Happening Today
U.S. Conference of Mayors, Markey coastal tours, Walsh and Sandberg
— The U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting convenes today in Boston with mayors from across the country attending.
— State officials and offshore wind industry executives convene in Boston for the second day of the U.S. Offshore Wind Conference and Exhibition, with Vincent DeVito, counselor for energy policy at the U.S. Department of the Interior, giving the keynote address this morning, Boston Park Plaza, 50 Park Plaza, Boston.
— U.S. Sen. Edward Markey visits Boston Harbor, Plymouth Harbor and Cape Cod Canal to tour coastal infrastructure projects with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Ricky “R.D.” James and Massport CEO Tom Glynn participating, Boston Fish Pier Parking Lot, 221 Northern Avenue, Boston, 10:30 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker participates in the Project Lead the Way and Mass STEM Hub Design Showcase with Boston Children’s Hospital, Merck Research Laboratories, 33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, 12:30 p.m.
— Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joins Sen. Michael Rodrigues and Rep. Paul Schmid at a ribbon cutting ceremony to designate part of Route 88 in Westport as the ‘Governor Cellucci Circle,’ Intersection of Cherry & Webb Lane and John Reed Road, Route 88, Westport, 1:15 p.m.
— Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts honor their 2017-2018 Gold Award recipients at a State House ceremony, Grand Staircase and Great Hall, 2 p.m.
— Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg sharing the stage for a discussion with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner during an event at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting, Marriott Copley Place, 110 Huntington Ave., Boston, 3 p.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker appears on ‘Radio Boston,’ WBUR-FM 90.9, 3 p.m.
— WBUR will hold a gala featuring NPR’s legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, Robert Siegel, the retired host of ‘All Things Considered’ who will be presented with the WBUR Medal for Excellence, and Bill Littlefield, the retiring host of Only a Game, Royal Sonesta Boston, 5:30 p.m.
For more calendar listings, check out State House News Service’s Daily Advances (pay wall – free trial subscriptions available) and MassterList’s Beacon Hill Town Square below.
Today’s Stories
It’s come to this: A nursery rhyme to teach little ones about school-shooting lockdowns
This is sad – and unfortunately probably wise: A Somerville kindergarten class teaches kids how to react when a school lockdown is declared, via a rhyme sung to the tune of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’ It starts out: “Lockdown, lockdown, Lock the door/Shut the lights off, Say no more.” It’s disturbing just to read. The Globe’s Steve Annear has more.
Senate passes its version of ‘red flag’ gun bill
Speaking of shootings: As expected, the Massachusetts Senate yesterday passed its version of the so-called ‘red flag’ gun bill that would create a new judicial process designed to temporarily take guns away from individuals deemed dangerous to themselves or others, reports Shira Schoenberg at MassLive. The House, which has already passed virtually the same bill, must decide whether to accept Senate amendments or negotiate over the differences, Schoenberg reports.
No heir-apparent prince in his kingdom: Bernie won’t endorse his son for Congress
It’s nothing personal. It’s nothing ideological. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has simply refused to endorse his son, Levi Sanders, who’s running for Congress in New Hampshire, because the socialist senator from Vermont doesn’t believe in “dynastic politics.” Others think another dynamic may be at play: Levi is apparently a lousy campaigner and Bernie may not want to be too closely associated with a lost cause. The Globe’s James Pindell and Matt Viser have the details. The Washington Post has also jumped on the story.
Mayors climate summit generates partisan heat
The International Mayors Climate Summit organized by former Secretary of State John Kerry and hosted by BU was supposed to be about, well, climate change. But the climate at the summit was distinctly anti-Donald Trump, with Kerry accusing the president of “misleading” the public on climate change, as the Globe’s David Abel reports. Meanwhile, Mayor Marty Walsh, who attended the summit, denied the event had turned into a Trump bash-fest, reports Dan Atkinson at the Herald. Hillary Chabot at the Herald noticed something missing at yesterday’s gathering: A lot of local mayors.
Senate bill would require utilities to increase renewable-energy purchases
The Massachusetts Senate is poised to actually do something on the climate-change front, as opposed to engaging in partisan sniping. From SHNS’s Andy Metzger: “Utilities would need to ramp up renewable energy purchases, the state could dramatically expand its support of offshore wind, and commercial solar endeavors would be freed from existing restrictions, under legislation the Senate plans to take up next week. The bill is sure to please the renewable energy industry and will likely raise concerns among other business interests in the electricity sector.”
