MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES ARTISTS SELECTED FOR PUBLIC ART PROJECTS AT BOSTON ARTS ACADEMY AND EAST BOSTON POLICE STATIO

 BOSTON - Thursday, January 14, 2021 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor's Office of Arts in Culture, in partnership with the Boston Art Commission, Boston Public Schools, the Public Facilities Department, and the Boston Police Department today announced artists have been selected for three long-term public art projects funded by the City of Boston's Percent for Art

program, which sets aside one percent of the City's annual capital borrowing as a budget for the commissioning of long-term public art. Monika Bravo was commissioned to create artwork for the new Area A-7 Police Station in East Boston; MASARY Studios was commissioned for interior artwork at the new Boston Arts Academy building in Fenway; and Simon Donovan & Ben Olmstead were commissioned for exterior artwork at Boston Arts Academy.

"Both of these sites are very unique, with Boston Arts Academy being Boston's only public high school for the performing and visual arts, and the East Boston police station being the first new station in a decade," said Mayor Walsh. "Bringing public art into both of these spaces is a great way to highlight the interconnected roles art, education, and public safety play in making our City a more welcoming and vibrant place for residents and visitors.

The City of Boston celebrated the groundbreaking of the new East Boston Police Station on East Eagle Street in October 2019. The construction on the District A-7 precinct, managed by the City's Operations Cabinet, marks a $29.9 million investment in East Boston's community. The total project budget for this public art project is $450,000, and the project is expected to take two years to complete.

The City released an international Call to Artists for this project, and encouraged artists to consider three key qualities of the East Boston neighborhood in their applications: its deep history within a wide variety of immigrant communities, its geographic location and how that has put it on the front lines of climate change, and its strong neighborhood identity and close-knit community.

of DURATION 2017 by Monika Bravo; 2017, Prospect Ave station Brooklyn, NY,

courtesy of the artist.

An Artist Review Committee composed of representatives from the Boston Art Commission and local arts professionals representing East Boston reviewed applications using criteria including experience, past work, knowledge of materials and their durability, experience working with multiple stakeholders, and how well the artist/team responds to the goals and community values outlined in the call. The committee recommended multi-disciplinary artist Monika Bravo for the project. A virtual artist talk will be held on January 21 from 5-6 p.m. 

For the East Boston police station, I aim to create a mesmerizing environment that invites the audience to mutual participation, to an experience of synthesis, a communion," said artist Monika Bravo. "Its source resonates with the roots and origins of all the historical elements that relate to its new location."

The City released an international Call to Artists for two separate opportunitiesat Boston Arts Academy (BAA)- one for an interior artwork and one for an exterior artwork. The total project budget for the interior site is $300,000 and the budget for the exterior site is $200,000. BAA is Boston's only public high school for the performing and visual arts, and is currently undergoing a $125 million reconstruction that is being overseen by the Operations Cabinet.

The new state-of-the-art facility will include dedicated rehearsal and performance spaces, gallery space, studios for music, visual arts, and fashion design, academic classrooms, recreation areas, kitchens, and student commons. The artworks are expected to be installed in 2022.

Artists and teams were asked to consider BAA's four guiding principles when crafting their proposals: community with social responsibility, diversity with respect, passion with balance, and vision with integrity. The Artist Selection Committee selected MASARY Studios for interior artwork, and Simon Donovan & Ben Olmstead for exterior artwork.

"RUMBLE" ©2019 MASARY Studios for BLINK! Festival, Cincinnati. Photo by Aram Boghosian

"It is an honor to be selected to create an artwork for the City of Boston, and Boston Arts Academy," said Ryan Edwards, Principal of MASARY Studios. "We are thrilled to be working with the city, the BAA staff and students on this project and look forward to the months to come where the artwork and the school are brought to life. Much like the high school experience and the approach of adulthood, this artwork is to be a reflection of the moment, as well as an echo to the future."

"We stand on the shoulders of those that came before us" by Simon Donovan & Ben Olmstead - University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, courtesy of the artists.

