人生一定要有的八個朋友：
推手(Builder)、
支柱(Champion)、
同好(Collaborator)、
夥伴(Companion)、
中介(Connector)、
開心果(Energizer)、
開路者(Mind Opener)、
導師(Navigator)。
chutze@bostonorange.com
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2024年5月，臺灣新任總統賴清德政府上台，在位時所推行政策褒貶參半的唐鳳卸任，6月獲邀成為由喬治城大學、史丹福大學所機構合作所組成，「自由計畫院
(Project Liberty Institute)」的資深學者，開始周遊列國。
9月26日，唐鳳應邀，在哈佛大學有3場活動，分別是哈佛商學院的和唐鳳午餐會，哈佛費正清中心的「對抗數位假訊息:
來自臺灣的教訓 (Combatting
Digital Misinformation: Lessons from Taiwan)」座談，以及哈佛甘迺迪政府學院安排在晚上的「建立數位民主」座談。
Governor Healey Seizes St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center to
Keep Hospital Open
BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey today formally seized
St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton through eminent domain to keep the
hospital open. This action will allow the state to take control of the property
and transition operation of the hospital to a new medical services provider,
Boston Medical Center (BMC).
“While Apollo continues to put its greed ahead of the health
and wellbeing of the people of Massachusetts, we are taking action to make sure
St. Elizabeth’s remains open. By transferring operations to Boston Medical
Center, we will protect access to care for tens of thousands of patients and
save thousands of jobs,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Our administration
is committed to ensuring smooth transitions at the five Steward hospitals that
we were able to save, and supporting the communities impacted by Steward’s
closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center and Carney Hospital.”
As part of the legal process to take the hospital, Governor
Healey declared that if St. Elizabeth’s were to close, it would create a public
health emergency due to the large volume of patients currently served by the
hospital and the resulting disruption to the delivery of medical services in
the region.
Governor Healey’s action come after her administration announced that new operators had been secured for five of
Steward’s seven hospitals in Massachusetts. Lawrence General Hospital will
become the new operator for both campuses of Holy Family in Haverhill and
Methuen, Lifespan will assume operations of Morton and Saint Anne’s, and BMC
will take over Good Samaritan. These transfers of ownership are expected to go
into effect on October 1.
BMC and Steward previously reached an agreement to transfer
the operations of St. Elizabeth’s to BMC, but asset management firm Apollo
refused to accept BMC’s bid for the real estate. Governor Healey’s action today
will allow the hospital to remain open and serving patients
St. Elizabeth’s is a crucial provider of hospital services
to traditionally underserved populations, including MassHealth and Medicare
patients. Its closure would put vulnerable patients at risk who would no longer
have access to emergency services, maternity care, behavioral health services
and inpatient care. Further, inpatient capacity in the Boston area remains at
record highs, and the more than 60 patients currently at St. Elizabeth's would
not have immediate access to health care.
Earlier this week, Governor Healey announced working groups focused on stabilizing and revitalizing
health care in communities impacted by Steward Health Care’s closure of Nashoba
Valley Medical Center in Ayer and Carney Hospital in Dorchester.
CITY OF BOSTON HOSTS DEPLOYABLES DAY TO SHOWCASE FLOOD PROTECTION AND PREPAREDNESS
Citywide event includes flood protection education, resource fair, and practice installations along the coast
BOSTON – Friday, September 27, 2024 - Today, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the City of Boston’s first Deployables Day, a citywide training and demonstration exercise focused on temporary flood protection and preparedness. The event is part of the City’s commitment to enhancing coastal resilience and ensuring that Boston is prepared to combat the increasing threat of flooding due to climate change and rising sea levels.
“As a coastal city, Boston offers unique benefits to our residents, but on days with extreme weather, we’re reminded that being a coastal city poses many challenges–especially in the face of climate change,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Extreme weather events like hurricanes and flooding are becoming more intense and more frequent. The City’s priority is to ensure that our residents, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure are safe today and in the future. Deployables Day is one more step in building the resilient Boston we need.”
