Prior to reopening, all programs must develop plans for daily health screenings and ways to identify children and staff who are sick, symptomatic or who become exposed to coronavirus.
Tag: Baker-Polito administration
Baker forms board to plan reopening; extends closures, stay-at-home advisory to May 18
Boston — Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday the extension of the state’s stay-at-home advisory and the closure of all nonessential businesses to Monday, May 18, as the battle against the coronavirus continues in Massachusetts. “We’re moving in the right direction with respect to the virus, but we are not where we need to be,” Baker
Gov. Baker to travelers: Stay away, or self-quarantine after you arrive
Beginning Friday, March 27, all travelers arriving to Massachusetts are instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days.
News Brief: Great Barrington temporarily suspends single-use plastic bag ban
The order also prohibits stores from charging for paper or plastic bags while the order is in place.
Gov. Baker extends school and non-emergency child care closings to May 4
The Baker-Polito administration announced steps to keep vulnerable families in their homes, preserve the health and safety of low-income renters and homeowners, and prevent homelessness due to reduced or lost income.
News Briefs: Dalton woman charged with motor vehicle offenses; RMV reopens seven locations
The RMV facilities that are being reopened prioritize regional availability, accessibility and facility size and capacity.
Business Briefs: Emergency loans for small businesses; Heddinger joins CATA; CHP hires Moro; Bisaccio joins Lee Bank
The $10 million Small Business Recovery Loan Fund will provide emergency capital up to $75,000 to Massachusetts-based businesses impacted by COVID-19.
News Brief: Great Barrington receives Complete Streets Funding Program award
Wednesday’s announcement regarding the Complete Streets program provides funding to the Berkshire community of Great Barrington, which will receive $222,077 for a sidewalk extension on the Housatonic Main Street.
News Briefs: Grant funding for conservation projects; communities to be reimbursed for early voting expenses
Grants were provided to eight land trusts through the Conservation Partnership Grant Program, 11 communities through the Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) Grant Program, and eight projects through the Conservation District Innovative Projects Grant Program.
News Briefs: GB election openings; MassTrails application deadline
The last day to take out nomination papers for the Great Barrington town election is Friday, March 22, and the deadline for filing nomination papers with the town clerk is Tuesday, March 26.
Business Briefs: Berkshire Workforce Skills Cabinet meets Ash; Hazzard to leave Berkshire United Way; ArtWeek event applications; apprenticeship coordinator for RSYP; financial literacy coordinator for BCC
Berkshire United Way has announced that, after serving 10 years as president and CEO of the organization, Kristine Hazzard has resigned with an intended departure date of Sunday, June 30, 2019.
News Briefs: Neal endorses Harrington; MassTrails program
MassTrails will provide a total of approximately $5 million in matching grants through the first round of funding in fiscal year 2020 and will also offer technical assistance and resources to individuals, municipalities, non-profits and other public entities to design, construct and maintain high-quality Massachusetts trails.
News Brief: Baker-Polito administration announces additional local road, bridge funding
The Baker-Polito administration has announced that $40 million in additional funding will be provided to cities and towns in fiscal year 2019 for road construction and transportation improvement projects.
Lee snags almost $5 million in state infrastructure funds, clearing the way for ‘transformative’ Eagle Mill project
Mill Renaissance LLC must still obtain site plan approval, conservation commission approval, the allocation of historic tax credits and additional commercial. Developer Jeffrey Cohen hopes to start construction on the $60 million project in the fourth quarter of 2019.
News Briefs: Lake Mansfield boat ramp construction; Complete Streets funding awards; Mass. Senate passes environmental bond bill
A “Complete Street” is one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes and for all people, taking into account the ages and abilities of individuals.
News Brief: Hinds foresees economic benefits to western Mass. rail initiative
“[The] announcement, paired with the ongoing efforts to prepare for a pilot season of Berkshire FLYER service shows that we’re positioning the Berkshires and western Mass. for positive economic growth.” — Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield
News Briefs: Hinds to speak in Sheffield; Complete Streets funding awards
The Sheffield Democratic Committee urges all Berkshires residents, regardless of their political affiliations, to take advantage of the opportunity to meet Hinds in person and discuss issues facing Massachusetts and the nation.
