MAYOR MICHELLE WU AND SUPERINTENDENT MARY SKIPPER ANNOUNCE NEXT STEPS TO BUILD ON BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS TRANSPORTATION PROGRESS

MAYOR MICHELLE WU AND SUPERINTENDENT MARY SKIPPER ANNOUNCE NEXT STEPS TO BUILD ON BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS TRANSPORTATION PROGRESS New Ridership Procedure will improve efficiency of the transportation system, leading to improved service for students and families

BOSTON - Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper today shared updates on the City’s progress to improve Boston Public Schools’ transportation and announced a new Ridership Procedure. The new procedure will be implemented after Boston Public Schools (BPS) April vacation week, to improve the efficiency of BPS transportation operations and further improve bus service for students. The Ridership Procedure was part of a new report released today, Driving Change: BPS Transportation Progress 2022-2025, which details the current performance of the BPS transportation system and the next steps to drive continuous improvement. Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper discussed key findings from the report and the forthcoming Ridership Procedure during a roundtable conversation with BPS educators and families at the Rafael Hernández School.  In March 2025, BPS Transportation achieved an average of 94% on-time performance (OTP) among morning bus trips––the best monthly performance at any point since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago. The improvement in OTP is the result of specific changes implemented since 2022 to improve the efficiency of the system: Reforming key contracts, including with the vendor, currently Transdev, and the bus drivers’ union Eliminating staffing shortages that continue to impact school districts nationwide, nearly eliminating uncovered bus trips in Boston Modernizing routing and operations by replacing a paper-based system with a real-time GPS navigation technology and tracking app, Zūm Aligning bell times across almost all BPS schools to the three-tier schedule, with schools beginning at 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30AM to enable most buses to complete three runs every morning Improving athletics transportation by implementing Zūm and optimizing scheduling of athletic games to stay within BPS’ yellow bus capacity, resulting in 100% coverage of scheduled athletic trips since the start of February 2025 “I’m so excited to be at this stage of talking about school bus transportation with a completely new set of issues because we’ve taken big steps forward with technology, outreach and rebuilding systems,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Most importantly, this is about the individual experiences of each family and student, and we are excited to take that on and to do better each and every day to make sure that Boston continues to be making progress.” “We are proud to see that our long-term planning and implementation efforts across the district are directly benefiting our students, including our improved transportation operation for Boston’s students,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper. “Achieving our highest on-time performance in five years is a reflection of the strategic changes we have made over the last few years. From modernizing our routing system to strengthening our partnerships with drivers and vendors, we have built a stronger, more reliable system for families. I am encouraged by our progress, which is helping more students get to school, to home, and to sports and extracurriculars safely and on time, and I have no doubt that we will only continue to improve.” The Driving Change report includes detailed data showing that the operational reforms since 2022 have resulted in improved bus performance: fewer uncovered bus trips, including for athletics; higher on time performance (OTP); and stronger and more transparent customer service for families.  For example, Day 1 OTP is a high-profile and important measure of transportation performance. After implementing numerous operational reforms secured through the new vendor and bus drivers’ contract, the start of the 2023-24 school year saw the highest Day 1 morning OTP in the past ten years.  At the start of the 2024-25 school year, BPS Transportation deployed Zūm, a new technology that contributed to a significant but short-term decline in Day 1 OTP, as bus drivers used the app in real-world driving conditions for the first time. Over the first couple of weeks, as drivers, school staff, and families grew accustomed to the new technology, OTP rapidly improved, stabilizing at a higher rate than last year. From October to March of the 2024-25 school year, morning OTP averaged 91.7%, compared to 90.6% from October to March of 2023-24.  However, without further structural changes to right size the transportation system, OTP is likely to plateau in the low- to mid-90s. At the transportation roundtable with BPS parents and students, Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper also announced that after April vacation, BPS will be implementing a Ridership Procedure for pausing student bus assignments based on consistent non-ridership. This will improve efficiency and performance of the bus routes. This procedure––developed and unanimously recommended by BPS’ Transportation Advisory Council––will ensure only students who use the bus are routed for transportation, aligning transportation service with actual ridership. When a student does not ride the bus for ten consecutive school days, without providing prior notification in the Zūm app to cancel a student’s scheduled bus rides, BPS Transportation staff will proactively reach out to their family and provide notice that they will be removed from the route. Students can keep their bus assignment if they return to riding the bus. Students can also contact BPS Transportation to reinstate transportation services at any later date, as long as they are still eligible for a yellow bus. Upon implementation of the Ridership Procedure, the District estimates that close to 1,000 students who have consistently not been riding the bus this school year will be opted out of transportation. Enabled by the adoption of the Zūm technology platform in 2024, which allowed BPS to systematically track student ridership for the first time, this change will further improve reliability and on-time performance, while ensuring resources are allocated equitably and efficiently to the students who rely on the school bus to get to and from school. “I am truly proud to see this BPS Transportation report profile significant improvement over the past few years, especially this year alone with the Zūm app technology that I advocated for early in my term,” said District 5 City Councilor Enrique Pepén. “To see this district-wide implementation as well as the Ridership Procedure and collaboration efforts show significant improvements in our young people getting to-and-from school is remarkable. This short period of time gives great hope of achieving a 100% on-time performance in the near future - a reality our families and children deserve.” “Our bus drivers, monitors, and the entire Transdev and BPS Transportation teams work incredibly hard every day to get students to and from school safely and on time. While this report highlights the progress we've made in recent years, we know that the work is not yet done. With the implementation of the new Ridership Procedure, our team will be able to build bus routes based on actual student ridership for the first time - ensuring our resources are going towards those students who need the bus, adding slack to the system, and building upon the OTP improvements we've seen this year," said Dan Rosengard, Executive Director of BPS Transportation. “I’m grateful to the members of the Transportation Advisory Council for their hard work to design this procedure and advocate for continued transportation improvements for Boston students.”   “As the Hernández is a dual-language school that draws students from all over the City, reliable, on time transportation is critical to our students' ability to be at school and ready to learn every day. Our staff and families have been strong advocates for transportation improvements to address the history of late buses. Although there is still room to grow, we've seen meaningful improvements in bus timeliness and communications this year, following the introduction of the Zūm app. I look forward to continued improvements following the implementation of the Ridership Procedure and will continue to be a strong advocate for taking the necessary steps to ensure all students have safe, reliable, on-time transportation every day,” said Rafael Hernandez Duel Language K-8 School Leader Danielle Costello.

