Elizabeth Warren Addresses Bunker Hill Community College Commencement Exercises

Elizabeth Warren Addresses Bunker Hill Community College Commencement Exercises

BOSTON, June 3, 2015—U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren delivered the keynote address last Saturday at the 41st Commencement exercises of Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) to a cheering crowd of more than 3,000 under the Commencement tent on the College grounds. A record-breaking 1,408 graduates received degrees and certificates, the highest number in the College’s history.

BHCC President Pam Eddinger conducted the College’s traditional “ritual of gratitude” in which graduates thank all who have helped them through college. Urging the students to continue working hard for themselves and others, she said, “One day community college will be free and talents like yours will be the making of America.” 

Introducing Warren, Eddinger praised the Senator’s personal triumphs and her advocacy of middle-class families. “Like many of our students here today, Senator Warren was the first in her family to graduate from college. She has been a wonderful friend to the College, and she is a great model for our students.” 

“You’ve done something remarkable,” Warren told the graduates. “You’ve faced down the challenges and graduated.  You made this day happen!”  Warren described her battle to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, calling it “a tough cop willing to take on Wall Street and the big banks.” People told her it was a great idea that would never happen. “I kept slugging it out,” she said, until the idea became a reality. “If you want to build something,” she said to rousing applause, “if you want to change something, well, nobody’s going to give it to you, you have to fight for it!”  Following her speech, Warren shook hands with graduates as they crossed the stage to receive their degrees and certificates.

At the ceremony the College recognized Interim Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools John McDonough with the President’s Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor the College confers on a member of the community. The College and the Public Schools have a close partnership of many years, currently focusing on the Success Boston program, which made them allies in preparing high school students to undertake college-level work. 

Also honored at the event was BHCC administrator Janice M. Bonanno, retiring this year after 42 years of service to the College in a range of capacities from front-line and managerial duties to crucial leadership roles. Bonanno is Associate Vice President of Student Services and Dean of Students. She received the Trustees’ Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes extraordinary commitment and service to the College.

Visit the BHCC website to view highlights of the commencement season at bhcc.edu/ceremonyhighlights/

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MAYOR WALSH SIGNS ORDINANCE TO REDUCE DIESEL EMISSIONS

MAYOR WALSH SIGNS ORDINANCE TO REDUCE DIESEL EMISSIONS

BOSTON - Wednesday, June 3, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today signed “An Ordinance to Protect Air Quality throughout the City of Boston by Reducing Fuel Emissions," to help reduce harmful emissions from diesel vehicles and idling. The ordinance requires all pre-2007 vehicles owned or leased by the City or used by its contractors to have been retrofitted with more effective emission-reduction equipment. It also simplifies and unifies the authority for the City of Boston to enforce the current state-wide anti-idling laws in a consistent way.

“This ordinance will ensure that as a City we are doing our part to be stewards of the environment," said Mayor Walsh. “I thank the Council for working together to create a healthier Boston for generations to come.”

Since 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has considerably lowered the amount of pollution permissible from new diesel vehicles and equipment. However, because of their durability, many pre-2007 diesel vehicles remain in use. For this reason, federal, state and local governments have established programs to encourage the installation of retrofit air pollution control equipment on diesel vehicles and other diesel engines.

“This ordinance marks another testament of Mayor Walsh's efforts to lead by example,” said Austin Blackmon, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space. “By holding the City's fleet to a higher standard, the Mayor and City Council are making Boston a healthier place to live and work.”

Through a combination of federal and state grants and City funds, most of the City’s diesel school buses are already later model years with built-in pollution-reduction equipment or model-year 2006 or earlier retrofit with the highest level of pollution reduction equipment feasible. The rest of the City’s diesel fleet includes about 328 diesel units, not including emergency vehicles, and about 153 of them are pre-2007. For several years, the Public Works Department has been installing diesel oxidation catalysts, which reduce particulate emissions 20 percent, on diesel units as they need muffler replacements. The City is now using B20 bio-diesel in all of its trucks and equipment further reducing emissions from diesel engines.

