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Vendors charging Massachusetts taxpayers $64 a day to feed each illegal immigrant: report

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Vendors charging Massachusetts taxpayers  a day to feed each illegal immigrant: report


New details have emerged about the staggering sums of cash Massachusetts taxpayers are forking out to pay for the state’s influx of illegal immigrants, with vendors charging an eye-popping $64 per day to feed each person, according to a new report.

The new report by CBS News reveals that vendors are charging $16 for breakfast, $17 for lunch and $31 for dinner per day for each migrant it feeds – as the total cost of the crisis is expected to cost hardworking taxpayers $1 billion. 

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One vendor, Spinelli Ravioli Manufacturing Company in East Boston, was awarded a $10 million six-month no-bid contract to provide and deliver meals, reports CBS, citing records.

A facility at the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex will be housing over 300 migrants. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)

MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENT CONDEMNS RIGHT-TO-SHELTER LAW TURNING BAY STATE INTO ‘DESTINATION FOR MIGRANTS’

The state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities told CBS that the no-bid contract is justified because of the unprecedented increased demand and the requirement that families be provided with three meals a day or sufficient food access. 

The state has previously said that it is obliged to cater to the migrants because of its 1983 sanctuary city law which was passed to deal with the relatively small number of homeless families and pregnant women, although critics have said the law does not apply to migrants who are not U.S. citizens.

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The state’s right to shelter law requires it to provide families with refrigeration and basic cooking facilities, but some of the accommodations do not have those appliances, leaving the state to contract out for food and delivery, CBS reports. 

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, center left, and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey pause to look at the cots set up on the gym floor as state and local officials toured the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We’re here today because we really don’t have a choice,” Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, said earlier this month as she toured the Melnea Cass Recreation Center in Roxbury that was controversially closed to the public and converted into a makeshift migrant center. The Roxbury facility, which can accommodate up to 100 migrant families of four, quickly reached full capacity while other migrants have been sleeping at Logan Airport.

In August, Healey declared a state of emergency as the state became overwhelmed with the thousands of migrants arriving, many of whom had arrived by plane sent from other states after the commonwealth reached around more than 20,000 individuals in state shelters.

COMMUNITY LEADER SAYS BOSTON ‘PASSING THE BUCK’ TO MINORITY AREAS IN MIGRANT CRISIS

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Spinelli Ravioli said it is not the exclusive meal vendor and does not have a guaranteed contract, or financial agreement, beyond this initial “emergency period.”

“We are currently in the bid process for an enduring contract and are looking forward to continue to aid the State and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to reach their goals,” the company told CBS. 

State Sen. Peter Durant, a Republican, said lawmakers have been appealing for the administration to hand over information on contacts for the better part of a year and that they have been “stonewalled on the information.”

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey at a press conference announcing significant action related to the state’s emergency shelter system. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)

He said the cost of the crisis will ultimately be burdened upon the taxpayer.

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“That’s the concern is the money has to come from somewhere and so there’s only really two options. You either raise taxes or you cut services. So, this all of this kind of flows downhill right straight to the taxpayers.” 

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The high costs of feeding migrants in Massachusetts come on the heels of a December report Healey sent to the state House and Senate Ways and Means Committees, writing that the state would need more than $1 billion to continue funding the emergency shelter system through 2025.

Healey and other members of the state’s congressional delegation have appealed for federal funding, but the Biden administration has only provided about $2 million to the state for emergency shelter and other migrant needs, according to The Salem News.

Meanwhile, school districts have spent more than $11.4 million over the past year from a state fund to help them cover additional costs from educating newly arrived migrant children, according to The Salem News, citing a report by legislative budget writers.

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How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?

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How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?


With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.

So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?

An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.

Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.

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While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.

Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.

“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.

GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.

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Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News

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Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News


EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.

A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.

The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.

Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.

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“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.

They then carried the driver to safety.

Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

No one else was injured in the crash.

Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”

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After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”

She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.

“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.

She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.

“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”

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Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.

“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”

Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.

“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”

Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.

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Crews battle fire at Townsend home

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Crews battle fire at Townsend home


A fire broke out Sunday morning in Townsend, Massachusetts.

The Townsend Fire department said shortly before 7 a.m. that firefighters were on scene for a structure fire on Dudley Road.

People have been asked to avoid the area.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office are responding to assist the Townsend Fire Department.

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There was no immediate word on any injuries, or any information on what caused the fire. It’s also unclear if the large snow piles in the area impeded access to fire hydrants, as was the case at the house explosion in Taunton last week.

This developing story will be updated when we learn more



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