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| 美國憲法號第76任艦長 John Benda和第77任艦長Billie J. Farrell一起捧著歷任艦長名牌。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 美國憲法號224年來首名女艦長Billie J. Farrell。(周菊子攝) |
Billie
J. Farrell 來自肯塔基州的Paducah，2004年從美國海軍學校畢業，2009年獲得阿肯薩(Arkansas)大學營運管理碩士學位。來波士頓就任前，她在維琴尼亞州的Norfolk擔任美國維克斯堡號航空母艦執行主管。
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| 同樣締造歷史紀錄的波士頓市長吳弭(左)恭喜Billie J. Farrell當上美國憲法皓首名女艦長。 (周菊子攝) |
美國憲法號是世界上至今仍在海上的最老戰艦，暱名「老鐵邊
(Old Ironsides)」，歷史可溯自1797年。根據公開資料，該艦在1812年的戰爭，以及Barbary戰爭中，都曾上戰場。
美國憲法號在1986年時，才出現第一位女性船員Rosemarie Lanam，1997年時，才有了第一位女性主管，當上副艦長的 Claire V. Bloom。
Senator Lydia Edwards Submits Council Resignation Effective April 30, 2022
Action will minimize vacancy in council representation for District One residents
(Boston, MA) Today, Senator and Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards submitted her resignation to the Boston City Council, effective April 30, 2022.
Edwards is honoring the commitment she made during her successful Senate campaign to gracefully exit her council seat if she were to become a Senator while ensuring a smooth transition for residents of the council district.
“Serving on Boston City Council has been an incredible honor, and I am thrilled that the candidates who have expressed interest in the District One city council seat reflect the diversity of the district,” said Edwards.
With the filing of Edwards’ resignation letter, the City Clerk may file an order with the city council calling for a special election to replace Edwards.The City Council could vote to approve the order as early as February 2, 2022. The order, if approved by the council, would outline the timing for the preliminary and final elections in accordance with the Boston City Charter.
State case-law specifies that an irrevocable resignation noticed for a future date is sufficient to trigger a legislative body’s special election procedures for filling a vacancy.
"As the residents of Charlestown, East Boston, and the North End continue to face extreme housing, development and recovery challenges during a pandemic, I believe the best thing I can do is represent them until they elect a new city councilor," stated Edwards. “This process will minimize the amount of time the district is without representation on the council and will give voters more of an opportunity to hear from the candidates about their vision for the seat.”
As a City Councilor, Edwards led efforts to protect and expand Boston's affordable housing stock, combat discrimination and further fair housing, expand paid leave for workers, modernize the city charter and budgetary process through ballot initiative, and remove state restrictions on Boston’s inclusionary development and linkage policies.
Edwards joins several legislators that have held local and state office simultaneously, including at least two Boston city councilors and multiple city councilors across the Commonwealth, but will do so only for this interim period until April 30th. During such time, her office will continue to respond to constituent matters from parking tickets to policy reforms.
Statements from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves on Intel’s Announcement of a Semiconductor Facility in Columbus, Ohio
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves released the following statements today after Intel announced it would be investing $20 billion to build two semiconductor facilities outside Columbus, Ohio, and create 3,000 Intel jobs, and 7,000 construction jobs over the course of the build.
Statement from Secretary Gina M. Raimondo:
“This investment is a big win for Intel, for American manufacturing, and for American consumers who can look forward to lower prices as we bring home production of the semiconductors that keep our economy running. From his first day in office, President Biden has recognized that if we want to compete globally, we need to invest domestically. That investment begins with revitalizing our manufacturing economy, strengthening American supply chains, and bringing good-paying jobs back from overseas.
“I’d like to applaud Intel for this investment in our country and in the State of Ohio. Intel’s work is essential to our efforts to rebuild America’s chip building capacity and create the kinds of good-paying jobs that support a vibrant American economy. Other countries aren’t waiting and every day we wait, we fall further behind. As Commerce Secretary, I want those jobs and those investments here in America. While we celebrate Intel’s announcement today, it is more essential than ever that Congress move swiftly to pass the President’s proposed $52 billion in funding for domestic semiconductor production as part of legislation similar to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act.”
