MassDOT Dedicates Framingham Bridge to Greg Vilidnitsky

The MassDOT engineer was struck and killed in 2010, while working on Route 9 in Framingham.

MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey, Highway Administrator Frank DePaola, State Rep. Chris Walsh, and other elected officials attended a bridge dedication ceremony Wednesday for Greg Vilidnitsky, a MassDOT Engineer, who was struck and killed on Sept. 14, 2010, while working on Route 9 in Framingham.   Vilidnitsky started working with MassDOT in 2008 and was immediately noticed by his colleagues and supervisors for his superior work ethic and talent.  Almost immediately, his supervisors began grooming him to become a Resident Engineer for MassDOT's Highway Division.   “By all accounts, Greg Vilidnitsky was a true leader and an outstanding example of the kind of qualities we, at MassDOT, strive toward each day,” said Secretary Davey …

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News From Your State Representative

House Budget Increase Framingham School Funding by $930,000

The additional funding means Framingham would receive $30,436,960 in school funding in fiscal year 2014, up from $28,083,629 last year.

As the House wrapped up its first day of budget debate, Framingham received an additional $937,110 in school funding as Framingham representatives Chris Walsh, Tom Sannicandro, and Tom Conroy joined colleagues in passing an amendment boosting aid for local schools. The additional funding means Framingham would receive $30,436,960 in school funding in fiscal year 2014, up from $28,083,629 last year. “While working together as a Framingham delegation we were able to give a much needed increase in education funding to the district.” Rep. Walsh said in a press release. “The increase in funding for Framingham represents the commitment we must continue to uphold, in order to bring communities that in the past have been underfunded in education …

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Photo of the Day

Immigrants Day at the State House

Monday, April 8 is Immigrants Day at the Massachusetts State House, and Framingham was well represented.

Today, April 8 is Immigrants Day at the Massachusetts Statehouse. Thanks to Kira Gagarin for the photo. Pictured are Gagarin, Dan Schullman and Ilma Paixao as well as Framingham State Representatives Tom Sannicandro and Chris Walsh.

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Elected Officials, Staff Members Holding Office Hour Friday Morning

Staff members from Sen. Warren and Rep. Markey and Sen. Karen Spilka, and Representatives Conroy, Sannicandro and Walsh will hold a joint office hour this morning at 10:30 a.m.

Staff members from the offices of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA) will be joined by Massachusetts Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland), State Representatives Tom Sannicandro (D-Ashland), Chris Walsh (D-Framingham), and staff from the office of State Representative Tom Conroy (D-Wayland) today at the Congressman Markey's office at 188 Concord St., Suite 102, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. “These office hours are a great way for people to share their concerns about what’s happening in Washington or to ask for assistance with the federal government,” said Sen. Warren in a press release. “This is a chance for us to hear from local residents about the issues that matter to them, so I can best represent …

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Framingham Receives S.A.F.E. Grant To Educate Students on Fire Safety

The mission of the S.A.F.E. program is to provide students with the information needed to recognize the dangers of fire, including the fire hazards that smoking-related materials pose.

Town of Framingham will receive a $7,625 grant through the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) Program, to help educate students about fire prevention and safety. The grant was announced in a joint press release from Sen Karen Spilka, Rep. Chris Walsh and Rep. Tom Sannicandro. “The S.A.F.E program is a great way to increase fire education and allows local fire departments to show our students how to prevent fires and what they should do in an emergency,” said Spilka in the release. “This grant will ensure our students have the skills they need to be safe and prepared in their everyday lives. I am pleased that the towns in my district that applied for funding have been awarded grants through this invaluable program.” “S.A.F.E. is…

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Legislators Serve Soup, Dinner at Downtown Cafe

Sen. Karen Spilka, Sen. James Eldridge, Rep. Chris Walsh and Rep. Tom Sannicandro put on an apron and lent a hand serving hungry families and individuals at the Pearl Street Cupboard & Café Tuesday night.

