Lt. Gov. Polito announced today, September 29, 2020 that Gov. Baker signed an Executive Order stating that low risk communities may move to Phase III, Step 2. This is due to good health metrics and will apply to towns with low risk beginning Monday, October 5, 2020.
If a community remains ranked red for three consecutive weeks, that community must step back to Phase III, Step 1.
A small list of businesses is impacted by this step and will have restrictions.
Indoor / outdoor performance venues may operate at 50% capacity but with a max capacity of 250 people.
Recreational businesses (such as trampolines, laser tag, roller rinks) may operate at 50%. Stadiums are not included and may not open.
Retail may utilize fitting rooms.
Gyms, museums and flight schools may operate at 50% occupancy.
Gatherings are also revised:
· Indoor gatherings are still limited to 25 people.
· Outdoor gatherings at private residences or private venues are limited to 50 in low risk communities.
· Outdoor gatherings at event venues and public spaces are now allowed to 100 people.
All safety protocols must continue: stay home if ill, wear a mask, maintain social distance, wash hands frequently and keep cleaning/disinfectant of spaces and surfaces. Updates will be posted on the Mass.gov website before the weekend.
Article Source: State House News Service
Article By: Katie Lannan
SEPT. 25, 2020….Sen. Elizabeth Warren has long been a prime target of President Trump’s tweets, and has been known to, on occasion, dish it right back over social media.
Sen. Ed Markey’s primary win over Rep. Joe Kennedy III earned him a few acknowledgments – if not by name – on the presidential Twitter feed earlier this month.
And on Friday, it was finally Gov. Charlie Baker’s turn.
“Wrong Charlie!” Trump tweeted, calling Baker a “RINO Governor.”
After Gov. Charlie Baker rose to the defense of mail-in voting Thursday, and said it was “appalling” for an officeholder to suggest anything other than a peaceful transfer of power, he received a Twitter jab around 7:30 a.m. Friday from President Donald Trump. [Sam Doran/SHNS]
Trump, who’s been outspoken against the idea of expanding mail-in voting this cycle, was responding to Baker’s assertion Thursday that the expansion has worked “just fine” for the Massachusetts primary and in other states.
Baker’s defense of vote-by-mail came in the midst of a full-force and emotional denunciation of the president’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 election. Referencing the election of Abraham Lincoln, Baker said peaceful transitions are a foundational part of the country and called it “appalling and outrageous” for any officeholder to suggest they wouldn’t leave after a defeat.
“People think there’s a lot at stake in this election. And there is, whichever state you’re from, region you’re from or where you’re voting up and down the ticket,” an incensed Baker said, going on to add, “And those of us who serve in public life will do everything we can to make sure that the people’s will is followed through and executed on, because that is fundamentally why there’s the United States of America in the first place.”
Though Baker often says he didn’t get elected to talk national politics and expresses a preference for focusing on his “day job” of running the state and dabbling only in legislative elections, he can muster sharp criticism for specific federal actions or pieces of White House rhetoric when asked about them.
Thursday’s comments marked the second time in as many days that the usually measured governor raised his voice responding to news out of Washington.
Baker, who still hasn’t outlined his stimulus requests to Congress in writing, on Wednesday said he wants to see Congress reach a deal on that still-hasn’t-materialized next round of coronavirus aid that state budget writers have been waiting on, and not to let those talks get overshadowed by a Supreme Court vacancy fight.
He described the partisan battle over how to handle the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat — the subject of his own weekend tweet asking Trump and the Senate to wait until after the election — as “one hundred percent ends justify the means, classic Washington behavior” and “a big part of why most people in this country think Washington is a problem.”
Word of Ginsburg’s death arrived last Friday night, with the Massachusetts judiciary still reeling from the passing just days earlier of Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants.
The prospect of another Trump appointee on the Supreme Court spurred reproductive rights advocates here to again call on lawmakers to pass the abortion access bill known as the ROE Act, casting it as a way to honor Ginsburg’s legacy.
On the Massachusetts high court, potential justices now have until Oct. 16 to apply for Gants’ seat, and Baker said he has yet to decide if he’ll elevate a current associate judge to the top spot or bring in a new chief from outside the SJC bench.
