5/15 徐千田教你如何"成為健康的好管家"

吳弭倡議改革警察局從工會合約談判起步 要設立職工賦能長

               

              (Boston Orange)波士頓市警察的誠信問題，最近佔據不少新聞媒體版面，更被稱為今年波士頓市長選舉的核心議題。候選人之一的吳弭(Michelle Wu)今(6)日公佈藍圖，聲稱將藉由工會合約談判，協議談判過程來爭取清晰的系統性改革步驟。

               吳弭制定的步驟包括建立客觀的紀律模式，廢止某些嚴重犯行具有約束力的仲裁，阻止濫報加班費，把非暴力的911求救電話引導向替代回應小組，並藉由規定例行的主動向公眾報告資訊，確保數據透明化。

               波士頓市的四大警察工會合約，將於6月期滿，而且包括波士頓巡邏警察協會的合約還在協商中。諸如紀律，升遷，加班，以及警察扮演的角色，都要在合約中註明。市長要代表波士頓市協商合約，市議會投票批准或拒絕合約。

               吳弭說，我們急迫的需要從公共健康及社區信任的角度提供公眾安全，但是已經太久了，做有意義改變的這必要步驟被集體談判協議阻礙了。現在是時候以合約來認真對待警察局的結構性改變，從文化及系統性根本的改革，來達到我們所需要的透明及負責任，並且從警察局權限中去除非警察功能，減少浪費的加班費支出，重新投資進鄰里層級的服務。

               吳弭的競選團隊聲稱，這份藍圖，加上吳弭已經提出過的有關公共安全改革方案，將用作為更動合約的基礎。吳弭還公佈了大膽提案，要設立內閣層級的職工賦能長(Chief of Worker Empowerment)，彌平托兒照顧差距，公校轉型，波士頓新綠色政策，純復原計畫，食物正義議程，數位平等議程等等。

今晚起每週一場 八機構辦6場波士頓市長候選人論壇

                (Boston Orange 周菊子整理報導)波士頓市的市長選舉，初選日提前至9月14日，距今還有四個月，琢磨誰最適合的候選人論壇，正陸續出爐。全國有色人種發展協會(NAAVP)波士頓分會和不同機構合作，就從今(6)晚6點起，將一連6週，每週4晚上舉辦一場不同主題的討論，幫助選民更了解各候選人。

               這6場論壇的主題，依序為全國有色人種發展協會(NAACP)波士頓分會主辦的「種族正義(Racial Justice)」，巴西工人中心和SEIU32BJ5主辦的「移民權益(Immigration)」，大波士頓勞工委員會主辦的「工作及工人(Jobs & Workers)」，波士頓教師工會和波士頓教育正義聯盟主辦的「教育」，”社區及環境替代方案(ACE)”主辦的「氣候正義(Climate Justice)」，城市權益-投票(Right to the City VOTE)主辦的「住宅及土地(Housing & Land)」。

               這6名候選人，依照宣佈參選時序，分別為吳弭(Michelle Wu)，Andrea Campbell，Annisa Essai George，Jon Santiago，John Barros，Jim Kaney。前三人為波士頓市議員，Jon Santiago是麻州眾議員，John Barros辭去波士頓經濟發展職位參選。Kim Janey原本是區域市議員，現為波士頓世代理市長。

               今年的波士頓市市長選舉，雖然因為前市長馬丁華殊(Martin Walsh)遠赴華府出任美國勞工部部長，和2013年時萬寧路(Tom Menino)宣佈不再競選連任一樣，都是一任四年的市長職位出缺。但2013那一年，有不下12人跳入選戰，今年則是迄今只有6、7人，而且絕大多數都是市議員，全都和政府已有密切關係。

