By: State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives July, 2015 In June, I attended the Methuen City Council’s special meeting where Kinder Morgan, a Houston-based energy infrastructure company, presented their plan for a proposed natural gas pipeline that would travel through Methuen, Massachusetts. I joined Representative Linda Dean Campbell and concerned residents to speak during the public […]
By: Tom Duggan – July 14, 2015 BOSTON – Lawrence City Councilor Marc Laplante was on Beacon Hill Tuesday testifying for passage of his legislation to increase fines for illegal dumping in Lawrence. If passed, House Bill 1258 would let the City of Lawrence increase the maximum fine for illegal dumping from $300, to between $5,000 and […]
By Christine Morabito – July 2015 Supporters of Cape Wind desperately want you to believe that those opposed to the massive offshore industrial project are afflicted with the “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) syndrome. This conjures up images of affluent, elitist Cape Coders, who cannot bear to have their precious views spoiled by unsightly turbines. […]
By Christine Morabito – June 2015 As an environmentalist and bird lover, it gives me no pleasure to criticize the largest conservation organization in New England; an organization of which I am a member. Personal conflict aside, it seems apparent that Massachusetts Audubon Society’s support for a massive industrial project threatens thousands of birds a year. […]
Individual Inspector Also Penalized Separately for 6 Fraudulent Emission Tests BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized Commonwealth Motors of Lawrence $15,000 for issuing six fraudulent motor vehicle inspection stickers between July 16 and November 7, 2014. In addition, Commonwealth Motors’ license to conduct automobile emissions was suspended for up to […]
By Christine Morabito – May 2015 It would make a great movie. The story begins in 2001, with an elaborate plot, filled with beautiful, wealthy, and powerful people. There are cowboys and Indians, Kennedys, whales, drugs, sex and of course, lots of lawyers. In the end, the people of Massachusetts dodge a bullet, or at […]
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized the City of Quincy $28,125 for wetlands violations associated with the installation of an equalization pipe to address drainage and flooding near Faxon Field. The pipe, which is 12 inches in diameter and approximately 75 feet long, was installed by the city at 122 Russell […]
Licensed Asbestos-abatement Contractors Working at Commercial Building BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized two asbestos-abatement contractors $46,150 each for violations found during a routine inspection of a work site at 64 Cambridge Street in Burlington. All State Abatement Professionals of Plaistow, N.H. and Cruz Abatement and Contracting Services of Lawrence had […]
By: Christine Morabito – April 2015 In the late fifteenth century, the cause of disease was still a mystery. Astrology, on the other hand, was “settled science.” After much debate, a consensus was reached concerning the highly contagious sexually transmitted disease, called syphilis. The so-called French Disease arose from the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter […]
By: Kathleen O’Connor Ives – March, 2015 The Crow Lane Landfill in Newburyport has long been the source of environmental and public safety concerns since the process of closing and capping the landfill began nearly fourteen years ago. Closure remains unfinished to date. In that time, abutters of the landfill have been subjected to ongoing […]
Dangerous shards left in area frequented by hikers, dog-walkers BOSTON – Two Revere residents are facing criminal charges stemming from flagrant illegal dumping and the shattering of large quantities of glass in the Melrose section of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a heavily-travelled recreational area. Yvonne Rhodes of Revere was identified after being captured on surveillance […]
BOSTON –The Baker-Polito Administration today awarded nearly $755,000 in grants to help 12 communities with projects designed to meet water supply needs and ensure healthy water bodies. The funding is provided through the Sustainable Water Management Initiative (SWMI) Grant Program. This program is designed to assist eligible public water suppliers and municipalities with Water Management […]
By: Christine Morabito – February, 2015 If clean, safe and efficient energy is to be our standard, then why use wind power at all? When we examine the entire process, the construction and operation of wind turbines is a dangerous and toxic affair. It begins with the mining of rare earth minerals, a collection of […]
It seems hard to believe. Since before the Haverhill Police Station was even occupied, concerns were raised about mold and mildew due to substandard construction work. That was in 1999. Today, 16 years later, Haverhill police officers and the civilians who work in that building continue to work in an unsafe environment. We readily concede […]
By: Kathleen O’Connor Ives – January, 2015 In my first legislative session we passed a number of significant laws, including requiring nursing homes, rest homes, or other long term care facilities to first obtain informed, written consent if psychotropic medications are to be administered, along with a description of the side effects. We also passed […]