The Ordinance, which was filed by Councilor Stephen Murphy, has been under development for several years, with active engagement from Councilor Murphy, Felix Arroyo, now the City’s Chief of Health and Human Services, and community groups such as Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and Clean Water Action.

“The asthma rate in Boston’s neighborhoods continues to climb,” said Councilor Murphy. “By further tightening air quality standards, as this ordinance does, we will make Boston’s neighborhoods healthier."

“Residents of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan are exposed to large amounts of diesel pollution, resulting in consistently higher rates of illness and premature death," said ACE Executive Director Kalila Barnett. "ACE celebrates this ordinance as a critically important step to decrease hospitalizations and improve the health of communities of color. This law ensures that all of us in Boston will benefit from breathing cleaner, healthier air. We appreciate the Walsh administration and City Council for recognizing the harmful effects of diesel emissions and prioritizing the need for clean air in Boston.”

The ordinance generally requires all pre-2007 City-owned or operated vehicles to have equipment that reduces diesel emissions by at least 20 percent by the end of 2015. There are exceptions for emergency vehicles, snow removal equipment and equipment rarely used. The Department of Public Works will complete installations on the City's 75 vehicles still requiring retrofits under the ordinance by the end of this year.

Requirements for diesel vehicles and equipment used on new City contracts over $2 million would phase in over three years.

1.    Fiscal Year 2016: Half of the pre-2007 diesel vehicles and equipment used for the contract would be required to have retrofits achieving at least 20-percent pollution reduction.

2.    Fiscal Year 2017: All pre-2007 diesel vehicles and equipment would be required to have retrofits achieving at least 20-percent pollution reduction.

3.    Fiscal Year 2018: All pre-2007 diesel vehicles and equipment not previously retrofit would be required to have retrofits achieving at least 85-percent—or best available—pollution reductions.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts limits unnecessary idling to five minutes. There are more stringent rules in school zones. These limits are contained, in various forms, in both Massachusetts general laws and in environmental regulations, and the different agencies of the City of Boston derive their authority under different provisions with different enforcement mechanisms and fines. The proposed ordinance simplifies and unifies the authority for Boston Police Department, Boston Transportation Department and the Air Pollution Control Commission to enforce the current state-wide limits in a consistent way. It does not change those limits. Fines for violation of the idling rules will be $100 for the first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses.

WuXi NextCODE Wins Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Tender in both Rare Disease and Cancer

WuXi NextCODE Wins Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Tender in both Rare Disease and CancerAfter two rounds of head-to-head evaluation against leading sequence analysis providers from around the world, WuXi NextCODE is the only system selected by GeL in all categories

SHANGHAI and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and REYKJAVIK, Iceland, 
June 3, 2015 /

-- WuXi NextCODE, a precision medicine company using the genome to improve health worldwide, today announced that it has been selected by Genomics England (GeL) to provide clinical interpretation of the whole genome sequences of both rare disease and cancer patients as part of the first phase of the 100,000 Genomes Project (UK100K) of the UK National Health Service (NHS).

WuXi NextCODE will deploy its unique database model and clinical and tumor-normal analysis and reporting systems at GeL, enabling NHS clinicians to begin to efficiently analyze patient sequence data and to identify causative variants in rare diseases and driver mutations in tumors. GeL plans to sequence and interpret the genomes of 8,000 patients in this initial phase of the UK100K project and to test the systems prior to contracting with the four winning companies.

"We are excited by the opportunity to employ WuXi NextCODE's capabilities at GeL and to help to deliver the benefits of the UK100K project to patients," said Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi PharmaTech, of which WuXi NextCODE is a wholly owned subsidiary. "GeL is a pioneer in the global movement to realize precision medicine at scale, and we are honored to play a part in delivering on this vision in the UK and around the world."

"The results of the process announced today are an important validation of the uniquely broad power of our technology for applying genomic big data to healthcare," said Hannes Smarason, co-founder and COO of WuXi NextCODE. "Our system is proven and in use in every facet of GeL's activities – from diagnostics to population research and better drug development – and we look forward to putting the full range of our capabilities to work for them."

