Friday, May 19, 2006

Triumphant Return of the Friday Roundup

For the past few weeks I've but the blog on the back-burner, and for some reason I stopped my Friday tradition of clearing my desk of the various stories that have collected over the course of the week. Maybe it was bloggers-block, or maybe I just needed some encouragement. Anyway, here are a few of the things that happened this week that I thought I'd point out, in case you missed them:

  • SEIU Releases New Radio Ad. I heard this anti-Healey ad on the radio a few days ago. Now, I'm no Healey sympathizer, but it rubbed me the wrong way. If you folks at SEIU are going to steal from Billionaires for Bush, at least make it entertaining.
  • Thoughts on Fall River MCAS Flap. Nelson Hockert-Lotz, a business owner in New Bedford, has an interesting take on MCAS as a graduation requirement. The current system, he says, rewards high school dropouts who can always get their GED after dropping out to avoid taking the MCAS tests. In his opinion, a student who "passes his school classes but fails the math portion of the MCAS five times - and still does not drop out of school - that kid deserves to earn a high school diploma."
  • Speaking of Fall River... Foes of the proposed Fall River LNG terminal scored a victory this week. The Rhode Island House of Representatives has voted to effectively ban LNG tankers from most sections of Narragansett Bay. The bill passed the House unanimously, 55 to 0, but still needs approval by the Senate. RI Governor Don Carcieri also opposes the Fall River LNG site.
  • Galluccio Out. Cambridge City Councilor Anthony D. Galluccio has quit the race for Sen. Jarrett Barrios' seat. Galluccio had announced when Barrios was still running for the Middlesex DA job, and it was clear that when Barrios instead opted to run for reelection that Galluccio no longer had much of a chance. What are all those cabs with Galluccio stickers on them going to do now?
  • Weld Struggling in NY. The latest Quinnipiac Poll has former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld behind in the New York Republican Gubernatorial primary to John Faso 30 - 21 percent, with 42 percent undecided. Democratic candidate and NY Attorney General Elliot Spitzer beats Weld in a hypothetical matchup by nearly fifty points -- 66 to 17. (via Political Wire)
  • Where Did I Leave my Keys? Do you have a question? Maybe the NSA can help. They "really listen to our problems." (via BoingBoing)
What else is on your mind?