Conversation Nation

 

When it comes to vaccinating students against H1N1 influenza, should the kids get the shots in school or after hours?

At least one superintendent is going against the wishes of his city's health department

The executive director of Brockton's Board of Health, Louis Tartaglia, wants kids to have the shot during school hours because he says this will result in the highest level of participation

Brockton's superintendent, Matthew Malone doesn't agree. He says students will be offered the vaccination after school because he doesn't want to disrupt learning. Malone told The Brockton Enterprise he believes many parents will want to be there to support their child when they get the shot

Tartaglia maintains lots of parents have busy schedules and after hours will be difficult for them

 

FBI informants allegedly killed Olga Davis' daughter. Should the government  award damages for that mother's loss of companionship?

That's the controversial question in a court case that is pitting Justice Department lawyers against a federal judge

Debbie Davis was 26 when she was dating mobster Steven "The Rifleman" Flemmi back in 1981. She was allegedly strangled to death by Whitey Bulger because she knew too much. Both Bulger and Flemmi were longtime FBI informants at the time

Olga Davis' attorneys argued that she could be compensated for her loss of companionship. At first US District Judge William Young ruled against that, saying Olga Davis was not entitled because Debbie wasn't her only child, she didn't live with her mom at the time of her death, and Davis had other kids to support her. Olga Davis died two years ago

But Young changed his mind, calling his original ruling "sloppy practice." If he changes his mind this will be the first time someone is compensated posthumously for loss of companionship

Justice Department lawyers don't agree. One said those other children provided support and even if the judge finds Olga Davis is entitled to damages, her claim does not survive her death

Should it matter that Debbie Davis wasn't Olga's only child? Should it matter that she didn't live with her mom but still took care of her?

 

She's sold more than 12 million albums but pop star Rihanna may be more well known for being brutally beaten by her musician boyfriend, Chris Brown

Rihanna has been criticized for failing to speak out against Brown after she was attacked, she even refused to press charges at one point. She says she was "embarrassed by the incident

Now she's on a publicity tour, making the cover of Glamour magazine claiming she wants to be "a voice for domestic violence

But critics are questioning the timing. Some ask why now? Is it because she's promoting a new album?  They wonder where she was for the past eight months when she could have been urging young women that "domestic violence is not a secret"

Remember the study where 200 Boston students said they blamed Rihanna for the attack?  If she talked about the facts sooner would that perception have been different?

Brown pleaded guilty for felony assault. He's on a publicity tour of his own and can't understand why some people won't forgive him

Should Rihanna have spoken out sooner? Do you think she's using the incident to sell records?

 

A new report says the MBTA is deep in debt and riders could be in danger unless more money is spent to fix safety problems. The governor doesn't want any fare hikes for a couple of years so where is the funding going to come from?

Some researchers say it shouldn't come from alcohol ads even though the T makes a lot of money off them now. Boston University researchers who specialize in public health say kids are exposed to too many booze commercials on their commute and the government could be "recruiting youth drinkers". They note the T already prohibits cigarette ads, why not alcohol too?

They're not alone in their opinion. Right now there's a bill working its way through the legislature that proposes banning alcohol advertising on all government property

But a spokesperson for the T says those ads aren't going anywhere right now. He tells the Herald those commercials include government-required warnings about alcohol consumption and the MBTA needs that revenue in order not to increase fares

If the governor says no fare hikes for two years the money obviously has to come from somewhere. Do you have a problem with the booze ads?

 

We've talked about towns voting to limit the number of pit bulls people can have and there are rules about keeping exotic snakes as pets but who thought there would ever be a rule about how many cats you can own?

Well voters in the town of Dudley, Massachusetts just decided if you want to have more three feline pets you'd better be ready to call yourself a kennel owner

The issue came up after a Dudley man said his lawn was being destroyed by his neighbor's 15 cats The multiple cat owner has been fined $100 a day by the town and now she says she's moving because of the controversy

Voters at town meeting last night approved adding language to a bylaw that says if you own more than three cats you have to go down to town hall and apply for a kennel license. That license will set you back fifty bucks.

 

He's under federal indictment and he could go to jail next year. But last night Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner was re-elected. We're not talking a squeaker here, he won in a landslide

Apparently the voters didn't care that the feds say they caught him red handed on tape accepting a bribe

Both of Boston's major newspapers and several local ones endorsed Turner's challenger. At his victory party last night Turner said his constituents sent  a message for the media "The hell with you!"

Turner has maintained his innocence alleging he is being "persecuted by the FBI"  As a member of the council since 2000 Turner touts his accomplishments on his website

Though Turner  won by 20 points, his opponent, Carlos Henriquez says "Eventually the public will hold him accountable."

Were the voters sending a message to the media and federal investigators here too?

 

It's a decision that is bound to anger some residents of a New Hampshire city. Manchester formed a task force to help deal with the problems of registered sex offenders

That panel says the city should not ban offenders from living near schools and daycare centers

One task force member, a Manchester police sergeant, argues that offenders who can't find an affordable place to live because of residency restrictions may not register with the city at all, making it hard for the cops to track them

The Union Leader reports the task force favors less dramatic measures like publicizing the state's online sex offender registry and setting up a committee to monitor the way the city deals with offenders

They also fear repeated legal challenges on residency restrictions

 

It's a bra photo that may have been seen more times than a Victoria Secret ad. Attorneys representing former state Senator Dianne Wilkerson say the now infamous picture may make it impossible for their client to get a fair trial

Those lawyers are ripping local federal prosecutors for leaking the pictures to the media and now they are asking a judge to either throw out the charges or move her case to another state

Universalhub.com links to the motion filed by Wilkerson's lawyers where they call the actions by the US Attorneys office "outrageous government conduct" which led to a "public spectacle."

Here's a slideshow of the photos the feds released

Did the feds say too much before the trial or is this just sour grapes because they may have the goods on Wilkerson?

 

The sheriff is in town today. The controversial jail minder who gained national attention for charging inmates fees is headed to the state's highest court

Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson came up with an idea to save taxpayers millions by charging prisoners five bucks a day. But that decision was shot down, so now he's taking his appeal to the top

Hodgson collected $750,000 which is being held in escrow. That money came from the canteen accounts of inmates which they use to buy snacks and personal hygiene products.  Legal advocates for the inmates say most of the prisoners are indigent and some of that canteen money is sent to family members so they can buy items that are not supplied by the jail

The prisoners advocate claims that deducting money from these accounts is like placing an unlawful tax on prisoner's families

 

The idea seems like a good one; have police officers come into elementary schools to interact with children. The New Bedford chief thinks it will help improve relations between kids and cops

But some community leaders and city councillors are against the idea saying New Bedford can't afford to do this when the crime rate is up and the number of police on the street has already been reduced from budget cuts

One neighborhood crime watch leader insists "The problem isn't the kids in schools, it's the guys on the street."

Chief Ronald Teachman wants his officers to spend 20 minutes a week in school either reading to kids or hanging out with them. He tells southcoasttoday.com this could prevent students from dropping out of school and joining gangs

One city councillor says it's a good concept but the city can't afford it right now. He says those cops need to be on the street responding to calls, especially since the police department already disbanded its Gang Unit and Community Police Division

Do you think police officers spending time in elementary school for 20 minutes a week will make a difference. If the chief feels that strongly about it, why not restore school resource officers instead?