Daily Archives: May 9, 2011

Patrick Outlines Youth Violence-Prevention Plan

Published May 9, 2011

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Two days after a 19-year-old became Boston’s ninth homicide victim of the year, Gov. Deval Patrick today proposed tougher gun laws in an attempt to reduce youth violence.

Patrick says he’s filing legislation that “provides public safety officials with new criminal sanctions and investigative tools to go after guns and gangs.” It would also create three new felonies:

  • assault and battery with a firearm;
  • assault with a firearm;
  • being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Additionally, the governor says he wants to create a public-private fund of $10 million to pay for existing anti-violence resource gaps and intervention programs.

“We’re losing too many children to gun- and gang-related violence,” Patrick said. “The life of any young person is not expendable. We have to act and we have to act together.” He spoke at Mattapan’s Mildred Avenue Community Center, and was joined by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Attorney General Martha Coakley and other political and community leaders.

The proposal comes a day after the 15th annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Dorchester and two days after a yet-to-be-identified 19-year-old man was shot and killed when an afternoon fight broke out at Dorchester’s Savin Hill T stop.

Saturday’s killing was the city’s ninth homicide — and second teen victim — of the year. Boston’s overall murder figure is down, compared to this point last year.

Earlier:

Monday Morning: Menino Watches Cable Companies

Published May 9, 2011

Following multiple rate hikes by Comcast, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is asking the federal government to give the city control over cable rates. Menino plans to file an emergency petition with the FCC asking for permission to regulate the cable industry in Boston.

Police departments across Massachusetts are noticing a big jump in certain types of crime and they’re attributing much of it to the rise of prescription drug addiction, WBUR’s Deborah Becker reports.

Stuck in a doctor’s waiting room, it always feels like you’ll never get in to have that sore throat examined. Turns out, wait times in many doctors’ offices across the state have been climbing and many Mass. doctors aren’t taking new patients.

Some analysts predict that sky-high gas prices will tumble back to earth just in time for the summer driving season, according to the Herald. At just about $4 per gallon, falling gas prices will be welcome relief.

It looks like high prices have hit everything that can get you going. Gas prices are high, sure, but the price of coffee beans is at a historic high and that production cost is being passed on to consumers.

The South Shore saw an influx of immigrants from Asia, according to numbers from the latest census. Chinese immigrants are still the region’s most populous immigrant group, but immigrants from India and Vietnam have surged in the last decade.

The Celtics will look to even their playoff series with the Miami Heat tonight at the Garden. Celtics guard Rajon Rondo played through an elbow dislocation in the team’s win Saturday, and he’ll need to continue to energize the team if the Celtics hope to head back to Miami with the series knotted at two.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on the continuing developments in the DiMasi corruption trial, the full face transplant recipient who is ready to leave the hospital for home and Menino’s foray into cable regulation.