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Massachusetts Democrats announce deal on controversial budget bill

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Massachusetts Democrats announce deal on controversial budget bill


Top Massachusetts Democrats negotiating a multi-billion supplemental budget that closes the books on fiscal year 2023 said Thursday morning they had reached a deal after weeks of closed-door negotiations.

Beacon Hill lawmakers broke for the holidays two weeks ago without an agreement on a $2.8 billion supplemental budget that included $250 million for the state’s struggling shelter system and nearly $400 million for more than 90 union contracts. Negotiations were kicked into informal sessions, where any one lawmakers has the power to block advancing policy.

Ways and Means Chairs Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues said they reached an agreement on the budget in a brief statement but it was not immediately clear what survived private talks and if Democrats were potentially running into a Republican blockade.

“Our respective staffs are actively working to finalize remaining details and complete the work required to file a conference committee report. We anticipate a report being filed in the coming hours to ensure that the House and Senate can act on the report promptly and send it to the governor,” the two lawmakers said in a statement sent just after 10:30 a.m.

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Just a day before, the top House Republican had blasted Democrats for not producing an agreement on the supplemental budget, which also included disaster relief funding for communities hard hit by extreme weather events this year.

House Minority Brad Jones, a North Reading Republican, called on both branches of the Legislature to reconvene in a full formal session to take up the bill, which allows the state comptroller to file an overdue financial report.

“If it is the intent of Democratic leadership to attempt to pass the $2.8 billion closeout budget in its entirety in an informal session, minus any meaningful policy reforms, we want to make it clear that we strongly oppose this option,” Jones said in a statement. “The fact that the speaker, Senate president and governor have been unable to reach consensus on the migrant issue shows that this is too contentious an issue to take up in an informal session.”

The supplemental budget was in the hands of a panel of six legislators  — led by Michlewitz and Rodrigues — who had been negotiating behind closed doors and have not talked publicly about the nature of discussions.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday after an unrelated event, Senate President Karen Spilka said she is “optimistic” a deal could be reached this week but did not dive into details. A spokesperson for House Speaker Ronald Mariano said Wednesday negotiators “continue to talk and exchange proposals.”

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There are clear differences in the House and Senate versions of the supplemental budget when it comes to money for the state’s emergency shelter system. Senators wanted to give Gov. Maura Healey more flexibility to spend $250 million in state dollars while the House proposed more requirements like mandating an overflow site for families waiting for shelter placement.

But are there areas of agreement, including the nearly $400 million for more than 90 contracts that include pay raises for tens of thousands of public employees. Republicans have pushed Democrats to split off the contract funding from the main proposal and advance it separately.

Spilka did not offer a clear indication of the path forward Wednesday.

“I’m hopeful that we can do the whole thing and get that done in the very near future,” the Ashland Democrat said.

Jones said splitting off the funding for union agreements would “allow the state to fulfill its commitment to funding these contracts, while leaving the more contentious provisions of the budget such as emergency shelter funding for newly arrived migrants in conference to be subject to further negotiations.”

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“The House Republican Caucus believes this spending bill should receive a roll call vote in a full formal session, and not be passed in a sparsely attended informal session,” he said. ”The hard-working men and women who have been waiting months for their collectively bargained pay raises continue to show up for work, and the members of the House and Senate should be prepared to do the same and reconvene in a full formal session.”

This is a developing story…



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Massachusetts

Biden’s latest student debt forgiveness action affects 3,500 Massachusetts borrowers

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Biden’s latest student debt forgiveness action affects 3,500 Massachusetts borrowers


New student loan cancelations announced

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White House announces new round of student loan cancelations

03:17

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BROOKLINE – President Joe Biden’s administration announced Wednesday it is forgiving $6.1 billion in federal student debt for people who attended The Art Institutes, and more than 3,500 borrowers who went to one of the chain’s for-profit schools in Massachusetts will benefit.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said $80 million in federal loan debt will be discharged for former students of the New England Institute of Art in Brookline. 

“Predatory for-profit schools”

The Art Institutes shut down last fall amid allegations of fraud, with a federal investigation finding that fewer than 57% of students found jobs in their fields of study within six months of graduation. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said that students took out billions of dollars worth of loans to attend the schools, but “got little but lies in return.”

“These predatory for-profit schools harmed vulnerable students for their own financial gain, leaving student borrowers burdened with debt and without viable job or financial prospects,” Campbell said in a statement.

The NEIA filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

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“Millions of students, including thousands of Massachusetts students, were taken advantage of by The Art Institutes and had their financial futures threatened,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “This will be transformative for these students’ lives and benefit our economy as a whole.”

