MA Democratic Party Chair issued statement on National Transportation Safety Board Report on 2019 Crash

 Statement from Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford on National Transportation Safety Board Report on 2019 Crash:

"Under Charlie Baker’s watch, the RMV stopped performing basic functions to ensure public safety, creating a backlog of infractions that—as determined in today’s report from the National Transportation Safety Board—contributed to a tragedy affecting so many families. In light of today's report, the Baker administration can no longer hide from the devastating impact of their dereliction of duty. Governor Baker owes the families who lost loved-ones in this tragedy an apology. And he owes us all an assurance that his administration is now performing the basic safety functions we all assumed were taking place before this terrible crash."

感恩節後防疫 波士頓市增設3個免費流動檢測站

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES FREE, MOBILE COVID-19 TESTING NOW AVAILABLE IN ROXBURY, JAMAICA PLAIN AND EAST BOSTON New site in Jamaica Plain to increase citywide COVID-19 testing capacity following Thanksgiving     BOSTON - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the availability of free COVID-19 testing for anyone regardless of symptoms at three locations around the City of Boston this week. In addition to the City's existing mobile testing teams in partnership with East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and Whittier Street Health Center, there is now free mobile COVID-19 testing available in Jamaica Plain, located at Anna Mae Cole Community Center until Thursday, December 3. The City of Boston is partnering with LCG to add this site to increase testing capacity citywide, following increased demand for Thanksgiving. East Boston Neighborhood Health Center will continue its mobile operation in East Boston's Central Square, located on Border Street across from Liberty Plaza Shopping Center. Whittier Street Health Center's mobile COVID-19 testing team will now operate in Washington Park Mall at 333 Warren Street in Roxbury. Both of these COVID-19 mobile testing teams will be available until Saturday, December 5.  "In the City of Boston, we are committed to providing equitable access to COVID-19 testing in our neighborhoods, and I'm pleased to build on that work with this new resource," said Mayor Walsh. "It's especially important now for anyone who spent the Thanksgiving holiday with people outside their household to get tested and limit the further spread of COVID-19. I want to thank LCG for their partnership on this new testing site, and I want to thank East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and Whittier Street Health Center for their continued partnership on providing free and equitable testing access in Boston." JAMAICA PLAIN MOBILE TESTING: ANNA MAE COLE COMMUNITY CENTER In Jamaica Plain, testing is available in partnership with LCG through Thursday, December 3 at the Anna Mae Cole Community Center, located at 10 Lamartine Street Ext. Testing is available to anyone at no cost and regardless of symptoms and insurance. Testing is available by walk-up only during the hours below. With questions, individuals should contact the Mayor's Health Line at 617-534-5050. Tuesday, December 1: 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.    Wednesday, December 2: 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Thursday, December 3: 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.  "We are deeply concerned by the rapid uptick in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts and are honored to work with the City of Boston to provide our residents with the means to obtain free testing. The LCG Boston team is committed to promoting and supporting our neighbors' health and well-being and urges everyone to respect the safety of their loved ones and peers to minimize the risk of spreading the virus," said Aaron Chan R.N. CEO and Founder of LCG Boston. "In light of the holiday season, it is particularly imperative that we work together as a community to flatten the curve by following CDC safety guidelines and getting tested when necessary. Together we can save lives and hasten our mission to return to some semblance of normalcy." EAST BOSTON NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER: CENTRAL SQUARE IN EAST BOSTON East Boston Neighborhood Health Center's COVID-19 mobile testing team, in partnership with the City of Boston, will continue to operate in East Boston at Central Square Park on Border Street, across from Liberty Plaza Shopping Center. Anyone can get tested for free and regardless of symptoms and immigration status. Testing is available by appointment during the hours listed below. Please call 617-568-4500 to schedule an appointment. Tuesday, December 1 - Friday, December 4: 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Saturday, December 5: 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Since launching, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center's COVID-19 mobile testing team has administered 17,909 tests. For the week of November 23, the site administered a total of 773 tests.  "It is vitally important that we remain vigilant and focus on reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the community, especially following the Thanksgiving holiday," said East Boston Neighborhood Health Center president and CEO Manny Lopes. "Our actions now will impact the well-being of our neighbors moving forward. Continue to wear a mask, wash your hands, practice social distancing, and get tested."     WHITTIER STREET HEALTH CENTER: WASHINGTON PARK MALL The City's mobile COVID-19 testing team in partnership with Whittier Street Health Center is now located in Roxbury at the Washington Park Mall at 333 Warren Street. Testing is available to anyone regardless of symptoms and immigration status, and at no cost. Individuals are asked to pre-register by calling 617-858-2406 before visiting the site during the hours listed below.  Tuesday, December 1 - Friday, December 4: 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Saturday, December 5: 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. The mobile site testing initiative was announced by Mayor Walsh in May as a way to help fill any gaps in testing availability, prioritizing neighborhoods and populations that need dedicated testing efforts to create equitable access to testing. The mobile testing teams have previously been located in Roxbury, Allston, South Boston, Mattapan, East Boston, and Dorchester.  In addition to the City's two mobile testing sites and this week's testing in Jamaica Plain, COVID-19 testing is available at over 30 locations across the city. Individuals can call the Mayor's Health Line with any questions using 617-534-5050. View a complete list of all testing sites.  Mayor Walsh recently announced the City of Boston launched "Get The Test, Boston," a pledge designed to encourage residents to get a COVID-19 test. Additionally, businesses who sign the pledge will share testing resources and information with their employees.  The City of Boston has been partnering with community health centers to increase access to testing, particularly in neighborhoods experiencing higher rates of COVID-19. As of Monday, November 23, 2020, there were 401,520 COVID-19 tests of Boston residents. For all Boston residents, the current community positivity for tests decreased from 5.4% for the prior week (November 10-16) to 3.4% for the current week (November 17-23). The latest numbers of cases from the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) by neighborhoods are available online. Resources and information about COVID-19 are available online. Resources available on Boston.gov and through City departments include support for renters and homeowners; small businesses; free meals for Boston students; free toiletries for Boston students; support for older residents; information on homeless shelters; resources for those in recovery or those who have a substance use disorder; and mental health resources. More information on Boston's reopening can be found at boston.gov/reopening. For additional questions or programs, please visit our coronavirus website or call 3-1-1, Boston's 24-hour constituent hotline. Text BOSCOVID to 888-777 to receive text alerts on a regular basis, available in 11 languages.