Governor Healey Nominates John P. Riordan as Clerk Magistrate of the Northeast Housing Court

 Governor Healey Nominates John P. Riordan as  Clerk Magistrate of the Northeast Housing Court 

BOSTON – Today, Governor Maura Healey announced the nomination of John P. Riordan to serve as Clerk Magistrate of the Northeast Housing Court, which covers Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Salem and Woburn. He will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation. 

"With over 40 years of legal experience, Jack Riordan will bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge to support the Northeast Housing Court,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The Housing Court plays an important role in ensuring people’s rights are protected, and we are excited to see Attorney Riordan support our residents in Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Salem and Woburn.” 

“As the former Mayor of Salem, I know how important the Northeast Housing Court is for helping our tenants, landlords and homeowners," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We look forward to working toward Attorney Riordan’s confirmation with the Governor’s Council." 

John Riordan has served as the Supervising Attorney for Riordan Law Office for nearly thirty years where he has handled a high-volume of trial cases focused on criminal defense, civil litigation and bankruptcy in both state and federal courts. He also served as the Chief Outside Legal Counsel for the Brockton Redevelopment Authority. Prior to founding his own practice, Attorney Riordan served as an in-house trial attorney for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company for ten years and as an Assistant District Attorney for the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. He is a past President of the Boys & Girls Club of Brockton and was the recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Community Service Award in 2017.  Attorney Riordan has also served in the United States Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant Commander in Naval Intelligence serving in the Mideast and Latin America. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Political Science and a Juris Doctorate from New England School of Law. 

The Housing Court Department handles all matters involving residential housing such as eviction cases, small claims cases, and civil actions involving personal injury, property damage, breach of contract, discrimination, as well as code enforcement actions and appeals of local zoning board decisions that affect residential housing. The Housing Court’s mission is to adjudicate all matters presented by litigants within its jurisdiction regarding housing in a fair, efficient and timely manner according to the rule of law and the facts presented. Led by Chief Justice Diana H. Horan, the Housing Court has 15 justices, and they sit in six divisions: the Central, Eastern, Metro South, Northeast, Southeast, and Western divisions.  

For more information about the Housing Court, visit its homepage. Governor Healey previously nominated Benjamin Adeyinka as an Associate Justice to the Housing Court. 

