Happening Today
MassSaves
MassSaves hosts its annual financial education summit with Treasurer Deborah Goldberg giving an address, Worcester State University, 486 Chandler St., Worcester, 9 a.m.
Cabinet meeting
Gov. Charlie Baker convenes a cabinet meeting, Room 360, 10 a.m.
Greek Independence Day
Sen. Bruce Tarr has reserved the Great Hall for a Greek Independence Day commemoration, Great Hall, 11 a.m.
‘100 Days In’
Citizens Bank and Goodwin host ‘100 Days In,’ a discussion about the first 100 days of the Trump administration, moderated by the Boston Globe’s Jon Chesto and with CNN senior political analyst David Gergen offering keynote remarks, Goodwin, 100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 11:30 a.m.
Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration
Attorney General Maura Healey is scheduled to speak at a Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration held by the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, Greater Boston Labor Council, Immigrant Worker Center Collaborative, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and the Mass. AFL-CIO, State House steps, 12 p.m.
League of Women Voters panel
League of Women Voters of Massachusetts hosts a panel, moderated by Sen. Eric Lesser, with millennial lawmakers Sen. Patrick O’Connor and Reps. Juana Matias, Solomon Goldstein-Rose and Natalie Higgins, Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, 1657 Worcester Rd., Framingham, 2 p.m.
Good Sports
Gov. Baker attends the Good Sports 14th Annual Legends of the Ball Boston with First Lady Lauren Baker, InterContinental Boston, 510 Atlantic Ave., Boston, 6:30 p.m.
Today’s Stories
No goal: Kraft, UMass Boston end soccer-stadium talks
Bob Kraft’s New England Revolution won’t be playing at a new soccer stadium at the former Bayside Expo Center site owned by the University of Massachusetts Boston, after the two sides broke off talks amid concerns by some elected officials about its potential impact on the area, writes the Globe’s Jon Chesto. Building a small, more intimate soccer stadium, as they’ve done in other cities, is a great idea, but this just wasn’t the right time for the beleaguered UMass Boston. Hopefully, Kraft won’t give up on the concept.
Meanwhile, UMass Boston nursing program faces uncertain future
Now that UMass-Boston has cut off discussions over a possible soccer stadium near its campus, maybe it can focus more on what to do with its nursing school program, which now faces an uncertain future “because of a logistical snafu caused by the myriad construction projects underway” on campus, reports the Globe’s Laura Krantz.
Report recommends kids get free school breakfast in high-poverty districts
A new report by the Eos Foundation and the advocacy organization Children’s HealthWatch is recommending that more kids in high-poverty districts should get free “after the bell’ breakfast food that their parents often can’t afford, reports SHNS’s Katie Lannan at the Lowell Sun. The report said the in-classroom morning meals would alleviate student hunger and improve learning.
Courtesy of Capuano, free rides on the Fairmont Line
Now this is a clever campaign tactic. The re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano will fund two weeks’ worth of free rides on the Fairmount Line commuter rail in May, according to a story by Jennifer Smith of the Dorchester Reporter. The promotion, expected to cost north of $50,000, comes as transit advocates look to boost already-rising ridership numbers of the line, which serves mostly minority neighborhoods.
Patrick’s non-team of rivals
Former Gov. Deval Patrick’s once formidable team of Democratic advisers, campaign aides and others have splintered off into rival factions, supporting various gubernatorial and mayoral candidates and losing the unity they once enjoyed working under one leader, reports the Globe’s Jim O’Sullivan. Great quote from former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray on the splintering: “It’s like the Lombardi coaching tree.”
Newspaper and lawyers: Next SJC nominee should be from western Massachusetts
When the seat of retiring SJC Justice Geraldine Hines is filled, Springfield’s Republican newspaper, in an editorial, and the bar associations in Hampden, Hampshire, Berkshire and Franklin counties, in a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker, are urging the governor to appoint a new justice from western Massachusetts. As the Republican puts it: “Seven justices sit on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial, the highest court body in the state. None come from Western Massachusetts. That unnecessarily imbalanced situation should definitely change.”
Board of Education rep running for late Sen. Donnelley’s seat
Mary Ann Stewart, a Lexington Democrat who serves as the parent representative on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, has entered the race to fill the late Sen. Kenneth Donnelly’s seat, reports SHNS at Lexington Patch. Stewart joins fellow Democrats Rep. Sean Garballey and Cindy Friedman, both of Arlington, in the contest. Friedman, Donnelly’s chief of staff, pulled nomination papers on Monday.