              主辦單位為照顧不同族裔，參加論壇的報名表，列有包括中文的7種不同語文翻譯。報名可上網https://bostonmayoralforums.org/。

論壇的協辦單位包括麻州美國公民自由聯盟，亞太選民行動聯盟，波士頓教育正義聯盟，波士頓教師工會，巴西工人中心，波士頓華埠土地信托會，華人前進會，大波士頓勞工聯盟，全國有色人種協進會波士頓分會，紐英倫爭取團結正義，居成全聯盟，清潔工會等。

查理貝克匯報企業紓困成果 6億8720萬元資助15,112家企業

            (Boston Orange 綜合編譯)麻州政府交由麻州成長資本局(MGCC)經辦的新冠病毒企業紓困計畫，迄今已撥發6億8720萬元現金給州內的15,112家企業。州政府近期將推出另外兩項資助計畫，一項協助中低收入企業購買或改善實體店面，一項協助企業獲得數位發展技能。

      麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)，副州長白莉朵(Karry Polito)，住宅及經濟發展卿Mike Kennealy等人，今(6)日一早聚集在羅爾市(Lowell)一家由少數族裔家族經營的Panela餐廳，宣佈這企業紓困計畫成果，並說明最後一輪，第15輪撥款，共發出大約480萬元給108家企業。其中有25家少數族裔，26家父女經營企業，24家位於門戶城市，28家之前未領過補助。

麻州副州長白莉朵(Karyn Polito)。

            麻州政府指出，從2020年10月起推出的這計畫，在去年12月獲得6億6800萬元經費後，成為全美最大由州政府支持的企業紓困計畫。

              在紓困計畫辦理期間，約43%的補助款是發給了少數族裔經營的企業，46%由婦女，退伍老兵，殘障人士，或是LGBTQ等有特定性別傾向人士經營，或位於門戶城市，之前沒有領到過補助的企業。整個項目大約有三分之一，約2億2400萬元發給了餐廳，酒吧業，約9100萬元給指甲沙龍等個人服務業，6200萬元給了獨立零售商。

麻州住宅及經濟發展卿Mike Kennealy。

            住宅及經濟發展卿Mike Kennealy特別點名感謝Larry Andrews等人，表示是這許多人不懈努力，才能把紓困款項，順利地送交到需要濟助的企業手中。獲得補助的Amplify Latinx，以及創業中心(Entrepreneurship Center @CTI)這兩家企業，今早也特地出席發表感言。

             為推動項目，麻州政府和多個社區機構合作，包括麻州黑人經濟發展協會(Black Economic Council of Massachusetts)， Amplify Latinx，企業評等計畫(Business Equity Initiative)，麻州社區發展協會(Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC))，LISC，LEAF，新英格蘭非  洲人社區經濟發展會(African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE)，還有麻州公平經濟聯盟(statewide Coalition for an Equitable Economy)。

 Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates COVID-19 Business Relief Program, Awards Final Round of Grants

Final round results in nearly $4.8 million in grant awards to 108 additional businesses; More than $687 million in direct cash payments delivered to 15,112 of state’s hardest hit businesses

LOWELL – Today, Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, legislators and key partners celebrated the success of the Baker-Polito Administration’s COIVD-19 business relief program administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC). Gathering in person at the family- and minority-owned Panela Restaurant in Lowell, a program grantee, the Administration announced the end of the program, which has provided over $687.2 million in direct cash grants to 15,112 businesses across the Commonwealth. Among the awardees included in the final round were 108 additional businesses that received a total of approximately $4.8 million in COVID relief grants. 

First launched in October 2020 as part of the Administration’s Partnerships for Recovery initiative to stabilize and grow the Massachusetts economy, this program became the biggest state-sponsored business relief program in the nation after being infused with an additional $668 million in December. Established to provide direct financial support for businesses, the Administration has tapped numerous partners to ensure specific economic sectors and priority demographics known to be the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic applied to the program and were prioritized for aid. 