The event featured a resource fair at City Hall Plaza and Faneuil Hall, where residents and businesses were able to explore deployable flood barriers, learn about flood solutions tailored to Boston’s neighborhoods, and gather resources for individual and community emergency preparedness. Throughout the day, buildings along the coast also participated in practice installations of deployable flood barriers, demonstrating their effectiveness and the shared commitment to proactive measures in protecting vulnerable areas.
“Boston is among the most vulnerable cities in the country to flooding, and as sea levels rise, damaging floods will shift from a rare occurrence to a regular reality, if we do not act,” said Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer. “Our goal is to build a city that not only responds to these challenges but is equipped to thrive despite them. Deployables Day is a key part of that effort, educating the public about flooding we could experience near-term and demonstrating available solutions to protect buildings and infrastructure today.”
As Boston now faces the realities of climate change, including the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, Deployables Day underscores the importance of preparing now to protect the city from possible storms. Just last week, Boston experienced sunny day flooding in parts of the city, underscoring the immediate need for preparedness. The event also aimed to share protocols and guidance for both public and private entities on when and how to deploy temporary flood protection measures. This announcement builds upon the recent creation of the Office of Climate Resilience, a centralized office working across the City and with private partners to develop and implement climate resilience projects to address coastal flooding, stormwater management, and extreme heat.
“I want to emphasize that climate resilience is a shared responsibility. We need partnerships between government, businesses, and the public to create solutions that are sustainable and equitable,” said Adrian Jordan, Chief of Emergency Preparedness. “No one is immune to the impacts of climate change, but by working together, we can ensure that no one is left behind.”
As part of National Emergency Preparedness Month, the City is also encouraging residents to take proactive steps to protect their homes and businesses from flooding and other climate-related events by accessing the resources shared during Deployables Day. In addition to the resource fair and practice installations, the City of Boston has placed signage in areas along the coast that showcase where the floodwaters may reach in an extreme storm. This temporary signage will be available for viewing over the next few weeks.
“As sea levels continue to rise, Boston is accelerating its focus on short and long term interventions to protect people and neighborhoods.” said Chris Osgood, Director of the Office of Climate Resilience. “The Deployables Day training exercise is one part of this work, complementing the significant investment in the longer-term, district-scale protections being designed for Boston’s coastline.”
"As a Councilor representing coastal communities, I know it’s crucial to take swift and proactive measures to protect our neighborhoods from the impacts of flooding. Deployables Day is demonstrating our commitment to coastal resilience and emergency preparedness. Together, we’re ensuring Boston is ready to face the challenges ahead while protecting our infrastructure," said District 1 City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata.
“Boston is taking crucial steps to address the growing risks posed by climate change, and Deployables Day exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking action needed to protect our communities, especially those most vulnerable to climate change,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “EPA fully supports efforts like these that prioritize preparedness and resilience, particularly in coastal cities vulnerable to flooding. By working together at all levels—local, state, and federal, and with the private sector—we can ensure that Boston and other cities across New England are equipped to face the challenges of rising sea levels and extreme weather events.”
“This event underscores the unwavering commitment of the City of Boston and our entire region to prepare our communities for the pressing challenges of climate change,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “It showcases the power of collaboration among federal, state, and local partners, alongside the private sector, to forge innovative solutions that bolster our resilience. Together, we will empower our communities to adapt and thrive in the face of these critical challenges.”
"The MBTA is excited to partner with the City of Boston on this event and showcase flood protection measures that protect our transit tunnel system. These resilience measures avoid costly damage and ensure we can get service back up and running if service is disrupted by extreme weather," said MBTA Senior Director of Climate Policy and Planning Kat Eshel. "This work bolsters the T's goal of providing safe and reliable transportation for the many communities we serve."
