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A look back at Jimmy Carter’s visits to Massachusetts – The Boston Globe

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A look back at Jimmy Carter’s visits to Massachusetts – The Boston Globe


One day before the New Hampshire primaries, Carter, along with all but one of the other Democratic presidential candidates vying for their party’s presidential nomination including Mo Udall, Birch Bayh, and Fred Harris, appeared at John Hancock Hall for the first in a series of five “Presidential Forums” organized by the League of Women Voters. The Forum centered on “High employment, low inflation and cheap energy,” and was televised on WGBH-TV, according to a 1976 Globe article.

On the campaign trail before he was elected president, Carter made a brief appearance at a fundraiser for local candidates including then-Congressional candidate Edward J. Markey at the Ramada Inn in East Boston, according to public schedule records. Carter then travelled to Chestnut Hill to speak 5,000 students at Boston College’s Roberts Center with Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

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He returned to the Ramada Inn, where he met with hundreds of Jewish leaders at the Conference of Presidents of the Major Jewish Organizations, according to a 1976 Globe article.

President Jimmy Carter spoke during a town meeting in Clinton on March 16, 1977.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe

March 16-17, 1977: Clinton

Carter’s first visit to Massachusetts as president came just two months after he was inaugurated at a period of high unemployment and inflation around the country.

After arriving at a hotel in Boxoboro, Carter dined with Democratic Massachusetts officials including Governor Michael Dukakis, Senator Ed Kennedy, and several other elected representatives.

As a part of his “people-to-people” campaign to connect with Americans, Carter visited the small town of Clinton to host a town hall meeting and answer questions from the public.

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He then spent the night at the home of Clinton residents Edward and Kay Thompson, along with their eight children. Clinton residents lined the block on Chestnut Street where the Thompsons lived to catch a glimpse of the president.

“We’re an average family and we’ll do no more for the president than we would for any other guest,” Kay Thompson told the Globe at the time.

After having breakfast with the Thompsons March 17 — and writing a note to excuse 14-year-old Jane Thompson’s tardiness to school — Carter took the presidential motorcade to Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, departing Massachusetts on Air Force One, according to records of his public schedule.

Oct. 28, 1978: Lynn and Lynnfield

President Jimmy Carter held Ashley Tsongas, daughter of Senate candidate Paul Tsongas, during a visit to Lynn on Oct. 28, 1978.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe

Just over a week before the 1978 midterm elections, Carter briefly visited the northeast amidst a packed campaign schedule to stump for Massachusetts Democratic candidates.

On the steps of the Lynn City Hall, Carter spoke to a crowd of about 25,000, praising Senate candidate Paul Tsongas and gubernatorial candidate Edward King.High school bands from several North Shore communities, including Lynn and Salem, performed.

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“It is an honor for me to come back to Massachusetts,” Carter said to the crowd, according to a 1978 Globe article. “You treated me well in 1976.”

His motorcade, often pausing so the president could wave to onlookers lining the route, then proceeded to neighboring Lynnfield, about eight miles northwest, where he addressed guests at a fundraising reception for then-Representative Tsongas and King at the Colonial Inn before jetting off on Air Force One to Portland, Maine. Both Tsongas and King won their races that year.

The entirety of the Massachusetts trip spanned about three hours, according to his public schedule from that day.

President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter disembarked from a plane at Logan Airport in Boston on Oct. 20, 1979.David Rodgers/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe

Carter flew into Boston via Logan Airport on an unusually warm October morning to deliver dedication remarks at the opening of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester. In his speech, Carter grieved Kennedy’s death and spoke of carrying forward the former president’s vision for America.

“This library will be more than just a collection of photographs and objects under glass,” Carter said in his dedication remarks to a crowd of about 7,000 guests at the ceremony. “It will be a living memorial at many levels. Here in Boston, it will take up the causes of the community, helping to revitalize this section of our city. Across the country, it will reach out to visitors and scholars, summoning young men and women to careers in public life.”

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After the dedication ceremony, Senator Ted Kennedy escorted Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, on a tour of the library.

After returning to Logan, Carter taped interviews with multiple Boston media outlets including the Christian Science Monitor, WBZ-TV, WCVB-TV, WBGBH-TV, and WNAC-TV, before returning to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

The president’s trip to Boston lasted about four and a half hours, according to Carter’s daily schedule.

President Jimmy Carter spoke at the podium during a campaign stop in Boston’s North End on Oct. 15, 1980.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe

Air Force One landed at Logan Airport around 10:30 a.m. for a whirlwind day of presidential campaigning just weeks before the 1980 general election, in which Carter would lose the presidency to Ronald Reagan.

His first stop was the Christopher Columbus Community Center in the North End, where he met with about 300 senior citizens from Boston.