Statement from Deputy Secretary Don Graves:
“The United States was once a leader in the production of semiconductor chips. But today, we account for only 12% of global production. This administration is proud of Intel’s work to bring these good-paying manufacturing jobs to Central Ohio. If we are serious about increasing American competitiveness, protecting our economic security, and hitting President Biden’s electric vehicle goals, it is imperative that we reinvest in this critical industry. This project is a crucial step in growing America’s domestic chip manufacturing capacity.”
Baker-Polito Administration Re-Files Legislation to Update Wiretap Law, Crack Down on Violent Crimes
BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today re-filed legislation to substantially update the Commonwealth’s wiretap statute to recognize the current state of communication technologies and give law enforcement better tools to combat violent crime, including rape, hate crimes, and gang-related homicides. The Administration first filed this legislation in 2017.
“As technology evolves and the public safety landscape changes, so too should the tools we use to keep our communities safe,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The commonsense changes to the wiretap statute we are again proposing today would finally update this 50-year-old statute to recognize that law enforcement should be able to use the same tools to solve a murder committed because of racial hatred or gang affiliation that they use to solve a murder committed in connection with organized crime.”
“The current limits on the use of this technology needlessly limit law enforcement from investigating crimes that are just as damaging to victims and our Commonwealth as those associated with organized crime,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “This legislation would help us better prevent crimes like human trafficking, sexual assault, and other offenses that have significant negative impacts on our communities.”
The bill would update a statute written in 1968 to expand the authority of law enforcement to use wiretaps and secret recordings to investigate certain serious offenses that have no connection to organized crime, such as murder, rape, and possession of explosive devices. For investigations that are connected to organized crime, the bill updates the list of offenses for which law enforcement may use these tools, eliminating some less serious offenses and adding some more serious offenses that were not established in statute in 1968, such as trafficking in human beings and firearms.
“In 1968, the wiretap law was enacted to help law enforcement and prosecutors combat the violence perpetrated by organized crime, providing a vital solution to a 20th century problem,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. “Five decades later, the challenges facing law enforcement have evolved. The ability to tackle today’s criminal threats, including gang-related homicides and human trafficking, demand contemporary solutions and an updated wiretap law that meets the needs of the 21stcentury.”
The existing language of the state wiretap statute provides that electronic surveillance may only be employed when an offense is committed “in connection with organized crime,” phrasing which has dramatically restricted the Commonwealth’s ability to solve difficult cases. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) justices in two different cases have noted in their written opinions that amendments to the wiretap statute could have avoided the suppression of critical evidence.
Additional provisions of the legislation would:
· Update definitions to reference
electronic communications not in use in 1968, including wireless, satellite,
and cellular communications;
· Explicitly cover communications between
out-of-state parties regarding an in-state crime;
· Explicitly authorize Massachusetts
courts to issue orders to out‑of‑state companies to implement court-ordered
monitoring;
· Explicitly authorize law enforcement to
use contractors, such as translators, to monitor communications;
· Require that law enforcement obtain an
ordinary warrant for interception of information that is not the content of
communications rather than a special wiretap warrant;
· Extend the amount of time that a court
may authorize interception before requiring a renewal of a warrant so that, in
appropriate cases, law enforcement need not seek renewals as frequently; and
· Exempt use of police body-worn cameras
and cruiser-mounted cameras by readily-identifiable law enforcement personnel
from the statute, so that state law does not stand in the way of police
departments that wish to equip their officers with these devices. This
exemption is particularly important because the Massachusetts State Police has
completed implementing its body-worn camera program for all sworn troopers, and
because the Baker-Polito Administration has established a 5-year, $20 million
capital grant program that aims to deploy 9,000 body-worn cameras to police
officers in Massachusetts’ cities and towns.
WASHINGTON – Today, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), announced $3 million in new funding for state governments to help emerging small businesses across America develop their cybersecurity infrastructure – a priority of the Biden-Harris Administration, outlined in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). As part of the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program, through the Office of Entrepreneurial Development, state governments are eligible to compete for grants that will help deliver cybersecurity assistance to nascent and start-up business owners. Applications will be accepted from January 26, 2022, through March 3, 2022.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses have adopted technology at high rates to survive, operate, and grow their businesses. As a result, cybersecurity has become increasingly important as now, more than ever before, small business owners face cyber risks and challenges that could disrupt their operations and competitive advantages. As we seek to build a stronger and more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, we must innovate and provide resources to meet the evolving needs of the growing number of small businesses. With this new funding opportunity, the SBA intends on leveraging the strengths across our state governments, territories, and tribal governments to provide services to help small businesses get cyber ready and, in the process, fortify our nation’s supply chains,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.
