Massachusetts
McGovern Backs Kamala Harris After Biden Bows Out
WORCESTER, MA — U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern has come out in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid after President Joe Biden dropped out Sunday, signaling that Democrats in Massachusetts will broadly support her at the nominating convention in August.
McGovern came out early in support of Harris, saying in a Sunday evening tweet that he “wholeheartedly” endorses Harris.
“Throughout her career in public service she has shown an incredible ability to bring people together, take on the big banks & special interests, stand up for the underdog, & fight for what she believes in,” he said.
McGovern is a Democratic delegate who will be part of the nominating convention in Chicago beginning Aug. 19. No other potential Democratic presidential candidates had emerged as of Monday, but it’s possible Harris could face challengers from within her party.
By Monday morning, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark — the most powerful Democrat from Massachusetts in Congress who serves as the minority whip — had endorsed Harris. U.S. Reps. Jake Auchincloss, Ayanna Pressley, Seth Moulton, Lori Trahan, Bill Keating and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey also backed Harris. Attorney General Andrea Campbell also endorsed Harris, but Gov. Maura Healey and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Pittsfield, hadn’t outright endorsed her as of Monday morning.
Most importantly, Biden endorsed Healey. His delegates are now free to vote for whomever they choose. It’s only the first item on a staggering political to-do list for her after Biden’s decision to exit the race, which she learned about on a Sunday morning call with the president. If she’s successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy instead of Biden’s with just over 100 days until Election Day.
On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June. It got bigger by Monday morning: Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said Harris had raised $49.6 million in donations in the first 15 hours after Biden’s endorsement.
Harris spent much of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, making more than 100 calls to Democratic officials to line up their support for her candidacy, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. It comes as she tries to move her party past the painful, public wrangling that had defined the weeks since the Biden’s disastrous June 27 debate with Donald Trump.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story
Massachusetts
Jewish families in western Massachusetts get ready for Passover
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Jewish families in western Massachusetts and across the world are preparing to observe the eight-day festival of Passover starting at sundown Wednesday. The holiday commemorates the biblical story of Exodus and the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt.
The festival is also known as Pesach and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, according to the National Day Calendar. Its date changes annually because it is set according to the first full moon in the Hebrew calendar month of Nissan.
The roots of the holiday are found in the Old Testament. While traditionally a Jewish observance, many Christians have also begun participating in Passover celebrations.
The holiday starts with the Passover Seder, which is a ritual feast. The event includes reading, singing, washing hands, drinking wine, and eating specific foods.
A traditional Seder meal includes roasted lamb, flatbread called matzah, bitter herbs like horseradish, and vegetables dipped in saltwater. These items are arranged on a Seder plate.
The food and wine are ingested in a specific order during the meal. The procedure is written in a book called the Haggadah, which also includes the consumption of four cups of wine.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WWLP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WWLP staff before being published.
Local News Headlines
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand.
Massachusetts
Artemis II crew will use laser communications developed in Massachusetts on trip around the moon
The countdown is on for Artemis II and its crew’s historic liftoff Wednesday evening. The mission will mark NASA’s first piloted flight to the moon in 53 years.
Attached to the Orion spacecraft the four astronauts will take around the moon, is a key piece of technology developed over decades in Lexington, Massachusetts.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Researchers and developers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory designed and built optical communication systems, which use lasers instead of traditional radio frequencies to transmit information.
“With laser communications, we’re able to deliver a lot more data with a lot less power and with much smaller terminals,” explained Jade Wang, Assistant Group Leader of Optical and Quantum Communications at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
The technology marks a major leap from the RF systems used during the Apollo missions decades ago. Researchers say those older systems created limits on how much and how reliably data could be sent back to Earth during flight.
“The in-flight instrumentation is a huge bottleneck [on newer spacecrafts], and without laser communications, all of that data that’s critical to the safety and the health of the astronauts wouldn’t be as readily available,” said Steve Gillmer, Assistant Group Leader of Structural and Thermo-Fluids Engineering at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
4K video in space
The new system is expected to provide a faster, more seamless flow of critical data, including 4K video upload and download as well as other capabilities. In a sense those grainy videos of the moon from the 60s and 70s will truly be a thing of the past.
“The way I eventually described it to my friends was I was working to make communications in space more like, bring the internet so astronauts could view cat videos for instance, and to have the experience in space that they currently enjoy at home,” said Wang.
Beyond Artemis II, researchers say technology will play a vital role in the future of deep space exploration. NASA plans to have a moon-landing flight in 2028.
“Artemis is just the first step. Ultimately, we are hoping to send people to Mars for exploration there, and this same of technology is required to kind of provide the amount of data and services that we need for that kind of exploration,” Wang added.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is owned and operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology but serves as the largest federally funded R&D tasked with developing advanced technology for the DoW, U.S. government agencies and non-DoW organizations such as NASA, the FAA, and NOAA.
Massachusetts
First Student school bus driver strike threat looms over several Massachusetts communities
Some families in Massachusetts are worried about a possible school bus driver strike this week.
Drivers for First Student, the largest school bus company in the country, could walk off the job Wednesday if they can’t reach a new deal by Tuesday night.
Wayland, Duxbury, Plymouth, Sudbury, Fitchburg, Leominster and Springfield are just some of the communities that use the bus service. According to the company, they represent more than 500 districts in 42 states plus Canada; Massachusetts and New Hampshire are among those states.
First Student is in national contract negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union wants better retirement and medical benefits. The current deal expires on Tuesday. If they can’t agree on a new contract the union has authorized a potential strike starting Wednesday, April 1.
Local contracts include a no-strike clause, but the union’s national agreement may supersede local ones.
“Leominster Public Schools has no control over or influence in these negotiations,” Superintendent Robin Desmond wrote in a letter to parents Monday.
A First Student spokesperson said negotiations are continuing in good faith, but parents in Leominster are bracing for the worst.
“Not all parents can drive their kids in and out of school. The community is very dependent on transportation,” said Leominster parent Lyndsey Miller.
“They get released at 2:15 p.m., (for) a lot of parents’ work schedules that’s going to be hard to do,” said Corey Leighton, the parent of a high school student.
“It’s a broader problem, that’s for sure. So, I think parents will be understanding,” said Leominster parent Victor Novoa. “It would affect our work lives, and we’d have to balance the schedule.”
If your school district uses First Student and you have specific questions, reach out to your town’s school department.
-
South-Carolina3 days agoSouth Carolina vs TCU predictions for Elite Eight game in March Madness
-
Miami, FL6 days agoJannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Ab-Revealing Post Amid Miami Open
-
New Mexico1 week agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Culture1 week agoDo You Know the Comics That Inspired These TV Adventures?
-
Minneapolis, MN6 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Science1 week agoAs mosquitoes go year-round in L.A., a promising fix hits a snag
-
Tennessee1 week agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Trader Joe’s Dip Head-to-Head Taste Test