Tag: massachusetts

Nurses at Massachusetts hospital concerned about growing number of cancer cases among staff

Nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital say they’re concerned about growing numbers of cancer cases among longtime nurses who have been working on a fifth-floor maternal care ward. “You’re going into work every day with that feeling in your gut, and it’s a lousy feeling,” a nurse who doesn’t want to be identified tells WBZ-TV. 

She’s speaking out after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and says she’s not alone among her nursing colleagues. “It’s getting to the point where the number just increases, and you start saying am I crazy thinking this,” she said. “This can’t just be a coincidence.” 

Nurses diagnosed with brain tumors

She claims as many as ten nurses who work on the floor have been diagnosed with different brain tumors over the last few years, some cancerous and some not. She says three have had surgery and believes the hospital has not been supportive enough. 

“We want reassurance because this has not been a reassuring past few months for a lot of the staff members,” she said. “We want to feel safe, the same way we want to make our patients feel safe.” 

The hospital confirms it has been investigating since December and has interviewed ten nurses, six of whom it says have differing brain tumors. 

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O’Keefe Media Group: MGM Casino Marketing Director Says He’s “Not Going to Hire Whites”

A casino marketing director for the MGM Resorts in Springfield, Massachusetts, said he openly discriminates against whites during the hiring process.

“No matter how great they [Whites] look on paper, they don’t fit well with my team,” Albie Velarde, the Director of Casino Marketing at MGM Springfield told an undercover OMG journalist.

“I will purposefully look for those diverse-based hires,” he admitted.

Albie Velarde also revealed that MGM closely tracks the racial makeup of its workforce with HR providing monthly reports.

Velarde said, “At a [MGM] property level, HR sends us, every month when they send us our turnover summary of the month, they’ll point out this month we lost this amount of females versus males.”

These turnover summary reports influence hiring decisions, according to Velarde: “Hey guys, we’re losing all of our female workforce. Let’s try, you know, let’s put more females through the pipeline.”

Velarde also told the undercover journalist that they take race and gender into account when hiring employees to replace others who have left the company.

“So like if I lose one of my female hosts, I would try to replace her with a female,” Velarde said. “Selena, she’s my Vietnamese host, she’s very reserved, she’s very quiet. But that’s her culture. I would replace her with somebody who is, in some capacity, that culture.”

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Did a Senate Democrat Just Call for an Insurrection?

Do you remember when Democrats accused former President Trump of incitement for telling his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” march to the Capitol to make their voices heard? Well, fast forward to today, and we have a sitting senator engaging in rhetoric that does far more than make a call for peaceful assembly. Earlier this week, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) advocated for “revolution” while standing outside in snow-covered Boston, a site steeped in revolutionary history.

“Massachusetts is where revolutions are born,” Markey began. “And the revolution against Donald Trump and Elon Musk starts here.”

“This is the city of revolutionaries from the American Revolution to create checks and balances in the United States Constitution so that we did not have a dictator — a king — the way those colonists were living under it. And they fought all along Massachusetts Avenue. All coming out, the men and women to say, ‘no taxation without representation.’ We want to have a balance, we cannot have a king.”

Markey’s choice of words raises an important question: is “revolution” just a dog whistle for “insurrection”? His post on X proudly calls for this upheaval, and he pinned it to his account to make sure people see it. Perhaps he believes this kind of incendiary language is acceptable when those on the left wield it.

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Sell Flavored Tobacco in Massachusetts, Go To Jail

In 2022, I wrote an article for Reason predicting that it was only a matter of time before selling flavored tobacco products landed an American behind bars. Almost three years later, that day has arrived in Massachusetts. According to a press release from the Middlesex district attorney and the Department of Revenue, the owner of a Marlborough vape shop has pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted tax evasion arising from the sale of e-cigarettes brought in from across state borders. He was sentenced to serve six months in the House of Correction and five years probation.

In 2020, Massachusetts became the first state to implement a comprehensive ban on all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes. Violation of the flavor ban is only a misdemeanor, but since flavored tobacco products are sold on the illicit market, sellers simultaneously violate state tax law. This brings much harsher penalties into play. In Massachusetts, evading taxes on tobacco products is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Criminal justice reformers have warned for years that flavor bans would encourage illicit markets, creating felony crimes in the process. For example, a 2021 coalition letter signed by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers warned that a federal menthol ban would create “a massive law enforcement problem for states, counties, and cities since all states treat unlicensed sale of tobacco products as a crime—usually as a felony punishable by imprisonment.”

This is a prescient description of how the comprehensive flavor ban in Massachusetts is working out. The latest annual report from the state’s Multi-Agency Illegal Tobacco Task Force (published in February 2024) notes: “Field personnel are routinely encountering or seizing untaxed menthol cigarettes, originally purchased in other states, and flavored ENDS [electronic nicotine delivery systems] products and cigars purchased from unlicensed distributors operating both within and outside the Commonwealth. Without providing too much detail about the processes and methods of Task Force enforcement strategies, smugglers are developing more sophisticated smuggling operations to counter the Task Force’s targeted investigations.” 