新英格蘭臺商會辦講座 楊富翔分享利用LinkedIn開發國際客戶做法

新英格蘭台商會網上講座。

           (Boston Orange 周菊子麻州報導) 新英格蘭大波士頓臺灣商會 (TCCNE)和多個商會、僑團合作，4月13 日晚在線上舉辦「利用LinkedIn 開發國際高價值客戶」講座，從臺灣請來曾任外貿協會講師的楊富翔分享經驗心得，協助商會成員找到適合自己的經營商機之道。

波士頓僑教中心主任高家富應會長王志維之請參會、致詞，稱許楊富翔經歷紮實、豐富，相信演講內容可幫助各商會成員有更好發展。

新英格蘭大波士頓臺灣商會會長王志維感謝各地商會支持，參加會議。

楊富翔是成功大學企管碩士，曾為2家體外診斷醫材製造商，以及上櫃和新創公司當顧問，做過廣泰金屬，華廣生技等公司的董事長特助，行銷經理，成功為所屬公司開發越南，新加坡、印度、非洲等海外市場，找到中南美洲代理商。

在長達一個半小時的講談中，楊富翔介紹了企業經營數位化趨勢，LinkedIn社群工具特點和功能，分享設計個人LinkedIn檔案，以及利用LinkedIn開發潛在客戶的技巧。

楊富翔也是外貿協會的講師。

楊富翔指出，在數位化時代的今日，根據「銷售人員 (Salesforce)」資料，16個國家的2200份企業買家調查，有65%經由數位方式採購，35%仍以傳統渠道進行採購，利用LinedIn來開方潛在客戶就變得更為重要。

他自己就是藉由LinkedIn經營專業人脈，有2萬多人和他是第一度朋友，能直接對話，在關鍵時候做顧問，指點方向，或引介管道，才順利達成為東家開闢新市場的成績。

他指出，LinkedIn

波士頓僑教中心主任高家富致詞。

上的個人檔案列有職稱、職能、職階，工作年資，技能專長等資料，因而成為開發市場，鎖定目標的最佳工具。

要充分利用LinkedIn，先決條件是做好個人檔案，發表有意義貼文，建立專業業形象，然後懂得主動出擊。

聖地牙哥商會會長陳曉華。

他提出先找LinkedIn系統預設的資源，藉留言來建立關係，增加關注者等11個開發潛在客戶與連結的技巧。他也提醒人，個人檔案的完整性和已有的朋友連結，是否付費用戶等，會影響到各人在LinkedIn上可以看到的資源。

這場講座還有波克萊、華府、奧瑞岡州、聖地牙哥等臺灣商會協辦。

楊富翔為講座準備的其中一頁資料。

司徒宗達發起 波士頓亞裔電工蛇年春宴慶20週年

司徒宗達(右二)發起舉辦亞裔電工春宴，和關麗莎(左一)一起歡迎IBEW Local 103
會長Robert S.Sheehan, Jr.，企業經理 Louis  J. Antonellis，資深工會會員顏永年等人到會。

               (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 在發起人司徒宗達號召下， 波士頓亞裔電工和嘉賓共200多人，4月12日晚在帝苑大酒樓迎接蛇年新春， 慶祝20週年。IBEW Local 103會長Robert S. Sheehan, Jr. 提醒電工們，9月13日，該會將慶祝125週年。

洪青體育會的瑞獅和嘉賓合影。 (周菊子攝)

              司徒宗達當晚頗為感慨。他表示自己1969年加入IBEW Local 這個電工工會大家庭，是第一個加入工會的亞裔電工，一轉眼就55年。他還記得當年發起新春聚會，純粹只為聯絡情誼，讓有類似背景的電工們，有機會交流、吐槽。那次在香滿園約20人出席，沒想到20年下來，如今有200多人，讓人很欣慰。希望這新春聚會能持續下去。

              司徒宗達笑說，他自己就介紹了好些人加入工會。他相信在IBEW之內，波士頓有很多亞裔電工，唯一比波士頓多的地方，大概只有夏威夷。

麻州眾議員黃子安(右)送上表揚狀給司徒宗達(左)。(周菊子攝)