Voodoo Economics, III: Neal denounces Trump tax cuts as a rerun of Bush era cuts
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield is harshly criticizing President Trump’s proposed tax cuts, saying they’re a mere re-run of former President George W. Bush’s budget-busting tax cuts early last decade, reports Shannon Young at MassLive. He might have added that the first Bush, George H.W., once described Ronald Regan’s tax cuts of the 1980s as “voodoo economics” that also led to huge deficits when combined with defense spending increases.
Warren ‘troubled’ by Obama’s $400K speaking fee
From the NY Post: “Progressive firebrand Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Thursday that she was ‘troubled’ that ex-President Obama will pocket $400,000 from a speech to a top Manhattan investment firm. ‘I was troubled by that,’ Warren said on SiriusXM’s ‘Alter Family Politics’ while plugging her new book.” That’s all she said about Obama’s fee, but she did add that money in politics in general is a like “snake that slithers through Washington.”
Judge orders firm to keep running western Mass. broadband system
From Mary Serreze at MassLive: “The parent company of the state’s bankrupt ‘middle-mile’ broadband internet operator can’t just cut and run, a federal judge ruled this week. A temporary restraining order, issued April 24 in Worcester’s U.S. District Court, orders Axia NetMedia Corp. to keep running the state-owned MassBroadband 123 network while its breach of contract dispute with the state is pending.”
GE is adding yet another name to the Fort Point-Seaport-South Boston Waterfront-Innovation District area
Why not? General Electric is now referring to its future headquarters site as ‘GE Innovation Point,’ sort of a name on top of a name on top of a name on top of a name on top of a name (we think we got them all), and the BBJ’s Catherine Carlock is determined to get to the bottom of why.
UMass finds a fascinating H-1B loophole for foreign entrepreneurs
We’ll let Natasha Mascarenhas at BostInno explain the details, but the University of Massachusetts has basically used a loophole in the H-1B program for foreign entrepreneurs by setting up a Global Entrepreneur-in-Residence program (GEIR), taking advantage of the fact that universities are not considered private employers and exempt from the H-1B immigration cap. UMass-Lowell, Babson and other colleges are now starting their own GEIR programs.
From the City of Champs to Hollywood East
Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter says he’s working to attract more movie productions to the city as the second major motion picture to film in the City of Champions get under way, Marc Larocque of the Enterprise reports. After a failed bid to win a casino license at the city’s fairgrounds, Carpenter sees movie-making as part of the city’s rebirth. “I see developing Brockton as a venue for movie shoots as an important part of an overall strategy to change the perception of Brockton,” he said.
Some New England Jews reclaiming citizenship in … Germany?
Frightened by the recent rise of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S., a small group of Jewish-Americans from around New England have recently reclaimed their dual German citizenship, taking advantage of a decades-old German law reinstating citizenship to Holocaust refugees and their descendants, reports Shannon Dooling at WBUR. “It’s kind of actually ironic and surprising to be doing this only because I grew up in a family where going to Germany was anathema,” said Larry Klein, of Newton, whose parents were German refugees from Nazi Germany. Yeah, you can say it’s kind of actually ironic and surprising, to say the least.
Marty’s just a ‘good guy’
The Women’s Political Caucus on Monday will honor Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as its 2017 “Good Guy,” an award usually given to several men each year who advance women’s causes but this year is only being given to Walsh “because he has always been there for women and for everyone else who has to fight for equality and equity,” the group says.
Three more driverless car firms apply for tests in Massachusetts
Delphi, an auto parts manufacturer, Optimus Ride, an MIT startup, and Paris-based Navya, which is developing driverless shuttle buses, have approached the Baker administration with plans to test self-driving vehicles on Massachusetts roadways, the Globe’s Adam Vaccaro reports.
Lynch wants to subpoena White House for Flynn documents
U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch isn’t taking a White House ‘no’ for an answer, saying the House Oversight Committee should now subpoena the Trump administration to produce documents related to Gen. Michael Flynn’s failure to disclose foreign contacts and payments from Russia, the Herald’s Kimberly Atkins reports.
Report: State judge allowed Uber rape suspect free despite warning
From the Herald’s Brian Dowling: “A state judge freed a previously deported Uber driver accused of rape on light bail even after a prosecutor insisted that federal immigration agents were drafting a detainer and asked for high bond to hold him, according to a court recording obtained by the Herald.” Newton District Court Judge Mary Beth Heffernan set bail at $2,500, not the requested $100,000, and now law enforcement officials are searching for the suspect, Dowling writes.
Boston Grand Prix CEO sues Walsh aide for alleged negligence
The IndyCar saga is destined to go on and on and on. From Kyle Scott Clauss at Boston Magazine: “Former Boston Grand Prix CEO John Casey has filed a suit in Suffolk Superior Court against Austin Blackmon, Mayor Marty Walsh’s chief of environment, energy, and open space, demanding $15 million for alleged gross negligence.” Casey argues that Blackmon learned of key FEMA flood map changes and then didn’t tell IndyCar officials in a timely fashion.