麻州州長匯報疫情 12/1

 

MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS AISHA MILLER AS CHIEF OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

 

MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS AISHA MILLER AS CHIEF OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT     BOSTON - Monday, November 30, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the appointment of Aisha Miller as the Chief of Civic Engagement for the City of Boston, effective Monday, December 7, 2020. The Civic Engagement Cabinet is composed of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services, the Mayor's Office of Public Service and Community Outreach, Boston 311, and SPARK Boston and is dedicated to the efficient and effective delivery of City services, as well as creating opportunities for Boston residents to participate with local government. Miller is currently the Assistant Commissioner of Constituent Services for the Boston Inspectional Service Department (ISD).    "Aisha brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in civic engagement to this new role, and I am proud and excited to appoint her as my Chief of Civic Engagement," said Mayor Walsh. "Managing the Constituent Services Division at ISD required building relationships with the community, outside stakeholders and various city agencies to ensure each Boston resident is afforded the best quality of life. I am confident that she will also excel in this new role and all City departments will benefit from having her as a Cabinet Chief."    "I am excited and esteemed by this opportunity to lead one of the essential departments in the City of Boston that connects to all Boston residents. I look forward to continuing the initiatives spearheaded by Chief Jerome Smith and creating new initiatives under the leadership of Mayor Martin J. Walsh," said Aisha Miller. "I was born and raised in Mattapan, enriched with families and hard-working parents like my mother that instilled values in their children. Moments like these prove to young people of color that opportunities are at their fingertips through hard work and dedication. For me, it's simple; a girl from Mattapan has the chance to give back to the people who have prepared her for this moment."   Aisha will take the role of Jerome Smith, who served as director of the Office of Neighborhood Services and Chief of Civic Engagement for over six years. Current Chief of Staff for the Civic Engagement Cabinet, Edward M. McGuire III, will assume the role of Director of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services effective Monday, December 7, 2020. Faisa Shariff was recently appointed as the Deputy Director of ONS.    Jerome Smith's last day working at the City of Boston will be Friday, December 4, 2020. As Chief of Civic Engagement and Director of the Office of Neighborhood Services, he advised the Mayor on efforts to preserve and enhance the quality of services delivered to residents, including overseeing Mayor Walsh's Civic Academies and NEW (Neighborhood Engagement Walks) Boston, developing neighborhood partnerships, resolving problems related to code enforcement, rebranding and managing Boston 311, and spearheading Mayor Walsh's Problem Properties Task Force, Fireworks Task Force, and Police Reform Task Force.    "Jerome has been an integral part of my team for many years, and greatly contributed to the continual improvement of delivering City services," said Mayor Walsh. "It has truly been a pleasure to work with him and we wish him the best in his future endeavors."   "It was a privilege to serve the City of Boston under the Walsh administration doing such meaningful work as the Chief of Civic Engagement and Director of Neighborhood Services," said Jerome Smith. "I was dedicated to bridging the gaps between our communities and local government as I firmly believed that it is only by strengthening our neighborhoods that we can succeed as a city. With the support of the Mayor, my excellent staff and I were able to improve the delivery of services to constituents and to find innovative and meaningful ways in which to engage the residents of Boston. I am confident that the Cabinet will continue to do incredible work."    For more information, please visit www.boston.gov/departments/neighborhood-services.    ###

