Category: Brittany Lawonn
Rice Speaks to Int. Relations Committee
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke on a variety of issues Thursday ranging from Monday’s assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister to the recently certified Iraqi election results during her first appearance before the House International Relations Committee.
Rep. Tom Lantos, the committee’s senior Democrat, called for an international investigation focusing on Syria’s possible involvement in the death of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister.
“The Syrians have created an environment in Lebanon which allowed for this despicable act to occur,” the California Democrat said.
Rice said although she has not seen proof that Syria was involved, she agreed with the need for an investigation and added, “We have unfortunately a growing list of difficulties with the Syrian government.”
In response to questions from Rep. Edward Royce (R-Calif.) about efforts to fight the war on terror, Rice said she “believed very strongly” that the war would be won in ways similar to the Cold War by “winning hearts and minds” rather than through military efforts.
She later called American efforts in Iraq “critical to national security” and defended President George W. Bush’s supplemental budget request Monday for $82 billion, most of it to continue work in Iraq.
“We can’t fight this war on the defense; we’re trying to fight on the offense,” Rice said.
Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) also commented on Bush’s budget proposal for the State Department, which would increase by 13 percent, telling Rice it would take a “strenuous effort” to push the requested $33.63 billion through Congress.
“You are going to have an enormous battle on your hands to preserve anywhere near that number,” Berman said.
When asked about the Iraqi election results, Rice said she did not believe the Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance that won a majority of the seats in the new parliament in the Jan. 30 election would create a government dominated by their religious beliefs.
She added that the Shiites are “people who suffered tremendously” under Saddam Hussein’s regime, something she felt they were not likely to pass onto others.
Rice also addressed North Korea’s recent declaration of nuclear weapons, saying, “The North Koreans are succeeding, unfortunately, in further isolating themselves.”
Rep. William Delahunt, who did not get a chance to ask Rice a question, said after the hearing while there are “a lot of unanswered questions,” the committee’s hearing structure “doesn’t provide ample opportunity to fully explore the questions; we need days after days of hearings to really accomplish that.”
Delahunt, expressing concern about reports of misuse of the United Nations-supervised oil for food program, said he had planned to ask Rice about “the United States government’s role in allowing during the course of the Iraqi sanctions some $9 billion of illicit revenue to go into the coffers of Saddam Hussein.”
“That in my judgment sustained Saddam’s Hussein’s regime for years,” the Massachusetts Democrat continued. “It probably provided him with the funding that was necessary to sustain his military and to secure weapons that most likely are now being used against American military forces.”
Delahunt said he believes that “we as the government of the United States and the administration has to explain to the American people why they allowed that to happen.”
He added that “this has nothing to do with the United Nations, but there was a sanction program that was endorsed by the United Nations, we were part of it, we were aware of it and that we allowed it to continue.”
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Bush’s Proposed Budget Cuts Could Strip Funding for Clean Water
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 - President George W. Bush's proposed budget cuts, if approved by Congress, could reduce the money available to clean the water flowing into New Bedford's harbors, local officials say.
Bush is proposing to cut money for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund from $850 million this year to $730 million for fiscal year 2006, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Regional water authorities and municipalities may borrow money from the revolving fund, matched by the state, at a low- or no-interest rate, to be paid back over 20 or more years.
New Bedford Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr. said if the proposed cuts restrict the amount the city could borrow, it would be a "devastating loss to us because of the fact that we have made such progress and we have justified and shown this isn't as though the government cuts us a check and we stick it in the account."
But the president's budget says that because " significant additional funds " were provided for the State Revolving Fund program this year and last, the total available for borrowing through 2011 " will remain the same as committed to in the 2004 budget."
The Environmental Protection Agency has requested that $ 24.7 million be placed in Massachusetts Clean Water State Revolving Fund for fiscal year 2006, according to an EPA official, who asked to remain anonymous because "it's too early in the game to comment." This year the Massachusetts fund received $36.9 million.
To comply with The Clean Water Act, a federal law that regulates water pollution and requires that sewage be treated before being released into rivers and other bodies of water, money is borrowed from the State Revolving Fund or received through direct aid grants for individual projects.