Over the duration of the program, 43 percent of MGCC grants were awarded to minority-owned businesses, and 46 percent of grants went to women-owned businesses. Businesses owned by veterans, individuals with disabilities, or that identify as LGBTQ, as well as those operating in Gateway Cities and not previously awarded aid, also received substantial grant support. Additionally, one-third of the total program funding (about $224 million) has benefited the hard-hit restaurant and bar industry, with personal services like hair and nail salons ($91 million), and independent retailers ($62 million) rounding out the top sectors.

​“Thanks to the work of Mass. Growth Capital, more than $680 million in direct financial assistance has been deployed to over 15,000 businesses across Massachusetts, many of which are located in the communities that have had the greatest need during this pandemic,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Recognizing that our small business community employed close to half the Commonwealth’s workforce prior to the pandemic, this program has been instrumental in helping to keep these enterprises going while supporting a substantial percentage of our workforce as we approach what we hope are the final months of this public health crisis.”

“This program, which was designed to provide vital support to small businesses in need, is one component of our larger strategy to help the Commonwealth’s economic recovery from this unprecedented public health emergency,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “I want to applaud MGCC for their success with this program and thank their partners for helping to spread the word, which allowed us to provide direct support to those businesses that have been hit the hardest, including minority- and woman-owned businesses, restaurants and downtown retailers.”

The 15th and final round of awards totaled approximately $4.8 million in grants to 108 additional businesses. Among the final round of recipients, grants were awarded to 25 minority-owned, and 26 women-owned businesses; 24 recipients were located in Gateway Cities, and 28 businesses had not received any prior aid.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Larry Andrews and his team at MGCC for going above and beyond in their efforts to ensure that this important aid went to businesses located in Gateway Cities, met a demographic priority such as being minority- or women-owned, or were operating in sectors among the hardest hit during this pandemic,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “In addition, I’d like to thank MGCC’s partner organizations, which include Amplify Latinx and locally the Entrepreneurship Center @CTI with us today, who truly made this program successful because of their extensive outreach to the communities that are traditionally underrepresented.”

To increase applications from underrepresented groups and achieve equitable access to funding, MGCC worked with a statewide network of local non-profits, small business technical assistance providers, and other organizations that support minority enterprises to reach businesses and entrepreneurs that would match the program’s priorities. These partners include the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA), Amplify Latinx, the Business Equity Initiative, the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), LISC, LEAF, the African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE), and the statewide Coalition for an Equitable Economy.

“The success of this program was a direct result of the leadership of the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Secretary Kennealy; and the team at MGCC, who rose to the occasion to stand up a new program and deliver an unprecedented amount of relief to small businesses across Massachusetts that have been impacted by the pandemic,” said MGCC President and CEO Larry Andrews. “Also critical to this program’s success was the extensive network of partner organizations, including Amplify Latinx, for their work to reach out to businesses that serve communities of color, groups that have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, or who are traditionally at a disadvantage, and provided the necessary technical assistance through the application process.”

MGCC will soon be announcing two new funding opportunities focused on small businesses. A program called Biz-M-Power will assist low-income and moderate-income entrepreneurs acquire or improve their brick-and-mortar location, purchase new equipment, and other capital needs. Businesses will crowdfund through local residents, neighborhoods, community members, and other stakeholders and become eligible for matching grants. Another new program will help small businesses access tools and services to develop their digital capabilities, including social media, website development, and team collaboration.

These awards have been part of a steady deployment of grants and capital funding to support economic recovery throughout Massachusetts and are a key part of the Administration’s larger strategy to assist small businesses and support an equitable economic recovery across the Commonwealth.

"It is essential to recognize the significance of culturally and linguistically responsive outreach to minority and underrepresented groups, which was a major contributor to the program's success,” said Amplify Latinx Executive Director Rosario Ubiera-Minaya. “These partner organizations are all well positioned and trusted by minority communities to effectively and quickly respond to the challenges faced by these businesses. The collaborative approach centered on the partner organizations has helped ensure that the collective work going forward is as intentional and impactful as possible. Keeping direction will position minority-owned businesses for stability and growth."