GeL was established by the UK Department of Health with the aim of sequencing 100,000 whole genomes from about 75,000 volunteer participants by 2017. The project is recruiting NHS patients with common cancers, as well as NHS patients with rare diseases and their families.

WuXi NextCODE offers uniquely comprehensive and integrated capabilities for using the genome to better diagnose disease and create better medicine. These include a full range of sequencing services through our CLIA-certified laboratory; the world's leading genome sequence analysis system; a novel database architecture that makes it possible to query, manage, store and share massive genomic data with unrivalled speed and efficiency; and the know-how and experience to apply genomics to optimize every aspect of drug discovery and development. With offices in Shanghai, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Reykjavik, we enable clinicians and researchers at institutions and companies worldwide to use the full power of the genome to diagnose, treat and prevent disease.

SECRETARY ASH ANNOUNCES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LISTENING SESSIONS

SECRETARY ASH ANNOUNCES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LISTENING SESSIONS

Economic development planning process begins with public engagement across the Commonwealth

Boston – Tuesday, June 02, 2015 – Today Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash announced input and listening sessions in six cities across Massachusetts. The listening sessions will provide to provide businesses and constituents an opportunity to help shape the Commonwealth’s economic development plan.

“Economic development relies on businesses across Massachusetts hiring new workers and offering raises to experienced hands,” said Secretary Ash. “The best way to find out what they need is to ask them, and listen to their responses. Any economic development plan we write will be grounded in robust public engagement and debate in order to address the core needs of our businesses.”

Massachusetts law requires the secretary of Housing and Economic Development to draft a comprehensive economic development plan within the first year of a new gubernatorial administration. Secretary Ash has committed to grounding the Baker-Polito Administration’s economic development strategy in public dialogue, and in regional opportunities. These regional listening sessions begin a six-month economic development planning process, and serve as a first step in drafting the statutorily-required plan. 

“Working to engage with the regions across Massachusetts offers Housing and Economic Development valuable insight into regional strengths, needs, and priorities,” said Deputy Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Carolyn Kirk. “Figuring out the best way to augment those strengths and build on existing potential will ensure that our plan helps entrepreneurs, small businesses, and job seekers.”

“The regional directors in the Massachusetts Office of Business Development provide an essential communications line between local businesses and state-wide economic development policy,” said Assistant Secretary of Business Development Nam Pham. “Bringing communities and state officials together during the planning process for our economic development plan will help us effectively target regions and sectors across the Commonwealth.”

The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development will hold listening sessions in Worcester, Quincy, Lynn, West Barnstable, Lowell, and Springfield. The executive office welcomes public participation in these sessions. For more information, visit http://1.usa.gov/1cw4TL4.

Central Region
Thursday, June 25
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Quinsigamond Community College
670 W. Boylston St, Worcester

Greater Boston Region
Thursday, June 25
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Quincy College
Lower Level, North Tower – Presidents Place Conference Center
1250 Hancock St, Quincy

Northeast Region
Thursday, June 25
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
North Shore Community College
300 Broad St, Lynn

Southeastern Region
Thursday, June 25
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Cape Cod Community College
2240 Iyannough Rd, West Barnstable    

Western Merrimack Valley and MetroWest Region
Thursday, June 25
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Federal Building
50 Kearney Sq, Lowell

Western Region
Thursday, June 25
12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
UMass Center
Tower Square
1500 Main Street, Springfield

AEROMEXICO STARTS ITS NEW ROUTE BOSTON - MEXICO CITY

AEROMEXICO STARTS ITS NEW ROUTE

BOSTON - MEXICO CITY

The new route connects passengers throughout Mexico and Latin America

BOSTON –With Aeromexico, Mexico’s global airline, now flying to Boston Logan International Airport a new world of opportunity is available to Massachusetts residents and businesses and promises to fuel convenient travel between New England and Latin America.

The market between Boston and Mexico City, combined with the airlines’ other 45 destinations in Mexico and Central America, represents over 492,000 passengers and $134M in ticket revenue annually.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said the new route opens up connections to 16 major cities in Latin America including Buenos Aires, Lima and Bogota. “This new route not only opens doors for business, but it lets our diverse residents and visiting students easily connect to their families.’’

