Be the Match for Gigi - June 26 (video)

Gigi is a beautiful 2 year old in need of a stem cell bone marrow transplant matched donor. There will be a drive through event on Saturday, June 26 at the Horace Mann Middle School from 9 AM to 1 PM to conduct the 5 minute cheek swab while in your car.

PLEASE NOTE:  To join the registry you must be 18-44 years old, in good health and willing to donate to any patient in need.

Questions? Contact Ann Evans at Be The Match New England aevans@ribc.org or 401-714-6240

Can't make the event - join the registry at my.bethematch.org/swabforgigi

30 second video promo link -> https://vimeo.com/561894124

Download the poster as a reminder: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kUp324DD4vpCPCxJvKT-ehdpqvpAjRZE/view?usp=sharing

Be the Match for Gigi - June 26 (video)

FYI Be the Match PSA-Cablecast.mov from TCAM TV on Vimeo.

Keeping wits and hope alive

For the runners among us:

"For the first third of his preliminary race at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, Sean McGorty ran comfortably, keeping pace near the front of a heap of 14 runners. He had started running the 3,000-meter steeplechase — a middle-distance event that requires competitors to hurdle high, hard barriers, sometimes over 2½-feet-deep pits of water — in May, but already he had achieved the qualifying standard.

McGorty, a Fairfax native and Chantilly High graduate, entered Oregon’s Hayward Field hopeful to reach the Tokyo Olympics. To secure his place in the final, he would need to finish in the top five. Everything was going to plan one kilometer in, until it wasn’t. A runner stepped on the back of McGorty’s right foot, ripping down the heel of his shoe.

“I got a flat tire,” McGorty said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/06/22/sean-mcgorty-olympic-trials/

Sean McGorty finished ninth in his preliminary heat of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Ore. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

350 MASS: Who's Delaying Climate Action in MA? (video)

Via 350 MASS: 

"Earlier this year, Brown University released a bombshell report that identified the forces working against climate action in Massachusetts. 

Hear from researchers Trevor Culhane, Galen Hall, and J Timmons Roberts, as well as Rep. Mike Connolly to answer the question everyone is asking: Who's Delaying Climate Action in MA? "

video link -> https://youtu.be/wgn6pBbiqlY

 

MA News Briefs: traffic is back, legislature rebuffs Gov Baker, remote access should stay for meetings

“Traffic, for all intents and purposes, is back to about 2019 levels on most roadways in Massachusetts at this point,” Gulliver said in a presentation to the Department of Transportation’s board.

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/21/metro/massachusetts-traffic-is-back-2019-levels-massdot-says/

"House lawmakers on Tuesday rejected Governor Charlie Baker’s proposal to spend $2.8 billion of federal funds provided to the state through the American Rescue Plan, opting instead to stow the majority of the $5.3 billion in aid into a separate account under the Legislature’s control.

House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano and Senate President Karen E. Spilka said in a statement Tuesday that by placing the money in a separate fund, it will allow lawmakers to decide how best to use the money with input from the public."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/metro/legislature-rejects-bakers-spending-plan-federal-covid-funds-governor-concerned-with-delay-disbursements/

"As we look back on the hellish year gone by, it’s also time to sort through those changes worth keeping, those things that actually made improvements in our lives.

And those changes don’t begin and end with to-go cocktails — as much fun as they were. One of the best things to come out of the pandemic lockdown was the way most government bodies from Beacon Hill committees to municipal boards and commissions adapted, allowing their own members and members of the public to attend meetings remotely — from the comfort and safety of their homes.

Computer screens became that critical window on the political world that allowed the public to tune in to legislative committee hearings on crucial issues, city council hearings, town meetings. And not merely to tune in, in many of those cases, but also to offer remote testimony. Distance or disability was no longer a factor. Nor was the inability to get a babysitter or reluctance to make the hours-long trek from Pittsfield to Boston."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/opinion/remote-access-public-meetings-post-pandemic-must/

495/MetroWest Partnership: Our 2021 "Strength in Numbers" Report

Plus, economic and demographic profiles for each of our 36 cities and towns

Strength in Numbers 2021 & Community Profiles Each year, the 495/MetroWest Partnership publishes our Strength in Numbers report, highlighting our region's advantages and successes. While 2020 brought with it instability, hardship, and unprecedented challenges for all of our stakeholders, 2021 has shown optimism and resurgence in the 495/MetroWest region. While many residents and businesses were adversely impacted by the pandemic, our region was uniquely well-positioned to weather the crisis economically, due to a strong presence of invulnerable economic sectors and a highly educated workforce, consistently enjoying comparatively lower unemployment. Now, as we emerge from the pandemic, those advantages continue to serve our region well. Click Here to Download our 2021 Strength in Numbers Report Accompanying our 2021 Strength in Numbers report are economic and demographic profiles of each of our 36 cities and towns. Data points presented in each community profile include population changes, educational attainment, commuting patterns, housing information, occupations and industries, and more. Click Here to Access our 2021 Community Profiles https://www.495partnership.org/reports-and-data We invite our stakeholders to utilize our Strength in Numbers report and the accompanying community profiles in promoting the region and inviting others to be a part of all that is happening throughout our 36 communities! Franklin Community Profile  =>   https://mecc.memberclicks.net/assets/2021CommunityProfiles/FRANKLIN.pdf As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if the Partnership can be of any assistance to you: Jason Palitsch, Executive Director (774) 760-0495 x105 Jason@495Partnership.org Thank you for your continued commitment to strengthening our region.

The 495/MetroWest Partnership | 200 Friberg Parkway, Suite 1003, Westborough, MA 01581 Sent by jason@495partnership.org powered by Try email marketing for free today!

“Massachusetts is going to be ground zero for the next wave of this fight”

"A fight that became the most expensive ballot measure in California’s history has arrived in full force in Massachusetts, setting the stage for a potentially costly campaign that could reshape the state’s labor law and how hundreds of thousands of workers operate under it.

The question of whether Uber drivers, DoorDash delivery people, and other so-called gig economy workers should be classified as independent contractors or employees has already reared its head in litigation and at the State House, where a bill backed by the major ride-hailing companies is working through Beacon Hill’s legislative gears.

But the emergence of two similarly named but opposing coalitions — each claiming the backing of app-based workers — is seeding a potential ballot question fight next fall, when voters could be asked to decide how the workers should be treated."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/22/metro/mass-poised-be-ground-zero-high-stakes-gig-economy-battle-potential-ballot-question-looms/

Library of Congress: Copyright Public Modernization Committee Announced

Library Announces Copyright Public Modernization Committee The Library of Congress announced today the membership of the new Copyright Public Modernization Committee (CPMC), which is being convened to enhance communication and provide a public forum for the technology-related aspects of the U.S. Copyright Office's modernization initiative.  The first CPMC meeting will be hosted by the Library on July 22, 2021. Click here for more information -> https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-034/library-of-congress-announces-copyright-public-modernization-committee/2021-06-22/