In addition to this business relief program, recovery efforts consist of MGCC Small Business Technical Assistance grants and matching grants for Community Development Financial Institutions and Community Development Corporations; the Regional Pilot Project Grant Program, which is a $5 million initiative designed to activate vacant storefronts, support regional supply chain resiliency, and create small business support networks; the $1.6 million Travel and Tourism Recovery Grant Pilot Program to promote recovery in the tourism industry; the ongoing My Local MA marketing initiative to encourage residents to support their local economies by shopping at Massachusetts businesses and attractions; and a $9.5 million effort underway to help 125 communities pursue locally-driven, actionable strategies to support downtown and commercial districts through the Local Rapid Recovery Planning program.

波士頓馬拉松今年有23824人申請參賽

125th Boston Marathon Qualifier Acceptances Announced

BOSTON—The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has begun to notify qualified applicants of their acceptance or non-acceptance into the in-person 125th Boston Marathon to be held on Monday, October 11, 2021.

Qualifiers who were 7 minutes, 47 seconds (7:47) or faster than the qualifying time for their age group and gender will be accepted into the 125th Boston Marathon. In total, 23,824 applications were received by the Friday, April 23 registration deadline. A total of 14,609 athletes applied with a qualifying time equal to or faster than 7 minutes, 47 seconds under their respective qualifying standard or applied through the early registration period for consecutive runners. Applicants are in the process of being accepted, pending verification of their qualifying performance.

The B.A.A. was unable to accept 9,215 qualifiers due to field size limitations. The 125th Boston Marathon field size has been established as 20,000 entrants to ensure social distancing throughout the race route, especially at the start and finish. Among those accepted into the 125th Boston Marathon are athletes from 87 countries and all 50 U.S. states.

The balance of the field will be comprised of invitational entrants, including runners participating as part of the Boston Marathon’s Official Charity Program and John Hancock’s Non-Profit Program, as well as invited professional athletes. In 2020, the B.A.A. Official Charity Program and John Hancock’s Non-Profit Program combined to surpass the $400 million milestone raised since the charity program’s inception at the 1989 Boston Marathon. John Hancock has served as principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon for 36 years.

“As we embark on the return to in-person racing, we look forward to welcoming runners to Boston as part of our historic 125th running of the Boston Marathon this fall,” said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. President and Chief Executive Officer. “With this year’s milestone anniversary, we both celebrate those who were accepted into this year’s race and also acknowledge the many runners who achieved qualifying times. We look forward to a memorable 125th Boston Marathon and hope those who were not accepted into the in-person race will join the global community of athletes participating in the virtual race in October.”

Registration for qualified athletes for the 125th Boston Marathon took place April 20–23 within the B.A.A.’s online platform, Athletes’ Village. Registration was not first-come, first-served. Applications and qualifying times submitted during the application window were verified and ranked by the B.A.A. based on the amount of time an athlete had run under their respective qualifying standard. Qualifying performances for the 125th Boston Marathon must have been run between September 15, 2018 and April 23, 2021.

In addition to the in-person road race, the B.A.A. is also holding a historic virtual Boston Marathon in celebration of the 125th running of the Boston Marathon. Registration for the virtual race opened on March 30 and has already seen athletes from 105 countries and all 50 states register. The virtual marathon will take place over race weekend October 8–10.

Starting today, applicants will receive notice of acceptance or non-acceptance. Qualified applicants not admitted into the in-person race will have an opportunity to register for a unique virtual 125th Boston Marathon package until Friday, May 14 at 5:00PM. The qualifying window for the 2022 Boston Marathon will begin on September 1, 2019 and will continue through the conclusion of the to-be-announced 2022 Boston Marathon registration period later this fall.