MetroWest state senators and representatives spent an hour serving up chicken noodle soup and chicken parm Tuesday night. Sen. Karen Spilka, Sen. James Eldridge, Rep. Chris Walsh and Rep. Tom Sannicandro put on an apron and lent a hand serving hungry families and individuals at the Pearl Street Cupboard & Café in downtown Framingham Tuesday night, Jan. 15. Spilka, Walsh and Sannicandro all represent Framingham. Besides serving food, the legislative delegation spent time lending an ear to those in need. "We are delighted that our local elected officials are helping shine some light on our Pearl Street Cupboard & Café. The number of those in need of food has increased by 400 percent at our Pearl Street Cupboard in the last year alone. The …

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Exploring Education

Charter School Hosts Legislative Delegation

The eighth grade students asked the legislators what inspired them to get involved in politics and government.

Friday morning, eighth grade scholars at the Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter School in Framingham had the opportunity to ask questions of the school's state representatives and state senator as part of the first-ever state legislator day at the middle school. Sen. Karen Spilka, who grew up in New York City, wanted to be a diver when she was younger. She started her political career as a social worker, after graduating from Northeastern University she told a classroom full of eighth grade scholars. Rep. Tom Conroy said an issue close to his heart is trying to solving homelessness. Representatives David Linsky and Alice Peisch talked to students about how long it takes a bill to become a law, how many bills sit in committee and never make…

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NSTAR, Route 9, Pedestrian Safety and Taxation on Legislative Priority List

Framingham Selectmen met with three of the four members of its local state legislative delegation Tuesday night.

Framingham Selectmen met with three of the four members of its local state legislative delegation Tuesday night. State Sen. Karen Spilka was not in attendance, but representatives Chris Walsh, Tom Sannicandro and Tom Conroy were. Selectmen laid out a number of concerns they wanted lawmakers to take back to Beacon Hill, including:  * Tools to address blighted properties. A bill, filed during the last session  to enable Framingham to use municipal liens to help reclaim and restore properties being ignored by owners, and a proposal to establish a Housing Court in Framingham, will be pursued again in the upcoming session. "We need a housing court, we need a place to hear those issues that has that knowledge and can give us some enforcement …

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Can Route 9 Be Made Safer at Railroad Crossing/Fire Station?

Framingham State Rep. Chris Walsh had a conversation with MassDOT Monday following the death of a Framingham State University senior Friday night. The students was struck by two vehicles as she tried to cross Route 9.

If you have ever driven Route 9, you've likely witnessed a pedestrian trying to dodge car and trucks to get to the other side. It happens even more frequently at the intersection of Route 9 and Maynard Road where there are no guardrails and jersey barriers, as there is an opening for the railroad crossing and also an opening for the Framingham Fire Station. Friday, Framingham State University senior Colleen Kelly, 21, was struck by not one but two vehicles trying to cross Route 9 after 10 p.m. She made it halfway across Route 9 when she was struck in the westbound lane, thrown into the eastbound lane, where she was hit again. Both Framingham drivers stopped.  Framingham Police are investigating. Repeatedly, throughout the semester, …

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Take a Hike: Aqueduct Trail from Saxonville to Nobscot Opens

On a picture-perfect October morning, state and local officials joined neighbors to officially open a portion of the Weston Aqueduct trail and stroll along its path.

A mile-long section of the trail atop the Weston Aqueduct is no longer off limits to dog walkers, joggers, stroller pushers or children hunting for colorful autumn leaves. Nearly anyone can now access to the trail, which connects northern Saxonville with Nobscot and runs from Elm Street to Water Street. There remains a restriction on motorized vehicles along the aqueduct. The town and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority consummated an agreement that opened the trail to the public Monday, after decades of rusted no trespassing signs thwarted the ambitions of those who enjoy a stroll through the urban woods. “This idea, this opportunity just needed the right time and place to gel,” said Framingham State Rep. Chris Walsh, who was …

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