TARR IN THE NEWS | 1.22.26

'2 Injured in Wrong-Way Crash on Route 128 in Danvers'

By Caroline Enos | Gloucester Daily Times

EXCERPT BELOW:

"Area legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and local and state officials have been meeting periodically to consider ways to prevent such crashes in the future.

The North Shore Regional 911 Center has already taken an “action step,” establishing a policy and priorities for wrong-way driving incidents for telecommunication purposes.

 
Read the full article


https://www.gloucestertimes.com/.../article_1c1b00cb-d32c...

Remembering Merlin Hunt Jr.

 

I consider myself fortunate to have known and to have called Merlin a friend. It was an honor to share a few words in his memory at his burial, and I’m grateful that some of those reflections were included in the Gloucester Daily Times' article by Gail McCarthy 'Legacy of Merlin Hunt Jr. lives on in those he mentored or assisted on the roadways.'


EXCERPTS BELOW:


"At his graveside service, Tarr reflected on “Tally’s University,” and being among the alumni of youth who worked there driving tow trucks and pumping gas.

Started by the Taliadoros brothers, Tarr said the second-generation immigrants quickly realized the surname was too long to fit on a tow-truck door — hence it was shortened to Tally’s.

“My family started the company after World War II and over the years it’s been a place where folks got their first job or had an in-between job. For many, it was the beginning of their working career and my uncles used to say it was ‘Tally’s University’ because folks had to learn a lot of things there — about people, the importance of work and being responsible for a lot of different things,” Tarr said. “It taught a lot of life skills, a lot of lessons about business and treating people fairly and with respect.”

AND

Reflecting on Hunt as a young man, Tarr said he was one of Tally’s longest-serving and most dedicated employees. Tarr recalled how Hunt would drive his pick-up truck to work to sleep in it overnight at the garage so he could be on hand to answer the AAA phone calls and respond at once.

“Merlin was legendary because he was the person who would be out there in a blizzard when a plow truck tipped over or when other very challenging situations developed. He was always there,” Tarr continued. “Everyone loves to watch these Weather Channel shows, like ‘Heavy Rescue,’ but in those days we didn’t have that type of modern equipment and hydraulics. We had only ingenuity and our wits to figure it out and Merlin represented the very best of that and a get-it-done attitude.”

“He gave people jobs when they really needed it, whether it was for six months or ten years,” Tarr said."


Read full article


https://tinyurl.com/4d6c9d4c

Statement on the sinking of the F/V Lily Jean

TARR IN THE NEWS | 1.28.26

'Report: Tax Cut to Cost State $5B' 

By Christian Wade | Gloucester Daily Times

EXCERPT BELOW:

"BOSTON — A proposal to cut Massachusetts’ personal income tax to 4% would cost the state government an estimated $5 billion a year in lost revenue, according to a new report from a left-leaning policy group, which warns the move would trigger deep cuts in public services.

Inching toward the Nov. 3 ballot is a proposal by the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Pioneer Institute and other groups to reduce the personal income tax rate from 5% to 4% over three years, which backers say would save individual taxpayers an estimated $3,000 during that period."

"Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr of Gloucester, have filed bills every legislative session to lower the rate, but their proposals have been stymied in a Legislature controlled by Democrats."

Read the full article

https://www.gloucestertimes.com/.../article_a1272d38-43a9...

 

TARR IN THE NEWS | 1.26.26

'Damon and Walker named to clamming expansion task force' | By Amy Palmer

Thank you to The Local News for their continued, informative coverage of the newly-formed Shellfish Harvest Expansion Task Force, its membership and our upcoming meeting in February.

EXCERPTS BELOW:

"The task force, led by Sen. Bruce Tarr, will examine multiple options to increase the shellfishing capacity in the area after FDA regulations closed the Ipswich river flats nearly two years ago. Local clammers have long relied on those flats during the winter.

 
“We know it’s not a replacement for that winter fishery, which is particularly important, but we think we’ve pursued that as far as we possibly can right now,” Tarr said. “None of us wants to walk away, so this is an attempt to look at other options, to try to do what we can do.”"

AND

"The group will include Tarr, Rep. Kristin Kassner, Shellfish Constable Matthew Bodwell, Wayne Castonguay of the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), and representatives from the town’s water and wastewater departments.

