An Act To Expand Access To High-Quality, Affordable Early Education And Care

Today, the State Senate will debate an important bill, Senate 2883, An Act To Expand Access To High-Quality, Affordable Early Education And Care. The average annual cost for infant care in Massachusetts is more than $20,000 with many families paying 20-40% of their income for childcare. This bill will make more families eligible for child care aid, create new loan forgiveness and scholarship programs for early education workers, and build up supports for providers who offer access to subsidized families. 

I have offered several amendments for the debate including those which will require that available slots be made publicly available via a searchable database on the Web to make it easier for families to secure placement; guidance for financial supports, and a child care tax credit plan. You can watch the bill and amendments here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2973 and watch the session in real-time here: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Sessions/Detail/4208

 

Time For Tax Relief ...

State revenues are wildly exceeding what is needed to operate our state government and the resources to support tax relief for those who need it are present. Senate Republicans have put tax relief options on the table to support: seniors, renters, low-income families, and others, including a pause on the gas tax. It's time to help folks deal with the high costs facing every household budget.  We need to act before the formal session ends on July 31st.

Manchester Red White and Blue Breakfast

Manchester-Essex Rotary Club members and volunteers came together again for the Red White and Blue Breakfast at Tuck's Point this weekend. Not only did families find breakfast at the waterside they also enjoyed live entertainment, pony rides, music, and face painting. More than 1,200 breakfasts were served and many arrived in style by way of the new water taxi which shuttled hundreds of people between Masconomo Park and the Manchester Town Hall. All in all, it was a great time to come together. Some photos by Manchester-Essex Rotary Club. 

 

 

Wishing you, a very happy and safe 4th of July.

 

Gloucester Horribles Parade - A Look Back With The Tarr Crew

Getting ready to celebrate the Gloucester "Fishtown Horribles Parade" tomorrow.   See you soon. Here's a look back at the Tarr crew in 2015.

MVRTA BUS EXTENDS TO GROVELAND

The #18 Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority MVRTA) bus leaving Washington Square in Haverhill at 6:00 am on July 5th will go where no MVRTA bus has gone before. For the first time in history, after serving Rivers Edge Plaza in Haverhill, the bus continues over the Groveland Bridge into Elm Square in Groveland, before heading left on Main Street/Route 113 until River Pines Drive, serving the town offices, Council on Aging and Library, before terminating at the Groveland Housing Authority. 

While Groveland is one of the sixteen communities that make up the MVRTA, it had previously only been served by the Ring & Ride van service, which requires advance reservations. With the extension of the #18 bus, people living, working or visiting Groveland will now have service every hour from 6:00AM until 6:00PM Monday through Friday and 7:00AM until 6:00PM on Saturday. The change is part of a larger service optimization that the MVRTA rolled out this month for all Haverhill-based routes, to make trips more direct. Check https://www.mvrta.com for details on all route changes. 

The MVRTA went fare-free back in March, so a ride from Groveland, or anywhere else in the MVRTA service area, will not cost riders anything. The added service will not cost the town of Groveland anything either, since municipalities served both by an RTA and the MBTA may deduct their RTA assessment from their MBTA assessment and in Groveland’s case, the MBTA assessment exceeds their MVRTA assessment. The Town and MVRTA will be holding a ribbon-cutting for the new service at noon on Tuesday, July 5th in front of Groveland Town Hall.

Operation Paddle Smart

The hot weather brings many people to rivers and the beach and some will bring paddle craft like kayaks and stand-up boards. Importantly, the U.S. Coast Guard reports that they often have to respond to reports of craft unattended and adrift. Mostly these turn out to be false alarms and recreationalist are not in danger. However, searches draw federal, state and local responses that are not only costly they put crews and search volunteers at risk. 

Unmanned adrift vessel search and rescue responses are the 4th response activity in the Coast Guard nationwide. The Coast Guard urges the public to do the following things: 

* Mark It. Use an 'If Found' sticker. This label allows responders to confirm if someone is actually in trouble and collect information to help search efforts. 

 * Take responsibility for recovering your paddle craft. Adrift kayaks, canoes, dinghies, and rowboats can cause hazards to navigation and increase risks for response crews.