"The intent of our proposed artwork is to serve the site-specific and theme-specificneed of identifying and celebrating the Boston Arts Academy community," saidSimon Donovan & Ben Olmstead. "This project holds great personal meaning to us as artists and as native Bostonians."

The FY21-25 Capital Plan allocates $15 million to the Percent for Art program over the next five years. This, combined with $80,000 for temporary public art projects and several new City staff positions, is the most funding the City has ever dedicated to public art. To learn more about the City-driven public art projects currently underway, visit boston.gov/public-art. 

About Monika Bravo

Monika Bravo (b. 1964 in Bogotá, Colombia) is a multi-disciplinary artist who currently resides in Miami Beach. Her work integrates a wide array of disciplines, from psycho-technologies to immersive sculptural environments. She was recently awarded the Civitella Ranieri Visual Arts Fellowship, a prestigious residency program for international writers, composers and visual artists, in Italy. Recent public art commissions include: An interval of time, 2020 for the Landmarks Public Arts program at University of Texas, Austin and Duration for the Metropolitan Transport Agency (MTA) Arts design subway in New York. Bravo has exhibited her work (inter)nationally including at the Rubin Museum of Art; 56th Venice Biennale representing the Vatican City-State at the Pavilion of the Holy See; The New Museum in New York; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía; Museo de Arte del Banco de la República; and the Museo de Arte Moderno Bogota, The 5th Seoul International Media Art Biennale,  Seoul Museum of Art, South Korea, CAB in Spain, Site Santa Fe and Stenenser Museum of Oslo, Norway. 

About MASARY Studios

MASARY Studios is an interdisciplinary artist collective reconsidering environments through site-specific installations using sound, light, interactivity, and performance. Based in Boston, the studio's practice includes live performance, electronic music and production, facade projection-mapped video, artistic research, technology and materials fabrication, and the expansive use of animation. The studio is artist-owned and managed and was founded in 2015.

About Simon Donovan & Ben Olmstead

Simon Donovan & Ben Olmstead, both coincidentally Boston born and raised, are currently residents of Tucson, AZ. They are intimate with the Fenway neighborhood and relish the prospect of returning home and contributing artwork to this urban setting. They have worked together on public art commissions for 15 years. Each is a multimedia artist. They have over 25 past and current projects together. They combined forces when they realized the beneficial results of collaboration include strengthened ideas from an added perspective, thorough trouble-shooting and increased talents and additional familiarity with a variety of mediums. Their process is to distill the best solutions through discussion and debate. As collaborators they have prospered from an exchange of ideas and technical information and have developed a complimentary aesthetic sensibility and they work for a unified approach

1月14日麻州州長疫情匯報 (video)

 

麻州新冠病毒死亡人數邁過13000大關

               (Boston Orange 編譯)麻州的新冠病毒(COVID-19)疫情在1月13日這天，新增86人死亡，累計死亡人數已經超過13,000人了。麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)在疫情匯報中表示，他知道自己像錄音機一樣在重複述說，但他真的希望所有人都把戴口罩，勤洗手，保持安全距離，放在心上。

              麻州的累計死亡人數，今天達到13,082人之多，若加上可能死於新冠病毒者，這人數還要茲增加到13359。麻州人口不過689萬餘，在2007到2017年間，平均每年有5到6萬人因各種原因死亡，但死於傳染病的比率都小於5%，2020年迄今，卻已經有13,000人死於新冠病毒，的確讓人無法不感驚懼。

