"The Boston Globe, the LA
Times-institutions that you never thought would leave are leaving. The
newspaper on the driveway is disappearing," Matthews said, in reference
to the financial troubles that are threatening many major newspapers.
"A blogger can get up in the morning, be living with his parents, ask
them for pancakes, and then blog about the president," he quipped,
implying that blogging, by democratizing access to the influence that
newspaper and television reporters once took for granted, is part of
the threat facing newspapers.

Dukakis, however, did not give bloggers much credit.

"Without
dismissing the bloggers and the Limbaughs," he said, referring to Rush
Limbaugh, the right-wing radio pundit, "I have to tell you that they
don't really play a large part. If I were in office today, I wouldn't
pay attention to the bloggers or any of these characters, but if
someone like a Janet Wu said something, I would take it seriously."

But
Wu countered that many journalists are themselves paying attention to
blogs, because "you don't know what nugget of information your
competitors will pick up from the bloggers."

"I would argue
the profit incentive has changed the landscape," she said. "The
business is so profit driven these days compared to what it was 20 or
30 years ago," and, for this reason, she said, the competition to
uncover new stories is much more intense.

Matthews implied that,
while bloggers and the internet have challenged the newspapers'
business model, the problems facing newspapers stem from the fact that
the pursuit of journalism and the pursuit of profit are not compatible.

"There's
no money in print journalism, so nobody would go into it for the money.
I question the premise that someone would start a newspaper to make
money," he argued. Nevertheless, he said of print journalists that
"it's unbelievable how good they are. Their ability to get a story and
get it right on deadline is amazing."

With the fate of
traditional newspapers very much undecided-indeed, none of the speakers
confessed to knowing quite what newspapers should do to reverse their
downward spiral-Matthews concluded the discussion with a dire warning.
"There will come to a time," he said, "when we don't know what the
facts are. We watched Hitler rise to power, but at least we had
reporters there to tell us what was happening, that he was taking over
other countries."

The speakers and audience developed an easy
rapport, with audience members occasionally shouting questions or
comments to the speakers, and Matthews spontaneously polling the
audience whenever he, Wu, or Dukakis disagreed with one another. At one
point, he exhorted those students in the audience pursuing a career in
politics to stand up-and then exhorted those who did not stand to
promise themselves that, lacking the courage to stand, they would never
pursue a career in politics.

Dukakis, perhaps dismayed that only
one in ten or so students heeded Matthews' demand, spoke glowingly of
public service, recalling of his thirty-year political career that "I
never remember coming home in the evening and not feeling as thought I
had made some kind of difference." He added that "there is nothing more
personally fulfilling than being in a position where you can make
improvements in the lives of your fellow citizens."

But Wu
rejoined that "I would never encourage my children to run for office,"
because, she explained, "I know how brutal we can be."

"Every morning I get up, I still ask myself, is it fair for me to do this story?" she said.

Her concern was echoed by the questions several students posed during the question-and-answer session.

"It
becomes a slippery slope when we want to get a job with Obama, and they
want every blog comment we've ever made. Where is the line between
what's fair and legitimate and what's unnecessary information?" one
student asked.

"This may seem tough," Dukakis responded, "but
one thing I try to help my students understand is that if you put it in
writing, assume its going to be on the front page of the local paper."
Dukakis teaches at Northeastern University in Boston.

"There are
ways of dealing with these issues," Wu said, referring to how
politicians should handle "unnecessary information" that might be
leaked anyway. "Too many politicians try very hard thinking it will go
away and no one will ever find out."

"There are people out there without any kind of judgment, Matthews explained. "If they get it, they'll run it," he said.

The
forum-titled the Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism, in
honor of pioneering broadcast journalist Edward Murrow-was sponsored by
a variety of Tufts University departments and programs, including the
Communications and Media Studies Program and the Jonathan M. Tisch
College of Citizenship and Public Service. Past speakers have included
Ted Koppel, Dan Rather, and Tom Brokaw.

Medicaid
reimbursement rates are well below the actual cost of care. Mental
health and substance abuse services were reimbursed by Medicaid at an
average rate of just 63% last year. Reimbursement rates for emergency
room care, primary care, and other critical care services also fell
grossly below the cost incurred by hospitals. There were collectively
$11.6 billion dollars in Medicaid underpayments in 2006 nationwide.

Safety
net hospitals like the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and Boston
Medical Center (BMC), which serve a disproportionate share of uninsured
and low income patients, rely heavily on Medicaid funding. Prior to the
implementation of the state's public insurance program, known as
Commonwealth Care, these safety net hospitals were able to tap into
additional Medicaid dollars in recognition of deep losses sustained by
caring for a large number of Medicaid and uninsured patients.

