By: State Senator Kathleen Ives – Sept, 2016 In August, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court made an important ruling, determining it to be unlawful for electric distribution companies to pass along to ratepayers the costs associated with the construction of new, privately-owned natural gas pipelines, through what some have referred to as a “pipeline tax.” […]
By: State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives August, 2018 In July, the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to promote the use of ignition interlock devices by OUI offenders, which test a driver’s blood-alcohol content before starting a car. Mothers Against Drunk Driving and AAA Northeast have endorsed the use of the devices as an effective means to […]
The Massachusetts Senate unanimously approved omnibus veterans’ legislation in June known as the Veterans H.O.M.E. Act. State Senator Katy Ives – July, 2016 Senate Bill 2325, “An Act Relative to Housing, Operations, Military Service, and Enrichment,” seeks to improve housing and employment opportunities for military veterans and their families. The bill allows municipalities to offer […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – June, 2016 In May, the Massachusetts Legislature approved legislation that seeks to enhance government transparency and accountability by providing residents with greater access to public records and imposing penalties for non-compliance with public records requests. I re-filed a piece of legislation this session, co-sponsored by Representative Diana DiZoglio, in […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives May, 2016 Kinder Morgan, a Houston, Texas-based energy infrastructure company, submitted its first letter related to their Northeast Energy Direct Project (NED Project) to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 15, 2014. It detailed a plan to construct 177 miles of new pipeline from Wright, New York to […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – April, 2016 Recently, the State Senate unanimously, and in a bipartisan fashion, passed a bill I filed to protect consumers from unknowingly entering a credit contract and to limit instances of fraud resulting from the mailing of unsolicited and often predatory loans. Every day, residents across Massachusetts find what […]
Baker-Polito Administration Awards $385,000 to 10 Communities to Develop Asset Management Plans to Help Minimize System Failures BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration has awarded $385,000 in grants to 10 communities to complete Asset Management Plans that will enhance the long-term operation and maintenance of their drinking water, wastewater or stormwater systems. The grant program is being administered by […]
By: Bill Cushing – March, 2016 Do you remember where you were when you first heard of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman on June 13, 1994? How about on June 17, 1994 when OJ Simpson, accused of the aforementioned murders, fled from justice in a white Ford Bronco while being pursued […]
On Friday, DEA Agents from Portland Maine, Boston MA , DEA Cross Border Initiative, and Haverhill Detectives arrested Christopher Graciano-Fernandez age 22, of 15 Birch St. Lawrence MA in the parking lot of McDonalds Restaurant, at 795 River St. in Haverhill. Fernandez was charged with Trafficking Heroin . Seized during the arrest was 300 grams […]
By: Senator Katy Ives – Jan. 2016 There have been a number of important legislative developments toward tackling public records reform. This month’s column is an opportunity to describe the status of public records legislation in the effort to produce meaningful public records reform this session. At the onset, Senator Jason Lewis filed S.1676, which […]
By: Senator Kathleen Ives Dec. 2015 The Massachusetts Senate recently completed the first year of a two-year legislative session by sending to the governor’s desk legislation for increased penalties for trafficking fentanyl, and five bills related to veterans. To further address the health crisis of opiate abuse in the Commonwealth, the legislature passed House Bill […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – October, 2015 The State Senate recently passed additional reforms aimed at combatting the substance abuse epidemic in Massachusetts. Senate Bill 2020, which passed unanimously, focuses on prevention and early intervention, responsible pain management, expanded drug take-back programs by manufacturers, and reducing the number of opiate pills in circulation by […]
The Massachusetts State Police report that at 7:45am. Sunday morning, a 23-year-old woman from Providence, RI fell asleep while traveling on Route 95 southbound in Attleboro. Police say that the 2015 Subaru she was driving, drifted off the road and struck the attenuator at the beginning of a guardrail section. “These crash attenuators are designed to […]
By: Sentaor Kathleen Ives – Sept., 2015 In January, I filed Senate bill 1200, An Act to Reduce Exposure to BPA, which is currently before the Joint Committee on Public Health. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that has been linked as a health and environmental pollutant. In January 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public […]
SAN DIEGO—Stock broker Sunil Sharma of Carlsbad was sentenced in federal court today to 33 months in custody for stealing more than $6 million from local investors by falsely claiming their funds were safely placed in conservative investments when, in reality, he was pursuing a risky day trading strategy that ultimately turned into a massive […]