EXPERIMENTAL PLAZA TO "POP UP" IN DOWNTOWN CROSSING

EXPERIMENTAL PLAZA TO "POP UP" IN DOWNTOWN CROSSING

Morning of coffee on temporarily expanded sidewalk will allow engineers and planners to study design of future plaza on Franklin St.

BOSTON - Monday, August 29, 2016 - The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) is experimenting with widening sidewalks to create a plaza at the intersection of Franklin Street and Arch Street in Downtown Crossing. Planters and fencing will create a temporary plaza space that will be filled with tables and chairs from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM on Tuesday, August 30. Visitors can stop in to drink coffee while looking at possible designs for the space while engineers monitor traffic and anticipate issues that need to be addressed in future designs. BTD is working with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Public Works Department, the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District and Millennium Partners to implement the pilot project and upcoming phases. The architecture firm Höweler + Yoon has been commissioned by Millennium Partners to develop the designs for the next phase of the experiment. "We recognize that Downtown Crossing is an area of the city where most people get around on foot -- and we want to create a better walking environment for them," said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "This experiment is one of the many initiatives created by the City to ensure Boston is a welcoming destination for all pedestrians." The intersection of Franklin Street and Arch Street is particularly wide because it was once the location of architect Charles Bulfinch's Tontine Crescent. In the 1790s, a series of row houses was built on a curve, and the wider area in the middle of the street was a small park with trees. Though the buildings were demolished in the 1850s, the shape of the street remains. "With the T station at Franklin and Washington reopening soon, we know foot traffic will pick up on this street," said Chris Osgood, City of Boston Chief of Streets. "We're taking a tactical approach to improving this area for pedestrians. In the future we can imagine a whole network of parks and plazas from Shopper's Plaza to Post Office Square and on to the Greenway." Franklin Street currently accommodates two lanes of westbound travel and a right turn lane at Arch between Devonshire and Hawley Streets as well as handicap and commercial parking. The pilot project will look at the traffic capacity needs for both blocks and the opportunity spaces to create better pedestrian accommodations as well as seating and shade. "This is an opportunity to look at the urban design and engineering considerations that need to be factored into the final design," said Gina Fiandaca, Boston's Transportation Commissioner. "We want to watch the changes in real time and be sure that we meet the needs of all road users in a permanent plaza."

MA Department of Higher Education Awards $910k in Dual Enrollment Grants to Public Campuses

MA Department of Higher Education Awards $910k in Dual Enrollment Grants to Public Campuses

Funds Will Allow More Local High School Students to Take Early College Courses,

Earn Credits Toward Post-Secondary Degrees

Boston, MA – August 29, 2016 – Just in time for the start of a new academic year, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has awarded $910,000 in individual grants to 22 public colleges and universities to expand opportunities for high school students to get a jump start on college.

Grants funded through the Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership (CDEP) will allow students to take free or low-cost college courses at local campuses and, in some cases, attend classes taught on location at their high schools or on line. CDEP students earn college credit  toward an associate or bachelor’s degree, often saving thousands of dollars in the process. Along with cost savings, research shows that dual enrollment courses help prepare students for the rigor and expectations of college-level work, making the experience especially valuable for 1st generation students and economically disadvantaged students who may not have access to college preparatory experiences and opportunities. In Massachusetts dual enrollment students who enroll in community colleges are 50% less likely to require developmental (remedial) classes compared to their peers who had not taken a dual enrollment course.

“We are thrilled to be able to help these students earn college credit as they start to develop their career pathways,” said Education Secretary Jim Peyser. “Dual enrollment is an important part of our administration’s broader commitment to expanding early college experiences.”

“As a new academic year begins, we want to open the dual enrollment doors as wide as possible, serving as many students as we can,” said Carlos E. Santiago, Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education. “We know that this experience is a game-changer for young people, especially those who come from families where no one has attended college before. The program also strengthens the partnerships between high schools and local colleges, allowing for meaningful collaborations that support student success.”

