Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over $920,000 in Grants to Local Food Ventures

Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over $920,000 in Grants to Local Food Ventures

New Grant Program Aims to Increase Access to Fresh Food, Create Jobs

HOLYOKE – October 20, 2016 – The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has awarded $920,700 to five agricultural groups through the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program (MFVP), a new grant program intended to address food access and expansion of economic opportunities through new food ventures and enterprises throughout the state.

“The innovative groups receiving these grants create quality local jobs and connect underserved communities with fresh and healthy food,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “With this new grant program, we plan to increase access to healthy, affordable food options and improve economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income communities.”

“New agricultural enterprises drive economic growth and provide opportunities for job creation and entrepreneurship in the Commonwealth’s growing agriculture and food industries,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “By providing these ventures with financial assistance, our administration continues its efforts to support Massachusetts agriculture and promote sustainable local food options.”

The MFVP, part of the 2014 Environmental Bond Bill and funded for the first time in the 2017 Capital Plan, provides financial support to food ventures, sited primarily in or near communities of low- or moderate-income, including Gateway Cities and rural communities. With expanded investment, completed projects will improve access to Massachusetts-grown, harvested or caught food products through the development of collaborations with local agricultural enterprises and private/public entities. The program will also help implement the goals of the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan. 

“These agricultural ventures create great job opportunities in low-income communities while also encouraging healthier local food systems,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “By strategically investing in infrastructure for local food production, this new grant program allows us to implement the goals of the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan, help local agricultural enterprises thrive and ensure underserved communities have access to nutritious Massachusetts-grown products.”

Funded projects include new construction that will create temporary and full-time employment, as well as create facilities that will foster job creation and expansion of food access and distribution in low- to moderate-income areas.

“The increased access to healthy, Massachusetts grown food that the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program (MFVP) provides offers substantial benefits on multiple levels,” said MDAR Commissioner John Lebeaux. “MFVP provides for increased food choices to be made available to Commonwealth residents, particularly in communities of low- or moderate-income; it encourages jobs and entrepreneurship; and lastly, it greatly improves post-harvest opportunities for farmers.”

Key areas for investment for the MFVP are food processing infrastructure to meet the needs of the expanding local food system; improved distribution systems to support opportunities for equitable access to fresh local food; and retail outlet strategies that enhance access to healthy food. 

The following groups received grants:

Commonwealth Kitchen (Dorchester - $170,000)                                                        

Commonwealth Kitchen will use their award to invest in specialized equipment and infrastructure improvements in order to expand their contract manufacturing enterprise to produce value-added products to serve Boston’s institutional markets. They will also process gleaned and surplus and produce simple, minimally-processed products to feed low-income and food insecure families.

Franklin County Community Development Corporation (Greenfield - $250,000)

Franklin Country Community Development Corporation will use their award to expand capacity at their food processing center and create infrastructure by constructing a cold storage unit and purchasing additional equipment needed to increase opportunities for food businesses to start and grow. This infrastructure will increase the amount of locally grown vegetables that are frozen right after harvest and will be sold and distributed during the off season months.

Nuestras Raices (Holyoke - $174,000)                                                                     

Nuestra Raices will use their award for the construction and launch of a handicapped-accessible Mobile Market with refrigeration and freezer, a food transport truck and a commercial wash station.  The increased infrastructure is anticipated to spur economic opportunity regionally, increase market opportunities for local farmers and create 50 new jobs, as well as additional training opportunities.

The Livestock Institute of Southern New England (Westport - $250,000)

The Livestock Institute of Southern New England will use their award for construction costs associated with building of a state-of-the-art slaughter house and process facility. The project will also provide educational, job creation and training opportunities for residents with regards to safe and humane handling and slaughtering techniques as well as job training for butchering.

World Farmers (Lancaster - $76,700)

World Farmers will use their award to improve access to established farming infrastructure for the 250 immigrant and refugee farmers at Flats Mentor Farm and in turn increase agricultural production and marketing capacity. The funding for this project will purchase a walk-in cooler and refrigerated trailer, a commercial food hydrator, vacuum-sealed packaging unit and corn miller and a refrigerated van, thus providing opportunities for farmers to increase access to regionally produced foods and increased market distribution.

“I am proud to support Nuestra Raices, as they play a key role in providing fresh, healthy food to the citizens of Holyoke,” said State Senator Donald Humason (R-Westfield). “This grant will not only help them expand, but will also create many new jobs. I thank the Baker-Polito Administration for their investment in Nuestra Raices and the citizens of Holyoke.”