麻州華森市半個月10起隨機襲人案 警方籲民協助緝凶

            (Boston Orange 編譯) 麻州華森市(Waltham)從11月10日迄今，一連發生10起隨機襲擊案，警方今(28)日已在臉書上公佈2段視頻，籲請民眾協助緝凶。

警方表示，視頻中穿著黑色有套頭T恤，藍色牛仔褲，白球鞋的嫌犯，可能和這一系列的雖機襲擊案有關。希望民眾能提供資訊，以早日將之抓捕到案。

警方也籲請當地民眾出門時格外小心。

華森市警方表示，從11月10日，該市數個地點陸續發生多起路人無辜遭遇襲擊案件，最新這宗發生於週五(27日)晚上。受害者都是在傍晚5點半到11點半之間，一個人走在路上時，突然被人從背後襲擊。

隨機襲擊案件最初發生在華森市的”花冠(GardenCrest)公寓”，然後在市中心的板栗街(Chestnut)，以及查理士街(Charles)。

一名西班牙裔居民從花冠公寓走出去抽菸時，突然有人從背後用重物襲擊他，把他打得頭顱骨折，顱內流血。現在他正在緩慢復原中，但心中恐懼揮之不去。

華森市第6區市議員Sean Durkee已於11月25日召開了Zoom會議，邀請市長 Jeannette McCarthy出席，討論對策。華森市市議會預定12月7日再繼續開會討論。

警方呼籲任何人知道襲擊者資訊者，連絡警方，撥打電話781-314-3600 ，再按4，或是撥打該局的匿名爆料電話781-314-3636。

華森市是個人口僅有62,979的小城，市內有亞裔居民7150人，約佔全市人口11%，華裔則有3782人，佔全市人口的6%。

11月28日 麻州新增2914人確診新冠病毒 40人死亡 全美新增176,572人確診

(Boston Orange 編譯)感恩節，黑色星期五來了，又走了，新冠病毒(COVID-19)卻依然揮之不去。11月28日星期六，麻州新增2,914人確診，40人死亡。這些數據顯示的可能是疫情回升，卻也可能是人們已被疫情折磨得開始麻木，不再嚴謹防疫。

根據麻州政府公佈的數據，累計確診人數已達214,662，累計死亡人數為10,441。過去14天以來，每10萬人有34.9人確診。7日平均的確診率為3.57%。

今(28)日的確診數據，來自72,269人新做了病毒檢測，4296人做了抗體檢測。

目前麻州有42,549人在做新冠病毒治療，1045人住院，其中225人住在重症病房，111人插管。

在新增確診個案中，有786人住在Middlesex郡，481人住在Essex郡，349人住在Worcester郡。波士頓市所在的薩福克郡(Suffolk)，昆士市所在的諾福克郡(Norfolk)，依序各有240人，140人確診。

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)週一(23日)時宣佈推出一個名為”戴回口罩(Get Back Masks)”的全州性活動，以電視廣告等等各種方式，分享麻州居民的懷念病毒大流行前種種活動，但為避免病毒散佈，配戴口罩的見證。

麻州健康及人民服務長Marylou Sudders週一時也表示，將由Abbott BinaxNow為民眾提供快速檢測，但將先從長照機構開始，再逐步推廣至全週。

 

感恩節期間麻州7天平均確診率升至3.3% 高危社區從63跳升至81

             (Boston Orange 整理編譯)累計2天後，麻州的新型冠狀病毒(COVID-19)新增確診4464人，累計211,748人，新增死亡29人，累計10,401人。

