MAPC: "Across the region, arts and culture has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic"

MAPC (@MAPCMetroBoston) tweeted on Wed, Feb 17, 2021:

"Artists and creative workers from Arlington, Beverly, Boston, and Franklin are sharing how they're impacted by COVID-19."

Learn more: https://t.co/Db4iREyE1T  

 

Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/PwQj6QGJot

MAPC: "Across the region, arts and culture has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic"

Legislature Announces Joint Oversight Hearings on COVID Vaccination Distribution

Today (2/17/21), the Massachusetts Legislature announced it will hold the first in a series of oversight hearings on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan on February 25, 2021. The House and Senate hearings will be held by the newly-created Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management and will seek testimony from the Baker Administration on the state’s COVID vaccine distribution operation and plans moving forward.

“We have heard the frustration and anger of people across Massachusetts about the constantly changing and confusing vaccination roll out plan, and we are using the tools at our disposal to help people get answers, especially about what we can expect moving forward,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka. “It is essential that we get a greater understanding of the Baker Administration’s plans to improve our vaccination rates, especially for those communities and populations hardest hit, including persons who are medically fragile or with disabilities, teachers, and communities of color.”

“The state's COVID-19 vaccination plan was developed by experts and guided by science, but the rollout has been marked by both logistical and communications shortcomings,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano. “It is our hope that through these hearings, we will ascertain valuable information about the failures of the rollout and help contribute to solutions for the people of the Commonwealth. We are specifically focused on delivering equitable access to vaccines and increasing supports for our most vulnerable residents. While flexibility is important, it must be matched with sound operational decisions, as well as clear and consistent communications with the Legislature and the general public.”

In addition to the administration, the committee will be inviting the chairs of the Joint Committees on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion and Healthcare Financing and Public Health to testify.

"We can't get to work fast enough. I'm pleased to be working with Chair Bill Driscoll and fellow committee members in this oversight capacity so that we can dig in together on wide-spread concerns around the vaccine roll out, the COVID-19 response thus far, and our Commonwealth's emergency preparedness status going forward. COVID-19 hit our Commonwealth, its residents, our businesses, and families like a wrecking ball and the Committee will spare no effort to deliver on its charge of oversight and preparedness," noted Senator Jo Comerford, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management (D-Northampton).

“The Commonwealth seems to have been underprepared for the complexities in Phase One of the vaccine roll out,” said Representative Bill Driscoll Jr., House Chair of the Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management (D-Milton). “We all understand that patience is paramount in our current pandemic circumstances, but patience and public trust wear thin when there are constant pivots in the plan. It is important for us to get a deeper understanding of what the Administration’s planning and operational outlook is for the next phases of the rollout and how they intend to improve delivery now and on a going forward basis.”

The joint oversight hearing will be held remotely on Thursday, February 25, 2021. Further details will follow. Testimony will be by invitation only, but the hearing will be viewable by the public. A series of similar hearings, including one that will be open to public testimony, will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

Those seeking more information should contact Jared Freedman in Senator Comerford’s office or Summer Ordaz in Representative Driscoll’s office. 

 

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: HOME Poetry reading March 5-6

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston (@ArtsinBoston) tweeted on Wed, Feb 17, 2021:

"The next HOME poetry reading and workshop will be on March 5-6. The theme is "I Belong There", and the facilitator is Monica Sok. In this workshop, we will read poetry of exile and ask ourselves what it means to create (be)longing inside of our poems."

City of Boston poet laureate  https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/city-boston-poet-laureate

 

Shared from Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ArtsinBoston/status/1362158458611589120

 

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: HOME Poetry reading March 5-6

 

"Millions of jobs probably aren’t coming back, even after the pandemic ends"

"Millions of jobs that have been shortchanged or wiped out entirely by the coronavirus pandemic are unlikely to come back, economists warn, setting up a massive need for career changes and retraining in the United States.

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered permanent shifts in how and where people work. Businesses are planning for a future where more people are working from home, traveling less for business, or replacing workers with robots. All of these modifications mean many workers will not be able to do the same job they did before the pandemic, even after much of the U.S. population gets vaccinated against the deadly virus.

Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates raised eyebrows in November when he predicted that half of business travel and 30 percent of “days in the office” would go away forever. That forecast no longer seems far-fetched. In a report coming out later this week that was previewed to The Washington Post, the McKinsey Global Institute says that 20 percent of business travel won’t come back and about 20 percent of workers could end up working from home indefinitely. These shifts mean fewer jobs at hotels, restaurants and downtown shops, in addition to ongoing automation of office support roles and some factory jobs."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/road-to-recovery/2021/02/17/unemployed-workers-retraining/

What good journalism does

"Revealed: chemicals giant sold Louisiana plant amid fears over cost of offsetting toxic emissions"

"Chemicals giant DuPont decided to sell a plant in south Louisiana that emits a likely cancer causing pollutant, citing “major concerns” that government agencies would regulate its emissions to protect the community living nearby, internal documents seen by the Guardian reveal.

The documents show the multibillion-dollar company worried in 2011 about the potential cost of offsetting its emissions of the “likely human carcinogen”, chloroprene, and so moved to sell the plant, the Pontchartrain Works facility.