Mayor Kalisz said the city has used money received in the past to help pay for a $100 million water treatment plant that was built as a result of a lawsuit brought against the city about 16 years ago.
Mayor Kalisz said the "major legal battle" forced the city to bring its primary water treatment plant up to standards established by the EPA. The city has used the borrowed funds and direct federal aid "to leverage impacts on stabilizing rates in the face of a declining industrial base, a rising local market and compliance to standards that have been previously established by EPA."
"New Bedford unfortunately had never made the decision to look proactively in building a secondary waste water treatment plant," the Mayor said. "The best that we were able to do was borrow the money and repay it at no interest ., but we still had to pay $100 million."
Mayor Kalisz said securing the grant money on an annualized basis has allowed the city to stabilize the cost of paying off the loan. He added that without the loans, the impact "would have been devastating, it would have bankrupt the city, it would have bankrupt households."
The federal funds also have been used to make infrastructure repairs, including repairs to sewer overflows to prevent discharges of untreated or partially-treated sewage.
"We have not just been trying to draw from the federal government," the Mayor said. "We've tried to be a model of showing how creative, out-of-the-box thinking applies itself when there can be moneys achieved and then justifying why it is so important to try to maintain this over a long period."
Rep. Barney Frank also stressed the importance of the State Revolving Fund to New Bedford and Fall River and said "a cut of this sort" would have a negative impact on the area.
"That would be a really terrible thing for Fall River and New Bedford," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "I hope we can stop it."
Rep. Frank said he plans to fight the proposed cuts, something he says he won't be alone in.
"I believe that there will be a number of communities that are also fighting it; every state has this," he said.
Rep. Frank has worked with Rep. James McGovern and Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry to bring money to the area through direct aid, and the success is in part due to the lawsuits brought against Fall River and New Bedford in the past, said Peter Kovar, spokesman for Rep. Frank.
New Bedford has received about $13 million in direct aid since 1995 in addition to the money borrowed through the State Revolving Fund, Mr. Kovar said.
Mr. Kovar said Rep. Frank has worked to change the Clean Water Act to extend the time available to pay off the loans and make more money available to communities that are "economically disadvantaged."
But, Mr. Kovar said, "Those bills are never passed.".
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Bush’s Budget Proposal Could Hurt Local Law Enforcement Agencies
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 - President George W. Bush's proposed budget cuts to programs that offer grants to hire new police officers and update technology are concerning local police departments.
Barnstable Deputy Police Chief Craig Tamash said Bush's proposed cuts would place a heavy burden on the area because "the towns just cannot supplement that funding; they just don't have it."
If approved by Congress, the proposed fiscal year 2006 budget would cut the Community Orientated Policing Services, or COPS program, from $499 million to $22 million. The program, which offers grants to states and local agencies to help hire police officers, has awarded Massachusetts $215.8 million since 1994, said Gilbert Moore, the press secretary for the U.S. Department of Justice COPS office.
Moore said the money has added 3,032 law enforcement officers, helped place resource officers in schools and purchased crime-fighting technology such as computers for squad cars.
The Barnstable Police Department used a $125,000 grant received in April 1999 to place a new school resource officer in Barnstable High School.
An additional $15,000 grant received last September is being used to increase security in local schools, Tamash said.
He added that funding was "sorely needed" in the past and over eight or nine years 17 officers were added through COPS grants.
Tamash said another proposed budget cut would eliminate a program Barnstable has used in the past for technological advances such as cameras, computers and upgraded radio systems.
"It's not a program that had universal support but it's been very, very helpful for us," he said.
Bush has proposed to kill the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants program, which provides funding for all 50 states and can be used for various areas such as personnel and technology. In fiscal year 2004 the program received $115 million.
Tamash said the funding "has been slowly diminishing," and according to the program's website, Barnstable's funding has decreased each year since 1999. Barnstable received $252,078 in 1999 and in 2004 the department received $34,783.
Harwich Police Chief William Mason called the proposed funding cuts "disgusting," adding that it has taken "away my ability to do the proactive work, crime rate goes right back up and we go back into a response mode."
"To say I'm upset about it, you better believe it, because I know that I have police officers and staff that could do a much better job of protecting this community if they were just allowed to do it," he said.
