Following Swearing-In, Zeigler, Duff Assume Roles on Governor’s Council, Registry of Deeds

(Additional photograph below.)

Two area women with long histories of elected public service formally started their new roles with the start of the new year. Eileen R. Duff, who served as 5th District governor’s councilor from 2013 to the end of 2024, was sworn in as Wednesday as Southern Essex Register of Deeds, while former Methuen City Council Eunice D. Zeigler was sworn in Thursday to take Duff’s place on the Governor’s Council. Both women won election in November to the posts. Gov. Maura T. Healey welcomed the new Governor’s Council in the House Chambers before a joint session of the Senate and House. Noting their constitutional duties to screen and approve the governor’s appointments of judges, among other responsibilities, Healey said councilors fulfill a “critically important role.” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, the Council’s ex-officio member, explained the significance of the job.

Legislature Set to Pass Bills Partly Responding to Collapse of Steward Health Care

By Colin A. Young

Democrats, who have been negotiating separate health care industry oversight and pharmaceutical drug reform bills for months, said Friday night they resolved their differences and plan to put the bills up for votes this week in the final days of the two-year term. One bill promises to strength state oversight to guard against the kind of failure at Steward Health Care that threatened Holy Family Hospital campuses in Haverhill and Methuen, among other properties. Senate President Karen E. Spilka suggested the so-called Steward response bill will not be the legislature’s last word on the subject. “Additionally, the entry of private equity into the health care space has had profound and lasting effects on providers’ ability to deliver care, and we are still trying to understand its full impact. While it is vital that we continue to study those effects and take action in the future to further mitigate them, the market oversight bill begins to address the damaging role of private equity and put important initial guardrails in place to attempt to prevent another crisis like the one faced by Steward,” Spilka said.

Legislators Eye Cameras on School and Passenger Buses to Stop Scofflaws

By Chris Lisinski and Alison Kuznitz

Boxing Day was no holiday in the Massachusetts legislature, where lawmakers advanced a laundry list of bills that would expire without action in the next six days. One bill, as the House and Senate returned to action Thursday, would allow school systems to place cameras on school buses to catch drivers who fail to stop when lights are flashing. Any images or video could only be obtained for purposes other than enforcement of failing to stop, or defending against such an allegation, by a court order, according to a Senate Ways and Means Committee bill summary. The House approved the school bus camera bill in July. Meanwhile, the MBTA and other regional transit authorities could use bus-mounted camera systems to enforce dedicated bus lanes and bus stops under a bill the House passed Thursday, after it gained traction in that chamber’s Ways and Means Committee.

Gov. Healey, MassWildlife Issue ‘Special Reindeer Flyover Permit’

The skies of Massachusetts will once again be filled with holiday magic this Christmas Eve, as Gov. Maura Healey and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife said today that Santa Claus has officially been granted a special permit for his team of reindeer to fly over the Commonwealth. MassWildlife’s Deer Biologist Martin Feehan personally reviewed the health and flight readiness of Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course Rudolph. All nine reindeer passed with flying colors (and antlers). The special permit ensures that Santa’s team meets rigorous global health standards, allowing them to safely cross Massachusetts borders and deliver joy to children across the state. “No matter what holidays you celebrate, this is a season of connection and joy,” said Healey.

Sen. Finegold Leads Effort to Honor Late Housing and Economic Development Secretary Bialecki

The state Senate honored former Housing and Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki Monday by declaring the day’s adjournment be in his memory. Sen. Barry R. Finegold led the move to honor Bialecki, who served under former Gov. Deval Patrick and died last month at the age of 64. Finegold received backing all of his colleagues who were present, including Sen. Pavel M. Payano. Finegold read a eulogy, calling Bialecki a true public servant. “He fought for the state’s innovation economy, fostered affordable housing and supported mixed-use developments centered on public transit.

Podcast: In WHAV Interview, Minority Leader Tarr Says Watch for How $4 Billion Jobs Bill Rolls Out

State Sen. Bruce E. Tarr says there are many positives in the recently approved $4 billion economic development bill, but there’s more ahead in January that will shape how the borrowing bill takes effect. Making an appearance on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, Tarr explains the next move is that of Gov. Maura T. Healey. “What I often say is that the legislature writes the menu and the governor decides what she wants to eat, so it’s a two-step process.”

