Happening Today
Early voting begins
The state’s first-ever early voting period begins Monday, allowing voters to cast their ballot for presidential and state candidates and ballot questions in advance of the Nov. 8 Election Day.
Electronic tolling press conference
MassDOT Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin and officials from Raytheon and TransCore hold a news conference on all-electronic tolling that starts later this week; the event is followed by tour of a toll plaza that will soon become obsolete, MassDOT Driscoll Building, located along I-90 westbound, 668 South Ave, Weston, 10 a.m.
Celtics’ New Balance facility
Mayor Martin Walsh and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attend groundbreaking ceremony for the Boston Celtics & New Balance practice facility, Boston Landing, 100 Guest St, Brighton, 10 a.m.
Anti-Question 2 rally
School committee members opposed to the ballot referendum expanding access to charter schools rally in front of the State House, 11 a.m.
Walsh’s early vote
Mayor Walsh participates in early voting by casting his ballot at City Hall, followed by a press conference, Boston City Hall, 3rd Floor, 1 City Hall Sq., 12:45 p.m.
Clinton and Warren campaign together in N.H.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joins Hillary Clinton for a campaign rally at Saint Anselm College, the duo’s first rally together since Warren endorsed Clinton for president in June, 100 Saint Anselm Dr., Manchester, 12:30 p.m.
Baker and legislative leaders meet
Gov. Charlie Baker meets privately with legislative leaders and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Senate President’s Office, 12:30 p.m.
Fiscal impact of charter schools
The Boston City Council’s Committee on Education and Committee on Ways and Means hold a joint public hearing to discuss the fiscal impacts of raising the cap on charter schools as proposed by Question 2, City Council, Iannella Chamber, 5th floor, Boston City Hall, 1 p.m.
Polito canvasses for charters
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will join “Yes on 2” volunteers for door-to-door outreach in support of Question 2, 3 p.m.
Charter forum
The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at the Boston College Law School hosts a forum on Question 2, moderated by Boston Globe reporter David Scharfenberg with a panel that features Juan Cofield of the NAACP, Jon Clark of the Edward Brooke Charter School, and professor Patrick McQuillan of BC’s Lynch School of Education, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St., Boston, 5 p.m.
Equitable access to marijuana jobs
Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley sponsors a hearing to discuss strategies for ensuring equitable access to jobs and enterprise opportunities for people of color in marijuana licensing if Question 4 passes, City Council, Iannella Chamber, 5th floor, Boston City Hall, 6 p.m.
Today’s Stories
Better late than never: Early voting finally arrives
For the first time, early voting will be allowed in Massachusetts, starting today. Secretary of State Bill Galvin has a web site explaining it all. And the Globe’s Astead Herndon also has a good what-you-need-to-know summary. Meanwhile, Wikipedia has a round-up history on early voting in other states and countries. Massachusetts is behind the curve a bit, but not by much. Better to get it right than be first. FYI: Mayor Walsh plans to vote early today at City Hall, while Gov. Baker has already said he won’t partake in early voting because you never know what you’ll miss, Boston.com has reported. Then again, Baker also isn’t voting for anyone in the presidential race, so what’s there to miss?
Markey raises alarms about AT&T’s planned Time Warner takeover
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, long known for his expertise in telecom matters, is already establishing himself as a lead opponent, or at least a chief doubter, of AT&T’s planned blockbuster takeover of Time Warner, reports the Globe’s Hiawatha Bray. The issues come down to the corporate strategy of marrying content with distribution – and whether that hurts competition, Bray writes. “Less competition has historically resulted in fewer choices and higher prices for consumers, and this deal should be assessed with consumers, competition, and choice in mind,” Markey said in a statement.
Ex-Walsh aide emerges as powerhouse development consultant
When all else fails, there’s always commercial development to fall back on for ex-aide consultants, a truism Matt Stout of the Herald re-confirms today: “Joe Rull, a former top adviser to Mayor Martin J. Walsh who left last year to work on the Hub’s failed Olympic bid, has quietly re-emerged as a consultant for developers seeking approval from City Hall, forming ties to as many as nine projects over the past year and sometimes without being listed for the public to see.”
More evidence Curt Schilling is aiming for gabfest stardom, not necessarily of the U.S. Senate variety
After attracting “tens of people” at a Trump rally over the weekend and pondering on CNN why so many Jewish people support Democrats, Curt Schilling plans to announce today that he’s joining the alt-right Breitbart as a host of a daily online radio show featuring conservative commentary, reports New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman, whose scoop comes as close as you can get to confirming Jack Sullivan’s conjecture that Curt’s real goal is to launch a career as a talk-show gabber, not to run against Elizabeth Warren in 2018. … City Hall rally info via Ted Cooper and CNN report via Universal Hub.
Was Friday’s web attack on N.H. firm part of a vendetta?
We have no idea if this is true or now outdated, but it’s definitely fascinating: Bloomberg’s Molly Schuetz at the Concord Monitor and Galen Moore at BostInno immediately raised the possibility after Friday’s Internet chaos, caused by a hacker attack on New Hampshire’s Dyn Inc., that the incident may have been tied to some sort of vendetta against a prominent Dyn researcher. Schuetz and Moore explain. FYI: Moore notes Dyn was bootstrapped by college kids out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and recently raised $50 million in funds. FYI II: Friday’s delay in sending MASSterList was apparently linked to the Internet mayhem caused by the hacker attack.