Mason cited statistics from when funding was used to take a more preventative approach as an example of the positive effect the increased funding had on the crime rate. He said there were 444 serious crimes committed in 2000, the year they began using funding for preventative programs, and since then there have been fewer serious crimes..
In 2001 there were 433 serious crimes, in 2002 there were 336 and in 2003 there were 299, Mason said.
The funding began to diminish in 2004, Mason said, and the number of serious crimes increased to 467 that year.
"The visible presence and active communications of police officers are the single best deterrent of crime, period," he said. "It beats deadbolts, it beats bars on windows, it beats alarm systems, it beats security companies, it beats everything. It's the one single thing that has never been proven not to reduce crime rate."
Mason said the proposed federal funding cuts are coming at a difficult time for the community, with funding being cut at the state level as well.
"We're getting the wham from the state in reduced state funded grants, reduced everything there and then on top of that the federal government has come across and nailed us too," he said.
The Harwich Police Department used an $118,586 COPS grant received in September 2000 to hire a school resource officer.
The Sandwich Police Department also hired two school resource officers with a $250,000 grant received in September 2000. The department also received a $50,000 Secure Our Schools grant last September through the COPS program.
Steve Schwadron, spokesman for Rep. Bill Delahunt, said while it is difficult to "say with certainty" how the proposed cut would affect specific towns, its popularity locally makes it hard to cut.
"The COPS program is one of the best investments we have made in public health and safety and the reviews locally have been terrific," Schwadron said. "It would be foolish to discard that."
Sen. John Kerry, in a statement released by his office, said Bush's proposed budget reached "new lows of fiscal irresponsibility while slashing and eliminating investments that help America's communities."
More than $11.3 billion has been allocated nationwide through the COPS program since it was started in 1994, adding more than 118,768 police officers, according to the program's website.
Massachusetts has received about $34 per person since 1994, compared to $55.31 in New Hampshire, $50.22 in Vermont, $27.22 in Rhode Island, $26.24 in Connecticut and $19.34 in Pennsylvania. Indiana, which according to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau reports has a similar population to Massachusetts, has received $19.34 per person.
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Delahunt Named Top Dem. on International Relations Subcommittee
By Brittany Lawonn
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 - Rep. William Delahunt has been named the top Democrat on a newly formed International Relations subcommittee.
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which has jurisdiction over all subjects within the full committee's purview, held its first hearing Wednesday on the United Nations' Oil-for-Food program.
Delahunt, in his opening remarks Wednesday, called the new panel "sorely needed" and said he hoped its creation would provide an opportunity to "reinvigorate some of the basic checks and balances that are critical to the proper functioning of our democracy."
The congressman also said he hoped the subcommittee would refrain from leaking information and strive to expand its work to investigate more than a single issue.
"To limit ourselves to the Oil-for-Food program does not begin to adequately reveal the magnitude of the circumvention by the Saddam Hussein regime of the sanctions imposed on Iraq after the first Gulf War," Delahunt said.
Delahunt was named the 10-member subcommittee's ranking minority member through a secret ballot cast last week by fellow Democrats on the International Relations Committee.
Steve Schwadron, spokesman for the congressman, said Delahunt's background as a prosecutor and his reputation in the House as a "professional investigator" helped him acquire the nomination.
Delahunt, who served as the Norfolk County district attorney for more than 20 years, is also on the House Judiciary Committee.
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Massachusetts Democrats Blast Bush’s Address, Plan for Social Security
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 -- As the double doors swung open, the gavel pounded three times and the Doorkeeper's booming voice rang out that all-familiar phrase, the House of Representatives floor fell silent, the chit-chat and commotion stopped and all rose from their seats, turning their heads to the door.
"Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States."
And in walked the reelected Texan. Applause from Cabinet members, representatives, senators and guests filled the gallery as President George W. Bush made his way down the aisle, shaking hands along the way.
While President Bill Clinton began his 1997 State of the Union address by thanking the voters for "inviting [him] back," Bush jumped immediately into his agenda.
Bush's speech, the result of 17 drafts, focused on international issues and domestic issues. Social Security dominated the first half of this year's speech, taking up 14 paragraphs compared to the two sentences in last year's address.
