Thursday, May 16, 2013
The bill is sponsored by Attleboro state Rep. Paul Heroux.
Smoking in the car with the young ones in the backseat, or even the frontseat, could become illegal. Attleboro state Rep. Paul Heroux has introduced a bill that would ban all smoking in a vehicle when children are present. A violation would lead to a $100 fine. Heroux testified about the bill this week before the Joint Committee on Public Health. The bill states: A law enforcement officer may not search or inspect a motor vehicle, its contents, the driver, or a passenger solely because of a violation of this section. For a period of 90 days following the effective date of this act, any law enforcement official who stops a motorist solely because of a violation of this section shall not issue a citation, but shall issue a verbal or written …
Late fines have compelled residents to get their licenses in on time.
Fines issued for people who failed to license their dogs on time have led to the appropriate outcome, City Clerk Betty Shockroo says. People are not missing the deadline this year. The city council last year approved a rule creating the $25 fine for anybody who licenses a dog after June 1, which gives a two-month grace period after the actual deadlien of April 1. Some fines were handed out last year, but it appears there will not be any this year. "People are not late this year," Shockroo said. "People who were late last year learned their lesson." She added, "When we send out our notices to renew, they’re reminder letters. We let them know if the dog is not registered by May 31, on June 1 there is a $25 late fee."
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
She is the first official candidate for any of the school committee races.
School Committee member Brenda Furtado, who represents Ward 4, was certified for the fall ballot this week after submitting her nomination papers along with at least 50 signatures from Attleboro voters. She is the first person to qualify for a school committee race. Furtado is serving her second term on the committee. Three others—Kristina Piasecki, Diane Lynch-Bartek and Lori Scales—have pulled papers for the Ward 4 contest. Political insiders say only Scales is expected to return them and challenge Furtado. "I am extremely excited and look forward to continuing to represent Ward 4 on the Attleboro School Committee," wrote Furtado in an email to Attleboro Patch. "I will continue representing the parents and community with honesty and …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Republican pastor says he will run for office in 2014, likely for the state representative seat currently held by Democrat Paul Heroux. Bailey could decide to make a second try at James Timilty's state Senate seat.
The Jeff Bailey 2014 campaign will begin tonight in Mansfield. State Rep. Shaunna O'Connell (R-Taunton) is hosting a fundraiser tonight in Mansfield for Bailey's campaign committee. The Attleboro pastor unsuccessfully ran against Democratic state Sen. James Timilty last year. This time, he is leaning toward running for the state representative position held by Democrat Paul Heroux. Speaking Monday night during the Attleboro Republican City Committee meeting at the All Saints Anglican Church, Bailey said he would run for state office in 2014. "I'm not committing to anything, but right now I'm kind of leaning toward the state rep. seat," said Bailey, adding, "We'll see what the landscape looks like for state Senate as well." Heroux has been…
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Massachusetts' problem is now Virginia's. After a macabre, around-the-clock stakeout of a Worcester funeral home this week by frenzied reporters and furious protestors, the remains of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev were secreted out of central Massachusetts and buried in a small Muslim cemetery in rural Virginia. No cemetery in Massachusetts, or public official for that matter, wanted Tsarnaev's body. And Gov. Deval Patrick just seemed relieved the tense standoff was over. "No. I have enough to do," Patrick said, when asked if he wished he had gotten involved to end the theatrics sooner. The April 15 attacks on the finish line of the Boston Marathon threw Beacon Hill policymakers off stride, quieting the raging debate …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Results from a recent executive survey ranked Massachusetts 47th for business.
A CEO magazine ranks Massachusetts as one of the worst states in the nation for business. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Massachusetts 47th based on a survey of corporate leaders. Survey respondents reported the Bay State is one of the worst for taxation and regulation. The state Republican Party is pointing to the survey and saying that Gov. Deval Patrick and the Democratic-led Legislature are bad for the economy and business. What do you think about Massachusetts’ business climate? Is this a good state in which to do business?
The state representative will speak about the "stigma, unfair treatment and even civil rights violations around people with mental illness or mental health issues."
State Rep. Paul Heroux, whose district includes most of Attleboro, will be in Framingham today to speak about mental illness. The host of the event is Advocates, a nonprofit offering services to the mentally ill. The announcement for the event states: Since the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012, mental illness has been front and center on the mind of anyone thinking about public safety in America. Representative Heroux raises important concerns about what this may mean for many people successfully living with mental illness. Too often there is stigma, unfair treatment and even civil rights violations around people with mental illness or mental health issues. Join us for this crucial conversation about civil rights. …
Susan Jacobs is a partner at the law firm Volterra, Goldberg & Jacobs.
An Easton woman who works as an attorney at a law firm in Attleboro has been nominated by Gov. Deval Patrick to be an associate justice on the Probate and Family Court, Norfolk County Division. Susan Jacobs' nomination was announced Wednesday. The governor's council will determine whether to approve the nomination. Jacobs has been a partner at the firm Volterra, Goldberg & Jacobs since 1989 with a general litigation practice focused for the last 10 years on domestic relations, according to Patrick's announcement. "Jacobs was one of the leaders in starting a successful conciliation program in the Bristol County Probate and Family Court," states the announcement on Patrick's website. "She received the 2012 Pro Bono Publico award from the …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
City Councilors Frank Cook, Richard Conti and Jay DiLisio become official candidates for the fall contests.
Editor's Note: The original version of this article incorrectly stated Walter Thibodeau was certified for the election and did not include the fact Richard Conti was certified. This was due to an error on the status sheet at the city's Election's Department office. Office Manager Marianne Draine contacted Patch about the error after the story was published. She said Thibodeau "is a little short of 100 percent certified" and Conti was certified for the election. The story has been corrected. Three sitting Attleboro city councilors were certified Monday for the fall election. Frank Cook, Richard Conti and Jay DiLisio became official candidates when election officials confirmed they had collected enough signatures from local registered voters…
Monday, May 6, 2013
Massachusetts delegation applauds the government's decision to buy more cranberries.
United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and William "Mo" Cowan, along with Congressmen James McGovern, William Keating, and Joseph P. Kennedy III, Friday applauded the decision of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase up to $5 million of cranberry concentrate for federal nutrition assistance programs, including food banks. "I'm pleased the USDA has announced plans to buy cranberry products for federal nutrition assistance programs," said Senator Warren. "This purchase will help support hardworking cranberry growers throughout Massachusetts who play an important role in our local economy and will provide our children with another drink alternative." "While meeting and talking with cranberry growers in the …
deb of see-attleboro
10:07 am on Monday, May 20, 2013
I was just finished reading the Sun Chronicle's editorial "Good start to keep smoke away from children". Where do I begin? 1) Possibility of another $1.00 per pack tax? Who ever votes for that should be ashamed. 2) Secondhand smoke is harmful to young children. Agreed. The proposed law does not prevent adults from smoking in cars when children are absent. Only when they are present. So the … more ›