EXTRA...

SEMASS shut down; Teen tanning time ban; Reps; "How I spent my Spring recess: Gag Romney wants your vote

Lawmakers want to limit teen time tanning
Are they simply following Brewster lead of 2 years ago?

BOSTON --Tanning booths are the latest area where teenagers need to be protected from themselves, according to lawmakers and health officials pushing legislation they say will reduce the number of new skin cancer cases.  New harsher penalties went into effect this weekend for teenage drivers who speed or drag race on public roads. Now, some on Beacon Hill want to prevent teens from recklessly exposing themselves to ultraviolet rays at an age in their lives when they can be most harmful.

The legislators are slated to testify at a hearing Thursday on a bill that would prohibit youths under 16 years old from using tanning booths and would require parental consent for 16- and 17-year-olds who want an indoor tan... Prom season leads many teenagers to seek that bronzed look, said Resor, D-Acton...  Two years ago the Cape Cod town of Brewster barred anyone under 18 from using tanning beds...  Read the rest of this Globe story here.  Leave a comment

See the tanning spas on Cape Cod;

• Creative Cuts Plus 
• New Dawn Tanning Salon, Inc. 
• The Sun Room
  

___________________________

Massachusetts Congressmen head aboard forrecess
Many visit hotspots, Delahunt chases windmills

WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts congressmen are dusting off their passports and heading overseas for fact-finding missions as Congress begins its annual Easter recess.    Representative James McGovern, Democrat of Worcester, left for Africa on Friday for a firsthand look at hunger problems and how various US food aid programs are working. He planned stops in Ethiopia, Kenya, and possibly Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.

Representative Richard Neal... is arriving in Ireland today as part of a congressional delegation traveling to Dublin,  Representative John Tierney... plans to meet with government officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan...  Representative William Delahunt  will meet with officials developing so-called "deepwater" wind energy projects. He wants to explore whether "deepwater" projects could be an attractive alternative to Cape Wind in waters further from the shore...  Read the rest of this Globe story here.  Leave a comment
_____________________________

SEMASS facility shut down by fire

ROCHESTER — A fire at the SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility — which burned and smoldered for 24 hours — caused extensive damage to the plant and required the aid of firefighters from across the region to extinguish... At 10:30 a.m. yesterday, the fire was contained and the state Department of Environmental Protection reported air samples showed no hazards to air quality. DEP said it will continue to monitor the situation.

As of yesterday afternoon, the fire was still burning and there was a heavy odor of smoke in the air.  The fire was completely out about 7 last night, according to Stephen Diaz, vice president and regional business manager at Covanta Energy of Fairfield, N.J., the plant operator...  "We're on our way back and the most important thing is that no one was hurt," he said...  Read the rest of this Standard-Times story here.   Leave a comment 

 SEMASS closure not expected to effect town waste

Covanta Energy officials are telling town officials not to panic about trash pile-up.  Although the SEMASS waste and recycling facility in Rochester was all but destroyed in a weekend fire, officials say there will be no disruption in services.  Stephen Diaz, vice president and regional business manager at Covanta Energy, based in Fairfield, N.J., said they will send the waste to facilities in Haverhill and Preston, Conn.

"It will be seamless and there will be no disruption," Mr. Diaz said last night.  "We have a plan for every municipality. We will make it seamless for them. It will be business as usual."  SEMASS is a waste-to-energy facility that serves 60 towns in Southeastern Massachusetts, including all of Cape Cod...   Read the rest of this Standard-Times story here. Leave a comment 
____________________________ 

 Why I think you should vote for my dad
A lost anchor in Cape Cod Bay

Like a lot of kids, I grew up thinking my Dad was Superman. And like most kids, in my teenage years, my view of him changed from Superman to Supernerd. But by age 16, I realized that my earlier view, though not totally realistic, was a lot closer to the truth. We continued to have occasional disagreements, and we still do. But I've come to realize how extraordinarily lucky I am to have Mitt Romney as my father. I also think that if elected, he would be one of our nation's most remarkable presidents.

I'll never forget one weekday sometime during July 1986 (burned in my memory as a magic year for a crazy Boston sports fan, with the Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox all making it to the championship games). I went fishing in an old row boat in Buzzard's Bay on Cape Cod. I threw the anchor overboard and dropped my fishing line. After catching a few fish, I realized I hadn't tied the anchor to the front of the boat..  read the rest of Taggart Romney piece here.