These annual reports document law enforcement activity directly related to the flavor ban. Massachusetts has seized so much contraband tobacco and so many e-cigarettes that the state struggles to find the capacity to store it all. There are many instances of individuals arrested for possessing allegedly commercial quantities of menthol cigarettes or flavored e-cigarettes, with some of these cases referred for prosecution.

The Marlborough case is one of the first, if not the first, to resolve with a guilty plea and criminal sentence. The defendant is 62-year-old Ashraf Youssef, who owned AAA Smoke and Vape Shop. According to prosecutors, he “routinely” purchased e-cigarettes from out-of-state distributors between 2020 and 2022, evading $467,000 in excise taxes. In high-tax states like Massachusetts, there are obviously financial reasons to smuggle products from other jurisdictions, but the prohibition on flavored products offers additional motivation.

The Massachusetts flavor ban took effect in 2020, and minutes from a 2022 Marlborough Board of Health meeting note multiple instances of Youssef’s shop selling flavored products. In December of 2021, for example, a “Tobacco Control Manager stopped at the establishment, witnessed the sale of flavored tobacco products, and found 300 disposable flavored vapes.” And in March of 2022, “The Marlborough Police Department was sent to investigate suspicious activity in the parking lot of AAA Smoke & Vape. They determined the business has a car parked outside where patrons can walk up & purchase flavored vape products for cash.”

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A Massachusetts School District Rolled Back Advanced Classes. Teachers Are Starting To Revolt.

In 2021, a school district in Newton, Massachusetts, got rid of advanced classes in a bid to increase racial equity. But instead of reducing achievement gaps between racial groups, teachers are now sounding the alarm that the strategy is resulting in classrooms that serve neither struggling students nor high achievers. 

According to a Boston Globe article by reporter Carey Goldberg, several parents brought up similar concerns with the new policy—but say they were smeared as “racists” and “right-wingers.”

Goldberg writes that, in 2022, a group of three moms—all Democrats—started a petition to create a parental advisory panel for the school district. The move was motivated by what one parent described as “ideology superseding student needs,” following the school district’s decision to place students in “multilevel classes.” In these new classes, rather than sorting students by ability, students would learn together in the same classroom. The school also decided to stop allowing advanced math students to skip a year to access higher-level classes. The parents also shared concerns that the school’s approach to race and identity issues “emphasized differences rather than commonalities.”

The women say they were branded as far-right conservatives motivated by racial animus rather than a genuine concern for academic opportunities. According to Goldberg, Parent Teacher Organization newsletters urged parents to speak out against the petition at a public meeting. An email from local activist group Families Organizing for Racial Justice said that the petition was “tied to the apparent belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts that take race into account compromise academic excellence” and claimed that some petitioners “challenge the need for any activities related to micro-aggressions, inclusion, respect or belonging.”

“The mothers and their allies found themselves portrayed online and in public as dog-whistling bigots doing the bidding of right-wing national groups. Social media comments painted their side as ‘racism cloaked as academic excellence’ and ‘right-wing activism cloaked as parental concern,'” Goldberg wrote. At one meeting, a speaker compared those who supported the petition to “white women who helped perpetuate segregation and white supremacy.”

But years later, the Newton mothers are being vindicated. Teachers themselves are now openly criticizing multilevel classes, arguing that it isn’t serving students’ needs.

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Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey Changes Her Mind About Deporting Criminal Illegals When Things Get Real

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is one of the Democrats who has vowed to defy Trump’s plans to deport illegal immigrants.

Back in November, Healey said she would use her executive power to ‘protect’ residents of the state, even if they are illegals.

Now that ICE has begun picking up criminal illegals in the city of Boston, she is singing a different tune.

What changed?

From WCVB News in Boston:

Gov. Healey on recent Massachusetts immigration arrests: ‘I support the apprehension of criminals’

Federal immigration agents were seen Wednesday taking a man into custody in Chelsea, Massachusetts, as well as making other arrests in East Boston.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey addressed the arrests, saying she wouldn’t be quick to call them “raids.”

“I wouldn’t describe them as raids,” Healey said.”What it seems to be, and what we expected and what I support, which is the apprehension of criminals in our communities.”

Healey said she supports arresting criminals — whether they are undocumented or not.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is pushing back after President Donald Trump promised a crackdown on immigration.

It’s likely that when Healey was blowing hot air about standing up to Trump, that’s all it was. Air. It was Democrat virtue-signaling.

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Trans City-Councilor Takes Month Off To Recover From Being Misgendered

A trans Massachusetts city councilor is taking a one-month leave of absence, citing feelings of being unsafe after allegedly being “misgendered” by the mayor and another councilor, and being referred to as “it” by a third city official. 

The soap opera starring that councilor, Thu Nguyen, erupted at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Worcester, Massachusetts city council, where members held a public hearing over whether it was appropriate for council members like Nguyen to attend meetings remotely. Once again appearing remotely, Nguyen blamed the mayor and peers for the routine failure to show up in person, saying, “Under your leadership, I have felt unsafe around this council body. I have faced transphobia with being misgendered and recently learned that I have been dehumanized to a point where I’m being referred to as ‘it’ by my colleagues on this council.”