              麻州今日新增5,278人新冠確診，7天平均的確診人數為5957，累計確診人數為427,752。

              麻州政府表示，入秋以來，新冠病毒的確診數就急遽上升，但是和春季相比，死亡率已低得多了。

              目前在治療新冠病毒中的患者人數，今日上升至90,467人，其中2200人住院。461人住在重症病房，266人插管。

              麻州政府表示，比較令人擔心的是，麻州水務局在鹿島處理廠的廢水中所查驗到的病毒程度，上升到了記錄高點。

              在全美各州中，麻州的疫情排序，早前都排在第20位，今日排在第17位，疫情似乎比之前嚴重了些。

              以確診人數來看，加州，德州仍然疫情最嚴重，單日確診人數都超過2萬。依序排下來為紐約州的14,141人，佛羅里達州的13,990人，新澤西州的9,309人。

              以死亡人數看，災情最重的是德州，新增366人，其次為賓州，363人，亞利桑那州191人。

              在世界各國中，美國依然疫情最嚴重，新增確診數208,499，其次為巴西61,822，英國47,525。新增死亡人數最多的也是美國，3641人，其次為英國的1564人，巴西的1283人，德國的1201人。

吳弭參選波士頓市長增溫 聯邦參議員Warren、2工會及Sunrise都支持

吳弭(Michelle Wu)。(圖片取自吳弭競選網站)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子撰於波士頓) 波士頓市市長參選人吳弭(Michelle Wu)，近來一連串公佈了聯邦參議員伊莉莎白沃倫(Elizabeth Warren)，11名市鎮議員，2個地方工會，太陽升起運動(Sunrise Movement)等個人與團體的支持，不疾不緩的邁向成為波士頓市長之路。

     

                                    去年參選美國總統的楊安澤(Andrew Yang)

1月13日晚正式宣佈參選紐約市市長，陡然間和同樣是父母來自台灣，正在麻州參選波士頓市長的吳弭，有了遙相呼應之勢。

              波士頓市現任市長馬丁華殊(Martin J. Walsh)接受美國候任總統拜登(Joe Biden)提名，將赴華府出任勞工部部長之後，吳弭的競選前景似乎一片大好。參選者增多，分散各人得票率的情況，甚至可能對她更有利。

亞裔社區內的不同族裔或派系如果能暫時放棄歧見，融合的同心協力輔佐，2030年就要慶祝成立400週年的波士頓，將締造出的歷史紀錄，就不僅僅是選出了一名女性，少數族裔，有色人種的最年輕市長，更是破天荒地選出一名亞裔/華人市長。

聯邦參議員Warren在推特上發文支持吳弭。

              當美國候任總統拜登打破白宮近20年傳統，15名內閣首長中竟然1名亞裔也無之際，在美國發源地的波士頓，選出一名華裔市長，應該是告訴白宮不要忽視亞裔的最佳方式。

              在芝加哥出生，父母來自台灣，現年35歲的吳弭，當年在哈佛大學讀書時，就進了波士頓市政府，在萬寧路(Tom Menino)市長辦公室實習，工作。她的哈佛合約法老師伊莉莎白沃倫(Elizabeth Warren)參選聯邦參議員時，她助選有功，接著自己當選為波士頓市不分區市議員，並連任迄今，每次選舉，得票數之高，不是第一位，就是第二位。

              從2020年9月15日正式宣佈參選波士頓市長以來，吳弭一邊繼續為市民發聲，一邊分頭和支持者網上聚會，爭取支持，深入了解民眾想法。

11名市鎮議員表態支持吳弭競選波士頓市市長。

吳弭建議地鐵免費，反對漲價，在11月莫里塞大道(Morrissey Boulevard)淹水時重申環保運動的重要，8月起就推動波士頓版的”新綠色方案(Green New Deal)，強調波士頓市政府的彈性基金，族裔平等基金發放透明化，聲言系統性的族裔歧視必須糾正，推動食品安全，致力保障市民均可果腹等等。

從宣佈參選波士頓市長以後，吳弭辦過一輪進入不同市區的拜會活動，曾參選麻州州長的Jay Gonzalez率先給出了背書支持，接著11名市鎮議員也表態支持，還和吳弭一起舉行了一場網上討論會，談一名市長應該為市民做些什麼。接著陸續公佈的支持有聯邦參議員伊莉莎白沃倫(Elizabeth Warren)，太陽升起運動(Sunrise Movement)，辦公室和專業員工國際工會(OPEIU)的本地 453分會 ，MBTA的工會聯盟(Alliance of Unions)等。