             州政府表示，由於週四是感恩節，所以前述數據是2日累積的結果。目前共有41,852人因在做新冠病毒治療，有986人住院，其中209人住在重症病房，109人需要插管。

             在這2日間，共有約119,742人做過病毒檢測。麻州的累計檢測人次已超過825萬，做抗體檢測的人也增加了3390，累計達到257,397人。

             7天平均下來的確診率為3.3%，最低時為0.8%。

           麻州公共衛生廳表示，新統計數據還顯示，在麻州351個市鎮中，高危險社區已從61個增加至81個。

             州政府今日表示，如果不是大專院校有更多人做了檢測，七天平均確診率會高達4.86%。

波士頓「韌性基金」再撥出175萬元支援17 家非牟利機構

MAYOR WALSH AND STEERING COMMITTEE ANNOUNCE DISTRIBUTION OF $1.75M BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND GRANTS  Seventeen community organizations will receive grants to help residents in the City of Boston impacted most by the COVID-19 pandemic

 

BOSTON - Friday, November 27, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh, along with the Boston Resiliency Fund Steering Committee, today announced over $1,750,000 in funding to 17 nonprofit organizations serving the community, as part of the next round of Boston Resiliency Fund (BRF) grants. Of the 17 organizations awarded grants, 70 percent are led by a person of color and 76 percent are led by a woman.   "The Boston Resiliency Fund has served as a lifeline for our most vulnerable residents since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In collaboration with our partner nonprofit organizations, we have supported programming for youth and families, ensured public health and availability of COVID-19 testing, and increased access to food and basic needs," said Mayor Walsh. "Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Boston Resiliency Fund and to the nonprofits who have been vital to our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Boston Resiliency Fund shows the power of working together." "Kelli Bos is thankful and humbled for being awarded funding from the Boston Resiliency Fund for our creative art and sewing program," said Kelli Conway, founder of Kelli Bos Sewing for Success. "The Boston Resiliency Fund will help us tremendously in providing a lifelong skill to children and families which will help them to sustain themselves for a lifetime, passing down their skills to generation, all while promoting positive mental health in a safe and loving environment." "The Community Builders is helping keep Boston neighborhoods strong during the pandemic," said Elizabeth Gonzalez Suarez, Vice President of Community Life for The Community Builders. "With support from the Boston Resiliency Fund, the TCB New Franklin Park food pantry will continue to be a lifeline for families in need." Since launching in March, the Boston Resiliency Fund has raised $33.4 million from over 6,700 individual donors. Including this most recent round of grants, the Fund has distributed $29.4 million to over 360 local nonprofit organizations in Boston. Overall, 56 percent of grantees are led by a person of color and 58 percent are women-led. Additionally, 29 percent of all grants have gone to immigrant-serving organizations. A map and list of every organization that has received funding from the Boston Resiliency Fund can be found here. This round's grantees represent organizations working to expand access to youth development programming, promote public health in our neighborhoods, support families (especially those with young children), and increase access to food and other basic needs in Boston's neighborhoods. These grants are intentionally focused on supporting organizations serving immigrant communities and communities of color. The grants announced today range in size and will be awarded to the following organizations: Expanding access to safe youth programming Boston After School and Beyond: Boston Beyond will use the BRF grant to support a network of youth development programs that have committed to serving high-need Boston students and providing care for children who are doing remote learning so families can work and children can be safe. In total, over 130 nonprofit Boston programs are hosting 300+ different in-person learning and enrichment opportunities during and after the school day reaching 6,250 students. The network includes partners like the YMCA of Greater Boston, Boys & Girl Clubs of Boston, Catholic Charities of Boston, East Boston Social Centers, West End House, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, and many others.  "Extraordinary collaboration is making the city a classroom for young people," said Chris Smith, executive director of Boston After School & Beyond, which coordinates a citywide network of after-school and summer programs. Kelli Bos Sewing for Success: Kelli Bos will use the BRF grant to support extra-curricular learning and activities for students, seniors and families within the City of Boston. They will work with the Boston Centers for Youth and Families to teach sewing classes; students will learn how to make masks to distribute to the community.  Transformative Culture Project: Transformative Culture Project will use the BRF grant to  expand their Creative Classrooms to additional schools and community centers that need support by hiring additional teaching artists and providing stipends to students for their time participating in the program. In addition, they will work with Outside the Box to increase community investment in these projects, as well as expand the reach of online Community Classroom resources to families throughout Boston.  