Rather
than adjust reimbursement rates for all providers, it was more cost
effective to supplement those providers serving high proportions of
free care and under reimbursed care. Following the implementation of
Commonwealth Care, however, this supplemental money was no longer
directed solely to hospitals to offset the costs of uncompensated care.
Massachusetts is the only state that has secured a waiver of Medicaid
requirements so that this additional federal funding can also be used
to subsidize coverage expansions for Commonwealth Care. While this
funding is essential to ensuring that health care in Massachusetts
continues to be a model for other states and the federal government,
the pool of money available to safety net hospitals is diminished.

More
states will surely follow the Commonwealth's lead in expanding access
to health care to their residents. s they do, the mechanisms available
to finance these reform efforts must be carefully examined to ensure
that critical funding is not drawn down from disproportionate share
hospitals. If the Obama Administration and new Congress are serious
about making health care reform a priority, they must make available
other sources of federal dollars to support public insurance programs.

Governor
Patrick and the administration have been faced with the difficult task
of supporting the new reform model while at the same time sustaining
the large safety net hospitals that are just as vulnerable as they were
prior to the reform. Despite these challenges, the Governor and the
administration, especially Health & Human Services Secretary Judy
Ann Bigby, have remained committed to disproportionate share hospitals.
The federal stimulus law includes funding for an enhanced Medicaid
matching rate that increases the percentage contribution from the
federal government toward Medicaid from 50% to 58.8% in Massachusetts,
adding about $2 billion dollars and acting as a tourniquet to quell the
financial bleeding that threatens safety net hospitals with cardiac
arrest.

Unfortunately, stimulus money will be used to prevent
more layoffs rather than address the previously laid off health care
workers. CHA, for example, has already undertaken a painful
restructuring of its hospital network to do its part. The long-term
survival of our safety net hospitals, however, depends on a Medicaid
reimbursement rate structure that addresses the disparity in providing
critical care to the most vulnerable patients.

Downward
financial pressures can serve as the catalyst for unprecedented change
in government. The inequity of low reimbursement rates existed before
the recession began, but it can be remedied by the time recovery
arrives.

Participants are
provided with a step-by-step guide, which can be found on the
non-profit organization's website – www.10percentshift.org.

There,
individuals will discover the reasons why the program is beneficial and
Somerville residents' participation is imperative. "The local
calculator and the household budget are broken into twenty different
categories," said Grafton. By using those tools, each participant will
discover, in which parts of his or her annual spending, reallocation to
local independents could ultimately occur.

"They would
ultimately be given an opportunity to sign a pledge saying, 'I'm going
to do an inventory of my purchasing, and find a way to shift 10
percent,'" he said. Therefore, "What we're going to be doing is working
on a very social networking level in the community."

Interested
individuals may pledge by logging onto the website. However, it is
mandatory for residents to sign it, in order for them to truly
participate.

"The pledge is just a way for people to publicly
acknowledge, or privately acknowledge that they are going to make the
shift," said Grafton. Further, "We're not tracking people's spending.
It's personal responsibility. We're trying to give people the message,
and the tools to go out and change their behavior."

If an
individual would like to sign the pledge, the information, which is
required includes: his or her first and last name, zip code, city,
state, and e-mail address. The organization will not be holding any
pledge drives. Therefore, online sign up is the only option.

Events
will be held to promote the 10% Shift. "Everything that we're going to
be doing this year is going to have to something to do with the 10%
Shift because really, this program is just, sort of like the
manifestation of our message," said Grafton.

On April 23, one
such event will be held at Bread & Company, a new local restaurant,
which is located in the Winter Hill section of the city. A few artists,
as well as live music, will add to the occasion. In addition, Dave's
Fresh Pasta of Holland Street will be celebrating its opening on April
16, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In the relatively near future, SLF
is planning to launch in Boston, and the Greater Boston area, according
to Grafton. Although the details have not been finalized, he foresees
that the Boston launch of the 10% Shift will probably be a press
conference.

The initiative will pump money back into the local
economy in Somerville. Grafton does not yet "have an exact figure," but
he anticipates a great result because of the implementation of the 10%
Shift.

The program began in October 2008. It was formulated by
The New England Local Business Forum, (NELBF) a group of approximately
15 to 20 networks, such as Somerville Local First. To attempt to remedy
the current financial fiasco, which is gripping New England, as well as
the rest of the country, the NELBF discussed possible options to "and
restore the economic crisis" on a local level.

"Within 100
days, we launched the program. It was really a completely volunteer
effort." To date, approximately 13 or 14 companies throughout New
England are involved," said Grafton.

