Happening Today
National Grid rally, Field of Dreams, Fourth of July safety, and more
— Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for new Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations solar array, 620 Hartford Tpk., Shrewsbury, 9 a.m.
— Locked out National Grid gas workers plan to rally with Malden City Councilors Debbie DeMaria and Stephen Winslow and John Buonopane, president of USW Local 12012, to protest lack of contract talks during the utility lockout, 100 Medford St., Malden, 9 a.m.
— U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III receives ‘Hero for Health’ award from Southcoast Health, Charlton Memorial Hospital, Elizabeth House Conference Room, 363 Highland Ave., Fall River, 10:30 a.m.
— Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III co-chair a STEM Week Subcommittee Meeting in preparation for October’s STEM Week in Massachusetts, Room 157, 12 p.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker leads the check presentation ceremony at ABCD’s 21st annual Field of Dreams event., Fenway Park, 1 p.m.
— American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts holds press conference to endorse U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano for re-election, with AFT Massachusetts president Beth Kontos and Chelsea Teachers Union’s Don Dabenigno attending, Chelsea Teachers Union, 248 Everett Ave., Chelsea, 1:30 p.m.
— Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and Police Commissioner William Evans hold press conference about Fourth of July public safety, then participate in a weekly community peace walk, Twelfth Baptist Church, 160 Warren St., Roxbury, 4:15 p.m.
— Centro Presente holds vigil at the State House to ‘condemn human rights violations at the US border and US military intervention in Central America,’ State House, 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
Report says BPD’s Evans will leave for BC gig
WBZ-TV reports that Boston Police Commissioner William Evans plans to leave the department he has led since 2014, a move that would offer Mayor Marty Walsh the chance to appoint another top leadership position in the wake of the school chief’s pending departure. The station reports Evans, who has been with the BPD since 1982, will be named the chief of the Boston College police department.
Ex-Rep. Bradley and law firms tied to multimillion-dollar overfilling scheme, reports says
From the Globe’s Andrea Estes: “An investigation unsealed Thursday in Boston federal court outlined a multimillion-dollar overbilling scheme by some of the nation’s top class-action law firms and alleged misconduct by a prominent former state lawmaker. The scathing 377-page report by a court-appointed special master took aim at the business practices of three well-known firms, including Boston-based Thornton Law Firm and its managing partner, former representative Garrett Bradley.”
The report recommends sanctions and the repayment of $10 million. Estes also writes that a related court filing reveals that a federal criminal investigation into Thornton Law Firm remains active.
Million Dollar Man: Meehan’s new UMass compensation package approaches $1M
We’ll refrain from comment on this one. From Gintautas Dumcius: “UMass President Marty Meehan has a new contract, with his total compensation set to eventually approach $1 million. The new contract, a three-year extension of his original deal with University of Massachusetts trustees, goes into effect July 1. Conversations about the contract extension formally started the same day as UMass trustees approved the controversial acquisition of Mount Ida College.”
UMass Boston adjunct faculty launch ad campaign targeting Meehan over pay and benefits
The adjunct faculty at UMass-Boston are making Marty Meehan earn his new pay. From SHNS’s Michael Norton (pay wall): “UMass President Marty Meehan is the target of a new ad campaign in which adjunct faculty from UMass Lowell say they’ve been mistreated and are paid less then their counterparts at other campuses. In the new ads, adjunct faculty members say they’ve been denied access to health insurance and retirement benefits and have worked without a contract for more than three years.” The media blitz will run through this fall. The Globe’s Sophia Eppolito has more.
Meanwhile, interim president bids a fond farewell to UMass Boston …
Speaking of UMass Boston: Forgive Barry Mills, the interim chancellor of UMass Boston and former president of Bowdoin College, for bragging a bit about UMass Boston, for he’s earned the right to brag as he prepares to leave his post. Among other things, as Mills notes, the school’s budget is now balanced, enrollment is up and key construction projects are near completion. “My advice to our incoming chancellor is this: Take a deep breath and get ready to lead a campus that will get into your head, heart, and soul,” he writes at CommonWealth.