Regardless of why Americans might think of Washington, D.C. as a problem, Baker seemed to suggest this week it won’t be much of a problem for the state budget. At least not this year.
A week after Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues said he’s anticipating $5 billion less in state revenue, Baker said state officials believe “we can work our way through” the fiscal 2021 budget, which has yet to be written after the pandemic and its economic turmoil scuttled original spending plans.
Last year’s budget, reflecting the months when the state was hardest hit by the COVID-19, will “be fine,” Baker said, and for next year, “it’s going to be important for the feds to support states and municipalities.”
As for the hard and fast numbers, which are all that counts in budgeting, there’s still nothing available on the government side. Beacon Hill still hasn’t seen its first post-pandemic state budget line item request.
Outside modeling from Tufts University’s Center for State Policy Analysis projects a roughly $1.6 billion revenue shortfall this year. That’s one number Rodrigues and his House counterpart, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, might get to chew over at the virtual economic summit they announced this week.
The scheduling of the budget confab for Oct. 7 makes it likely that a full spending plan for the fiscal year that began in July likely won’t emerge until mid-October at the earliest, leaving the delayed budget season to potentially bump up against and more likely past November’s elections.
Count University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan as among those waiting to see what’ll happen to his line item. Addressing UMass trustees this week, Meehan pointed out that while the Baker administration and the Legislature committed to holding local and K-12 school aid level in fiscal 2021, no such promise was made for higher education funding.
“We have no guarantees that we’re going to be level-funded and in fact, we were left out when it came time to say who was going to be level-funded,” Meehan said, adding “I think it is fiscally a mistake for us not to assume there would be some cut, and remember, if we got cut by 10 percent, cutting in the middle of the fiscal year is like a 20 percent cut. It’s really difficult if you get cut during the middle of a fiscal year.”
The UMass system’s steps to address a $335 million budget shortfall include 141 permanent layoffs and 1,616 indefinite furloughs, which together are projected to generate $40 million in savings. Union representatives ripped the workforce cuts, saying they’re detrimental at a time when students need more support.
The MBTA, faced with steep ridership declines, is also eyeing a financial squeeze, and talks continued this week on potential service cuts and other changes.
If there are any difficult budget choices to be made over at the Executive Office of Public Safety, after a few months, it won’t be Secretary Thomas Turco making those calls. Turco, a former Department of Correction commissioner who joined Baker’s Cabinet in December 2018, announced Wednesday he plans to retire at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, pressure remains for the six lawmakers reconciling House/Senate policing reform bills to arrive at a deal — Sunday will mark two months since the conference committee was formed, and because conference committees meet in private, since the last time details of the legislation’s progress were publicly known. Calls for action amped up after a Kentucky grand jury on Wednesday opted not to charge three Louisville police officers with offenses directly related to the death of Breonna Taylor.
A Massachusetts grand jury indicted two Holyoke Soldiers’ Home officials on charges in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak there that involved the deaths of at least 76 veteran residents.
Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former medical director David Clinton each face five counts of caretaker neglect and five counts of causing or permitting serious bodily injury to an elder or disabled person.
Attorney General Maura Healey based the charges, announced Friday, on decisions her office described as “reckless from an infection control perspective,” like consolidating groups of residents in close quarters regardless of their COVID-19 status.
The charges landed as the home’s board prepares to meet next Wednesday to consider Walsh’s future.
Hampden Superior Court Judge John Ferrara ruled Monday that Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders overstepped her authority in firing Walsh after the outbreak, and said that power properly lies with the board of trustees.
Healey said she believes the felony indictments against Walsh and Clinton mark the first criminal charges in the country arising from COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. But they might not be the last here in Massachusetts.
The AG said she has active, ongoing investigations into “a number of” other facilities in the state.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Un-fired on Tuesday and facing criminal charges by Friday, it’s been a rollercoaster of a week for Bennett Walsh.
SONG OF THE WEEK: For the rise in rodent reports that prompted the Boston City Council this week to hold a virtual hearing on whether it’s more than just Allston Rat City.