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The rest of the afternoon comprised campaign rallies and fundraisers. Outside the community center, the president spoke at a campaign rally, then travelled to Anthony’s Pier 4 restaurant in South Boston for a $500-a-plate Massachusetts Democratic National Committee Fundraising Luncheon before returning to Logan Airport and departing Beantown for the last time as president.


Sonel Cutler can be reached at sonel.cutler@globe.com. Follow her @cutler_sonel. Kathy McCabe can be reached at Katherine.McCabe@globe.com. Follow her @GlobeKMcCabe.





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Cranston man dies in Massachusetts paramotor crash

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Cranston man dies in Massachusetts paramotor crash


BERKLEY, Mass. (WPRI) — A paramotor operator from Cranston was pronounced dead after a crash at Myricks Airport in Berkley Sunday morning, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Emergency crews were called to the public airfield just after 9:30 on Sunday, April 12, by a witness who reported a single-seat paramotor crash, the DA’s office said.

When police and EMS arrived at the airfield, Gary Williams, 63, of Cranston, had suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the DA.

Police at the scene reported that Williams’ paramotor had a fuel leakage, and one of its propellors was broken in several places.

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FILE — This photo taken in Selangor, Malaysia, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, depicts a paramotor. Photographer: Sanjit Das/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Massachusetts State Police and the Berkley Police Department are investigating the crash.

Paramotor is a form of paragliding in which the pilot wears a backpack motor, which allows them to take off from the ground. Paraglider and paramotor operators use grass runways like the one at Myricks Airport to launch and land by foot, the Bristol County DA explained in a press release.

Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.

Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.

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Lawmakers close door on Massachusetts online casino legalization

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Lawmakers close door on Massachusetts online casino legalization


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A House bill to green-light online casinos in Massachusetts failed to pass before the legislative session closed, but legislators voted to refer the bill for study to potentially bring back in 2027.

The legislative session closed for many states recently. For Massachusetts, that meant an end to hopes for 2026 legalization of online casinos. The state’s Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies voted to refer a House bill for study rather than advance it any further, delaying any potential for legalization until 2027.

Bill would have created up to nine Massachusetts online casinos

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As introduced by Rep. David Muradian, H4431 would carve out up to three skins for each of the state’s three land-based casinos. That would create up to nine real money online casino apps operating under the oversight of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission with a tax rate of 15% on adjusted gross revenue.

The bill also would have formally prohibited online sweepstakes operators that offer content simulating casino games online, lottery and sports betting. The DraftKings Casino promo code, among others, are available in nearby New Jersey.

While the joint committee did not advance the proposal, its pledge to study it in more detail ahead of 2027 provided some optimism. As Muradian told the State House News Service, H4431 exits the 2026 session with plenty of momentum and “will hopefully serve as a springboard to future economic growth” in Massachusetts.

Lawmakers discussed Muradian’s bill last fall before they agreed to extend its reporting deadline until March.

Massachusetts preparing for internet lottery launch

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Legal gaming expansion is already on the way for Massachusetts, which is preparing to go live with online lottery this year, powered by Aristrocrat Interactive. The iLottery service expects to offer online draw game tickets and instant-win games that resemble real money online slots.

While debating the online casino bill, Deb Goldberg, treasurer and lottery commissioner, emphasized that authorizing the launch of new online casinos would not be beneficial for the state or the lottery. In fact, she argued, legal casino apps would actually threaten the bottom line of potential revenue.

Massachusetts is surrounded by states with legal online casinos, with the likes of Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey nearby. What’s more, another New England state will soon join the crowd as Gov. Janet Mills allowed a bill to become law that legalized Maine online casinos.

Proponents of legal online casinos in Massachusetts have noted that those surrounding markets siphon potential revenue from the state while also pointing out that authorizing regulated iGaming would help curb black market operators and better protect state residents.

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Intense fire guts trucks behind Brockton bowling alley

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Intense fire guts trucks behind Brockton bowling alley


A fire ripped through several trucks behind a bowling alley in Brockton, Massachusetts, on Saturday afternoon, firefighters said.

Images shared on social media, including by City Councilor Winthrop Farwell Jr., showed heavy smoke billowing from the fire behind Westgate Lanes near Route 27.

The fire involving a group of tractor-trailers parked next to each other was reported just after 2 p.m., Brockton Fire Chief Brian Nardelli told reporters after the blaze was knocked down.

“It was extending from truck to truck,” Nardelli said, and spread to the woods behind where the trucks were parked.

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No one was hurt, including the firefighters, who “were able to kind of beat back the fire” in the brush, according to Nardelli.

Investigators hadn’t yet determined what started the fire as of Saturday afternoon, but the chief said he didn’t suspect foul play. The city’s fire marshal was at the scene.

Some trailers had been completely gutted by the blaze.

Unions of nearby fire departments noted on social media that they’ve been called to assist in Brockton.



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