Promote public health in our neighborhoods Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition: The Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition will use the BRF grant to collaborate with the City of Boston's Health and Human Services to increase the amount and continuity of testing, outreach and community health messaging in Boston's Black communities. They will also utilize youth and young adult outreach workers to spread educational information and  conduct COVID-19 wellness and safety checks for seniors and other vulnerable residents who continue to be homebound. Finally, the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition will collaborate with the Health Commission on culturally-competent messaging on masks, physical distancing, education about COVID-19, holiday gatherings, and vaccines. Building Alliance to Support Immigrant Mental Health (BASIMH): BASIMH will use the BRF grant to retain the services of 6 different multilingual providers and 2 program coordinators to support essential workers who are experiencing extreme stress related to COVID-19.   TeleHealth Access for Seniors: TeleHealth Access for Seniors will use this grant to provide TeleHealth-compatible smartphones or tablets to elderly and low-income patients in partnership with Mattapan Community Health Center so that patients will be able to manage their care at home through video-calls.  Trinity Boston Connects: Trinity Boston Connects will use the BRF grant to sustain services for frontline youth workers. In addition, they will coordinate emergency resources for high need participants in their Trinity@McCormack program. Supporting families, especially those with young children  Boston Cares: Boston Cares has seen a 35% increase in the need for volunteers compared to this time last year, and BRF funding will allow them to continue to provide recruitment, management, and tracking of volunteers to fill these needs, specifically at Boston Public Schools.  Delta Sigma Theta, Boston Alumnae Chapter: Delta Sigma Theta, Boston Alumnae Chapter will use the BRF grant to ensure they can continue to meet the academic and social-emotional needs for over 100 young girls, all of whom are Boston Public School students or residents of the City of Boston, through their Delta GEMS program.  English for New Bostonians: Responding to needs raised by English as a Second Language (ESOL) students, ENB will recruit, train and deploy an "Allies for Immigrants ESOL Virtual Team" to work with students in virtual classrooms and small groups. The Virtual Team will help approximately 240 ESOL students get connected, offer Zoom troubleshooting, and help parents navigate school communication and support their children's online learning.  Neighborhood Villages: Neighborhood Villages will use the Boston Resiliency Fund grant to support the Boston Children's Relief Initiative. This initiative will place AmeriCorps members in  Boston early learning centers and after-school organizations that are caring for and educating young children during the day while their parents work. AmeriCorps members will support the instruction of young children and support efforts to ensure that wraparound supports, such as nutrition and material goods, are delivered to children and families in need. United South End Settlements: United South End Settlements will use the BRF grant to continue providing fresh produce and pantry items for 200 households in the South End and Roxbury.  Ensuring and increasing access to food and other basic needs in our neighborhoods STEAM Ahead: STEAM Ahead provides free S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) programming to underserved groups of youth throughout Boston.  STEAM Ahead will use the BRF grant to prepare healthy grocery packs along with educational materials and deliver them directly to their participants and their families. They will also distribute free personal protection supplies to city residents who are at the highest of pandemic risk. The Community Builders, New Franklin Park: The Boston Resiliency Fund grant will enable The Community Builders to operate and stock the New Franklin Park (NFP) food pantry for residents. The pantry currently distributes food almost every week to over 400 households in its Dorchester neighborhood. The Food Project, in partnership with Dudley Square Neighborhood Initiative: DSNI has addressed the need for food access in its community by coordinating an outdoor food distribution site throughout the pandemic, providing resources from the YMCA, Breaktime, The Food Project and the Mayor's Office of Food Access. Together, they will use the BRF grant to establish an indoor food hub in the community space at The Food Project's office, with capacity to sort, pack and distribute food on a curbside basis on West Cottage Street in Dorchester.  Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts, Inc.: The Transgender Emeregency Fund of MA will use the BRF grant to provide ongoing support to low-income and homeless transgender and gender non-conforming individuals living in Boston. Urban Guild, Inc.: The Guild will use the BRF grant to continue their work of providing holistic support for their community, including distributing personal care supplies and providing food access support for their community by purchasing and distributing food boxes through local businesses.  The Boston Resiliency Fund exists within the Boston Charitable Trust, an existing 501(c)(3) designated trust fund managed by the City of Boston's Treasury Department. For more information on how to make a donation, or how to submit a statement of interest form, please visit: boston.gov/resiliency-fund. For general inquiries, please email brf@boston.gov