Happening Today
Dorms debut at UMB; Sudders visit closed to press
— The University of Massachusetts Boston holds a ribbon-cutting for its first residence halls and its shift toward becoming a 24/7 residential campus. UMass President Marty Meehan, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, Sen. Nick Collins and UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Victor Woolridge will be among those on hand to officially open the residential building, which came about thanks to a public-private partnership with Capstone Development Partners. this marks the first time such a model of collaboration occurs in the UMass system. 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, 2 p.m.
— The Mass. Cultural Council holds its regular meeting in Lawrence. Agenda items include a preview of the agency’s new website and budget talks. The Council has been in the news recently for continuing to offer its leadership benefits that have been targeted for removal from other parts of state government. The Lawrence Heritage State Park, Lawrence, 12 p.m.
— The Mass. Lottery Commission meets with a busy agenda, One Ashburton Place, 12th Floor, 10:30 a.m.
— U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders will give remarks to the National Prevention Network / National Association of Alcohol and Abuse Directors annual conference. According to State House Newss Service, Sudders’ office has said the event is closed to the press. tPark Plaza Hotel, Arlington Street, Boston, 8:30 a.m.
— U.S. Rep. Bill Keating will participate in a town hall meeting being hosted by Lower Cape Indivisible. Rep. Sarah Peake will moderate. Sanctuary Room, First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist, 1969 Main St., Brewster, 6:30 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
Can a Kennedy slow down the Pressley juggernaut?
It’s official. Win, lose or draw for her insurgent Congressional campaign, this is the Pressley primary. Even amid primaries for Senate, governor and the wide-open, big-money 3rd district Congressional race, Pressley’s challenge of Mike Capuano seems to be what’s drawing all the attention.
Is late-game momentum building for Pressley? The most recent polls had Capuano safely ahead, but her sweep of the city’s newspaper endorsements caught the eye of Roll Call’s Stephanie Akin, who points out that Pressley previously won the nod of Attorney General Maura Healey and notes that Democrats are playing with house money—Hillary Clinton won the district by 72 points in 2016.
But perhaps the best evidence that Pressley is surging as the race enters its last seven days comes in the form of the planned endorsement on Tuesday of Capuano by fellow U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III. Mike Deehan of WGBH reports that Kennedy will hit the campaign trail with Capuano on Tuesday in Brighton,
Kennedy’s father once held the seat Capuano hopes to retain—and Pressley once for worked for Joe Kennedy Jr. And while Kennedy downplayed the star-factor behind the nod, his late intervention in the race will definitely be a key post-game talking point no matter the results.
Globe says Trahan is the one for the third
The Boston Globe has endorsed Lori Trahan in the 3rd Congressional District primary, citing her deep Lowell roots and understanding of the district, where the field of 10 Democrats will be whittled to a single candidate next Tuesday.
Interestingly, the editorial also singles out Lawrence state Rep.Juana Matias as another strong Democrat, which some might argue waters down the Trahan nod just a bit.
The 11 candidates in the race—a single Republican awaits the outcome of the primary—all gathered for one final forum on Monday night, and Chris Liskinski of the Lowell Sun reports that, surprise, Donald Trump’s presidency was a hot topic.
State Police oversight office comes into view
Is that audit or adult? Matt Rocheleau of the Globe reports that lawmakers have set aside $300,000 to create a new agency to oversee the Mass. State Police, where a litany of scandals have eroded public trust. The Internal Special Audit Unit will have oversight powers and come under the auspices of the Inspector General’s Office.
No doubt the State Police leadership may chafe under such close oversight, but it’s also clear the agency has brought this babysitter move on itself with scandals that range from rampant overtime abuse to hiring former drug dealer helpers.
Payroll practices Baker panned continue at Environmental Police
Members of the Massachusetts Environmental Police are still taking overtime assignments—and lucrative detail work escorting LNG tankers into Boston Harbor—in the middle of their regular workdays , continuing a practice Gov. Charlie Baker vowed to stop two years ago, Matt Rocheleau reports at the Globe. The agency says it needs shift flexibility and Baker’s office had no comment, but some law enforcement management types tells Rocheleau the practice is far from standard.
Incumbents on Beacon Hill hold huge campaign cash lead
OK, it’s not exactly a shocker at incumbent lawmakers have a big edge when it comes to raising campaign cash. But the scale of the advantage is a bit startling, with state lawmakers in contested races in Massachusetts outspending their challengers by a six to one margin, Bruce Mohl reports at CommonWealth. The incumbents in the eight contested races where full figures were available spent more than $271,000, compared to just $45,138 by their challengers.
Crunch time in the wide-open race for Rosenberg’s old Senate seat
Linda Enerson of CommonWealth Magazine checks in with the Pioneer Valley and finds democracy alive and well in former Senate President Stan Rosenberg’s old district.