The president promised to work with members of Congress "to find the most effective combination of reforms" for the 70-year-old system that is "headed toward bankruptcy," asking for an "open, candid review of the options."
But Democrats in the audience hissed Bush's plan, shouting out "No" and refusing to stand.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, whose entrance to his third row seat was slowed by constant hand-shaking with some leaning over the aisles to grasp his hand, chided Bush for calling Social Security a problem.
"The best way to begin genuine bipartisanship to make America stronger is to work together on the real crises facing our country, not to manufacture an artificial crisis to serve a special interest agenda out of touch with the needs of Americans," Kerry said in a statement released after the speech.
Kerry went on to add that "the problems facing Social Security 50 years down the road can be fixed tomorrow if Washington ends the borrow-and-spend policies that are running up a record debt and dumping it on the backs of our children."
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy also voiced disagreement with Bush's Social Security plan, warning Americans to take heed of the president's words.
"Tonight, the president again promises to pay down the debt and balance the budget, yet his plans to privatize Social Security will add $2 trillion to the mounting national debt," Kennedy said in a statement released after the speech. "Now more than ever, America must listen not only to the president's words, but beware of his deeds."
Massachusetts Rep. Marty Meehan also expressed concern about Bush's agenda, declaring Americans do not have confidence in the president to handle Social Security.
"President Bush's Social Security plan landed in Congress with a thud tonight," Rep. Meehan said in a statement released after the speech. "The American people don't want to undermine Social Security. They don't see a need to do it. And they don't trust President Bush on the issue."
Bush received numerous standing ovations and bursts of applause, the longest coming at the mention of Iraqi casualties and elections.
Several attendees showed support for Sunday's elections in Iraq, hoisting up fingers dipped in purple ink, the symbol Iraqis used during the elections for proof that they had voted.
One of First Lady Laura Bush's special guests, Safia Taleb al-Sunhail, an Iraqi woman who had voted in Sunday's election thrust her hand up with a peace sign when the election was mentioned. She would later embrace Janet Norwood, the mother of Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood who was killed in Fallujah.
The First Lady also was joined by a voter from Afghanistan as well as numerous other guests including two from Massachusetts. Nancy Connolly of Littleton and Will Dunn of Dorchester were seated behind her representing small businesses and outreach workers.
President Ronald Reagan began the tradition of inviting distinguished citizens and guests during his eight years in the White House.
Last year the First Lady was joined by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Romney Amends Snow Aid Request
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 - Gov. Mitt Romney amended his federal aid request last week to include the entire state of Massachusetts to help cover snow removal costs after a blizzard blanketed the Bay State.
Gov. Romney is expected to get a response in about two weeks, according to Peter Judge, a spokesman for Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
The original request, declaring a "snow emergency" in central and eastern Massachusetts, was sent to President George W. Bush last Monday, but was amended Friday to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties.
"We had not had those official numbers from the National Weather Service," Mr. Judge said. "Once we got them they were worth requesting." The snowfall in the four counties was at or near record level, he added.
While Gov. Romney has requested aid for the entire state, each county is not guaranteed to receive aid.
"It's not going to be all or nothing; it'll be on a county by county basis," Mr. Judge said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will now determine which counties should receive aid and make recommendations to Bush. The president will make the final decision and respond to Gov. Romney's request for aid, something Mr. Judge said he expects in about two weeks.
Mr. Judge also said that adding the four western counties will not slow down the response process or hurt Cape Cod's chances for receiving aid.
"We're still looking at the better part of a two-week timeframe before we even get the response," he said. "The checks aren't going to be showing up in two weeks, but the process will be beginning."
Once a response is given, the Massachusetts agency will work with the federal agency to reach out to communities to explain the paperwork, which must be filed within 30 days of the "snow emergency" declaration, according to FEMA spokeswoman Jane Teehan .
Last week Ms. Teehan said she expected her agency to assist Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island which were all hit in the recent storm.
While the federal government grants aid to the counties, Massachusetts works with the agencies, cities and towns on an individual level.
Private, non-profit organizations such as colleges, hospitals, nursing homes and schools may apply for the aid but individuals and small businesses are not eligible.
