Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Markey is in, Lynch set to make an announcement Thursday and Brown reportedly considering throwing his hat into the race following Tuesday’s nomination of John Kerry as Secretary of State.
With Tuesday's official nomination of U.S. Sen. John Kerry to the post of Secretary of State, the field is opening up with folks vying for Kerry's seat in his unexpired term in the U.S. Senate. But before that even happens an interim senator has to be named. On Wednesday, Gov. Deval Patrick announced his former chief of staff William “Mo” Cowan will be the interim senator and will serve until a new senator is elected in the June 25 special election. Patch reported in December that Cowan, a Stoughton resident, would be stepping down this month and returning to the private sector. Besides being Patrick’s former chief of staff, Cowan also served as chief legal counsel to Governor Patrick, having served in the Patrick-Murray Administration …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The plan focuses on investments in transportation and education while calling for an income tax increase coupled with a lower sales tax.
Gov. Deval Patrick, in submitting his $34.8 billion budget to the legislature on Wednesday, said the proposed income tax hike is part of a comprehensive package aimed at investing in the state's infrastructure and in driving growth. The proposal asks for an increase in the income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent coupled with a reduction in the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent. It also doubles personal exemptions. Despite the proposed income tax hike, Patrick says that low- and modest-income workers will pay less in taxes under his proposal, and only the "more fortunate see a larger increase." "I do not submit this proposal lightly. I understand that many households in Massachusetts continue to struggle from the impact of …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday night that the MBTA will resume service on Tuesday and state offices will open at 10 a.m.
The Danvers branch of the state Registry of Motor Vehicles will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Gov. Deval Patrick said, in a Monday evening update on Hurricane Sandy from the bunker at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Framingham. On his Twitter account, Patrick said that all Class D drivers’ tests on Tuesday, however, were canceled. Patrick also said non-essential state employees should show up for work at 10 a.m. and he is leaving it up to individual school districts to determine whether they will be open on Tuesday. By comparison on Sunday night, Patrick urged all school districts to close on Monday and Peabody took his advice. Schools will be closed Tuesday as well in Peabody as city crews continue the arduous …
Friday, September 28, 2012
In a live chat on Patch Thursday, Gov. Deval Patrick said he approves of the extraordinary step of allowing release to defense attorneys of state police interviews with alleged "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan.
Gov. Deval Patrick took part in a live chat on Patch Thursday. In it, he spoke about the scandal engulfing the state drug lab in Jamaica Plain. That's where so-called "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan is alleged to have tainted the evidence in as many as 34,000 cases. Thousands of drug dealers behind bars could go free (and some have already been released.) Asked by Patch for a progress report on the mammoth task of dealing with the fallout, here's what the governor said: "The criminal investigation is ongoing. Yesterday, in a very unusual move, prosecutors gave defense attorneys all the notes of state police interviews of witnesses to date, including the notes of the interview of Annie Dookhan, the chemist at the center of this. Given the …
The governor, during a live chat with Patch, expressed skepticism about the legalization of medical marijuana, though he sympathized with patients in pain.
Governor Deval Patrick said he would likely vote no on Question Three this fall. During a Thursday live chat with Patch, a reader asked Patrick how he would vote on the ballot question and whether the governor was for or against the legalization of cannabis. "I am not too energized on this issue, personally. California's experience has been mixed. I will probably vote against it. I respect the opposing view, though, especially those whose concern is for people in constant pain," wrote the governor in response. Proponents say medical marijuana will help ease the pain and suffering of cancer patients and other eligible residents. Opponents, meanwhile, say the law is a back door to full legalization, and that medical marijuana can be …
Asked about toll fairness during a Patch live chat, Gov. Deval Patrick asked a reader whether he'd support high-speed tolls. Are these a good way to share the transportation funding pain, or another money grab?
Are high-speed tolls along Interstate 93 and other highways a smart way to help fund transportation in the state? Gov. Deval Patrick mentioned such a system during a Patch live chat on Thursday. If you've gone up Interstate 95 into New Hampshire, you've seen high-speed tolling in action. The system is designed to read your EZ-Pass (formerly Fast Lane) transponder while you breeze by at 65 mph. There's no need to slow down or squeeze though a booth, as EZ-Pass users currently do on the Mass. Pike, Tobin Bridge and harbor tunnels. The chat moved on to other topics, so no details about implementation were offered. What do you think? Would tolls along I-93 offer some fairness to riders in Boston, MetroWest and the North Shore, who all pay …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Gov. Patrick fielded readers' questions live on Patch Thursday afternoon.
The governor will take your questions Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Governor Deval Patrick will answer your questions during our live chat at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. To join the chat, enter your name and question in the widget above. We will try to get to as many questions as we can within the allotted 45 minutes, but we can't guarantee every question will make it into the chat.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick speaks with Patch readers live at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. What questions do you want him to answer?
- GOVERNMENT
-
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
If you could ask Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick one question, what would it be? Patrick will join Patch Thursday at 1:30 p.m. for a live chat with readers. Now's your change to ask the executive of the Commonwealth your question about casinos, the JP crime lab, the economy, elections or whatever else you want to know. Can't make it to the live chat? Leave your questions for Patrick in the comments to have them considered for the live Q&A session. We'll be sure to ask about the most popular topics when we chat Thursday. To join Thursday's chat, head on over to our homepage from 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.
Ask Gov. Deval Patrick about any topic you like during our live chat at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick will take your questions live on Patch this Thursday. The governor will spend 45 minutes fielding your questions as they come. Head on over to our homepage from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Thursday to join our chat. You'll simply have to provide your name, and you'll be able to ask your questions immediately. If you can't make the live chat, leave your questions as comments to this article, and we'll do our best to add them to the queue. We will publish the live chat transcript immediately and a recap first thing on Friday morning. Questions submitted will be subject to moderator approval. No vulgar or libelous comments will be allowed. Because we expect a high volume of questions for the chat session, we will keep the …
Saber Walsh
7:53 am on Friday, September 28, 2012
Bravo, Governor Patrick! There's an even darker side to these clinics. On the West Coast, where kids probably sprinkle weed on their salads instead of cilantro, there have been violent robberies that make the days when pharmacies stocked oxycontin look tame. Nobody seems to talk about that, or the really dark people who have been funding these kind of ballot initiatives. Way to go, Gov. Patrick! more ›