Health clinic offers free flu shots

Health clinic offers free flu shots

The Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center is offering free flu shots at its main office on 632 Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester. The free shots are offered on each of the remaining Saturdays in October from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The free clinic is open to all ages and is being offered in part to address the low rates of vaccinations in the communities served by the health center: Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury. Parents are urged to bring their child’s immunization records to the clinic in order to determine which vaccines are needed.

“At this time of incredible need this clinic is an important public service for our neighbors,” said Dr. Chidi Chike Achebe. “Childhood vaccines used to be fairly inexpensive – around $15. But now they are often $90 to $175 per dose.”

Dr. Achebe said the need for vaccinations are not to be overlooked. “Vaccination is a critical step for the health of the community,” Dr. Achebe said. “Unfortunately we have a large group of people whose vaccines are not up to date and are exposing the population to an outbreak.”

Survey: Confidence on rise among Mass. employers

BOSTON — A monthly survey shows that Massachusetts employers are slowly regaining some of the confidence in the economy that they lost during the global recession.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts says its Business Confidence Index rose 1.8 points in September to 42.4. It was the sixth time in the last seven months that the index has risen since falling to an all-time low of 33.3 in February.

The index operates on a 100-point scale. Any rating below 50 means that employers have a negative view of the economy. The highest rating was 68.5, last reached in May 1998.

Economist Raymond Torto, who chairs AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors, says he expects business confidence to continue improving over the next six months.

Boston posts aide’s deleted e-mails on Web site

BOSTON — The City of Boston has posted on its Web site nearly 5,000 e-mails sent to or from Michael Kineavy, a top aide to Mayor Thomas Menino.

The city announced last week that Kineavy was taking a leave of absence from his City Hall job amid a growing controversy over his deleting of e-mails in possible violation of state public records laws.

A spokeswoman for Menino said the e-mails posted on the city’s Web site were culled from the computers of other city employees, and include messages that were sent by Kineavy or which he received, including those he was copied on.

The contents of more than 100 e-mails were withheld for privacy reasons.

Two computers used by Kineavy have been turned over to forensics experts.

University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth boosts science, math education

FALL RIVER, Mass. — The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth is hoping to produce more graduates with advanced science and math degrees, and it’s starting by focusing on how their students teach those topics.

University officials announced this week they received $2.2 million in National Science Foundation grants that will be used to develop new strategies to teach higher level math to elementary school students.

UMass-Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack says teaching methods must be re-examined and broadened.

The school also has established a new doctoral degree in mathematics.

UMass President Jack Wilson tells The Herald News that advanced education in science and technology is critical if students are to succeed. He says jobs in the science, technology, engineering and math fields are growing, but there aren’t enough properly educated people to fill them.

New grave marker for vet of Mass. Civil War unit

MENANDS, NY — The National Guard and a group of Civil War re-enactors are dedicating a new marker at the grave of a New York soldier who fought in a famous all-black regiment from Massachusetts.

An Army National Guard color guard and re-enactors from the 125th New York Volunteer Infantry will participate in the Wednesday morning ceremony at the grave of 1st Sgt. William Francis.

Francis, who died in 1897, is buried in Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands (meh-NANDZ’), just north of Albany.

Civil War historian Mark Bodnar says Francis served with the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the unit featured in the 1989 movie “Glory” starring Denzel Washington and Freeman Morgan.

Bodnar says Francis was one of a dozen black soldiers from the Albany area who joined the 54th in Boston in 1863.

(Associated Press)