              1月12日，吳弭還又參加了一場”新綠色方案”的網上會議，和關心氣候、環境未來的年輕人分享看法，意見。

              在吳弭宣佈參選波士頓市長之後一個星期，波士頓市第四區市議員Andrea Campbell也宣佈參選。

              由於喬治弗洛伊德(George Floyd)事件引發的「黑命貴(BLM)」運動，在全美各地掀起的關注黑人權益，支持黑人行動頗有排山倒海之勢，Andrea Campbell的參選，很可能得助於此，迄今她的籌款成績和吳弭相差不多，依序截至1月5日及7日，吳弭還有現金$535,588，Andrea Campbell則有$513,731。

              在波士頓現任市長馬丁華殊將不再競選連任後，坊間傳出一大串可能參選波士頓市長人選，包括都是黑人的波士頓警察局局長葛羅斯(William Gross)，以及將代理市長的波士頓市議會議長Kim Janey。一旦他們也加入競逐，今年的波士頓市長選舉選情，勢必有更多變化。(更新版)

Baker-Polito Administration Re-Files Unemployment Legislation to Provide Employer Relief, Ensure Trust Fund Solvency

Baker-Polito Administration Re-Files Unemployment Legislation to Provide Employer Relief, Ensure Trust Fund Solvency

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today re-filed unemployment insurance legislation initially filed last month. The Governor’s legislation aims to sustain unemployment benefits and provide an estimated $1.3 billion in unemployment insurance relief to the Commonwealth’s employers over two years. In addition to a two-year unemployment insurance tax schedule freeze, the legislation also proposes financing measures designed to ensure the solvency of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and that federal borrowing that has occurred is repaid in a responsible and affordable manner.

The main provisions of this legislation include:

1. Short Term Employer Tax Relief through a two-year tax schedule freeze. Current Massachusetts unemployment legislative statute requires the employer tax schedule to increase from schedule E to schedule G. This would cause an average per employee tax increase from $539 to $866 – a nearly 60% increase over the previous year. Remaining on schedule E for 2021 and 2022 slows annual employer contribution growth from $539 average per employee costs in 2020 to $635 in 2021 and $665 in 2022. 

2. Authorization for the issuance of special obligation bonds for the purposes of repaying federal advances. In order to fund the unprecedented increases in demand on the unemployment system in Massachusetts as a result of COVID-19, the Commonwealth has received federal cash advances. Through the issuance of bonds, the Commonwealth will be able to ensure positive trust fund solvency to enable the continued payment of benefits. The utilization of capital markets also allows Massachusetts to avoid paying punitive federal tax increases on employers regardless of their experience rating if federal advances are not repaid by November of 2022. Bonds issued will be supported by an unemployment obligation assessment and will not be general obligations of the Commonwealth.

Establishes an employer surcharge on contributory employers. In 2020 all federal advances taken to pay benefits are interest free. However, interest on federal advances will begin to be charged beginning in January of 2021. The first interest payment is due in the Fall of 2021 and it cannot be paid from the state unemployment trust fund, per federal law. To fund interest payments on repayable advances, the legislation also establishes a separate fund to house surcharge proceeds. The passage of this provision authorizes the Department of Unemployment Assistance to make this assessment but does not require the surcharge if interest is waived through future federal legislation. 

Leading National Organizations Call for Immediate Resignation of Census Bureau Director Dillingham

 Leading National Organizations Call for Immediate Resignation of Census Bureau Director Dillingham

Washington, D.C.  – The co-chairs of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Census Task Force – Arturo Vargas, CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund;  John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Wade Henderson, Interim President and CEO of The Leadership Conference – issued the following statement calling for the immediate resignation of United States Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham:

 

“In light of the letter from the Office of the Inspector General outlining whistleblower complaints that U.S. Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham ordered staff to prioritize the unconstitutional and premature production of a technical report that would include data on documented and undocumented immigrants in the United States, a directive motivated by partisan objectives, we are calling for the immediate resignation of Director Dillingham.