“I am excited to see Nuestas Raices receive both the recognition and the support for the great work they are doing in the community around food access issues,” said State Representative Aaron Vega (D-Holyoke). “Additionally it is great to see the creation of jobs and economic development opportunities for the residents of Holyoke.”

“Improving food access and providing healthy options in rural communities for low-and moderate-income families will strengthen and innovate our rural economy, giving farmers and small business owners the tools they need to thrive in Franklin County,” said Senate President Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst). “We must continue to revolutionize our agricultural enterprises to create an abundance of economic opportunities throughout the Commonwealth.”

“I support the important work of MDAR in providing new pathways to get quality food grown and harvested by our farmers to people who need it the most,” said State Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer). “I am hopeful that this investment will spur even more points of access to meet food insecurity issues so many people face.”

“This grant will help the Franklin County CDC continue to grow and expand the services it is able to offer in support of local food producers and local farmers,” said State Representative Paul Mark (D-Peru). “I am grateful to the administration for recognizing the importance of sustainable, local agriculture to the economy in rural areas like Greenfield.”

“As consumers are more inquisitive about where their food is coming from and how it is produced, the Administration led the way to create increased opportunities for our residents to better access locally produced, healthy food,” said State Representative Paul Schmid III (D-Westport), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture. “Congratulations to the Livestock Institute of Southern New England in Westport on their award of $250,000 to construct a much needed state-of-the-art slaughter house and process facility to better serve meat producers on the South Coast.”

“The Massachusetts Food Ventures Program grant will help Westport strengthen and modernize its agricultural economy,” said State Senator Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport). “This grant will allow the Livestock Institute of Southern New England to invest in technological and infrastructure improvements, resulting in increased efficiency, job training, and economic growth.”

MDAR’s goals have been to increase and sustain the capacity of local food producers and enterprises to provide tangible, measurable benefits to residents in low-moderate income communities which include:  increased access to healthy fresh food, entrepreneurial opportunities, economic enhancement, and increased access to Massachusetts produced foods.

麻州亞美局青年領袖會邀麻州前州長杜卡吉斯分享經驗

曾經兩度擔任麻州州長的杜卡吉斯，有很多故事。(周菊子攝)

(Boston Orange 周菊子布魯克蘭鎮報導)麻州亞美局(AAC)10月15日在布魯克蘭鎮(Brookline)舉辦第5屆青年領袖研討會，請來麻州前州長杜卡吉斯(Michael Dukakis)，費奇堡(Fitchburg)前市長黃素芬(Lisa Wong)做主講嘉賓，鼓勵年輕人關心公共事務，積極參與政治，選舉。

杜卡吉斯是希臘裔美國人，在布魯克蘭鎮出生，1975到1979，以及1983到1991年間，曾兩度當選州長，是麻州歷史中在位時間最長的州長。他也是全美第2個希臘裔美人州長，1988年時還參選過美國總統。

麻州亞美局主席Elisa Choi頒發獎學金給Jennifer Tran。(周菊子攝)

現年82歲的杜卡吉斯在分享一生經歷時，毫不忌諱的指出，麻州早年曾經是個歧視嚴重，非常腐敗的州。他住的布魯克蘭鎮就不准非洲裔住，全鎮只有三戶例外。華人家庭也不到5家。但現在卻是個非常自由的城市了。

杜卡吉斯早在到賓州Swarthmore學院大學時，就因地方上的理髮師不肯為黑人小孩剪頭髮，發起杯葛運動，展現了他關注人權，不畏強權的天性。回家後雖然獲哈佛法學院錄取，卻選擇了從軍入伍。

安豐貴(左一)等講者也在台下當聽眾。(周菊子攝)

進部隊4天候，軍隊人士官約談，以便決定分派地點。杜卡吉斯抬高聲音的說，沒想到來和他談的人，手中竟有一份關於他的檔案，詳列了他曾經做過的事，就只因為聯邦參議員麥卡錫要打擊共產黨，竟派聯邦調查局竊聽樓宇電話交換機轉接的每一通電話，讓他覺得簡直匪夷所思，顯然是比川普還要瘋狂。

杜卡吉斯也申論，指川普是一名讓人完全無法接受的美國總統候選人，說的話沒有依據是真的。後來出爐的事情還證明川普是個”骯髒老頭"。萬一川普當選，美國人需要好好思考，檢討一下，為什麼有大約40%的選民支持川普。

