MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES CALL TO ARTISTS FOR PUBLIC ART AT ROXBURY BRANCH OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES CALL TO ARTISTS FOR PUBLIC ART AT ROXBURY BRANCH OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY (Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library rendering. Credit: Utile) BOSTON - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Boston Art Commission, today announced the City of Boston is seeking an artist or artist team to create a permanent public artwork for the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library. This is the second of two public art projects at the branch funded by the City's  Percent for Art Program. "Nubian Square has long been a commercial and cultural hub for the area, and the Roxbury Branch library has served as an anchor to the surrounding community for many years," said Mayor Walsh. "I think these new artworks will enliven the space even more, and will make an excellent addition to this beloved community gathering space." The City is currently completing a $17.2 million renovation to the Roxbury Branch. These efforts have fully modernized the facility, created a warm and welcoming environment, and enhanced its presence in the Roxbury community. The renovation includes a new welcome area overlooking a redesigned plaza; improved visibility and openness; dedicated space for children, teens, and adults; a prominently featured African-American collection; a nutrition lab and learning lab; refreshed collections; and more. The Boston Art Commission also refurbished an existing piece in the City's permanent collection, The Word, by Vusumuzi Maduna and Obie Simonis, which was re-installed on the facade of the building. The budget for this project is $150,000, and the call is open to all artists, national and international, with a strong preference for artists connected to Roxbury. The artwork will be located in the library's main entrance, housing the African-American collection, and will be visible from the front entrance along Dudley Street. It is expected to be installed in August 2021. Artists' and artist teams' responses to this Call should consider the recent renaming of the Building from the Dudley Branch to the Roxbury Branch and the neighborhood from Dudley Square to Nubian Square, the library's featured African-American collection, and the theme of economic justice in their narrative proposal. The King Center for Economic Justice is exploring a formal partnership with the Roxbury Branch, and it intends to be the action component of King Boston's two-pronged strategy to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, with the other prong being the creation of a memorial artwork on the Boston Common.  "Roxbury is home to many artists, activists and community members who have dedicated a tremendous amount of time and effort to enhancing our entire city," said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. "It's exciting to be able to celebrate this neighborhood's contributions and cultural vitality through these new projects." In December 2019, the City announced artist Joe Wardwell was selected to create the first project at the branch that was funded by the Percent for Art program. He is working in collaboration with local poet and former Boston Artist-in-Residence Nakia Hill, and youth writers at the YLab at 826 Boston. His project will overlook the central collections space and will be installed in late 2020. The FY21-25 Capital Plan allocates $15 million to the Percent for Art program over the next five years. This, combined with $80,000 for temporary public art projects and several new City staff positions, is the most funding the City has ever dedicated to public art.  There will be a virtual Q&A session on September 2, and questions will be accepted until that date via this form. The deadline to apply for this project is September 9, 2020 at 5 p.m. To learn more, visit here.

CITY OF BOSTON ANNOUNCES POLLING LOCATION CHANGES AHEAD OF SEPTEMBER 1 ELECTION

CITY OF BOSTON ANNOUNCES POLLING LOCATION CHANGES AHEAD OF SEPTEMBER 1 ELECTION All in-person polling will be conducted in accordance with public health guidelines

