(Boston Orange 編譯) 由一群白人及亞裔家長組成的「學業優異家長聯盟 (Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence)」6月7日向波士頓的聯邦上訴法庭遞狀，控告波士頓公校系統，希望逼使波士頓學區至少錄取5名他們的小孩進3所考試學校。
家長聯盟辯稱，儘管他們的小孩成績夠好，去年基於區域號碼的臨時入學許可政策卻剝奪了小孩們在這些學校的學位。
波士頓公校今年換了另一種入學許可政策，以社會經濟相似的區域為基礎來分配學位，同樣旨在增加考試學校的多元化。
波士頓公校今日以訴訟案件正在進行中，表示不便置評。
「學業優異家長聯盟」的Lisa
Green表示，這宗訟案的主要爭議是尋求有效的禁止政府在做決策時，有任何的種族考慮。
她說，這宗訴訟的真正目的是要推翻平權行動。
Governor Baker Nominates Attorney Claudine A. Cloutier as Associate Justice of the Superior Court and Clerk Magistrate Kimberly M. Foster as Associate Justice of the District Court
BOSTON – Today, Governor Baker nominated Attorney Claudine A. Cloutier as Associate Justice of the Superior Court and Clerk Magistrate Kimberly M. Foster as Associate Justice of the District Court.
“With the addition of these two nominees, the Massachusetts judiciary will receive two experienced candidates well-suited for their new roles,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I am pleased to submit their nominations to the Governor’s Council for their advice and consent.”
“Attorney Cloutier and Clerk Magistrate Foster will bring diverse experiences to the judiciary if confirmed,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We are proud to submit their nominations for consideration.”
The Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts, is committed to delivering high quality justice in a timely and fair manner in accordance with the rule of law. The Court's 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties of the Commonwealth. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $25,000 and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions including labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold sittings for naturalization in any city or town. The Superior Court also has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes.
For more information about the Superior Court, please visit their homepage.
The District Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties; all misdemeanors; and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the Commonwealth.
For more information about the District Court, visit their homepage.
Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April 2015.
About Claudine A. Cloutier
Claudine A. Cloutier began her legal career in 1995 as a law clerk for the Massachusetts Superior Court. Then, in 1996, Attorney Cloutier joined Keches Law Group, P.C., first as an associate until 2006. Attorney Cloutier was then named Tort Department Manager, and later named partner in 2007, and currently still holds both roles. Attorney Cloutier is an active member of the community, serving as a trustee of the Fall River High School Alumni Scholarship Fund, a board member at the Foundation to Advance Catholic Education through the Diocese of Fall River and a member of the Suffolk University Law School Dean’s Cabinet. She received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1992 and her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 1995.
About Kimberly M. Foster
Kimberly M. Foster began her career in the Massachusetts State Senate as a legislative aide for Senator Charlie E. Shannon in 1995. She then joined Hinckley, Allen and Snyder, LLP as a law clerk until 1999. Clerk Magistrate Foster then joined the City of Somerville’s Executive Office as an administrative aide to Mayor Dorothy A. Kelly Gay until her graduation from law school in 2001. Clerk Magistrate Foster then joined the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and served as an Assistant District Attorney until 2004, before joining the Law Offices of Petruccelli and Foster and specializing in all aspects of criminal defense. In 2012, Clerk Magistrate Foster was appointed Chairperson of the Massachusetts Division of Insurance’s Board of Appeal, where she served until her 2019 appointment as Clerk Magistrate of the Somerville District Court. She is also an active member of the community, founding the Scott C. Foster Metabolic Research Fund and volunteering at the Cambridge Youth Dance Company and the Somerville Youth Soccer League. Clerk Magistrate Foster received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University in 1997 and her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 2001.
Massachusetts Rate of Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths Increased 8.8 Percent in 2021 Compared to 2020
Fentanyl continues as a major factor driving opioid-related deaths; rates among Black residents decreased
BOSTON (June 8, 2022) – The rate of opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased by 8.8 percent in 2021 compared to 2020, according to preliminary data released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). Drug overdose deaths in Massachusetts continue to trend lower than the nationwide figures. The rise in death rates reflects effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly poisoned drug supply, primarily with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.