At the first meeting, which is expected to take place in February, the committee will put all of the options for shellfish expansion on the table, from relocating the wastewater treatment outfall pipe to dredging the river to reclassifying and expanding certain harvesting areas.

The task force is expected to make its final set of recommendations by Dec. 31. Tarr said the group can continue to meet and make recommendations if need be, but he doesn’t want it to become an “endless pursuit without results.”"

Read the full article by Amy Palmer

https://thelocalnews.news/.../damon-and-walker-named-to.../

TARR IN THE NEWS | 1.27.26

'Woman arrested after wrong-way crash on I-95' | Gloucester Daily Times

EXCERPT BELOW:

"Massachusetts legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and local and state officials have been meeting periodically to consider ways to prevent such crashes in the future.

The North Shore Regional 911 Center has already taken an “action step,” establishing a policy and priorities for wrong-way driving incidents for telecommunication purposes, Tarr said last month."

Read the full article here

https://www.gloucestertimes.com/.../article_b9e6d3d3-bd8f...

Protecting the Great Marsh

Here’s a look at some of the press coverage highlighting $750K in grant funding awarded by the Massachusetts Environmental Department of Protection for Salt Marsh Restoration and Monitoring of the Great Marsh

Gloucester Daily Times

https://www.gloucestertimes.com/.../article_97021e8f-f109...

Daily News of Newburyport

https://www.newburyportnews.com/.../article_ffed2d58-7457...

The Local News

https://thelocalnews.news/.../ipswich-newbury-and-essex.../

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Auschwitz stands as one of the most powerful symbols of the Holocaust and the atrocities of World War II. In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to ensure these horrors are never forgotten and that their lessons endure.

Today, as we mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, let us pause for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Holocaust.

Now, 81 years later we remember all those who were lost or suffered then and since.

Coastal Resilience on the North Shore

 

I was pleased to join local officials, community leaders, and representatives for our federal delegation at Essex Town Hall for the recent Northeast Coastal Coalition meeting.

 
We discussed key coastal issues including green crab mitigation, the Ipswich clam flats, new flooding sensors in Essex, and long-term solutions to coastal flooding and resilience, as well as future funding opportunities such as the WRDA grant.

Strong collaboration is essential to protecting our coastline and supporting our coastal communities. I look forward to continuing this important work in the months ahead.

TARR IN THE NEWS | 1.26.26

'Road safety audit coming for Rowley intersection'

By Caitlin Dee | Daily News of Newburyport

EXCERPT BELOW:

"Tarr said the audit is a step in the right direction in terms of keeping the intersection safe.

“Safety concerns about this intersection have been steadily increasing, and the Board of Selectmen amplified them in a recent, urgent request for attention. We have been able to respond to that request with collaboration to secure a road safety audit that will put us on a path to meaningful and effective measures to make this intersection safe and efficient,” he said.

Tarr also said the audit will take a “multitude of components” into account when determining the best way to move forward.

“My goal is to have some concrete recommendations that we can then take action on as quickly as possible. But, the main goal of the roadway safety audit is to look at all of the options and distill those into the best options for cost effectiveness, for public safety, for maintaining the character of the roadway and the character of the neighborhood. So, with all of those factors in mind, my hope and my goal is that we’re going to get one or more recommendations that then we can take action,” he said."

Read the full article

https://www.newburyportnews.com/.../article_1bb668d0-f517...

Lance Wisniewski Retirement

Congratulations to Lance Wisniewski on his retirement after 18 years of dedicated service to SCTVMC!

Changemakers Letter Coverage

Thank you to The Boston Globe's Globe Magazine for featuring an excerpt of my, Rep Kate Hogan, and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan's joint Letter to the Editor submitted in response to their 'Bostonians of the Year 2025: First responders, university presidents, and others who exemplified courage' article RE: the 'Stepping Forward: Patients who testified against Derrick Todd' section.

+++

'Cannabis addiction and an uncomfortable cupid date have readers talking:
Plus, letters about the 2025 Bostonians of the Year selection'

Changemakers

The women in “Stepping Forward: Patients Who Testified Against Derrick Todd,” bravely shared their personal traumas in an effort to help others (Bostonians of the Year, December 14). Their willingness to testify was critical in helping pass legislation. 