The United States is in the middle of a recession, millions of workers are unemployed, and the real estate market is suddenly booming. Even without being able to accurately predict what is coming next in this COVID-19 environment, home sellers out there have good reasons to feel pretty good about 2020.
The State of the Real Estate Market in America
Realtor.com reported in early August that real estate prices climbed a whooping 8.5 percent in July, 2020 when compared to July, 2019. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) shared that July 2020 home sales were up 24.7 percent from the month before. They noted that that July was “among the strongest (months) the housing market has ever seen.” These home price increases are partly due to a shrinking supply of houses on the market (down 32.6 percent nationwide), low interest rates and pent-up demand from potential home buyers putting off house hunting during the uncertain spring season. Speaking of demand, the NAR noted that home ownership, in general, is at a reported 12-year high.
Demand is also causing homes to get snatched up more quickly. The typical home spent 60 days on the market in July. However, that number varies by region. In Hartford, CT and the greater Philadelphia area, homes are sold, on average, in as few as 48 days.
The Work-at-Home Effect
As more and more Americans are working from home, some temporarily and some permanently, because of the pandemic, there is an increased demand for larger living spaces. Home buyers are looking for homes with space for a home office as well as space to get away from their work in the evenings and on weekends. Working on your dining room table or from your couch is okay in the short term, but no one wants to live and work that way permanently.
The Bottom Line
The pandemic has brought unforeseen opportunities for home sellers. If you’ve been thinking about listing your home, there’s never been a better time. There are still plenty of buyers in the market and not as many sellers to compete with you as there have been in the past few years. By working with an experienced real estate agent, like the several agents who are Chamber members, you’ll be able to set the best home price, find the right buyer and sell your home quickly.
We have provided links to web pages and documents related to the updated sector-specific restaurant, retail, and indoor and outdoor workplace safety standards. Please note that these updated standards are effective on Monday, September 28th.
No Longer on Bottom, State Recovery Still Lags Nation
Article Source: State House News Service
Article By: Chris Lisinski
Less than half of the job cuts prompted by COVID-19 in Massachusetts have been restored despite four straight months of gains, according to federal data. [Graphic: Chris Lisinski/SHNS]
SEPT. 18, 2020…..Massachusetts employers reported adding 51,600 jobs in August, while the statewide unemployment rate dropped nearly 5 percentage points, bucking a two-month trend of the Bay State bearing the highest jobless rate in the country.
New preliminary jobs data released Friday by federal and state officials showed month-over-month improvement through the late summer amid the economic chaos wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s unemployment rate dropped from a revised rate of 16.2 percent in July to 11.3 percent in August, officials said. That 4.9 percentage point change was the largest decrease in the country.
Despite the improvement, Massachusetts still lagged behind the national unemployment rate of 8.4 percent last month. After reporting the highest unemployment rate nationwide in both June and July, Massachusetts tied with New Mexico in August for the sixth-highest rate among all states and the District of Columbia.
Almost all of the 51,600 positions added in August came in the private sector, according to data from the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The largest gains occurred in education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and utilities, while only one of the industry groups tracked, financial activities, reported losses in August.
Monthly unemployment and jobs data are based on two separate surveys. The unemployment rate comes from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics survey of households, which also produces an estimate of total employment, total unemployment and the size of the labor force. Jobs gained and industry-specific figures come from a survey of employers known as the Current Employment Statistics program.
The labor force household survey estimated total employment in Massachusetts to be 3.14 million in August, with 65,500 more people employed than in July. According to that series, the state has added back about 290,000 jobs of the more than 870,000 jobs lost in the first two months of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the employer survey estimated Massachusetts had 3.29 million nonfarm employees in August, 51,600 more than last month. Under that data series, the Bay State has gained back 272,000 of about 690,000 jobs lost.
Officials used figures from both programs in Friday’s release. The state labor office cited 51,600 jobs gained based on the employer survey and also said that total August employment was 3.14 million based on the household survey.
Through July, the economic damage from the pandemic had been felt more acutely in cities and in communities of color. Eight of the 10 communities with the highest unemployment rates in July have majority nonwhite populations.
