Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over $5.9 Million to Support Food Security in Massachusetts

Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over $5.9 Million to Support Food Security in Massachusetts

Fourth Round of New Grant Program to Increase Access to Local Food

 

BOSTON – Continuing its ongoing efforts to support a resilient, secure local food supply chain in Massachusetts, the Baker-Polito Administration today announced $5.9 million in grants to address urgent food insecurity for residents across the Commonwealth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is being awarded as part of the fourth round of the new $36 million Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program, created following recommendations from the Administration’s COVID-19 Command Center’s Food Security Task Force, which promotes ongoing efforts to ensure that individuals and families throughout the Commonwealth have access to healthy, local food. 

 

“As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to build on our efforts to secure a resilient, diverse local food supply chain so Massachusetts residents maintain access to fresh, healthy food,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “With this fourth round of grants, we will have awarded a total of $17.7 million, making critical investments in our local food infrastructure and ensuring a secure supply of food as residents across the Commonwealth adjust to the impacts of this unprecedented public health challenge.”

 

“Families throughout Massachusetts, especially those living in underserved communities, will continue to receive better access to healthy, local food through the investments made through this important program,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “These projects will ensure a strong, resilient supply of local food while delivering health and economic benefits to communities across the Commonwealth.”

 

The goal of the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program is to ensure that individuals and families throughout the Commonwealth have equitable access to food, especially local food. The program also seeks to ensure that farmers, fishermen and other local food producers are better connected to a strong, resilient food system to help mitigate future food supply and distribution disruption.

 

The fourth round of the grant program includes 47 awards for a total of $5,895,554 to fund critical investments in technology, equipment, capacity, and other assistance to help local food producers, especially in the distribution of food insecure communities. When evaluating the applications, considerations included equity, economic impact and need, sustainability and scalability of efforts, and ability to support producer readiness to accept SNAP and HIP benefits. In the program’s first three rounds, the Administration awarded over $11.7 to more than 90 recipients.

 

“Food insecurity remains a significant challenge for families throughout the Commonwealth during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides. “These projects address critical gaps within Massachusetts’ local food system, and this significant investment will help our local farmers, fishermen, food banks, and distribution networks continue their essential work producing a steady supply of healthy, nutritious food to communities and underserved neighborhoods.”

 

“The continued work of the Food Security Task Force under the COVID-19 Command Center has built out the food security infrastructure in the Commonwealth, connecting families and individuals with critical food resources during the pandemic,” said COVID-19 Response Command Center Director and Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders. “This round of grants supports local organizations that help meet Massachusetts’ residents needs where they are, including supporting organizations that participate in existing nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC that help residents with limited income access healthy food.”

 

Eligible grantees include entities that are part of the Massachusetts local food system including production, processing and distribution, the emergency food distribution network, Buy Local, community and food organizations, school meal programming, urban farms and community gardens, non-profits, and organizations that provide business planning, technical assistance and information technology services. The Request for Responses for project proposals closed on September 15, 2020. Applications submitted before the proposal deadline will continue to be evaluated for future rounds of funding.

 

This grant program implements the recommendations of the Food Security Task Force, which was convened by the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center in response to increased demands for food assistance. The task force is composed of a broad group of public and private members charged with ensuring food insecurity and food supply needs are addressed during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

 

The Food Insecurity Infrastructure Grant Program was announced in May 2020 as part of a $56 million investment by the Baker-Polito Administration to combat urgent food insecurity for some Massachusetts families and individuals as a result of COVID-19. The Administration also announced a $5 million increase for the Healthy Incentives Program to meet increased demand for local produce and to increase access points that process SNAP and HIP benefits, $12 million for the provision of 25,000 family food boxes per week through a regional food supply system, and $3 million in funding as an immediate relief valve to food banks.

