Happening Today
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey at BC
Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey will give the commencement address at Boston College’s graduation ceremonies, Alumni Stadium, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, 10 a.m.
Senate Dem caucus
A day before embarking on debate over the Senate Ways and Means Committee’s $40.3 billion fiscal 2018 budget, Senate Democrats will hold a private caucus, Senate president’s office, 10 a.m.
Trump’s cyber czar in Boston
Rob Joyce, special assistant to the president and White House cybersecurity coordinator, joins the Mass. Technology Leadership Council as it launches the MA Security Initiative and CyberMA, Foley Hoag, Seaport West – 13th Floor, 155 Seaport Blvd, Boston, 10 a.m.
State Police awards
House Speaker Robert DeLeo delivers remarks at the Massachusetts State Police’s spring awards ceremony at the State House, Grand Staircase, 11 a.m.
Expanding a partnership
Gov. Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Department of Higher Education Commissioner Carlos Santiago, Massachusetts Maritime Rear Admiral Francis McDonald and Boston School Superintendent Tommy Chang gather to announce an expansion of a partnership between the John D. O’Bryant Math and Science High School and Massachusetts Maritime Academy, John D. O’Bryant School, 55 Malcolm X Boulevard, Roxbury, 12 p.m.
MBTA Control Board
The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board will hear an update on UPass and on the MBTA Retirement Fund, Transportation Board Room, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, 12 p.m.
Setti Warren on the air
Newton Mayor Setti Warren, who over the weekend officially announced he’s a Democratic candidate for governor, is a scheduled guest on ‘Boston Public Radio,’ WGBH-FM 89.7, 12:30 p.m.
Leadership meeting
Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and House Minority Leader Brad Jones hold a private leadership meeting, Speaker’s Office, 2 p.m.
Brighton Landing opens for service
Brighton Landing, the T’s newest commuter-rail station, officially opens for rail service today, Guest Street, Brighton.
Today’s Stories
Report: T pension needs $1 billion from taxpayers
The MBTA Retirement Fund has itself a “serious math problem” that will require $1 billion in additional taxpayer backing over the next 18 years in order to remain solvent and able to pay retirees what they’ve been promised, Beth Healy of the Globe reports. The shortfall is detailed in a report that T Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve will present to the Fiscal and Management Control Board today, which will likely fuel a feisty debate about where the new funds should come from, especially since Shortsleeve all but ruled out the T generating the funds itself, telling Healy: “We certainly would not expect our riders to fund a bailout of this size.”
DeLeo: Tax increase wouldn’t be good for economy or middle-class
Concerned about the “fragility” of the economy that may be hurting tax revenues, House Speaker Robert DeLeo reiterated over the weekend his opposition to a major tax hike this year, despite a looming half-billion-dollar shortfall facing the state, according to reports at CBS Boston (with video) and SHNS’s Michael Norton (pay wall). ““In terms of any broad-based tax increases, I am opposed to that,” DeLeo told host Jon Keller on WBZ-TV’s Keller at Large. “I just feel it’s not good for the economy, generally.”
Setti Warren makes it official: He’s running
Newton Mayor Setti Warren finally made it official over the weekend: He’s a Democratic candidate for governor in 2018, declaring that “economic inequality is the defining issue of our generation,” reports Shannon Young at MassLive.
Warren’s move, which has long been anticipated, brings to three the number of Dems angling to take on the popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who’s expected to seek re-election next year, though the Herald’s Howie Carr isn’t all that excited about Baker these days. The AP’s Steve LeBlanc and Bob Salsberg at WBUR have more on Warren’s announcement.
Moulton meets voters—and a challenger
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton drew a large crowd to his Newburyport town hall event Saturday afternoon, including a Saugus man who hopes to unseat him in 2018, Richard Lodge of the Eagle-Tribune reports. When potential challenger Carlos Hernandez asked Moulton what he is doing to “stop all these illegal from draining our country,” Moulton thanked him for entering the race and detailed his own immigration stance. While pledging to make stopping President Trump’s agenda his top priority, Moulton also sought to remind voters of his bipartisan side, noting that Trump has signed legislation that he co-sponsored that allows government employees to use ride-sharing sites such as Uber.
