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And just a reminder...Boston's longest-running open mic spot, commonly known as VerBaLizAtiOn,
will be celebrating its 9th year in existence on Veteran's Day -
Tuesday, November 11th (the same date of VerB's debut in 1999). Please
spread the word to everybody and come enjoy this anniversary jam for
one evening of poetry, spoken word, rhyme, music and most importantly
CAKE!!

@ Codman Square Tech Center 450 Washington St.,
Dorchester / Codman Sq. (on the corner of Park St. - across the street from the Grace Academy) 6:00pm SHARP!! (PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME) Free to the Public Hosted by VCR The MBTA's #23 bus from either Ruggles or Ashmont will drop you right at the Center. For more info contact VCR at 617-480-7663 or bloodskinland@yahoo.com Free 2 the Public

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The Sharon's Park Greening Committee will be planting
Bulbs around the newly planted CityRoots trees this coming Sunday, November
9 at 9a.m. Please join the Committee in providing a healthy ambience for Sharon Park's visitors. For more information, please call
617-710-3793, or visit http://www.mccormackcivic.com/

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Massachusetts election polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
on election day.

Election turnout is expected to be extremely high, with
an increased volume of traffic. Drivers should expect delays en route, particularly during the early morning and evening voting hours.

Residents are encouraged to vote during the midday
hours, when voter turnout is projected to be lighter. Voters still
standing in line at 8 p.m., when the polls are due to close, will be
allowed to vote.

Voters should bring some form of identification.

The summaries below were written by the state Elections Division and will appear on the ballot:

QUESTION 1: LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken
by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2008?

SUMMARY

This proposed law would reduce the state personal income tax rate to
2.65% for all categories of taxable income for the tax year beginning
on or after January 1, 2009, and would eliminate the tax for all tax
years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

The personal income tax applies to income received or gain realized
by individuals and married couples, by estates of deceased persons, by
certain trustees and other fiduciaries, by persons who are partners in
and receive income from partnerships, by corporate trusts, and by
persons who receive income as shareholders of “S corporations” as
defined under federal tax law. The proposed law would not affect the
tax due on income or gain realized in a tax year beginning before
January 1, 2009.

The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

A YES VOTE would reduce the state personal income tax rate to 2.65%
for the tax year beginning on January 1, 2009, and would eliminate the
tax for all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

A NO VOTE would make no change in state income tax laws.

 * * *

QUESTION 2: LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken
by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2008?

SUMMARY

This proposed law would replace the criminal penalties for
possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil
penalties, to be enforced by issuing citations, and would exclude
information regarding this civil offense from the state's criminal
record information system. Offenders age 18 or older would be subject
to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of $100. Offenders
under the age of 18 would be subject to the same forfeiture and, if
they complete a drug awareness program within one year of the offense,
the same $100 penalty.

Offenders under 18 and their parents or legal guardian would be
notified of the offense and the option for the offender to complete a
drug awareness program developed by the state Department of Youth
Services. Such programs would include ten hours of community service
and at least four hours of instruction or group discussion concerning
the use and abuse of marijuana and other drugs and emphasizing early
detection and prevention of substance abuse.

The penalty for offenders under 18 who fail to complete such a
program within one year could be increased to as much as $1,000, unless
the offender showed an inability to pay, an inability to participate in
such a program, or the unavailability of such a program. Such an
offender's parents could also be held liable for the increased penalty.
Failure by an offender under 17 to complete such a program could also
be a basis for a delinquency proceeding.

The proposed law would define possession of one ounce or less of
marijuana as including possession of one ounce or less of
tetrahydrocannibinol ("THC"), or having metabolized products of
marijuana or THC in one's body.

Under the proposed law, possessing an ounce or less of marijuana
could not be grounds for state or local government entities imposing
any other penalty, sanction, or disqualification, such as denying
student financial aid, public housing, public financial assistance
including unemployment benefits, the right to operate a motor vehicle,
or the opportunity to serve as a foster or adoptive parent. The
proposed law would allow local ordinances or bylaws that prohibit the
public use of marijuana, and would not affect existing laws, practices,
or policies concerning operating a motor vehicle or taking other
actions while under the influence of marijuana, unlawful possession of
prescription forms of marijuana, or selling, manufacturing, or
trafficking in marijuana.

The money received from the new civil penalties would go to the city or town where the offense occurred.

A YES VOTE would replace the criminal penalties for possession of
one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties.

A NO VOTE would make no change in state criminal laws concerning possession of marijuana.

 * * *

QUESTION 3: LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken
by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2008?

SUMMARY

This proposed law would prohibit any dog racing or racing meeting in
Massachusetts where any form of betting or wagering on the speed or
ability of dogs occurs.

