Published January 27, 2011

Gov. Deval Patrick has unveiled a new budget that would cut local aid, state police, public defenders and counseling for job seekers. The 2012 budget calls for $570 million in cuts — the deepest cuts in 20 years, the administration said.

Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday (AP)

The biggest victim is a program that provides emergency shelters for homeless families. As WBUR’s Fred Thys reports, some advocates for the homeless are OK with that. Patrick also proposes to increase the budget for long-term housing.

Everyone gets hit, the Globe reports. Even a bottle of Gatorade would cost an extra nickel.

The Herald notes Patrick’s budget would hike up car insurance and prescription drug co-pays. The plan would close two state prisons.

Patrick says he can save $1 billion on Medicaid (health care for poor people) by renegotiating state contracts with providers. Advocate Michael Widmer of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation doesn’t think that’s doable, though.

Patrick is proposing to boost funding for K-12 education and programs that combat youth violence. He is also touting business-friendly tax cuts and capital investments.

Now it’s up to the Legislature to draft its own budget and quarrel with the governor over details. The 2012 fiscal year begins July 1.

Update: Reporter S.P. Sullivan at MassLive.com has a comprehensive budget roundup.

Published January 26, 2011

Another Nor’easter is coming. You know the drill: Move ya cah, stay off the roads, shovel ya sidewalks, etc. Newest information on top; refresh for updates.

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5:12 p.m.: A final link to close out the live blog: Mark Lecesse tells us which meteorologist got the storm most right. Hint: NECN’s Matt Noyes.

11:00: BOS-NYC Amtrak service is back.

10:23: Excellent advice from CommonHealth: 10 Tips To Protect Your Back While Shoveling

10:11: Somerville resident Kevin Andrews has amassed an impressive mountain of snow:

Kevin Andrew adds to the pile of snow on his front yard as he clears his driveway in Somerville on Thursday morning. (Josh Reynolds/AP)

9:53: Here is the latest from the newsroom on those men rescued safely in Lynn:

Fire authorities blame heavy snowfall for the roof collapse at a parking garage early this morning.

Two shuttle bus drivers for a senior-services agency were trapped inside the garage for a couple of hours.

Deputy Fire Chief James MacDonald said his rescue team had to saw through steel beams and corrugated metal to get to the men. MacDonald said he is worried this type of accident could happen again.

“We’ve had a lot of snow, we’re going to get more. Buildings like this don’t get shoveled off. We’re just at the mercy of the construction of buildings that people are working in,” he said.

The men did not appear to be hurt. They were taken to Mass. General Hospital as a precaution.

9:30: From Boston.com blogger Garrett Quinn: “More snow, more cold. It’s still not 1978 no matter how much people want it to be. The end.”

9:25: Here’s the view from my window in Cambridge. Looks like the trucks who plow the back parking lot are still sleeping.

View from my window, Cambridge (Andrew Phelps/WBUR)

9:17: With the storm all but wrapped up, Boston has received some 62 inches of snow — almost a full Smoot, or about 0.7 Shaqs. Normally for this time of season, the total snowfall is about 19 inches.

8:44: Two people were rescued from the roof collapse in Lynn.

8:41: Guess what? More snow is forecast for Saturday — but it’s not supposed to stick.

8:37: Brookline Schools are closed.

8:35. How much of the white stuff came down? Boston got about one foot. Some areas got as much as 15 inches. Cape Cod got about 8 inches. “It came down fast and furious overnight,” said Channel 5 meteorologist Mike Wankum.

8:31: Power outages were relatively few, said Peter Judge, head of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. He said 1,400 homes are without power, mostly in Plymouth County, down from  5,700 at the peak. Despite coastal flood warnings, there is no serious flooding.

Judge said the state’s highways look clear.

8:25: Except on parts of the Cape, the storm has passed.

8:22 The MBTA website is down, but @mbtaGM is a great resource on Twitter.

8:20: In terms of travel… A Green “D” Line train derailed at Reservoir Station. No one was hurt, and passengers are being bused.

MBTA General Manager Richard Davey: “I would say the system is running with minor, if any delays. With commuter rail, I would ask customers to be mindful that they should expect five to 15-minute delays.”

Davey said there are about 30-minute delays on the Franklin Line. High-speed Red Line service in Mattapan is suspended. Amtrak trains between Boston and New York are suspended.

One runway is open at Logan. A second runway is expected to open by 9 a.m. Some arrivals have come in since the worst of the storm ended, but flights are not expected to return to normal until Friday afternoon.

8:14: The heavy snow caused a roof to to collapse at a parking garage in Lynn, trapping two people inside. Officials are concerned about the structural integrity of the building, which is complicating rescue efforts. Rescuers are in contact with the two people over cell phone. The Globe has more.

Thursday, 8:08 a.m. WCVB has the complete list of school closures and delays.

7:29: Boston Public Schools are closed Thursday. (There was some confusion about this while the BPS site is down.)

7:10: Parking bans are in effect in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Arlington. Watertown ban starts at 9. In Somerville, parking is permitted on the odd-numbered side of the street.

7:05: You’re getting towed right now.

5:05: Effective 1 a.m., the entire Massachusetts coastline is under a flood warning.

4:59: Wow, Boston has received more than 50 inches of snow since Dec. 22.

4:48 p.m., Snow is already dusting some areas, including here at Boston University, and is expected to get heavier this evening. An emergency parking ban begins at 7 p.m. in Boston. A winter storm warning lasts till 10 a.m. Thursday.