 

Several new HIP vendors are receiving funding through this round of the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program to purchase new equipment to process SNAP and HIP benefits. Back Azimuth Farm, in Middleborough, is a veteran-owned farm that sells at farmers’ markets and donates unsold products to their local food pantry. As a new HIP vendor, they will create new farmers market opportunities at VA hospitals in line with the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and Department of Veteran Services’ veteran outreach initiative. All Farmers will bring HIP to West Springfield for the first time. The organization represents a broad network of refugee and immigrant farmers who will be selling to their own community members and are able to service clients in Nepali, Maai Maai, and Kiswahili.

 

In August, the Baker-Polito Administration launched the MassGrown Exchange, an online platform designed to facilitate business-to-business connections within the local food system for products and services. Developed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), in collaboration with the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), this platform was established to both address COVID-19 disruptions to the local food supply and to serve as a helpful tool and resource for Massachusetts growers and producers in accessing markets beyond the duration of the COVID-19 emergency.

 

“Challenges to our food supply from the COVID-19 pandemic have given us a powerful reminder of just how important it is to have local fishing and farming, and organizations to get food to those at risk of hunger. What's more, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the opportunities we have to help them grow and innovate,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr. “These grants will give recipients the strength they need now, and the chance to develop into even greater resources in the future for the people of our state.”

 

“Compared to 2019, Cape & Island families are experiencing a 70% spike in food insecurity compared to last year. Our aquaculturists, fishermen, farmers, and food pantry workers have banded together to meet this harrowing moment,” said Senator Julian Cyr. “I’m grateful for the support they are receiving from the Commonwealth to continue ensuring that every family on Cape Cod and the Islands knows where their next meal comes from.”

 

“These grants are a great first step toward strengthening our ability to deliver food from the harvesters, our fishermen and farmers for delivery to the consumers,” said Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante. “I am particularly pleased that in this first round, preference was also given to food pantries which have been so important in ensuring food security for our most vulnerable. I look forward to watching the Commonwealth's investment and growth in our food supply chain.”

 

“This grant will support the efforts of the Wellfleet Shellfish company to expand operational function from a seafood distributor to a vertically-integrated seafood production facility. This effort supplies nutritious food to the hungry and supports the shellfish industry. It is a win-win program and a tremendous help for Cape Codders,” said Representative Sarah Peake. “I want to thank the Baker-Polito Administration for their support of this program, and say hats off to the Wellfleet Shellfish Company for their ingenuity and generosity in creating this program.”

 

The awardees for the fourth round of the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program include:

 