The State Racing Commission would be prohibited from accepting or
approving any application or request for racing dates for dog racing.

Any person violating the proposed law could be required to pay a
civil penalty of not less than $20,000 to the Commission. The penalty
would be used for the Commission’s administrative purposes, subject to
appropriation by the state Legislature. All existing parts of the
chapter of the state’s General Laws concerning dog and horse racing
meetings would be interpreted as if they did not refer to dogs.

These changes would take effect January 1, 2010. The proposed law
states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts
would stay in effect.

A YES VOTE would prohibit dog races on which betting or wagering occurs, effective January 1, 2010.

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This Halloween residents of Melville Park will find members of the Dorchester Youth Council (DYC) collecting canned goods for their 5th annual "Trick-or-Treat Canned Drive. To make this drive successful, the DYC is looking for volunteers who would be willing to donate either their time or their canned goods. Volunteer participation is open and encouraged to all Dorchester residents, not just those residing in Melville Park.

The DYC has collected hundreds of cans from the generous residents of Melville Park in the past and are looking forward to continuing this successful event. Here's a look at the multiple ways residents of Dorchester can aid in this year's Canned Drive:

• Leave donations in the boxes provided at the DOTWell Tech Center (450 Washington St.) or the Dorchester House (1353 Dorchester Ave.) ---please check expiration dates
• Help stuff resource bags to hand out to trick-or-treating families and inform them about the programs offered by Codman Health Services, Dotwell, Dorchester House, and Social Capital Inc.
• Trick-or-treat with the council on October 31^st to collect canned goods on the night of the event
• If you live in the Melville Park Neighborhood (between the streets of Park Street, Washington Street, Centre Street, and Dorchester Ave.) Volunteer as a drop-site on the night of the event.

This drive is ongoing until Halloween. Any help during this time would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to volunteer or if you would like more information on the DYC "Trick-or-Treat Canned Drive", please contact Reegan Matters at Reegan.Matters@dotwell.com

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The following is a message from Carolyn Kain in regards to the upcoming benefit for Ann Marie For.

Hello Everyone,
This is an important reminder about the meeting on October 16th at 7:30pm at
St. Brendan's Rectory regarding a "Time to Remember AnnMarie Ford (Larkin) "
a benefit for her children's college education. This meeting will be critical
for developing committees for the event so PLEASE join us and forward this email
to anyone you feel would want to help.  We need as many people as possible to help
to make this event a success.  There is much work to be done and we need to get started.
AnnMarie helped so many people during her life and this is an opportunity to do something
for her by helping her children, who we all know she loved with all of her heart. So
please reach out to as many people as possible, forward the email, and if we don't have
email addresses let's make some calls.

Love and thanks,
Carolyn Kain
617-320-6821 (cell)

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Neighbors will meet at the gardens near Shawmut station to weed.  The gardens are a public garden featuring medicinal plants.

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Are you looking for something to break up your work day that
will allow you to give back to your community? The 2008-2009 academic school
year will be here soon and Boston Partners in Education is looking for
volunteers to tutor and mentor Boston
Public School students.
You don’t need any previous tutoring experience to participate—just a
willingness to work with students and help them reach for their highest
potential!

Our volunteers work with one student during the school day
and in some after school and Saturday morning programs for one hour (or more)
each week. Opportunities are available in all grades, K-12, in the areas of
math and literacy. During the application process, we provide training in
mentoring and tutoring, as well as a personal interview and a reference check
to ensure a successful experience.

To register, visit www.bostonpartners.org
and complete the volunteer registration form (click on “For Volunteers” then on
“Registration Form”). For more information, please contact Hillary Chazen,
Recruitment Manager, at (617) 451-6145 or hillary_chazen@bostonpartners.org.

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The monthly clean up date at Shawmut Gardens has been changed to Saturday, June 14th. Spend a day working in the beautiful gardens at the Shawmut T station. Join us from 10am - 12pm for a day of pulling weeds, planting annuals and shrubs, and removing dead plants.

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Senator Jack Hart in collaboration with The Department of Conservation and Recreation has announced plans for the annual volunteer community beach clean-ups. The clean-ups will take place at Pleasure Bay in South Boston, and Savin Hill and Tenean Beaches in Dorchester. Dorchester residents helping at the Savin Hill location meet at the Savin Hill playground, and residents attending Tenean Beach clean-up please meet at the parking lot. For more information on this event contact Meagan Maloy at 617-722-1150.

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Large site tree planting - tree planters needed! No experience necessary, training will be provided. Help Boston's Urban Forest Coalition green the city! This is a Grow Boston Greener event, please rsvp to Gretchen, gretchen@earthworks.org or call 617.442.1059 if you would like to participate. Visit www.growbostongreener.org for more info.