Coronavirus

Acting Mayor Janey Announces Vaccination Mandate For City Employees

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Acting Mayor Kim Janey announced on Thursday that all city employees must report their COVID-19 vaccination status or submit to weekly testing. But the testing mandate will be phased in during two months. The updated policy applies to all city employees, onsite contractors and volunteers who provide services onsite at city worksites. That includes all full-time, part-time, seasonal, emergency and probationary workers. The requirement to report one's vaccination status doesn't begin until August 30, when employees can begin to upload their vaccination verification information into the Vaccination Verification online portal.

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Elections

Councilor Andrea Campbell Announces Mayoral Candidacy

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District 4 City Councilor Andrea Campbell has thrown her hat into the ring to be the next mayor of Boston. "In this profound moment of reckoning for our country and our city, as people rise up to demand change, Boston needs leadership that not only understands, but has lived the systemic inequities facing our residents every day," said Campbell on her campaign site. "I’m running for Mayor to be that leader, to confront racism head-on, eradicate inequities, and finally make Boston a City that works for everyone." Campbell was the first the first Black woman to serve as Boston City Council president, and was long rumored to be running for mayor. Campbell announced her candidacy on Thursday in front of 1850 Washington St.

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Police and Fire

Boston Police Commissioner Defends Meeting with AG Barr

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U.S. Attorney General William Barr was in Boston on Thursday and met with Boston Police Commissioner William Gross. That meeting sparked criticism from many elected officials, and led to Gross defending why he met with the controversial head of the Department of Justice. The U.S. Department of Justice tweeted out a photo of Barr and Gross shoulder-to-shoulder, and not wearing masks together in Boston. Supposedly it was the first time a sitting U.S. Attorney General had visited the Boston Police Department. As chief legal counsel to the president, Barr has most recently been widely condemned for ordering peaceful protestors to be teargassed in Washington D.C. to clear the way for President Trump to walk where the protestors were occupying so he could do a photo op.

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Government

Mayor Walsh Declares Racism a Public Health Crisis and Reallocates BPD Overtime $

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Saying that Boston needs to be a leader in battling racism, Mayor Marty Walsh declared racism a public health crisis. He also announced that 20% or $12 million of the Boston Police Department's overtime budget will be reallocated as investments in equity and inclusion in the city. "In Boston, we embrace the opportunity this moment and this movement offers us," said Walsh on Friday. "We stand with our Black community and communities of color to lead the change toward a more just and equitable society. With these actions, we will increase equity in public safety and public health, and launch a conversation that can produce lasting, systemic change to eliminate all the ways that racism and inequality harm our residents."

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Government

City Council Sworn In: Mejia’s Moving American Dream Memory, Diversity, and Astrology

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Mayor Marty Walsh and the Boston City Council were sworn into office on Monday, and nothing was more moving than At-Large City Councilor Julia Mejia adding to her American Dream. We'll just let Mejia tell it. And to think that Mejia was almost not elected, as she won a recount by one vote against Alexandra St. Guillen. Not only did Mejia make history, but this current Boston City Council also changed Boston history, which was pointed out by many people, including District 4 City Councilor Andrea Campbell.

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