EVENT: Wed. Feb. 25---Annual Recognition/Support Event for People With Disabilities

Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby keynotes the Barry Price Rehabilitation Center's annual recognition event. The center provides support for people with developmental and physical disabilities.

Where/When: Barry Price Rehabilitation Center, 206 Waltham St., West Newton at 7:00 PM

EVENT: Sat., Feb. 21---Equinox's Cycling for a Cause

Equinox Fitness Club in Boston is set to cycle for a cause. The Back Bay fitness Mecca is joining with Boston Medical Center to promote patient support and funding.

Spinners and teams will “purchase” a bike for four hours for a fundraising minimum of $200. Each team can decide how they would like to split the time on the bike, but the entire event will be led by a certified Equinox Instructor.

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, February 21, 2009, 11 AM - 3 PM
Equinox Fitness Clubs in Back Bay
131 Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116

EVENT: Fri., Feb. 27---PHYSICAL EXAMS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

State rules requiring schools to calculate the boddy mass index of students and relay the findings to the student’s parent or guardian are up for a public hearing on Friday in Boston. The Department of Public Health has proposed the rules as modifications to current requirements that schools annually assess the height and weight, and screen the hearing and vision, of all students. A second public hearing on the regulations is planned for March 2 in Marlborough.

(Friday, 2 pm, 250 Washington St., Boston)

EVENT: Fri., Feb. 27---UMASS FEE HIKE

UMass trustees are expected to vote on a $1,500 fee increase for in-state undergraduate students. With the five-campus university system facing a $100 million shortfall in state funding in the coming fiscal year, trustees on the finance committee have advanced a proposal to raise average fees to $11,048 from $9,548. UMass President Jack Wilson said students could receive a rebate if the state funding is replaced with federal stimulus aid. “This increase is designed to preserve academic quality and to ensure stability, but if federal dollars can be substituted for student dollars, we will eagerly rebate some or all of this increase,” Wilson said in a statement. The stimulus carries a $2,500 tuition tax credit. The 15 percent increase in fees comes after a five-year policy to keep fee hikes below or at the rate of inflation that was tied to stable funding from the state. The trustees’ agenda also includes a Master’s and PhD in mathematics at UMass-Dartmouth and appointments of tenure at the Amherst, Boston and Worcester campuses.

(Friday, 9 am, Woodland Commons Center, 285 Westport Rd., North Dartmouth)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb. 26---ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH

Dr. Henry White, clinical director of the Brookline Resilient Youth Team Program, is the guest at a briefing Thursday on an initiative to aid adolescents when they re-enter school after receiving psychiatric care. Event organizers include Rep. Kay Khan, the new co-chair of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee, and Rep. Ellen Story, as well as the Brookline Community Mental Health Center.

(Thursday, 11 am, Room A-2)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb. 26---THE LEGISLATURE MEETS

In addition to the potential Senate formal session, there also may be a formal session in the House on Thursday. No concrete plans were available on Friday. The Senate on Thursday may take up legislation reinstating state financing backing behind risky financing agreements at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

EVENT: Wed., Feb. 25---WOMEN’S ISSUES

The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women hosts a regional hearing on women’s issues. Organizers expect discussion of equal pay for equal work for women, stopping domestic violence and teen pregnancy prevention, as well as other issues.

(Wednesday, 6 pm – 8 pm, Framingham State College, College Center, Alumni Room 309, 100 State St., Framingham)

EVENT: Wed., Feb. 25---MASSHEALTH WAIVER FORUM

Several experts in health care gather for a forum on the renewal of the state’s Medicaid waiver, which sends billions of dollars to Bay State healthcare programs. The waiver was renewed at $21.2 billion over three years, bringing an additional $4.3 billion over the previous waiver. Philip Johnston, former chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and the current chairman of the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, moderates a panel that includes Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, Stacey Sachs from US Sen. Edward Kennedy’s office, Senate Health Care Financing Chair Richard Moore, and Medicaid Director Thomas Dehner.

