Latest news with #EdFlynn
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boston nonprofit under microscope for $30,000 in alleged misused federal grant funds
Boston city leaders are calling for a city and federal investigation after an independent watchdog agency uncovered tens of thousands of dollars in alleged misused federal grant money by a local non-profit. The Boston Finance Commission said it found more than $30,000 in changed bank statement entries from Three Squares Main Street in Jamaica Plain. Three Squares Main Street is part of the Main Street citywide initiative of 20 non-profits aimed at revitalizing and sustaining neighborhood commercial districts. The potential fraud involves ARPA funds that were part of the $560 million in pandemic relief money received by the city of Boston. 'Regardless of how much it was, whether it was $30,000 or $30 million, it's still taxpayer money,' said District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn. 'This money came from the federal government to the city of Boston to support non-profits.' Councilor Flynn is calling for a thorough audit of all Main Street's programs after a two-page report from the Boston Finance Commission provided proof of alleged tampered bank statements from Three Squares Main Street. 'We have to investigate to determine if it was an isolated incident or is there are other Main Street programs involved as well,' he said. Boston 25 News reached out to Three Squares Main Street director Warren Williams as well as directors of other Main Street programs, and is still waiting to hear back. A letter from the Boston Finance Commission said it discovered irregularities after reviewing documents related to several grants provided by the City of Boston. 'It appears that all funds were deposited into a co-mingled bank account,' it said. 'When suspected altered statements were discovered, bank statements submitted for the same month for different grants were compared, and altered documents were detected.' 'In this case, it seems clear that they used it to line their own pockets, so they were stealing,' said At-Large Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy. 'It's important that the businesses in that area don't end up struggling because someone mismanaged money, and in this case, stole money.' Some city councilors are now calling for more fiscal oversight. However, Mayor Michelle Wu credits city staff for tracking every dollar of federal funds spent on pandemic recovery. 'Really thankful to our city employees who really carried out those oversight processes exactly as they should have, and now this larger investigation can take place,' said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. 'We are going to continue to audit very carefully all of the dollars that went out.' The Boston Finance Commission said it has alerted the feds of its findings. Boston 25 News reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office for comment and has not yet heard back. It's still unclear if criminal charges are being pursued in connection with these allegations. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Yahoo
In Boston's Scooter 'Wild West,' Lawmakers Take Aim at the Wrong Target
After heated debates on the topic for almost a year, Boston's city council recently passed an ordinance addressing what it deems "dangerous conditions" caused by scooters and e-bikes operated by food delivery drivers. Instead of holding those responsible for the unsafe street conditions—the drivers themselves—the council instead decided to target delivery platforms. In June 2024, the Boston police department and Mayor's office warned delivery companies of an impending crackdown based on what they described as "widespread and ongoing incidents of running red lights, driving on city sidewalks, driving the wrong way down one-way streets, driving at speeds in excess of posted limited, and collisions." The mayor's office cited over 100 complaints filed in the last year regarding reckless moped drivers, many of which allegedly involved unregistered scooters operating illegally within the city. "Boston can no longer be the Wild West," said Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents the city's second district. "Whether it's cars, mopeds, dirt bikes, electric bikes, or bikes, everyone has to be obeying the same rules of the road." While no one wants an influx of scooter-related injuries—and few, if any, would endorse things like driving on sidewalks in heavily foot-trafficked areas—Boston's ordinance is curious in its selective application. It specifically applies to prominent gig companies that specialize in food delivery from restaurants, but does not apply to companies that focus on grocery delivery. The presumed logic is that a DoorDash scooter driver picking up a Chipotle burrito is more likely to access sidewalks with lots of pedestrians than an Instacart driver in a large, open grocery parking lot. This overlooks the reality that most urban grocery stores lack traditional suburbia-style lots, or that a grocery shopper is just as likely to deliver to a high-rise apartment in a busy area as a driver carrying a Five Guys order. Further adding to the arbitrary nature of the new ordinance, it only applies to delivery companies that fulfill at least one million orders per year. But when it comes to road safety, a scooter or e-bike driver's recklessness would rarely seem correlated to who provides his or her paycheck, any more than one could assume that a Domino's pizza delivery driver is automatically more dangerous than a driver from a local pizzeria. If anything, drivers for larger gig companies may be safer given that these companies usually require their drivers to be at least 