While numerous small businesses were forced to close during the storm, the Small Business Administration - which offers loans to individuals and small businesses - has not become involved in the aid process, said Perry Pedini, a spokesman for the organization's Disaster Area Office in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
"We continue to monitor the situation, but as of this point we haven't received a request," Mr. Pedini said.
Individuals and small businesses would have been eligible for direct aid such as low-interest loans if Gov. Romney had made a "major disaster" declaration, instead of a "snow emergency" declaration, and the aid was granted, Mr. Pedini said.
Jurisdictions and non-profit organizations eligible for aid must demonstrate that during a two-day period extra costs, such as overtime for employees, extra salt and equipment, was used.
Gov. Romney's request also asked for a 72-hour period to be used for cost reimbursements related to the storm, rather than the48-hour time period frequently used in these cases.
Mr. Judge said documenting the additional expenses may take time, although some of those affected have already begun collecting information for submission.
"If they've been around awhile they've done this kind of drill before," he said.
Kerry Lays Out New Healthcare Plan, Blasts Bush’s Strategy
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 - Sen. John F. Kerry declared America "can do better" Thursday while calling for health care for all children up to age 21 in his first major speech since his failed bid for the presidency.
The Massachusetts Democrat focused on his health care plan during a keynote luncheon address at the Families USA annual grassroots conference, calling President George W. Bush's strategy a "cradle-to-grave irresponsibility plan" and taking numerous jabs at the president's agenda.
"In the United States we shouldn't have to rely on a faith-based initiative for health care, we should rely on real health care," Sen. Kerry said in his speech before the national nonprofit, non-partisan organization.
President Bush spent Thursday in Cleveland discussing ways to reduce medication mistakes and lower costs by using more computer technology for medical records rather than using hand-written prescriptions or paperwork.
"Today the president is in Ohio addressing health care, but his effort is the same window dressing, the same avoidance of reality that we've seen through the last four years," Sen. Kerry said.
The senator's speech was filled with references to the November election, and he opened with a joke about his return to the Senate.
"I must say I had to travel a few more blocks than I would have liked to get here," he said. The conference was at the Mayflower Hotel, only five blocks north of the White House.
But Sen. Kerry was quick to jump into his proposed health care bill, called the Kids First Act, which would expand Medicaid and send money back to the states through a comprehensive plan the senator fought for during his presidential campaign.
"That issue did not disappear on Nov. 2," Sen. Kerry said. "It is as important today as it was then."
Sen. Kerry said his bill, which was unveiled Monday, would help reduce rates of avoidable hospitalizations by 22 percent, and would "not add to the debt of this nation which is now being piled on kids." Sen. Kerry's plan would require parents to insure all children under 19 and would redefine child coverage under Medicaid, moving the age of eligibility up to 21. The federal government would pay for the entire Medicaid coverage costs for those under 21 in families with incomes below or at poverty level, absorbing what states currently pay. The states would then be encouraged to pay for children living in families with an income below about $47,000 and above the poverty line. According to Sen. Kerry this would save the states more than $10 billion each year.
Under Sen. Kerry's plan, parents who fail to insure their children would not be able to claim the child tax credit on their federal tax returns. Parents would be able to purchase insurance through public programs at cost. "We ask people with a driver's license to get their car insured," Sen. Kerry said. "We ought to ask parents who can afford it to get their kids insured."
Sen. Kerry also said he will later introduce legislation for comprehensive health care for all people, but said he plans to begin with children and see his legislation through regardless of the Republican-controlled Congress.
Lunar Lucky, 74, said she was happy to hear Sen. Kerry for the first time, calling his speech "motivational."
Ms. Lucky, of Roanoke, Va., said she believed Sen. Kerry's plan was dependent upon people in the community rather than politicians.
"If the grassroots will push that plan we've got it," said Ms. Lucky, who works on the steering committee for Just Children, an organization that works with disadvantaged children in Charlottesville, Va.
Anne Joseph of Lexington, Ky., said she believed Sen. Kerry spoke about one of the nation's biggest problems.
Ms. Joseph, who works for the Kentucky Task Force on Hunger, said the plan "probably is appropriate for this point in time."
Some audience members agreed with Sen. Kerry's message, but not the way he gave it.