There were 2,290 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in 2021, an estimated 185 more deaths than the prior year. Preliminary data from the first three months of 2022 show there were 551 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths, a 4 percent decrease (an estimated 24 fewer deaths) than the same time last year.
Fentanyl remains a persistent factor in opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts. Preliminary data show fentanyl was present at a rate of 93 percent where a toxicology report was available. The presence of fentanyl has increased about 1 percent per quarter since 2016, including in the pre-pandemic period from 2017 to 2019 when opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts were on the decline.
The Baker-Polito Administration remains focused on the opioid epidemic and continues to invest millions of dollars to expand a wide range of harm reduction, substance use awareness, treatment intervention, and recovery services. The Administration’s Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget proposal invests $543.8 million in total funding for a wide range of harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programs that support individuals struggling with substance addiction and programs that work to prevent substance addiction through education, prescription monitoring, and more. This builds on the work done by the Administration and the Legislature to nearly quadruple state funding to tackle the addiction crisis since 2015.
“Tackling the opioid epidemic remains an urgent priority for our Administration, which is why we have worked with the Legislature to quadruple funding for substance addiction treatment and prevention, but we know there is more work to do,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Today’s report underscores the harmful impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the scourge of fentanyl have had on those struggling with addiction, and we are committed to continuing our work with the Legislature and our colleagues in the addiction and recovery community to boost access to services and treatment.”
“Over the past several years, our Administration has focused on addressing the opioid epidemic and the ways in which it intersects with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, by strengthening pathways to treatment and recovery services, and education and prevention tools,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “We will continue our comprehensive efforts while working with local public health officials to expand access to programs and services for those struggling with addiction.”
In 2021, the opioid-related overdose death rate in Massachusetts increased to 32.6 per 100,000 people as compared to 29.9 per 100,000 in the prior year. When comparing 2021 to 2020, the opioid-related overdose death rate among race and ethnic groups as a whole or by gender remained relatively stable, with Black non-Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander populations seeing small decreases and white non-Hispanic and Hispanic populations seeing small increases. One exception is American Indian/Alaska Native residents. The 2021 opioid-related overdose death rate for American Indian/Alaska Native residents was 118.6 per 100,000. While this population accounts for a small number of opioid-related overdose deaths (13 out of 2,234 confirmed deaths), American Indian/Alaska Native residents statistically had the highest opioid-related overdose death rate among all race/ethnicity groups last year.
There is clear evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health and has led to increased substance use across the Commonwealth. A preliminary analysis of DPH’s COVID-19 Community Impact Survey, conducted to better understand the layered impacts of the pandemic, saw an increase in poor mental health and substance use since the pandemic began, especially among Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ+ individuals.
“We continue to be relentless in our commitment to increase access to harm reduction services, low threshold housing and treatment,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “By working to destigmatize addiction and meeting people where they’re at, including with an expanded array of harm reduction tools, we can reverse this negative trend.”
“We recognize the disproportionate burden of the opioid epidemic on historically marginalized communities, which have also borne the brunt of the ongoing pandemic and its destabilizing impacts on mental health and substance use,” said Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke. “We continue to use a data-driven approach to identify new solutions and expand on existing programs at the community level to increase much-needed outreach, especially among communities of color.”
Since the start of the pandemic, the Administration has aggressively expanded existing substance use disorder treatment and overdose prevention initiatives, investing $120 million in prevention programs from fiscal years 2016 to 2022. DPH has distributed more than 143,000 naloxone kits since March 2020 to opioid treatment programs, community health centers, hospital emergency departments, and houses of correction. Exemptions for federal requirements for take-home doses of medication for opioid use disorder have allowed 34 percent of Massachusetts opioid treatment program patients to access this life-saving treatment as of January 2022, compared to the pre-pandemic average of 16 percent in December 2019 (with a high of 52 percent in June 2020).
DPH has also expanded harm reduction programs as part of its overall overdose prevention efforts, including low-threshold housing (transitional and permanent), post-overdose support teams for overdose survivors, and mobile addiction services to improve access to treatment for individuals.
After fentanyl, cocaine continues to be the next most prevalent drug among opioid-related overdose deaths, present in toxicology reports at a rate of 51 percent in 2021 – a 5 percent increase over 2020. Benzodiazepines were present in 31 percent of opioid-related fatal overdoses. The percentage of benzodiazepines has been declining since the last quarter of 2017.