Awardee	Location	Project Description	Funding
Chris Farm Stand	Bradford	Chris Farm Stand will purchase software and equipment to be able to process SNAP payments.	$1,158
Hartsbrook School - Farm and CSA	Hadley	Hatsbrook School, Farm and CSA, will purchase farm equipment to continue producing food on campus for distribution to the local food banks and other organizations.	$12,137
Davidian's Farm Project	Northborough	Davidian's Farm will purchase farming and packaging equipment to better expand their crop variety and improve their ability to package and distribute food to address food insecurity, including their partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank as well as local pantries.	$249,694
Daniel's Table	Framingham	Daniel's Table will purchase a delivery vehicle, a refrigerated food van, as well as kitchen equipment to address food insecurity through their Womb to 5 Program that assists expectant mothers and their families.	$120,207
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, Inc.	Holyoke	The Boys & Girls Club will renovate building with new kitchen equipment in order to create a centralized food hub for youth.	$500,000
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield	Westfield	The Boys & Girls Club will convert its kitchen into a commercial kitchen in order to expand meal production capacity.	$134,177
Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center	Gardner	The Veterans Outreach Center will replace shelving units in its food pantry in order to increase food storage capacity and create safer working conditions.	$8,241
J&K's Good Thyme Farm	Ashburnham	J&K's Good Thyme Farm will purchase a commercial cooler and freezer for the farm stand which will expand offerings of perishable items.	$8,022
Sunderland Farm Collaborative	Sunderland	Sunderland Farm Collaborative will purchase two refrigerated vehicles, a building expansion to increase storage space, construction of a new warehouse, and the purchase of refrigeration equipment in order to expand food storage and delivery capacity for the farm.	$318,328
Salem Public Schools	Salem	Salem Public Schools will purchase a food delivery van in order to deliver food to delivery sites and student homes.	$104,954
Stony Hill Farm, LLC.	Wilbraham	Stony Hill Farm will construct a farm stand and display cooler to replace tent.	$30,459
The Open Door	Gloucester	The Open Door will develop and implement an online ordering and delivery system, expand storage to increase choice of meals as well as store locally produced food, and expand their Mobile Market program to be able to reach more areas throughout the community.	$201,073
They Keep Bees	Montague	They Keep Bees will develop a mobile honey processing kitchen in order to facilitate honey processing in the field and increase capacity.	$10,054
Back Azimuth Farm	Middleborough	Back Azimuth Farm will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$1,159
Pioneer Valley Milk Marketing Cooperative	Greenfield	The Cooperative will purchase a milk tanker truck to haul milk to MA-based milk-processing plant, 2 refrigerated trucks to deliver products to stores, raw milk container for the expanded processing, and associated equipment for milk processing and delivery.	$373,518
Citizens Inn	Peabody	Citizens Inn, merged with Haven from Hunger, will renovate their facility to increase storage capacity for food received from the Greater Boston Food Bank as well as local farms and partners. This will include  both dry and refrigerated, to meet the increased demand they are seeing due to COVID.	$475,587
Dick's Market Garden, Inc.	Lunenburg	Dick's Market Garden will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$1,086
Saint James Outreach/Saint James Church	Grafton	Saint James will purchase freezers and a refrigerator in order to store perishable items for distribution to food insecure residents.	$5,019
RiverMills Council on Aging	Chicopee	The Council will purchase refrigeration equipment and a meat slicer in order to store and prepare more meals for Elder services.	$12,311
Nubian United Benevolent International Association (NUBIA) Inc.	Boston	NUBIA will purchase a truck to increase services like transportation of supplies & produce and expansion into new farmer's markets	$45,705
Small Farm, Inc	Stow	Small Farm will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$1,049
Oriental Farm	Brockton	Oriental Farm will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$1,271
Seeds of Solidarity Education Center Inc	Orange	The Center will purchase food safety equipment and facility adaptations that will improve supply of affordable farm-fresh vegetables in a low-income community.	$9,878
Atlantic Coast Seafood Inc.	Boston	Atlantic Coast Seafood will pursue infrastructure upgrades to ice machines on the Boston Fish Pier that would improve current ice making capacity, allowing Atlantic Coast Seafood to meet the ice quantity needs of the New England fishing fleet.	$500,000
Wulf Fish Wholesale, LLC	Boston	Wulf Fish Wholesale will expand new e-commerce operation to increase purchasing with fishing communities in MA, to boost opportunity in food processing, to reduce food insecurity, and to expand seafood nutritional education.	$337,500
Regional Environmental Council, Inc.	Worcester	The Council will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$985
Hilltown Mobile Market	Chesterfield	The Market will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$1,069