(Wednesday, 8:30 am, Radisson Hotel, 200 Stuart St., Boston)

EVENT: Wed., Feb. 25---BIGBY KEYNOTES REHAB CENTER RECOGNITION

Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby keynotes the Barry Price Rehabilitation Center’s annual recognition event. The center provides support for people with developmental and physical disabilities.

(Wednesday, 7 pm, Barry Price Rehabilitation Center, 206 Waltham St., West Newton)

EVENT: Wed., Feb. 25---PATRICK REORGANIZATION BILL HEARING SET

Lawmakers will meet next Wednesday to hold a formal public hearing on Gov. Deval Patrick's plan to reorganize several state agencies, including his effort to combine emergency shelter and related services under the Department of Housing and Community Development. Patrick's bill, which was filed under constitutional provisions and may not be amended, also rolls the State Racing Commission into the Division of Professional Licensure, moves the wage reporting program from the Department of Revenue to the Division of Unemployment Assistance, and shifts the home improvement contractor program from the Department of Public Safety to the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. The Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, newly helmed by Rep. Steven Walsh and Sen. Brian Joyce, meets at 11 am Wednesday in Room B-2.

(Wednesday, 11 am, Room B-2)

EVENT: Tuesday, Feb. 24---LIFE SCIENCES PANEL DISCUSSION

Mass. Life Sciences Center President Susan Windham-Bannister participates in a panel discussion outlining regional and national workforce development needs and local education workforce resources for life sciences companies. The event is sponsored by the Chief Academic Officers committee of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium.

(Tuesday, 3 pm, Gnosh Science and Technology Center, Worcester State College, 486 Chandler St., Worcester)

EVENT: Tuesday, Feb. 24---COUNTING CALORIES AT CHAIN RESTAURANTS

A public hearing is planned for Tuesday on state Department of Public Health regulations requiring menu labeling of food calorie content at chain restaurants.

(Tuesday, 2 pm, Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence Street, Worcester)

EVENT: Tuesday, Feb. 24---CITIZENS FOR LIFE LOBBY DAY

The pro-life lobby heads to Beacon Hill Tuesday to push its agenda, which includes educating lawmakers about what Massachusetts Citizens for Life calls the “dangers” of proposed health curriculum frameworks. Group members will promote legislation they call the Woman’s Right to Know Bill. MCFL’s Marie Sturgis describes the legislation as a “pro-women bill” that requires the state Department of Public Health to provide more information to women prior to considering abortions and requires health care providers to allow women, upon request, to see ultrasound pictures and hear the heartbeat of a developing fetus. Sturgis said the parents of Laura Hope Smith, who died in September 2007 while undergoing an abortion in Hyannis, asked that the legislation be called Laura’s Law. Rapin Asathanondh has been indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with Smith’s death. Sturgis said the bill has 19 sponsors and she expected Rep. Viriato deMacedo (R-Plymouth) to attend Tuesday, along with Dan Avela of the Mass. Catholic Conference. Sturgis said 40 states have laws on the books similar to Laura’s Law.

(Tuesday, 10 am, Room B-1)

EVENT: Tuesday, Feb. 24---FEE INCREASES HEARING

The Patrick administration hosts a hearing on Boston Tuesday on regulations increasing licensing fees. The Executive Office of Administration and Finance is hosting the hearing and the fee information is available at the Division of Professional Licensure’s website: mass.gov/dpl.

(Tuesday, 10 am, 239 Causeway St., 5th floor, Boston)

EVENT: Tuesday, Feb. 24---FAMILY SHELTER ACCESS

The Democratic Study Group hosts a meeting on proposed restrictions on family shelter access, on the Department of Transitional Assistance agenda in the form of emergency regulations. Libby Hayes, a legal services advocate with Homes for Families, will brief lawmakers on the policy.