BOSTON - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - The City of Boston Election Department today announced polling location changes for 20 precincts ahead of the September 1 State Primary. The election includes the following races: Senator in Congress, Representative in Congress, Governor's Council, State Senate, State Representative, and Register of Probate. Polling locations will be open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Those interested in working as a poll worker can apply here. Individuals can find their polling location for Election Day here. Due to COVID-19, health and safety protocols during the early voting period and on Election Day will be implemented at polling locations. All poll workers will receive face shields, face masks, gloves, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray and hand sanitizer. Cleaning will take place at each site every two to three hours. Voters waiting in line will be instructed to stand 6 feet away from others and wear a face covering.    The Election Department is reminding residents that Saturday, August 22 is the last day to register to vote and Wednesday, August 26 is the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the State Primary. Residents who have requested to vote by mail can track their ballots here. If a voter has not received a vote-by-mail application in their mailbox or lost the application, they can request a new one by completing this form and sending it to the City of Boston's Election Department.  There are 20 precinct polling location changes this cycle: WARD/PRECINCT PREVIOUS LOCATION NEW LOCATION Ward 1, Precinct 15 and Ward 13, Precinct 3 Harbor Point Technology Center 15 Harbor Point Blvd Dorchester, MA 02125 Corcoran Jennison Mullins Community Building 270 Mt Vernon St Dorchester, MA 02125 Ward 4, Precincts 6 and 7 Morville House  100 Norway St Boston, MA 02115 Northeastern University, Matthew's Arena 238 St Botolph St Boston, MA 02115 Ward 4, Precincts 5 and 8 Symphony Plaza East and West 334 Massachusetts Ave Boston, MA 02115 Northeastern University, Matthew's Arena 238 St Botolph St Boston, MA 02115 Ward 7, Precincts 1 and 2 BCYF Curley Recreation Center 1663 Columbia Rd Boston, MA 02127 Joseph P. Tynan School 650 E 4th St Boston, MA 02127 Ward 9, Precinct 5 Marcus Garvey Gardens 44 John Eliot Sq Boston, MA 02119 BCYF Shelburne Center 2730 Washington St Boston, MA 02119 Ward 11, Precinct 4 Amory Street Apartments 125 Amory St Boston, MA 02119 Word of Life Tabernacle Church 120 Amory St Boston, MA 02119 Ward 13, Precincts 1 and 2 Cardinal Medeiros Apartments 11 Woodcliff St Boston, MA 02125 John Winthrop Street Elementary School 35 Brookford St Boston, MA 02125 Ward 13, Precincts 7 and 8 Catherine Clark Apartments 915 Dorchester Ave Dorchester, MA 02125 Saint Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy- Columbia Campus 790 Columbia Rd Dorchester, MA 02125 Ward 17, Precincts 1 and 3 Roxbury Prep Lucy Stone Campus 22 Regina Rd Boston, MA 02124 Codman Square Tech Center 450 Washington St Boston, MA 02124 Ward 18, Precincts 12 and 19 Boston Trinity Academy 17 Hale St Hyde Park, MA 02136 Hyde Park Municipal Building 1179 River St Hyde Park, MA 02136 Ward 19, Precincts 10 and 13 BCYF Roslindale Community Center 6 Cummins Hwy Boston, MA 02131 Washington Irving School 105 Cummins Hwy Roslindale, MA 02131 Additionally, there are five voter entrance changes to polling locations this cycle: WARD/PRECINCT LOCATION VOTER ENTRANCE Ward 5, Precinct 1 41 Berkeley St Boston, MA 02116 Berkeley Street side of the building Ward 5, Precinct 3 24 Beacon St Boston, MA 02133 Bowdoin Street through Ashburton Park Ward 5, Precincts 7 and 8 700 Boylston St Boston, MA 02116 Dartmouth Street side of the building Ward 11, Precinct 2 BCYF Shelburne Center 2730 Washington St Boston, MA 02119 Moved from the community room to the Gymnasium. Enter through the parking lot on Dale Street Ward 18, Precinct 3 Mattahunt Elementary School 100 Hebron Street Mattapan, MA 02126   Moved from the small gymnasium in the Community Center Building to the Cafeteria in the School  Registering to vote   Individuals can register to vote either in person at the Election Department in City Hall in room 241, by mail, online or through the Registry of Motor Vehicles by August 22, 2020 at 8:00 p.m to vote in the State Primary election. To be eligible to vote, an individual must be at least 18 years of age and a U.S. citizen.   Early voting   Registered voters can also decide to vote during the early voting period from Saturday, August 22 through Friday, August 28, 2020. Registered voters can vote at any of the early voting sites. No excuse is required to vote early. Hours and locations for early voting can be found here.    Voting by mail   All registered voters have received a vote-by-mail application in their mail boxes during the week of July 20, 2020. The application is in a postcard format. To receive a ballot, voters must first complete, sign and return the prepaid postcard application to the Election Department by August 26, 2020 for the State Primary. Voters may request a ballot using the vote-by-mail application for the September 1, 2020 State Primary, November 3, 2020 State Election or all 2020 elections. Voters may also request ballots in Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.   Voters can track their ballots here. If a voter has not received or lost this application, they can request a new ballot application by completing this form here and sending it to the City of Boston's Election Department, via mail, email, or fax:   1 City Hall Square, Room 241 Boston, MA 02201 Email: absenteevoter@boston.gov Fax: 617-635-4483   Voters may return their ballot by mail using the prepaid envelope, at an early voting location (during the early voting period), or using the Election Department dropbox located on the third floor of City Hall. City Hall is currently open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The dropbox will be accessible Monday through Friday.    Absentee voting in person is available until August 31, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. at the Elections Department in City Hall. To qualify to vote absentee, registered voters must be absent from the City on Election Day, must have a religious belief which prevents them from going inside of a polling location, or have a physical disability which prevents them from going to a polling location. The application to request an absentee ballot can be completed by mail or in person at the Election Department in City Hall. Learn more about applying here.    For more information on how to participate in this year's elections, please visit boston.gov/election.