Boston Area Gleaners	Waltham	Boston Area Gleaners will expand capacity and efficiency of packing, distribution, and inventory management processes through purchases of vehicles, equipment, and software.	$296,640
Reefer Van for the Island Food Pantry	Tisbury	Reefer Van for the Island Food Pantry will purchase a refrigerated van to support local deliveries through a newly-formed Delivery Service to members and safely transport food between storage facilities on Martha's Vineyard.	$42,000
Sauchuk Farm, LLC	Plympton	Sauchuk Farm will purchase a new irrigation reel to be used on a variety of crops, to meet demand for locally grown food in the area.	$20,800
Gardening the Community	Springfield	Gardening the Community will purchase infrastructure to support production capacity, produce storage and delivery and aggregation infrastructure.	$61,975
ServiceNet, Inc.	Hatfield	ServiceNet, Inc. will use its grant for capital investments, web platform improvements to expand the functionality of an online ordering system, and increased cold storage and refrigerated trucking capacity for highly demanded online orders. Proposal serves customers with mental health issues and for group homes.	$88,851
Mullaney's Fish Market	Cohasset	A joint proposal between Mullaney's Fish Market, Inc., XII Northeast Fishery Sector, Inc. and Friends of South Shore Seafood Development, Inc. to purchase equipment to facilitate start-up and increase processing capacity at a new facility already nearing completion in Scituate, Mass.	$243,250
Wellfleet Shellfish Company	Eastham	Wellfleet Shellfish will invest in infrastructure to expand operational function from a seafood distributor to a vertically-integrated seafood production facility.	$390,062
YMCA of Metro North	Lynn	YMCA of Metro North will purchase a refrigerated van to deliver meals and distribute food donations, service supplies, equipment to increase capacity at several YMCA locations, and create cafeteria space to serve food at the Lynn YMCA.	$130,000
Pittsfield Public Schools	Pittsfield	Pittsfield Public School will buy a refrigerated delivery truck to facilitate safe deliveries of USDA foods and DoD produce as well as local food purchased. This vehicle will be used during the school year and summer to safely distribute food to all 12 school kitchens as well as pick up USDA Food monthly offer.	$106,583
Great Falls Aquaculture, LLC	Montague	Great Falls will expand and enhance its current processing room to include freezing, vacuum sealing, smoking, and frozen storage capabilities; and purchase a truck with refrigeration and heating capability for delivering the processed fish and picking up fingerlings shipped from overseas.	$221,260
Community Servings, Inc.	Boston	Community Servings provides medically-tailored meals across MA and will expand to 800,000 meals annually through additional infrastructure: industrial food storage and processing equipment and additional refrigerated delivery vans. These investments are critical to meet the increased need across the state among highly vulnerable, food insecure, and immunocompromised individuals living with critical and chronic illnesses.	$227,000
Mei Mei Restaurant Inc	Boston	Mei Mei Restaurants Inc will purchase food storage, processing, and transportation equipment as well as improved technology to build the infrastructure necessary to provide no-cost grocery delivery to food insecure families in the Boston metro area.	$55,454
Riquezas del Campo	Hatfield	Riquezas del Campo will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$1,268
F/V Padre Pio	Boston	F/V Padre Pio will develop an automatic fish gutting and conveyor system on the deck of the Padre Pio that would significantly reduce the amount of time a catch would be exposed to ambient temperatures on deck before being stored safely below on ice, allowing vessels to catch fish at a higher quality with longer shelf life.	$115,000
Russo Fishing Company	Gloucester	Russo Fishing Company will develop an automatic fish gutting and conveyor system on the deck of the Miss Trish that would significantly reduce the amount of time a catch would be exposed to ambient temperatures on deck before being stored safely below on ice, allowing vessels to catch fish at a higher quality with longer shelf life.	$95,000
All Farmers	Springfield	All Farmers will purchase SNAP processing equipment.	$1,696
We Grow Microgreens, LLC	Boston	We Grow Microgreens will purchase software and equipment to be able to process SNAP payments.	$525
St. Mary's Center for Women and Children	Boston	St. Mary's will pursue food storage improvements to cafeteria in Dorchester and food pantry in East Boston, including purchase and installation of new industrial-sized walk-in refrigerators and freezers to support the increased level of food storage and meal preparation to meet the demands of the families they serve.	$111,437
Motor Vessel Yankee Rose, Inc.	Scituate	Motor Vessel Yankee Rose will purchase a KM Fish Machinery A/S model Mark 7 fish gutting machine, a model KM130-110 vertical fish elevator and a model KM10 fish washing unit and install them on the F/V Miss Emily.	$82,600
Riquezas del Campo	Northampton	Riquezas del Campo will pursue infrastructure improvements that will allow for expansion of farm production to meet the rising need for fresh food among low-wage and immigrant workers in the Pioneer Valley. Infrastructure improvements include potable water access, mobile wash station and trailer, tractor, caterpillar tunnels, and mobile cold storage unit.	$139,508