All four Democrats vying to succeed Rosenberg are from Northampton. However, in a twist only one is actually on the ballot, college administrator Chelsea Kline. Northampton City Council President Ryan O’Donnell, Jo Comerford, campaign director for MoveOn, and Steve Connor, director of Central Hampshire Veteran Services are all running at write-in candidates, having jumped into the race after Rosenberg resigned.
Still, some activists and residents are worried about the area’s loss of clout on Beacon Hill, with Rosenberg’s resignation coming atop the death of a Northampton state rep. and the upcoming retirement of two other state lawmakers.
At the Daily Hampshire Gazette, meanwhile, Bera Dunau says some of the 24 city and town clerks in Rosenberg’s old district have hired extra poll workers to be ready for the painstaking process of hand-counting of all those write-in ballots.
Judge agrees with Healey and fellow AGs, puts block on 3D-printed gun plan
Supporters of gun control have to take their wins where they can get them these days. A judge in federal court in Seattle granted a temporary injunction blocking plans by Defense Distributed to start putting up online plans for making guns with 3D printers, Gintautus Dumcius reports at MassLive.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey teamed up with her counterparts in more than a dozen states to win the injunction. Defense Distributed had been poised to push ahead with its controversial plans after reaching a settlement with the Trump Administration. Among the issues cited by Healey is the fact that 3D-printed guns can’t be picked up by metal detectors and are untraceable.
Move afoot to spring Liberty Bell replica
Still can’t touch this. A 2,080 pound bronze replica of Philadelphia’s historic Liberty Bell has been off-limits to tourists at the State House since the front doors were closed following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But now, Northborough resident George Warren is waging a one-man lobbying campaign to have the massive bell moved to a new spot at the State House where all can see it again, Katie Lannan reports via State House News Service.
Warren will be at the State House today to urge lawmakers to pass a bill he filed with Grafton Republican Rep. David Muradian and Millbury Democrat Sen. Michael Moore. The legislation, stuck in committee for nearly a year, would require state officials to explore other sites at the State House where the bell can be displayed and seen by everyone. Hard to imagine who could be freeing the Liberty Bell, even if it is a knockoff, but when it comes to politics, you just never know.
Robinson leads fundraising in Framingham race for open Rep. seat
Maria Robinson has jumped out to a big lead in fundraising in the Democratic primary in the state rep race in the 6th Middlesex District, Jim Haddadin reports at the MetroWest Daily News.
Robinson, a public policy expert at a clean energy trade group, raised just under $30,000 through mid-August. That puts her well ahead of the three others in the race for the state representative seat previously by the late Chris Walsh.
A former staffer in the Patrick administration, Mary Kate Feeney came in second at $7,190, followed by local attorney Michael Gatlin with $6,251. Lawyer and former Framingham mayoral candidate Mark Tilden trailed the pack with $590.
Red Sox slugger latest hit by social media boomerang
Today’s reminder that social media last forever comes from one of the stars of the hometown team. Mark Sanchez (!) of the New York Post reports that DH and MVP and triple-crown hopeful J.D. Martinez compared talk of gun control in the U.S. to (wait for it) Nazi Germany in a since-deleted 2013 Instagram post.
The Herald’s Steve Buckley also weighs in on the dustup, saying the slugger’s grasp of world history clearly lags his ability to hit a fastball.
Two years in, GE yet to deliver on promises behind Boston move
The Globe’s Jon Chesto checks in on the progress GE has made toward the bundle of promises it made when state and city officials rolled out the red carpet to welcome the industrial giant’s corporate headquarters to the Seaport District. Chesto finds a lot of good—including $20 million worth of support for STEM education and opioid-crisis efforts.
But he notes that GE is about half the company it used to be—its stock price has tumbled 50 percent and a new CEO has moved to significantly reduce the company’s footprint, selling off several major business lines. And those factors could mean GE will be hard-pressed to deliver on the 800 jobs it promised two years ago it would eventually bring to the city.
If you plan to build it, they will inquire about developing
Here come the developers, right on cue. The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce says inquiries from private developers have spiked in recent days as the private sector looks to ride the coattails of the $100 million ballpark being built to accommodate the PawSox, Nick Kotsopolous reports in the Telegram.
Meanwhile, a coalition of labor groups is urging the city to carefully craft a host community agreement and putting itself in the unofficial role of project watchdog. Walter Bird Jr. of Worcester Magazine reports that the Worcester Community-Labor Coalition wrote to the city manager calling for a comprehensive agreement that allows for community input along the way.
Too hot for school
A growing number of school districts are planning to let students out early or are canceling classes altogether this week amid a stretch of brutally hot and humid weather. Scott Croteau of MassLive has the list of schools taking the step; expect others to follow suit after the heat moves in for real on Tuesday.