(Tuesday, 10 am, House Members Lounge)

EVENT: Tuesday, Feb. 24---TOLL HIKES ON TURNPIKE AGENDA

Toll hikes, now hinging on the fate of a gas tax hike, top the agenda of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s board of directors. The authority is slated for elimination under Gov. Patrick’s transportation reform proposal. Patrick said the vote Tuesday on a package of toll hikes would be “conditional,” and the toll increase would be rolled back if lawmakers approved his transportation reform proposal, which includes a 19-cent hike in the gas tax. How much the proposal will total was unclear on Friday. The agenda released by aides to the Executive Office of Transportation has “Toll Increase” in the top slot. Board members advanced in November a proposal expected to generate $100 million for the debt-saddled agency. Commuters coming into downtown Boston would see tolls in Allston rise to $2 from $1.25, with Weston tolls also rising by 75 cents. Tolls at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels would rise by $3.50, to $7. Commuters with the Fast Lane electronic toll transponders would see a $3 increase at the tunnels and a 50-cent increase at all other tolls. Board members are also expected to discuss federal stimulus funds, according to the agenda.

(Tuesday, 2 pm, 10 Park Plaza, 4th floor, Boston)

EVENT: Monday, Feb. 23---HEALTH DISPARITIES COUNCIL MEETS

Chaired by Sen. Susan Fargo and Rep. Byron Rushing, the Health Disparities Council meets. The agenda includes an update on the council’s website, a presentation on a National Institutes of Health summit on the “science of eliminating health disparities,” and the introduction of Dr. Michele David as Boston Medical Center’s representative on the council.

(Monday, 2 pm, 100 Cambridge St., Boston)

EVENT: Monday, Feb. 23---GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES’ LOBBYING DAY

Former clients of Greater Boston Legal Services on Monday will lobby lawmakers to keep funding for the civil legal aid group steady. Gov. Patrick’s budget slashes funding for the services’ line item by nearly $700,100 to $10.4 million. The clients will be joined by community advocacy groups, including the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence; Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee; Centro Presente; Chelsea Collaborative; Chinese Progressive Association; Jobs with Justice; Reaching Out Against Depression; and the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

(Monday, 10 am, Great Hall)

EVENT: Monday, Feb. 23---YOUTH MENTORING DAY

Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP) and its AmeriCorps Ambassadors of Mentoring join the Massachusetts Service Alliance Monday to host Youth Mentoring Day, While it’s a celebration of youth mentoring in Massachusetts, Mass Mentoring sees funding for mentor programs “potentially eliminated” in next year’s state budget. Honorees include Rep. Marie St. Fleur (D-Boston), Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D-Springfield), Rep. Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset), Sen. Thomas McGee (D-Lynn), Sen. Joan Menard (D-Somerset), Sen. Stanley Rosenberg (D-Northampton) and Natalie Wadzinski from the state Department of Human Resources. Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral delivers a keynote address.

(Monday, 11 am, Nurses Hall)

EVENT: Monday, Feb. 23---OBAMA AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS

The head of a women’s rights group breakfasts with a nonprofit and its members on the Obama administration and its approach to women’s health and human rights. Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition, will present an agenda on how the administration can “restore the nation’s leadership in the face of deadly threats to girls and women around the world,” according to WorldBoston, a private nonprofit. The event costs $20 for WorldBoston members and $40 for non-members.

(Monday, 8 am, McCarter & English, LLP, 265 Franklin St., 14th floor, Boston)

EVENT: Monday, Feb. 23---DALLAS FED CHIEF DELIVERS ADDRESS

The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Richard Fisher, weighs in on the financial crisis. He will deliver the 2009 Albert Gordon Lecture at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The event will be streamed live on the web: http://www.iop.harvard.edu/Programs/John-F.-Kennedy-Jr.-Forum.

(Monday, 6 pm, JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK St., Cambridge)

EVENT: Friday, Feb. 20--- Interagency Council on Homelessness

Lieutenant Governor Murray chairs a meeting of the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

(Closed Press)

When/Where: Governor's Council Chambers, Room 360, State House at 4:00

EVENT: Friday, Feb. 20--- RETAIL ADVERTISING REGULATIONS

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office holds a hearing on regulations aimed at modernizing and streamlining the state’s retail ad regulations. The regulations have remained unchanged since 1990 as retail advertising has taken to the internet. The proposed changes expand the regulations’ scope to include internet advertising and simplify price comparison analysis for print, radio and television advertising. References to catalog price comparisons are deleted.

