Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JAnuARy 6, 2023 Advocate Online: www.advocatenews.net Tony Ventura’s Killer B’s Softball Team 425r Broadway, Saugus Located adjacent to Kohls Plaza Route 1 South in Saugus at the intersection of Walnut St. We are on MBTA Bus Route 429 781-231-1111 We are a Skating Rink with Bowling Alleys, Arcade and two TV’s where the ball games are always on! PUBLIC SKATING SCHEDULE 12-8 p.m. Sunday Monday Tuesday $9.00 Price includes Roller Skates Rollerblades/inline skates $3.00 additional cost Private Parties 7:30-11 p.m. $10.00 Price includes Roller Skates Adult Night 18+ Only Wednesday Thursday Friday Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Private Parties Private Parties 4-11 p.m. Saturday 12-11 p.m. $9.00 $9.00 Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Sorry No Checks - ATM on site Roller skate rentals included in all prices Inline Skate Rentals $3.00 additional BIRTHDAY & PRIVATE PARTIES AVAILABLE www.roller-world.com It was 1991, and Tony Ventura of Everett Square Sporting Goods fame put together a celebrity softball team of Boston Bruins players for a benefit softball game. Pictured from left to right are Roger Naples, Earl Jenkinsen, Don Sweeney, Andy Brickley, Everett’s Eric Anderson, who was the Bruins’ equipment manager, Bob Beers, Tony Ventura, Ken Hodge, Jr., Andy Burridge, Jeff Lazaro, Bob Sweeney, “Killer” Kowalski and Lyndon “LB” Byers. BEACON | FROM PAGE 5 ter reflect the realities of the lives of Massachusetts residents who love and care for one another … our most vulnerable youth deserve to be cared for by the people who know and love them, and who can best assess their needs.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes ACCESS TO BIRTH CERTIFICATES (S 2294) Senate 40-0, (House on a voice vote without a roll call), approved and Gov. Baker signed legislation giving equal access to original birth certificates to all persons born in Massachusetts. Under prior law, adoptees born between 1974 and 2008 were unable to obtain original birth certificates without a court order that also unseals their record. The measure closes this gap and allows adopted individuals over the age of 18 or the adoptive parents of a child under 18 to access the adoptee’s original birth certificate without the unsealing of the information. “The Joint Committee on Public Health heard powerful testimony from adoptees who could not access their original birth certificate due to a current loophole in state law addressed by this legislation,” said Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Senate Chair of the Committee on Public Health. “The Senate took a major step in assuring equality by guaranteeing that all adoptees, regardless of when they were born, will have access to their original birth certificate,” said Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), sponsor of the bill. She noted that she has waited six years for its passage and that so many have waited their entire lives. “We tell them the wait is over and they matter,” said Gobi. “Many adoptees have been waiting their whole lives to learn their history, and I am honored to have played a part in helping them access their original birth certificates,” said Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem). “For the sake of preserving our health and well-being, it is crucial to know what physical or mental health conditions to which we may be predisposed. By giving all adoptees born in Massachusetts access to their original birth certificates, this legislation closes a 34-year gap granting generations of individuals medical knowledge they have otherwise been denied.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE (S 3097) Senate 39-0, (House on a voice vote without a roll call), approved and Gov. Bakersigned into law a bill designed to make mental health care more accessible in the Bay State. Provisions include mandating coverage for an annual mental health wellness exam, comparable to an annual physical; a public awareness campaign on the state’s red flag laws that limit access to guns for people at risk of hurting themselves or others; implementation of the nationwide 988 hotline to access 24/7 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis services; mandating coverage and eliminating prior authorization for mental health acute treatment and stabilization services for adults and children; establishing an Office of Behavioral Health Promotion to coordinate all state initiatives that promote mental, emotional and behavioral health and wellness for residents; and creating an interim licensure level for licensed mental health counselors so that they can be reimbursed by insurance for their services and be eligible for state and federal grant and loan forgiveness programs. “The Massachusetts Legislature took vital strides toward transforming mental health care in Massachusetts,” said Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro), Senate chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. “By unanimously passing the Mental Health ABC Act, we affirm that mental health is just as essential as physical health and take a leap forward to ensure that all people in Massachusetts can access the mental health care they need and deserve.” “Too many people in communities across the commonwealth struggle to get the mental, emotional and behavioral health care they deserve,” said Rep. Adrian Madaro (D-Boston), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. “This legislation helps reduce barriers to resources, support, and treatment residents need for their overall wellbeing. It enables enforcement of existing parity laws, enhances emergency response services and acute psychiatric care, develops programs to strengthen the workforce and invests in mental health. Importantly, our legislation also creates initiatives to address the unique mental health needs of young BEACON | SEE PAGE 9
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