The bill would also commit the state to some sort of cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SHNS (pay wall — free trial subscription available)
Romney predicts Trump will be re-elected
The political gyrations of the former Massachusetts governor and now Utah Senate candidate never fail to astonish. From the Associated Press at the Herald: “He once called Donald Trump ‘a con man,’’ but Mitt Romney on Thursday night predicted that Trump would ‘easily’’ win his party’s presidential nomination in 2020 and ‘solidly’ win a second term.”
How can Dems land a punch on Baker when they’re too busy praising him?
One almost feels sorry for Dem gubernatorial candidates Jay Gonzalez and Bob Massie, who are working their butts off to defeat Gov. Charlie Baker while other Democrats are praising the Republican Baker. It can’t be easy. The Globe’s Joshua Miller has the story.
Btw: Baker has declared, for state campaign-finance reasons, that he will “limit” his campaign spending this primary season to $9 million, which, on an annual basis, probably generates more in interest than what rival gubernatorial candidates will ever raise combined. Miller has that Globe story too.
Meanwhile, how much longer can Bob Massie hang on?
He only has $23,000 in his campaign coffers. His fellow Dems have overwhelmingly endorsed his Democratic rival for governor. He’s been dogged by reports that his wife once sought a restraining order against him. So how much longer can Bob Massie stay in the race? Frank Phillips at the Globe takes a look at a candidate whose campaign appears to be running on fumes.
In a not-too-distant alternate dimension, the lieutenant governor’s race does matter
Speaking of low-profile campaigns, WGBH’s Mike Deehan tries to explain the near impossible: Why the lieutenant’s governor’s race between Quentin Palfrey and Jimmy Tingle matters. And he comes up with a decent explanation: “Because, in a not-too-distant alternate dimension, Palfrey or Tingle could stand a good chance of becoming a political heavyweight, or even governor under the right circumstances.” Or, for that matter, a chamber of commerce president in Worcester.
DOT yanks toll-free transponder perks from hundreds of state employees
From Kay Lazar at the Globe: “Despite warnings two years ago from the inspector general, hundreds of state transportation department employees and retirees continued to drive toll-free on the state’s highways, with taxpayers footing the bill. The perk, enjoyed by current and former Massachusetts Department of Transportation employees since at least 2009, and likely costing taxpayers at least $1 million, was discontinued this week following inquiries by the Globe.”
As Lazar notes, the freebie-tolls issue comes as the state comptroller’s office investigates how many untaxed perks all state employees may have – and how much the state (i.e. taxpayers) may owe the IRS in back taxes.
Coincidence? A lot of transportation issues are stalled until after the election
Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine is noticing a trend: A lot of controversial and/or expensive transportation issues seem to be getting put off until later this year – after the election. The Allston-Brighton Turnpike reconfiguration. West Station. The T’s Mattapan Trolley. “It may be just a coincidence,” he writes, not very convincingly.
Cohasset police called in after heated exchange over overheated classrooms
The Cohasset School Committee had to take a time out when one board member got more than a little upset about overly hot classrooms, getting audience members all riled up by asserting that lack of action on the matter amounted to “child abuse.” Cohasset police showed up to calm things down. Abigail Adams at Wicked Local has the details at the Patriot Ledger.
Middleboro selectmen set bash-the-pubic-officials parameters at future meetings
Speaking of heated public meetings, from Eileen Reece at the Enterprise: “(Middleboro) selectmen have set parameters for the unanticipated portion of their weekly meeting, saying it has gotten out of hand and being used as a means to publicly bash public officials. ‘I am making this as a suggestion that this is how I would like to run it’ said Selectmen Chairman Leilani Dalpe, noting that Town Counsel Daniel Murray reviewed the open meeting law in regards to the unanticipated portion of the meeting and her guidelines follows his parameters.”
