Secretary of MassDOT Gina Fiandaca and her team visited East Boston Neighborhood Health Center

 

Secretary of MassDOT Gina Fiandaca and her team visited East Boston Neighborhood Health Center on Thursday, June 29, 2023 ahead of the Sumner Tunnel closure to discuss their commitment to keeping medical access intact for our community this summer.

 

During the visit, Sec. Fiandaca toured the recently completed multi-million dollar rebuild of EBNHC’s Emergency Department (ED), supported by state and federal dollars, with capacity to treat 120 patients daily. Earlier this year, state elected officials helped advocate for funds to further invest in the Emergency Department, including external improvements like a new curb cut and widened entranceway for EMTs.

 

The newly completed ED includes expanded clinical space, additional nursing stations, a behavioral health safe room, and enhanced imaging technology so patients no longer need to cross the harbor for state-of-the-art imaging and CT scanning services.

 

 

 

EB Man sentenced to 10 Years in prison for drug trafficking following two-kilogram cocaine deal

 

 

 

 

Additional kilogram of heroin and a high-powered shotgun also seized during search

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday for selling two kilograms of cocaine and possessing nearly one kilogram of heroin as well as a high-powered rifle in East Boston.
    
Carlos Acosta Estrella, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years in prison and eight years of supervised release. In September 2022, Estrella pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and one count of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Estrella was indicted along with his mother, Ana Guadalupe Acosta Grajeda, in October 2019.

Estrella and Grajeda were arrested after they were videotaped selling two kilograms of cocaine to a cooperating witness in East Boston. A search of Estrella and Grajeda’s apartment in East Boston resulted in the seizure of nearly one kilogram of heroin, an additional kilogram of cocaine, numerous cellphones, a high-powered tactical shotgun with a laser sight and a box of ammunition for the shotgun.

 

 

 

Massport Awards Annual Richards Memorial Scholarship

 

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) has announced the recipient of the annual memorial scholarship honoring the memory of longtime employee Lowell Richards, III. The 2023 Lowell L. Richards III Memorial Scholarship was awarded to East Boston resident Sara Lopez Alvarez.

“Sara’s interest in advocacy, shown through her work as a peer education leader and other positions, embodies the type of student we hoped to reach through this scholarship, in memory of our dear friend and colleague Lowell Richards,” said Massport CEO Lisa Wieland. “We are excited to see what the future holds and wish her the best in all of her future endeavors.”

The Lowell Richards Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a student who resides in the City of Boston, Chelsea, Revere or Winthrop. Richards was responsible for Massport’s strategic and master planning activities, including the airports and the seaport, as well as the agency’s private commercial and residential real estate development in South Boston, East Boston, and Charlestown. Richards joined Massport in 1999 and was previously the Assistant Secretary of Administration and Finance and Chief Development Officer for the Commonwealth and Deputy Mayor for Fiscal Affairs and Collector-Treasurer in the City of Boston.

Lopez is a graduate of the Dana Hall School and will soon attend the College of the Holy Cross. She has volunteered on the Youth Commission with Hebrew College and Teen Empowerment Center, Veronica Robles Cultural Center, the Eastie Environmental Anti Vape/ Marijuana Campaign Committee and as the Peer Education Co-Head at Dana Hall School.

 To be considered for the Lowell Richards Memorial Scholarship, students are required to have a minimum 3.0 grade point average and submit an essay of 1,000 words describing their career interests or how their community service has affected their outlook on life. In her essay, Sara wrote, “I will have the opportunity to learn not only from great professors but also from my classmates and discover the things that interest me, both professionally and personally. To be happy, you must be passionate about your work, and I want to discover this passion.”