
BPS students spoke out against Mayor Marty Walsh granting huge corporate tax giveaways to General Electric while forcing schools to cut important curriculum and lay off faculty and staff.
Howard Rotman added 115 new photos to the album: THOUSANDS OF BPS STUDENTS STAGED WALK-OUT TO PROTEST BUDGET CUTS — with Zak Jamaand Ana De Pina.
14 hrs
On Monday, March 7, 2016 at 11:30am thousands of Boston Public School students staged a historic “walk-out” to a rally on the Boston Common , then a rally at MA State House, later rallying at Faneuil Hall (and beyond), protesting school budget cuts, defying Boston school officials intimidation tactics , such as robo-calling parents , urging parents to prevent students from participating in the mass action to save Boston Schools.
Demands of the students, former teachers, and supporters was for full funding of schools, rather than the School Committee implementing budget cuts at a budget hearing in the evening on the same day as the walk-out. The other major demand of the students and supporters was to “Keep The Cap On Charter Schools”.
BPS students spoke out against Mayor Marty Walsh granting huge corporate tax giveaways to General Electric while forcing schools to cut important curriculum and lay off faculty and staff.
The superintendent of BPS recently announced proposed cuts of $20 million from the central office budget and $10 million to $12 million from the per-student funding formula, affecting budgets of individual schools, in an effort to help close a shortfall of up to $50 million.



 
Tuesday, March 8, 2016

By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan

Today: Tuition hikes, marijuana report
 
The Board of Higher Education meets to vote on fiscal 2017 tuition rates, One Ashburton Place, 21st floor, 9 a.m.
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg and members of the Special Committee on Marijuana hold a press conference to unveil a new report on the potential impact of legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts, Senate Reading Room, 10:30.
The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing holds a hearing on the proposed Massachusetts Fair Health Care Pricing Act ballot question that's backed by health-care union workers, Room B-1, 11 a.m.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg are scheduled guests on Greater Boston with host Jim Braude, WGBH-TV, 7 p.m.
T hikes fares: So now what?
The T's Control Board yesterday raised ridership rates by a systemwide 9.3 percent. A rate hike of some sort was all but inevitable, though the size of yesterday's increase surprised some. Still, here's the day-after question: Now what? Yesterday's vote will raise an annual $43 million. But the MBTA still has a multibillion-dollar hole to fill when all its debts and backlog projects are added up. That's not going away, even if the board approves another 9.3 percent rate hike tomorrow and another one the day after. It's simply a matter of math. The Baker administration and the T Control Board deserve credit for exposing the need for yet more reforms and for biting the rate-hike bullet yesterday, over the vehement opposition of many. But the time is approaching when reforms and fare hikes won't be enough. Multibillion-dollar holes are still multibillion-dollar holes. Statewide revenue solutions are going to have to be on the table sooner or later. http://bit.ly/1Uav5NL

Lawmakers signal they will have final say on marijuana legalization. 
The Special Senate Committee on Marijuana is expected today to release a "scathing" report calling for legislative action if voters approve a ballot question in November that would legalize recreational use of pot by adults, the Globe's Joshua Miller reports. The potential steps include outlawing home cultivation of marijuana, slapping a substantial tax on the drug, and banning some pot products. In other words, it's going to be a very hectic and contentious time on Beacon Hill if the ballot question ultimately wins. http://bit.ly/1UauJXy 
Was paranoia breaking out yesterday at the State House in anticipation of today's Senate marijuana report? It initially appeared so when a spokesman for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the main backer of the November ballot question, issued a statement accusing unnamed members of the Special Senate Committee of harboring biases when they went on a recent fact-finding trip to Colorado to review that state's marijuana laws. The spokesman expressed concern those biases might be contained in the final report. As it turns out, he was right about the tone and substance of the apparently scathing report. State House New Service's Michael Norton has more. http://bit.ly/24NYwKF (paywall).

