Governor Deval Patrick is giving himself an extra week of vacation.

Patrick was originally expected back in his State House office today after a two-and-a-half-week summer sojourn that began on Aug. 8.

But the governor decided to remain at his country estate in the Berkshire town of Richmond for another week and now plans to return to Beacon Hill on the Tuesday after Labor Day, Patrick spokeswoman Cyndi Roy said.

Roy gave no specific reason for the extension, but said he continues to remain in touch and characterized Patrick’s entire holiday as a "working vacation."

Among the items on Patrick’s summer reading list: a task force’s report on casino gambling.

Patrick will make a decision on whether to support casino gaming in Massachusetts in September, but he has not given himself a specific deadline, Roy said.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Nobel prize winner Craig Mello addresses the Legislature today during a special joint session on biotechnology, as House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and Governor Deval Patrick applaud. Patrick unveiled details of a $1 billion biotech initiative today.

By April Simpson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today unveiled details of his plan to invest $1 billion in biotechnology over the next 10 years, introducing legislation that calls for $500 million in bonding for capital projects, a $15 million fund for research grants and loans, and restructuring of the board that oversees the distribution of grants.

The legislation, which Patrick is highlighting in an address to a joint session of the Legislature today, would also create a new investment program that would allow life science businesses to become eligible to receive tax benefits.

“The whole world wants what we’ve got,” Patrick said at an appearance before the legislative session. “This is no time to rest on our laurels. Starting today with this legislation Massachusetts gets back into the competitive game. And we play to win.”

Patrick appeared with Craig Mello, a University of Massachusetts professor who shared a Nobel Prize in medicine last year and who is being honored by the Legislature today.

The bonding portion of the bill would be used to create the Massachusetts stem cell bank, the “largest repository of stem cells in the world,” and a research center to support Mello’s work in the field of "RNA interference," which has advanced research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and HIV.

“These two facilities will be recognized around the world as symbols of Massachusetts excellence,” Patrick said.

Patrick said he expected the stem cell bank to be at UMass-Worcester, and that universities with stem cell lines, such as Harvard and MIT, have offered to contribute those lines.

The expansion of tax credits for life sciences companies, Patrick said, will allow the state “to compete for each available job in this sector and send a clear message that Massachusetts is open for business, and we will hold our private sector partners accountable for commitments that they make.”

Patrick said he hoped for a prompt passage since the bill is consistent with the plan set out by leadership at the biotech conference earlier this year.

Following is a copy of the letter that House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and two other Boston lawmakers sent to Governor Deval Patrick, protesting a $10 million grant to a private development in downtown Boston.

Dear Governor Patrick:

Your administration recently granted $10 million to Columbus Center, a hotel-and-luxury-condominium project along the Back Bay-South End border, and is said to be weighing a request for another $10 million. We believe this is a misuse of taxpayer dollars that should be stopped.

We represent the neighborhoods surrounding the Columbus Center project. For nearly 10 years, we have worked together and with our constituents to review the Columbus Center proposal, including its financials. Throughout the process, the developer promised that it would not use public funds to build the 1.4 million-square-foot project. After city and state agencies approved the project, the developer reversed course and began seeking ever public subsidy possible, a bait-and-switch ploy so egregious the state Inspector General is investigating.

A large deck over the Massachusetts Turnpike-like the one the Prudential Center sits on-would support the Columbus Center. During the public approval process, the developer claimed that the project had to be larger than allowed to accommodate extra hotel rooms and condos that could generate cash to help pay for building the deck. Then the Turnpike Authority used those same deck costs to justify charging the developer below-market rent when it negotiated the project's lease for Turnpike air rights.

Now, the developer says that the recent $10 million grant awarded by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development will help defray the cost of building the deck.

Just how many times are the taxpayers going to pay for that deck?

The $10 million comes from a fund the Legislature established last year to provide grants to stimulate the creation of badly-needed manufacturing jobs. We intended for the money to underwrite targeted investments by companies and governmental agencies to help the state's economy expand. We did not set the money aside to help a private developer build million-dollar condos.

You make much of the Legislature's earmarking money in the state operating budget. However, we did not earmark the funds used to subsidize Columbus Center, and the misuse of these funds is a perfect example of why the Legislature goes to the trouble of earmarking. If we had been more specific about how these funds could be spent, we could have prevented this type of corporate welfare.

We believe the development team should respect the Commonwealth's taxpayers by completing this project without public funds. An independent consultant who reviewed the developer's private financial data during the regulatory review process determined that Columbus Center could be financed without public subsidies or assistance.