 

“We do not lightly come to the conclusion that he should resign. We are fully mindful that Congress gave the Census Director the remainder of a five-year term in 2019 that expires at the end of 2021 in order to promote continuity of service without regard to the term of a president. We continue to support that improvement to the leadership structure of the bureau. However, after considering Director Dillingham's efforts to undermine the agency's core standards of data quality in order to carry out a political agenda, we believe that he can no longer carry out his duties as the leader of our nation's most prestigious statistical agency.

 

“Oversight is critical to ensure that the American people trust the data the Census Bureau produces. We praise the thorough work of the Commerce Department’s Office of the Inspector General. We also stand firmly behind the career civil servants that are working diligently to produce high quality, statistically sound data.”

 

“The priority for the professional staff of the bureau is to produce the apportionment counts from the 2020 Census as mandated by the Constitution.  The delivery of these data has been delayed because of unprecedented challenges in conducting the decennial Census caused by the pandemic, as well as the political interference and sabotaging of the process by the Secretary of Commerce, the White House, and others in the Trump administration. 

 

“The bureau has acknowledged ‘irregularities’ and ‘anomalies’ in the data, the nature and extent of which the bureau has not shared with the public, that the staff is desperately trying to fix.  Dillingham’s order to divert precious staff time away from producing the apportionment count and into producing data on citizens and noncitizens for political, partisan purposes is a betrayal of the mission of the bureau.  Director Dillingham must resign immediately.”

 

NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-profit, non-partisan organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.

 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC has a mission to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all. Visit our website at advancingjustice-aajc.org.
 

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

AG HEALEY SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FAILURE TO STRENGTHEN STANDARDS REGULATING DANGEROUS AIR POLLUTANTS

 AG HEALEY SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FAILURE TO STRENGTHEN STANDARDS REGULATING DANGEROUS AIR POLLUTANTS

Long-term Exposure to Particulate Matter Linked to Higher COVID-19 Death Rates; Concentrations of the Pollutant Are Highest in Black, Latinx, and Asian Communities; AG Also Joining Challenge to Harmful Delays in Implementing Ozone Standards

 

BOSTON – Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey today joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general and the City of New York in suing the Trump Administration over its failure to strengthen the federal national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for dangerous particulate matter pollution, as required by the federal Clean Air Act. Fine particulate matter pollution is the largest environmental health risk factor in the country, and increased exposure to the pollutant is linked to higher death rates of COVID-19.

 

“Failure to strengthen pollution standards will only exacerbate public health inequities as people in our Black, Brown, and immigrant communities are dying from COVID-19 at disproportionate rates,” AG Healey said. “We will never stop fighting for better air quality and we will hold President Trump accountable for trying to sabotage the health of our residents on his way out the door.”

 

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), a pollutant emitted from cars, factories, and construction, at the current standards is estimated to kill up to 45,000 people every year nationwide. PM_2.5 pollution is linked to many serious medical conditions including asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, cognitive impairment, and dementia. PM_2.5 pollution reduces visibility, contributes to the climate crisis, and degrades the environment. In Massachusetts, PM_2.5 concentrations are highest in Black and Latinx communities, and these inequalities have worsened over time.

 

Under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set NAAQS for several pollutants, including particulate matter, at a level that protects public health and welfare. EPA is required to periodically review the standards and revise them if new information shows that existing standards are inadequate. Evidence overwhelmingly shows that our communities need more protection. Since EPA’s last review in 2012, new studies have made clear that exposure to particulate matter causes grave health risks at levels below the current standards.

