http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ma-news/ en-us Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:57:23 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047712/posts Mexico to honor Sen. Kennedy for work on immigration Friday, July 18, 2008 - Updated 7m ago MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government is honoring U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy for his defense of immigrant rights. Mexico announced today it will award Kennedy the Aguila Azteca, the highest honor the government can bestow on foreign dignitaries. An announcement on Mexico’s federal registry says Kennedy will be presented with a sash in the United States. Mexico says the Massachusetts Democrat has denounced injustices against migrants and "highlighted the importance of addressing illegal immigration by looking for an integral solution." Kennedy co-sponsored an... The Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047712/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:57:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047450/posts Saturday is the 39th anniversary of the death of Mary Jo Kopechne on Chappaquidick Island. A day that Mass. Senator Ted Kennedy would rather forget. Stuck On Stupid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047450/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:06:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047444/posts On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick, a small island adjoining Martha's Vineyard and connected to it via a ferry. The party was a reunion for a group of six women, known as the "boiler-room girls", who had served in his brother Robert's 1968 presidential campaign. Also present were Joseph Gargan (Ted Kennedy's cousin), Paul Markham (a school friend of Gargan's who would become United States Attorney for Massachusetts under the patronage of the Kennedys), Charles Tretter (an attorney), and John Crimmins (Ted Kennedy's part-time driver). Kennedy was also competing in the Edgartown Yacht Club Regatta,... MRC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047444/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:59:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047065/posts Rotting holes in steel support beams, enormous rust patches, small splits in steel girders and broken bracing are evident all along the underside of the John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge, the heavily traveled Interstate 95 span that crosses the Merrimack River between Amesbury and Newburyport. A just-released state safety report filed in the wake of last year's disastrous collapse of the similarly designed Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis gave the 57-year-old Whittier Bridge "poor" ratings due to deterioration. On a 10-step ranking system, the rating is just two steps above the point where engineers consider closing a bridge due to safety... Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047065/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:06:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047009/posts Surprise! The $ 2.4 B Big Dig in Boston is now up to $ 22 B plus! And the federal reimbursement is down from 85% to 27%, leaving MA taxpayers with an unpayable bill due by 2038. If you like MA, you'll LOVE the U.S. under Barack Obama. Boston.Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047009/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:37:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046985/posts A company in Massachusetts says it trademarked the name “Rail Runner” in the nineties. And now they want New Mexico to stop using it. "Rail Runner Incorporated filed what's called an opposition to the use of New Mexico Rail Runner on September 2, 2006 with the trademark trial and appeal board of the U.S Patent and Trade Mark Office," said a spokesman for the East Coast company. The company makes a machine that they say makes it easier to move containers from trains to semis. The East Coast company is now waiting for a decision from the patent and trademark... KOB-TV4, Albuquerque http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046985/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:01:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046862/posts Massachusetts residents got a shock when state officials, at the peak of construction on the Big Dig project, disclosed that the price tag had ballooned to nearly $15 billion. But that, it turns out, was just the beginning. Now, three years after the official dedication of the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel, the state is reeling under a legacy of debt left by the massive project. In all, the project will cost an additional $7 billion in interest, bringing the total to a staggering $22 billion, according to a Globe review of hundreds of pages of state documents. It will not... Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046862/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:24:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046783/posts Forget soccer moms and NASCAR dads. It looks like the swing voter this election year is going to be the “deadbeat borrower.” In Congress, Republicans and Democrats are pushing Barney Frank’s $300 billion boondoggle to underwrite bad loans given to worse customers... And now, activists for the newest civil right - the right to skip your mortgage payments - have taken to the streets of Roxbury. On Tuesday, around 60 local housing activists gathered outside the condo of Paula Taylor. Led by Steve Meacham of the group City Life, they sang the civil rights anthem “‘We Shall Not Be Moved”... Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046783/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:45:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046662/posts Report: Father charged for defending 4-year-old from molestation By Michelle Malkin • July 16, 2008 10:36 AM Your Wednesday morning blood-boiler comes from Raynham, MA. Over the weekend, the Raynham Enterprise News reported that a father had blown the whistle on an elderly, non-English-speaking grocery worker who allegedly reached under a bathroom stall and groped his 4-year-old son’s leg. The suspected molester has been charged with indecent assault and battery on a child. The police are also filing assault charges against the father. Really: MichelleMalkin.