This is not a situation in which the use of public funds will make the difference between a project being built or not because it is financially infeasible.

Throughout the project review process, the development team justified the project's extraordinary height and density by asserting a need to provide investors with a rate of return of at least 18 percent. We think the investors could certainly get by on a 10 percent or 15 percent rate of return, a tidy sum by any measure. We don't begrudge them or the developers a reasonable rate of return, but let the real estate market work its magic and generate the profit, as it almost certainly will.

Our constituents pay taxes and expect us to use that money wisely. We take seriously our duty to spend tax dollars prudently.

Prudence-and the numbers-tell us this is not a wise use of tax dollars, and we hope you will reconsider this grant and find a job creating use for this $10 million.

Sincerely
Salvatore F. Dimasi
Speaker of the House

Byron Rushing
Second Assistant Majority Leader

Martha M. Walz
State Representative

Lowell's first Latino city councilor will become the newest member of the Patrick administration. Governor Deval Patrick has hired George Ramirez, 43, to become general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development.

For an update from the Globe's Russell Contreras, click here.

After a year of high-profile security breaches and identity thefts (just ask Attorney General Martha Coakley), a consumer protection bill has made its way to Governor Deval Patrick's desk.

The Senate today approved the legislation, which would require companies to inform consumers when their personal information is at risk, allow consumers to pay $5 to block any new credit in their name, and post new requirements for destroying sensitive information. The House approved the compromise last week.

Cyndi Roy, a Patrick spokeswoman, issued this statement: "The governor feels strongly that ID theft is an issue that demands prompt and serious attention. He looks forward to reviewing the bill sent to him by the Legislature."

The governor has 10 days to reach a verdict on the legislation.

Governor Deval Patrick yesterday found himself in the awkward position of having to defend comments made by his new interim executive director of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, who told a Globe reporter earlier this week that Turnpike employees who oversaw construction of the Big Dig "did a fabulous job."

Appearing on Jim Braude and Margery Eagan's radio show on 96.9 FM, Patrick suggested that Mary Jane O'Meara, who just moved to the Turnpike Authority from the Massachusetts Port Authority, was talking about the engineering, not the management, of the massive public works project.

"I read that comment," said Patrick. "I’ve said the same thing. From a purely engineering point of view, meaning the conceptualization of this idea -- and frankly the execution of it in many respects, in many respects -- it's a marvel."

But his praise for the project, whose management Patrick assailed during last year's campaign, stopped there.

"We have a very serious problem with the cost overruns and the lack of inspection of the ceiling panels," he added. "Serious problems. But that does not diminish the fact that in many respects it is a construction marvel"

O'Meara's comments left others scratching their heads, wondering what she was thinking, particularly on a day when the National Transportation Safety Board released a critical report about the causes of a fatal ceiling collapse last summer.

State House insiders were also befuddled by her comment that the Turnpike Authority's finances are in great shape. Administration officials, outside consultants and transportation groups have all described the agency's finances as precarious.

"I don't know the individual," said Congressman Mike Capuano, referring to O'Meara. "But saying the Big Dig was well managed? What have they been reading? The NTSB report was only the latest in a series of things saying it was mismanaged from the get-go. There may have been an individual who did something extraordinary in the middle of the mess, but it had to be the exception, not the rule."

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Parole Board has been lax in how it supervises parolees, failing to conduct bi-annual polygraphs of some paroled sex offenders and neglecting to collect more than $700,000 in supervision fees from parolees during the audit's timeline, according to a state audit released today.

The audit also found that 97 percent of parolees were delinquent with child support payments, with 550 parolees owing more than $13.7 million. None had their parole revoked because of these violations despite the maintenance of child support being a condition of parole.

“The Parole Board has a responsibility to provide the maximum level of supervision necessary to ensure that released criminal offenders are not a threat to the community,” said state Auditor Joseph DeNucci. “The board has made some progress in responding to my recommendations, but must continue to strengthen its practices so that it can fulfill this critical public safety responsibility.”

In addition, the audit found that the board could not provide evidence that 26 parolees who had tested positive for drugs were re-tested within the 30-day period, as required by the board’s regulations.

Finally, the audit found parole officers in the field did not follow board policy by re-assessing supervision levels every six months.

Of the 29 parolees whose case files were reviewed, the audit found none had their supervision levels reassessed.

The parole board is made up of seven full-time members appointed by the Governor.