 

AG Healey joined a coalition of attorneys general that filed comments on the proposed rule in June arguing that EPA conducted a flawed and unlawfully biased review of the current NAAQS, and the available science demonstrates the need for EPA to strengthen the NAAQS. The comments argued that EPA failed to consider that reducing the current NAAQS is important as a matter of environmental justice, given the disparate particulate matter exposures and associated health risks for Black, Latinx, and Asian communities. Additionally, the attorneys general argued that EPA ignored new evidence regarding particulate matter’s interference with visibility and applied the wrong standard of review for public welfare impacts. The agency, the comments argued, also failed to consider increasing particulate matter exposure from wildfires related to climate change. 

 

In May, AG Healey issued a brief on the environmental factors, including elevated exposure to particulate matter pollution, that compound the COVID-19 pandemic’s disparate impact on communities of color in Massachusetts, and the steps the state should take to address the longstanding impact of environmental injustice on those communities.

 

Joining AG Healey in filing today’s lawsuit over the Administration’s failure to strengthen the NAAQS for particulate matter pollution are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the City of New York, the California Air Resources Board, and the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

 

AG Healey also joined a coalition of five attorneys general and the City of New York in suing EPA over its failure to take required actions necessary to control certain “upwind” states’ emissions of ozone pollution. The lawsuit filed yesterday argues EPA violated its duty to act on pending state implementation plans, thereby preventing implementation of those standards and putting downwind states like Massachusetts at risk. Ground level ozone—commonly referred to as smog—is a dangerous pollutant that causes or aggravates adverse health effects, including bronchitis, lung tissue damage, heart disease and emphysema.

 

            Special Assistant Attorney General Megan Herzog of AG Healey’s Environmental Protection Division is handling the NAAQS particulate matter lawsuit for Massachusetts. Special Assistant Attorney General David Frankel and Assistant Attorney General Carol Iancu are handling the lawsuit challenging the delay in the Administration’s implementation of the existing standards for ozone pollution.

麻州府在新冠疫情中再撥款7850萬元資助1595家企業

 Baker-Polito Administration Awards Another $78.5 Million in Additional Grants to 1,595 Businesses Most Impacted by the Pandemic

MGCC grants have now reached 4,119 businesses; grant awards total approximately $195 million out of $668 million fund set up to support small businesses

 

BOSTON — Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced $78.5 million in awards to 1,595 additional small businesses in the third round of grants through the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation.

 

To date, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded close to $195 million in direct financial support to 4,119 small businesses out of a $668 million fund set up to support small businesses across the Commonwealth.

 

Additional grants will be announced in the coming weeks for thousands of additional businesses.

 

“Our administration set up a $668 million grant program to support small businesses statewide that are struggling from COVID-19 impacts,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Today, we are awarding our third round of grants, for a total of $195 million in direct financial support for over 4,000 small businesses, with more yet to come. Supporting small businesses is vital to our economic recovery, and we’ll continue to expedite this grant process to send out funds to provide some much needed financial relief.”

 

“Understanding how significant the need for financial assistance is, we’ve taken important steps to ensure these resources are directed toward the businesses that have historically been at a disadvantage even before the pandemic, or are located in communities, especially Gateway Cities, that have suffered disproportionately because of this virus,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “I’m grateful for the partnership with MGCC to provide this important assistance, and I look forward to the coming weeks when we can award even more support for the economic sectors that are most in need.”

 

“Through each of the three grant rounds, small businesses are receiving essential support at a critical time in our fight against COVID-19,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “I want to acknowledge the team at Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation for their efforts to stand up this impactful program. It is important that we as a Commonwealth continue our dual paths of combating the virus and supporting economic recovery.”

 

“At our core, MGCC has the responsibility to create economic opportunities and provide support for small businesses, and the pandemic has given our mission an enhanced importance,” said MGCC President and CEO Larry Andrews. “As we transition from targeting small businesses to specific economic sectors affected by COVID-19, I want to express my gratitude to all of the partner organizations who helped raise awareness among the businesses with the greatest need and those serving communities that have traditionally been at a disadvantage.”

 

Representing key industries that have been especially impacted during the pandemic, restaurants and bars, personal care, retail, and health care businesses received the highest number of individual grants this round. These industries have been particularly hard hit during the pandemic. Other grant recipients include women owned businesses, businesses in Gateway Cities, businesses in underserved markets and businesses that have previously received no other forms of financial assistance.