News Briefs: Bill to study Boston-to-Berkshires rail service; Opioid-related death rate falls
This is the third consecutive quarterly report in which the number of estimated and confirmed opioid-related deaths has declined.
News Brief: Gov. Baker files bill to provide funding for hurricane evacuee education
This bill fulfills the commitment made by the Baker-Polito administration to seek additional funding for school districts that have enrolled significant numbers of evacuee students and will include $15 million in fiscal year 2018 supplemental local aid.
News Briefs: Crowdfunding campaign aims to stop Berkshire Museum art sale; Project Lead the Way grants available
The community-based grassroots movement Save the Art – Save the Museum announced that it has launched a GoFundMe campaign to underwrite legal action on behalf of the Berkshires’ cultural heritage.
News Brief: Over $8.5 million awarded in MassWorks grants
The MassWorks program allocates 10 percent of awarded funds to assist municipalities with populations of 7,000 or less in completing roadway safety and transportation improvement projects.
News Briefs: Standout for equality; community colleges unite against hatred; MassHealth partners to improve health care
‘We reject, in the strongest possible terms, hateful rhetoric, harmful actions, or attempts to diminish the values or identity of our community members, while remaining committed to the fundamental right of free speech. These actions will not gain a foothold on our campuses.’ –Massachusetts Community Colleges
State approves grants to four Berkshire towns for badly needed broadband
As part of its Last Mile initiative, MBI will provide Charter with a grant of more than $4.4 million to defray the costs of wiring the rural towns of Egremont, Tyringham, Hancock and Peru. State Rep. Pignatelli also noted that Egremont and perhaps Monterey will have a 1 Gbps connection through Fiber Connect, 12 times faster than what Charter offers in Great Barrington.
News Briefs: Fairview receives grant to develop rural network; Baker-Polito administration awards $10.2 million for transportation options for seniors, paratransit customers
The purpose of the program is to assist in the development of an integrated healthcare network, specifically in communities where such programs have never previously existed.
News Briefs: Cities, towns honored for ‘Complete Streets’; League of Women Voters chapter forms again
First founded as a chapter for Pittsfield in the early 1960s and later for all of central Berkshire county, the League of Women Voters of Central Berkshire County is one of many Massachusetts chapters of the national League of Women Voters that influences public policy through education and advocacy.
News Briefs: Health officials release quarterly report on opioid overdose deaths
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s first quarterly opioid report of 2017 showed an increase in opioid-related overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl and declines in the presence of heroin and prescription opioids in opioid-related deaths.
News Brief: Funding will cover STEM-related AP exams
The STEM Advisory Council executive committee endorsed the administration’s decision to allocate approximately $326,000 this year from the STEM Pipeline Fund to cover the costs of AP exams in biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, calculus, environmental science and statistics.
News Briefs: Baker-Polito administration to fund bridge projects; $4.23 million allotted for infrastructure; Green Tea Party meeting; Guiel announces City Council candidacy; conservation commissions urge Baker to drop pipeline support
Seventy-four city and town conservation commissions across Massachusetts have urged Gov. Charlie Baker to drop his support for fracked gas pipelines.
News Brief: Railroad Street Youth Project earns $11,200 grant for workforce training
The state awarded $7.9 million in workforce training fund grants to 111 Massachusetts companies for training over 5,243 workers and creating an expected 522 new jobs.
News Briefs: State funding will support, expand residential treatment for women
Funding for the Brien Center/Seymour House in Pittsfield will create a new, 17-bed program serving the needs of pregnant and post-partum women.
News Briefs: Opioid deaths quarterly report; ‘Speak Up Western Mass’ forum; Lenox continues planning efforts; West Stockbridge Democrats to caucus
Since coming into office in 2015, the Baker-Polito administration has made responding to the opioid crisis its top public health priority. Spending on addiction services has been increased by 50 percent, from $120 million to $180 million.
News Brief: Baker defends value of immigrants for Massachusetts
The letter outlines the impacts that increased limitations on immigration and broad travel bans will have on Massachusetts.