吳弭、Campbell都手握百萬現金 民調支持率仍是吳弭、Kim Janey領先

吳弭(Michelle Wu)在市長選舉民調中仍以16%領先。(視頻截圖)

                (Boston Orange 周菊子綜合報導)「我們的帳戶有100萬元啦!」，波士頓市長候選人吳弭(Michelle Wu)的競選團隊，今(5)日近午時忍不住喜悅地宣佈，在競選路上達到了一個重要里程碑。

               根據麻州競選及政治財務辦公室(OCPF)公佈的數據，吳弭競選團隊在5月4日遞交的資料為，上個月花了7萬7546元，現在手上剩下101萬5417元。

               吳弭的競選團隊稱，共有6280人平均各捐93元，顯示吳弭得到更廣泛的草根群眾支持。捐款者中有數以千計的人是波士頓居民。

Kim Janey刻正代理波士頓市長職務。

               這些錢將容許吳弭的競選陣營打造強而有力的團隊，並制定長期計畫，繼續為學校轉型，彌平托兒差距，倡議地鐵免費，帶給波士頓一套綠色新政而努力。

               吳弭今日也在推特上宣佈，她已正式通過名列波士頓市長選票門檻。根據市政府的選舉規定，參選波士頓市長，必須取得3000名波士頓居民支持的有效簽名。吳弭團隊在波士頓選務局發出支持簽名表格的第一天，其實就已收集到3000多個簽名，但第一天只遞交了2800多個簽名，之後幾天繼續收集，已共有5000多人簽名支持她參選波士頓市長。

Annissa Essaibi George支持率急起直追，從6%跳升到14%。(視頻截圖)

               如果以麻州競選及政治財務辦公室的候選人籌款成績來排名，今秋9月14日初選，會是吳弭和Andrea Campbell打進11月2日的大選。但是若以WBUR的4月14日出爐的民調來排名，初選之後，會是支持率19%的吳弭和支持率18%的波士頓市代理市長Kim Janey之爭。

               在這份民調中，其他幾名參選人的支持率，都在2%到6%之間，遠落在後。

               第七號新聞電視台(WHDH)和愛默生學院4月29日出爐的一份新民調，各波士頓市長參選人得到的支持率有很大變化。三名女性候選人，吳弭16%，Kim Janey 15%，Annissa Essaibi George14%，Andrea Campbell有11%，麻州眾議員Jon Santiago的支持者，從2%增加到4%，辭任波士頓經濟發展長的John Barros最近似乎捲入爭論，還在推特上回嗆，支持率仍然為3%。另一位名不見經傳的參選人Michael Bianchi也有1%的支持率。

Andrea Campbell民調雖然落後，籌款成績第一名。(視頻截圖)

在競選籌款上，有趣的是，跟著吳弭之後，波士頓市第二個宣佈參選市長職位的Andrea Campbell，在2020年9月1宣佈參選時，她的競選財庫只不過有將近30萬元，但今年(2021)二月，她在一個月內籌得27萬5000元，手頭現金總額瞬間超過吳弭，此後的三月，四月到現在的五月，不論吳弭籌款成績如何，在OCFP上公佈的數額，Andrea Campbell總是要比吳弭多那麼幾千元。各候選人剛遞交選舉經費後，Andrea Campbell這回又比吳弭多了1萬2065元。只是這個月，Andrea Campbell花的錢比吳弭少1萬1904元。

Jon Santiago有麻州眾議員同僚支持，但知名度有待加強。

               各市長參選人的籌款成績，落差頗大，除前述兩人外，Annissa Essaibi George手頭上現有將近49萬6019元，這個月她花了9萬3000多元。波士頓代市長Kim Janey有30萬4244元在手，過去這個月，她花了15萬元，是吳弭的兩倍有餘。Jon Santiago花掉15萬616元後，有49萬7897元在手。John Barros迄今還未申報。4月初時，他的手頭現金為22萬8696元。

               在WBUR的民調中，有46%的選民還未決定票落誰家。在WHDH的民調中，只剩下36%的選民還在猶豫。

John Barros的民調和籌款成績目前都處於有待加強狀況。(檔案照片)