Who qualifies for student debt forgiveness?

Students who enrolled in Arts Institutions between January 1, 2004 and October 16, 2017 will have their debt automatically forgiven. Borrowers do not have to take any action or make any further payments.

Biden’s push to broadly forgive student loan debt was blocked by the Supreme Court last year. The president said his administration has now been able to forgive $160 billion total for about 4.6 million borrowers. 

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MA Students At 'Predatory' Art Colleges Get Loans Forgiven: AG

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MA Students At 'Predatory' Art Colleges Get Loans Forgiven: AG


MASSACHUSETTS — Thousands of students from Massachusetts who attended a now-shuttered chain of “predatory” arts colleges will have their loans forgiven, according to the Attorney General Andrea Campbell and the U.S. Department of Education.

About 3,500 students who attended Arts Institute colleges — including the former New England Institute of Art in Brookline — between 2004 and 2017 will have a total of about $80 million forgiven.

The now bankrupt Education Management Corporation ran over 100 Arts Institute colleges in the U.S. The last of the schools closed in September.

“These predatory for-profit schools harmed vulnerable students for their own financial gain, leaving student borrowers burdened with debt and without viable job or financial prospects,” Campbell said in a news release Wednesday. “Thanks in part to the diligent work of my office, I, alongside the Department of Education, am tremendously proud to announce meaningful debt relief for former students of The Art Institutes and help advance consumer and economic justice for these struggling borrowers.”

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Following a state lawsuit in 2018, the New England Institute of Art was found to have broken the state Consumer Protection Act by lying to students about what types of jobs they would get upon graduation. Tuition at the New England Institute of Art ran close to $19,000 per year, not counting room and board.

In total, 315,000 former Arts Institute students will get their debt forgiven, totaling about $6.1 billion.



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Massachusetts Boy Band NKOTB Never Included Mark Wahlberg

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Massachusetts Boy Band NKOTB Never Included Mark Wahlberg


Michael Dukakis recently retired at age 90. He leaves an impressive resume, including the Democrat presidential nominee for 1988 (he got creamed by George H.W. Bush), Northeastern University professor, and two-term Governor of Massachusetts (1983-1991). 

One of Dukakis’ less-than-shining moments was when he went for a cruise in an army tank while sporting a blue helmet. Another was declaring April 24, 1989, New Kids on the Block Day in Massachusetts. 

That was 35 years ago. I had almost forgotten until it popped up on social media.

New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) was a boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts, active between 1984 and 1994, only to reemerge in 2008. 

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NKOTB’s original members included 15-year-old Donnie Wahlberg and his schoolmates Jamie Kelly, Jordan Knight, his older brother Jonathan, and Danny Wood. When Kelly left the group, 12-year-old Joey McIntyre replaced him.

Massachusetts Boy Band NKOTB Never Included Mark Wahlberg

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Some fans insist Donnie’s brother Mark Wahlberg was a founding member of New Kids on the Block, but that is not quite accurate. Wahlberg was with the group briefly but it was when it was known as Nynuk before it adopted the name New Kids on the Block. 

The change from Nynuk to New Kids on the Block occurred after Mark Wahlberg left the group, became Marky Mark (with and without the Funky Bunch), acted in films, and opened hamburger joints.

Technically, Mark Wahlberg was never a member of New Kids on the Block.

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Mark Wahlberg ran afoul of the law and developed an addiction to cocaine while running as a young pre-teen in the Boston area. After 45 days in jail and some coaching from his brother Donnie, Mark got his act together and has had a successful career.

New Kids on the Block is touring this summer with a stop in Connecticut in July and a show at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts on  August 10, 2024.

 

NKOTB Flashback: New Kids on the Block MixTape Tour 2019

In 2019, NKOTB embarked on their first MixTape tour that grossed over $53.2 million dollars and sold over 650,000 tickets across the United States. The tour featured special guests Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Naughty by Nature and Debbie Gibson. It included a stop at what was at the time Taco Bell Arena on June 4, 2019. These are some of the epic photos we caught outside the show!

NKOTB returns to the Treasure Valley on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 for a show at the Ford Idaho Center.

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Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

Own a Piece of New Kids on the Block History

The Dorchester house where New Kids on the Block Jordan and Jonathan Knight grew up was listed for sale ($1.8 million on Zillow) in the fall of 2021. The house was a fixer-upper, so you’d have to be “Hangin’ Tough” and take the repairs “Step by Step,” provided you had “The Right Stuff” to renovate it. Anyway, it’s off the market now but enjoy a look around anyway.

Gallery Credit: Gazelle





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