新英格蘭台灣商會代台灣送愛心 再捐7500個口罩

新英格蘭台灣商會捐贈7500個醫用口罩給米斗塞郡地方檢察官辦公室等第一線工作人員。
(周菊子射)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子屋本市報導)新英格蘭台灣商會(TCCNE)的「捐口罩，送愛心」，台灣能幫忙行動，今(27)日來到屋本市(Woburn)，送出7,500個醫療用口罩，交由米斗塞郡(Middlesex)地區檢察官Marian Ryan，聯邦眾議員凱薩琳克拉克(Katherine Clark)，轉發給第一線工作人員。

             新英格蘭台灣商會副會長林才民，理事王志維，翁逸虹和駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長孫儉元都出席了捐贈儀式。

 

米斗塞郡地方檢察官Marian Ryan(前)說要相信科學，戴口罩。後左起，波士頓經文處處長
孫儉元，聯邦眾議員Katherine Clark，麻州救護車協會會長Dennis Cataldo也一一致詞。
(周菊子攝)

           Marian Ryan表示，麻州爆發新冠病毒爆發已8個月了，近日疫情回升，救護車急救人員，消防員，警察，護士，醫生等等第一線工作人員的個人防護用品需要量也大增。她說，「我們相信科學，而科學告訴我們，防疫的最好途徑就是戴口罩」，非常感謝新英格蘭台灣商會捐贈口罩。

             聯邦眾議院民主黨團副主席，也是麻州第5區聯邦眾議員的凱薩琳克拉克，雖然正在競選連任，仍然撥冗出席。她指出，疫情發生以來，各相關機構互相交流防治疫情的最好做法，所有第一線工作人員都是英雄，她感謝新英格蘭台灣商會和波士頓經文處捐贈口罩，更由衷感謝第一線工作人員每天都在為人民的安全盡力。

             駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長孫儉元也應邀致詞。他簡述台灣防疫做得十分成功，還指出，過去幾個月來，新英格蘭台灣商會為回饋社區，也捐贈了口罩給其他城市，前後共捐至少5萬個口罩。

             在捐贈儀式中，麻州救護車協會會長Dennis Cataldo也代表該會表達感謝之意。

             根據美國人口統計局的2020年統計，麻州亞裔人口最多的10個城市，就有5個在米斗塞郡，包括摩頓(Malden)，羅爾(Lowell)，劍橋(Cambridge)，牛頓(Newton)，華森(Waltham)等。

麻州新冠病毒新增確診數持續破千 30歲以下為新高峰

 

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)用圖表說明年輕人確診率升高。(周菊子攝)

          (Boston Orange 周菊子麻州綜合報導)截至今(27)日，麻州已一連四日新冠病毒(COVID)確診人數逾千。麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)在匯報疫情時強調，民眾應該避免大型聚會，30歲以下年輕人尤其應該提高警覺。

             查理貝克指出，最近的疫情趨勢圖顯示，幾乎每天都有300多名30歲以下年輕人確診，在萬聖節，感恩節，聖誕節將臨的這10月，11月，12月，尤其是年輕人更應該特別小心。

            麻州州長查理貝克和麻州健康及人民服務長Marylou Sudders在疫情會報中特地放了一塊看板，列出各年齡層的確診率，強調新型冠狀病毒傳染性很強，年輕人得病後可能沒事，但卻會成為帶菌者，傳染其他人。如果人們依照傳統，仍然在節日期間聚眾集會，後果不堪設想。

            查理貝克強調，「人們真的應該停辦大派對」。

            Marylou Sudders表示，根據州政府的接觸追蹤，發現有30組的大約110名確診案例，都和冰棍球活動有關。有66個市鎮因為人們的不配合接觸追蹤而受影響，還有教練告訴家長及球員不要回應接觸追蹤者的查探。

