Low-income workers who toiled in hospitals, grocery stores and other frontline businesses during the pandemic could be getting cash bonuses under a legislative plan to spend billions of dollars in federal relief and surplus funds. The plan, rolled out by House Democrats on Monday, calls for spending $3.65 billion to make “once-in-a-generation” investments in housing,…
State Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, a literacy advocate who spearheaded the effort to join Parton’s Imagination Library, said she is thrilled by the number of families who are taking part and hopes that many more children will be registered so they too can receive these gifts. “If you can read, you can do anything,” Ferrante said.…
Cape Ann’s First R Foundation, a grass-roots literacy initiative, is working to ensure the power of words will not be lost on youngsters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, now in its 18th year, has pivoted to ensure that books get into the hands of youngsters and that the children see that community members and…
Gloucester resident Mary Jane McGlennon was honored Wednesday as a member of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women’s 2020 class of Commonwealth Heroines. “Mary Jane McGlennon embodies the spirit of this award,” said state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, who has observed McGlennon work tirelessly on behalf of Cape Ann’s most vulnerable residents. Ferrante recommended…
House leaders, including Gloucester’s Ann-Margaret Ferrante, are eyeing ways to provide oversight and support for industry viewed as critical to the success of the state’s economic recovery. “Access to safe and reliable childcare for working families is critical to getting our economy running as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cooperation and engagement…
“We know how crucial our museums, theaters, historic sites and science centers are to our community and how much our artists and cultural workers contribute to the education of our children. Their survival and vitality depend on support at the federal, state, and local level, and on the continued generosity of all of us.” Read…
On Tuesday, the Legislature’s Transportation Committee heard testimony on several bills aimed at expanding use of electric cars. One proposal, backed by Reps. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, D-Gloucester, and Lenny Mirra, R-West Newbury, would reauthorize the rebate program for low-emission and electric vehicle purchases up to $75,000 and create a new rebate offering a $400 discount on…
Donald Trump’s trade war with China has economic salvos striking in places you’d never expect. Like, say, the retaliatory tariffs that are bursting over the New England lobster industry. In September 2017, US lobstermen shipped over 1,100 metric tons to China alone. Distributors selling more lobsters resulted in beneficial stable prices for lobstermen and more…
State Rep. Ann Margaret Ferrante, D-Gloucester, said the trade wars are hurting not just lobstermen but other sectors of the seafood industry connected to it, such as processors, wholesalers, supermarkets and restaurants. “The lobster is commodity that feeds a chain of industries,” she said. “You’re talking about a supply chain of about five industries that…
Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, of Gloucester, said in a June letter that the state’s lobstering industry “has become collateral damage in the Trump Administration’s trade war with China.” Ferrante has proposed a bill that would require state officials to prepare an annual strategic report for the state’s commercial fishing and shellfish industry. The evaluation would come…