Trump could spell trouble for Baker in 2018
The Herald’s Hillary Chabot says Donald Trump’s “anti-establishment movement has rallied disgruntled Bay State conservatives and could mean trouble for Gov. Charlie Baker and other moderate Republicans in 2018,” even if the GOP presidential nominee loses next month. Actually, a harbinger of disgruntlement to come can be found today in the Gun Owners’ Action League’s plan this week to protest Baker’s nomination of First Assistant Attorney General Christopher K. Barry-Smith to the bench, as reported by the Herald’s Laurel Sweet.
Oh, no: Snow falls in western Mass., Vermont’s Killington to open tomorrow
From 80-degree weather last week to snowfall through much of New England over the weekend, winter is making an early debut this year. Western Massachusetts woke up Sunday morning to a light dusting of snow, reports Jeanette DeForge at MassLive, with owners of the Jiminy Peak ski area in Hancock announcing that six inches of the white stuff fell on top of the mountain. Meanwhile, a combination of natural and man-made snow will allow Killington Ski Resort in Vermont to open tomorrow, reports the Globe’s Matt Pepin.
TelexFree exec to plead guilty today in massive pyramid-scheme case
James M. Merrill, an Ashland resident and former principal at the scandal-plagued TelexFree of Marlborough, is expected to plead guilty today in federal court in Worcester for his role in an alleged multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that ultimately involved hundreds of thousands of victims, many of them poor immigrants and working people here and in Brazil, reports Scott O’Connell at the Telegram. His alleged business accomplice, Carlos Wanzeler, is a fugitive believed to be in Brazil.
‘This is your dog on marijuana’
A lot of pooches in states where pot is now legal are having to get medical treatment for chowing down marijuana-infused food — like cookies and candy — that humans accidently left out, the Globe’s Joshua Miller reports. And, we strongly suspect, they’re getting sick from an awful lot of high-as-kites pot heads who think it’s hilarious to see how Spot reacts to eating pot brownies etc. etc.
Speaking of high-as-kite stoners feeding dogs pot brownies, Miller also reports on how local colleges still won’t sanction pot on campuses, even if Question 4 passes. Sorry, kids. The bongs will have to remain under the dorm beds.
What a drag: For Berkshire pot patients, no local options
Some Western Massachusetts patients who have been prescribed medical marijuana must travel as far as 40 miles each way to obtain their medicinal pot because Berkshire is one of four counties – along with Hampshire, Dukes and Nantucket — that continues to have no licensed dispensaries, Derek Gentile of the Berkshire Eagle reports. Four such applications are pending approval by the Department of Public Health.
Another roll of the dice for Brockton casino?
Brockton Fairgrounds owner Jay Carney has not given up hope that the Champion City could land a resort casino license, saying the legal troubles the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe has encountered in its bid to build in Taunton means the door isn’t completely closed, Mark Larocque of the Enterprise reports. He notes that members of the state’s gaming commission seem to be open to reconsidering Brockton’s casino bid. “All we need is a vote from the commission,” Carney said. “God knows the state needs the money.” Yes, God knows there’s never enough money.
DraftKings and FanDuel said to be low on cash?
The two largest daily fantasy sports companies in the country are close to finalizing a deal with the state of New York to allow them to resume taking wagers there, but both are said to be dangerously low on cash and are trying to negotiate payment plans as part of any deal, Joe Drape of the New York Times reports. Boston-based DraftKings and FanDuel are expected to pay out as much as $12 million to NY to settle false advertising claims but “they have conceded that they are having difficulty meeting their day-to-day obligations,” the paper reports. How many hundreds of millions of dollars have the two firms raised from private investors? And they’ve burned through it all?
Where the campaign funds go when the campaigns are over
Paul Leighton of the Salem News uses Federal Election Commission filings to track the spending of two politicians who are done running for office—and he found that outgoing Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins likes to go to dinners and former U.S. Rep. John Tierney is quite charitable.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Mayor’s pal Joe Rull now consults with developers seeking Boston OK – Boston Herald
Students pan BLS dress code – Boston Herald
Striking Harvard dining hall workers converge on Square during Head of the Charles – WGBH
Iconic Harvard Square cafe closes for good – Boston Business Journal
Massachusetts
Lawmaker calls for state to reopen contract for commuter rail operator – Boston Globe
Schilling condemns Clinton at small rally of Trump supporters – Boston Globe
State’s highest court to hear EMC shareholder suit appeal – Boston Herald
As state’s landfills shut down, disposal dilemma mounts – Telegram & Gazette
Petitions to recall two Shirley selectmen allowed to continue after lengthy hearing – Lowell Sun
Brockton city councilors concerned by trend of violence – Brockton Enterprise
UMass, state formally launch $150M life sciences institute at flagship – Hampshire Gazette
Long delayed Mohegan Sun hotel could give Conn. casino an edge – Boston Globe
Tierney, Cousins spend campaign funds for charity, meals – Salem News
Lack of nearby medical marijuana dispensary a hardship for Berkshire patients – Berkshire Eagle
Farewell to toll booths. Or another case of bait-and-switch – WGBH
Nation
US soldiers told to repay thousands in signing bonuses from height of war effort – WBUR
Fantasy sports companies near settlement with New York – New York Times
The battle for the Senate has narrowed to these six states – Politico
Trump’s window is closing – Politico
Why the WikiLeaks attack fizzled – Real Clear Politics
How to Contact MASSterList
Send tips to Matt Murphy: Editor@MASSterList.com. For advertising inquiries and job board postings, please contact Dylan Rossiter: Publisher@MASSterList.com or (857) 370-1156. Follow @MASSterList on Twitter.