            查理貝克勸州民今年以不同方式慶祝感恩節，不要像傳統習慣那樣，廣邀親朋好友聚會，免得病毒傳播。最好是只和自己的直系親屬，或是住在一起的家人慶祝，要不然就借助網路來和更多的親友相聚。

            麻州從疫情爆發以來，一直控制得不錯，但在最近的這夏末秋初，疫情似乎逐漸回升，上星期更是確診率大幅增加，上週四，週五，確診人數逾900，接著一連三天破千，本週一，更高達1,216。

            有些專家因此建議麻州把重新開放計畫往回推。

            布朗大學公共衛生學院院長Ashish K. Jha就說，「我們應該很擔心」麻州的確診數最近陡然升高。所有的指數也都往錯誤的方向發展。平均確診率甚至比防疫工作做得不很好的喬治亞州還糟。

            麻州的高危險市鎮數目越來越多，其中有13個市鎮從9月1日起連續3週都列為紅色危險區後，已把重新開放調整回第3階段。

            越來越多的醫療專家現在都呼籲全國性的規定戴口罩，以降低更多病毒在冬季散佈的可能。

REPS LIEU AND HICE INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

 WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congressman Jody Hice (R-GA), along with Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), introduced bipartisan legislation to increase transparency and accountability within the federal government. The Oversight.gov Authorization Act would formally authorize the establishment and maintenance of a website to help the public more easily access reports that have been generated by the independent work of Inspectors General (IGs).

“Our bill will allow for crucial improvements to be made to Oversight.gov, a central online location for all federal Inspectors General to publish their reports,” Representative Lieu said. “IGs are critical to rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in our government, and this website will make their findings more accessible to the American people. I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan bill to increase transparency in the IG community.”

“The inspector general community is on the frontlines in combatting waste, fraud, and abuse across federal agencies on behalf of the American taxpayer,” said Representative Hice. “The Oversight.gov Authorization Act is an important step in promoting and protecting the work of inspectors general, enabling the public to view firsthand the need for greater accountability and transparency in our government. This bicameral, bipartisan legislation is a commonsense measure that all of Congress can get behind, and I look forward to working with my colleague Rep. Ted Lieu, as well as Senators Chuck Grassley and Maggie Hassan, in seeing this bill across the finish line.”

“Inspectors General play a critical role in ensuring that hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being put to good use, and it is important that their findings are easily accessible to the public,” Senator Hassan said. “I am pleased to join Senator Grassley and our colleagues in the House of Representatives in introducing this bipartisan legislation to support the independence and integrity of the IG community by codifying and authorizing funding for a website where the public can access IG reports and get more information on how federal dollars are being spent.”

“A government of the people must be accountable to the people. Oversight.gov helps to bring together the great work of our Inspectors General from across the bureaucracy on one comprehensive website for the American people. This one-stop-shop for transparency is essential to improving accountability in the information age,” Senator Grassley said.

In 2017, the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), an independent government entity that oversees the Offices of Inspectors General, launched Oversight.gov, a website used to house public reports and data issued by IGs to improve government transparency. The bipartisan Oversight.gov Authorization Act would formally authorize the establishment and maintenance of this website to help improve the public’s access to IG reports and other related material, as well as help whistleblowers report waste, fraud, abuse.

Additionally, the bill would improve accountability over funds related to COVID-19 federal spending and the work of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee by bolstering the webpage dedicated to housing this information as mandated under the CARES Act.

The bill is endorsed by the Campaign for Accountability, R Street Institute, Common Cause, Government Accountability Project, and Project On Government Oversight. CIGIE was consulted during the bill’s formation.

Previously, Representatives Lieu and Hice have worked together to safeguard Inspectors General through their bill, the Inspector General Protection Act, which passed the House in July of 2019, to enhance the independence and integrity of IGs. Rep. Lieu has also been a vocal advocate for strengthening whistleblower protections to ensure individuals can report any unlawful or inappropriate activity by government officials without fear of retribution.

