Happening Today
Health-care worker rally, CTRail launch, Markey presser, life-science funding
— House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matt Beaton and EPA Regional Administrator Alexandra Dunn are among the scheduled speakers at a forum on climate change, hosted by the MWRA Advisory Board, Murray Function Room at the Yawkey Center, 2599 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, 9 a.m.
— 1199SEIU holds a rally with healthcare workers terminated by Whittier Street Health Center, Whittier Street Health Center, 1290 Tremont St, Roxbury, 9:30 a.m.
— U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno join Massachusetts and Connecticut transportation officials to welcome the CTRail Hartford Line to Springfield Union Station, Union Station, Frank B. Murray Way, Springfield, 10 a.m.
— U.S. Sen Edward Markey holds a press conference on the Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ on immigration, JFK Federal Building, 9th floor, 15 New Sudbury Street, Boston, 10:30 a.m.
— Senate President Harriette Chandler speaks at the 13th annual Veterans Inc. ‘stand down’ event, which seeks to provide items and services to homeless veterans and their families, 69 Grove St., Worcester, 11 a.m.
— Treasurer Deborah Goldberg joins local officials for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Braintree East Middle School, 305 River St., Braintree, 11:30 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker signs an act calling for the continued investment in the life sciences industry, Bunker Hill Community College, Health & Wellness Center Gym, 250 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, 2 p.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, MassHousing executive director Chrystal Kornegay, Rep. Russell Holmes and others gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of 41 units of workforce and market-rate housing at Olmsted Green, 591 Morton St., Mattapan, 2:30 p.m.
— A Lowell teacher and a Belmont volunteer group are honored at the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s 36th annual Human and Civil Rights Awards dinner, DoubleTree by Hilton, 5400 Computer Dr., Westborough, 6 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
Immigration protests: This time it may be different
There’s been so many immigration controversies, showdowns, debates and protests in recent years, it’s hard to keep track of them. But keep your eye on current events, for the Trump administration seems to have hit a raw societal nerve regarding separation of immigrant families. There were protests yesterday across the state on the controversial policy, including in Northampton (MassLive), Milford (Milford Daily News) and at the State House (Globe and Herald). Across the country, there were protests and even conservative pastors are denouncing the policy, reports the NYT.
Confiscating guns in an election year
The Baker administration is merely enforcing federal edicts. But Gov. Charlie Baker will still be associated, at least by some, with a state order that’s leading to the confiscation of guns from hundreds of people who were previously cleared by a state board to own firearms. The Globe’s Matt Stout has the details on the controversial action that seems sure to rile up many Second Amendment supporters as the election season heats up. Meanwhile, the Globe’s Danny McDonald has a sort of related guns piece, i.e. how nearly half of all guns confiscated by Boston police in crime cases came from outside Massachusetts.
Poll: Transgender rights ballot question may be only November nail-biter
With races for governor and the U.S. Senate still hugely one-sided and some ballot initiatives enjoying overwhelming support from voters, the closest contest on the state’s November ballot may be over whether to repeal the state’s transgender accommodations law, a new Suffolk University/Globe poll shows. The Globe’s James Pindell reports that 49 percent of voters polled said they want to keep the law in place, with 37 percent supporting repeal and 13 percent undecided. SHNS’s Katie Lannan at the Greenfield Recorder has the other non-surprising results in the Suffolk University poll, including the continued popularity of Gov. Charlie Baker, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other ballot questions.
The most closely monitored Twitter account in Boston: Supreme Judicial Court tweets?
Speaking of ballot questons: From high-tech titans to anti-poverty activists, they’re all checking their cell phones each morning to see if the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled yet on whether the proposed millionaire’s tax will make it to the statewide November ballot. The Globe’s Joshua Miller has the details.
So how loyal are Boston’s suburban liberals to Democrats?
The NYT’s Thomas Edsall has an interesting piece in which he takes a look at the work of Harvard political scientist Ryan Enos, who has found that the ideological commitment of suburban liberals in Boston and elsewhere seems to have a breaking point when it comes to them losing their privileges. Enos’s field survey work has involved, among other things, plunking Spanish-speaking passengers on T commuter trains to observe the reactions of ‘Anglo commuters.’ Enos’s focus is on racial privileges, but we’d argue there are powerful class privileges at work too, tied primarily to the upper-middle-class exclusivity of schools. Just throwing that idea out there .
UMass prof: For heaven’s sake, roll up the Amazon HQ2 red carpet before it’s too late
Benyamin B. Lichtenstein, a professor of management at UMass Boston, argues that, for the sake of small businesses and home renters, Boston needs to withdraw its bid for Amazon’s second headquarters, saying the tech behemoth’s presence here will only harm small businesses and apartment renters. He has more at DigBoston.
Audit: DCR still allowing squatters on state land
OK, squatters is too strong of a word. Still, from Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine: “The state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation is improving as a landlord, but the agency still has a long way to go, with a new state audit reporting that $600,000 in user fees went uncollected over a two-year period and a number of tenants were allowed to continue using state property with expired leases.”