No ‘grand bargain’ in sight …
It was always a long-shot deal and, by the looks of it, it’s still a long-shot deal. From SHNS’s Matt Murphy (pay wall): “The behind-the-scenes talks to strike a deal on Beacon Hill to keep several initiatives off the ballot this fall have apparently reached a ‘standstill,’ raising the likelihood that voters could have to decide whether it’s a good time to both raise the minimum wage and lower the state’s sales tax.” The BBJ’s Greg Ryan has more.
Warren’s pot-protection bill wins wide praise
Shannon Young at MassLive reports that U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s new bill that would protect states from federal anti-marijuana enforcement is drawing support from a number of groups favoring pot legalization, though the leader of one veterans group isn’t happy. He doesn’t think the bill goes far enough.
Judge to Globe and Sargent: You got 24 hours to work out a compromise
CommonWealth magazine’s Jack Sullivan has more on ‘As the Globe Turns’: “A Suffolk Superior Court judge on Thursday told the lawyers for the Boston Globe and former Boston.com staffer Hilary Sargent they had 24 hours to work out an agreement for Sargent to speak with people from the paper conducting a probe into her allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior by editor Brian McGrory and others.”
Have faith: DeLeo aims for health-care bill vote by end of month
From SHNS’s Matt Murphy at the Sentinel & Enterprise: “Another week is about pass by without a House health care reform bill emerging from committee, but House Speaker Robert DeLeo said it is his intention to have a cost-control bill on the floor by the end of June. ‘I think I said some time in June, and if I’m correct we have a couple more weeks left,” DeLeo told the News Service on Wednesday afternoon.”
Bill ‘Only a Game’ Littlefield is leaving the ‘BUR sports booth, folks
He certainly hit a lot of broadcast home runs over the years. From WBUR: “WBUR announced today that after 25 years of hosting public radio’s only sports program, Only a Game, Bill Littlefield is hanging up his cleats. Littlefield’s final broadcast as host will be on July 28, 2018. ‘After nearly 35 years in public radio and 25 years of hosting Only A Game, Bill has served as an invaluable player on WBUR’s team,’ said WBUR general manager Charles Kravetz.”
About that Army Futures Command headquarters …
The Globe’s Tim Logan has a good story this morning on the U.S. Army’s Futures Command headquarters that Gov. Charlie Baker, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Marty Walsh, among others, are trying to lure to Boston. The stakes are pretty high: 500 direct jobs and the probability of other companies locating here to be close to the contract action.
Now LaSalle College is threatening to sue Mount Ida
From Max Stendahl at the BBJ: “Defunct Mount Ida College could find itself battling legal claims on multiple fronts after neighboring Lasell threatened to file suit over the schools’ failed merger talks earlier this year. … On May 16, Mount Ida received a letter from Lasell’s outside lawyers, who claimed that Mount Ida had violated an exclusivity agreement between the two schools by secretly negotiating with UMass.” Lasell was demanding legal, accounting and other advisory fees apparently tied to the failed merge talks.
After eight years, a majority of UMass Law grads are finally finding jobs right out of school
Speaking of higher education, from Greg Ryan at the BBJ: “For the first time since it was founded in 2010, the University of Massachusetts School of Law has placed more than half of its graduates from the previous year’s class into full-time attorney work. By early this spring, 55 percent of the UMass Law Class of 2017 had found full-time, long-term work that required passage of the bar exam, according to recently published data from the American Bar Association.”
To be fair, the job market has been horrible for most law school grads for years now, as the legal industry has undergone tumultuous changes, as this New York Times piece makes clear.
Group wants Brockton casino proposal reconsidered
Persistence, thy name is Rush Street Gaming. The Chicago casino company is again asking the Mass. Gaming Commission to consider its plan to build a $677 million gambling parlor at the former Brockton fairgrounds, Mark Arsenault reports in the Globe. The commission voted two years ago to deny a license to Rush Street, at least in part because of the chance the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe would be green lighted by the feds to open a tribal casino in Taunton.
Littlefield drops out in Third. Will others follow suit?
Then there were ten. Patrick Littlefield of Boxford withdrew his name from the Democratic primary ballot for the Third Congressional District race just ahead of Friday’s deadline to do so, prompting speculation that other candidates will follow suit in order to help clear the field for more viable hopefuls, Chris Lisinsky reports in the Sentinel and Enterprise.