18 years old even for scooter and bike delivery, whereas local joints might employ 16- or 17-year-old high schoolers for cheaper labor (16 is the minimum age to operate an e-bike in Massachusetts). One reason for the clunky and selective application of the new ordinance is that it is drivers, not e-platforms, who are behind the wheels of a scooter or e-bike. "Boston already has comprehensive traffic laws designed to address safety concerns associated with food delivery drivers," said Councilor Erin Murphy, one of only two councilmembers to vote against the ordinance. "Effective enforcement of these existing regulations should be our primary strategy, rather than introducing additional legislation that may be redundant and burdensome." (Ironically, Boston officials have even pushed the use of e-bikes for certain types of deliveries in recent years in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.) The proliferation of e-bikes and scooters in heavily urban areas raises important policy issues that deserve thoughtful deliberation. As senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute Nicole Gelinas has pointed out, much of the "conflict" between scooters and pedestrians has been "created by transportation planners who pit walkers, cyclists and now scooterists against each other by continuing to devote far more street space to the car." But instead of looking at themselves—or the drivers actually responsible for Beantown's concerns—Boston's progressive planners apparently find it much easier to keep targeting the gig economy boogeyman. The post In Boston's Scooter 'Wild West,' Lawmakers Take Aim at the Wrong Target appeared first on
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Navy sailors visit local veterans ahead of Evacuation Day anniversary
Monday marks the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day in the city of Boston, and because of that the naval ship the USS Thomas Hudner is anchored here. 'With the sailors that are here, we want to say thank you to our veterans for the incredible service and sacrifice that they have provided,' said Boston City Councilor and Navy Veteran Ed Flynn. 'We are so fortunate to welcome the Navy back to Boston again.' Some of the sailors stationed on the ship joined members of the South Boston VFW post visiting veterans' communities for a cup of coffee and a chat. 'With the veterans here in the South Boston neighborhood to thank them for their service and to let them know that 'we love and care for you,' said Robert Santiago, the Commissioner of the City of Boston Office of Veterans Services. They went from community to community to swap stories, share benefits information, and even trade gear from their ships. Overall, just supporting each other, because service doesn't stop when you hang up the uniform. 'It's so important to reach out to veterans to let them know that we remember them,' said Santiago. 'Mostly to let them know that we don't forget.' Even though St. Patrick's Day weekend is a celebration of Irish culture in South Boston, it's the rich military history that this group wants to recognize as well. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston will start Sunday at 11:30 a.m., officials want family friendly event
The earlier start time for the 2025 parade was supported by Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn and other South Boston elected officials who have been working with the police, parade organizers, and other agencies to ensure that the parade remains a family-friendly event that can be enjoyed by everyone from seniors to young children, as well as people with disabilities. Advertisement 'If you are a guest, or in South Boston for the Evacuation Day Parade — show some common courtesy and respect for the residents, for our veterans and military families, our dedicated first responders, and our history,' Flynn said in a statement. 'Operate under the golden rule, and if you wouldn't do it back home — don't do it here.' In a letter released last Thursday, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox reminded the public that there will be 'Underage drinking is against the law and violations will be heavily enforced,' Cox said. 'If you plan to attend the St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston, we remind you that unlawful behavior will not be tolerated: public drinking is illegal at any age.' Advertisement Emily Sweeney can be reached at
Boston Globe
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Amid federal funding threats, Boston's Trust Act again under spotlight
Advertisement 'If this funding is cut, it will have a severe impact on the operations of our Police Department,' said City Councilor Ed Flynn, one of several councilors who called for a hearing on the Boston Trust Act. 'We can't play politics with the public safety of our residents.' Governor Maura Healey said separately the Trump administration's threat to withhold federal funding 'will hurt public safety and hurt law enforcement.' 