Alcohol, a newly reported toxicology data point, was present in 29 percent of opioid-related overdose deaths. This was followed by prescription opioids in 13 percent, and heroin or likely heroin and amphetamines present in 10 percent. The rate of heroin or likely heroin present in opioid-related overdose deaths has been declining since 2014.
Among the other findings of the latest opioid report:
The following cities and towns experienced a notable decrease in opioid-related overdose deaths in 2021 compared with 2020. (Residence is the city/town where the decedent lived, and occurrence is where the death occurred.)
Towns Experiencing a Notable Decrease in Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths from 2020 to 2021 that Meet Criteria* | |||
Town | Residence | Occurrence | Both |
Framingham | X | ||
Chicopee | X | ||
Weymouth | X | ||
The following cities and towns experienced a notable increase in opioid-related overdose deaths in 2021 compared with 2020.
Towns Experiencing a Notable Increase in Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths from 2020 to 2021 that Meet Criteria* | |||
Town | Residence | Occurrence | Both |
Attleboro | X | ||
Burlington | X | ||
Cambridge | X | ||
Lowell | X | ||
Lynn | X | ||
New Bedford | X | ||
Pittsfield | X | ||
Taunton | X | ||
Ware | X | ||
Westfield | X | ||
* Criteria are the difference in the number of deaths between 2020 and 2021 is 10 or more higher in absolute number and 20% or higher in percent change. | |||
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| 梅伍銀寬獲塔芙茨大學公共服務榮譽博士學位。 (梅氏公所提供) |
(Boston Orange 周菊子整理報導) 波士頓華人社區最近新添一位榮譽博士。中華耆英會會長梅伍銀寬在5月27日舉行的塔芙茨大學 (Tufts)畢業典禮中，獲頒公共服務榮譽博士學位。
紐英崙梅氏公所由主席梅麗梨和梅少彬安排，6月5日在昆士市梅氏宗親開設的龍鳳大酒樓中設宴慶祝，以「實至名歸，博士之路」恭喜宗親加冕桂冠。
中華耆英會是在1972年時，由一群熱心人士創辦的社會服務機構，1973
年，他們找到梅伍銀寬擔任行政主任，負責實際運作。梅伍銀寬自己也沒想到，她竟從此一頭栽進耆英服務領域，為因應耆英各項生活需求，她從聯邦到州市政府的各個相關機構的逐一洽談，克服主流社會早年持有華人都不需要幫忙這刻板印象的障礙，服務規模也就跟著大了起來。
梅氏宗親在昆士市龍鳳酒樓慶祝梅伍銀寬獲榮譽博士學位。 (梅氏公所提供)
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| 梅氏宗親在昆士市龍鳳酒樓慶祝梅伍銀寬獲榮譽博士學位。 (梅氏公所提供) |
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| 梅氏公所2名主席，梅麗梨(左)、梅少彬(右) 恭賀梅伍銀寬獲博士學位。 (梅氏公所提供) |
為迎合老人家的住屋需求，梅伍銀寬還在2015年把原本只有28個單位的康樂樓，翻修，改建成一棟有74戶可負擔住宅的房屋。
紐英崙梅氏公所主席梅麗梨指出，梅伍銀寬也從1996年起，加入公所的服務宗親行列，從財政做起，歷任梅市公所第一位女性主席，全美理事會理事，是一位深受全世界梅氏家族愛戴、尊敬的宗親。
在梅氏宗親會的慶賀宴上，梅伍銀寬謙虛感謝公所元老梅炳鈿，梅錫銳，主席梅麗梨，梅少彬為她安排慶祝會，宗親們多年來給她的支持與鼓勵，梅氏家族對她的情誼，她將永銘心中，也會在服務耆英，保障耆英權益，幫助耆英獨立自主生活上繼續努力。
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| 梅氏元老梅炳鈿 (右)賀梅伍銀寬獲榮譽博士學位。(梅氏公所提供) |