Nancy Buratto, of New Orleans, said she thought Sen. Kerry's speech was "rhetorical." But Ms. Buratto, a 38-year-old who works with the Agenda For Children, said she was happy he proposed legislature so quickly after losing the election.
Geraldine Henrich, a spokeswoman for the private, nonpartisan Families USA, said she was unsure when Sen. Kerry was invited to speak at the conference, although she was pleased with his speech.
Democratic Sens. Hilary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois also spoke at the 10 th annual conference.
According to Kerry's Senate website the plan has received endorsements from several organizations, including Families USA, the March of Dimes, the National Association of Children's Hospitals, the National Association of Community Health Centers and the United Auto Workers.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the senior Massachusetts Democrat, cosponsored the bill, but was unavailable for comment.
The 30-minute speech received three standing ovations and numerous burst of applause, at times appearing reminiscent of a campaign address as Sen. Kerry spent time shaking hands and posing for photos with audience members.
But when asked after the speech if he would run again, Sen. Kerry was quick to answer.
"It's way too early," he said.
Cape Cod Receives $1 Million for Homeless Programs
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 - Cape Cod homeless programs received more than $1 million in federal aid Tuesday as part of the single largest Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program ever.
Out of the $1.4 billion nationwide and the more than $60.3 million given to Massachusetts, Cape Cod received about $1.08 million, including new money for The Friends of Baybridge Inc., and renewed funding for four other organizations.
The money was awarded on a competitive basis to transitional housing programs through the Continuum of Care program, which helps provide a "more stable home environment than emergency shelters," said Brian Sullivan, a HUD spokesman in Washington.
Tom Lynch, executive director of the Barnstable Housing Authority, said his organization received two renewal grants, funding each of its "priorities."
The "Housing First" program, which covers the entire Cape and provides 35 housing vouchers for individuals with HIV/AIDS, received $296,940.
"It targets a very specific population that has some unique housing needs and of course medical needs also," Lynch said about the 12-year-old program.
The organization also received $44,112 for "The Winter Street Project," which assists families of persons with HIV/AIDS.
Lynch said the program is one of few in Barnstable County to help families get support.
Grant money also went to The Friends of Baybridge, Inc., which received $280,480; the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, which received $169,680; the Housing Assistance Corporation, which received $151,841; and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which received $145,920.
Last year Massachusetts received $54.4 million, and this year's $60.3 million is the state's highest award, said Kristine Foye, a HUD regional spokeswoman.
The 2004 fiscal budget for HUD will fund 219 programs in Massachusetts, and each organization will receive the money at the start of its fiscal year, Foye said
"This unprecedented level of funds will go directly to those on the front lines, who work tirelessly everyday to bring an end to chronic homelessness and who provide services to the many individuals and families without a home of their own," HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said in a press release.
Almost $2 Million in Homeless Grants Given to New Bedford
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 - New Bedford homeless programs received almost $2 million in federal aid Tuesday as part of the single largest Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program ever.
Of the $1.4 billion distributed nationwide and the more than $60.3 million given to Massachusetts, New Bedford received about $1.9 million, with $1.78 million in grants for transitional housing and $131,126 for emergency shelters.
New Bedford has received money for the homeless for nine consecutive years, and this year's grant is the largest the city has ever received solely for homelessness, Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr. said. The emergency shelter grant will assist the Greater New Bedford's Women's Shelter, Market Ministries and People Acting in Community Endeavors (PACE), according to a press release from Mayor Kalisz.
The grant money for transitional housing is awarded on a competitive basis through the Continuum of Care program, which helps provide a "more stable home environment than emergency shelters," said Brian Sullivan, a HUD spokesman in Washington.
Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction received $265,079 for its "Step-Up" program, a permanent supportive housing plan founded in 1997 when initial funding was granted.
The 32-unit housing program assists people who are transitioning out of homelessness, many of whom have substance abuse or mental health disabilities, according to Carl Alves, the group's president.
About 72 families and individuals are assisted annually through rental subsidies at scattered locations in the area.
"It's really been a nice opportunity to help individuals and families get on their feet, get to a place where they can become self-sufficient," Mr. Alves said.