Local franchises were not
included in the program. Instead, businesses must be locally-owned and
independent, for that is the definition of "local independents."

He
feels that if chains were included, it would not be more beneficial for
the City of Somerville. "The reason why is a vigorous financial return
for the community. We're not saying that any business is bad, it's just
that we're saying that the businesses that we're talking about, local
independents are better."

On a daily basis Grafton has begun
to spend more money in Somerville. "Since I am the one telling everyone
to shop locally, I have to be extra vigilant. I have done my best to
look for more ways to shift." Grafton even transferred his bank account
to a Somerville bank. "When we launched, I did a project, where I tried
to spend 100 percent of my money at locally-owned businesses in
Somerville."

Most Somerville residents will support the Shift,
according to him. "The more we have a chance to have a dialogue with
folks and the community, the more people are going to be supportive.
People, generally, in their mind, believe that locally-owned,
independent businesses are better," he said.

Besides helping
local businesses, Grafton believes that other gains — those, which
are not monetary in nature, will arise. "The more local we are in the
way that we shop, the greener we are. We're reducing carbon
footprints."

According to Grafton, SLF has predicted that the
program will spread to different regions of the country. In fact, that
has already begun to happen. "We are currently working with four
organizations — ironically all from red states," he said. Idaho,
Utah, Arizona, and South Carolina comprise a portion of those states,
which have implemented such initiatives, in various communities, which
promote the 10% Shift.

So far, how has the 10% Shift worked for
businesses? "At this point I'd say it's much too early to say. This
type of change is one that's not going to happen overnight," said Jon
O' Toole, Co-Owner of GRAND, which is located in Union Square. He is
also the Co-Chair of Somerville Local First. However, "Ask me a year
from now and then I'll have more data." Although, "I will say,
anecdotally, I do hear things like 'I like shopping at local shops'
more from our customers," O' Toole said.

The fire was brought under control at approximately 3:45. They received mutual aid from Medford, Cambridge and Boston.

There
was extensive fire damage to the upper floors and water damage to the
first floor. The residents on the first floor evacuated safely. Nobody
was home at the time on the second floor where the fire originated. The
family cat was safely removed from the first floor apartment by fire
fighters. Two families were displaced and the Red Cross responded to
assist them in finding shelter.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

~Deputy Chief Peter St.Clair

***************

Ward
2 Alderman Maryann Heuston had an extremely successful time Monday
night at the Mt. Vernon – over a one hundred supporters and
constituents throughout the night. Good for her, she is a hard worker
for Ward 2 and the rest of the city.

***************

This
Saturday night at Anthony's Function Hall at 156 Highland Avenue from 6
to 11, St. Benedict's (Little Flower) Parish is having a fundraiser –
full dinner and live entertainment – starring Michael Viselli, a live
Elvis tribute. Contact Kim Goodman at 617 625-0029 x. 5 cost is
$45/person, $80/couple and $15.00/children 12 and under.

***************

Seems
like Princess Rebekah is at it again…demanding transparency in
government when in fact she should look in the mirror. She held a
"secret" meeting last week – yup you heard it here and not the farm
team – a "secret meeting" with only select neighbors along with the
developer Emerald and the VFW post – it wouldn't be so bad but we hear
she made the remark that if it leaked out she would cancel it – imagine
her surprise when one of our reporters showed up! (We were the only
local media outlet present) And she wonders why we refer to her as
Princess…We'll be criticized again we figure for making comment again
by the PDSers henchman KB, but we challenge the Princess to deny she
called it a "secret meeting" – heck, we can't make up this stuff – oh
well, you know those PDSers – they're always right and everyone else is
wrong, Next time she cries for more transparency in government everyone
should remind her of her "secret meetings." We remember the PDS email
by their fearless leader and 3-time loser Marty a few months back
regarding their meeting with no place or time – you had to privately
email him for the place and time for meetings with their organization.
Yeah, transparency really is a word they like to use on others not
themselves.

***************

Popular Alderman at Large
Dennis Sullivan is now engaged (finally) and off the market as one of
the most eligible bachelors here in the 'Ville. He's having a
fundraiser Wednesday the 22nd at the Olde Magoun Saloon in Magoun
Square from 6 to 8 pm – we hear he's being asked to consider higher
office next year – he certainly has a popular name as well as
reputation, doesn't he?

***************

Congratulations
to Ken Kelly and his wife Kim on their recent newborn son Michael
Clayton Kelly, who was born last week weighing in at 6lbs 3oz.