波士頓市長提醒民眾萬聖節要開心也要小心

 

MAYOR WALSH, BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS URGE CAUTION, OFFER GUIDANCE ON HOW TO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

 

BOSTON - Tuesday, October 27, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) today released guidance on celebrating Halloween safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, urging residents who choose to celebrate Halloween to take extra precautions to keep themselves and others safe. Health officials have advised that many traditional activities, such as trick-or-treating, costume parties or crowded, confined spaces like haunted houses, raise the risk of spreading viruses.  "Halloween is one of the best nights, and what's most important this year is that any person participating in activities does so in a way that is safe for not only themselves, but also their neighbors and community," said Mayor Walsh. "We're asking people to take the extra precautions that are necessary this year, including avoiding direct contact with trick-or-treaters, wearing masks at all times, washing hands before eating any treats, and avoiding attending or hosting gatherings." Tips for safe trick-or-treating: Trick-or-treat only with immediate family members. Avoid direct contact with individuals passing out candy. Wash hands before handling treats. Wear a mask. A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. Stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you. Bring hand sanitizer with you and use it after touching objects or other people. Tips to safely prepare for trick-or-treaters: Avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters.  Wash hands before handling treats. Set up a station outdoors with individually wrapped goodie bags for trick-or-treaters. Wear a mask. A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. Stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you. BPHC health officials encourage families to find safer, alternative or virtual ways to have fun this season. The safest celebrations involve people from your household, are outdoors, allow for social distancing and other safety measures. In addition, BPHC is urging adults not to participate in gatherings or parties on Halloween. Halloween activities without risk: Carving or decorating pumpkins Decorating your home A virtual Halloween costume contest A family Halloween movie night A trick-or-treat scavenger hunt at home A Halloween neighborhood scavenger hunt from a distance Halloween activities with risk: Traditional trick-or-treating Trunk-or-treat events Haunted houses Hayrides or tractor rides Fall festivals Halloween parties or celebrations Any Halloween activities should comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines and participants should limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by following these safety tips: Wear a face covering. A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth or paper mask. Do not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it could make it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask. Stay at least six feet apart. Avoid large parties or gatherings. Avoid crowded areas. Wash your hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating candy. Avoid touching your face. Keep in mind, if any Halloween activities may lead to screaming, make sure everyone is wearing a face covering and staying more than six feet apart. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus. If residents may have COVID-19 or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, stay home and do not participate in in-person Halloween festivities. Residents who may have COVID-19, who are not feeling well, or have been exposed to the virus should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters. As a reminder, any Halloween activities are subject to the current gathering size limits set by the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Read more on the Halloween activity guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

麻州州長查理貝克反對選票第2號問題

麻州州長Charlie Baker。(圖片來源:州長辦公室)

            (Boston Orange 編譯)麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)和副州長白莉朵(Karyn Polito)今(27)日發出聯合聲明，反對第2號選票問題。

            波士頓環球報(Boston Global)稱，這使得查理貝克成為出面反對第2號選票問題的位階最高公眾人物。

            在聲明中，州長和副州長說，「我們現在的系統在麻州運行得很好」。他們不會支持這一主張。

            「在我們需要宣導出席投票率，讓選民投票更容易的時候，我們會擔心第2號問題對選民及選務人員來說，都會增加額外的複雜度，而且還很可能延緩結果，增加選舉費用。

週一公佈，麻州大學安赫斯特分校/WCVB所做的民意調查顯示，48%的潛在選民表示，打算投票贊成，43%表示會反對。9%還沒決定。

            麻州不少眾人熟知的民主黨領袖，包括聯邦參議員伊莉莎白沃倫(Elizabeth Warren)及馬基(Ed Markey)，聯邦眾議員普莉斯萊(Ayanna Pressley.)，麻州總檢察長穆莉(Maura Healey)都支持第2號選票問題。

