News: Recent Coverage

A regional ambulance plan involving Topsfield and five surrounding communities will gain some headway with the help of a study funded by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The six communities have been working on the ambulance plan for over a year and hope to find a better way to deliver ambulance and EMS services through regionalization.

Anti-gang activists rallied at the Statehouse earlier this week, asking legislators to restore funding for a community-grant program that saw its budget slashed by more than 60 percent this year. The Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative grant program “is critical to the lives of our kids,” said Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. “The cutbacks have dramatically curtailed our efforts.”

Nine empty storefronts in a Weymouth Landing building will likely remain vacant way for a while. The stretch of storefronts has been empty for about two years, and is a topic of discussion as Braintree and Weymouth officials target the Landing for redevelopment. Last month, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council presented its final rezoning recommendations, which included outdoor dining, improved storefronts and more public waterfront space.

Local photographers are invited to enter a new photo contest hosted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).

There are four categories: sustainability, equity, community and prosperity in the Greater Boston region. Contest entries should depict the photographer’s vision of better places to live, work, play and build community. For a map of the region, visit mapc.org/subregions.