BOSTON COVID-19 health safety concerns and possible intense media coverage in the upcoming 24-count extortion and fraud trial of former Mayor Jasiel Correia II were the top topics for federal court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock in a half-hour pre-trial conference on Friday. Jury selection is scheduled to start on April 20.
Woodlock indicated in a remote hearing that he has set aside four days for jury selection, in part due to restraints of capacity to accommodate the assembly of jurors at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston because of the pandemic.
The judge also offered a less-than-cloaked warning to media covering the high-profile trial.
JANEY JUMPS IN — BAKER to get VAX — SENATE studying LIFE AFTER COVID — Exit sign NOSTALGIA politico.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from politico.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
FALL RIVER While in office, former Mayor Jasiel Correia II was engaged briefly as a private consultant with the marijuana company Northeast Alternatives, with his new gig sanctioned by the state Ethics Commission in 2018.
Despite promising his consulting work with Northeast Alternatives would not include city business in his capacity as mayor, just seven days later Correia signed a letter of non-opposition and host agreement allowing the pot company to open a facility in the city, after getting advice in an email from an Ethics Commission attorney.
Four days after getting the letter and agreement, a principal at Northeast Alternatives donated $20,000 to Correia’s legal defense fund.
Zero-Based Budgeting Could Work in New Bedford [OPINION]
The City of Fall River seems to be making great strides in rebuilding public safety while New Bedford continues to struggle in that area. Why is that? Elected officials in the Spindle City say the turnaround began several years ago when they adopted a new strategy, zero-based budgeting.
I remember former Mayor Jasiel Correia appeared on my program long before his legal battles began and discussed zero-based budgeting. The approach was new at the time but was already getting results. City Council President Cliff Ponte told me on Wednesday s program that it is working.
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
MORE TOUGH NUMBERS FOR BAKER Gov. Charlie Baker s falling approval rating continues to raise eyebrows.
The governor s overall approval has dropped by 26 percentage points since August, according to a UMass Amherst poll released Monday. That s on top of a portion of the same poll that showed shrinking approval for how Baker is handling the coronavirus pandemic, which Playbook noted yesterday.