The dangerous Charles River pathway / street intersections

I just want to pass along this video that highlights the severe danger and lack of accessibility at several major street crossings along the Paul Dudley White path on the Charles River. I hope that this is the year that we start to fix these longstanding, life-threatening problems with our parkland pathways.

Mass. Medical Examiners Prolonging Agony

Families facing an unexplainable death of a loved one sign up for a prolonged agony if they ask for an autopsy. It will be an entire year, on Father’s Day, for my friends who still do not know why their 20-year-old son died. It is unconscionable for a civil service to delay providing a report that should be deliverable under 90 days according to the national standard set by the Association of Medical Examiners.

Senate Press Release on the Budget

The Senate completed its budget process last night. The next step is conference with the House to reconcile differences with their budget. It was a good process under the new leadership of Senate President Stan Rosenberg and Ways and Means Chair Karen Spilka — a lot of collegiality and openness in the process. I was most pleased by our successful efforts to reach consensus on a big part of the Governor’s MBTA reform package.

Protecting the State from Olympic Liability

In the budget debate this week, the Senate adopted an amendment offered by Senator Tarr which sets in place a clear boundary on state liability for the Olympics. The Boston 2024 group has said all along that they don’t want to use taxpayer funds or put the taxpayers at risk. However, many of us feel it is critical that we put in place clear legal protections so that we are not surprised.