(Friday, 11 am, 1350 Main St., Springfield)

EVENT: Friday, Feb. 20--- HARVARD WOMEN’S LAW ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

The Harvard Women’s Law Association holds a conference on female lawyers navigating the political arena. A panel discussion includes Attorney General Martha Coakley, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, Maralee Schwartz, the former national political editor for the Washington Post, and Jennifer Cannistra, Pennsylvania policy director for the Obama presidential campaign. The panel is titled “Constituents and Constituencies: Confronting Challenges in the World of Elected Office.” Minner gives a keynote speech later in the day.

(Friday, 9:45 am, Harvard Law School, Cambridge)

EVENT: Friday, Feb. 20--- HARVARD WOMEN’S LAW ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

The Harvard Women’s Law Association holds a conference on female lawyers navigating the political arena. A panel discussion includes Attorney General Martha Coakley, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, Maralee Schwartz, the former national political editor for the Washington Post, and Jennifer Cannistra, Pennsylvania policy director for the Obama presidential campaign. The panel is titled “Constituents and Constituencies: Confronting Challenges in the World of Elected Office.” Minner gives a keynote speech later in the day.

(Friday, 9:45 am, Harvard Law School, Cambridge)

EVENT: Friday, Feb. 20---GROUP INSURANCE COMMISSION REGULATIONS

The Group Insurance Commission has extended its public comment period on regulations aimed at bringing state rules in line with new health care, municipal partnership and cost containment and transparency laws. The proposed changes also provide for “greater readability” and the commission’s use of administrative bulletins, according to the GIC.

The comment period, which previously closed Jan. 13, will extend until Friday, Feb. 20.

EVENT: Friday, Feb. 20---UMASS ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

UMass trustees are expected to again take up an average $1,500-per-student fee increase, having delayed a vote last week because of uncertainty over the federal stimulus package. The trustees’ administration and finance committee is eyeing a plan to push average fees for in-state undergraduates to $11,048 from $9,548. Faced with over $100 million in cuts, the university is departing from its five-year practice of fee increases at or below the rate of inflation. The practice was tied to corresponding increases in state aid, according to UMass officials. The university pulled in $28.9 million last year from increased tuition, fees and enrollment, when trustees signed off on a 3.1 percent fee increase, or $288 per student. “Obviously, we’re seeing anything but a stable increase from the state going from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal 2010,” said UMass spokesman Robert Connolly. If approved, the $1,500 fee increase, which represents a 15 percent surge, would then go before the full board at its Feb. 27 meeting at UMass-Dartmouth. Some of the revenue from the fees would be directed towards the university’s financial aid accounts for students.

(Friday, 8 am, UMass President’s office, 225 Franklin St., Boston)

EVENT: Thursday, Feb. 19---Lt. Governor Meets with Western Mass. Regional Housing Council

Lieutenant Governor meets with the Western Massachusetts Regional Housing Leadership Council

Where/When: Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz Street, Northampton at 2:00

EVENT: Thursday, Feb. 19---Barney Frank Hosts Town Hall Meeting

Congressman Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, host town hall-format meeting to speak to South Shore citizens and answer their questions. The topic is national economic issues and the banking crisis. (Sponsored by the South Shore Democratic Caucus)

Where/When: Scituate High School, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Highway (Route 3A); 7:00 PM

EVENTS: Fri. Feb. 12---House Meets/Senate Meets/ Dem & Repub Caucus

House meets in a full formal session at 11:00

Senate meets in a full formal session without a calendar at 12:00, which is preceded by a Democratic caucus at 11 am in the Senate President's office and a Republican caucus at 11 am in the Senate Minority Leader's office.