Incidentally, Eli Sherman has an explainer at The Enterprise about why Mass. school calendars are landmine-filled obstacle courses for parents to navigate. Hint: It’s just the way we’ve always done it.
Commuter rail passengers to get credit card option
Matt Reed of WCVB reports that at long last riders on the T’s commuter rail lines will be able to pay for their tickets with credit cards.
Also on Monday, the T unveiled a new addition to its in-station digital countdown clocks, enabling them to alert riders when a train has stopped and how long it might be before it moves again, Steve Annear reports in the Globe.
Amherst ditches Lord Jeffrey, again
Poor Lord Jeffrey. First it was the Amherst College mascot that ditched his name because of its association with spreading disease among Native American Indian tribes and now the school has announced that it will drop the name from its iconic Inn in Amherst center as well. Scott Merzbach of the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports that starting in early 2019, the property—a favorite haunt of the late poet Robert Frost—will be known as the Inn on Boltwood. The college’s sports teams, for years known as the Lord Jeffs, now go by the nickname The Mammoths.
Audit hits Essex County Sheriff for lack of fiscal controls
State Auditor Suzanne Bump has issued a report critical of lax fiscal controls under former Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins, saying sloppy bookkeeping put millions of taxpayer dollars at risk, Christian Wade reports in the Salem News. The report says some $1 million worth of procurements were not property documented and that the agency failed to collect fees on detail assignments worked by its officers. The report comes less than a year after an Inspector General investigation found widespread sick-time abuse during Cousin’s tenure.
International Conference on Clinical Pediatrics and Medicine (CSE) A
ConferenceSeries LLC Ltd is privileged to announce its “International Conference on Pediatric Hospital Medicine” with the innovative theme “Dynamic and Collegial approach of Pediatric Hospitalists” which will be held during August 29-30, 2018 inBoston, USA.
4th Annual Congress on Infectious Diseases (CSE) A
Conference Series LLC LTD Conferences invites all the participants from all over the world to attend “4th Annual Congress on Infectious Diseases” during August 29-30, 2018 Boston, USA which includes prompt keynote presentations, special sessions, workshops, symposiums, oral talks, poster presentations and exhibitions.
John Angus & Harvard RTC hosting: Meet & Greet for Candidate Rick Green
John Angus and the Harvard Republican Town Committee invite you to Meet Congressional Candidate Rick Green at the Hildreth House (15 Elm Street Harvard, MA) from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM on Wednesday, August 29th. This is your opportunity to speak with Rick about any issues or concerns you might have about Massachusetts’ 3rd Congressional district. We hope to see you there!
14th World Summit on Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia Care Research and Awareness
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Boston, Massachusetts, USA on behalf of Organizing Committee for the 14th World summit on Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia Care Research and Awareness scheduled on August 31–September 01 2018.
Corporate Citizenship Awards 2018
We look forward to seeing you on September 6th for the Boston Business Journal’s 13th annual event to recognize Massachusetts’ most philanthropic companies!
A Night of Music to Benefit Katie McBrine for State Senate
Come out for a Night of Music to benefit the campaign to elect Katie McBrine to the State Senate. Kingsley Flood and Eddie Japan will perform at the River Club in Scituate on September 7, 2018, beginning at 7:30PM. Tickets available now!
Committee to Elect Katie McBrine
2018 State of the Region Address – North Shore Chamber
Join us September 12th at our Annual State of the Region Breakfast. The State of the Region Breakfast connects chamber members and business professionals with information about important regional issues, while providing direct access to elected officials.
North Shore Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Harvard Alum Stuart Eizenstat will discuss “President Carter: The White House Years”
The definitive history of the Carter Administration from the man who participated in its surprising number of accomplishments―drawing on his extensive and never-before-seen notes.Stuart Eizenstat was at Jimmy Carter’s side from his political rise in Georgia through four years in the White House, where he served as Chief Domestic Policy Adviser.
The Coop Event Series…Authors, Coop Kids & More!
Development Unicorns: Neighborhood Game Changers
The most transformative multi-phase developments in recent Boston history started with a vision, taking decades to design, entitle, plan and execute. Join NAIOP to hear from the original visionaries behind three of these game-changing projects (Assembly Row, The Fenway and Seaport Square) to hear how they started and what has changed along the way.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Insurance giant Humana to open digital health center in Boston’s Seaport – Boston Business Journal
At last, UMass Boston’s dream comes true: a dorm – Boston Globe
Massachusetts
Law allows attorneys on Governor’s Council to face judges they appoint – Boston Herald
Brandeis and its teaching assistants agree on a union contract – Boston Globe
State confirms Scannell never had a license – Eagle-Tribune
Remembering John McCain: Barreling Through South Carolina On The Straight Talk Express – WGBH
Nation
Watchdog says administration officials made misleading statements on FBI headquarters – The Hill
How the opioid crackdown is backfiring – Politico
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.