Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: May 2

The United Way is still accepting donations to benefit the victims of the Lake Williams condo fire.

1. There will be a fundraiser to benefit two of the victims in the recent Lake Williams condominium fire. Toby and Heather Bourke lost everything they owned in the fire and were married this past Saturday. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Marlborough Moose Family Center. For more information visit the event page on Facebook. 2. All money raised in Marlborough through the United Way of Tri-County goes to support Marlborough programs such as the Marlborough pantry (who have been working diligently to meet the needs of families from the Lake Williams condos), Boys & Girls Clubs, SMOC & the Boy Scouts. Also, the pantry extended their hours of operation to support families in crisis as well as made clothing donations and grocery packages …

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Letters to the Editor

LETTER: Sen. Eldridge Asks for Primary Support in Dem Committee Race

State Senator Jamie Eldridge asks supporters to throw their collective weight behind a good friend and colleague.

To the Editor: I am writing to ask voters choosing the Democratic ballot in the Massachusetts presidential primary on Tuesday, March 6 to cast your vote for Kate Donaghue for Democratic State Committeewoman. Those paying close attention or who are involved in Democratic politics probably know Kate Donaghue well. There has been a lot written in recent letters to the editor also in support of her about her work ethic, dedication to Democratic principles, and her help in getting so many public officials elected, including myself. All of this is true. As someone who is extremely proud as the State Senator of the Middlesex & Worcester district to work on so many public policy issues of the values behind Kate’s commitment to the Democratic Party…

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Counting the Votes

Redistricting is Debated on Beacon Hill

A weekly column detailing the votes of your elected officials in their capacities here and in Washington.

Editor's Note: Information is coming in slowly as we start this column, but State Senator Jamie Eldridge's office has graciously provided us with the details of what of his recent activity on Beacon Hill.  Senator Eldridge participated in an assortment of meetings and hearings on Beacon Hill this past week: Hearing on Citizens United Response Legislation Earlier this week, the Joint Committee on Elections held a hearing on two bills Senator Eldridge has filed in response to the Supreme Court's disastrous 2010 Citizens United decision.  As you may know, by a 5-4 vote, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court struck down bipartisan legislation that had limited corporations from spending their general treasury funds on political …

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Expanding the Gambling Bill on Beacon Hill

A weekly column detailing the votes of your elected officials in their capacities here and in Washington.

Editor's Note: Information is coming in slowly as we try to start this column, but for our first installment, State Senator Jamie Eldridge's office has graciously provided us with the details of what he voted for and against last week.  Supplemental Budget: The Senate voted unanimously Thursday to pass a spending bill that allocates $153 million for state budget accounts and adds $350 million into the rainy day fund. Highlights of this supplemental budget include: -$6.2 million to assist communities affected by the ice storm from March of 2008, and $2.8 million to assist communities affected by last year’s flooding. - $12 million for trial court administration, with language delaying any court closures or relocations until the new civil …

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Evergreen Solar to Lay Off 800 Employees, Marlborough HQ Safe for Now

Evergreen Solar, a Marlborough-based green company, announces their plan to close the Devens manufacturing facility in the coming months.

The future looks grim for employees of Evergreen Solar, a green company that manufactures String Ribbon solar power products from various international locations, including their corporate office in Marlborough. The company recently announced that they will close their manufacturing facility in Devens  by the end of their first quarter in 2011 due to the competitive prices surfacing in European and Chinese markets. This decision will impact approximately 800 employees. President and Chief Executive Officer Michael El-Hillow said in the company’s press release, “Solar manufacturers in China have received considerable government and financial support and, together with their low manufacturing costs, have become price leaders within the …

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Q&A with State Senator Jamie Eldridge

Patch sits down with the state senator from Acton for an informal interview to discuss current events, life as a senator and the mounting snow on the ground.

Q: The horrific tragedy in Arizona is still very much on people’s minds. What was your initial reaction when you first heard about the shootings? You are out in public frequently. Has this made you more “cautious” or do you simply accept that in your position, there is and always be some sort of inherent risk? A: The first thing I thought about was staff. There was a lot of staff there (from Congresswoman Giffords’ office), and one staff member was killed. I just thought of my own staff because a lot of times, angry people will come into my office and I might not be there, but my staff is always there. I often go to events four or five nights a week and during the day, and I think you just sort of accept that there will always be people …

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Letters to the Editor

Senator Eldridge Reacts to Evergreen Solar Layoffs

State Senator Jamie Eldridge reacts with an OpEd piece to the recent news of layoffs by Evergreen Solar, ones that could also spread to the Marlborough facility.

Evergreen Solar: Learning from Our Mistakes  Evergreen Solar’s decision last week to shutter its manufacturing facility at Devens, laying off over 800 employees, is deeply disappointing -- not only for our region but for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our state government made a substantial investment - nearly $60 million dollars - in Evergreen Solar, with the hope of creating hundreds of permanent jobs. The closure at Devens means the loss of hundreds of jobs and the failure of this investment. Our first step is to get the soon to be laid-off employees help with unemployment assistance and, where necessary, job re-training, while making sure that the state gets as many taxpayer dollars as possible back from Evergreen Solar. We …

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