Happening Today
School Building Authority meets; D Line project update
—The Mass. School Building Authority meets, chaired by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. 40 Broad St., Boston, 10 a..m.
– Middlesex County DA Marian Ryan will hold a meeting of the Charles River Regional Opioid Task Force. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 2014 Washington St., Newton., 3 p.m
— With no primary challenge for either candidate, Sen. Jim Welch and his Democratic opponent, Amaad Rivera, are already looking ahead to Nov. 6. The pair will face each other in a League of Women Voters forum featuring questions from the audience as well as media panelists. Focus Springfield Community TV, 1200 Main St., Springfield, 6 p.m.
— The MBTA holds public meeting regarding plans to replace 25,000 feet of track as well as signal infrastructure on the Green Line’s D Branch starting in October. Brookline Town Hall, 333 Washington St., Brookline, 6 p.m.
Today’s Stories
Things get testy as heated races hit final sprint
Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the day-after Labor Day election. Or the fact that time is running out. Whatever the reason, it’s getting-testy time in the last few days of campaigning before Tuesday’s primary.
Let’s start in the 3rd Congressional District, where Barbara L’Italien took aim at rival Democrat Dan Koh, saying he did not do enough to help a sexual harassment victim while serving as chief of staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. A worker in the city’s Health and Human Services department claims in a lawsuit that she reached out to Koh about the harassment, he reassigned her against her will. L’Italien said the entire episode “speaks volumes” about Koh’s leadership abilities. For his part, Koh called the charges a “false personal attack.”
Meanwhile, up in Dracut, Amaris Castillo of the Lowell Sun reports a head-to-head debate between state Rep. Colleen Garry and her challenger, Sabrina Heisey featured some bare-knuckled back-and-forths over gun control—Garry gets a B+ from the NRA—state spending levels and whether to allow government-sanctioned drug-injection sites.
Not to be left out, the Suffolk DA race also has a late-August surprise of its own: Joe Battenfeld reports in the Herald that candidate Rachael Rollins was arrested for receiving stolen property in 1991 while a student at UMass Amherst. Charges were later dropped, and it seems clear someone also dropped a dime on Rollins to get this story in print just a handful of days before voters do their thing.
Need more proof the election has people a bit on edge? Police in Quincy say a 71-year-old man was attacked—and bitten—after he took down election posters in the lobby of an apartment building, Joe DiFazio reports in the Patriot Ledger.
Rollins, Patalano get Globe endorsement nods
Interesting timing here given the Herald’s piece, but the Globe said Wednesday it was endorsing Rachael Rollins in the Suffolk DA’s race, as well as Donna Patalano in the Middlesex DA contest, saying both have the skills required to be leaders on criminal justice reform.
Blast from the past: Clergy abuse scandal reignites
Who knew what, and when. With new accusations leveled that Cardinal Sean O’Malley and Pope Francis knew about the Catholic church’s clergy abuse problem long before action was taken, himself O’Malley met with 300 priests from the Boston diocese to discuss how to move forward.
Brian MacQuarrie of the Globe reports that priests left the get-together grim-faced, with one saying the Cardinal had told them to “be heroes” during what is obviously a time of turmoil in the church. The latest allegations, of course, go to the heart of the Holy Roman Catholic church’s teaching—papal infallibility and all that—and in Boston especially the re-opening of the issue of clergy abuse and how the church responded feels especially fraught given the city’s role in blowing the scandal open decades ago.
Separately, a Greenfield attorney who successfully litigating scores of sexual abuse cases involving clergy,is calling on Attorney General Maura Healey to investigate the Diocese of Springfield, Diane Broncaccio reports in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. John Stobierski says he believes the abuse problem in the Springfield diocese runs as deep as it did in Pennsylvania, where a grand jury report found 1,000 victimized children. The diocese points out that it was investigated in 2004 by the office of the Hampden County District Attorney and that no charges resulted from that inquiry.
Herald hits the road to Braintree
There was a time, according to an ad jingle when “Boston moves to the Herald.” Now it’s the Herald doing the moving.
But soon the Herald, which has been undergoing relentless cost cutting on part of its new, venture-backed owner, Digital First, may no longer be able to honestly use Boston in its name, the Boston Business Journal’s Catherine Carlock reports.
One of the few advantages the Boston Herald enjoyed over the years as the scrappy, underdog competitor to The Boston Globe was its perch on the edge of downtown Boston.From the paper’s dingy old offices and printing plant on Harrison Avenue on the edge of Chinatown, a reporter with a good pair of legs could hustle over to the State House or City Hall in minutes while Globe reporters, stuck over on Morrissey Boulevard, were stuck trying to find parking.
Indeed, the Herald’s connections to the city are dwindling in number: The paper is now printed in Rhode Island and copy editing and page design work is done in Colorado. Truly, it’s becoming out of town news.
For its part, the Globe, after nearly six decades out on Morrissey Boulevard, last year moved into new digs in downtown Boston at 53 State St. So now it will be the few reporters left at the Herald who will be hunting for a parking space – after fighting through traffic on the Southeast Expressway – while their counterparts at the Globe waltz over to the State House or City Hall.
WBZ staying put
Not leaving the city: WBZ-TV. The station says it will stay put on Soldiers Field Road, where a development teams plans to move into a new building on the same Allston property it has called home for decades, Jon Chesto and Tim Logan report in the Globe.