“Tishman Speyer is proud to partner with the City of Boston on this critical initiative,” said Jessica Hughes, Managing Director of Tishman Speyer. “As a property owner with assets along the waterfront, we understand the importance of preparedness in the face of rising sea levels and extreme weather. Deployables Day offers an invaluable opportunity to test our flood protection systems and ensure we are doing everything possible to safeguard both our properties and the broader community. By investing in resilience today, we’re protecting Boston’s future.”
“Coordinating deployable floodwater barriers is the only short term solution to prevent our district from being flooded," said Marc Margulies of the Wharf District Council. "The Wharf District Council is committed to working with the City of Boston to make sure our neighbors are protected from near term climate impacts while implementing a longer-term, systemic approach that will also protect our people and infrastructure."
The City of Boston has completed coastal resilience plans for all 47-miles of Boston’s coastlines and has moved into implementation of critical projects across Boston. This includes completed projects such as McConnell Park in Dorchester, Martin’s Park on the Fort Point Channel, and Langone Park in the North End. It also includes more than a dozen additional projects that are in development, supported by a coastal resilience capital program prioritized by Mayor Wu that is the largest in the City’s history. As identified in the coastal resilience plans, deployable flood barriers are a potential solution for protecting the city in the short term while long-term infrastructure solutions are designed and implemented. Building owners who have deployable flood barriers can register them with the City here. To learn more about the event, the City’s flood resilience efforts, and how to stay safe, visit Boston.gov/Deployables-Day.
MAYOR WU, FIRE COMMISSIONER BURKE CUT RIBBON ON ENGINE 17 FIREHOUSE
Firehouse memorial dedicated to late Boston traffic supervisor Marie Conley
BOSTON - Friday, September 27, 2024 – Today, Mayor Michelle Wu joined Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke, elected officials, the City's Public Facilities Department, and Dorchester community members at the official ribbon cutting of the newly constructed Engine 17 Firehouse. Located on historic Meetinghouse Hill in Dorchester, Engine 17 responds to incidents in Dorchester and Roxbury and parts of South Boston. The new firehouse was built in a former parking lot next to the old firehouse, and is designed to benefit firefighters’ health and wellness on the job. The original building opened in 1928. The City allocated $30 million toward its design, construction, and public art to be displayed in the new building.
Today’s event also served as a memorial dedication to the late Marie Conley, a mother and traffic supervisor from Dorchester. She served the community at the intersection of Parish and Winter Streets, steps from Engine 17 and the Mather School. On October 21, 2008, Marie shielded a student from an on-coming vehicle, saving their life. In doing so, Marie was critically injured and passed away from her injuries. A memorial was erected at the intersection of Parish and Winter Streets, near the sidewalk by the new firehouse, to honor her heroism. Her son, Chris Conley, now serves this community as a firefighter at Engine 17.
“The opening of Engine 17 is an investment in the wellbeing of our firefighters and the life-saving work they do for our residents,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Just as this state of the art facility celebrates the heroism of our fire department, the new memorial for Marie Conley honors her selfless, life-saving act for all future generations to visit. I’m grateful to all our city departments and partners who helped make this firehouse and memorial a reality.”
"We are grateful that the memory of our mother not only remains strong but is now stronger with this memorial of her sacrifice to this community,” said the Conley family, who were in attendance today. “We'd like to thank all those involved that made this memorial possible.”
Mayor Wu attended the groundbreaking of the new Engine 17 facility in February 2023 and the topping off ceremony in June 2023. The new fire facility’s design employs the Boston Fire Department’s nationally recognized health and safety standards, which create red, neutral, and green hazard zones to protect firefighters from health hazards.
“This new firehouse was designed and built with the firefighters’ health and safety as a top priority. Additionally, it has many energy saving features that will substantially reduce the carbon footprint of the firehouse it is replacing,” said Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke. “This firehouse will be a national template for combining firefighter safety and energy efficiency protecting both the firefighters who occupy it, and the environment we live in. I would like to thank Mayor Wu for her support of this new firehouse that will serve the Boston Fire Department and residents of Boston for decades to come.”
