2 suspended in Mass. after prison release errors

The Boston globe reported that two state prison employees were suspended last week (with pay) when one inmate was released too early and a second inmate was released past his release date. Mistakes with both inmates occurred last Thursday at a minimum-security pre-release center located in Roslindale (Boston).

A convicted drug dealer was released 11 months early but was taken back into custody after only a a fewer hours once the mistake was discovered. The second inmate was release 2 months later than he should have been after completing his sentence for manslaughter.  For full article

A Great Law for Animals and Abused Victims

Advocates for domestic violence are pushing to pass a bill in which pets are included under restraining order. The bill was filed by D-Watertown Peter Koutoujian. The bill is insisted to help those who were in a domestic situation where the animal as well as the person was the victim. In other word judges are able to include pets in the restraining orders in the case of domestic abuse. Other states have passed a similar bill and Massachusetts will be tagging along in the days to come. Based on research, people are more prone to leave their animals behind and not seek help. “By helping insures the pet is OK, we’re really helping people, too.” said the director of advocacy for the MSPCA. In one incident, one victim stayed with her abusers because while she had a restraining order put on her former husband, her tabby cat and beagle were not on the restraining order. She stayed because she feared that her former husband was going to retaliate by putting her animals at risk. She eventually left the animals behind. After two months of leaving her husband, he began stalking her in which she later filed a police report on him. He then retaliated by killing them.

People who commit such horrendous acts of crime should pay because animals are seened as humans too and if they abuse others then they would have to pay also. It is crazy how far a person would go to retaliate on a person. Passing this bill will allow animals to be free of cruelty as well as seek the help in the case of domestic abuse they need.

Number of Homeless Families Living in Motels Decreasing

State statistics are showing that the number of homeless families living in motels throughout Massachusetts has declined since february, but it is costing the state close to $2 million a month to provide them places to live. State leaders are trying to prominently address homelessness after the death of a baby at a hotel in West Springfield and abuse of two children at a Westfield motel, both families were homeless. A way to address the problem would be to continue the the fight for more affordable housing to give families a new start.

The event Ending Homelessness in Western Massachusetts: A Progress Report, will take place at Holyoke Community College on April 26 from 9:30 to 11 a.m to discuss on the shift from shelter-living to housing in eliminating homelessness in Massachusetts.

Read the full article here.

Sex offender arrested after visit to high school

An unregistered Level 2 sex offender attempted to dismiss a 15 year old girl from Auburn High School and was arrested shortly after. According to police, Mr. Banfill was seeking the early dismissal of a 15-year-old girl and said he was her stepfather. The secretary refused Mr. Banfill’s request because he repeatedly mispronounced the student’s name. When Mr. Banfill left the building, a teacher saw him walking near a gym class that was being held outside, police said.
According to police, the teacher said Mr. Banfill appeared to be sending a text message or taking pictures of the students in the gym class with his cell phone. The teacher alerted the front office, which alerted Officer Kennedy. Police say they do not know if Mr. Banfill did take any photos of the students. Mr. Banfill was arraigned Tuesday in Central District Court in Worcester. Bail was set at $700, according to court documents. The state will seek mandatory lifetime parole if he is convicted. Full story.

Demand Growing for Family Services

As many families continue to suffer through the economic recession, the Massachusetts town of Westboro is finding that the demand for services at their youth and family services department has grown.

Services include counseling to the town's low-income and at-risk population, which many people have been seeking to help them deal with stress in the family, often due to financial reasons. The department has a small budget and strongly relies on donations. This high demand has led them to consider charging a fee, such as $20 per session, but the majority of people who use the services could not afford this and would not be charged anyways.

Teens Charged with Arson

Two Pittsfield teenagers have been charged with arson for allegedly dousing a house in gasoline and settting it on fire on April 12th, 2010. The teens, Liam Culver and Jordan Errichetto, have denied these charges but evidence is working against them. Apparently these two boys have had made several online threats towards a teen residing in the house over an ex-girlfriend and have been known to bully the resident.
As previous articles on this blog have stated bullying has become a serious issue in our society today. Teenagers are taking it to new fars threatening the lives of many, leaving police officers baffled.
To read the full article visit The Berkshire Eagle at http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_14886636?source=most_viewed

Lack of Bank Accounts Cost "Gateway Cities" Big Time

Something as seemingly simple as having a bank account would have saved Gateway cities, like Springfield, Worcester, Holyoke and Brockton, an estimated $72 million a year. Recent research shows that these cities are less likely to have traditional bank accounts and more likely to use check cashing services. These services tend to have high fees, which add more financial strain on already struggling communities. Read more.