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046662/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:23:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046534/posts H.R. 415, sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank, would amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a commercial river since the 1800’s as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. http://propertyrightsalliance.org/index.php?content=hr415 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046534/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:18:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046404/posts In the debate over gay marriage, strikingly little attention has been paid to the impact on children. Some question the wisdom of having children raised by two homosexuals, but the best they can seem to argue is that serious flaws vitiate the literature defending it. Almost no attention has been devoted to what may be the more serious political question of who will supply the children of gay "parents," since obviously they cannot produce children themselves. A few will come from sperm donors and surrogate mothers, but very few. The vast majority will come, because they already do come, from... http://www.massnews.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046404/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:28:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046083/posts The Massachusetts Senate today passed a bill that would repeal a 1913 state law that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts. The bill, which had the support of Senate President Therese Murray, passed with no objections on a voice vote. Proponents of the repeal called the 1913 law archaic and discriminatory. "There are very few laws on the books that I can say that I'm ashamed that they're on the books," said State Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat. He said he opposed the law because of the "immorality of discrimination." "This... Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046083/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:01:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045840/posts Governor Deval Patrick has scheduled a picnic fund-raiser this month at his vacation estate in the Berkshires, where he will once again exploit a method he pioneered for skirting state campaign contribution limits, a funding system the Legislature so far has declined to shut down. Guests at the gathering at the 7,500-square-foot mansion situated on 77 acres in Richmond are being asked to contribute up to $5,500 to the governor's Seventy-First Fund. The fund - as the formal invitation to the soiree explains - divides the contributions between Patrick's campaign and the state Democratic Party Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045840/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:02:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045757/posts City to go after bodybuilding firefigher (Greg Wayland, NECN) - Boston's fire commissioner wants the city to deny the disability claim of one of its firefighters. It's the result of a video showing Albert Arroyo out on disability competing in a body building contest. The video of Albert Arroyo turned up on YouTube after the 46-year-old had been granted disability leave for a back injury. The May 3rd event came just six weeks after his injury claim. Arroyo had been collecting his full salary tax free, but has now been switched to regular sick leave. A lawyer for Arroyo says... NECN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045757/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:17:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045655/posts BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Mitt Romney failed to win the Republican presidential nomination because of inexperience and inconsistency, according to GOP political guru Karl Rove. Rove, who grew up in Utah and masterminded President George W. Bush's election and re-election campaigns, told those gathered at the Television Critics Association press tour that the former Massachusetts governor didn't understand what he was getting into. "Running for president is unlike any other political task that anybody has ever taken on," he said. "So running for governor of Massachusetts, while it prepares you to some degree for running for president, there's nothing like running for... The Deseret News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045655/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:00:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045350/posts Mass. Legislature poised to export our "gay marriage" across the country by repealing "1913 Law". National gay groups pouring in money to lobby. Pressure needed NOW to stop Senate vote Tuesday - (see our new fax feature!) The national homosexual movement is funding a huge lobbying effort over the next few days to persuade the Massachusetts Legislature to repeal the "1913 Law" which would allow out-of-state "gay" couples to legally "marry" in Massachusetts -- and then cause havoc in their home states. Currently, out-of-state couples can not marry in Massachusetts if that marriage would be illegal in their home state.... email http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045350/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:59:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045213/posts July 14, 2008 Dear GOAL members and friends, This requires our immediate action. We urge you to contact your State Representative and Senator and ask that they not support the Governor's Appropriations Bill. On Sunday July, 13, 2008 Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick filed a special appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008. (As of the filing of this report, the bill had not yet received a number.) Within