“We are very pleased to add our 16th destination in the United States, reflecting the airline's commitment to increase our presence in one of our most important markets. Boston is a city of great importance for Mexico and Latin America because of its global economic potential and extensive academic offerings that draw many students from Mexico and Latin America every year,” said Anko van der Werff, Aeromexico Chief Revenue Officer.

Aeromexio began serving its new route between Boston and Mexico City on June 1^st, 2015 with daily flights every day expect Tuesday. The new route is advantageous for both passengers traveling from Mexico on their way to the U.S. and Europe, and vice versa. As a member of the SkyTeam Airline Alliance, Aeromexico is able to take advantage of code sharing with Delta and other partner airlines and use Boston Logan International Airport as a gateway to Europe.

“We are thrilled to be adding Mexico City to the roster of extraordinary international destinations one can fly to nonstop from Boston,” Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn said. “Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world and dates back to the 1300s, our cities have several things in common. Like Boston, Mexico City is a place that honors its significant history, it is a cultural and political hub for its people, has a large concentration of universities, and it is a city that celebrates its diversity.”

This new route is served with Boeing 737-700 airplanes with 124 seats —12 in the Aeromexico Clase Premier Business Class cabin. Flight 699 leaves Boston at 4:20 p.m. and arrives in Mexico City at 8:42 p.m.  Flight 698 leaves Mexico City at 9 a.m. and arrives in Boston at 3:05 p.m.

Before now, Boston had been the largest U.S.-Mexico City air travel market without nonstop service. Boston beat out Seattle, Portland and Philadelphia for this new nonstop service. Last year, more than 45,000 passengers traveled between Boston and Mexico City.

The estimated economic impact to the region of a Boston-Mexico City route is $45M annually. One element in gaining the new route was the work of a Latin America Task Force which connected the airline with local business and civic leaders.

“On behalf of the Boston visitor industry, I am pleased to welcome Aeromexico to Boston and New England. The new non-stop service will mean more visitors and significantly more spending from Mexico and Latin America for our city and for our hotels, restaurant, attractions and retailers. The Boston and Cambridge visitor industry could see as much as $54 million in new spending thanks to Aeromexico’s new service,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, President and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

With the start of this route, Aeromexico now offers 80 daily flights between Mexico City and the United States carrying close to 9,000 passengers a day between these two countries, an action that confirms the airline's commitment to offer its customers better network connectivity with its world-class service.

DIAS KADYRBAYEV SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS FOR IMPEDING THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING INVESTIGATION

 DIAS KADYRBAYEV SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS FOR IMPEDING

THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING INVESTIGATION

 

        BOSTON – Dias Kadyrbayev, 21, a close friend of convicted Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was sentenced today to six years in prison for his role in retrieving, and later disposing of, evidence in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation, specifically Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s backpack, containing fireworks and other items, as well as his role in concealing Tsarnaev’s laptop computer from law enforcement.  Kadyrbayev previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing justice with the intent to impede the Boston Marathon bombing investigation. 

 

Kadyrbayev has agreed to be deported to Kazakhstan from the United States after serving his sentence.  At the time of his arrest, Kadyrbayev was in the United States on a revoked student visa while attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass). 

 

“The concealment and destruction of evidence can have profound effects on the course of an investigation,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.  “Mr. Kadyrbayev knowingly concealed and disposed of critical evidence relating to the Boston Marathon bombing.  He now faces the consequences of those actions – six years in federal prison, with deportation to follow.”

 

On the evening of April 18, 2013, after Kadyrbayev viewed images of the Boston Marathon bombers released to the public, he exchanged text messages with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.  Later that evening, Kadyrbayev, Azamat Tazhayakov and Robel Philipos entered Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s dormitory room at UMass.  Kadyrbayev removed Tsarnaev’s laptop and a backpack containing fireworks, a jar of Vaseline, and a thumb drive.  The fireworks appeared to have been opened and manipulated, and some of the explosive powder appeared to have been removed. 