August job gains, which are critical to the tens of thousands of workers affected and to the state’s overall recovery, come as Beacon Hill tries to figure out how to address key budget uncertainties. Lawmakers may need to make tough decisions on whether to impose tax hikes or scale back state services amid the economic jolt.
Tax collections have fared better than projected at the beginning of the crisis, but Sen. Michael Rodrigues — his chamber’s top budget official — said this week that he expects revenues to drop $5 billion below last year. The state will likely need to dip “deeply” into its $3.5 billion emergency savings fund without additional federal aid, Rodrigues said.
Senate President Karen Spilka, meanwhile, said Friday that she is optimistic another federal relief package will come from Congress.
Another key question the Legislature will need to answer is whether to step in and relieve businesses from an impending hike in the taxes they pay toward unemployment insurance.
Due to the unprecedented surge in joblessness, the Baker administration projects that the unemployment insurance trust fund will end 2020 nearly $2.5 billion in the red, triggering an increase of almost 60 percent in the per-employee contribution employers pay.
Sen. Patricia Jehlen, who co-chairs the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, said last month that she believes the Legislature will seek a rate freeze but needs federal assistance to make such a move possible.
When COVID-19 hit the United States, one of the specialists that took a hit from the shutdown was the dental care sector.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), Dental practice activity in terms of patient volume and practice employment has rebounded, though these markers are still below pre-COVID-19 levels. In Fitchburg, MA, Watkin Dental Associates remains resilient as the economy slowly renews its hustle and bustle.
Arnold Watkin, DDS, MScD Prosthodontist, earned his specialty degree in prosthodontics in 1972 from Boston University, and saw a need for a multi-specialty practice, rather than sending patients across town or further away for different specialist, which generated the Watkin Dental Associates that is present today.
“COVID forced us to not only be much more self-protective, but also more patient-protective because of the virus,” Dr. Arnold Watkin stated. “Dentistry is a safe place, both before and during this COVID-19 pandemic. The dental sector is profoundly concerned for the personal protection equipment (PPE) aspect for it. In a way, there’s not much that is different, but it can affect the productivity of the business and industry.”
Watkin Dental is a vertically-integrated practice that takes care of what a patient needs. They offer all aspects of dentistry specialties at Watkin Dental, so that whatever the patient might need, they can take care of in the office, creating a well-rounded and convenient dental practice.
They offer a complete range of services for every patient: Cosmetic Treatment, Dental Implants, Dental Sealants, Bruxism Nightguards, Dental Veneers, Fillings, Fluoride Treatment, Full & Partial Dentures, Invisalign, Oral Cancer, Root Canal Treatment, and Smile Analysis. They even offer a Launch Loyalty program for those patients without dental insurance.
The Launch Loyalty program is a unique in-office discount insurance that patient can join, which can offer up to 30% off of the standard office fees for all services. There are other bonuses with the Launch Loyalty program as well, such as vision discounts, glasses, and more.
Dr. Watkin is excited for the sophistication of the dental implant industry, as it’s the best it’s been in the last few decades, as well as the importance of customized sports guards for upcoming activities.
“We have a machine here in-office that is specifically made to make these guards,” Dr. Watkin commented, “even if it’s playing in the backyard with a basketball.” These machines specialize in fit so that it is comfortable for the wearer.
Another topic that Dr. Watkin emphasized is their office’s co-management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is a highly undiagnosed concern for the dental industry. Watkin Dental has a self-evaluation/scoring form that helps patients and the practice identify if they should go see a sleep specialist to help with OSA.
Watkin Dental is a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and is currently accepting new patients. The practice is located at 26 Whalon St, Fitchburg, MA and can be contacted via phone 978.345.6919. You can also request an appointment online via their website at www.watkindental.com.
Article Source: State House News Service
Article Author: Colin A. Young
SEPT. 16, 2020…..Small businesses hit hard by the government’s economic shutdown, particularly restaurants and lodgings, will now have until May 2021 to pay some state taxes from March 2020 through April 2021, Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative leaders announced Tuesday evening.
Through emergency regulations to be issued by the Department of Revenue, state government plans to further delay tax deadlines for small businesses around the state, some of which have not been allowed by the state to reopen since first closing in the spring. Sales, meals and room occupancy taxes for qualifying businesses for March 2020 through April 2021 will not be due to the state until May 2021, and those that wait will not face any penalties or interest. Without the change, those taxes would have been due this month.