麻州亞美局委員 Chris Chanyasulkit 當選為布魯克蘭鎮鎮議員。
(周菊子攝)

他以自己的經驗指出，政治最有意思的地方是，給人機會實現改變，讓人獲得無以比擬的成就感，滿足感。他呼籲亞裔青年們積極參與政治，絕對不要讓任何人告訴自己這不能做。

他表示，自己是希臘裔美人，在當年那個政治還非常族裔化的年代，布魯克蘭鎮60%是猶太人，30%是愛爾蘭人，然後才是其他族裔，想想他怎麼可能會當選。

他說自己可能從小就對政治有興趣。曾經在學校裏參選，後來競選州議員，州長，甚至總統。當初能夠順利踏上從政之路，全靠草根競選辦法，有一批很好的人，包括12個競選小組組長，以及每人麾下的25名組員，完全不在乎他的族裔，宗教信仰，一家一家的挨戶敲門，才終於把他送進了議會。

杜卡吉斯和出席者合影。(周菊子攝)

這些年來，他也用這方法幫助很多學生，鄰居參選。當天主持會議的 Chris Chanyasulkit 也是用這樣的方法，當選為布魯克蘭鎮約260鎮議會議員之一。

杜卡吉斯指出，奧巴馬當選，也是採用這種以每個投票站為基礎的草根競選法。不過他批評民主黨似乎沒有擷取教訓，只要是被認定為是屬於共和黨的紅州，就不派地區工作人員掃票，結果德州，喬治亞州，猶他州，南卡羅來納州這些被認定為紅色的州，才呈現選情僵持的局面。

麻州亞美局當天的青年領袖會議，除另外有黃素芬做第二場主題演講外，還安排了聯邦平等工作權利局主任安豐貴，談聯邦政府的人權計畫，邀波士頓華埠社區中心主任李隆華，東南亞裔聯盟的Anh Vu Sawyer，Boa Newgate，以及柬埔寨共同玄著協會的Sovanna Pouv等人座談”今日你能做甚麼"。

                 麻州亞美局主席Elisa Choi在會中還頒發了該局獎學金給Jennifer Tran。

(圖片已於10月16日發表)

薩福克大學中國城鎮會議轉播季辛吉訪談 戈迪溫發表看法(圖片)

This year our topic is United States-China Relations. That is what we’ll talk about at our annual China Town Hall meeting.

Speaking to us live at Suffolk will be Professor Steven Goldstein, an Associate at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard. Speaking to us via live webcast will be Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor.

The meeting was organized by the National Committee on US-China Relations in New York City. The Rosenberg Institute at Suffolk has teamed-up with WorldBoston to put on the Suffolk University portion.

Newton Mayor Setti Warren Announces Groundbreaking Program Providing Solar Credits to Low-Income Newton Residents

Newton Mayor Setti Warren Announces Groundbreaking Program Providing Solar Credits to Low-Income Newton Residents

Newton, MA – Mayor Setti Warren today announced the start of Newton’s Community Solar Share Initiative (CoSSi), a pilot project designed to share the benefits of solar power with low-income Newton residents. Over 1,000 households will save on their energy bills by receiving a share of the credits generated by the City’s solar development project at 70 Elliot St. The project will also reduce the City’s carbon footprint, increasing the amount of clean, renewable energy in the community. 

In announcing the program Mayor Warren said, “Eleven percent of Newton school children are living below the poverty line. One in eight Newton households are trying to live on less than $25,000 per year. We need to do what we can to level the playing field. Solar power is a great deal for those that can afford it. Newton has found a creative way to share the benefits of solar energy, providing low-income residents with modest, yet measurable, savings on their energy bills. And we are reducing carbon emissions and helping the environment in the process.”

The Mayor praised Eversource, and Action for Boston Community Development- a regional anti-poverty service agency - for working closely with Newton to bring this pilot project from conception to fruition. Any Newton resident or household that is already receiving the electric discount rate from Eversource is automatically eligible for a share of the net metering credits.

To preserve the privacy of the recipients, ABCD will mail a letter from the Mayor to all eligible residents, who can decide to participate or “opt out” of the program. By participating, residents agree to allow ABCD to share their electric account numbers with Newton.

John J. Drew, President/CEO of ABCD, said, “This is truly a landmark program to help those who are in the greatest need. I'd like to thank Mayor Setti Warren, the fine people at Eversource, our Energy and Fuel Assistance department and everyone else who worked so hard to make this happen.  We believe this creative pilot project will turn out to be a win for everyone involved.”