Meanwhile, Moulton found himself on yet another list of potential 2020 presidential candidates, this one compiled by Politico’s Bill Scher, who lists the Iraqi war vet as a “brawler” for his head-to-head clashes with the president.
And on Sunday, Moulton gave the commencement address at Framingham State University, urging graduates–and, implicitly, Trump-backing Republicans — to learn from their mistakes.
Malden charter school backs off braid ban
The Board of Trustees of Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden voted unanimously Sunday night to suspend its controversial hair policy through the end of this school year and at least partially clear the punishments of black female students who were disciplined for wearing extensions in their hair, Aaron Leibowitz of Wicked Local Malden reports. The decision came after a two-hour closed-door meeting and soon after the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey told the school to back off its ban.
Boston to examine ‘wreckage of the past’ in race talks
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will announce a new citywide initiative on race relations this week, a move driven by last month’s racial-slur incident at Fenway Park, Phillip Martin of WGBH reports. City officials, working with the Hyams Foundation, plan to select 20 facilitators from “wall walks of life” to lead discussions on racial inequity in all 17 of Boston’s distinct neighborhoods starting in June. In explaining the plan, Walsh echoed his own experience recovering from alcoholism, suggesting the city needs to deal with the “wreckage of the past” by openly discussing race from all possible angles.
Will cities be left holding the pot bag?
Some Boston politicians are starting to worry about the surge of suburban communities closing their doors to recreational marijuana shops, saying cities will be left dealing with an unfair burden as the state’s legal weed law goes into effect, Hillary Chabot of the Herald reports. The legislature could bail cities out when it rewrites the pot law, possibly by giving communities more than the simple yes or no option the Question 4 ballot initiative contained.
‘No’ wins easily in Norwell
Case in point: Norwell voters approved a ban on recreational pot shops there in voting over the weekend, James Kutstis of the Patriot Ledger reports. The ban passed by a two-to-one margin.
Harvard study: Media coverage of Trump is the most negative in decades
A new report from Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Police says Donald Trump’s presidency has absolutely dominated the news cycle at every level since he took office – and it’s been overwhelmingly negative in tone and substance, far worse than anything seen during the first 100 days for Presidents Obama, Bush II and Clinton. CNN and NBC were the most negative in tone, while Fox News was the least critical, among major broadcast and newspaper outlets. The study has lots of other media data and factoids.
UMass Memorial reaches agreement with Harrington Healthcare to offer psychiatric beds
UMass Memorial Hospital has reached a deal to have Harrington Healthcare offer psychiatric patient services as a way of addressing state regulators’ concerns about the hospital’s plan to convert 13 psych beds for use by surgical patients, Scott Croteau of MassLive reports. UMass will also launch a shuttle service from its Worcester campus to get patients to and from the Harrington facilities in Webster and Southbridge.
No prisoners: Total Wine, Total War
Total Wine & More, the nation’s largest beer, wine and liquor retailer, has left behind vanquished liquor laws in Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina and elsewhere. Now the Total Wine juggernaut is taking aim at Massachusetts’s liquor laws – and it’s going up against perhaps its most formidable and entrenched foe yet: The wholesale liquor industry of Massachusetts. The Globe’s Dan Adams has more on the showdown.
Don’t look now: Suburban rents now outpacing those in Boston
There’s simply no escape from high housing costs here: Rental rates in suburban Boston were up by 4.4 percent from March 2016, to a median $2,370 in March 2017, compared with a 1.6 percent rise in urban areas, to a median $2,492, during the same time period, according to Zillow data, as reported by David Harris at the Boston Business Journal. It’s the first time in four years that suburban rents have risen faster than in the city – and it’s a suburban-urban price shift occurring in other parts of the nation.
Was the latest would-be Globe property buyer in over its head?
Speaking of real estate, the BBJ’s Catherine Carlock takes a look at the latest deal to fall through to sell the Globe’s 16.5 acres on Morrissey Boulevard – and some local commercial real estate officials think it may be a case of the proposed buyer, Center Court Properties, not having the experience, size and clout to attract redevelopment investors.
