Northeast

MD Gov. Moore commits to using data-driven policies to fight poverty, enhance accountability

Published

6 months ago

February 11, 2024

MD Gov. Moore commits to using data-driven policies to fight poverty, enhance accountability

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore rolled out a data-driven plan he will use to help meet his administration’s goals during a town hall with state employees on Thursday.

Moore, the former head of the anti-poverty Robin Hood Foundation, described the nonprofit as a data-driven organization and said he wanted to bring his experience using data as a tool from his former job to guide his leadership as governor.

“This is going to guide us,” Moore, a Democrat, said. “It’s going to show exactly how we need to move, and it’s going to make sure that we have core benchmarks as to what success looks like … and we’re going to have data that backs up our process.”

MARYLAND JUVENILE JUSTICE AGENCY NOW FACING 200 SEX ABUSE SUITS

Moore pivoted from his State of the State address a day earlier to describe how his data-oriented plan will help meet four goals he has been highlighting: improving public safety, making Maryland more affordable as well as more competitive for business, and encouraging public service.

The governor said there were 10 priorities to help get there, with addressing child poverty at the top of the list. The plan calls for using data to help people access available tools to fight poverty, such as the earned income tax credit, child tax credits and Pell grants.

“The reason that we have to have a focus on true measurements of economic mobility and sustainable economic mobility is because we are watching how generations of concentrated poverty continue to impact every single prospect that we have as a state,” Moore said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is seen here during the State of the State address in Annapolis, Maryland, on Feb. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

The other priorities the governor focused on included education, the economy, jobs, safer communities, making housing more affordable, advancing infrastructure to better connect the state’s residents to opportunities, the state’s health care system, clean energy and public service.

Moore said much of the framework to improve education already has been created with the state’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. That’s the state’s sweeping education reform law that focuses on expanding early childhood education, increasing teachers’ salaries, and providing aid to help struggling schools adequately prepare students for college and careers.

“We want to make sure that education is going to be the pathway to long-term economic success and long-term competitiveness for our state,” Moore said. “We have to invest in it clearly, and we have to use data and metrics to be able to show that it’s working.”

He also underscored using data to enhance accountability in the expensive K-12 funding law that is being phased in at higher costs in future years.

“Everything has to have accountability to it,” Moore said. “This cannot just be about funding numbers. That’s not the only number that’s going to matter. We need accountability. We need transparency.”

The Governor’s Office of Performance Improvement will continue to work on data availability, enhancing transparency, and elevating the use of data to drive decision-making, the governor’s office said in a news release. The office will begin publicly reporting progress on key performance indicators in early 2025.

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Connecticut

Boar's Head May Be Tough to Find Around Connecticut Tonight

Published

23 mins ago

July 26, 2024

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Boar's Head May Be Tough to Find Around Connecticut Tonight

You might want to ‘Compromise Elsewhere’, Boar’s Head deli meat fans. Numerous grocery store chains are temporarily shutting down their deli departments for a deep-cleaning following a reported multi-state outbreak of listeria.

Big Y has announced that their deli’s will be temporarily closed after Boar’s Head Provisions Co recalled all of their liverwurst product. Boar’s Head has also more of their deli meats that may have been produced on the same production line. According to Big Y, the USDA has recommended a deep-cleaning/sanitization of all surfaces, and to discard any open meats and cheeses in the deli. The other Boar’s Head meats that have been recalled are:

Virginia Ham – Old Fashioned Ham
Italian Cappy Style Ham
Extra Hot Italian Cappy Style Ham
Bologna
Beef Salami
Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat & Eat
Garlic Bologna
Beef Bologna

All of the Boar’s Head deli meats have sell-by dates of “AUG 10”, and the Heat & Eat Bacon has a sell-by date of “AUG 15”.

Big Y did not offer Boar’s Head deli meats in their Connecticut markets for the longest time, I recall that it’s only been a year or two that I’ve been able to buy my favorite – Boar’s head low-sodium ham, at the Big Y – Torrington and New Milford locations.

Stop & Shop supermarkets around Connecticut will also temporarily close their deli’s for a deep cleaning according to nbcconnecticut.com. The good news is that if your local deli does not carry Boar’s Head deli meat, there should be a pile of clean, shaved beef waiting for you.

What Would the Olympics Be Like If They Were Held in Connecticut?

The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, and while watching the opening ceremonies, I started imagining what kind of games, celebrities, and venues our state would present as our finest. What would an Olympics look like if the games were held in Connecticut?

Gallery Credit: Getty Images/Google

35 Reasons Why I Love Living in Connecticut

Gallery Credit: Ethan Carey

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Maine

Maine state police bomb team at a home in Penobscot County

Published

1 hour ago

July 26, 2024

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Maine state police bomb team at a home in Penobscot County

MILFORD, Maine – The Maine’s State Police Bomb Team is at a residence on Call Road in Milford processing a scene for potential hazardous devices.

Officials say there is no danger to the public.

This is a developing story.

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts State House working last minute to pass bills ahead of Wednesday deadline

Published

1 hour ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Massachusetts State House working last minute to pass bills ahead of Wednesday deadline

BOSTON – The Massachusetts State House is typically quiet on Fridays but not this week, as state lawmakers work to push major pieces of legislation to the governor’s desk, including a possible return of Happy Hour.

“This place is going to be buzzing”

“I think for the next five days, this place is going to be buzzing,” State Sen. Barry Finegold told WBZ-TV from his Statehouse office. Buzzing with fellow legislators, lobbyists and stressed-out staffers racing to beat the Wednesday deadline. “We’re very hopeful that it’s going to get done.”

Republican State Rep. Marc Lombardo is frustrated by the procrastination, pointing to the House, Senate and corner office being dominated by Democrats. “It’s a tornado of activity that really doesn’t have to wait until the last week of July,” he said.

The House and Senate have until Wednesday to hammer out their differences on key bills. Bills that don’t get voted out of conference committee essentially “die” on Beacon Hill.

Finegold heads the Joint Economic Development Committee, working on a multi-billion-dollar package that could pave the way for a new soccer stadium in Everett for the New England Revolution.

Will Happy Hour come back to Massachusetts?

How about bringing Happy Hour back to Massachusetts?

“We’re hopeful to get that passed as well,” Finegold explained. “We do have a lot of younger people in our city and throughout Massachusetts and we want to do things that we think they’ll like.”

While Rep. Lombardo can see how this could help the economy, he’s not a fan of the last-minute rush to the finish line.

He said lawmakers are “expected to read bills very quickly as they come out of conference committee…hundreds of pages of documents and yet forced to get a vote because we’ve waited to the last moment to put things on the floor.”

Complex legislation, packed with all sorts of line items.

The CEO of Boston Pads is watching the housing bill closely as lawmakers debate whether or not to ban broker’s fees for renters.

“These agents spend a lot of timing calling all day. It’s not uncommon for them to show an apartment at eight or even nine o’clock at night,” said Demetrios Salpoglou.

It’s a vote that he said could have crippling impacts on the real estate industry in Massachusetts.

This is just a glimpse of the mad rush and closed-door negotiations at the State House.

“This is what it takes,” Finegold said. “We have to get things done.”

Tiffany Chan