 

         After returning to their apartment on the evening of April 18, 2013, and during the morning of April 19, 2013, Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov watched television news reports and read Internet news articles about the bombing investigation and the manhunt for the two Boston Marathon bombers, whom they believed were Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.  During the early morning hours of April 19, 2013, Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov agreed that they should get rid of Tsarnaev’s backpack.  Kadyrbayev placed the backpack and its contents, including the fireworks, into a large black trash bag and threw the entire bag into the garbage dumpster in his apartment complex.  After discarding the backpack in the garbage, Kadyrbayev decided to keep Tsarnaev’s laptop computer and continued to conceal it.  He did not attempt to return it to Tsarnaev’s dormitory room, nor did he notify law enforcement that he had Tsarnaev’s computer.

       

On April 26, 2013, after a two-day search, federal agents found Tsarnaev’s backpack in a New Bedford landfill.  Although it was found, the condition of the backpack and its contents had been altered by the actions of Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov.  

 

In July 2014, Azamat Tazhayakov, 21,  was found guilty by a federal jury in Boston of conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing justice with the intent to impede the Boston Marathon bombing investigation.  Sentencing is scheduled for June 5, 2015 at 9:00 a.m.  Robel Phillipos, 21, was found guilty in October 2014 of two counts of making false statements to law enforcement in a terrorism investigation, and will also be sentenced on June 5^th at 2:00 p.m.

 

        United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Field Division, made the announcement today.  This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Boston Division and member agencies of the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) which is comprised of more than 30 federal, state and local enforcement agencies.  Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, Massachusetts State Police, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Department of Public Safety, New Bedford Police Department, Dartmouth Police Department, U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Essex County Sheriff’s Office, and Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, provided assistance with this investigation.

       

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys B. Stephanie Siegmann and John A. Capin of Ortiz’s Anti-Terrorism and National Security Unit.

“我的理想學校”繪圖比賽 周珮萱從1200人中脫穎而出

麻州學校樓宇局（MSBA)和麻州財政廳合作的第九屆“我的理想學校”繪畫比賽，日前揭曉結果。阿靈頓鎮(Arlington)皮爾斯（Peirce）小學一年級學生周珮萱（Bethany）在一千二百名參賽者中脫穎而出，成為九名區域冠軍之一。

        麻州財政廳廳長高柏珂（Deborah Goldberg）在頒獎時表示，她不僅是以麻州學校樓宇局主席身份頒發獎項，更從母親角度來看學校建築、設備，將在任內更關心各所學校的樓宇狀況。她強調妥善維護學子的學習環境，才能為麻州更好的培養未來人才。

            七歲的周珮萱，當天在八歲就從香港移民來美的爸爸周振宇，以及越南華僑媽媽鍾麗雲，還有外婆的陪同下，出席領獎。外婆透露，周珮萱從小就喜歡畫畫，家人還為她請了私人繪畫家教。

            在配畫說明中，周珮萱表示，她喜歡藝術教室，因為那兒有很多圖片。她喜歡老師，因為老師們都很友善。皮爾斯是一所好學校，因為有藝術，韻律等不同的特別課程。

            九個區域得獎者分別來自阿靈頓，碧樹（Braintree），衛矛斯（Weymouth），費奇堡（Fitchburg），布瑞姆菲爾德（Brimfield），東陶頓（East Taunton），史溫普斯考特（Swampscott），林（Lynn），伊斯坦（Eastham）等市鎮，都可獲得Santander銀行送出的禮物一份。高柏珂表示，將把這些小朋友的畫作複製鑲筐，掛在她的辦公室內。

圖片說明：

            周珮萱（左二）在爸爸周振宇（左起），學校代表，媽媽鍾麗雲，以及外婆陪同下出席領獎。（菊子攝）

            麻州財政廳廳長高柏珂（後左）和麻州學校樓宇局行政主任Jack McCarthy（後右）頒獎給周珮萱。（菊子攝）

            Santander銀行的副總裁Pat Packard（左三起），資深副總裁Joseph Indorato，代表該行出席活動。（菊子攝）