Banned in Boston: T takes down dumb Bernie & Phyl’s ads
If there’s no such thing as bad publicity, then Bernie & Phyl’s has nothing to complain about with the MBTA’s decision to take down a series of the furniture retailer’s mattress ads, as the Globe’s Meghan Woolhouse reports. It’s not that they’re sexually suggestive and/or tasteless ads (they are). Rather, they’re just contemptibly bad: “One in eight people die in bed. Some die more comfortably than others.” … Thud. …Universal Hub’s hilarious headline: “Nobody should have to think about Bernie and Phyl’s when thinking about sex, MBTA decides.”
Very interesting WannaCry analysis by a very interesting local cyber-security firm
So it may have been Microsoft’s Windows 7, not XP, that allowed the WannaCry (WCry) ransomware worm to spread so quickly around the world, reports Dan Goodin at Ars Technica. And his source for this? Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cybersecurity company whose US headquarters are in Woburn and the same firm that’s been under scrutiny amid an FBI probe of possible Russian meddling in the US presidential election, as reported earlier this month by the Globe. Just pointing it out.
So what comes after the Deer Island sewage treatment plant?
Paul F. Levy, the former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and former executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, is thinking way, way down the road (or sewer line, more precisely) about what comes after the multi-billion-dollar Deer Island sewage treatment plant is obsolete: Community Water and Energy Resource Centers (CWERCs), or a series of smaller-scale, more environmentally friendly modular units that don’t require huge pipeline infrastructures.
Mercury laws go unenforced
Massachusetts is not enforcing laws passed more than a decade ago aimed at reducing the release of mercury into the environment, allowing manufacturers of fluorescent light bulbs to avoid millions of dollars in fines and fees, David Abel of the Globe reports. The law’s backers blame a combination of fierce industry lobbying and cuts at the Department of Environmental Protection.
Author Talk and Book Signing with Gregory N. Flemming
Author talk and book signing with Gregory N. Flemming, author of At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton
State Library of Massachusetts
Space Spotlight at Clarks Americas, Inc.
Join NAIOP Massachusetts for a tour of the new Clarks headquarters in Waltham! Hear from Tammy Diorio of Clarks Americas, Inc., Jim LaValley of Stantec, and Steven Kelly of Timberline Construction as they discuss Clarks’ vision for the space, real estate considerations and challenges, and the design and construction process that brought this space to life.
The New England Employee Benefits Council’s Annual Employee Benefits Summit & Trade Show
Get insight/guidance on the hottest topics in employee benefits. Register early! Last year’s event sold out. Featuring Dr. Tuckson, one of the 50 Most Influential Physician Executives in Healthcare.
New England Employee Benefits Council
Update from Governor Baker: Technology and Economic Development in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker addresses the North Shore Technology Council to share his administration’s economic development successes to date and the future of the technology sector in Massachusetts.
North Shore Technology Council
Salute to Veterans
The Boston Business Journal presents a new program to recognize veterans and organizations that are making employment and advancement strides with veterans as the nation nears Memorial Day.
Looking Under the Covers at UTEC Mattress Recycling
At UTEC Mattress Recycling, tearing apart beds and recycling steel and foam is just part of the story. Come learn about the world of mattress disposal and how UTEC is teaming up with the state and other institutional partners to divert tons of materials away from the waste stream. Special guest: Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton.
UTEC and The Boston Foundation
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Boston-based health giant to buy 18 hospitals – Boston Herald
In Charlestown, a clash over a public housing project – Boston Globe
North End roadwork sends business south – Boston Herald
Seaport’s new Omni hotel is a win for diversity and inclusion – WGBH
Massachusetts
Parents of adults with addiction fight to take care of their grandchildren – Cape Cod Times
Growth of Airbnb scene raises flags – Hampshire Gazette
Worcester declares drought is over – Telegram & Gazette
Moulton to FSU grads: Learn from failure – MetroWest Daily News
Norwell voters ban marijuana sales – Patriot Ledger
GE signs $15B in deals with Saudi Arabia during Trump visit – Boston Business Journal
Nation
Outside Washington’s ‘blazing inferno,’ Democrats seek an agenda – New York Times
Protesting students walk out of Pence’s address at Notre Dame – NPR
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