Latest news with #Markey
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Former bride weeps in court over failure to get back 'priceless' wedding flowers
A Co Louth woman has wept in court over not being able to get back her 'priceless' and 'irreplaceable' wedding flowers from a woman who was hired to preserve and frame the flowers. At the Small Claims Court at Ennis District Court, former bride, Michelle Markey became visibly upset after telling Judge Alec Gabbett of her failed efforts to obtain the return of her wedding flowers from Co Clare woman, Charlotte Roche. Ms Markey of Oriel Rd, Collon, Co Louth told Judge Gabbett: "My priceless flowers. I gave them away - I would have kept them if I had known I would never get my wedding flowers back." Judge Gabbett said that "wedding flowers hold sentimental value, some people put them on their mother's graves". He told Ms Markey: "I get that sentimentality aspect." The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Ms Markey told Judge Gabbett: "I gave away my - I'm sorry..." and momentarily began to cry before quickly recomposing herself. In response, Judge Gabbett said: "You are okay. It is fine. Take your time. You find the whole thing upsetting because the lack of communication is the biggest issue?" Ms Markey agreed. She said that the flowers are 'irreplaceable'. She said: "I do have evidence to show that this is not an isolated incident and reviews on a website show that this has happened to other brides." There was no appearance in court by Charlotte Roche of Laghtagoona, Corofin, Co Clare who agreed to provide the floral service to Ms Markey. Ms Markey was claiming €350 for the loss of her wedding flowers and Judge Gabbett granted her a decree of €200 for the replacement of the flowers against Ms Roche. He said: "That is the best I can do for you." Ms Markey told Judge Gabbett that she entered a service agreement on October 9, 2023 with Ms Roche when a €50 deposit was paid to Ms Roche for drying, preserving, artwork and framing of wedding day flowers. Ms Markey said that Ms Roche set up a new company, Lush Flower Art Ltd, in 2024. She said that the flowers were received by Ms Roche on November 7, 2023 and Ms Markey said that she was told that 16 weeks would be allowed for the completion of the artworks. She said that after multiple emails and texts between December 2023 and November 2024, including several requests to return the flowers, on November 23, 2024 she was informed via email by Ms Roche that she would not be progressing with the piece. She said: "I requested a return of deposit and flowers and neither was received at this time." Ms Markey said that Ms Roche cancelled the service over a review she had left on a weddings website. Ms Markey said that the deposit was returned on January 4 but no return of flowers and subsequent requests for return of flowers were ignored. Representing herself, Ms Markey told Judge Gabbett she travelled 200km to be in court in Ennis on a six-hour round trip from Co Louth "and had to organise childcare and take a day off work". After seeing that the next Small Claims case on the list was a Kerrie Horgan vs Charlotte Roche (Bradley), Judge Gabbett remarked 'Oh dear'. There was no appearance by either party in that case and Judge Gabbett adjourned that case to September. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Before Massachusetts attracts more data centers, other states sound a warning
'Data centers are extremely power hungry and can put local communities' air quality at risk,' said Amanda Garcia, a senior attorney in Tennessee for the Southern Environmental Law Center. Advertisement Elon Musk's xAI recently built a huge data center in Memphis Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up At the White House, the Trump administration released a 'We need to build and maintain vast AI infrastructure and the energy to power it,' the report said. 'To do that, we will continue to reject radical climate dogma and bureaucratic red tape, as the Administration has done since Inauguration Day. Simply put, we need to 'Build, Baby, Build!'' Advertisement In Virginia, which has 'We know that the customers, the utility customers that are not data centers, are going to be subsidizing the electrical infrastructure for the richest companies in the world,' Bolthouse said. Massachusetts has But last year's economic development legislation exempted data centers from 'sales and use' taxes in an effort to attract more of the facilities to the state. And Markey acknowledged the importance of building data centers to support AI, but said the effort needs to take into account local concerns and protect the environment. 'AI has the potential to offer real public benefits ... but those benefits cannot come at the unchecked expense of our environment and our health,' Markey said at Wednesday's event. Advertisement He also criticized the Trump administration for cutting subsidies for solar and wind power. Big tech companies had been supporting such projects to power their data centers. 'Our environment doesn't have to be a sacrificial lamb on the altar of innovation, Markey said. 'We can have green growth.' Aaron Pressman can be reached at