Looks like you’ll have to keep illegally buying your pot on July 1
From the AP’s Bob Salsberg at NECN: “The prospects that retail pot shops open in Massachusetts by a July 1 target appeared to be dimming Thursday, as the state’s top marijuana regulator said he was more focused on an orderly rollout of recreational sales than a speedy one.”
All aboard, perhaps, for Springfield’s new ‘CTrail’ train service
Today, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and others will cut the ribbon at Springfield’s Union Station for the ceremonial launch of the new ‘CTrail’ service from Springfield to Hartford, New Haven and Connecticut points in between. But the question, as Jim Kinney reports at MassLive, is how popular the service will be moving forward. Let’s hope it works, for it could serve as a positive economic catalyst for the region.
‘My father, the priest’: To exhume his body or not to exhume?
This is a sad story about James C. Graham’s 25-year attempt to get the church to fess up whether his father was a Catholic priest or not. The church has been stonewalling on the issue, forcing Graham to make the awful choice about whether to exhume his likely father’s body for DNA testing.
Yawkey Way renaming was a done-deal before all that teeth-gnashing
Turns out the rather heated public debate over whether to rename Yawkey Way was never going to change the minds of the city’s Public Improvements Commission, Colman Herman reports at CommonWealth Magazine. The commission’s policy states that if all ‘qualified abutters’ agree to a change, it will be approved. In the case of Yawkey Way—now Jersey Street—those abutters all have ties to the Red Sox, who requested the change.
Plymouth Station gets rare positive review from nuclear regulators
Nuclear regulators have given Plymouth Station a rare positive report, saying all 24 categories where the plant was previously found to be falling short of standards have been addressed, Christine Legere reports in the Cape Cod Times. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also found an issue dating to 2015 that put the plant in the lowest performance category have also been corrected.
City to spend $400K studying the feasibility of Seaport gondolas
From the Herald’s Dan Atkinson: “City officials will spend $400,000 to study whether gondolas should fly through the Seaport’s skies, which a transit watchdog said could be necessary to relieve the area’s crushing traffic. The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved the study, which take place over the next year, at its meeting last night.”
Buying silence? Former Harvard Pilgrim CEO was a big political donor
The Herald’s Joe Battenfeld continues to bird-dog the mysterious (or perhaps not so mysterious) resignation of Harvard Pilgrim chief executive Eric Schultz over unspecified bad “behavior.” No one is talking. And maybe it has something to do with Schultz donating nearly $37,000 to state pols over the years, Joe writes. And, yes, Gov. Charlie Baker, who used to head Harvard Pilgrim, is still mum on the issue, saying the resignation was a decision made at a private company, not a public entity, reports Brian Dowling and Mary Markos at the Herald.
Rockland selectwoman moves to block release of surveillance video tied to ‘inappropriate behavior’ charge
This is one of those controversies where everyone has to pretend they don’t have strong suspicions about what happened. From Mary Whitfil and Neal Simpson at Wicked Local: “A Rockland selectman who has accused the town administrator of behaving inappropriately toward her is seeking an injunction to block the town from releasing surveillance footage of an after-hours encounter between the two at town hall last month.”
To be clear: Selectwoman Deirdre Hall, who dropped out of a legislative race over the controversy, is opposing release of the video while the lawyer for town administrator Allan Chiocca, who was placed on paid leave last month, wants the video made public. The Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter has more.
#MeToo era changes: ‘Enlightened new awareness or blithe ignorance’?
Speaking of #MeToo-era incidents, CommonWealth magazine’s Michael Jonas does a terrific job connecting the various #MeToo-era dots out there, including topless dancers at a recent bio-convention bash in Boston (STAT), the removal of portraits at Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Globe), the ongoing McGrory vs Sargent feud at the Globe (CommonWealth) and, yes, the mysterious (or not so mysterious) resignation of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s CEO (Herald). Anyway, as Jonas notes at the outset: “When it comes to reckoning with the role of women in society, it can sometimes be difficult to know whether we’re in a period of enlightened new awareness or blithe ignorance.”
Fyi: Regarding those topless dancers at a recent bio-convention bash, the Globe’s Shirley Leung has more on the incident.
Nice way to treat a WWII vet: While he’s at the hospital, evict him from home and throw away his belongings
From WCVB: “Ilya Levin’s WWII uniform is his only physical memento of his past after his entire Boston apartment was wiped clean. Levin’s family tells Newscenter 5 that the 95-year-old was booted from his apartment while recovering from pneumonia. Everything from the apartment was thrown out in an apparent mistake by the management company at the Patricia White Apartments on Washington Street.”
‘Break up Google’
What’s one of the most top-viewed pieces at the Globe these days? Its editorial-board pronouncement calling for the corporate break up of Google on anti-trust grounds. “It is ironic that the company perhaps most responsible for unleashing a tidal wave of human creativity, learning, and, yes, competition is also stifling it,” the editorial says.