“The bottom line is we must do more to help small businesses combat cybersecurity threats, which continue to increase, evolve and inhibit,” said SBA Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development Mark Madrid. “This pilot program will empower state governments to expand existing services, innovate, adapt to current environments, develop new resources, and scale solutions to assist more small businesses. Additionally, expanding access to underserved and underrepresented small business ecosystems will be a critical marker of success.”
About the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program
Eligible applicants are comprised of state governments that seek to provide training, counseling, remediation, and other tailored cybersecurity services for emerging small firms in multiple industries. Grantees will be awarded up to $1 million to assist small businesses.
Funding details and requirements are available at Grants.gov under “Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot” (Funding Opportunity Number SB-OEDCS-22-001/CDFA 59.079) offered by the SBA. Applications must be submitted by the stated deadline on the official grant application portal as stated in the funding announcement.
To learn more about SBA’s programs and services related to cybersecurity, visit www.sba.gov/cybersecurity.
To find additional SBA local resources, visit www.sba.gov/local-assistance.
| MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF GRANTS FOR GREEN AND MOBILITY JOBS |
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| 華美福利會亞裔企業簡報賽參賽者和評審。(視頻截圖) |
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| ChopValue Boston 創辦人Elaine Chow。 |
(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 華美福利會(AACA)的首屆亞裔企業培訓輔導項目 (ABTM)簡報賽，日前經10人評審，選出優勝者，發出共1萬2000元獎金給已創辦企業組的第一、二、三名依序為ChopValue Boston， FreshZen Foods，Three Circles Studio，新創企業構想組為Joy In Tutoring。
。 這一比賽原定在”越助中心”舉行，因為新冠病毒疫情加劇，改在網上辦理。AACA的「下一步」項目主任Andy
Goldberg說明，這次的簡報賽，共有8人參加已創辦企業組，首獎5000元。3人參加新創企業組。得獎者將自動獲得入讀華美福利會下一期的企業培訓及輔導班。
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| FreshZen Foods的Ruby Chan |
已創辦企業組第一名ChopValue
Boston，由創辦人Elaine
Chow做簡報，是一家藉由已有國際連鎖的科技方法處理回收的一次性筷子，再以之為材料，製作成環保傢俱，或壁飾等物品的公司。Elaine
Chow 表示，該公司計畫從大波士頓各中餐館回收一次性筷子，再找本地廠商生產，全程以無碳方式進行，期以達到減碳減排的環保理想。
第二名FreshZen Foods由Ruby Chan做簡報。有家人在餐館業工作的她透露，踏進這辣醬及調味料生意，完全是意外，但FreshZen的調味料不但用料天然，還低碳少糖，推出後意外地大受歡迎，因為打算擴大行銷到紐約及西岸，所以來參加比賽，增加籌資機會。
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| Three Circles Studio由創辦人Kevin Thai |
第三名的Three
Circles Studio由創辦人Kevin
Thai做簡報，是一家攝影公司，主要業務是幫助企業領袖克服面對相機鏡頭時的緊張與不安全感，進而幫助他們在網際網路上打造個人品牌，同時為企業領袖拍出專業水準的照片。Kevin
Thai坦言，他已開業數年，口碑及業績都不錯，但要擴展或更上一層樓，幫助更多人，就得有突破。
新創企業構想組的優勝者為Joy
In Tutoring，由Nina
Truong做簡報。她的構想是把輔導課業服務和餐飲結合在一起，藉由創造出一個有趣，溫馨的場所，來促成對學生課後學習更有益的環境。
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| Joy In Tutoring，的Nina Truon |
Andy
Goldberg表示，賽後，各參賽者和評審們私下交流，都獲得不少寶貴意見。華美福利會將在整理分析「亞裔企業簡報賽 (Asian
business pitch contest) 」過程與結果後，再決定是否或何時舉辦下一次的活動。
有意研習華美福利會企業培訓及輔導班者，可洽Andy Goldberg，電郵 abtm@aaca-boston.org ，或電話 617.953.0954。