MassDOT launches fresh review of Pike/West Station options
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has launched a three-pronged review (or re-review) designed to offer a fresh look at how the state should approach the massive Mass Pike/West Station project in Allston-Brighton, Bruce Mohl reports at CommonWealth Magazine. The move comes amid growing pressure from transportation advocates to build the $100 million West Station transit hub earlier in the process. Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack outlined her moves in a Globe op-ed piece.
Hodgson says Healey’s words ‘poison’ private suits against his department
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson amped up his war of words with Attorney General Maura Healey yesterday, claiming that her recent call for a probe of his department could sow prejudice among potential jurors in several pending lawsuits, Curt Brown reports in the Standard-Times. Noting that the AG’s office is essentially serving as his department’s lawyers in defending those suits, Hodgson said he may be forced to seek outside private legal representation at taxpayer expense and urges Healey to offer remedies to the situation.
Poll: Galvin comfortably ahead of Zakim, Dem governor’s race up for grabs
A new WBUR poll shows that Secretary of State Bill Galvin, even though he didn’t win the endorsement of delegates at the recent state Democratic Party convention, is comfortably ahead of progressive primary challenger Josh Zakim, reports WBUR’s Steve Brown. Unless he improves his name-recognition numbers, Zakim, a Boston city councilor, isn’t going to be pulling any Ocasio-Cortez-like upset, by the looks of it. Meanwhile, Democratic gubernatorial candidates Jay Gonzalez and Bob Massie are struggling with name recognition and voter indecision problems of their own, with a whopping 61 percent of voters saying they’re not sure who they’ll vote for in September. Gonzalez is leading Massie – only 16 percent to 13 percent as a result of voter indecision.
Boston police beefing up security at local media outlets following shooting at Maryland newspaper
Police in Boston and elsewhere are increasing security at major media outlets in the wake of the tragic shooting yesterday at the Capital Gazette in Maryland, where five employees were killed by an apparently deranged gunman who had previously lost a defamation suit against the newspaper. The Globe’s Alana Levene and the Herald’s Marie Szaniszlo have the local security details. The NYT takes a look at the five Capital Gazette employees who were killed.
Rep. Lyons and Lively going at it over, well, everything
The Globe’s Frank Phillips reports how state Rep. Jim Lyons, a Republican, is feuding with GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Lively over abortion, support for Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, re-election kickoffs, emails, you name it.
Baker signs ‘grand bargain’ bill, minus some key players who preferred to stay away
As expected, Gov. Charlie Baker yesterday signed the “grand bargain” bill that will eventually increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and implement a new family and medical leave program in Massachusetts, among other things, as SHNS’s Colin Young at Wicked Local and Shira Schoenberg at MassLive report. But the Globe’s Joshua Miller noticed that something was amiss at yesterday’s bill-signing ceremony: The absence of officials from the key progressive and business groups who ultimately hammered out the compromise deal. Neither side is viewing the ‘grand bargain’ as a victory per se.
The Globe’s Shirley Leung has a piece on how the deal came together. Meanwhile, the Herald, in an editorial, is blasting the compromise package: “The bill is as warm and fuzzy as they come but will ultimately hurt businesses and subsequently the residents of the commonwealth it was designed to help.”
Baker’s State Police ‘hornet’s nest’
In an editorial, the Springfield Republican is warning that the State Police overtime scandal could end up politically harming Gov. Charlie Baker this fall: “The more it expands, the more Baker will have to account for it, and the more likely a runaway re-election could turn into what seemed implausible – a competitive race.” Meanwhile, Baker tells the Herald that “he believes he is on track to restore people’s faith in the beleaguered Massachusetts state police, a day after three state troopers appeared in federal court in handcuffs and leg irons on embezzling charges.”
State adds $290M to its ‘rainy day’ fund – and more could be on the way
Here’s some good fiscal news: The flood of capital gains tax collections flowing into state coffers has triggered an automatic deposit of $290 million into the state’s reserve ‘rainy day’ fund, reports SHNS’s Michael Norton (pay wall) and the Globe’s Joshua Miller. And more funds could be on the way. Yesterday’s deposit pushes the state’s rainy-day fund balance above $1.6 billion, a number that will hopefully impress antsy credit-rating agencies.
