Big Dig costs continue to swamp state
BOSTON (AP) — State overseers of the Big Dig highway project acknowledged yesterday that the project will ultimately cost the taxpayers $22 billion by the time the debt is paid off 30 years from now — nearly 50 percent higher than the most recent official pricetag.
Transportation officials said that raising the state gas tax and adding or increasing tolls are not on the table, despite the deep debt and long list of highway and bridge projects. Administration officials said they are concentrating instead on reforms to save money, including ongoing personnel cuts at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, eliminating consulting contracts and cutting back on staff overtime.
"Right now, our plan is focused exclusively on reform," said Jeffrey Mullan, undersecretary and general counsel to the Executive Office of Transportation.
"The governor isn't convinced that we've found the efficiencies that are necessary in our transportation organization to look seriously at new revenues now."
But Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, said the state could be forced to raise the gas tax or increase tolls as it struggles to pay off the debt and keep up with much-needed maintenance and repairs.
"We've been warning about this issue and the consequences of this issue for a decade," said Widmer.
The Big Dig has been plagued by a series of problems, including cost overruns and construction flaws culminating in a 2006 tunnel ceiling collapse that killed a woman.
Western Mass. mayors warn Patrick on tax proposal
AMHERST (AP) — A group of mayors have warned Gov. Deval Patrick that their communities will be financially crippled if voters eliminate the state income tax this fall.
They spoke out during a public meeting of Patrick's cabinet at an Amherst community center.
Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette said his town would have to cut its $150 million annual budget by a third if voters approve the ballot proposal in November.
Prior to arriving at Amherst, Patrick attended a closed-door meeting of the Statewide Anti-Crime Council in Springfield. Public Safety and Security Secretary Kevin Burke said the group discussed programs that prepare criminal offenders for re-entering society.
Patrick was scheduled to end his day with a town hall-style meeting at Holyoke Heritage State Park.
LNG firm to pursue offshore Fall River berth
WASHINGTON (AP) — The company hoping to build an LNG terminal in Fall River, Mass., said yesterday it is focusing on an alternate plan for an offshore berth in Mount Hope Bay to receive tanker deliveries.
The original proposal from Weaver's Cove Energy depended on tankers traveling up the Taunton River to Fall River.
Critics, including Fall River officials and members of the state's congressional delegation, worked to block the original proposal, saying it poses unacceptable risks to the heavily populated area. That plan also was opposed by officials in nearby Rhode Island.
The Weaver's Cove announcement came one day after the House voted to extend federal "wild and scenic" environmental protection to the Taunton River, dealing a setback to the company's plan for an LNG terminal on an urbanized stretch of riverbank in Fall River. The Massachusetts congressional delegation was behind the bill.
Under the new plan, tankers would unload LNG offshore into a four-mile underwater pipeline to Fall River. Company officials said the proposed offshore berth would be located about one mile from the nearest shoreline and two miles south of the Braga Bridge.
Toddler drowns in Auburn family's pool
AUBURN (AP) — Police are investigating the drowning of a 2-year-old toddler at her family's Auburn home.
Police Chief Andrew Sluckis Jr. said the girl was found by a parent yesterday morning in an inground pool at her family home. She was not breathing.
The girl, whose name has not been released, was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and pronounced dead.
Police said it's not clear how the girl ended up in the water or how long she was submerged.
Her death marks the second drowning in Auburn in two days. Police said 86-year-old Victor DeLollis perished Wednesday in the Upper Stoneville Reservoir.
Fishermen prepare for Vineyard shark tournament
EDGARTOWN (AP) — Dozens of fishermen are getting ready for a shark tournament off Martha's Vineyard despite protests from animal rights activists.
Organizer Steven James said about 200 boats will head out today and tomorrow angling for mako, thresher and porbeagle sharks.
The Humane Society of the United States has criticized the tournament as cruel and says the laws protecting sharks aren't strict enough. Town selectmen also have banned the fishermen from using public land to stage the tournament.
James said 24 sharks were caught last year in a tournament with 262 boats. He said the Humane Society is on an "antifishing jihad."