Boston Globe
15-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Senator Markey criticizes Trump's Small Business Administration for curtailing immigrant access to business loans
The SBA took this move in response to an executive order from President Trump to stop providing public benefits to illegal immigrants, though the two Democrats write that the SBA decision harms many small businesses owned or operated by legal immigrants. Advertisement Markey said it's important for the SBA to explain why it's making these changes. Advertisement 'There is no evidence that this is a program that's been abused at all,' Markey said in an interview. 'This is a system that has worked well for generations. As part of Trump's casting a shadow over immigration, they're really going to cause serious harm to immigrant entrepreneurship in our country.' The two Democrats also asked the SBA to outline the impacts from the decisions to relocate regional offices in seven cities, including Boston, because the administration deemed them to be so-called 'sanctuary cities.' Among other things, they want to know what kind of impact these office relocations have on SBA services for immigrant entrepreneurs. Representatives for the SBA did not provide a response to the letter when asked by the Globe on Tuesday. Markey has asked that the SBA respond to the questions in his letter by July 29. 'We have not been presented with any evidence that would justify such a fundamental change in policy,' Markey said. 'To the extent to which the Trump administration is playing political games with people's livelihoods rather than sustaining their livelihoods, we want to give them an opportunity to explain what their rationale is.' Jon Chesto can be reached at
Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Amid Trump cuts, Senators Warren, Markey call on Congress to fully fund special education
New legislation for full funding, to which Warren and Markey are cosponsors, would give Congress a decade to finally make good on its 40 percent pledge. As of fiscal 2025, that annual contribution would amount to $31 billion. Reaching that level of investment could enable districts to hire 400,000 more special educators and therapists nationwide, federal budget documents have said. Advertisement Congress must pass the legislation, known as the IDEA Full Funding Act, to 'uphold our promise to disabled students,' said Markey. 'It's been nearly half a century since the federal government enshrined into law the right for students with disabilities to access free, quality public education,' Markey said. 'This law is essential for ensuring every student can fulfill their dreams and seek new opportunities, yet Congress has still not provided the full funding necessary to guarantee that all students are not only integrated into our education system, but flourish in it.' Advertisement Warren, meanwhile, blamed President Trump for, she said, digging the funding hole even deeper. Though Trump's fiscal 2026 budget recommendation held special education funding steady, other cuts, such as those to Medicaid, threaten to jeopardize special education services. 'We desperately need to deliver on the promise of giving students with disabilities the tools they need to succeed in school,' Warren said. 'Instead, the Trump administration is dismantling our public education system and defunding programs that support our special need students.' Related : The senators' comments come in the wake of Locally, Ellen Chambers, founder of Advertisement Funding must be accompanied by political will, she said. 'There is a complete disconnect between government and families like Dante's,' Chambers said. 'Even when Related : At the national level, Warren's and Markey's calls for full funding were echoed by several advocacy groups, including The School Superintendents Association. 'Congress has shortchanged this population and this historic commitment chronically,' said Noelle Ellerson Ng, chief advocacy and governance officer for the association. Districts must compensate for the federal funding deficit with local taxpayer dollars. That frequently requires districts to make cuts to other programs, however, as communities commonly refuse to pay more in taxes to make up the shortfall, Ng said. 'The blame here doesn't lie with the kids who simply exist and have a different learning need,' she said. The full funding legislation faces stiff political headwinds. Though the bill has bipartisan support in the House, it has no Republican sponsors in the Senate. Up until about eight years ago, when there were still a sizable number of centrists in Congress, the same legislation had consistently received bipartisan support across both legislative bodies (though never enough to pass), Ng said. Still, Ng believes this year — 'If not now, when?' she said. Related : Becky Pringle, president of the country's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, said fully funding special education is 'a matter of dignity, inclusion, and justice.' 