              IBEW是個會員主要分佈在美國、加拿大的一個國際電工兄弟會，在麻州有Local 7，96，104，223，2222，1505，674等多個不同分會，總會員人數超過15, 000，以大波士頓為主的Local 103是其中一個比較大的分會，有將近8000名會員，2024年還曾接待過美國總統拜登和副總統賀錦麗。

波士頓市議員Ed Flynn (右起)和Erin Murphy送表揚狀給司徒宗達。(周菊子攝)

              司徒宗達的另一半，關麗莎透露，在IBEW Local 103之內，並沒有一個亞裔電工分會，但是他們每年辦春宴，亞裔電工們自己聚餐，今年還是第一次邀請僑團。

              這晚的宴會流程，因此也走僑團路線，有舞獅，致詞，卡拉OK餘興節目。

              在伍少武率領洪青體育會醒獅隊出場採青獻桔後，司儀司徒文信報幕，請嘉賓致詞。

麻州參議員Nick Collins的助理Paul Dooley(右)送上表揚狀
給司徒宗達。(周菊子攝)

              當晚到會祝賀的政要嘉賓，有麻州眾議員黃子安，波士頓市議員愛德華費連 (Ed Flynn)，Erin Murphy，以及麻州參議員Nick Collins的助理Paul Dooley。他們還分別送上了表揚狀。

              黃子安和司徒宗達都是波士頓洪門的兄弟，相識多年

              紐英崙中華公所主席雷國輝，IBEW Local 103分會的會長 Robert S. Sheehan, Jr.，企業經理暨財務秘書Louis J. Antonellis也一一上台致詞，稱許司徒宗達帶領年輕人入行。

IBEW Local 103會長Robert S. Sheehan, Jr. 提醒電工們，9月13日，
該會將慶祝125週年。(周菊子攝)

              當晚出席的電工，各種年齡層都有，但幾乎清一色男性，只有22歲的Amy Ly是女性電工。Amy 表示，原本她在麻州大學波士頓分校就讀，但通過考試，成為電工學徒後她她就輟學了。她笑說，大學畢業後，一樣要找工作，還不知道找不找得到，而成為電工學徒，工作有保障，當初做決定，也沒怎麼考慮。這還是她第一次參加亞裔電工聚會，直言這是個很好的活動，給了她機會認識更多有類似背景的同業。(訂正版)

紐英崙中華公所主席雷國輝致詞。(周菊子攝)

IBEW Local 103的會長Robert S. Sheehan (左起)和企業經理Louis  J. Antonellis，
司徒宗達都是工會資深會員。(周菊子攝)

司徒文信出工會春宴司儀。(周菊子攝)

春宴現場有許多年輕亞裔電工。(周菊子攝)

僑團成員、政要上台合唱。(周菊子攝)

黃國威、雷玉霞這對僑聲K哥搭檔，應邀獻唱。(周菊子攝)

中華公所財政陳余寶愛被點名上台獻唱。(周菊子攝)

中華公所中文書記翁宇才(左)、核數張青梅，董事陳黃海蘭搖手機的手電筒
為陳余寶愛打氣。(周菊子攝)

梅氏公所主席梅少彬歌聲好，也被點名，一連獻唱數首歌。 (周菊子攝)

波士頓名人系列再邀Alvin Ailey舞團 4/24-27王氏劇院演出

       (Boston Orange 編譯) “波士頓名人系列”將把艾文·艾利美國舞蹈劇團（Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, AAADT）再次帶回波士頓，由新一代演員於4月24日至27日，在博赫中心王安劇院（Boch Center Wang Theatre，地址：270 Tremont Street, Boston）演出5場，展現該劇團橫跨70年的輝煌歷史，以及新創作。

演出亮點

              這次的所有演出。都是為了紀念已故的榮譽藝術總監茱蒂絲·傑米森（Judith Jamison）。五場演出將呈現三個不同的節目，包括四場波士頓首演。其中包括：

• 馬修·拉辛（Matthew Rushing）（臨時藝術總監）的《聖歌》（Sacred Songs）
• 兩位前艾利舞者——**霍普·博伊金（Hope Boykin）的《尋找自由》（Finding Free）和賈馬爾·羅伯茨（Jamar Roberts）**的《安達盧斯藍調》（Al-Andalus Blues）的作品
• 多領域編舞家**拉爾·盧博維奇（Lar Lubovitch）**的新作《眾多天使》（Many Angels）
• 編舞家**羅納德·K·布朗（Ronald K. Brown）**的經典作品《恩典》（Grace）的新製作（2024年首演，為其在艾利舞團首演25週年紀念）
• 艾文·艾利（Alvin Ailey）的標誌性傑作《啟示錄》（Revelations）將在每場演出結束時呈現。