EVENT: Fri., Feb 13---House and Senate Meet

1:00.....House and Senate meet in a joint session to commemorate the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial

EVENT: Thurs. Feb. 12---The Department of Conservation and Recreation Public Meeting

The Department of Conservation and Recreation holds a public meeting to discuss bridge projects that are part of the governor's Accelerated Bridge Program

6:00 PM at Worcester State College, Science & Technology Building, 486 Chandler St., Worcester

EVENT: Thurs. Feb. 12---Managing the Bailout Discussion

Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk Law School hosts panel discussion "Managing the Bailout: Execution and Oversight of the Federal Response to the Financial Crisis"

4:00 in Room 285, Suffolk Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston

EVENT: Looking for Students to Cover the American Bar Association 2009 Midyear Meeting

FOR JOURNALISM AND PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENTS:

Each student would target ONE session of interest and plan to cover that one.
They would want them to do routine background research into the speakers
and the issue being discussed or presented. Each student would attend
for a couple of hours at most, and just target a single session.

**This is a great opportunity to get real experience covering a professional event**

If interested in covering the event, please contact Professor Chris Daly at cdaly@bu.edu for press credentials.

http://www.abanet.org/midyear/2009/

PRESS RELEASE: Invisible Children Launches World Tour for Their Biggest Event Yet: 'The Rescue'

Invisible Children Launches World Tour for Their Biggest Event Yet: 'The Rescue'

SAN DIEGO--Invisible Children,, an organization dedicated to providing relief for the war-affected region of northern Uganda, is calling on the international community to end the longest running war in Africa. They're going global in a radical bid to rescue child soldiers from rebel leader, Joseph Kony. Their mission will take them to nine countries worldwide, rallying an entire generation to seek justice for one of the most neglected humanitarian emergencies through their World Event on April 25th.

For the 23 years, the region has been consumed by conflict. Despite a ceasefire called between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and Ugandan government, efforts toward peace were stalled on several occasions by Kony's refusal to sign the final peace agreement. In early 2009, the Ugandan government and surrounding countries launched a military operation intended to defeat the LRA and capture the rebel leader. The LRA retaliated by murdering and displacing thousands of civilians, while abducting hundreds of children to fight amongst its ranks. A war originally contained within Uganda's borders has now evolved into a widespread regional crisis, prompting massive international attention.
"It's frightening that this war has now grown into an international crisis," says Jason Russell, co-founder of Invisible Children. "We need to respond with an international body of activists to increase the visibility of this conflict and end Joseph Kony's reign of terror."

Invisible Children's grassroots movement is expanding by uniting global citizens from the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland with a call to action: be a part of history. The tour will feature a new piece of media that exposes the urgency of the crisis and the need for a collective protest for justice. Participants will be asked to sign up for the TRI Campaign and host a House Party on March 25th to build momentum for "The Rescue" on April 25th. This is Invisible Children's sixth tour- - yet unlike any other, this tour will empower the international community to change the social and political climate of central east Africa on a global scale.

WORLD TOUR LAUNCH DATES:
US- 10 National Tours: Feb. 16th- April 24th
UK- 3 Tours: Feb. 14th- April 18th
AUSTRALIA- 1 Tour- Feb. 14th- April 24th
NEW ZEALAND- 1 Tour: Jan. 26th- Feb. 13th
MEXICO- 1 Tour: Mar 9th- April 24th

This is Invisible Children's third Awareness Event, following the Global Night Commute in 2006 and Displace Me in 2007 which included nearly 150, 000 people collectively. The attention generated from these events widely contributed to the start of the peace talks. The political impact of this event is anticipated to be historical not only for northern Uganda and surrounding areas, but for the power of the new generation of activists. Nine countries. 100 cities. One collective voice: arrest Joseph Kony.

About Invisible Children, Inc.
Invisible Children is a social, political and global movement using the transformative power of story to change lives. By inspiring youth culture to value creativity, idealism and sacrifice, the movement fuels the most effective, adaptable and innovative programs in the world. Programs on the ground focus on long-term development through education and economic opportunities, while awareness and advocacy efforts focus on educating and inspiring the Western world to use their unique voice for change. The organization was created after the release of the 2004 film "Invisible Children: Rough Cut," a revealing documentary about the plight of child soldiers in northern Uganda. For more information, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.

