Massachusetts

LYNN (AP) ― The mother of a missing 5-year-old boy is hoping for some answers when the boy’s father goes before a judge.

Ernesto Gonzalez is scheduled to be in Lynn District Court on Tuesday for a pretrial hearing on a child endangerment charge.

The 36-year-old Gonzalez has been held on $500,000 bail ever since his 5-year-old son, Giovanni, was reported missing three months ago.

Giovanni’s mother, Daisy Colon, says she dropped her son off at his father’s Lynn home in mid-August for a weekend visit, but when she returned to pick up the boy a couple days later, Gonzalez claimed he did not know where they boy was. (Read the full post about ‘Father Of Missing Lynn Boy Back In Court’…)

DEDHAM (WBZ) ― A project to widen Route 128 through Norfolk County has been given the final go-ahead from the state. The $48.5 million project will add a lane in each direction through Randolph, Canton, Westwood and Dedham.

“This will ease travel for commuters along this important corridor,” said state Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen.

Currently that stretch of Route 128 (I-95/93) is three lanes in each direction. A five mile stretch will now be widened to four lanes – between Route 24 in Randolph and the East Street rotary in Dedham.

Preliminary work is already underway. (Read the full post about ‘Route 128 Widening In Norfolk County Gets OK’…)

BEVERLY (WBZ) ― Supporters are rallying to save the North Shore Birth Center, which is considering closure because of a sharp rise in malpractice insurance premiums.

Trustees of Northeast Health System are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the future of the center, which serves women with low-risk pregnancies who wish to give birth naturally in a quiet setting. The North Shore Birth Center is on the campus of Beverly Hospital.

Dozens of supporters of the center arrived in the bitter cold early Tuesday morning to hold signs as trustees arrived for the meeting. The movement to keep the center open is a very organized one. (Read the full post about ‘Supporters Rally To Save North Shore Birth Center’…)

NEW BEDFORD (WBZ) ― A New Bedford man is accused of slamming his car into a telephone pole with his girlfriend’s children inside as a means of revenge.

Police say Norberto Fraticelli, offered to take his girlfriend’s two children, ages 15 and 12, and their 12-year-old friend to school around 7 a.m. Monday.

According to police, Fraticelli sped into oncoming traffic and then drove head on into a telephone pole.

Police say Fraticelli caused the accident because he wanted to “get back” at his girlfriend. It is not clear what kind of altercation the couple had, but the mother was looking to get a restraining order against Fraticelli. (Read the full post about ‘Police: Crash With Kids No Accident’…)

SHREWSBURY (AP) ― A former school bus driver who ordered a fourth-grader off his bus nearly two miles from home as punishment for changing seats without permission is facing more trouble.

Shrewsbury police on Monday filed a reckless child endangerment complaint against 65-year-old Donald Davison Jr. of Grafton. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3 to determine if there is probable cause for a charge to be filed.

Davison was fired after the Nov. 5 incident.

Nine-year-old Cyrena Madbury started walking home before another parent picked her up and drove her the rest of the way.

Melissa Doyle, Cyrena’s mother, tells the Worcester Telegram and Gazette she is glad police are following through with possible charges. (Read the full post about ‘Criminal Charges For Bus Driver Who Abandoned Girl’…)

Thank goodness.  Here’s his letter (pdf).  He’s out as of about an hour ago.  The Senate President’s statement:

In deference to the need for public trust on matters before this great institution, Jim Marzilli has made the right decision for the Massachusetts Senate, the citizens of the Commonwealth, and himself.  While the Senate deals with the conduct of another member, Jim Marzilli’s resignation will begin the process of restoring the public’s trust in their government. As we have stated previously in our strongest voice, Dianne Wilkerson should follow this example and resign immediately.

This week, Senate Finance chair Max Baucus released his preliminary outline of an eventual health care bill. This is significant because the Finance Committee spends the money, and that Max Baucus is not Ted Kennedy, who chairs the Health Education Labor and Pensions committee. So it indicates a degree of cooperation in the Senate that was lacking in 1994.

Ezra guides us through the plan. These things may seem familiar to Massachusetts residents!

• Pay or play for large/mid-size employers: Offer insurance to employees or give money to a pool for the uninsured.
• Pool together individuals and small groups; create an entity called the Connector the Health Insurance Exchange where such folks can easily compare plans.

(Read the full post about ‘Health Care: Locked and loaded on the federal level’…)

(I think she should go for Senate Majority Leader, and then to the SC in a few years. - promoted by Bob)

In TBlade’s neat name the cabinet contest, 2 of the 8 entrants thought Bill Clinton might be chosen for Secretary of State.  I can’t see that.  

But THIS I can imagine, which none of the 8 guessed: Hillary.  

Is there likely to be much distance b/w her foreign policy instincts and Obama’s?  No.  Check.

Does her temperment and cautious style fit the job?  Yes.  Check.  

Would her world stature be useful in meeting with heads of state and getting deals done, more so than a Bill Richardson?  Yes.

(Read the full post about ‘Idea That Makes Too Much Sense Not To Happen: HIllary for Secretary Of State’…)

Scot Lehigh’s op-ed today calls on Speaker DiMasi to “come clean or go,” and urges that “if you can’t or won’t be candid and forthcoming, then you need to face this reality: It’s time to go.”  Startlingly reminiscent of BMG’s call to the Speaker from a few days ago: “He’s got to put up, or step down.”

In any event, Lehigh’s column focuses mostly on the political aspects of the DiMasi/Cognos brouhaha.  It does, however, make one brief foray into the legal morass into which I’ve been wading for the last few days — and gets it quite wrong.  Here’s Lehigh:

[T]he decision to invoke constitutional privilege to withhold information from the Ethics Commission is hardly yours alone.

(Read the full post about ‘Scot Lehigh channels BMG; commits “speech and debate” gaffe’…)

I’ve already argued at some length why I think Speaker DiMasi is on shaky legal grounds in invoking Article 21 of the MA Constitution, which provides legal immunity for “deliberation, speech and debate, in either house of the legislature,” as grounds for refusing to hand over records sought by the State Ethics Commission.  In part, my argument assumes that the sought-after records relate to the award of a government contract to Cognos, the software company at the center of this whole thing.

But wait, says Ernie — it’s not just the contract.  There was a supplemental budget involved which was to fund the contract.  So it’s a legislative matter, ergo, Article 21 applies, and DiMasi is home free.

(Read the full post about ‘Still debating “speech and debate”’…)