 

New Grant Program Application Deadline: Friday Night, Jan. 15

 

In addition to administering the small business grant program, MGCC also oversees the Sector-Specific Small Business Relief Grant Program, which was launched as a component of the $668 million relief package announced in late-December 2020.

 

Prospective applicants to the Sector-Specific Small Business Relief Grant Program are reminded that the deadline to submit an application is 11:59 PM on Friday, January 15. Awards are expected to be announced in February.

 

The Sector-Specific Small Business Relief Grant Program, which targets industries experiencing the most significant economic hardship and a loss of revenue, will offer grants up to $75,000, but not more than three months’ operating expenses, to be used for payroll and employee benefit costs, mortgage interest, rent, utilities and interest on other debt obligations.

 

The Sector-Specific Program will give preference to the following:

 

• Restaurants, bars, caterers and food trucks;

 

• Indoor recreation and entertainment establishments;

 

• Gyms and fitness centers;

 

• Event-support companies (photographers, videographers, etc.);

 

• Personal services (nail salons, barbershops, independent pharmacies, etc.);

 

• Independent retailers.

 

Program details, application instructions, eligibility and documentation requirements, and more are available at www.empoweringsmallbusiness.org.

麻州長匯報新冠疫苗施打、分配概況 州務卿等人提加速意見

 

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)說明疫苗分發愾況。

              (Boston Orange 編譯)麻州州務卿威廉蓋文(William Galvin)等人認為麻州在為州民施打新冠(COVID-19)疫苗上，動作不夠快。麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)今(13)日在匯報疫情強調，各州做法不同，麻州目前進展順利。

              數據顯示麻州在給州民施打疫苗上，落後於其他州，提出加速分發疫苗的方法，包括

                  威廉蓋文本週發了一封信給查理貝克，建議使用地方投票站來分發新疫苗。為測試這一想法，威廉蓋文建議借由三月份將辦地方選舉的市鎮來做試驗，包括牛頓市，勒星頓市，衛斯理鎮，以及Duxbury等。不過投票站甚至可在沒有選舉時用作施打疫苗站。

              威廉蓋文指出，州政府的目標是要為16歲以上的580萬人施打疫苗，採用前述辦法，會加快疫苗施打及完成的速度。不採用這樣的人口地理元素，將會混亂得多。

             麻州最大的牙醫保險商”Delta牙醫”也發了一封信給麻州州長，說該集團內的5000名牙醫可以協助為居民做更大規模的施打疫苗。

             聯邦疾病防治中心(CDC)週三公佈的數據顯示，在各州施打疫苗人均率上，麻州排名第25，每10萬人有3155人接種了疫苗，落後於紐約，也落後於所有紐英崙其他各州。根據麻州政府數據，截至11日，麻州只施打了223,054劑疫苗。

             麻州新冠疫情指揮中心並未回應威廉蓋文或Delta牙醫的提議，但發出了一份強調自己加速施打疫苗計畫的聲明，並顯示他們願意考慮外界建議。

             該聲明稱，麻州持續在件疫苗診所。迄今已有187家地方醫療單位和指揮中心及麻州公共衛生聽合作，設立了119個地點，為第一線工作人員施打疫苗，第一個大規模施打疫苗站將是吉列體育館(Gillette Stadium)。

             麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)今天說，麻州已收到487,125劑疫苗，其中345,745劑已分發給醫療單位，129,675寄發給了合作藥店，第一線醫療護理人員，長照機構居民，急救人員，消防員及警察等人在過去4週內已陸續接種疫苗。接下來要為在集體護理場所，例如集體屋(group home)，監獄，以及流民庇護所等。