'Cities and towns across Massachusetts rely on federal funding to keep their communities safe,' Healey said in a statement. At issue is the city's Trust Act, which has been likened to what are known as 'sanctuary city' laws. Boston's ordinance generally — Trump administration officials have called on cities such as Boston to do more to assist their efforts for mass deportations, under the threat of federal funding and even criminal and civil charges for public officials who interfere with those efforts. Advertisement And following Wu's testimony on Wednesday, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released a The vague threat of blocking federal funding to so-called sanctuary jurisdictions is not new — in fact the first Trump administration tried the same thing. Those effort mostly failed, as courts repeatedly blocked them on multiple grounds. In particular, the courts ruled it was unconstitutional for the administration to block all government dollars because of local policies on immigration, as the Constitution requires that such spending decisions be related to the policy at issue. The one area where the administration had some limited success with the courts, though, was in law enforcement and public safety funding. Two federal appellate courts, including one that oversees Vermont, allowed the administration to place some requirements and incentives on Justice Department grant applications that penalized jurisdictions who failed to cooperate in some ways with federal immigration enforcement. However, the appeals court that oversees Massachusetts and other New England states ruled that the funding cuts broke the law, leading to split decisions among appeals courts. The matter was never considered by the US Supreme Court because the Biden administration had reversed Trump's policy. There are some ways that this Trump administration could get away with restricting funding, said Bill Ong Hing, a law professor at University of San Francisco who studies the issue. The policy could withstand court challenge if Congress deliberately passes legislation that authorizes some restrictions on public safety funding, and if the Justice Department takes the proper steps to modify the grant requirements and give local jurisdictions adequate notice and consideration under the new rules. Advertisement 'If they can get Congress to OK putting those conditions in and it's some grant that's associated with [immigration], I think that some court somewhere might go along with them,' Hing said. 'I think that's a gigantic if.' Still, he said, the administration nor Congress would likely get away with blocking all funds to sanctuary cities, as that's widely been found to be unconstitutional. 'That's not going to work,' Hing said. And Boston's policy of not collecting information on people's immigration status probably keeps them in compliance with a federal law requiring jurisdictions to turn over such information when asked. That law has in the past formed the basis of Trump's efforts to target sanctuary city funding. 'There's nothing in the law that says [cities] must ask about immigration status,' Hing said. 'If that's what the law said, then fine, but that's not what the law says.' Senator Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, also said any attempt to withhold federal funding for Boston would be met with a lawsuit that he predicted would be successful. But he told the Globe he wouldn't be surprised if the Trump administration still tried 'to engage in political theatrics.' 'It sounds like something that the crazies in the White House might want to do, but in practice, it becomes very legally questionable,' he said. Still, the threat of funding cuts has thrown Boston's Trust Act into public debate, as it did during Wednesday's Capitol Hill hearing and again for a scheduled City Council meeting on Monday that is meant to 'audit the effectiveness' of the act. Advertisement While federal grants are a small percentage of the Boston Police Department's $474 million budget, those funds pay for programs that Cox describes as vital: DNA testing to solve cold murder and rape cases, anti-gang and anti-terrorism intelligence and hardening against nuclear threats, among others. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security awarded nearly $12 million in Urban Area Security Initiative funds to promote security in Greater Boston, according to the state Office of Grants and Research. About $1 million of that money went to the Boston Police Department and another $1.9 million went to the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, which supports local anti-gang and counterterrorism operations. 'A substantial portion of our analytic capabilities are funded by the federal government through grants that are critical not only to public safety in Boston but to the entire Metro Boston region,' Cox Federal funding also supports private nonprofits that city leaders have described as key partners in reducing violence. Community Development Block Grants, funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, support job training programs for youth and recently incarcerated people. For Stone House, a domestic violence shelter in Roxbury, those block grants pay for financial literacy programs that help survivors live independently of their abusers. Federal dollars support efforts to help clients find jobs, build credit, budget for their households, and locate stable housing, according to Stone House's interim CEO Kathryn Fagan 'The loss of these funds would be devastating to our [domestic violence] clients and would set their goals of security and financial independence back immeasurably,' Fagan wrote in an email. Another of those nonprofits is the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, which uses block grant funds to connect people returning from prison with job training, financial counseling, and stable housing, CEO Kimberly R. Lyle told the Globe. Advertisement 'If this funding were eliminated, it would directly impact those efforts, making it harder for people to successfully reintegrate into the community,' Lyle wrote in a statement. 'The bottom line is that cuts to federal funding wouldn't just affect DBEDC — they would have ripple effects across Boston, the state, and the nation, limiting economic mobility, job creation, and community stability." Jim Puzzanghera of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Dan Glaun can be reached at
