17

THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 18, 2024 Page 17 BEACON | FROM PAGE 16 Question 2 would remove our only statewide graduation standard. Massachusetts would have less rigorous high school graduation requirements than Mississippi and Alabama. Question 2 is a radical and untested proposal and should be rejected. Significant changes to our education system should be carefully studied, designed and implemented by experts to ensure these policies are actually better for our kids.” ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL CHANGE COLUMBUS DAY TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY (S 1976 and H 2989) – Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northamtpon) is urging the Legislature to take further action on her bill that would change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in Massachusetts. The measure would require that the day be “observed by the people, with appropriate exercises in the schools and otherwise, to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous peoples, and to recognize and celebrate the thriving cultures and continued resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples and their tribal nations.” Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville) sponsored the same proposal in the House. The bill was given a favorable report by the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight on June 24 and added to the House calendar agenda on July 29 – where it has remained without further action. The same piece of legislation also died in the House during the 2021-2022 session. “Christopher Columbus did not discover the Americas,” said Comerford. “That myth — steeped in racism and violence — has allowed generations to credit a European man with discovering a land already teeming with societies. Indigenous communities and tribal nations in the commonwealth and across the United States call us to act. It is thanks to their courageous truth telling that we recognize the legacy of colonization, in the name of Columbus, as one not worthy of memorialization or celebration. Massachusetts is one of only 16 remaining states to still observe the second Monday in October officially as Columbus Day. Currently 34 states and territories recognize the day in a different way or not at all, with some observing Native American or Indigenous Peoples Day in addition to or in replacement of Columbus Day. Comerford continued, “In 2021, President Joe Biden formally commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday in October with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so. We must rename Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day — a holiday to honor those who first settled this land. This will pay rightful tribute to the contributions of Indigenous peoples in Massachusetts -– past, present, and future. DON’T MISS THIS HEALTH CARE EVENT – The Steward Health Care bankruptcy has shocked Massachusetts’ healthcare system, creating challenges and raising questions about the future of primary care, urgent care and behavioral health. On Oct. 30, join top executives, legislative leaders, regulators and advocates for a discussion on the system’s vulnerabilities and potential policy solutions at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Conference Center in Boston. This event is hosted by the State House News Service and MASSterList. More information/regis - ter: https://www.eventbrite. c om/e/ur gen t -tr ea t - ment-mass-health-care-after-steward-tickets-1038286622237?aff=oddtdtcreator GUN LAW REPEAL EFFORT – A group calling itself the Civil Rights Coalition announced it collected more than 90,000 signatures in its effort to repeal the law, approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor in July, that changed some of the state’s gun laws. The group needed to collect 37,287 signatures and file them with local city and towns clerks by October 9 as the first step toward getting the repeal question on the November 2026 ballot. Sponsors then have until October 23 to file the signatures with the Secretary of State’s office which will decide if there are sufficient certified signatures to qualify for the November 2026 ballot. Provisions of the new law include cracking down on untraceable «ghost guns;» banning firearms in additional public spaces like schools, polling places and government buildings; expanding the 2018 «red flag» law that allows school administrators and licensed health care providers to petition a court to temporarily take firearms away from someone deemed a threat to themselves or others; closing loopholes that allow the modification of legal firearms into illegal automatic weapons; and providing a legacy clause so all firearms legally owned and registered in Massachusetts as of the effective date of the bill will continue to be legal and may be bought and sold within the state. Gov. Healey recently attached an emergency preamble to the law. The emergency preamble makes the law take effect immediately instead of on Oct. 23 as originally scheduled. Healy’s move came on the heels of the announcement of the campaign to repeal the law. Under the Massachusetts Constitution, if a ballot campaign collects a certain number of signatures, it can prevent the implementation of a law without an emergency preamble from taking effect until voters weigh in on whether to repeal it. The emergency preamble prevents suspension of the law while still allowing the repeal campaign to take place. «This emergency preamble that was signed was done so in an effort to suppress a right that is enshrined in our Bill of Rights,» said Toby Leary, the leader of the coalition