Brigham & Women’s offers buyouts to 1,600 employees
This comes as somewhat of a shock, since most people think of major teaching hospitals as almost immune from normal market forces, via the Globe’s Priyanka Dayal McCluskey: “Brigham and Women’s Hospital, one of Boston’s largest employers, said Thursday that it is offering voluntary buyouts to 1,600 workers to rein in costs amid a challenging period in the health care industry.” The BBJ’s Jessica Bartlettreports the Massachusetts Nurses Association is cautiously going along with the buyout program.
Meanwhile, Brigham and Partners agree to pay $10M in research fraud case
Brigham & Women’s Hospital and its parent company, Partners HealthCare System, have yet another big expense to contend with: A $10 million settlement of a research fraud case involving federal grant money, the Globe’s Liz Kowalczyk reports.
Trump’s potential rollback of Cape national monument status wins praise and criticism
President Donald Trump’s preliminary move yesterday to rollback previous designations of national monuments – including former President Obama’s designation of the nation’s first marine national monument off the coast of Cape Cod – is winning support from beleaguered lobstermen but harsh criticism from stunned environmentalists, reports Craig Lemoult at WGBH.
Seven large firms paid little or no state taxes
From the Globe’s Beth Healey: “Over eight years, profitable Fortune 500 companies paid state taxes at a 2.9 percent rate, on average, and some didn’t pay anything at all during individual years. According to an Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy study of state taxes reported by large corporations, 240 avoided $126 billion in state corporate income taxes between 2008 and 2015.”
Amid controversy, Worcester cemetery agreement happened quietly
Cyrus Moulton of the Telegram explores how the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester quietly struck an informal deal with the city of Worcester to allow Muslim burials in one of its cemeteries amid headline-grabbing controversy over the society’s plan to create a cemetery in Dudley. A series of public meetings on the plan drew no opposition, city officials say, and Muslim burials have long taken part in Hope Cemetery.
With bridge fix missing, what about Long Island?
Boston officials have made no moves to make good on a promise to rebuild the bridge connecting Long Island in Boston Harbor to the mainland, raising the question of what will happen to the homeless shelters and other buildings there, Jack Sullivan of CommonWealth Magazine reports.
Sunday public affairs TV
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Channel 4, 8:30 a.m. Guest: Auditor Suzanne Bump talk about state spending waste and other topics with host Jon Keller.
This is New England, NBC Boston Channel 10, 9:30 a.m. With host Latoyia Edwards, this week’s focus: Prom safety and underage drinking; Giving the Glam; the Girls of Lynn Luncheon.
This Week in Business, NECN, 10 a.m. Citizens Financial Group CEO Bruce Van Saun; Paul Yorkis, president of the Massachusetts Assn. of Realtors. and Shirley Leung of the Boston Globe in a show that includes: reaction to President Trump’s new tax proposals, the spring housing outlook, buyouts at Brigham and Women’s hospital and the Winthrop Square tower controversy.
CEO Corner, NECN, 10:30 a.m. Laurie Glimcher, MD, president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, on the latest revolutions in cancer care, plus her concerns over potential cuts in federal funding for research.
On The Record, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 11 a.m. This week’s guest: Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, who talks with anchor Ed Harding and co-anchor Janet Wu.
CityLine, WCVB-TV Channel 4, 12 p.m. With host Karen Holmes Ward, this week’s focus: Donald Trump, 100 Days, and the Impact on Communities of Color.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Boston abandons Long Island bridge – CommonWealth Magazine
Landsdowne will close to traffic on game days – Boston Magazine
Krafts and UMass end stadium talks – Boston Globe
Why is GE naming its Boston headquarters ‘Innovation Point’ – Boston Business Journal
Massachusetts
Worcester Railers to partner with New York Islanders – Telegram & Gazette
Framingham chief pressed on evidence room at town meeting – MetroWest Daily News
Beverly bidder is sold on JFK diary – Salem News
Leaders, riders seek improved MBTA plan – Gloucester Times
Falmouth wins turbine nuisance case – Cape Cod Times
Lenox select board OKs plans for multimillion dollar complex at Tanglewood – Berkshire Eagle
What elimination of AmeriCorps could mean for one New Bedford school – WBUR
Nation
Lewandowski’s firm appears to be offering Trump meetings – Politico
Exclusive: Trump says he thought being president would be easier than his old life – Reuters
Plan redistributes America’s wealth to its richest families – New York Times
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.