“This pilot is a perfect example of how creative thinking and collaboration between public and private entities can reap innovative results,” said Marc Lucas, Community Relations Representative at Eversource.  “We are excited to partner with the City of Newton and ABCD on this important initiative that will help our customers as well as the environment.”  

Boston Public Schools Host Forbes Under 30 Summit

Boston Public Schools Host Forbes Under 30 Summit Attendees, Students are Mentored by Superstar Entrepreneurs

Student Mentoring Assemblies are part of Forbes Under 30 Summit's Service Day to give back to Boston Community

Speakers visited the following schools: Boston Arts Academy, Fenway Boston International Newcomers Academy, Dorchester Clarence R. Edwards Middle School, Charlestown Donald McKay School, East Boston English High School, Jamaica Plain Henderson K-12 Inclusion School, Dorchester John D. O'Bryant School Of Mathematics and Science, Roxbury New Mission High School, Hyde Park Patrick J. Kennedy School, East Boston West Roxbury Academy, West Roxbury "We are very excited to welcome Forbes Under 30 Honorees to Boston Public Schools to mentor our students," said Superintendent Tommy Chang. "It is important that our young people see living examples of how leadership knows no bounds in terms of age, race, or any other parts of our core identity. I'm confident that this experience will be transformative for our schools, and I am grateful to Forbes Under 30 for making this service day possible." Platinum sponsors of the Forbes Under 30 Summit include American Express, HP Inc. and The Macallan. Gold sponsors include Accenture, Fidelity Investments, Mayo Clinic and Virgin Atlantic. Silver sponsors include Amazon Studios, Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Catalant, Cole Haan, Draft Kings, Dunkin' Donuts, Ocean Spray, Samuel Adams and The Boston Beer Company, Silicon Valley Bank, Uber, Vertex and Wayfair.  Media sponsors are The Boston Globe and PAN Communications. Forbes' Under 30 franchise is a global multichannel platform, and comprises 30 Under 30 lists that feature young game changers. The lists are published in print and online all over the world. The franchise also includes live summits in the U.S., Asia and Israel, an Under 30 channel on Forbes.com and an Under 30 app. To access Forbes magazine's 2016 30 Under 30 list, please visit: http://www.forbes.com/30under30. For more details on the 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston, please visit www.under30summit.com.On Twitter, follow #Under30Summit.

Governor Baker Signs Legislation Requiring Preservation of Sexual Assault Evidence

Will require forensic evidence be preserved for as long as statute of limitations

BOSTON –  Governor Charlie Baker today signed H. 4364, An Act relative to the preservation of evidence for victims of rape and sexual assault, to ensure that potentially crucial forensic evidence is preserved and retained for at least as long as the 15 year statute of limitations for sexual assault and rape.  At a signing ceremony and press conference led by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito in the State House, members of the Baker-Polito Administration, legislators, members of the non-profit organization RISE and advocates celebrated passage of this legislation and significant progress for survivors of sexual assault and rape who have faced significant challenges and trauma from the burdens of the prior policies of our criminal justice system. 

“Trauma can have a devastating effect on a person’s health and well-being.  A survivor of sexual assault or rape should not be burdened with a short timeframe and constant reminders from our criminal justice system, and I am pleased this new law will allow survivors to focus on healing,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Extending the retention period for evidence to match the statute of limitations is a commonsense change that will help survivors seek justice when they are ready to pursue a criminal justice response.”

“Removing the burden from the victim to keep evidence from being destroyed is a very important step for our criminal justice system, and most of all, for the well-being of survivors of sexual assault and rape,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Chair of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. “We want to thank our colleagues in the legislature for collaborating on this legislation because preserving this type of evidence could make all the difference in convicting defendants on trial for sexual assault or rape.”

The new law requires governmental entities, such as local police departments, to retain forensic evidence obtained through the investigation of a sexual assault or rape for a minimum of fifteen years, which is the statute of limitations for crimes of sexual assault and rape. Previously, such evidence was only required to be retained for a period of six months unless victims petitioned every six months to have it preserved.

“In a criminal prosecution there are few better ways to achieve a conviction than by presenting conclusive forensic evidence linking the defendant to the crime,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Daniel Bennett. “By extending the period that such evidence must be kept we are improving our ability to bring criminals who have committed such heinous crimes to justice.”