Last year, CDEP funding provided for the enrollment of slightly more than 2,000 students. This year’s projected enrollment is 3,380. The primary goal of the fiscal year 2017 funding is to “increase dual enrollment of underrepresented students, which may include first-generation college students, low-income or economically disadvantaged students, students of color, and particularly male students of color.”

The following colleges and universities are among those chosen to receive funding:

The University of Massachusetts Boston will give students in Boston and Quincy an opportunity to enroll in a 2-semester course sequence, allowing them to adjust to college-level math work in the familiar setting of their own high school before taking a second course at the UMass Boston campus.

Fitchburg State University will expand its partnerships with area high schools to include Leominster High School, and will offer courses to groups (cohorts) of students in the late afternoon and on Saturdays to accommodate their schedules.

The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will partner with the city of Pittsfield and Berkshire  Community College to create a summer academy for students who will earn up to six college credits.

Bristol Community College, which annually serves the largest number of dual enrollment students in the state, will include early college awareness activities, campus visits and financial aid workshops to raise the college aspirations of the students in Fall River and New Bedford, communities which have some of the lowest educational attainment levels in the U.S. for cities of their sizes.  

Holyoke Community College will launch a new, three-tiered College Now program for sophomores, juniors and seniors at targeted local high schools. The college is one of 44 institutions participating in the U.S. Department of Education’s experimental pilot to allow use of Pell grants for dual enrollment coursework and related expenses.

僑委會委員長吳新興訪薩爾瓦多 出席傳統僑社年會

吳委員長訪薩爾瓦多 出席中美洲傳統僑社年會

僑務委員會委員長吳新興（前左）恭賀巴拿馬華裔小姐
（前右）榮獲中美洲華僑小姐的殊榮。

僑務委員會委員長吳新興（中致詞者）在薩京中華民國廣場向國父
孫中山先生銅像獻花致敬，並向中美洲傳統僑社領袖說明台灣
已實現「民有、民治、民享」的政治目標。

（本會訊）中華民國僑務委員長吳新興表示，中美洲地區傳統僑社對於中華民國民主政治政黨輪替的發展十分認同；傳統僑社認為只要台灣堅持中華民國憲法的精神，落實孫中山先生民有、民治、民享的理念，中美洲傳統僑社仍將一秉初衷堅定支持中華民國政府。吳新興係於本月28日結束出席「中美洲暨巴拿馬六國中華總會、華僑總會聯合會第51屆年會暨第44次懇親大會」後作出談話。

中美洲傳統僑社每年均會輪流在中美洲六國辦理懇親會，本年輪由薩爾瓦多主辦。本年更特殊的是多明尼加共和國亦派員參加，並以觀察員身份全程參與活動。大會更於27日無異議通過「上總統致敬電」，也發表「聯合聲明」，強調「我等將秉持僑界的先賢傳統，堅定支持中華民國台灣，凡當國家有需要時，我等必於第一時間挺身而出，期作為中華民國最堅強的後盾」。此次大會再度評選出巴拿馬華裔小姐為中美洲的「華僑小姐」，此乃巴拿馬連續兩年獲得此一后冠。

此外，吳新興也在主辦單位薩爾瓦多華僑總會安排下，率領各國與會代表向薩京中華民國廣場的國父孫中山先生銅像獻花致敬，儀式簡單隆重。吳新興委員長向各國傳統僑社領袖們說明，台灣自由民主的現狀已經實現了孫中山先生「民有、民治、民享」的政治目標，各國與會代表咸表認同，並期盼台灣成為華人世界民主政治發展的典範。

吳新興此次中美洲訪問，在我駐薩爾瓦多共和國李新穎大使的陪同下，也就台商經營、海外當地僑教工作等事宜，分別和台灣商會、中華商會，以及中文學校校長、教師進行了數次的座談。台商及僑胞們紛紛反映，在政府全力關注「新南向政策」的時刻，台灣的外交重鎮中美洲各國也需要國內的投資、資金的融貸，以及農業科技各方面的協助，以鞏固台灣在此一地區的邦誼。台商也呼籲台灣的年青朋友放開腳步前往中南美洲，尋找人生工作與事業發展的新機會，也期盼僑委會能夠推介華文教師前往當地教學，並對僑委會長年提供教科書及師資培訓表示感謝。 

