Category Archives: State News

The House Moves to Restore Quinn Bill

Posted on April 21, 2009 by billmanzi

The Boston Globe is reporting that the police unions have amassed 81 votes in the House to restore the Quinn benefits cut out entirely in the budget submitted for consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Chris Fallon, … Continue reading →

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Mayors Respond

Posted on April 17, 2009 by billmanzi

Massachusetts Mayors gathered yesterday in Boston under the auspices of the Mayors Association to talk about a response to the unveiling of the House Ways and Means Budget. I was unable to attend the conference, but the video is pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, State News | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Budget Chaos

Posted on April 15, 2009 by billmanzi

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts continues its budgetary free fall, with Governor Patrick indicating yesterday that he will, for the third time in the FY2009 budget, be forced to downgrade his revenue estimates and impose further cuts in the state budget. … Continue reading →

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MBTA Fallout

Posted on April 11, 2009 by billmanzi

Today’s Globe printed a follow up story on the potential fare increases and service cutbacks at the T, and the story ran the gamut from outraged users to legislators saying that the T would not be getting the 6 cents … Continue reading →

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The MBTA Raises the Warning Flag

Posted on April 10, 2009 by billmanzi

The MBTA, facing a deficit of $160 million in the next fiscal year, outlined both fare hikes and service cuts in an internal document leaked to the Globe. The document outlined the service cuts, which would be considerable. Bus service … Continue reading →

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The Rubin Mea Culpa

Posted on April 7, 2009 by billmanzi

Doug Rubin sent an email to the Governor Patrick email list yesterday, candidly admitting error over the events of the last few weeks, with emphasis on the Walsh appointment. Despite that “error” Rubin makes the case for a look at … Continue reading →

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House Unveils its version of Transportation Reform

Posted on April 6, 2009 by billmanzi

The House today released its own version of Transportation Reform, reporting a bill out of Transportation and Ways and Means for consideration by the full House. It will be debated, with amendments considered, tommorow. There are some differences with the … Continue reading →

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State Tax Collections Continue Free Fall

Posted on April 4, 2009 by billmanzi

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts released the March tax receipt numbers, and the numbers were not good. Receipts were down from a year earlier by $309 million, and revenue missed the new downgraded target by $53 million. The overall drop in … Continue reading →

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Wither the Globe?

Posted on April 4, 2009 by billmanzi

The New York Times is threatening to shutter the Boston Globe unless the newspapers unions agree to concessions totalling $20 million dollars. From the Globe: Executives from the Times Co. and Globe made the demands Thursday morning in an approximately … Continue reading →

Posted in National News, State News | Tagged | 8 Comments

New York Looks to Repeal “Rockefeller Laws”

Posted on April 1, 2009 by billmanzi

New York State is moving to undo the Rockefeller era drug laws, which amongst other things, imposed tough minimum mandatory sentences for first time offenders. From the Washington Post: Gov. David A. Paterson (D) and legislative leaders on Friday announced … Continue reading →

Posted in National News, State News | Tagged , | 7 Comments