News Briefs

Chief Delehanty will plunge for Special Olympics

Join with Winthrop’s “Team Toss the Boss” on Saturday, March 3, at noon on Revere Beach to benefit the Special Olympics when Police Chief Terry Delehanty will take the plunge into the icy Atlantic.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics movement. Special Olympics Massachusetts has helped drive acceptance and inclusion through sports in communities, and we want to make sure they continue making this possible, all for free. Join in by plunging with other residents or make a donation to “Team Toss the Boss” from Winthrop. For more information about the event go to: www.ReverePlunge.kintera.org.

 

VAPING COMMUNITY FORUM on march 8

A Vaping & E-Cigarette Community Forum will be held on March 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. Jonina Gorenstein of MGH Community Health Associates will be the keynote speaker.

The forum will be held at Winthrop High/Middle School Auditorium.

A roundtable Q&A will follow the presentation with Community Leaders.  The forum is hosted by CASA.

 

DEMOCRATS TO ELECT DELEGATES TO STATE CONVENTION

Democrats in Winthrop will be holding a caucus on Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Robert A. DeLeo Senior Center, 35 Harvard St., to elect delegates and alternates to the 2018 Massachusetts Democratic Convention, where Democrats from across the state will gather on June 2 at the DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester, MA, 01608.

The caucus is open to all registered Democrats in Winthrop. Delegates will be divided equally between men and women. Youth, minorities, and people with disabilities who are not elected as delegates or alternates may apply to be “add-on” delegates. The Robert A. DeLeo Senior Center building is handicapped accessible. Details on the rules can be found at www.massdems.org. For general information on the Convention or the Democratic Party please contact 617-939-0800 or [email protected].

 

Parents Forum Open Meeting       FEBRUARY 16

Interested community members are welcome to attend an open meeting of Parents Forum on Friday, Feb. 16, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., at the Chelsea Revere Family Network, 67 Crescent Ave., Chelsea. Parent participants who have attended the first three sessions of the four-session workshop will receive certificates and describe how Parents Forum has helped them. Two-way English-Spanish translation will be provided.

The location is a CAPIC / Community Action Program Inner City site and Jeannette Velez, director, says that, “The Parents Forum workshop aligns perfectly with our center’s goals to build on family strengths and bolster parental leadership.”

Winthrop Parents Forum coordinator Therese Ockenden explains that the positive and preventive program “can help all families because it gives parents a chance to reflect on the values they want to transmit to their children.” R.S.V.P.s for the Feb. 16 morning meeting are requested: Contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Airing in February on local community access television is a 20-minute interview with Therese Ockenden and Parents Forum founder Eve Sullivan by Judie VanKooiman for her “Life Issues” show. The show is available on YouTube [ bit.ly/2s9rISo ].

The Parents Forum Book and Toy Exchange held Jan. 20 at the Cummings School in Winthrop was a success and, with continuing support from Anita Preble, director of Winthrop Parents Network, the program plans a one-day workshop on Saturday, April 28, location to be decided.

[Further information: www.parentsforum.org /  Contacts: Therese Ockenden, above, and Eve Sullivan [email protected]]

 

WE CAN HELP    WITH YOUR    HEATING BILLS

CAPIC’s Fuel Assistance Program is Open for the 2017-2018 Season

CAPIC’s Fuel Assistance Program is accepting applications for this winter’s heating season.  The program serves families in Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop and assists households in paying heating bills from November 2017 to April 2018.  The program is open to tenants, as well as homeowners, whose income is within 60 percent of the state median income.  Heat may be oil, propane, kerosene, gas or electric. For more information please call 617-884-6130.

 

CHELSEA STREET BRIDGE APP

For those seeking real time information about the Chelsea Street Bridge closures, Massport is operating a Twitter account which alerts drivers whenever the bridge is opening for shipping and closed to traffic. The Twitter account is @LoganToChelsea. This real time information supplements the new vehicular warnings systems now currently active on Broadway and Williams Street.

 

Dawson joins Mass. Mortgage Bankers Assoc. Bd. of Directors

Dawn Dawson, vice president of mortgage operations and secondary market at Metro Credit Union, has joined the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association board of directors. Founded in 1976, the MMBA is the largest mortgage association in New England and recognized as one of the most successful in the country.  MMBA offers the most comprehensive member services to over 225 corporate members throughout the region.

“I’m honored to serve on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association,” said Dawson. “I look forward to working with the board to address key issues and concerns facing the banking industry and to advocate for policies that will assist consumers with the goal of homeownership.”

Dawson, who has over 20 years of mortgage industry experience, joined Metro Credit Union in 2012 and has been instrumental in elevating the mortgage operations department to better assist members through training, development, and encouraging maximum efficiency. In an effort to assist potential and existing homeowners in Lawrence, Dawson also worked with MassHousing on the creation of a customized mortgage program called “At Home in Lawrence.” This program offers special loan terms designed to help inner city residents who otherwise may not have been able to gain financing. The program has since expanded to several other communities.

Metro Credit Union is the largest state-chartered credit union in Massachusetts, approaching $1.7 billion in assets. Metro provides a full range of financial products to more than 190,000 members in Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable, Bristol and Worcester counties, as well as to over 1,200 companies throughout the Commonwealth.

Founded in 1926, Metro currently operates 15 branch offices in Boston, Burlington, Chelsea, Framingham, Lawrence, Lynn, Melrose, Newton, Peabody, Salem, and Tewksbury. Learn more at www.metrocu.org.

 

DOR OPENED FOR

TAX FILING

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) has opened the state tax filing season, which will run through Tuesday, April 17.

In order to enhance fraud prevention and speed up refund processing, taxpayers are encouraged to file their returns electronically.  Massachusetts is a member of the FreeFile Alliance*, a nonprofit coalition of tax software providers partnered with the IRS and a number of other states.  Most taxpayers fall into the income eligibility requirements for free filing; additional information is available at mass.gov/efile.

DOR launched a new opt-in fraud prevention program for the 2017 tax season that will allow taxpayers to gain more control over their personal information. Taxpayers that opt-in to the new program will receive a confirmation request from MassTaxConnect when a return is filed using the participating taxpayer’s social security number. Once confirmation is received, the return will be processed.  To opt-in, taxpayers can call 617.887.MDOR or send an e-message through the MassTaxConnect website at mass.gov/masstaxconnect.

“The Department of Revenue’s top priority is refund fraud prevention.  Last tax season we stopped roughly $40 million in fraudulent returns and we continue to deploy system enhancements that detect fraud while releasing legitimate refunds in a timely manner,” said Christopher C. Harding, Commissioner of Revenue. “We look forward to working with taxpayers during this filing season and encourage taxpayers to reach out to the Department with any questions or concerns.”

DOR estimates that 75-percent of online returns will be processed in two-three days and expects most refunds will be issued in less than two weeks.  Taxpayers can check their refund status on MassTaxConnect at mass.gov/masstaxconnect.

Avoid delays by taking the following steps:

E-file returns and select direct deposit of your refund.

If filing on paper, do not use forms with watermarks and do not staple or paperclip forms.

• Ask for Help. Taxpayer help is always available on DOR’s website, with topics ranging from how to find a tax preparer to tax law changes. You’ll find options for free tax help for taxpayers who qualify like the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs; locations are available across Massachusetts.

* Please note that the Massachusetts Department of Revenue does not endorse or recommend any particular tax preparation software.