this bill sections 24 - 27 drastically increase certain firearm licenses. Sections 24 & 25 attack lawfully licensed firearm dealers by increasing their license fees from $100 for three years to $250. Then... Gun Owners Action League http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045213/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:40:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045178/posts Raynham father warns Market Basket shoppers of ‘predator’ employee he says groped his 4-year-old son A father says he was horrified to find out that a janitor accused of groping his son in a bathroom stall at Market Basket is still working there. RAYNHAM, MA — One Raynham father is taking justice into his own hands, warning other parents this week about an alleged “predator” who he says groped his 4-year-old son in a supermarket bathroom last month. Police said the suspect, an elderly janitor at Market Basket, allegedly reached under a bathroom stall partition and touched the boy’s calf... Enterprise News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045178/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:16:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045169/posts Signaling a potential state money meltdown, Gov. Deval Patrick is asking lawmakers to grant him extraordinary budget-slashing power to make emergency cuts if the economy takes another turn for the worse. In addition to bracing for the effects of the shaky stock market, state officials are working furiously to secure a Medicaid reimbursement for the state’s new Universal Health Care Law worth hundreds of millions in federal dollars. “It’s an ugly scene to say the least,” said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Patrick vetoed $122.5 million from the pork-packed budget yesterday, but financial watchdogs say the reduction... Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045169/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:02:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044748/posts Howie thread starting off with his Sunday Herald column howiecarr.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044748/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:15:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044620/posts On the Spot (CNSNews.com) – A top Democrat told high school students gathered at the U.S. Capitol Thursday that climate change caused Hurricane Katrina and the conflict in Darfur, which led to the “black hawk down” battle between U.S. troops and Somali rebels. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House (Select) Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee, also equated the drive for global warming legislation with the drive for women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But one global warming expert from the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) told Cybercast News Service that such a remark... cnsnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044620/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:57:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044388/posts It may come as a surprise to some on the left, but it is the Bush administration that made the state of Massachusetts' health-care revolution a reality. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, together with Massachusetts leaders from both parties, enabled our state to launch a health-care plan that is on track to get virtually every citizen insured. Moreover, Bay Staters are now able to own their own insurance with the same low rates that are paid by employers. And there is no more worrying that if you lose your job, you lose your health insurance. The Bush administration... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044388/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:12:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043662/posts BOSTON, July 10 (UPI) -- Massachusetts lawmakers say they are preparing to vote on whether to repeal a 1913 law that bans out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in the state. Lawmakers say they expect the state Senate to take up the law Tuesday and the state House to do the same soon after. House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray back the repeal, but their support alone may not be enough to secure other lawmakers' votes, The Boston Globe reported Thursday. Supporters of gay marriage rights say they are optimistic the repeal will be approved because of... United Press International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043662/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:05:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043587/posts Hold your (native) tongue! English embarrasses Obama By Michael Graham Thursday, July 10, 2008 Michael Graham hosts a talk show on 96.9 WTKK. Embarrassed again. First it was Michelle Obama, who had never been proud of American democracy until her husband’s electoral success. Now Sen. Barack Obama says his fellow Americans are “embarrassing” him. Why? Because we don’t speak enough French. “It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe, and all we can say is, ‘merci beaucoup,’ ” Obama told supporters on Tuesday. Just... The Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043587/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:03:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043382/posts MBTA general manager Dan Grabauskas is spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars urging suburban commuters to “Dump the Pump,” brave the heat and take the T, yet the transit boss continues to drive to work from Ipswich to Boston in the cool comfort of his T-owned SUV. Grabauskas was observed by a Herald reporter on several occasions over the past seven weeks, including yesterday, driving his agency-owned 2008 Ford Escape hybrid to his office at the state Transportation Building in Park Square - a roughly 60-mile-a-day commute round-trip. The T chief also drove his roomy, air-conditioned ride to a... Boston herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043382/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:00:46 GMT