Invisible Children is a social, political and global movement using the transformative power of story to change lives. By inspiring youth culture to value creativity, idealism and sacrifice, the movement fuels the most effective, adaptable and innovative programs in the world.
www.invisiblechildren.com

EVENT: Thurs. Feb 12---A Play About the Lincoln Debates of 1858 at the State House

A play about the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, by Norman Corwin

*Directed by Vincent Dowling

*Endorsed by the Massachusetts Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Historians will lead post-performance "talk back" conversations with audience members.

Free and open to the public. Students and school groups are welcome. An open dress rehearsal will be held February 11th at 10:00 am.

Slavery was the main topic of the remarkable debates between Abraham Lincoln (Republican) and Stephen Douglas (Democrat), as they ran for an Illinois seat in the U.S. Senate. After losing the election, Lincoln had the debate texts published in a book. The wide-spread coverage of the debates and the subsequent popularity of the book bolstered Lincoln's nomination for President by the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago.

Chester resident Vincent Dowling's new theater company is the latest project in a multifaceted career that has spanned the globe and more than three decades. In his 27 years at The National Theatre of Ireland, he held many titles as a leading company actor and director. He has directed at many of America's finest regional theatres, and performed three times at The White House. Visit The Rivalry Web page: www.therivalry.org.

Called "America's poet laureate of radio," Norman Corwin writes and directs factual film, stage, and television programs about the people and politics of America throughout the twentieth century. Among many other honors of his career, Corwin was commissioned on the 100th Anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates to write The Rivalry.

Northampton-based Mass Humanities is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Mass Humanities conducts and supports projects that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other humanities disciplines to strengthen and enhance civic life across the Commonwealth. For more information visit: www.masshumanities.org

(Thursday, February 12th, 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
The State House, Gardner Auditorium, Boston)

EVENT: Fri., Feb 6---SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT

SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT: The Supreme Judicial Court meets this week.

(Friday, 9 am, Courtroom One, John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square)

EVENT: Sat. Feb 7---ACLU Meets

ACLU CONFERENCE: The ACLU of Massachusetts hosts its annual statewide conference, featuring keynote speaker Glenn Greenwald, a Salon.com columnist who has written extensively about civil liberties. The conference will focus on what an Obama administration means for civil liberties, and a panel of speakers will include Rep. Byron Rushing, ACLU legislative policy counsel Wes Macleod-Ball, UMass-Amherst political science professor William Strickland and ACLU Massachusetts Education Director Nancy Murray. Workshops at the conference will cover the First Amendment and spying, privacy protections, torture and the law, racial justice, immigrant rights, and gay rights in the wake of Proposition 8.

(Saturday, 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm, UMass Boston Campus Center)

EVENT: Fri., Feb 6---“STARTING LINE 2009”

“STARTING LINE 2009” | MassINC on Friday hosts its biennial look at the upcoming legislative session. A panel of four will look at items on the agenda, the top issues for 2009, and relations between Gov. Deval Patrick and the Legislature. The panelists at “Starting Line 2009” are Jim Braude from New England Cable News, Hilary Chabot of The Boston Herald, Scot Lehigh of The Boston Globe and Craig Sandler of State House News Service.

(Friday, 8 am – 10 am, Omni Parker House Hotel, 60 School St., Boston)

EVENT: Thurs Feb 5---DMH COMMISSIONER AT FORUM

DMH COMMISSIONER AT FORUM: Department of Mental Health Commissioner Barbara Leadholm gives a presentation on her agency at a mental health forum. Invited guests include providers, advocates, and community partners in western Massachusetts. Western Massachusetts mayors, school superintendents, the sheriff departments and legislators were also invited.

(Thursday, 3 pm, Rivers Auditorium, Western New England College, 1215 Wilbraham Rd., Springfield)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb 5---QUALITY AND COST COUNCIL MEETS

QUALITY AND COST COUNCIL: Headed by Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, the Health Care Quality and Cost Council’s governance committee meets.