Snowfall will be heavy at times, falling at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Total accumulation could be 6-10 inches. Temps in the low 20s.

The snow should end in the middle of the morning commute.

Published January 25, 2011

Chuck Turner, whose career in public service swiftly ended with a corruption conviction, will serve three years in federal prison.

Chuck Turner (WBUR)

Turner, 70, must also serve three years probation. He was convicted in October 2010 of accepting a $1,000 bribe from an FBI informant and then lying to the authorities. He is to forfeit the $1,000.

U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock on Tuesday ordered Turner to report to prison in 60 days, on March 25.

“It is the obligation of every elected official to be ethical and honest, and in this case, Mr. Turner was neither,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz in a statement.

“Public corruption is more than a violation of the law, it erodes the public’s trust in the very system that was designed to protect us.”

Turner said he would appeal.

Undercover video footage, obtained by WBUR, showed the FBI informant, Ron Wilburn, passing something green, presumed to be money, to Turner.

At trial, Turner said he did not remember the 2007 exchange.

Turner’s sentencing was something of a “trial within a trial,” as prosecutors raised new charges of perjury before the judge. When Turner took the stand in his own defense, the government argued, he lied about his meeting with Wilburn. The judge agreed.

Turner again insisted his prosecution was racially motivated. Ortiz, the U.S. attorney, called that claim outrageous.

Turner’s prison sentence invalidates his lawsuit against the Boston City Council, which he filed after being expelled from the board in December 2010. Under Massachusetts law, incarcerated felons may not hold public office.

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 33-41 months. Turner had asked for probation but no prison time.

Former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, who was arrested in the same operation, pleaded guilty to accepting at least $23,500 in bribes. She will serve 42 months, or three-and-a-half years, in federal prison.

This is a developing story. WBUR’s David Boeri, at the federal courthouse, contributed reporting.

Published January 25, 2011

Sen. John Kerry, himself a hunting enthusiast, is taking steps to strengthen national gun laws after the mass shooting in Tucson.

Sen. John Kerry

Legislation announced Tuesday would ban the possession or sale of high-capacity magazines. On Jan. 8, alleged Arizona shooter Jared Loughner is said to have used the magazine to fire 30 shots before stopping to reload.

Another  provision would ban firearm purchases at gun shows without a background check and would require registration of gun show promoters.

Said Kerry:

As a lifelong hunter, I know that no one is going to mess with the constitutional right to bear arms, but rights come with responsibilities, and criminals and the mentally unstable do not have a right to avoid background checks or carry military style assault weapons.

Massachusetts’ senior senator co-sponsored the legislation along with gun-control advocate Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.).

Local advocates are looking to President Obama to endorse some kind of gun control legislation in tonight’s State of the Union.

“The president has to set the tone, the goals, the programs, regarding eliminating illegal guns,” said New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang, who is also president of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association. “I also think that, you know, the first order of business is for everyone to rally around the prohibition on the extended clips.”

Earlier:

• Tucson Shootings Revive Calls For Tougher Gun Laws

Published January 25, 2011

Chuck Turner (WBUR)

On this day of sentencing for ex-City Councilor Chuck Turner, WBUR’s David Boeri reports on an angle that has caught my attention: Why is the government essentially punishing Turner for pleading not guilty?

In his federal corruption trial, Turner took the stand in his own defense, despite his attorney’s pleas to the contrary. Along the way Turner launched a campaign to shame the government for its efforts — as he saw it — to “target and eliminate black officials.” Turner called the FBI an “evil institution.”

From the government’s sentencing recommendations:

While his public campaign has pandered to a few faithful supporters, he could hardly have done more to promote the public’s cynicism about elected officials and to erode trust in the rule of law. His post-indictment conduct has amplified the crimes for which he was charged.  He has sought to undermine the integrity of the judicial process. As a result, Turner is uniquely undeserving of a downward departure or deviation.

In other words: Turner insulted the system, so he shouldn’t get off easy. The memorandum recommends up to 41 months in prison.

That’s the same sentence dished out to ex-state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, who was busted in the same case on more substantial charges. The two personalities couldn’t be more opposite: She resigned her seat, pleaded guilty and begged a judge for mercy.

A defendant’s conduct does not determine his guilt or innocence, but oftentimes it does determine punishment.

What’s novel is that prosecutors now accuse Turner of perjury for testifying he did not remember meeting FBI informant Ron Wilburn, who handed Turner the fake bribe he was convicted of taking.

Boeri interviewed Boston defense attorney Harvey Silverglate:

“It is your constitutional right to plead not guilty,” Silverglate said. “What the government is doing in this sentencing memorandum is suggesting that Turner, for insisting he is not guilty, should be punished extra severely. That’s highly improper.”

[…]

Turner’s testimony was considered a disaster that led to his conviction. Prosecutors call it “perjury” and want the judge to punish and thereby “condemn Turner’s contempt for the court as an institution.”

“Well, the government claims it is perjury. However, it is perfectly understandable how somebody like Turner, who sees in some days dozens of people, would not remember seeing Wilburn,” Silverglate said.

Turner is asking for supervised probation, no prison time. That would let Turner proceed with his lawsuit against the City Council for expelling him from the board.

Chuck Turner might say the government is not playing fair — but at the end of the day, he is on the losing side of this war.