“Our Administration is committed to supporting local businesses and Main Street economies recovering from the impact of COVID-19, and we’re glad to work with our legislative colleagues on this additional measure to provide administrative tax relief,” Baker said. “Extending the tax relief measures we put into place earlier this year will help support companies across Massachusetts including small businesses in the restaurant and hospitality industries.”
Any businesses that paid less than $150,000 in regular sales plus meal taxes or less than $150,000 in room occupancy taxes in the year ending Feb. 29 will qualify for relief, according to a press release. Businesses that do not qualify but have meals tax and room occupancy tax obligations will have late-file and late-pay penalties waived, the administration said.
Tax relief is a topic frequently debated over the years in the Legislature but this new round of relief was the latest example of the governor taking unilateral action to address impacts of the pandemic, which has already prompted a wave of restaurant closures with more expected as fall and winter approach.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka were each quoted in the administration’s press release supporting the extension of administrative tax relief measures. DeLeo said the further extension “will provide a clear business pathway, especially to our restaurant and hospitality industries.”
Last year, the House started a working group to find ways to promote the state’s restaurants and culinary culture, but that panel was repurposed as a Restaurant Recovery Commission when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the government’s mitigation efforts dealt a devastating blow to the restaurant industry.
Earlier this week, Salem Sen. Joan Lovely filed a bill (SD 3047) with the backing of House Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Brad Hill meant to help businesses that are unable to reopen access property tax relief.
The bill specifically seeks to help businesses in Phase 4 of the Baker administration’s reopening plan. Those businesses, which include bars, wedding venues and theaters, are not expected to be allowed to reopen until there is a vaccine or significant breakthrough in COVID-19 treatment, the governor has said.
Any business designated as part of Phase 4 would be allowed to “apply for a real estate tax abatement during any quarter of the fiscal year” under Lovely’s bill and the state would be on the hook to make up the difference in what a city or town receives as a result of an abatement obtained under the bill. The authorization would expire 90 days after the governor’s state of emergency order lapses or is lifted.
“Local companies and hard-working employees form the backbone of every Massachusetts municipality,” Lovely said. “I know every establishment wants to open again, but until we can safely do so I want to help businesses and their workers by giving them badly needed relief on the tax side so that they can hang on until Phase IV begins.”
Peabody Rep. Tom Walsh, who joined Lovely and Hill at a Topsfield wedding venue Monday to unveil Lovely’s bill, said that while many businesses have been creative in finding ways to stay afloat during the pandemic, Phase 4 outfits “don’t even have that opportunity.”
Despite Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy — who co-chairs the state’s reopening advisory board with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito — having said Phase 4 “is predicated on a medical breakthrough,” Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito has said the administration “would be willing to look at” an exception to allow some fans to attend New England Patriots games at Gillette Stadium this fall.
It is unclear whether the administration would consider similar exceptions for businesses that are less politically connected than one owned by Robert Kraft, who helped Baker secure a key shipment of protective gear from China at the height of the COVID-19 surge this spring. The administration’s phase designations are not static and the governor recently allowed arcades, which had been part of Phase 4, to reopen under specific guidelines as soon as Thursday.
Dems Commit to Stay in Washington ‘Til Deal is Reached
Article Source: The State House News Service
Article By: Matt Murphy
SEPT. 15, 2020…..Congressional House Democrats said Tuesday that they would remain in Washington as long as it takes to strike a deal for another round of coronavirus relief spending, but a bipartisan effort to find middle ground with a new $2 trillion plan was quickly rejected by top Democrats, including Rep. Richard Neal.
The back-and-forth in Congress painted an increasingly murky picture of the prospects for federal relief at a time when Gov. Charlie Baker and state budget writers in the Legislature are craving any type of certainty in the midst of the pandemic.
Baker has said that any stimulus package that doesn’t include billions in relief for state and local government “doesn’t make a lot of sense” to him, but Republicans and Democrats in Washington remain far apart.