Beacon Hill powerbroker spends big against challenger
Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez may be a rising star on Beacon Hill. But Sanchez is clearly taking no chances when it comes to his reelection.The Jamaica Plain Democrat is spending more than $200,000 – and taping support from top state leaders – as he attempts to fend off a primary challenge from Nika Elugardo, Bruce Mohl reports at CommonWealth Magazine.
That’s more than double the spending in most House races, Mohl notes. Sanchez took over as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee last year, a perch that clearly has helped fill his campaign war chest.
A former campaign aide to Sen. Sonya Chang-Diaz, Elugardo is no slouch either when it comes to raising campaign cash, having raised more than $120,000.
Delta to Detroit announcement latest Worcester win
It’s Delta. MassPort and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito revealed on Tuesday that Delta will join JetBlue and American Airlines at Worcester Regional Airport, offering flights to and from Detroit. Cyrus Moulton of the Telegram reports flights will begin in about a year and notes that Delta flew out of the hilltop airport for most of the 1970s before the airport. That was before the airport began shedding carriers and fell into such disuse that it was floated as a potential casino site. And long before the current Renaissance in the city that seems to be gathering steam in the wake of the announcement earlier this month hat the Pawtucket Red Sox will relocate to a $100 million stadium near downtown.
Speaking of the new PawSox stadium, the City Council began its public hearings Tuesday night and while most of the feedback from the packed crowd of about 100 was positive, some residents expressed concern about environmental impacts and the long-term financial implications for the city, Aviva Luttrell reports at MassLive.
Baker deflects one police scandal by citing another
It’s never a good thing for a politician when you have to blunt questions on a new mess by comparing it to an even worse one earlier. Gov. Charlie Baker may be America’s most popular governor, but the steadily accumulating police overtime scandals certainly must be a major headache.
Asked Tuesday about the split shift issue involving the Environmental Police—which allows members of the force to take detail shifts in the middle of their regular work day— Baker pointed to the State Police overtime scandal, in which dozens of troopers have been under investigation for abuses that include getting paid for overtime on shifts they never worked, MassLive reports.
“That is a far more serious issue, in my mind, I think, and in most people’s minds, than some of the stuff going on with the Environmental Police,” Baker said.
Baker, who according to the Globe’s Matt Rocheleau said the policy allowing officers to divide their shifts “makes sense,” also said he’d back a push to turn on GPS tracking capabilities in EPO vehicles.
Environmental lobbying group hopes new name helps advance agenda
The Mass. League of Environmental Voters says it is rebranding itself as Massachusetts Conservation Voters and plans to push back on what it says are “devastating reductions” in the budget for the state agency overseeing parks and open land, Mary Serreze reports at MassLive. Executive Director Doug Pizzi says the group wants to reverse a decade of shrinking Department of Conservation and Restriction budgets that have slashed more than 400 jobs statewide and notes that recreation is a $16 billion a year industry in the state.
Moody’s: MGM good for Springfield’s bottom line
We’re still waiting for the Mass. Gaming Commission to release some numbers to show how the MGM Springfield is doing almost a week after opening its doors, but in the meantime, credit-rating agency Moody’s says the project will be a financial boost to the city. Matt Murphy of the State House News Service reports that Moody’s predicts the city could see as much as $26 million in new revenue annually even though the casino won’t directly pay property taxes. Overall, Moody’s said, the project is “credit positive” for Springfield.
State House News Service (paywall)
Are host community pot agreements headed to court?
With the Cannabis Control Commission side-stepping the issue of whether communities are coloring outside the law when they strike lucrative community host agreements with marijuana companies, critics appear likely to take the matter to court if necessary.
Dan Adams of the Globe reports that in the wake of last week’s vote by the CCC not to take up compliance with state law on the agreements has left open the question of whether agreements that go above the 3-percent of revenue cap set in state law can stand and some observers are predicting the matter will eventually be resolved by the courts.
Video gamer, jet pilot take on Lynch
The two challengers hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch in Tuesday’s Democratic primary are pushing hard on health care.
Both Christopher Voehl, of Milton, and Dedham’s Brianna Wu have made the need for more affordable, accessible health care a top campaign issue as they take on the eight-term congressman, reports the Patriot Ledger’s Jessica Trufant.
But the race is also a fascinating clash of very different backgrounds, pitting Lynch, a former union iron worker from Southie, against Voelhl, a jumbo jet pilot and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, and Wu, who runs a video game development studio. The primary will effectively decide the race, with Republicans having failed to field a candidate in the heavily Democratic 8th District.
Grad students of the world unite
The higher ed sector has long used grad students as cheap labor to free up their academic stars from the dirty work of teaching. But that labor is no longer looking so cheap, with Brandeis teaching assistants inking a union contract with the university that will boost their pay by as much as 56 percent, Katie Johnston reports in the Globe.
Brandeis students are the first at a private college in New England and only the second in the country to win such a deal. If the trend spreads, it could exacerbate the financial squeeze for already-strapped smaller colleges—and no doubt result in rising tuition costs at the larger ones.
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
Report on Boston schools assignment plan is troubling – CommonWealth Magazine
Quincy neighbors say ‘no thanks’ to more apartments – Patriot Ledger
Massachusetts
Karen Webber stepping down as executive editor of the Telegram & Gazette – Telegram & Gazette
Backing Rep. Jim Lyons could boost Gov. Charlie Baker’s GOP credentials – Boston Herald
Marijuana cultivator wants to set up shop in Adams – Berkshire Eagle
Scannell’s fate remains undecided – Eagle-Tribune
Nation
Devin Nunes’s curious trip to London – The Atlantic
Record high number of STD infections in U.S., as prevention funding declines – NPR
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