The company codenamed the sale “Project Elm” in an apparent bid to keep the deal, completed in 2015, secretive. It is also alleged the company withheld details of its own research to offset emissions from the plant’s new owners."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/17/revealed-chemicals-dupont-giant-sold-louisiana-plant-fears-offsetting-toxic-emissions

"Fake Doctors, Fake Documents: How a Russian Doping Lie Fell Apart"

"If the cover-up was to work, the high jumper Danil Lysenko realized far too late, he had better familiarize himself with the Moscow hospital where Russian track and field officials had insisted he had undergone a battery of medical tests.

The details mattered. The tests were the centerpiece of Russia’s explanation for why antidoping officials had been unable to locate Lysenko in the spring of 2018.

The punishment mattered, too: Athletes found guilty of so-called whereabouts failures — effectively failing to make themselves available for random drug tests — can face suspensions of up to two years. Those caught lying, falsifying documents or obstructing investigators risked even worse. Either sanction, though, would most likely keep Lysenko, a talented high jumper who has just turned 21, from representing Russia at the Tokyo Olympics."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/17/sports/olympics/Russia-Lysenko-doping.html

 

 

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: grant writing workshops

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston (@ArtsinBoston) tweeted  on Wed, Feb 17, 2021:

The first event as part of our Creative Economy Workshop Series in partnership with @MassArt is in three days! All workshops are free and happening virtually. 

Register here to learn how to improve your grant and proposal writing skills: https://t.co/4VGrvHqbOz

Shared from Twitter:  https://t.co/h9DDC8AVee

 

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: grant writing workshops

 

Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Appointments

Scheduled for the Town Council meeting, Weds Feb 17, 2021

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council/agenda/february-17-town-council-agenda

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February 16, 2021

To:    Town Council
From: Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator
Chrissy Whelton, Assistant to the Town Administrator

Re: Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Appointments

Standing Committee Appointments

The Conservation Commission, Historical Commission, Housing Authority, Planning Board and Recreation Advisory voted unanimously to send forward the following members to be appointed by the Council to serve on the CPC. The five nominees to be ratified this evening are:

• Chris Feeley - Housing Authority
• Joseph Halligan - Planning Board
• Phyllis Malcolm - Historical Commission
• Wayne Samarrian - Recreation Advisory Board
• Jeff Livingstone - Conservation Commission

Note: these appointments will be automatically renewed in June for the upcoming fiscal year and the staggered terms will begin July 1, 2021. All appointments to expire June 30, 2022. The five standing committees are annual appointments.

At-Large Membership

The Town received thirty (30) applications for the four At Large members of the CPC. We interviewed twenty-eight out of the 30. Two applicants did not get back to us for scheduling. Interviews were held virtually on Monday February 1st and Tuesday February 2nd for approximately twenty minutes each. Nine of the 30 applicants currently serve on another board or committee in Franklin.

The Town Administrator nominates the following candidates for ratification by the Town Council for the four Citizens at Large seats on the CPC as follows:

1.    At-Large Seat #1 (2-year Term) - Michael Giardino.

Mr. Giardino is a lifelong resident and open space, recreation and athletics advocate for Franklin seeking to volunteer and give back to the community that gave so much to him.
 
He is no stranger to Franklin athletics, youth sports and recreation. As many in town know, he has been heavily involved with Franklin Youth Sports and years of running little league baseball and Franklin High School athletics. Michael has volunteered his time for years to St. Rocco’s Festival. As an avid outdoorsman, Michael wants to help preserve Franklin's open space, recreation and historical assets.

2.    At-Large Seat #2 (2-year term) - Lisa Oxford.

Ms. Oxford is a lifelong, third generation resident in Franklin with an interest in preserving open space and trail networks in town for outdoor recreation. Lisa has worked closely with the elderly community and understands the need for affordable housing for seniors and less fortunate or disabled populations. Lisa has strong collaboration skills and looks forward to assisting and adopting a vision for this committee on affordable housing and recreation, trails and open space.

3.    At-Large Seat #3 (1-year term) - David McNeill.

Mr. McNeill is a lifelong resident of Franklin currently working as the Legislative Director for the House Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture where he works on policy and legislation on the topic of the environment. As a child who attended swim lessons at Beaver Pond, he has a strong commitment to preserving the Town’s natural resources for future generations, as well as Franklin’s unique historical character. As a lifelong Franklin resident who cannot afford a house in Franklin, he hopes to bring a different perspective to the committee.

4.    At-Large Seat #4 (1-year term) - Monique Doyle.

Ms. Doyle is a longtime resident of Franklin with a strong interest in preserving open space, creating additional recreation spaces and expanding the community garden. Ms. Doyle worked with the CPA committee to educate the public on how the CPA would be an asset to Franklin. Throughout the process, we heard from several individuals who wished to have a member of the grassroots CPA Coalition to have a representative for the inaugural CPC committee.

Summary

After interviewing all of the candidates, we believe this group of nominees reflects a great diversity of interest to get the inaugural committee started. The committee nominees have representation and interest on all of the issues the CPC will be looking at: open space and trails, recreation and ballfields, historical preservation and affordable housing for all residents. All of the candidates expressed a sincere interest in preserving open space and were vested in being advocates for all of the uses and needs of CPC. All candidates expressed a commitment to share their expertise or interests, but also maintain an open mind on matters they may not be as familiar with.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have. 

The full doc with the voting pages for each of the candidates and their application info

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/mai/files/cpc_updated_memo.pdf