Berkshires cable dust-up goes federal as Markey plans legislation
Seriously, don’t mess with people’s TV channels. A looming change for Charter Spectrum customers that would shift many customers to New York-based network affiliates instead of those out of Boston now has the attention of U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, Dick Lindsay reports in the Berkshire Eagle. Markey tells the paper he personally pressed the cable company to keep Mass.-based programming on the air and will file legislation to require theym do so.
Worcester mayor dashes hopes of preservationists on Notre Dame church
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty pretty much closed the book on the idea of the city stepping in to help save the Notre Dame des Canadiens church from the wrecking ball, saying he couldn’t recommend spending taxpayers’ dollars on the project with a half-billion dollars of school-building projects looming on the horizon, Nick Kotsopolous reports in the Telegram.
This priest means business …
MassterList was flooded with emails (OK, it was just a few – and from one reader) regarding this BBJ profile of Father Tom Conway, a Franciscan priest with a PhD in accounting who’s worked financial miracles, so to speak, at the St. Anthony Shrine in downtown Boston and who’s the subject of a recent Harvard Business School case study. The story was written by a certain ML author.
Sunday public affairs TV
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Channel 4, 8:30 a.m. This week’s guest: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who talks about her new bill protecting states that have legalized pot, what might happen if Trump stifles the Mueller probe and criticism from her GOP opponents.
This Week in Business, NECN, 10 a.m. Shirley Leung of the Boston Globe and Doug Banks of the Boston Business Journal look at the major business stories of the week, including the BIO 2018 conference, mayors gathering in Boston to talk climate change, the resignation of Athenahealth’s chief executive and other items.
CEO Corner, NECN 10:30 a.m. A talk with the president and CEO of BIO 2018, James Greenwood, on some of the biggest societal and health challenges the industry is facing, and Travis McCready, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center on the economic impact of the BIO 2018.
On The Record, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 11 a.m. This week’s guest: Jay Gonzalez, Democratic candidate for governor, who talks with anchor Ed Harding and co-anchor Janet Wu.
AMPlify 2018: The Employee Advocacy & Engagement Conference in Boston
Learn, Explore & Network AMPlify is the only marketing event addressing the unique challenges associated with leveraging employee and stakeholders in your content and digital marketing strategies. You’ll hear how the leading marketing practitioners are excelling at content and digital marketing in today’s landscape.
Grid Modernization in Massachusetts: Driving Energy Efficiency through Residential Scorecards
Massachusetts’ Baker-Polito Administration recently announced their intention on becoming the first state in the nation to require residential energy scores. The ‘scorecards’ would be made available to potential homebuyers after January 1, 2021 for any 1 to 4 unit homes publicly listed for sale in the state.
Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems CSE
Great Decisions – Turkey: A Partner in Crisis
Once a prominent model of democracy in the Middle East, Turkey is, according to many observers, slipping towards autocracy.
10th Annual A&E Summit – Charting the Course for Sustained Success
10th Annual A&E Summit – Charting the Course for Sustained Success Join DGC (DiCicco, Gulman & Company) and a panel of A&E firm leaders for a discussion of industry trends critical to achieving sustained growth and profitability, and preview our annual benchmarking studies.
Boston Cyber Security Conference 2018
2018 Boston Cyber Security Conference This conference qualifies for CPE credits! Passes include a full lunch, entrance into the main conference room and all conference material.
WBA Litigation Conference – Signs of Change: A 40 Year Perspective
The WBA celebrates its 40th anniversary with a litigation conference on June 14. Signs of Change: A 40 Year Perspective features discussions on: civil rights; empowering women to change including recent developments in human trafficking, athlete sexual assault, workplace harassment and assault laws and remedies; women leading big law; the practical realities of litigation; and a judges panel.
The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts
Boston CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards
Join New England’s Technology Professionals at the Boston CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards. This event will honor chief information officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
GE launches Boston-based subsidiary focused on drones – Boston Business Journal
Lockdown rhyme draws attention in Somerville – Boston Herald
Massachusetts
Marijuana entrepreneur is fuming over Brockton City Council inaction – Brockton Enterprise
Western Mass. hurricane evacuees press lawmakers for action, long-term housing help – MassLive
Triple Crown hopeful Justify has Nantucket ties – The Inquirer and Mirror
Nation
Trump gets more credit for economy but it’s not helping GOP – CNBC
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.