            就在貝克陣營公布聲明後不久，支持第2號問題委員會(Yes on 2)也發表了一份他們自己的聲明，重申他們的支持者包括2名前州長，民主黨籍的派區克(Deval Patrick)，共和黨籍的威廉威爾德(William F. Weld)。

緬因州是目前全美唯一全州實施排序選擇投票制的州。該州人員表示，2018年該州首度以排序選擇辦理選舉，結果多花了44萬2000元。

新冠病毒疫情在麻州持續惡化 一連三日確診人數逾千

 

近千萬美元湧入麻州支持第2號選票問題

            (Boston Orange 編譯)麻州的今年大選，有2個主要選票問題，其中的第2號選票問題，「排序選擇投票(Ranked-Choice Voting)」，備受關注，有多名億萬富翁在背後捐款支持，共捐不下920萬元。

             波士頓環球報在10月25日刊載文章，細數這些億萬富豪都有誰。

             捐款不下340萬元進麻州的是John Arnold夫婦。

             John Arnold以前是能源風險基金經理，從Enron交易員轉身變成的慈善家。去年4月份，他在休士頓紀事報(Houston Chronicle)的「社論對頁版(Op-ed)」發表文章，聲稱地方民主有危機，排序選擇投票系統會比決賽或兩輪選舉更有助於刺激競爭，然後或許會更激發選民的興趣。

             他在文章中寫下「休士頓應該把帶領這種方式進德州當作目標」這樣的句子。

             18個月後，是麻州和阿拉斯加州，不是德州，要在今年11月衡量是否要推動新的投票系統。John Arnold就在背後推動。

             透過他和妻子Laura夫婦倆人的「現在行動計畫*Action Now Initiative」｣，已有340萬元用於支持麻州的第2號選票問題。

             報業鉅子魯伯特默多克(Rupert Murdoch)的媳婦，Kathryn Murdoch從今年9月初起，也私人捐了250萬元。她擔任共同主席，大本營在丹佛(Denver)的非牟利集團「團結美國(United America)」，也捐了44萬5000元，支持這改革。

             麻州這第2號選票問題，僅僅從19名捐款者那兒，就募得980萬元來推動選民圈選YES。其中來自外州的12名捐款者，共捐920萬元，在這個選票問題的總捐款額中佔了84%。

             在阿拉斯加州(Alaska)，情況也類似，選民在考慮三管齊下計劃(three-pronged initiative)，包括在大選中使用排序選擇投票。Arnolds及「團結美國」就一共給了460萬元，佔了「阿拉斯加人支持更好選舉(Alaskans for Better Elections)」所募款項的絕大部分。

             Arnolds還捐了100多萬元，在緬因州(Maine)成功的支持了2個排序選擇投票活動，另外捐款100多萬元促成紐約市採行這方法。

            目前僅有不到20個城市或郡使用排序選擇投票。緬因州是唯一在州級和聯邦級選舉上，全州採用這做法的州。

            在麻州為第2號選票問題捐款最多，捐了45萬元，住在布魯克蘭鎮(Brookline)的哈佛大學教授Michael Porter說，「我們是非常重要的領頭牛」，「我想麻州會是下一輪認真考慮這做法的其中一州，因為我們相信，美國必須出現政治創新」。

             不過來自外州的大量資金也引起排序選擇投票批評者的懷疑。他們以嚴重仰賴國家現金為主要理由，反對可能對麻州選舉有深遠影響的事情。

麻州第2號選票問題，排序選擇選舉，將給選民以優先順序來排定職位候選人的選擇權。如果一名候選人贏得50%的第一選擇投票，就贏得選舉。但是如果沒有一名候選人贏得50%的第一選擇，那些得票較少的候選人就會被刪除，選民們投給這些候選人的選票，就會根據他們的第二選擇分配出去。

這一過程將持續進行多次，直至有一名候選人贏得大多數票為止。