'Massachusetts must find new sources of revenue'
He's been gone only a day as editor of Masster List. But George Donnelly is still making his voice heard, via an op-ed this morning in the Globe. The upshot of his piece: The state simply needs more revenue if it's going to remain economically competitive. "Governor Charlie Baker is focused on curbing the wayward spending habits of the Commonwealth's bureaucracies, a sensible and long overdue pursuit that will yield a more streamlined government. But efficiencies will never free up enough money to build the durable underpinnings of a first-class 21st century economy. Massachusetts needs far-reaching infrastructure and education investments to take an already strong economy and make it the best in the world."http://bit.ly/1R4XohD

SEC files charges in Curt Schilling's failed video-game caseLong after Curt Schilling's 38 Studios declared bankruptcy and auctioned off everything but the corporate kitchenette sink, the Securities and Exchange Commission is now going after Wells Fargo Bank and a Rhode Island agency for allegedly not telling bond investors just how much money 38 Studios really needed to prosper and survive. The sad saga of 38 Studios seems to never end. The Boston Business Journal's Greg Ryan has more details on the SEC action.http://bit.ly/1pcWSC8
NECN cuts biz editor HoweNew England Cable News business editor Peter Howe announced he was cut by the regional news outlet as its parent company prepares for a reshuffling of the local TV news landscape, David Harris of the Boston Business Journal reports. The widely respected Howe, previously a Globe reporter, worked at NECN for eight years and called his time there a "fantastic" ride.http://bit.ly/1X9pVkn
Tribe to start casino construction next monthThe Mashpee Wampanoag tribe said it plans to start construction on its First Light casino in Taunton early next month, George Brennan of the Cape Cod Times reports. The tribe announced its construction partners for the project and is planning to move forward despite a lawsuit filed by the group seeking the Region C license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The tribe will pay the state 17 percent of its revenues-as long as there is no other casino in the region. The MGC recently extended its own deadline to decide on the Brockton casino to the end of April. http://bit.ly/1X9pmao
MGM partners with tribe to sue Conn.MGM Springfield, which has already filed suit against the state of Connecticut to block a proposed casino that would sit just miles from its Springfield resort, has opened a second legal front against the Nutmeg State, Dan Glaun of MassLive reports. MGM said Monday it would partner with the Schaghticoke Tribe, which has not yet earned Federal recognition, to block a third casino from being built in the state. http://bit.ly/1R1SuLX
Mitt - at least his voice- enters presidential fray again
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is making another, decidedly lower-key entry into the GOP nomination battle, recording a voice mail to voters urging them to support Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Jonathan Martin of the New York Times reports. In the message, being used to get voters to the polls in the four states voting Tuesday, Romney repeats his riff that Rubio has the best chance to beat likely Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton in November. http://nyti.ms/1puTJgY
Dairy farmers plea for permanent tax creditMassachusetts dairy farmers want the state to make an emergency tax credit program a permanent fixture in the state's tax code, Bradford Miner of the Telegram reports. A public hearing on the topic drew just a few people Monday, but a representative of the dairy industry said the refundable tax credit is necessary to keep farms operating.  http://bit.ly/1R2V30n
Prosecutors, police at odds over addict outreach programsA bill that would give police departments more latitude in helping addicts rather than arresting them and subjecting them to prosecution is pitting law enforcement against prosecutors, Christian Wade reports in the Salem News. The bill would shield individuals from prosecution if they reach out for help for themselves or another person. Supporters say its passage would spur more departments to adopt a program similar to the city of Gloucester's Angel Program, which has garnered national attention. http://bit.ly/1X9p9DZ
Pipeline battle on the North Shore moves to state parks
It is one of the state's most widespread grassroots environmental resistance campaigns: Stopping the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company's gas pipeline, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, from surveying land on the North Shore for the pipeline. Now activists want to block access to state parkland, which is critical to the project. Christian Wade, State House reporter for several North Shore papers, including the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, has been all over the story. http://bit.ly/1QE0Iy5
Important kickoff event for The Partnership
The Partnership, Boston's leading diversity training and consulting organization, kicked off itsC-Suite Program, which convenes multicultural executives in the Commonwealth to hear from prominent business, political, academic and civic leaders on critical issues. Last night's program, in partnership with MFS Investment Management, featured a conversation on the state of the presidential election. More here: http://bit.ly/1M4n5rb
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