'Educators are devoted to supporting students with disabilities, but they need the right resources, staffing, and systems in place to do that work well,' Pringle said. Advertisement In Massachusetts, disability advocacy groups said there's much work to be done locally beyond support for full federal funding. Dante Fowler, 12, ran back to class with speech pathologist Marley Dutcher after a break on the playground at the Amego School in Franklin on April 25. Dante started at the school, which specializes in serving students with autism and other disabilities, at the beginning of April. Advocates are calling on Congress to fully fund special education in schools across the US. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Chambers, of SPEDWatch, said the state education department has been 'derelict for decades' in its duty to ensure local districts are following special education law (the federal government earlier this year 'When you board an airplane, must you study federal air travel regulations to ensure you have a safe trip? ... When you go to a doctor, dentist, or hairdresser, do you have to study governing regulations to ensure you are not harmed?' Chamber said. 'No, because you pay taxes to fund agencies that enforce those regulations for you.' Related : Nora Bent is director of government affairs and strategic partnerships for Bent said the organization is working with the Legislature and Governor Healey's office to determine whether changes to payment rates or regulations could result in more seats at high-quality special education schools so students like Dante don't have to wait for months on end. She sees an opportunity for Massachusetts to lead the way. 'How does the state, given the current environment at the federal level, prioritize this? How do we move forward?' she said, adding the first step is acknowledging there is a problem. Advertisement Sharing families' stories is a powerful way of doing that, Bent said. The general public, at this moment, doesn't necessarily understand the complexity of the issue, she said. Related : 'It's not just about missing school,' she said. 'It's the mental health issue from isolation, the health issues that can pop up, the family and caregiver burnout.' Pam Nourse, executive director of the 'In a very real sense, budgets are a reflection of our priorities — and our system has failed to place adequate value on children with disabilities,' Nourse said. 'Regardless of the politics of it all, these kids are simply forgotten. 'These are real kids with real needs, and they have a right to an education,' she added. 'They deserve better.' Mandy McLaren can be reached at
Boston Globe
08-07-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Baystate Health says new Medicaid law will cost health system at least $30 million a year
The not-for-profit system has an annual budget of about $3 billion and consists of five hospitals, including the flagship hospital, Baystate Medical Center, in Springfield. Baystate can ill afford to lose money given its recent financial struggles. The system, which employs about 13,000 people, has been losing millions of dollars a year and has Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Nonetheless, Martin disputed a recent warning by Advertisement 'It is important to know that Baystate Franklin Medical Center is not at risk of closing,' Martin said, calling Baystate Franklin a 'vital part of our integrated delivery network. ' In the past nine months, she added, the system's leaders have 'identified significant growth opportunities to enhance clinical services' there. Advertisement Markey based his warning on an The center said that Baystate Franklin had a high percentage of Medicaid patients and three years operating losses that already put it at risk for reducing services or closing. Baystate was the only rural hospital in Massachusetts identified as vulnerable to closing by the Sheps center. Markey and three other Democratic senators warned Trump and the Republican leaders of the House and Senate that rural hospitals were already struggling and that slashing funding for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act would cause 16 million people in the country to lose health insurance coverage. The new law establishes work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults on Medicaid, a provision Republicans say will curb waste, fraud, and abuse. Democrats say past experience shows that Roughly 2 million Massachusetts residents, including more than 700,000 people 20 and younger, depend on Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled. In Massachusetts, the program is called MassHealth. An Joint Economic Committee estimates that the new tax and spending law could cost more than 700,000 people in New England their health coverage, including more than 325,000 in Massachusetts. The White House said in a statement on Monday that the law was a 'sweeping legislative triumph' that combines the largest tax cuts in history with 'landmark investments in America's future and defense.' Advertisement Jonathan Saltzman can be reached at