Report will fault Mount Ida trustees, senator says
A report from the state Senate will find the trustees of Mount Ida College violated their fiduciary responsibilities when they decided to abruptly close the school, state Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives tells Fred Thys of WBUR. The final report could be released as soon as next week and a draft calls on Attorney General Maura General to investigate a number of specific issues, including inconsistencies in the testimony of various school officials.
The House health bill may play ‘Robin Hood’ with research dollars
Dr. Paul A. Hattis, an associate professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and a former member of the Health Policy Commission, takes a hard look at the House’s health-care bill that calls for $450 million in hospital and insurance assessments to help struggling community hospitals. But he looks extra hard at the House’s ‘unwarranted factors’ clause that deals with the hot-button issue of higher premium dollars flowing to Partners Health Care and other hospitals for medical research.
Capuano vs Pressley: ‘About the soul of the Democratic Party’
Anthony Brooks at WBUR has a good overview piece on the Democratic primary battle between U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano and City Councilor Ayanna Pressley. No controversial quotes or breaking news per se, just a good overview of a race with so many differences and so little differences at the same time.
Baker pushes opioids bill in waning days of session
From Brian Dowling at the Herald: “A measure allowing doctors to hospitalize addicts for 72 hours without their consent is among a set of proposals to fight the deadly drug epidemic being pressed by Gov. Charlie Baker in his second major opioid bill, now pending before lawmakers with just days to go in the legislative session. ‘We are hopeful that before the end of the session our bill — or something like it — will make it through the process,’ Baker told staff and volunteers at A New Way addiction recovery center in Quincy.”
Farewell, Marian High School
Teachers, alum and others bid farewell earlier this week at the last open house before Marian High School in Framingham officially shuts its doors. Generations of Framingham-area residents attended Marian and you can only imagine their reaction to the school’s closing, like saying good-bye to an old friend. Zane Razzaq at MetroWest Daily News has the story.
Sunday public affairs TV
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Channel 4, 8:30 a.m. This week’s guest: Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston Chapter NAACP, who discusses the shortfall of minority teachers, whether Gov. Charlie Baker has kept his promises to the black community and other issues.
This Week in Business, NECN, 10 a.m. Frank Ruddock, who heads political and economic affairs for the Canadian Consulate in Boston, talks about growing trade tensions between the US and Canada; Greater Boston Chamber CEO Jim Rooney on the bio bill, Beacon Hill ‘grand bargain’ talks, World Cup Soccer and T; the Boston Globe’s Shirley Leung on the top local business stories of the week.
CEO Corner, NECN, 10:30 a.m. John Chuang, co-founder and chairman of Aquent, talks about the company he started in a Harvard dorm room 30 years ago and since grown into a global staffing company.
On The Record, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 11 a.m. This week’s guests: U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and UMass president Marty Meehan, who talk with anchor Ed Harding co-anchor Janet Wu.
This is New England, NBC Boston Channel 10, 11:30 a.m. With host Natasha Verma, this week’s topic: Father’s Day in New England.
CityLine, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 12 p.m. With host Karen Holmes Ward, this week’s show takes a look at the local artists coming together for the first ever Boston Art and Music Soul (BAMS) Fest on June 23 at the historic Franklin Park.
2018 Growth Acceleration Summit
This isn’t your typical B2B conference. Here, sales & marketing alignment will be challenged by industry-leading experts who will share insights & tactics to unify teams & reach new business heights – as one.
The State of Our Transportation System with MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack
The State of Our Transportation System – A Briefing by MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack
Getting to the Point with Congressman Joe Kennedy III
Congressman Joe Kennedy III will visit the Institute for a wide-ranging conversation on issues facing our communities today. Congressman Kennedy is in his third term representing the Fourth District of Massachusetts in Congress.
Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
Commonwealth Commentary with Senator Karen Spilka
Senator Karen E. Spilka is the State Senator for the 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Ashland, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway and Natick in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus
Chat & Chowder – Digital World War
This exploitation of social media has had a significant impact on the Muslim world and is often difficult to counter or monitor, raising a very valid concern: how do we fight in this digital war?
Today’s Headlines
Metro
$400G floated for Seaport gondola study – Boston Herald
Firefighter says city’s violating agreement to accommodate department’s women – Boston Globe
Massachusetts
Parent complains of prayer in graduation speech – Eagle-Tribune
Recovery coaches a key to ending opioid epidemic, Baker says – Patriot Ledger
Former Beverly councilor tapped to lead Marblehead – Salem News
Framingham puts historic Nobscot chapel up for sale – MetroWest Daily News
The Obamas will have to find a new Martha’s Vineyard vacation home – The Observer
Nation
Watchdog rips Comey but says bias didn’t taint Clinton probe – Politico
State of New York accuses Trump charity of violations – New York Times
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