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York and U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts said after a conference call with House Democrats that the speaker was prepared to extend the session as long as it takes to get another coronavirus relief package passed.
“We cannot let Mitch McConnell try to run a Congressional calendar out on the suffering,” said Clark, the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus. “And so we are going to stand strong, and we are going to bring the voices of our constituents and families across this country here to Congress and say, ‘We see you. And we’re going to fight for you.’ And we will do that until we have relief for them.”
Congress and President Trump this year have agreed to well over $3 trillion in coronavirus aid, including the March passage of the CARES Act, and the Federal Reserve Bank has been aggressive with economic recovery plans. But as the pandemic has worn on, calls have persisted for additional aid to help people and the economy.
The House passed the $3.4 trillion Heroes Act in May, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have said they’d be willing to come down to $2.4 trillion to get a deal done. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, initially proposed a $1 trillion relief package, and then last week reduced that to about $650 billion in a “skinny” bill that Democrats blocked.
“This is a very simple question that we all here at the Capitol have to ask and answer. Is this an extraordinary event that has afflicted the American people or not? If it’s an extraordinary event then Congressional COVID-19 pandemic response should be extraordinary as well,” said Jeffries, the chair of the Democratic Caucus.
The press conference with Democratic leadership came after a House Democratic caucus meeting that lasted about an hour and 45 minutes, Jeffries said, and before the Problems Solvers Caucus – a group of 50 centrist House lawmakers from both parties – rolled out a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief framework.
The Problem Solvers’ plan would include $500 billion for states, extend enhanced unemployment benefits, but not at the full $600 a week level, and deliver another round of stimulus checks to families.
The framework was quickly rejected by eight Democratic committee chairs who issued a joint statement arguing that the proposal “leaves too many needs unmet.” Neal, a Springfield Democrat and chair of the Ways and Means Committee, signed the statement.
“While we appreciate every attempt at providing critical relief to American families, the Problem Solvers Caucus’ proposal falls short of what is needed to save lives and boost the economy,” the chairs said.
Clark said she was “grateful that we have colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are trying to work towards a solution.”
“I hope that the Republicans on the Problem Solvers will be an inspiration to the Senate and come and join us back at the negotiating table,” Clark said.
With the annual state budget overdue and on hold, Baker and legislative leaders have been waiting for signs from Washington about additional budget relief, if any, that states like Massachusetts can expect this year.
State Rep. Todd Smola, the ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, said the stalemate in Washington has made preparing for this fiscal year more challenging that it already was because of the pandemic.
State government is operating on a three-month interim budget that allocated over $16 billion, and runs out on Oct. 31. Smola said last week it was a “coin flip” whether the Legislature would be ready to move forward with a budget bill for the remainder of fiscal 2021 next month, or if another extension would be necessary.
“The big thing that we’re waiting on is to see what the federal government is going to do. We are waiting for some sort of federal action and I think everybody at the federal level is to blame for the inaction, from the White House right to the Senate and the House,” Smola said. “These folks have to get together and come up with an assistance package that is going to come back down to states so that we know how we can plan for the rest of the year.”
Smola said any guidance from the federal government would be “really, really helpful.”
“Now if Washington, D.C. comes down and says, ‘We’re giving you nothing folks. Tough luck, live with it. Great. And I mean great as in sarcastically great because at the end of the day we need that help but the uncertainty of not knowing that, it creates such a challenge for us at the state level,” Smola said last week on the News Service’s “State House Takeout” podcast.
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said Tuesday that any relief package must “match the scale” of the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that led to Massachusetts having the highest unemployment rate in the country at 16.1 percent in July.
Markey called for a monthly cash payment of $2,000 to qualifying Americans to help them pay bills, and $4 billion to help make sure that all students have internet access at home for remote schooling.
“A monthly payment is the kind of big policy that provides relief on the scale that is needed,” Markey said.
Markey also said the $600-a-week enhanced unemployment benefit that expired in July should be extended through January 2021, and $1 billion in rental assistance should be accompanied by an extended moratorium on evictions.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak joined a call Tuesday with other public transit officials to request at least $32 billion in emergency funding as part of any relief package to help stabilize the finances of public transit agencies around the country.