演出時間表與詳細資訊

• 4月24日（週四）晚上8點
• 《恩典》（1999年，2024年新製作），編舞：羅納德·K·布朗
• 《尋找自由》（2024年），編舞：霍普·博伊金
• 《啟示錄》（1960年），編舞：艾文·艾利
• 4月25日（週五）晚上8點 & 4月26日（週六）晚上8點
• 《恩典》（1999年，2024年新製作）
• 《安達盧斯藍調》（2024年），編舞：賈馬爾·羅伯茨
• 《啟示錄》（1960年）
• 4月26日（週六）下午2點 & 4月27日（週日）下午3點
• 《聖歌》（2024年），波士頓首演，編舞：馬修·拉辛
• 《眾多天使》（2024年），編舞：拉爾·盧博維奇
• 《啟示錄》（1960年）

票務資訊

              個人票價從25美元起，即日起可在celebrityseries.org上購買。

Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches Initiative to Support Businesses Impacted by Trump’s Tariffs

Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches Initiative to Support Businesses Impacted by Trump’s Tariffs 

The TRBO Initiative Seeks to Support Massachusetts Businesses Facing Rising Costs, Supply Chain Disruptions, and Uncertainty Amid Rapidly Changing Tariff Policy Landscape 

BOSTON – Today, the Healey-Driscoll administration launched the Massachusetts Tariff Response and Business Operations Support Initiative (TRBO) to align state resources to aid Massachusetts businesses in response to President Donald Trump’s recent tariff policies and the ongoing uncertainty they cause for consumers and businesses across the country.  

TRBO, launched in partnership with the quasi-public economic development agency Massachusetts Technology Collaborative through its Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM), will assist Massachusetts manufacturers’ response to new and changing tariffs. It includes a survey for companies to share how they are impacted by the tariffs so that the state can help them develop response plans, identify their continuity needs, and connect them to alternative supply chains here in Massachusetts and across the region. 

“In Massachusetts, we will not abandon our manufacturers the way that President Trump has by waging a trade war against our allies that is increasing costs for everyone and hurting American businesses,” said Governor Maura Healey. “My administration has partnered with businesses from Day One and, in this time of uncertainty, I want to do all I can to safeguard the manufacturing sector and mitigate market fluctuations.” 

“Through TRBO, we will work with business leaders, community stakeholders and talented people from across the manufacturing sector to ensure that Massachusetts stays the course through these challenging times,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Despite what is happening at the federal level, we are working around the clock to build a path forward so we can keep goods moving and protect jobs no matter what.” 

The TRBO initiative follows Governor Healey’s multiple convenings and meetings with businesses and business leaders about the impact of President’s Trump’s policies, including tariffs, on the Massachusetts economy. This includes a business roundtable held April 9 with leaders of prominent organizations representing hundreds of businesses of all sizes and spanning all industries across the state, as well as representatives from the manufacturing, finance and contracting industries. 

“TRBO represents a concrete path forward to better understand and assess the impacts of the tariffs in Massachusetts so that we can advance our manufacturing capacity and support businesses in need,” said Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao. “Every day, businesses are working hard to pay their bills, deliver services and support their workers. The recent efforts by the Trump administration have thrown businesses into limbo. Massachusetts has weathered these storms before and is fortunate to have the expertise, knowledge and capacity to meet these challenging times.”  

“MassTech will assist the Healey-Driscoll administration as we implement an effective plan to ease the pressures on our manufacturing sector,” said Massachusetts Technology Collaborative CEO Carolyn Kirk. “The TRBO initiative will rely on the efforts of CAM, which is tapped into a strong network of businesses, academic institutions and local governments, working together to build a resilient manufacturing ecosystem.”   

TRBO is built on four critical focus areas: 

• T – Tariff Impact Analysis: Monitoring how tariffs are impacting Massachusetts-based manufacturers through data collection 
• R – Response Strategy Development: Facilitating resources from the ecosystem to support plans to mitigate risks 
• B – Business Continuity Support: Coordinating and aligning partners with available state or ecosystem resources 
• O – Operations Support for Supply Chain Resiliency: Supporting adaptability of supply chains in new tariff environments