Features of the firehouse include energy-efficient boilers and two apparatus bays, one facing Winter Street and one chief’s bay on Parish Street. Other features include second-floor spaces such as an open-concept kitchen and dayroom, fitness area, lockers, and sleeping and office spaces. Large windows introduce daylight into program spaces and create a welcoming entrance to the building. The design uses brick and stone to complement the surrounding area.
"It has been inspiring to see this firehouse open, because I know that the community has been eagerly engaged in this process," said City Councilor John FitzGerald. “This project shows how successful we can be towards further improving our world class services when the city and residents work hand-in-hand. I hope that we continue to build off of this progression in order to further build more state-of-the art firehouses and other emergency response resources in order to meet the demands of our growing city."
"I was proud to push for Engine 17 to be built, and I'm thrilled to see the design and construction process pay off with this new firehouse,” said City Councilor Brian Worrell. “I know the men and women of BFD all deserve a high-quality work environment and I'm hopeful this firehouse can serve as a blueprint for future firehouses across the city. Investments like these in public safety signal the importance of first responders to our neighborhoods and will help bolster our recruitment efforts across our city."
This new facility will also include a public art project as part of the Percent for Art program, which diverts one percent of the City's annual capital borrowing budget for the commissioning of public art. The artwork is currently in development and is anticipated to be completed and installed by 2026.
“The Public Facilities Department is honored to contribute to the construction of this state-of-the-art firehouse, designed with the health, safety, and well-being of our firefighters as a top priority,” said Carleton Jones, Executive Director of the Public Boston Facilities Department. “We are particularly proud to commemorate the memory and legacy of Marie Conley, whose heroism and selfless dedication will forever inspire all who pass by this memorial.”
This is only the second firehouse built in Boston over the last 40 years. A new Engine 42 in Egleston Square opened in 2021. The Engine 17 building was designed by Annum Architects. J&J Contractors, Inc. served as the general contractor. The Boston Fire Department and the City of Boston Public Facilities Department collaborated to make this project a reality.
Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Request for Vendors to Build New Child Care Family Portal and Case Management System
Child care financial assistance IT improvements part of Governor Healey’s FutureTech Act
BOSTON – The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) has opened a request to solicit vendors to design and develop a new family portal and case management system for the state’s child care financial assistance programs. The Child Care Financial Assistance Modernization project was provided for in Governor Maura Healey’s FutureTech Act, which she signed into law earlier this year. These efforts aim to build a more modern, mobile-friendly, accessible, multilingual, and dignified child care financial assistance technology system, reducing barriers for families seeking assistance paying for child care and making it easier for child care providers to administer the programs.
“It is exciting to see our FutureTech Act at work, designing a more modern and easy-to-use child care financial assistance system so parents can get help paying for care while reducing administrative burdens for our hardworking child care providers,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I want to thank the Legislature for their support of this important bill and continued efforts in promoting accessible and affordable child care.”
“Accessible and affordable child care is a top priority for our administration, and child care financial assistance is a key tool in these efforts. Through our FutureTech Act, we are going to support parents to apply for help paying for care at the times and locations that work for them, so their kids can get a high-quality education and they can work or participate in education and training,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.
This child care financial assistance modernization project builds on the administration’s meaningful progress in creating a more modern and dignified system. However, the underlying technical systems supporting these programs are out of date, and families and child care providers must navigate multiple systems to accomplish just one task. Through these efforts, families ultimately will be able to apply quickly for and receive financial assistance through an easy-to use, mobile-friendly and multilingual application. It will also enable families to easily update information when needed, at the time and location that works best for them.