The call, which was organized by the American Public Transportation Association, also featured business and transportation leaders, including former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
“Congress, Step up. Now’s the time,” La Hood said. “Please don’t shortchange critical public transit around the country.”
Poftak said that the number of rides per day on the MBTA plummeted during the pandemic from 1.3 million to a low of 140,000. He said usage is “climbing gently, but it’s climbing,” and has reached 280,000 trips per day.
Poftak said public transit will need to survive for any full economic recovery to be realized, but the T is facing a deficit next year of $300 million to $600 million, depending upon how ridership trends progress, and weighing service reductions and fare hikes.
“What we need is a federal government that will help us, that will help us sustain our service, that will help us rebuild our communities, that will help us get people where they need to go, which is why we all got into this business,” Poftak said.
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) recently approved three loans totaling $55,000 to Strong Style Coffee, Bion Greek Kitchen and Mi Rinconcito Salvadoreno in Downtown Fitchburg.
Strong Style Coffee, owned and operated by Kimberly Jones on 37 Boulder Drive in Fitchburg, is a coffee shop that serves as a comfortable space where patrons can be creative and productive during the day and relax and enjoy events and entertainment at night. They offer coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and have a lunch menu, as well as beer and wine. Their loan for $25,000 was used to re-finance business debt, and were a referral from NewVue Communities where Kimberly also worked on the financial plan for the loan application. Check out information on their upcoming events on their social media pages, at
Bion Greek Kitchen received a $20,000 working capital loan to assist with operating expenses during the pandemic. Gregor and Violet Labovitis initially operated the business out of their home before eventually growing sales enough to open a physical location on 356 Main St., in Fitchburg. For more information visit their website at bion-greek.square.site or https://www.facebook.com/BionGreek1/?fref=tag.
Mi Rinconcito Salvadoreno is a start-up Latin American convenience store on Main St., Fitchburg at the site of the former Shack’s Clothing store. Owner Idelfonso Guzman and his wife Carmen decided to open the store after finding there were no reasonably close options for genuine Latin American oriented groceries in the area. The store opened on July 1, 2020 and features groceries, snacks and other novelties. For more information visit their store on 444 Main St., Fitchburg.
As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $150,000 for working capital, equipment, inventory, expansion and working with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
This meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to hear an overview of the Fitchburg – Water Street Bridges Replacement project, including proposed construction staging and traffic impacts. The proposed project would replace two bridges along Water Street (Route 12) in the City of Fitchburg. The bridge over the Nashua River (F-04-018) will have its superstructure replaced. The bridge over Boulder Drive and Pan Am Railroad (F-04-017) will be fully replaced. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments.
All residents, abutters, local business owners, and interested commuters are invited to attend. A project fact sheet will be made available at the meeting. All attendees who sign into the meeting and provide an email address will be entered into the project’s email database to receive construction updates.
This meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (e.g interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, live captioning, videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity & Civil Rights Officer by phone at (857) 368-8580, TTD/TTY at (857) 266-0603, fax (857) 368-0602 or by email to MASSDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us. Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten business days before the meeting.
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) recently approved three loans totaling $55,000 to Strong Style Coffee, Bion Greek Kitchen and Mi Rinconcito Salvadoreno in Downtown Fitchburg.
Strong Style Coffee, owned and operated by Kimberly Jones on 37 Boulder Drive in Fitchburg, is a coffee shop that serves as a comfortable space where patrons can be creative and productive during the day and relax and enjoy events and entertainment at night. They offer coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and have a lunch menu, as well as beer and wine. Their loan for $25,000 was used to re-finance business debt, and were a referral from NewVue Communities where Kimberly also worked on the financial plan for the loan application. Check out information on their upcoming events on their social media pages, at
Mi Rinconcito Salvadoreno is a start-up Latin American convenience store on Main St., Fitchburg at the site of the former Shack’s Clothing store. Owner Idelfonso Guzman and his wife Carmen decided to open the store after finding there were no reasonably close options for genuine Latin American oriented groceries in the area. The store opened on July 1, 2020 and features groceries, snacks and other novelties. For more information visit their store on 444 Main St., Fitchburg.