to repeal the law. “That should never be allowed. It should never be able to stand.” «This is about ensuring that we’re ready to go in terms of implementation,” responded Healey. “The system is there. It’s a democracy. You can go to your Legislature and you can advocate for policy and advocate for laws, and that’s the way the system works.» “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” said Leary. “We’ve got legal action that will be coming, and we’ve got a long way to go. I believe this will be a two-year civics lesson for the people of Massachusetts when they see what their politicians have done. It’s our turn to remind them you need to comply with your oath of office. Let’s make the oath of office great again.” Leary also hinted that his group is weighing legal options to challenge the governor’s action. «We don’t want to tip our hand exactly as to what we’re doing, but yes, we are exploring all options. I do believe the governor acted outside of the constitutional provisions,» Leary said. «No doubt, under Article 48, there’s a provision there for a governor to sign an emergency preamble. However, the way in which it was done for purely political purposes to suppress a right [is something] I believe the courts would look very unfavorably on.” CHILD CUSTODY (S 2961) – The Senate approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters say would simplify and modernize child custody jurisdiction laws in the Bay State. Supporters, noting Massachusetts is the only one of the 50 states that - Legal Notice - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Probate and Family Court 10-U Commerce Way Woburn, MA 01801 Docket No. MI23D2422DR DIVORCE SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION AND MAILING RAISSA CAROLINE Da SILVA XAVIER vs. AARON JETT LARSEN To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for Irretrievable Breakdown of the Marriage 1B. The Complaint is on file at the Court. An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411. You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Richard S. Cabelus, Esq., Law Offices of Richard S. Cabelus 390 Main St., Suite 541, Worcester, MA 01608 your answer, if any, on or before 11/12/2024. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court. WITNESS, Hon. Terri L. Klug Cafazzo, First Justice of this Court. Date: October 1, 2024 TARA E. DeCRISTOFARO REGISTER OF PROBATE October 18, 2024 has not opted into this law, argued the pact will make the Bay State’s interstate custody laws consistent with the 49 other states. They noted the bill would create clear rules that would be established for multi-state custody cases, prioritizing the home state of the child and ensuring Massachusetts courts can work effectively with courts in other states, nationally and in other countries for international child custody orders. “I’m proud that the Massachusetts Senate passed my legislation to bring Massachusetts in line with the rest of the nation by enacting the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act,” said sponsor Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton). “I am grateful to have the support of the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers behind this important bill.” “Today’s legislation aims to simplify a process that is already difficult for children and families,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “Bringing Massachusetts in line with other states nationally will enhance the wellbeing of people going through this process and give families clarity in their path forward.” The Senate approved similar bills in 2016 and 2018 but the bills died in the House from inaction. ADDITIONAL $600,000 TO FUND DIAPERS FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM – The Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP) announced that it has been awarded $600,000 in federal funds to extend for another year, the federal diaper pilot program that provides diapers for low-income families. The $600,000 is on top of the original $1.2 million grant that funded the program for two years. MASSCAP has operated the program with 16 agencies across Massachusetts and Connecticut to distribute over two million diapers to low-income families. “The continuance of resources … signals a definitive recognition that this is a very real issue for countless families experiencing low incomes,” said Joe Diamond, MASSCAP Executive Director. “However, in Massachusetts, more than one third of families struggle to afford enough diapers, meaning we are limited in the number of families we can reach with this award.” “Our resources support the inclusion of less than half of our agenBEACON | SEE PAGE 20 - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Probate and Family Court 10-U Commerce Way Woburn, MA 01801 (781) 865-4000 Docket No. MI24P5123EA Estate of: FIKREADDIS SISAY KEGNE Date of Death: 03/10/2024 CITATION ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Mahider Fikreaddis Sisay of Bronx, NY requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that: Jason G. Happel of Natick, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve With Corporate Surety on the bond in unsupervised administration. IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before: 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 10/31/2024. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an affidavit of objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including the distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Terri L. Klug Cafazzo, First Justice of this Court. Date: October 03, 2024 TARA E. DeCRISTOFARO REGISTER OF PROBATE October 18, 2024

18 Publizr Home