A Massachusetts Port Authority worker who operated a private tax preparation business out of his office has been fined $7,000 by the state Ethics Commission.

According to an agreement released today, William Lynch, a business analysis manager at Massport, prepared nearly 200 tax returns from his Massport office during the 2005 and 2006 tax seasons. He spent about 12 hours a week on it after hours, between February and April, according to the ethics commission.

This violated a section of the state ethics law that prohibits public employees from using their position to gain privileges not available to others.

Massport suspended Lynch for a week for inappropriate computer usage.

On the year anniversary of the Big Dig tunnel collapse, Massachusetts' two US senators are calling for independent engineers to review the construction methods used on major federal highway projects.

US Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy proposed the legislation today as the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings on the cause of the collapse, which killed 38-year-old Milena Del Valle on July 10, 2006.

The investigation has focused on the type of epoxy, or glue, used to secure concrete panels to the ceiling of the I-90 Connector tunnel. Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff oversaw the Big Dig's construciton for the state and Modern Continental Construction Co. built the ceiling.

"Today's report proves that Bechtel and Modern Continental incompetently used the wrong epoxy to secure the tunnel ceiling and that state and federal inspectors failed abysmally to provide the basic oversight that could have caught this mistake," Kerry said. "Congress needs to do its part to help prevent another fatal accident and protect taxpayers."

Kennedy said the bill "would provide another important tool ensuring the safety of highway tunnels."

The proposed legislation requires the US Department of Transportation to develop a tunnel inspection program that will set inspection guidelines for state officials and ensure that tunnels are continuously inspected.

By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

Supporters willing to pay $250 will be able to wander the grounds of Governor Deval Patrick's fabled Berkshire estate in Richmond Thursday, at one of two fundraisers for the governor next week.

On Tuesday, Patrick's team is throwing a fund-raiser at the Boston Fish Pier, for $150 a ticket.

The two events mark the Patrick campaign committee's return to fundraising after a bit of a hiatus. His financial team estimates the events will add about $50,000 to a campaign account that has dwindled to about $135,000.

Patrick's lack of political funds has alarmed some of his supporters who feel the governor has been too consumed with getting his arms around his new job and not paying enough attention to the politics of the job.

A large campaign war chest is important for a lot of reasons, potentially dissuading any potential rival -- either Democrat or Republican -- who might consider challenging Patrick in his re-election bid.

Jarrett Barrios, the first Latino and first openly gay lawmaker to serve in the state Senate, bid public office adieu today, as he moved on to his new gig in the private sector.

Barrios, who will take over as president and chief executive officer of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, presided over today's Senate session and honored his staffers, according to State House News Service. At the end of the session, he hugged Senate clerk William Welch. On Tuesday, he gave a farewell address to his colleagues.

The Cambridge senator was one of the most visible lawmakers on Beacon Hill, considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. He never shied away from a fight with his political foes and was a frequent presence at press conferences, championing the rights of immigrants, decrying efforts to derail gay marriage, and highlighting new public safety initiatives.

The Cuban-American lawyer briefly entered the Middlesex District Attorney race last year, but withdrew when it appeared he was facing an uphill battle.

His new job overseeing the $102 million endowment has a slightly higher salary than his combined earnings as a senator and lawyer, but he said the raise was not the reason he took the job.

Instead, he said, the foundation's mission of expanding access to health insurance was a natural extension of his work as a lawmaker.

Barrios was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1997 and to the state Senate in 2001.

The Legislature has unanimously approved a $26.8 billion budget for the new fiscal year, which began yesterday, and sent the compromise plan to Governor Deval Patrick's desk for his consideration.

The governor will have 10 days to review the document and issue his line-item vetoes. And so far, he's giving no hints about what he may target.

The new budget relies on more than $600 million in reserves and one-time revenues, including millions from the stablization fund, the Health Care Security Trust Fund, and interest earned on both accounts. That is far more than the $237 million in reserves that Patrick had proposed using, but less than the $674 million that the House had originally approved.

The final budget also delivers on a promise to increase state aid to localities by $220 million -- a figure that had been settled on months ago to give cities and towns an idea of what to expect.

The House approved the budget 152-0. The Senate soon followed with a 35-0 vote.

The complimentary flip-flops were just the start.

The Democratic State Party has launched an entire website dedicated to highlighting the evolving social positions of former Governor Mitt Romney.

Romneyfacts.com offers contrasting quotes from the Republican presidential candidate, comparing Romney's current conservative stance on social issues with the more liberal statements he made when he was running for office in Massachusetts.