             在這些場所，只要符合州政府指導原則，人們甚至可以自行施打疫苗。要不然，可以安排經由醫院等門診夥伴來打疫苗，或者是安排居民到吉列體育館注射疫苗。住在公家老人屋的居民，將可在第二階段接種疫苗。其他預定二月份開始可以優先接種疫苗的人包括75歲以上人士，患有2種以上病症，感染新冠病毒機率高者。

聯邦調查局懸賞3萬元 徵30年前華埠5人命案兇手Hung Tien Pham下落

聯邦調查局還製作了中文追緝海報。

           (Boston Orange)聯邦調查局(FBI)和波士頓警察局今(12)日發出通告，懸賞3萬美元，徵求資訊，要找1991年1月12日波士頓華埠血案兇手，Hung Tien Pham下落。

聯邦調查局同時公佈了當年的犯罪現場照片，以及經過年齡處理的Hung Tien Pham樣貌圖案。FBI希望這能夠幫助人們重新想起有關的案情細節，任何資訊都可能有助於破案。

FBI說，1991年的1月12日那天，Hung Tien Pham和兩名同夥走進泰勒街上的一家俱樂部，近距離槍擊6個人。這些受害人當時正在打牌。

6個人中僅有1人生還，並指證了在這場後來被稱為波士頓華埠大屠殺案件中的攻擊者。

FBI波士頓分局說，這案件縈繞著華埠社區及波士頓市已整整30年。

其中2名槍手，Nam The Tham 和 Siny Van Tran於殺人事件發生後7年，在中國被捕，其後在薩福克郡判了謀殺罪。

在波士頓和亞裔組織犯罪網有關的Hung Tien Pham，卻仍然在逃，最後一次是1990年代中至末期在泰國被人看見。

波士頓警察局局長葛羅斯(William G. Gross)今日在此案30週年的記者會上說，30年前Hung Tien Pham消失了。不過儘管時間消逝，我們沒有放棄找他。

聯邦調查局和波士頓警察局現在懸賞3萬元，徵求Hung Tien Pham下落的新資訊。聯邦調查局波士頓分局特偵組組長Joseph R. Bonavolonta表示，這名冷血殺手已在逃30年，他們希望藉著懸賞，鼓勵知道Hung Tien Pham在那兒的人，透露消息。警方的態度將是不抓到人就不罷休。

聯邦調查局最初涉入此案是因為嫌犯逃離麻州，到新澤西州，然後又去國外了。2005年Tham 和 Tran被帶回麻州面對審判，分別被判了好幾個終身監禁。

FBI表示，Hung Tien Pham現在已經60歲了，當年他30多歲，黑頭髮，棕眼睛，體重大約115到135磅，身高5尺3吋左右。

他在北越廣寧省(Quang Ningh)夢菜市(Mong Cai)出生，能說流利越南話，中文及英文。在殺人事件發生時，他是美國永久居民，住在麻州多徹斯特Clayton街，做過很多不同工作，包括廚師，伺應生，單車修理員，地板磨砂員等。

在1990年初，據悉他和平安幫犯罪集團有關，還和費城、芝加哥、舊金山、多倫多等大城市有關。他在加州舊金山灣區，以及南韓，北越都有家人。

聯邦調查局暴力犯罪工作小組的特別偵探Tom Zukauskas說，Hung Tien Pham以喜歡豪車，花錢，啜飲干邑白蘭地聞名。他還有很多別名。總的來說，他是執行這凶殺案的關鍵人物。

1991年的殺人事件後，Hung Tien Pham據說逃到亞特蘭大市，新澤西州去賭博，然後又去紐約市，搭飛機到香港。

探員指出，案件調查員還未確定殺人動機。波士頓警察局調查此案的警探Daniel Duff表示，還不確定這是一宗搶劫案，還是敵對團體互相不爽，不過他們走進那兒開槍，殺死了6個人中的5個人，是有計畫的。

這槍殺事件發生時，Daniel Duff才剛當警察1年。他說有許多居民還記得30年前的那個殺人事件晚上。那個彼此緊密的社區得面對他們自己的恐懼，以及人們可能因為發生的這事停止進入他們社區的事實。