麻州州長疫情匯報 5月10日起六大疫苗注射站開放隨到隨接種

麻州州長查理貝克稱讚Encore Boston Harbor是最漂亮的疫苗注射站。

  (Boston Orange整理編譯) 下星期一起，麻州的六個大型疫苗注射站將開放，讓民眾隨到隨接種疫苗。

             麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)和副州長白莉朵(Karyn Polito)，健康及人民服務長Marylou Sudders，以及劍橋醫療聯盟執行長今天早上特地到恩可賭場(Encore Boston Harbor)改建的大型疫苗注射站，宣佈這有關疫苗注射的最新變動。

             這六個人們將可隨到隨注射的大型疫苗注射站分別為波士頓市內的海恩斯會展中心(Hynes Convention Center)，洛士百利(Roxbury)的瑞吉路易斯中心(Reggie Lewis Center)，丹佛市(Danvers)的雙樹酒店(DoubleTree Hotel)，達特茅斯(Dartmouth)以前的無線電城(Circuit City)，春田市(Springfield)的東田商場(Eastfield Mall)，以及納堤克商場(Natick Mall)。

             麻州有四個大型疫苗注射站，預定於六月底關閉，包括吉列體育館(Gillette Stadium)，以及前述的雙樹酒店，海恩斯會展中心，納提克商場等。

             喜歡預約的人，仍然可以上州政府的疫苗網站vaccinesignup.mass.gov，登記預約。

             查理貝克表示，麻州在疫苗注射效率上，全美名列前茅，99%注射了第一劑疫苗的人，都已注射或預約了要注射第二劑。85%的75歲以上人也都已經注射了疫苗。整個麻州共有800個疫苗注射站，加上流動疫苗注射站，相信要注射疫苗已經可以很容易做到了。

MAYOR JANEY ANNOUNCES THE 2021 PUBLIC SPACE INVITATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION

MAYOR JANEY ANNOUNCES THE 2021 PUBLIC SPACE INVITATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION This year’s program seeks to support the expansion of community compost in Boston

 

BOSTON - Wednesday, May 5, 2021 - Today, Mayor Janey announced the launch of the 2021 Public Space Invitational, a civic design competition that seeks ideas to reimagine our public spaces in Boston. In partnership with the City of Boston’s Public Works Department, Environment’s Zero Waste team, TD Bank, and The Trustees, the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics is seeking proposals for customized compost bins to support the ongoing expansion of community compost in Boston. Six project proposals will be selected, and winning teams will have up to $5,000 for the implementation of their ideas. Applications are available at space.newurbanmechanics.org and will be accepted through June 1st, 2021. “Now in its seventh year, the Public Space Invitational has provided so many opportunities for our creative community to bring joy and innovation to our public spaces,“ said Mayor Janey. “I am excited to see the great ideas that will help us expand compost in an equitable and accessible way throughout Boston.“ Since 2015, the City of Boston has run Project Oscar, a pilot program that allows residents to drop off their food scraps for compost at five sites. This summer, Public Works plans to expand the program across the city to multiple new locations, ensuring that community compost is available to all residents. Through the Public Space Invitational, Public Works hopes applicants can address several issues with the City’s current compost bins, such as establishing a unique visual identity for the bins, improving accessibility, and reducing contamination. Since 2018, the Public Space Invitational has been supported by TD Bank and The Trustees, a steward of 56 community gardens in Boston. Through their partnership, 14 projects at six community gardens in Dorchester, Roxbury, Fenway, Jamaica Plain, and East Boston have launched. Selected projects have supported food access, storytelling, community dinners, performances, and interactive play. This year, The Trustees plans to host educational programming about composting at several community gardens this summer. The Public Space Invitational is part of a continuing series of efforts to engage Boston's creative community. For more information on the initiative, please visit space.newurbanmechanics.org.