***************

We
love the recent comments from the PDSers who have made remarks recently
referring to the Farm Team as the "good paper" and the News as the "bad
paper" but then we hear it also in the opposite way. At least the News
doesn't edit news and human interest stories slanting them like the
Farm Team – we have Newstalk for that. Speaking of which, have you seen
the Farm Team lately? We read it all the time, but we don't pay for it
just like many of their readers don't either. It costs a dollar (unless
you're on that 3,000 free mailing list like several of our newstalkers
are) and is shorter in size and content and has less and less
Somerville stories – and their ace reporter can't get names straight
even when she asks the people directly. No wonder they have George over
there to help out in stories – that must say something for The
Somerville News if the former senior editor is now writing stories for
the Farm Team – can you say budget cuts and stock prices falling?

***************

Police
Sergeant Billy Rymill, while in his cruiser, got rear ended on Sunday
night and taken by ambulance to the hospital, the driver of the other
vehicle was unlicensed as well as unregistered and got arrested on the
scene. Sergeant Billy is a good guy, he'll be back in no time if not
already, he's like a lot of the Police Officers who put their lives on
the line every single day for us – hard workers and extremely
dedicated.

***************

Somerville Lions Club is
hosting it's annual Charity Breakfast on Sunday April 26th at their
club house located at 9 New Washington Street (behind the Holiday Inn)
from 10 to noon! All proceeds go to various local charities that the
club sponsors year-round.

***************

Don't forget
about Register of Deeds Gene Brune (former Mayor) – he is having his
25th anniversary breakfast over in Malden on May 3rd at Anthony's
Function Hall.

***************

Speaking of Gene Brune,
don't forget he's also selling SHS Scholarship Foundation tickets for
their annual fundraiser that will be giving away a top prize of $10K
and many other prizes – tickets are $100.00 each.

***************

A
very popular lady here in Somerville recently passed away – Ms. Vera
DeAngelis from East Somerville – who recently celebrated her birthday
of 102 years. Over the years she was very active in politics and civic
affairs, a strong voice in the community for change and to make the
community better for all – our condolences to her family and the many
friends she leaves behind, she will be missed.

***************

This
annual Paul Revere/Patriots Day ride up Broadway/Foss Park to beyond is
this coming Monday April 20th at 10a.m. at Foss Park – last year only a
small handful of elected officials and hardly and PDSers were present
as well – maybe this year a bigger turnout – come out and bring the
family and kids and enjoy the event.

Over
the last 40-50 years, this city has made quite a transformation and
like other urban settings in and around Boston, we have had our share
of misfortunes. Today, the future, even with a current fiscal crisis,
looks better than it ever has.

Today we all take a more global
and long-term look at decisions that will affect our city 20 to 50
years from now, not just what is going to happen today, or tomorrow. It
takes vision, it takes commitment to the community, it takes a sense of
pride in the community.

Rizkallah's troubles
began in 2006 when he was notified by the American Disabilities
Association of a requirement to provide access to the handicapped. The
required compliance dated back to a 1989 construction project on the
building, a stipulation never brought to Rizkallah's attention when he
bought the property in 2004. "That was what I would call the first
knife", says the Doctor. After looking into possible options, all of
which required an elevator large enough to fit a gurney, Rizkallah
found that the construction costs would amount to a whopping $750,000
on a property he purchased for less than $2 million. To offset these
expenses, he proposed an addition of a third floor which could then be
rented out. After gaining the necessary approval from the City and
paying for notices to be distributed to residents in the area,
construction began in the spring of 2008. And then, on that same day,
it stopped. "The City of Somerville kindly and respectfully called me
and said that there was a problem they had to look into," Rizkallah
said. "Being a decent neighbor I said 'of course, I'll let you get your
ducks in a row." The problem was simple enough: the indirect abutters
had never been notified, due to a "computer glitch", said City
spokesman Tom Champion. This would prove to be a small mistake with
outsized consequences.

At a neighborhood meeting to address
the concerns of residents, Rizkallah first saw the wall of opposition
that he was facing. "I went in thinking that the project 'is what it
is'," he explained. "It's not my choice and I figured people would
understand that." Instead, the accusations of corruption and of
profiting at the expense of neighbors began. One resident demanded to
know "What is the relationship between the Mayor and Mouhab Rizkallah?"
All the while, in a "catch-22" worthy of a Kafka novel, as the city was
postponing construction, Rizkallah continued to receive letters from
the Architectural Access Board pressuring him to make the necessary
changes to his building.

A year later, construction has
finally recommenced after having gained a second approval from the
zoning board. The additions are mandated to be done by 2010; however,
they should be completed by December of 2009. The Doctor is not sure,
however, if his reputation will recover. "All of this has an impact
further reaching than the construction project," he said. "I fear that
some will believe that I'm the villain people make me out to be. That's
simply not who I am."