For child care providers, this will enable a unified case management system, including managing the child care financial assistance waitlist, application and eligibility determination, and payments. Further, through updated technology systems, EEC will be better prepared to data-share with other agencies, reducing the burden on families and providers and streamlining the eligibility process. It also sets EEC up to work with other agencies on Integrated Eligibility and Enrollment so there is no wrong door for Massachusetts residents accessing government services.
“Creating a new child care financial assistance IT system will support our continued efforts to expand access to help paying for care and making government services more user and mobile friendly,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Improving access to early education and care for all families in the communities in which they live, learn and work is key to strengthening our economy and creating a more affordable and competitive Commonwealth.”
“The Child Care Financial Assistance Modernization Project is a great example of Information Technology serving as a driver of policy creation and enactment,” said Technology Services and Security Secretary Jason Snyder. “We are proud to be able to advance the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s priorities through IT modernization, and we are so thrilled to see that the FutureTech Act is already at work for our state’s families and child care providers.”
“Through regulations, policy, and several IT improvements, we shifted our child care financial assistance programs to be easier and more accessible, eliminating barriers and creating a more modern and flexible system, including through launching text message communications. We have made critical strides forward – and Governor Healey’s FutureTech Act is now helping us transform the system into what all of our families and providers deserve,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw.
In October 2023, EEC issued a comprehensive package of revised child care financial assistance regulations and policies to simplify the application process, reduce paperwork, and better support homeless families, families with disabilities and families facing domestic violence. This focused on centering the experiences of the families and restructuring operations, policies, and procedures to modernize and improve the experience for parents and providers. Improvements also included launching email and texting campaigns with families to reach them directly and support them throughout the process of accessing financial assistance.
ITS81 Category 3 vendors can find the RFQ on COMMBUYS.
The Coolidge Launches Free Youth Education Program
Free “Coolidge Classroom” field trip program for students
grades 6–12 is the theater’s first ever youth education initiative
Brookline, Massachusetts (September 26, 2024) — The
Coolidge Corner Theatre (“the Coolidge”) today launched Coolidge Classroom, its
first ever youth education program, which offers free field trips for students
grades 6–12 that include a film screening, lunch, facilitated discussion, and
contextual resources for students and educators.
Developed in collaboration with an advisory committee of
local educators from five districts, Coolidge Classroom supports existing
curricula in a variety of disciplines including STEM, world language, and the
humanities, while simultaneously engaging media literacy skills and foundations
of cinema studies.
“We want to ensure the courses in Coolidge Classroom support
the work that is already going on in schools as opposed to being some sort of
cherry on top,” said Director of Education Sophie Blum, who has been working
with the advisory committee to create the program. “As we design a program that
is relevant and supportive to four different disciplines, seven grade levels,
and dozens of districts, there is a lot of cross reference that needs to
happen.”
Each film in the program will play for three sessions;
teachers are encouraged to use the online registration
form to select sessions they are interested in and will be contacted
by the theater to arrange a field trip.
Titles in the 2024–2025 program include:
Persepolis (2007, dir. Marjane Satrapi
& Vincent Paronnaud): November 18–20
Dìdi (2024, dir. Sean Wang): December
9–11
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, dir. Guillermo del
Toro): January 27–29
Flee (2021, dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen):
February 10–12
Coded Bias(2020, dir. Shalini Kantayya):
March 10–12
Throne of Blood (1957, dir. Akira
Kurosawa): April 7–9
At two pilot classes in late September, the Coolidge hosted
more than one hundred film students from Brookline High School for a screening
of Dìdi. Led by Blum, students discussed the film’s themes,
character analysis, and relevancy to their own lives and ate a free meal and
snacks. See photos here.
“The Coolidge’s new Education and Community Engagement
Center allows for further diversification of our education programs and who has
access to them,” said Blum. “Coolidge Classroom is a key part of that expanded
programming.”
In order to ensure youth programs are accessible for all,
the Coolidge is committed to providing free transportation and meals for
students. Coolidge Classroom is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for
the Arts.