Beacon Hill action: Lawmakers send ‘red flag’ bill to Baker, Senate OK’s raising tobacco-buying age, Gender X bill advances
It was a busy day on Beacon Hill yesterday. First, from Shira Schoenberg at MassLive: “The Massachusetts Legislature on Thursday sent Gov. Charlie Baker a bill that would allow a family or household member to petition a judge to confiscate someone’s gun if the person poses a danger to themselves or others.” Baker has said he ‘conceptually’ backs the idea.
In other legislative action, the Senate, as expected, yesterday approved legislation that would raise the tobacco-buying age to 21, reports SHNS’s Colin Young at WBUR. The House has passed a similar bill. Meanwhile, Shira Schoenberg at MassLive reports the Senate, also as expected, passed legislation that would allow someone to check “X” instead of male or female on their driver’s license and other state identity cards.
Dems see abortion rights as an emerging major issue in mid-terms
The Globe’s Liz Goodwin reports that Democrats, probably unable to block President Trump’s eventual nominee to replace U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, are settling for the “next best option: using their fierce battle over a likely rightward shift on the high court to motivate voters in the 2018 congressional elections,” specifically over the issue of abortion. “Women around this country are already galvanized, they’re mobilizing politically in a way we haven’t seen in a generation,” says U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
Former NYT editor rips her old paper for missing Ocasio-Cortez story and other ‘narcissistic’ blunders
Jill Abramson, the former New York Times editor now teaching at Harvard, is unloading on her old employer in tweets and interviews, reports the Daily Beast’s Lloyd Grove. “Kind of pisses me off that @ nytimes is still asking Who Is Ocasio-Cortez? when it should have covered her campaign,” Abramson blasted on Twitter earlier this week. She’s also accusing the Times of ‘narcissism’ and says the paper is in need of a ‘course correction.’ We have our own views about the journalistic decline of the Times in recent years, but we’ll let Abramson have center stage for now.
First retail pot license may go to a Leicester marijuana dispensary
The Cannabis Control Commission has already issued the first pot cultivation license to Sira Naturals of Milford. Now it’s poised to issue the first pot retail license to Cultivate Holdings in Leicester, reports Steve Brown at WBUR. Of course, nothing is going to get grown or sold until the commission approves the first mandatory pot testing lab.
Btw: WBUR has an excellent package of stories on the state’s emerging pot industry, including a town-by-town ‘marijuana moratorium map,’ a story by Bob Oakes and Yasmin Amer on how the industry is trying to lose its stoner image, and a good overview of the industry in general.
Btw II: The BBJ’s Jessica Bartlett has a piece on the economic ripple effects of the emerging pot industry on other sectors, including law, architecture, local labs, employment/staffing and security.
Getting into Harvard: It’s more than about SAT scores
Kirk Carpazza has a good story at WGBH about the admissions-discrimination lawsuit against Harvard – and how the suit is ultimately seeking to overturn the school’s current admissions policies geared towards creating a diverse student body. For Daniel Lobo, a Lynn resident and son of Cape Verdean immigrants, the current admissions system is just fine. “My life circumstances meant that I didn’t have money for SAT prep classes,” Lobo said. “I think the holistic admissions process essentially enabled Harvard to see a potential in me.”
As we’ve said, admissions can’t be, and shouldn’t be, all about SAT and GPA scores.
‘Better than 50 Shades of Grey’
Need a good binge-watching primer on what the hell is happening these days in Rockland? Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine has the chronological details of Rockland’s seemingly non-stop political and sexual controversies, which website Turtleboy has described as ‘better than 50 Shades of Grey.’
Amazon buys Somerville’s PillPack, signaling it’s still very much interested in getting into prescription drugs
This can’t be good news for Rhode Island’s CVS. From the BBJ’s Jessica Bartlett: “Amazon has announced it will acquire Somerville-based PillPack for an undisclosed amount. The move is the latest definitive step that Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has taken into the health care space, and marks the company’s second Boston-based announcement this month.” As Bartlett notes, the Pill Pack deal follows the recent announcement by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway that they’re headquartering their joint health-care cost company in Boston.
And the reporter who first broke the Methuen police-captains pay story is …
In an effort to give credit to the folks at the Eagle Tribune for first breaking the story about the ridiculous police-captains pay package in Methuen, we incorrectly misidentified the reporter. It was actually none other than Lisa Kashinsky. Sorry about that, Lisa!