(Thursday, 1 pm, Matta Conference Room, One Ashburton Place, 11th floor, Boston)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb 5---SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT

SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT: The Supreme Judicial Court meets this week. In one case, Commonwealth v. Mark Means, the issue is whether a Superior Court judge correctly denied a criminal defendant the right of counsel, ruling that the defendant had forfeited his right because of wrongdoing. In another case, MC WorldCom Network Services joins with the cities of Boston and Newton in fighting the state Department of Revenue. That case deals with a number of issues, including: whether the Appellate Tax Board employed an erroneous standard of review of the revenue commissioner's valuation of certain telephone company personal property; whether the telephone company met its burden of proof to show its property was overvalued; whether the board correctly ruled that it could not increase valuation on the taxpayers' appeal unless the municipality had appealed; and whether an entity that was a limited liability company is entitled to the corporate utility exemption from personal property tax.

(Thursday, 9 am, Courtroom One, John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb 5---MINORITY VOTERS: Deepening Democracy Through Citizen Engagement

MINORITY VOTERS: The Boston Foundation hosts a forum to release data on increases in minority voter participation. The data, part of a report titled “Deepening Democracy Through Citizen Engagement,” will be the subject of a panel discussion featuring Boston City Council Sam Yoon and Chelsea Collaborative Executive Director Gladys Vega. The report was produced by the Civic Engagement Initiative, a voting advocacy organization.

(Thursday, 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm, 75 Arlington St., 10th floor, Boston)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb 5---SUBURBAN COALITION

SUBURBAN COALITION: The Suburban Coalition hosts advocacy organizations to discuss reforms necessary to help cities and towns cope with reduced local aid. The coalition will discuss “key mandate relief proposals” and will provide information to attendees to help persuade legislators to support reforms. The event is titled “Speaking with One Voice.”

(Thursday, 7:30 pm – 9 pm, Kennedy Middle School, 655 Lexington St., Waltham)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb 5---MASS. HIGH TECH BIOFORUM

MASS. HIGH TECH BIOFORUM: Mass. High Tech hosts its seventh annual BioForum, featuring Steve Bernitz of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Mirza Cifric of FORMA Therapeutics, Doug Fambrough of Oxford Bioscience Partners, Albert Luderer of BioTrove and Robert Urban of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.

(Thursday, 7:30 am – 10 am, Westin Copley Place, 10 Huntington Ave., Boston)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb 5---EMINENT DOMAIN

EMINENT DOMAIN: The Pioneer Institute hosts Susette Kelon, a woman whose New London house was taken by eminent domain, setting off a legal challenge that resulted in a landmark Supreme Court Decision, and Jeff Benedict, an investigative journalist who probed the case. The event is also hosted by the Institute for Justice.

(Thursday, 5 pm – 7 pm, The Union Club, 9 Park St., Boston)

EVENT: Thurs., Feb 5---BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION MEETS

BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION: The Board of Higher Education meets. The agenda includes UMass, state and community college tuition rates for fiscal 2010.

(Thursday, 10 am, Worcester State College, Student Center, North South Auditorium, 486 Chandler St., Worcester)

EVENT: Wed., Feb. 4---Green Day at BU

In BU Today: BU will host a Green Day on Wednesday, February 4, part of National Green Week. Green Day is a nationwide environmental awareness campaign that aims to mobilize students to participate in green curriculum and a waste reduction program designed to eliminate 1,000 tons of trash.

Green Day will take place on Wednesday, February 4, 2009. The event is cosponsored by the Green Education Foundation, Green Mountain Coffee, and the Sargent College Rotaract Club.3 to 7 p.m.

Cast your “coffee bean vote” for your favorite student exhibit on the second floor of the GSU.

5:30 p.m.
Stop by for the awards presentation to the group that shows the most sustainable green innovation. The film Flow: For the Love of Water will also be shown in the second floor theater of the GSU.