Heralded as the “first openly nonbinary lawmaker” in Massachusetts history — a title we’re sure Paul Revere and Samuel Adams would be totally impressed with — Nguyen has held office on the Worcester city council since 2022. Nguyen’s preferred pronouns are “they/them.” 

The day after the hearing, Nguyen posted a statement saying “I am…sad to announce I will be taking a month to prioritize my mental and emotional safety,” so he could recover from having allegedly been misgendered by Mayor Joseph M. Petty and Councilor-at-Large Kathleen Toomey, and called “it” by Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson. Nguyen filed a complaint with Worcester’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, urging the prompt launch of an investigation, adding that is was unfortunate to do so at the very same time that “we transition under a Trump administration and exponential increase of fear experienced by the LGBTQ+ community.” 

On Thursday, the city clerk confirmed that Nguyen will continue receiving a $2,641 monthly city stipend while providing nothing for Worcester other than melodrama. 

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State’s Audit Reveals Rampant Abuse of Psychotropic Drugs on Children in State Care

A recent audit conducted by the Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor reveals that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) apparently is really bad at doing its job and the fact that the well-being of children is at stake makes the incompetence incomprehensible.

The DCF is tasked with providing services to children who are at risk and victims of abuse or neglect. The services the state is responsible for providing include adoption, guardianship, foster care, housing stabilization, and family support.

Specifically, AbleChild is interested in the section of the audit that reviews the oversight of the drugging of children with serious psychiatric mind-altering drugs. The audit reviewed the period from July of 2019 to December of 2023.

During the audit period, 3,899 (22%) of the 17,891 children in DCF’s protective custody were prescribed at least one psychotropic medication. During the audit period, the number of prescriptions filled for each drug category included 1,065 prescriptions for anti-anxiety meds, 21,585 Antidepressants, 10,564 Antipsychotics, 10,776 Mood Stabilizers, and 48,453 Stimulants. Clearly, chemical behavior modification is a common practice, and the state’s DCF social workers are required to participate in, follow, and document the medication history of each child under their care.

To help caseworkers provide the required services, a child is provided a physical Medical Passport that records its healthcare services while in state custody. Social Workers are required to review these physical passports every six months to keep the children’s related medical records in iFN (electronic information system) updated with their most recent healthcare information.

In Massachusetts, it is required that the Courts approve antipsychotic medication use in children in the state’s protective custody. The audit revealed that “the Department of Children and Families did not always obtain or renew court approval before children in its protective custody were administered antipsychotic medications.” This is a problem because the court needs to know that the drug regimen is safe and effective. Furthermore, the courts have oversight of children who are too young to consent to the drug treatment and act as a neutral party.

The audit also found that “the Department of Children and Families did not properly maintain healthcare records in iFamilyNet (iFN) for children in its protective custody who received psychotropic medications.” Keeping up-to-date records is essential to ensure that the child is not being overprescribed with toxic mind-altering drugs. There is no oversight, leaving the children in custody at risk.

Additionally, the DCF did not list and/or update the psychotropic medications prescribed to children in their medical passports, which clearly can lead to overprescribing of dangerous mind-altering drugs and serious, if not deadly, adverse events. And with the lack of documentation, the DCF also did not document follow-up doctor appointments and recommended psychosocial services. How can these deficits possibly help children in the state’s care?

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Massachusetts Man Arrested for Vandalizing Pro-Trump Sign With a Swastika

A Massachusetts man has been arrested for vandalizing a pro-Trump sign with a swastika.

The sign sits along Route 3 in Cohasset.

Frederic Laidlaw, 74, was visited by police at his home on Thursday. When they arrived, he reportedly said, “Guilty,” and asked, “What took you so long?”

The Cohasset Police wrote in a post on X, “LAIDLAW will be arraigned on a felony charge of defacement of property in violation of MGL. The AGs Office, Civil Rights Division, has been notified of the arrest. Investigation remains open.”

According to a report from Breitbart News, the sign belongs to Kevin O’Donnell, who is chair of the Cohasset Republican Town Committee.

“I just thought we were above that. I just thought that wouldn’t occur in this election, or any election — there’s no Nazis in America,” O’Donnell said.

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Whistleblower Reveals Trans-Identified Male Had Been Admitted To Women’s Rehab Unit In Massachusetts And Sexually Harassed Female Patients

A whistleblower has come forward to reveal that a trans-identified male was allowed on an all-female addictions rehabilitation unit at Massachusetts’ Behavioral Health Network (BHN), leading to the sexual and physical harassment of female patients.

John*, a veteran of the Marine Corps, is a rehabilitative specialist who worked at BHN for just over one year beginning in June of 2023, and worked with patients on multiple units within the BHN care center. One, known as New View, was an all-female unit intended for women under Massachusetts’ Section 35 – a mandatory rehabilitation order.

“You can [admit] yourself, but usually a spouse or family member goes to the courthouse and tries to section you. You have to be ‘a danger to yourself or others’ and a judge makes the final decision,” John explains, adding that even he didn’t feel comfortable being assigned to the unit due to concerns for the dignity of the women there.

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