PawSox drama likely to linger into summer
Even though the Rhode Island legislature has approved a bill that would finance a new ballpark for the Pawtucket Red Sox, Worcester officials say they continue to engage in talks about moving the team, which has yet to say if it supports the bill now on the Rhode Island governor’s desk, Bill Shaner reports in Worcester Magazine. The PawSox issued a brief statement saying only it will review the Ocean State legislation “in the weeks ahead.”
Sunday public affairs TV
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Channel 4, 8:30 a.m. This week’s guest: Steve Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, who talks with host Jon Keller about Supreme Court’s Janus ruling, Beacon Hill’s ‘grand bargain and the governor’s race.
This Week in Business, NECN, 10 a.m. This week’s topic: A business summertime special, with Wendy Northcross the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO, David Krauter, the CEO of Paint Nite, and Marian Leitner, the CEO of Archer Roose.
CEO Corner, NECN, 10: 30 a.m. Matt Albuquerqu, president of Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics, talks about how his company works with amputees to provide state of the art artificial limbs.
On The Record, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 11 a.m. This week’s guest: Steve Hoffman, chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission, who talks with anchor Ed Harding and co-anchor Janet Wu.
This is New England, NBC Boston Channel 10, 11:30 a.m. With host Latoyia Edwards, this week’s topic: Reporter and local community stories focusing new high-tech experiences and food in New England.
CityLine, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 12 p.m. With host Karen Holmes Ward, this week’s topic: A look a boutique fitness studios dedicated to changing the way we view health and wellness – and a conversation with the people behind ‘Luzia,’ a Cirque de Soleil show coming to Boston that celebrates the rich culture and dance of Mexico.
Candidate’s Forum: Jeffrey Sanchez and Nika Elugardo (Suffolk 15th District)
On July 9th, JP Progressives, Our Revolution Boston, NAACP Boston, and Amplify LatinX will host a forum with State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez and Nika Elugardo, his challenger to represent the Suffolk 15th District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.The Suffolk 15th District includes parts of Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roslindale and Brookline.
JP Progressives, Our Revolution, NAACP Boston, Amplify LatinX
Space Spotlight at Pier 4
Join NAIOP on Pier 4’s expansive rooftop terrace as we hear from Jessica Hughes, Brooks Brown and Dave Wilkinson.
The Climate Action Business Association’s Annual Cookout
Join the Climate Action Business Association for an evening of grilled cuisine, refreshments, and lawn games. Learn what our organization has been involved with this year, and engage with fellow member businesses and environmental professionals
The Climate Action Business Association
5th Annual Strategic Internal Communications–East Coast
For the past 4 years this highly anticipated conference has continued to bring over 100 internal communication professionals together to benchmark best practices. Together, over 3 days, attendees have brainstormed solutions for their biggest challenges, shared cost-effective resources, and gained an inside look at internal communication strategies from leading organizations.
South End By Foot: A NAIOP Summer Walking Tour
Visit some of the South End’s most exciting commercial & residential projects, including completed developments & those to come. Following a presentation by Jonathan Greeley of Boston Planning & Development Agency, attendees will be guided on a walking tour to hear from developers of the Flower Exchange, Harrison /Albany Block Developments & AC Hotel / 7INK by Ollie at Ink Block.
Suffolk County Candidate’s Forum: District Attorney & Registry of Deeds
Please join Boston’s Ward 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 19 Democratic Committees for a joint forum with the candidates running for Suffolk County District Attorney and Suffolk County Registry of Deeds.
Boston’s Ward Committees (Wards 8,9,10,11,12, and 19)
CFO of the Year Awards 2018
Don’t miss your chance to meet & learn from Boston’s top CFOs at the 10th annual CFO of the Year Awards!
Today’s Headlines
Metro
UMass Boston interim chancellor: ‘No time limit’ – Dorchester Reporter
Boston parking sticker shock – Boston Herald
Massachusetts
Greater Boston rents continue to rise, and at a faster clip – Boston Globe
Pittsfield RNs approve contract with Berkshire Medical Center – Berkshire Eagle
The Female Mayor Who Doesn’t Want to Talk About Being a Woman – Governing Magazine
Nation
Trump Consults on Successors for Chief of Staff John Kelly – Wall Street Journal
Could a woman be what Trump needs for SCOTUS? – Politico
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