波士頓僑教中心新人上任 潘昭榮首度外派

波士頓僑教中心主任潘昭榮到任，強調藉網路，照常服務。(周菊子攝)

               (Boston Orange周菊子牛頓市報導)波士頓今年驛馬星動，駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處和波士頓華僑文教中心這兩大機構首長同時調動，派新人上任。其中波士頓華僑文教中心主任潘昭榮更是單身走天涯的首度外派。

               潘昭榮趕上7月13日，紐英崙中華公所為徐佑典處長，歐宏偉主任舉辦的波士頓僑界歡送會，在麻州因應疫情縮緊開放腳步之前，和多名僑團首長先見了一面。接著的蟄居三週期間，他以電話，視訊和各個社團，單位，僑報接觸，也在波士頓華僑文教中心的資深成員張小慧協助下，順利為新處長安排了8月15，16兩日的拜會行程。

               第一次派駐國外服務，會否忐忑?年紀還不滿50的潘昭榮笑說不怕，他有很多人可以問。

               原來，不但是歐宏偉主任在返台前，已經和他先說了一遍波士頓僑情，兩名前任波士頓僑教中心主任，也都在麻州鄰近給他撐腰。今年二月從僑委會僑民處處長一職調往華府的郭大文，特地打電話給他相熟的波士頓僑領，請託關照。目前轉任紐約僑教中心主任的黃正杰，則是潘昭文的台灣大學政治系公共行政組同班同學。

               在高雄鳳山出生的潘昭榮，父親是打贏登步島戰役後，民國四十幾年才撤遷到台灣的國軍，雖然也是廣東平遠縣人，算半個客家人，可惜父親既沒教他廣東話，也沒教他客家話，現在他兩種話都得學，才好加強為僑胞提供服務。

               其實潘昭榮也沒想到過他會進僑委會工作的。當年大學畢業，服完兵役後，他進了民間企業，做出口貿易，銷售器械工具，後來又進視覺系統檢測公司，為日月光之類的公司做品檢，但這些工作對他來說到底是學非所用，四、五年後，他終於決定辭職，參加公務員考試，接著進了研考會下的檔案管理局，工作了一年多之後，才申調到僑務委員會。起初在僑商處，升為專員後，調僑生處，各工作了四、五年，再調到綜合規劃處，這次還是第一次奉命外派。

               潘昭榮坦言，新冠疫情的確拖慢了各機構的行政效率。譬如他抵任後，許多得和地方政府交涉才能取得的證件，迄今都還在申辦中，不過服務僑胞的工作，他不敢怠慢，遵照新任僑委會委員長童振源的多用科技指示，他到任後已拜會過兩名波士頓僑務委員，蔣宗壬和梅錫瑞，也和波士頓台灣電影展，新英格蘭中文教師專業協會，美東中文學校協會，紐英倫客家鄉親會等組織開過視訊會議，後續將秉承僑委會的宗旨，為僑胞服務。(更新版)

麻州政府將公佈市鎮確診率顏色圖 雀喜等4市鎮感染率最高

麻州州長查理貝克強調，私人聚會現在是最讓人頭痛的防疫弱點。
(周菊子攝自疫情匯報視頻)

               (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓綜合報導)麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)今(11)日中午匯報新型冠狀病毒(COVID-19)疫情，指出在麻州351個市鎮中，有 33個可歸類為中等或高危社區，州府將加強在這些市鎮的防疫行動。