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| 梅宇國 (右)賀梅伍銀寬獲榮譽博士學位。(梅氏公所提供) |
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| 梅伍銀寬和家人及好友陳建立夫婦(右)。(梅氏公所提供) |
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| 梅伍銀寬和家人及好友陳建立夫婦(右)。(梅氏公所提供) |
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| 塔芙茨大學網站上刊出的梅伍銀寬獲榮譽博士學位說明。(梅氏公所提供) |
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| 梅氏公所為梅伍銀寬製作的賀卡。(梅氏公所提供) |
在民主黨黨代表大會中以高達71%的支持率獲得民主黨提名參選麻州州長後，奚莉幾乎已篤定將是麻州下任州長，但她謙虛表示，自己仍將積極競選，爭取每一位麻州居民的支持。
被問到一旦她當州長，首先會處理那些議題時，奚莉毫不猶豫地表示，房屋的可負擔性。
6月7日，她在出席大波士頓商會假海港酒店舉行的政府事務會議時再進一步指出，在麻州增加房屋及公寓數量，通常不是可由首席執法人員決定的事，但可負擔性其實已經直接影響商界了，因為在麻州托兒服務費用高居全美最貴之一下，員工們都搬到其他地方，或者離開職場，以照顧小孩了。
她說如何把蓬勃生機帶回城中區，未來的工作會是什麼模樣，都是目前很嚴重的問題，也經常和全州性的議題有關。”生活成本”正在啃蝕人們的安全網。讓房屋更加可負擔，已經有了經濟必要性。
奚莉說，無論是和麻州各地居民，或者是和企業執行長說話時，她聽到人們談得最多的問題就是房價高昂。
住在南端的奚莉認為，麻州必須增加房屋數量，放寬區域規劃障礙，擴大頭期款援助，以及購屋輔導服務，在鄰近公共交通工具地點蓋更多房屋。
她認為這類投資可增加首次購屋者數量，縮小麻州的族裔財富差距。
奚莉還說，麻州需要以所有語言，宣傳資源來確保無法上網的人們也都知道援助項目資訊，幫助社區實施他們自己的租金穩定政策。
她的競選政策大綱中關於房屋的7點內容，也描述著類似想法。她還支持藉由擴大建造房屋，來對抗無家流浪問題。
視頻製作: 周菊子
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| 12地段發展項目上樑。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 還在施工中的第12號地段。 (周菊子攝) |
座落在後灣區 (Back
Bay) 麻州公路八線大道，以及鐵路軌道上空，隔著馬路就是麻州地鐵 (MBTA)綠線車站的這12號地段，一旦完工將出現2座樓宇，內有辦公室、實驗室及酒店。
這是個佔地79,050平方呎，樓宇面積655,683平方呎，由Samuels &
Associates規劃，薩福克建築公司承包工程，將是波約斯頓街 (Boylston) 幾號還未確定的土地發展項目，早從2018年就遞交了發展意願，2021年12月獲得波士頓市計畫發展局批准施工，迄今已動用520噸鋼筋及預鑄水泥，蓋出了地基與骨架，竣工後，網路購車公司CarGurus公司的全球總部，M公民 (CitizenM)酒店，以及一個俯瞰高速公路的公眾廣場，都將座落其上。
根據麻州政府、波士頓市政府與發展商之間的協議，這項工程還將改善麻州大道的人行道，建造新的MBTA綠線地鐵站入口，以及通往海恩斯會議中心的行人隧道，翻修公車候車亭。
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| 麻州州長查理貝克 (Charlie Baker) 強調這是個非場複雜的發展計畫。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 多名政要應邀出席。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 麻州副州長Karen Polito。 (周菊子攝) |
CarGurus執行長Jason Trevisan也出席了上樑儀式，聲稱該公司有員工將近1000人，是一家正快速成長中的科技公司。該公司在2019年底，新冠病毒疫情爆發前，簽約租用12號地段。去年該公司把租用面積減少至225,428平方呎。發展商Samuel也向波士頓市政府申請把剩餘的將近120,000平方呎樓宇面積的用途，從辦公室大樓轉作實驗室空間。
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| 波士頓市經濟機會及包容長 Segun Idowu。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 右起，麻州眾議員Jon Santiago，Jay Livingstone，波士頓市議員Kenzie Bok。 (周菊子攝) |
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| Samuels & Associates的Steve Samuels。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 麻州交通廳廳長Jamey L. Tesler (周菊子攝) |
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| CarGurus 執行長Jason Trevisan。 (周菊子攝) |