“Someone who has experienced sexual violence needs time to heal.  It is incumbent on us to support survivors by ensuring that they have the time they need to seek justice,”said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “With this legislation, we take a big step forward in ensuring that the justice system works.”

“With the National dialogue around sexual assault, I am pleased to see Massachusetts taking the lead in this small but important step in protecting the rights of survivors,”said Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier.

“Sexual assault is one of the most traumatizing and emotionally devastating experiences an individual can go through,” said State Senator Cynthia Creem. “We’ve extended the time period that evidence must be kept so that survivors don’t have to revisit the assault every six months.” 

“We are thankful for Governor Baker and statehouse legislators for enacting this bill preventing the destruction of critical evidence for sexual assault survivors for the duration of time they have to file charges – 15 years,” said Amanda Nguyen, President and Founder of Rise.

Additional elements of the new law:

·       Requires hospitals to inform survivors that sexual assault testing kits will be retained for a minimum of fifteen years;

·       Stipulates that any evidence currently in the possession of a police department or other governmental entity be retained for the remainder of the statute of limitations for each case; and

·       To ensure that forensic evidence is properly preserved, requires the State Police Crime Laboratory to promulgate regulations regarding minimum standards for evidence retention and chain-of-custody protocol. 

Rise has already passed a federal Sexual Assault Bill of Rights, which was signed into law by the President on October 7, 2016 and introduced legislation in California, Oregon and New York.

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES NEW EMT RECRUITS TO IMPROVE EMS RESPONSE TIMES

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES NEW EMT RECRUITS TO IMPROVE EMS RESPONSE TIMES

Newest recruit class will meet heightened demand for emergency medical services

BOSTON - Wednesday, October 19, 2016 - Today, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced that Boston Emergency Medical Service (EMS) academy class 2016-2 has begun their training as EMT-Recruits as part of the Mayor's FY17 investment to reduce EMS response times. This class will increase Boston EMS' count of uniformed employees by 24 personnel, allowing for deployment of two additional ambulances when they graduate in March of 2017. Through his dedication to improving city services for the people of Boston, Mayor Martin J. Walsh closely monitors key EMS metrics through tools such as CityScore. Based on CityScore data, EMS identified the trends associated with growing response times: since 2008, the number of clinical incidents and ambulance transports rose by 16% and 14%, respectively. Based on this analysis, Mayor Walsh approved the expansion in Boston EMS' uniformed employees, the first increase in seven years. This investment will help meet the heightened demand for emergency medical services and reduce the median response times for the city's highest priority calls. "Investing in our emergency medical services means investing in the health and well-being of all Boston residents," said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "As one of the leading EMS systems in the country, Boston EMS serves our residents with compassionate and excellent pre-hospital care, protecting the safety of individuals and the health of the community. I'm pleased to welcome this new class of recruits and thank them for their service to our city." The 6-month academy begins with a 3-month classroom didactic program and concludes with a field internship working in ambulances. This also marks the first time Boston EMS has ever run two concurrent recruit classes, the first, Academy 2016-1, began their employment in June of this year and vacated the classroom just five weeks ago. As a bureau of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), Boston EMS is committed to serving Boston's residents through clinical excellence, emergency planning and preparedness, and community outreach. "I am grateful to Mayor Walsh, whose enthusiastic support of Boston EMS has ensured continual excellence in pre-hospital care, and I am also grateful to our new class of recruits, who will play a vital role in serving Boston's vulnerable populations," said BPHC Executive Director Monica Valdes Lupi. This class of recruits includes seven female recruits and 17 male recruits, all of whom are state-certified EMTs. The hiring process began in early July, with review sessions, a written exam, a practical exam, and an oral interview. Throughout the training program the recruits will be continually tested and evaluated. Only those who successfully complete the program will take part in the graduation ceremony and be promoted to department EMT. Boston EMS is the only ambulance service in the country that offers such an extensive new-hire training program. The department views the academy process as an essential investment in personnel to ensure they are best prepared to work in a busy urban environment and meet the array of pre-hospital needs of patients across the City. In addition to expanding their clinical skills, Boston EMS training personnel and representatives from partner agencies prepare the recruits for scenarios beyond the routine, including mass casualties, hazardous materials exposures, and active shooter incidents. "I'm happy to welcome this newest class of recruits. As a member of the interview panel, I was particularly impressed with their qualifications and commitment to the profession," said EMS Chief James Hooley.