Last weekend, the party handed out flip-flops with these statements attached to them at two Romney events in Boston.

In a somewhat related development, the party released announced a slew of senior staff appointments this week. New communications director Alex Goldstein said the party was looking to regroup after last year's successful battle for the corner office and would be focusing some of its energy on opposing Romney, a long-time nemesis.

The governor's not the only politican who can go on a barnstorming tour.

Leaders of the state House of Representatives announced this week that they would be traveling to communities across the state this summer to drum up interest for ... the state Group Insurance Commission.

The House last week overwhelming approved Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to allow communities to join the insurance program used by state employees -- an initiative designed to save money and take pressure off the property tax base.

Now representatives, led by Rachel Kaprielian, who sponsored the bill, will be working on persuading cities and towns to take advantage of the bill. One possible catch: local unions will have veto power, which could present an obstacle in some communities.

For a comparison of how state and local insurance costs have risen in recent years, click here. (Look at the "Health Expenditures" tab)

This spring, Patrick roamed the state, trying to drum up grassroots support for his Municipal Relief Act. The Legislature have embraced portions of it, but appears to have no appetite for a proposal to allow communities to raise the local meals tax.

The first briefing will be held tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in the Council Chamber at Malden City Hall.

Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today at least a two-week delay in determining whether to file criminal charges in last year's fatal Big Dig tunnel collapse. Here is her statement:

“In March of this year, we set a late June deadline to determine whether criminal charges related to the death of Milena DelValle in last summer’s Central Artery Tunnel Collapse were warranted and appropriate. The team of attorneys and other investigators assigned to this matter has worked diligently since last July, and has substantively completed their work. To ensure that the investigation is thorough and comprehensive, we have extended our self-imposed deadline for at least two weeks. We anticipate that we will reach a final determination regarding criminal charges at that time.”

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

Jose Martinez, 40, a deputy press secretary to Governor Deval Patrick, has called it quits, leaving to "pursue writing projects" and help raise his two children, Sandrine and Vladimiro.

Martinez, who started work the week before Patrick's January inauguration, is the second press person to depart the 6-month-old administration.

Former Communications Director Nancy Mills left in May.

Martinez, a veteran reporter and editor, worked eight years apiece at the Boston Herald and the Associated Press, including stints in the AP's Boston, Detroit and Grand Rapids, Mich. bureaus.

Today is Martinez' last day.

By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

Just as the legislative leadership is putting the final touches on the $27 billion state budget plan for next year, House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and his team are asking lobbyists and special interests to pony up for the speaker's political action committee.

DiMasi is hosting its annual fund-raising reception tonight at the politically connected law firm, Goulston & Storrs, where donors will mingle on a patio looking out over Boston Harbor while sipping wine, pecking at fancy hors d'oeuvres - and ingratiating themselves to the speaker and his leadership team.

"They put on a full court press,'' said one lobbyist who was headed over to the party, noting that he and his fellow lobbyists have been under the gun from DiMasi's crew to make donations to Speaker DiMasi's Committee for a Democratic House.

At the event last year, the Beacon Hill lobbying community, business executives, lawyers, and political hangers-on donated $71,125 to the committee, which DiMasi uses to support legislative candidates. The committee's current bank account is pretty anemic. It started off the year with just $25,000.

The committee sent out as many as 4,000 invitations this year and hopes to raise as much as it did last year.

DiMasi's aides said today that he would not comment on his fundraising activities.

Okay, so it's not the most original stunt, but you could get some free footwear out of it.

The state Democratic Party has announced that it will be handing out complimentary flip-flops at Romney for President events Sunday and Monday, highlighting the former governor's evolving views -- or flip-flops -- on several social issues.

The flops will have tags on them comparing the moderate statements made by "Massachusetts Mitt" with the conservative pronouncements made by "Red State Romney," as they call him, on the presidential campaign trail.

Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman John Walsh will be on hand with volunteers at a Romney events at Fenway Park on Sunday and the TD Banknorth Garden on Monday.

Earlier this year, Romney was targeted by flip-flops at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The same-sex marriage debate crossed the border to our neighbors in New York this week, where the state Assembly approved a bill allowing gay couples to marry in the Empire State.

But New York is unlikely to pre-empt Massachusetts' only-in-the-nation status anytime soon. Republicans in the New York Senate have vowed the bill will go no further this year.

The Massachusetts Legislature last week preserved gay marriage here for years to come, by killing a proposed constitutional ban.