H4350, an act criminalizing sexual assault by fraud of a medical professional, was signed by Governor Healey in 2024. It closes a gap in state law that made allegations of sexual assault difficult to prosecute. State Representative Kate Hogan filed the legislation in 2017, after Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan approached her about the loophole. 

Along with state Senator Bruce Tarr, they worked to ensure the bill would address prosecutors’ needs and bring justice to victims. It took several legislative sessions, over the course of seven years, and the work of numerous legislators and advocates who championed the issue. We are not finished working to advance victims’ rights, but are proud of the legislation that has been enacted.

Representative Kate Hogan, Third Middlesex District
Senator Bruce Tarr, First Essex and Middlesex District,
and Marian Ryan, Middlesex District Attorney"

###

Link to Bostonians of the Year 2025 Article

https://www.bostonglobe.com/.../bostonians-year-2025/...

Link to the excerpt of our Letter to the Editor featured in the Globe Magazine

https://www.bostonglobe.com/.../medical-cannabis.../...

 

TARR IN THE NEWS | 1.20.26

'Cruelty case raises concerns about kennel licensing, lack of regulation of trainers'

By Teddy Tauscher | Gloucester Daily Times

EXCERPT BELOW:

"MSPCA Director of Advocacy Kara Holmquist said there is no actual license required to train dogs in Massachusetts though she pointed to a law signed in recent years that’s beginning to have an impact on the problem of unregulated canine trainers.

Ollie’s Law, championed by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and signed by Gov. Maura Healey in September 2024, revamped regulations around kennels including requesting communities keep tabs on businesses that might otherwise be missed by local inspectors.

“Sometimes we hear about kennels that are completely off the radar,” Holmquist said.

However, she said even this basic piece of record keeping has not been fully implemented in some communities.

Holmquist said municipalities were supposed to submit lists of their community’s kennels by July 1, 2025, but 114 towns or cities of the state’s 351 missed the deadline.

She said lawmakers and advocates discovered some cities and towns were not issuing kennel licenses as they should have been."

Read the full article

https://www.gloucestertimes.com/.../article_596a2072-43c3..

Dick Cullinan Retirement

 

It was an honor to recognize the retirement of Richard “Dick” Cullinan, who has served as Topsfield’s Veterans Service Officer since 2013, by marking this momentous occasion with the presentation of an official Senate citation at the Topsfield Selectboard meeting on Monday, January 12, 2026.

Over the past 16 years, Dick has devoted countless hours supporting our veterans and their families—assisting with emergency financial aid, helping secure benefits for disabled veterans and Gold Star families, guiding veterans on housing, employment, education, and more.

A U.S. Air Force veteran himself, Dick has dedicated his life to service, both in uniform and in our community. His leadership, compassion, and tireless advocacy have made a lasting impact, and Topsfield’s veterans are stronger because of him.

Thank you, Dick, for your dedicated service - please join me in wishing him the best as he begins this next chapter!

Bob Snow Awarded Military Appreciation Medal

I was proud to join my House colleague, State Representative Kristin Kassner in presenting the state’s Military Appreciation Medal to Rowley Selectman and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Bob Snow. This medal, awarded by the state in recognition of his service to our country and his lifelong commitment to public service, is a fitting tribute to a man who has never stopped giving back.

Bob served our nation with honor in the Marine Corps, and for decades since, he has continued to serve his community as a Selectman, educator, historian, and advocate for veterans.

He reminds us that service to others is a lifelong calling, one which he has answered time and time again.

Our communities are stronger because of leaders like Bob Snow. It was an honor to recognize his sacrifice, dedication, and enduring commitment to both country and community.

Deputy Chief Ziehler Sr. Commemoration

 

After more than 46 and a half years of dedicated service to the Town of Newbury, I was proud to join Fire Chief David Evans and the Newbury Fire Department in honoring Deputy Chief Wallace Ziehler Sr. at a recent commemoration event.

I presented Wally with an official Senate citation to mark this momentous occasion. Newbury is safer and stronger because of his commitment.

Thank you, Wally, for your decades of service, sacrifice, and leadership!