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高碩泰訪波為紅襪隊開球 晤波士頓市長

駐波士頓經文處長賴銘琪（右）陪同駐美代表高碩泰為紅襪隊開球。

臺灣旅美職棒投手王建民所屬的堪薩斯「皇家隊」8月26日晚間出戰波士頓「紅襪隊」主場，中華民國駐美國代表高碩泰應邀在波士頓芬威球場（Fenway Stadium）擔任貴賓，為兩隊三連賽的首場比賽開球。

高夫人、駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處賴銘琪處長夫婦、陳銘俊副處長夫婦、朱永昌組長及麻州眾議員陳德基等人受邀出席觀禮。

駐波士頓經文處長賴銘琪（左起）陪同駐美代表高碩泰為紅襪隊開球。
右為經文處副處長陳銘俊。

高大使當晚身著地主紅襪隊球衣開球，大會司儀特別介紹高大使是頭號棒球迷，也是臺灣駐美國的最高層級外交官員，致力強化兩國之間的交流與友誼。高大使熱愛運動，包括網球丶高爾夫球、棒球及壘球都是好手，當晚以矯健的身手投出快速直球，立即獲得全場觀眾的熱烈掌聲。大會並同步在大螢幕展示高大使投球的英姿，為臺灣與麻州的文化交流與國民外交擲出了一記漂亮的好球。

高大使在台灣求學期間一直參與棒球運動，歷任台北太平國小、大同國中、建國高中、臺灣大學、政治大學棒球校隊隊長。(駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處供稿）

波士頓市長馬丁華殊（Marty Walsh）熱情地摟著台灣駐美代表高碩泰。

左起，駐波士頓經文處處長賴銘琪，波士頓市長馬丁華殊，台駐美代表高碩泰夫婦，麻州眾議員陳德基。

高碩泰訪波 感謝僑胞支持台灣

駐美國代表處大使高碩泰伉儷於8月25日蒞臨波士頓訪視，受到僑胞熱烈歡迎，當晚在華埠龍鳳大酒樓席開8桌，與紐英崙地區僑務榮譽職人員餐敘，針對僑情現況及僑務工作交換意見。

當天的歡迎餐會由僑教中心主任歐宏偉主持，駐波士頓辦事處處長賴銘琪首先向與會人士介紹高碩泰的學經歷及平易近人的親民作風，僑務委員蔣宗王、梅錫銳、中華公所主席陳家驊、全美安良工商會元老胡英僚等，均致詞歡迎高碩泰伉儷蒞訪波士頓，並表示將持續支持中華民國政府；高碩泰在致詞時也強調，政府對於海外僑民不分政黨、種族、新舊及地域，只要是支持中華民國政府、熱愛臺灣的鄉親，都是我們服務的對象。

高碩泰在餐會中也應僑胞要求，現場演唱一首「淡水暮色」的臺語歌曲，博得滿堂喝采；賴銘琪夫婦及副處長陳銘俊也分別上臺獻唱，與僑胞同樂，現場氣氛溫馨熱絡。

駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長賴銘琪（前右一），雲雯蓁（左三）夫婦，與波士頓僑務榮譽職人員歡迎台灣駐美大使高碩泰（右三）夫婦。合影者包括紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊（前左二），全美安良工商會員老胡英僚（前左一），波士頓僑務委員蔣宗壬（後右一），梅錫銳（後左一）夫婦。（波士頓僑教中心提供）

白宮慶祝國家公園100週年

Celebrating 100 years of national parks:

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service -- and Americans are celebrating at parks around the country. Part of this celebration is thanking the men and women who conserve these natural and cultural places.

Here at the White House, we're honoring a National Park Service that cares for a park a little closer to home -- the White House grounds.

The National Park Service has been taking care of the White House grounds since the 1930s -- all 18 acres of it -- and many of these staff have served here for over 35 years.

Watch the National Park Service talk about what it’s like to work at the White House, and read their stories of service:

Don't forget -- national parks across America are free this weekend, so get outside and explore.

Happy 100th Anniversary, National Park Service!