               麻州健康及人民服務長Marylou Sudders並向雀喜市(Chelsea)，艾佛瑞(Everett)，林市(Lynn)，以及里維爾(Revere)等這4個市鎮喊話，”你們的社區COVID-19確診率特別高，請促請你們的市民戴口罩，保持6英尺的安全社交距離，勤洗手，如果不舒服就別出門”。

               查理貝克和Marylou Sudders表示，州政府將開始公佈以顏色標示的市鎮地圖，用紅黃綠白標示每10萬人的確診比率，讓民眾更容易的一目了然州內各市鎮的疫情輕重。

               查理貝克指出，疫情雖然還在持續，好消息是有318個麻州市鎮的COVID-19病毒感染確診率都在每10萬人低於4人以下，和全國平均率差不多，或者更低。不過人們要注意的是，不管各人住在哪個社區，疫情還未消散。州政府的跨部會防疫行動小組將深入各市鎮，協助地方防疫。

               查理貝克也報告到，8月11日的疫情數據為，有11276人做了檢測，使得麻州總檢測人數已超過175萬人，新增確診個案有214宗，累計為12,607宗，連續7日的確診率為1.8%，目前有318人住院，60人在重症病房。

               查理貝克坦言，州政府正在推跨部會防疫行動，主要是因為地方市鎮反應，希望州政府協助防疫，因為民眾不遵守防疫規定時，他們拿不出什麼好辦法。查理貝克表示，州政府上週已更新了防疫措施規定，把戶外群聚人數從100降至50，室內群聚保持25，但是要求如果室內聚會有10人以上來自不同家庭，就必須戴口罩。他強調，州政府也不希望處罰民眾，但經驗告訴大家，遵守戴口罩，保持社交安全距離，勤洗手的是避免病毒散布、傳染的最好方法，希望大家都能保護自己，保護身邊的人。

Baker-Polito Administration Releases Enhanced Community Level Data on Spread of COVID-19

BOSTON – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration released additional data on community level spread of COVID-19 in order to target additional resources and implement community specific strategies to stop the spread of the virus.

Last week, Governor Charlie Baker announced a new set of initiatives aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, especially in higher risk communities that have seen a recent uptick in cases. While Massachusetts has seen an overall decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations since May, there has been a slight uptick in certain communities in recent days.

The Administration today released data on the average daily cases per 100,000 residents, average percent positivity, and positive tests, for all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns over the last two weeks.

Based on the average daily cases per 100,000 residents, each city or town has been designated as a higher risk, moderate risk, or lower risk community. Going forward, this information will be updated and included in the Department of Public Health’s weekly public health dashboard, which is published each Wednesday.

Any city or town designated higher risk is considered to have a high level of COVID infection, and will receive additional support from the Commonwealth to address the spread of the virus.

Last week, Governor Baker announced a targeted cross-agency COVID Enforcement and Intervention Team that will be responsible for ramping up enforcement statewide and coordinating intervention efforts at the local level in these higher risk COVID-19 communities.

Member agencies include the Executive Office and Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), who will serve as coordinators of the team, the Command Center, the Massachusetts State Police (MSP), the Department of Labor Standards (DLS), the Division of Professional Licensure (DPL), the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Division of Local Services (DLS), the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS).

Statewide Enforcement and Intervention supports will include: 

• Targeted interventions and inspections by a range of member agencies, including Local Services, Labor Standards, DPH, MSP and ABCC, coordinated by EOPSS and MEMA.

• Increased enforcement, including fines, of sector guidance for businesses to ensure businesses and residents are aware of and following COVID-19 orders.

• Cease and desist orders as necessary for businesses and organizations in violation of the COVID-19 orders.

• Support for ABCC and local licensing boards in exercising their existing authority to fine restaurants or suspend or cancel liquor licenses when restaurants do not comply with required COVID-19 safety measure or sanitation codes.

• Targeted public messaging to alert residents of higher risk COVID communities (road signs, PSAs, reverse 911, etc.).

• Technical support to local government officials to support enhanced local COVID-19 prevention efforts such as assistance in accessing CARES Act funding.

• Potential restrictions or shutdowns for parks, playgrounds, businesses or other entities and locations believed to be contributing to the COVID-19 spread in higher risk COVID-19 communities.

• Additional public health support such as testing, tracing and quarantining.