Tarr, who serves as senate minority leader and whose district includes such area towns as Groveland, North Andover and West Newbury, also delivers a word of caution. “I would remind people that a lot of the money we passed in that bill is bond money, which means that the legislature passing the bill is the first step and the administration deciding which things to spend on is the second step. So, we’ll be looking forward to working with the administration on that.

Housing Agency Names Ex-Haverhill Appeals Board Member Infante as Engagement and Inclusion Director

Former Haverhill Appeals Board member Kassie Infante has been named the inaugural director of engagement and inclusion at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. Infante was one of three zoning board members last January to support a developer’s application to expand the size of a South New Street lot as part of a larger plan to build four houses near Wood School. Other board members in favor were Lynda M. Brown and Magdiel Matias, but the application was ultimately rejected. Infante’s explanation, given in a later WHAV housing segment, stirred controversy. “The underlying message, or at least how I interpret it, and how I know even my own family members do, is, families don’t belong in that neighborhood.

Gov. Healey’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
A Proclamation
Whereas, After the first harvest in 1621, the Pilgrims broke bread, gave thanks, and celebrated in Plymouth, observing the first Thanksgiving thanks to the generosity and support of the Wampanoag people; and

Whereas, During the American Revolution in November 1777, the Continental Congress proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving. Samuel Adams, a son of Massachusetts, wrote, “…for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor;” and

Whereas, With the country torn by a civil war, Abraham Lincoln urged his fellow Americans to gather and give thanks during one of the most difficult times of our nation’s history. After establishing Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1864, Lincoln wrote, “To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God;” and

Whereas, Since the creation of the Commission on Indian Affairs in Massachusetts in 1976 the Commonwealth continues to recognize our Indigenous Tribes and the important role they play in stewarding our land and natural resources; and

Whereas, Executive Order 637 signed on November 19th, 2024 gives state recognition to the Herring Pond Wampanoag, there is still a lot of work to be done to empower, prioritize and center the lives, culture and heritage of Indigenous people of Massachusetts; and

Whereas, We have much to be thankful for in Massachusetts.  We’re thankful to the firefighters and first responders who have been heroically fighting wildfires across our state in recent weeks.  We’re thankful for the young people who inspire us every day to deliver for them and make their future brighter.  We’re thankful to the doctors, nurses, health care workers and staff who provide essential care to patients each and every day.  We’re thankful that Massachusetts is always at the forefront of discovery in life sciences and proud of Nobel Prize winners Victor Ambros of UMass Chan Medical School, Gary Ruvkun of Massachusetts General Hospital, and Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for pioneering world-changing, live-saving breakthroughs.  We’re thankful for our veterans who have risked it all for their country and We’re pleased to be delivering them brand new, state-of-the-art veterans” homes and ensuring they receive the care and benefits they deserve.  We’re thankful for the men and women of law enforcement who keep our communities safe, and we are holding in our hearts those we have lost this year.  We’re thankful for the educators and staff who help our students learn, grow and thrive.  We’re thankful for everyone who has committed themselves to public service, especially at the local level where they are having a direct and meaningful impact on their communities.  We’re thankful for the beauty of our parks, wildlife and natural world, including West Stockbridge’s own blue spruce that is the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree this year.  We’re thankful to the Boston Celtics for bringing home Banner 18 and to the Boston Fleet for making us so proud in the PWHL Championship.  We’re thankful for the heart, talent and grit of the people of Massachusetts, always; and

Whereas, In this season of thanks, we should take the time to remember and reach out to our neighbors in need by providing a helping hand, working in a food pantry or kitchen, donating clothing or volunteering in our communities; and

Whereas, Today, as families and friends across Massachusetts and the country gather together, may we be mindful of our gifts and talents, our blessings, relationships and goodwill, the peace we enjoy, the liberty we cherish and the hope we have for a joyful year ahead,

Now, Therefore, I, Maura T. Healey, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby proclaim November 28th, 2024, to be,
THANKSGIVING DAY
And urge all residents of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance. Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston, this twenty-eighth day of November, in the year two thousand and twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America, the two hundred and forty-eighth. By Her Excellency Maura T. Healey, Governor of the Commonwealth
Kimberley Driscoll, Lt. Governor of the Commonwealth
William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth
God Save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts