News

If you are a candidate for a local office and wish to gain some TV coverage, have you thought about appearing on a public access show to discuss various issues or to share your perspective? It may be just the insight voters will need as they consider and make an informed decision on who to vote for.

If you are interested in reaching over 50,000 homes as well as many more on line via WCCA TV 13, give Mauro DePasquale a call at 508-755-1880 ext 11

Ask about our candidate open mic night which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 29th.

This Friday, August 6, noon-1pm in front of Worcester's City Hall,
there will be a vigil to remember the atomic bombing of Japan and call
for nuclear disarmament.

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima was August 6, 1945. The atomic bombing
of Nagasaki was August 9, 1945.

The vigil is sponsored by the SS. Francis & Therese Catholic Worker
community. Feel free to join them.

Related: Catholic Worker co-founder Dorothy Day's response to the
bombings, written shortly after they happened.

WCCA TV's John Simakauskas is doing a fabulous job facilitating access for those who live, work, or study in Worcester. Channel 13, "The People's Channel is proud to announce that, as WCCA TV13 is a member of the "Community Media Collection" at archive.org, we currently have 2,600 videos in the collection, 1,220 have been contributed by WCCA. That's 47%.

WCCA TV 13 has made it possible for Worcester to lead the way in video archiving and providing public access to a vast and impressive amount of video content which place Worcester in the spotlight throughout the world. Many of these WCCA TV 13 programs are available , "ON DEMAND" world wide.

We thank John, Mike and all who have contributed to our collection or works and also everyone for their support. We also appreciate your in-kind and capital contributions and donations.

Hot off the press here is the latest NewsNote from our friend Doug Grindle:

Zhari District, west of Kandahar City - The sun goes down and the fields are bathed in the golden glow of another day gone by here in southern Afghanistan. As bucolic scenes go, this one has it all: brilliant green vineyards, puffs of smoke rising from freshly-shorn wheat fields where stubble is burning, and the occasional tractor huffing past hauling threshing machines and trailers of wheat.

This bucolic scene is great or terrible depending on your viewpoint.

From the soldiers' point of view it's a good one; another day and no casualties.

From the farmers point of view, not great. The wheat crop is infected with smut or ergot disease and the yield is down by a quarter this year, no matter what farmers try to do to make it better. The poppy harvest was off as well, by about a half, which makes this year a bad one all round.

From the insurgents' point of view, things are going swimmingly.

Today, the FY 2011 House/Senate Conference Committee released the compromise FY 2011 budget. Both chambers are expected to vote today in order to send the budget to the Governor before the start of the FY 11 fiscal year on July 1st.

The conference committee approved $6,249,712 for the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) and authorized a one-time contribution of $3 million from MassDevelopment to the MCC. If approved by the Governor, the total state appropriation for the MCC in FY 11 would be $9,249,712. This is a reduction of $443,233 from the FY 2010 budget and down from $12,658,827 in FY 2009.

The conference committee approved $4.5 million for the promotion of regional tourism through the regional tourism councils, and approved $1,905,493 for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT). The conference committee budget also includes a transfer of $5 million to MOTT from the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.

...and it is participatory !

I remember well those public hearings and countless cable advisory meetings where WCCA and our community supporters rallied around one of many important components of PUBLIC ACCESS value in our fight for continued, at least level funding. We tried are darnedest to convince the city why it would be important for WCCA TV to be distributed county wide and why it is so important to fund WCCA's COMMUNITY VISION News and other WCCA presented news and information programming. Today, although we recieve less than level funding compared to past decades of franchise support, thanks to community initiatives and dedicated coalition made up of staff and volunteers WCCA is distributed beyond Worcester.

This is serving a purpose that is exactly in tune with our public access mission, the intent of congressional law in support of public access cable franchising, and one that studies have shown in other areas, is well needed.

Today, our channel 13's Community Vision News, along with a number of other ethnic community news productions presented in Cambodian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Albanian, to name a few, in additional ot WCCA's community electronic bulletin board, provide our viewers with the best and most diverse and comprehensive coverage of local news and events.

The WCCA TV 13 and public access everywhere, plays an important role, in our media ecosystem that is not served anywhere else.Nowhere else do you find the level of encouragement and incentive for everyone to participate in sharing news, heritage, information, and fresh ideas. WCCA TV 13 is a charitable organization, and is an anchor institution that uniquely provides a comprehensive services to the general population with access to the needed media tools, the channels of distribution and the professional staff facilitation and educational component available to the general public, in one location, and making such access affordable.

No matter what your political point of view or opinion is you can participate int eh publci access process. Think about that. Look at the boundless diversity that exist on our channel activity, our website, or the daily activities going on at WCCA's studios on Main Street, and then ask yourself why not do more to support TV 13 public access programming.

The funding provided by cable franchises is not enough to support WCCA activities or the entire scope of it's mission, that is why we need your continued help and support. Consider making a financial or in-kind contribution to support all our fine programming and meet the challenges to maintain the local free flow of news and information. You can help keep this window into Worcester open to the world.
Feel free to contact me to see how you can help. 508-755-1880 ext. 11
Learn Create Connect WCCA TV 13, "The People's Channel"

Thank you for helping us build Worcester's community and helping to make our city a better place to live.
Mauro

Worcester is a high risk community for childhood lead poisoning - further complicated by the high levels of lead that have been found in both candy and candy-wrappers made in Mexico, labeled in Spanish and sold in America. As you may know, 57% of Worcester's housing was built before 1950 when paint lead levels were at their highest, and over the years often multiple coats of lead based paint were applied. To address this issue across the state, MA has adopted special regulations which require physicians to periodically screen children for lead at 9-12 months of age, and again annually at 2,3, and 4 years of age for blood lead levels. Additionally, to provide population based surveillance and allow for remediation of high risk properties, there is a provision for the mandatory reporting of lead poisoning to the state so that state officials can follow up with landlords and require abatement of properties. A number of other public health measures have been put in place regarding placing children under six in lead-free apartments and rental units, testing properties, providing informed consent during real estate transactions, reducing lead levels in emissions from cars and trucks, etc.. These measures are slowly but surely reducing lead exposure in MA children, but they have been driven by the mandatory testing and reporting of known cases.

A LEAD TEST IS A SIMPLE
FINGER STICK AND IS THE
ONLY WAY TO TELL IF YOUR
CHILD HAS LEAD POISONING

All children ages 9 months old to 6 years old should be tested
every year for lead. Children under 16 years old who have been
exposed to lead should also be tested. Parents must accompany
their children.
Free Lead Testing—No Appointment Needed!
TUESDAY June 8, 2010 from 3:00PM—6:00PM at the Helen
Bowditch Health Center at Elm Park Community School
SATURDAY June 12, 2010 from 9:00AM—12PM at Family
Health Center of Worcester’s LAB, first floor of 26 Queen Street
The Worcester Public Schools is not responsible for, or connected with, any aspect of this program, and
participation in this program is the sole decision and responsibility of the parent or guardian.
Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc.
Walk-In Center for Urgent and Primary Care

Noreen Johnson Smith, M.P.H., the Vice President of Development & Advancement
Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. writes:

Congressman Jim McGovern will tour the federal ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Stimulus Bill) -funded construction site at Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. today at 10:30am on the first floor of 26 Queen Street, Worcester, MA 01610. Media are invited to preview the construction of the new Walk-In Center for Primary and Urgent Care at Family Health Center of Worcester today at 10:30am and join Congressman McGovern on his tour of the facility.

Construction by Kaplan Construction. Architectural services by Steffian Bradley Architects.

The renovation of over 18,000 square feet of clinical space will allow 2,200 new patients to access primary care services at Family Health Center of Worcester.

It as it seems so to us. Okay maybe not really a "byline" in the literary sense, but perhaps using the paradigm, or a model of what public access has been, in large part, for decades. that is by providing a way for people to have their own show on TV.

OPRAH may have her own network. Guess what residents of Worcester? SO DO YOU. It's right here, WCCA TV 13, on cable and streaming on line, and seen around the world.

The People's Channel" is your network, in fact, it is more than JUST a network. It is a place where you can learn, create and connect. A community resource. You already have your own without OPRAH.

OPRAH is very wealthy, it is wonderful that she can put her pocket book into her shows and network and that is fantastic. At WCCA TV, however, you can too, as much as you like. If you don't have OPRAH bucks, it is still possible to have your own show or be on TV.