Man About Canton: Miscellaneous News

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In 2017, Stoughton police responded to 44 opiate-related overdoses, six of which were fatal. Now, according to a recent story in the Enterprise, Stoughton is joining a growing list of cities and towns — including Canton — that have signed on to a class-action lawsuit against five of the nation’s largest manufacturers of prescription opioids and three wholesale drug distributors. The goal of the lawsuit is to “recoup town budget dollars spent for law enforcement, emergency medical services, Narcan, education, prevention, and treatment costs.”

Talking about Stoughton, it looks like Uncle Milty’s Army Navy Store — a Stoughton institution since 1977 — is staying put thanks to a last-minute purchase offer from a local Army veteran. Longtime owner Robert “Chief” Kushner had previously announced that he was closing up shop on August 25, stating that he could no longer compete with big box retailers or websites like eBay. However, just weeks before the closing date, the new buyer “swooped in” and finalized a sale, according to the Enterprise.

The city of Boston has faced increased pressure from activists to remove monuments and other items associated with racism. City officials recently voted to change Yawkey Way back to Jersey Street. Currently, according to the Boston Globe, activists are calling on officials to change the name of the historic Faneuil Hall building because its namesake, Peter Faneuil, owned slaves and was part of the slave trade in the 1740s. The New Democracy Coalition has called for a boycott of the hall and nearby Quincy Market until the name is changed. Next on the list may be John Hancock, who had a Boston building and company named after him. He also owned slaves in the 1700s.

The U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, ruled that it was unconstitutional to require government employees to pay union fees.

The state Supreme Judicial Court recently rejected a ballot question that would have raised the state income tax for Massachusetts millionaires with the money to go toward transportation and education. In a 5-2 decision, the court sided with business groups who argued that the proposal was unconstitutional. The measure would have imposed a higher income tax rate for personal earnings above $1 million, a levy that would have brought in an estimated $2 billion in new tax revenue.

The sale of a primary residence allows a married couple filing jointly to exclude from their income up to $500,000 of gain on the sale. The exclusion would be $250,000 for a single taxpayer. To qualify as a primary residence, the home in question must have been occupied by the owner for at least two of the past five years.

The Massachusetts Senate voted 37-0 to approve an amendment to the current law that allows veterans to do volunteer work in their city or town in exchange for tax breaks. The amendment would raise the limit of the allowable property tax reduction to 175 hours at the current minimum-wage of $11 per hour. That would make the new ceiling $1,925.

The U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 6-3, overturned a federal ban on sports betting. The court overturned a 1992 federal law under which betting on baseball, basketball, football, and other sports was legal only in Nevada. The justices ruled that the federal government had overreached by prohibiting states from making laws to allow such bets. States will now craft a sports betting law within a year which could generate hundreds of millions of dollars per year in new revenue.

The record low temperature in the United States was -79.8 degrees Fahrenheit reached on January 23, 1971, at Prospect Creek Camp in Alaska.

Commonwealth Avenue in Boston was planned out in the late 1850s. It was designed to be one of the finest streets in the world. All of the crossing streets were named after well-known English nobleman, including Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford.

The New Hampshire minimum age for marriage was recently raised from 13 for girls and 14 for boys to 16 for everyone. In Massachusetts, there is no minimum age to marry, although there are some judicial and parental restrictions.

The Canton community is invited to an evening of dancing and fun on Saturday, September 15, in memory of “Smokin Joe” Donnelly, the longtime voice of Bulldog hockey and president of Canton Community Television. All proceeds will go toward a scholarship fund that has been established in Joe’s honor. The dance will be held at the Canton Town Club at 300 Bailey Street and will feature a cash bar, raffles, music and light refreshments. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling Bob at 781-389-1515.

The wiser you become, the lesser you will be surprised. –Mehmet Murat ildan

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=40069

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Sep 1 2018. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.