Participants are required to be working, in school or volunteering their time to receive assistance from the program, which was the first of its kind in New Bedford.
Mr. Alves said the program's funding has been consistent since 1997 and its existence depends on the national grants.
"If we were to lose that money it would probably create homelessness," he said.
Catholic Social Services Inc. will begin "Housing First" with the $894,222 grant it received. The program will provide housing for chronically homeless individuals and families through 12 units of single-family housing and eight apartments.
Arlene McNamee, the organization's executive director, said the new program's work with chronically homeless individuals deals with people who have been homeless for at least a year or experienced homelessness four times within three years .
Catholic Social Services also received $398,600 to renew its "Donovan House" transitional housing program for women and children.
Ms. McNamee said she expected that renewal. She added that the funding for the "Housing First" program was the largest the organization had received.
"It's going to give us the opportunity to serve more homeless families," she said.
Southeastern Massachusetts Veterans Transition House received $193,638 to renew "Network House," a transitional housing program for men. New Bedford's Homeless Management Information System, which keeps data on how the homeless funds are used, received $32,761.
Last year Massachusetts received $54.4 million, and this year's $60.3 million is the state's highest award, said Kristine Foye, a HUD regional spokeswoman.
The 2004 fiscal budget for HUD will fund the 219 programs in Massachusetts, and each organization will receive the money at the start of its fiscal year, Ms. Foye said
"This unprecedented level of funds will go directly to those on the front lines, who work tirelessly everyday to bring an end to chronic homelessness and who provide services to the many individuals and families without a home of their own," HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said in a press release.
Programs in Fall River received $1.5 million in homeless grants..
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Inauguration Draws Both Democrats and Republicans
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -Thousands of people keeping warm with fur coats and dressed in cowboy hats and boots stomped through the snow to attend the 55th presidential inauguration Thursday. The swearing-in of George W. Bush for a second term also drew both Republicans and Democrats from his former opponent's home state.
About 15 minutes before Mr. Bush walked onto the Capitol steps to take the oath, former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry played with a cowboy hat and joked around with fellow senators. The Massachusetts senator's appearance at the swearing-in ceremony impressed Rebecca Rosen of Salem, Mass.
"I think he was a real gentleman for [attending]," the 53-year-old said while shivering in the cold.
Mrs. Rosen said she and her husband, Alvin, came to Washington because they are "staunch supporters" of Bush.
"We still have friends but different political views," Mr. Rosen, 53, said with a smile about being a Republican in Massachusetts.
Judy Milan, 46, and Lynn McNeil, 56, said they decided to put their political differences with the president aside and travel down from Lynn, Mass., for the inauguration.
"The only reason we came is because she had extra tickets and she needed a driver," Ms. McNeil, a self-proclaimed Democrat, said. "I'm the designated driver."
Ms. Milan and Ms. McNeil both said their first inauguration was worth the trip despite comments from Republicans but added that they did not agree with the money spent on the event.
"What Franklin Roosevelt did in World War II should have been done here because we are at war," Ms. McNeil said.
Mr. Rosen said the complaints about the cost of the inauguration upset him because he did not believe it was unusual.
"The reality is if John Kerry was elected you'd see the same type of celebrational balls," he said. "I think it's really a non-issue."
During the two-hour parade cheers rang out from the crowd as men and women of the armed forces marched by in uniform.
People lined office windows and rooftops along Pennsylvania Avenue to see the parade as protestors below chanted "not a mandate" while waving signs.
Those watching from bleachers near where the protestors were fenced in at Freedom Plaza taunted them, yelling "four more years" and attempting to drown out the booing with cheers.
Police in riot gear stood near the protest area and Mr. Bush's motorcade sped up while passing by.
Sharpshooters on rooftops and hundreds of Secret Service agents with ear warmers covering their ear pieces made the heightened-security presence known throughout the day, according to Rachael Hasson.
Ms. Hasson, of Northboro, Mass., said she noticed the security level was much higher at this inauguration than four years ago but said the extra lines were worth the experience.
The 24-year-old said she did not believe the estimated $40 million being spent was unnecessary, despite its being for Bush's second term.
"I think we're celebrating what our nation stands for no matter who is in office and what else is going on," Hasson said.
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