Happening Today
MBTA board, Warren on the air, and more
— Boston Police Department holds a press conference as it kicks off National Suicide Prevention Week, City Hall Plaza, Boston, 11 a.m.
— The MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board holds a meeting. Transportation Board Room, second floor, 10 Park Plaza, 12:00 p.m.
— U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is a guest on ‘Boston Public Radio,’ WGBH-FM 89.7, 12 p.m.
— U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and Jim McGovern gather for the unveiling of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts’ Coalition to End Hunger’s new anti-hunger campaign, Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center, Room 301/303, 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, 1 p.m.
— MassDOT and elected officials host a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the full completion of the $66.4 million project to reconstruct the Methuen Rotary, 17 Branch Street, Methuen, 2 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
Third District update: Trahan claims victory – again – sort of
As expected, Dan Koh and Lori Trahan on Friday asked for a recount (Globe) in the Third Congressional District primary election – and Trahan, who first claimed victory on election night last Tuesday, spent the better part of this past weekend claiming not once, but twice, that the latest numbers show she’s ahead, issuing two separate press releases touting her leads in preliminary counts. But her recounts aren’t official recounts. That comes later. SHNS’s Michael Norton at Wicked Local and Elizabeth Dobbins at the Lowell Sun have more on Trahan’s increasing confidence that she’s going to prevail in the race, including her hosting a “Women for Lori” rally on Saturday.
Not a good week for Marty Walsh
Question: What do Mike Capuano, Josh Zakim, Jeffrey Sanchez and, likely, Dan Koh all have in common? They were all endorsed by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh – and they all went down in flames in last week’s primary elections (or about to go down in flames, in Koh’s case). Throw in the fact that the feds are now appealing the Boston Calling corruption case – and it adds up to a real bad week for Walsh. Peter Lucas at the Lowell Sun and Adrian Walker at the Globe have more on how Walsh might want to reassess his political appeal outside the borders of Boston.
But not a bad week for women: 89 out of 122 female candidates advanced to general election
Ayanna Pressley, Nika Elugardo and Rachael Rollins weren’t the only women to win primary races last Tuesday. About 89 out of 122 female candidates for local, state and federal offices advanced to the general elections in November, reports Eli Sherman at the Enterprise.
Herald columnist Joyce Ferriabough Bolling lists her top ten primary winners. At the top of her list: Black women.
Interior Department deals crushing blow to Wampanoag’s casino hopes
The U.S. Department of the Interior said Friday that an earlier decision that put 321 acres of land into trust on behalf of the Mashpee Wampanoags, a step that cracked the door open for the tribe to build a new casino in Taunton, was incorrect, Tanner Stening reports at the Cape Cod Times. While no one is ready to call game over just yet, at best the decision casts new uncertainty over the fate of the tribal lands, with some experts saying it will take an act of Congress to remove the property from its trust status.
Meanwhile, Marc Larocque at the Enterprise reports the decision has pols picking sides, with the state’s two U.S. Senators pushing the Trump administration to reverse course—calling it “an injustice”—and Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter saying they got it right. Brockton, of course, has a dog in the fight: The state’s gaming commission has said it would revisit a proposal to build a casino at the Brockton Fairgrounds only after the feds ruled on the tribe’s request.
The emerging (and perhaps only) strategy: Dems try to link Baker to Trump via Geoff Diehl
This is interesting: Democrats, or at least hard-core Democrats, are no longer playing political patty-cake with the popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and are now trying to tie him to Donald Trump. Mary Markos at the Herald reports that Democrats at a Cambridge rally yesterday were openly bashing Baker for effectively endorsing GOP U.S. Senate candidate and Trump enthusiast Geoff Diehl in the November election. Even U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren — who’s running against Diehl but who has had a sort of détente-like truce with Baker over the past two years — got in some Baker-bashing licks.
Baker, a frequent critic of Trump, defended himself yesterday, reiterating his refusal to support Trump for president in 2016. The governor made his remarks while pouring beers at the L Street Tavern in Southie yesterday – and there seemed to be a lot of traditional Democrats in the bar expressing support for the governor, reports Amelia Nierenberg at the Globe.
Btw: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez was pounding away at the Trump angle late last week, saying that Baker’s support of the full GOP ticket in November (including Diehl) was effective support for Trump, reports Gintautas Dumcius at MassLive. For his part, Diehl is making his ties to Trump central to his campaign, reports John Hilliard at the Globe. Btw II: Republicans are punching back at Gonzalez over his promised spending plans, reports Simón Rios at WBUR. Btw III: The Globe, in an editorial, reviews its own endorsement of Baker from four years ago. It doesn’t sound like it regrets the endorsement – or at least not much.
Warren: ‘Listen up, Mr. President: Tick, tock’
Speaking of local Dems and Trump bashing, this quote from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren most definitely stands out. “For almost two years now, the only thing the American people have gotten from Donald Trump and Republicans is chaos, corruption, and wastefulness,” Warren told a cheering Dem crowd yesterday in Cambridge. “But listen up, Mr. President: Tick, tock.” The Globe’s John Hilliard has more.
AFL-CIO’s Tolman: DeLeo is ‘no friend’ of labor
Republican Gov. Baker isn’t the only one getting bashed by Democrats. Many Democrats love bashing at least one fellow Democrat. From Gintautas Dumcius at MassLive: “A top Massachusetts union leader ripped House Speaker Robert DeLeo in front of a crowd of union members and state lawmakers, sharply voicing his unhappiness with the longtime Democrat and top legislative leader. Steve Tolman, the president of the state’s AFL-CIO, spoke at the Labor Day breakfast in Chicopee on Friday and called DeLeo, who has served as House speaker since 2009, “no friend” of labor, according to one attendee. ‘He really laid into him,’ another attendee said. ‘The crowd was eating it up.’”
Retired priest says Cardinal O’Malley’s office ignored yet another warning about a possible sexual predator
There seems to be a pattern forming here. From Brian MacQuarrie at the Globe: “A retired Roman Catholic monsignor says that his efforts to report accusations of clergy sexual misconduct to Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley were rebuffed by the prelate’s secretary, the second reported instance of such allegations running into a dead end in the cardinal’s office.”
In an editorial, the Globe is calling for an independent investigation of allegations of sexual harassment and other forms of intimidation at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton. But the demand falls just shy of a call for a full-scale law-enforcement probe of church activities and potential cover-ups, similar to what’s now happening in other states, such as in New Jersey and New York (NPR).
Driver’s license flap: Perhaps it’s time to call in the state medical examiner?
Gov. Charlie Baker and Auditor Suzanne Bump were still sniping at each other late last week over a new state audit that claims the Registry of Motor Vehicles has issued nearly 2,000 driver’s licenses to dead people, reports SHNS’s Chris Triunfo at WCVB. Baker’s bottom line: “The information we have from the RMV is that all of those people the auditor alleged are dead, are alive. It’s as simple as that.”
Rollins versus cops, Part II: The Herald bombardment continues
The Herald is continuing its bombardment of Suffolk County district attorney candidate Rachael Rollins over her “decline to prosecute” list of 15 crimes that she won’t pursue if elected in November. But instead of letting cops gripe about Rollins’ agenda, the paper is now letting her previously ignorable Independent foe, Mike Maloney, gripe, as reported by the Herald’s Alexi Cohan. And Evan Slavitt, a former GOP candidate for Massachusetts attorney general, is also griping in the paper.
But here’s a curious twist: In the Herald’s own citizens-on-the-streets feature, most residents say they’re open to Rollins’ reform ideas. And here’s another curious twist: The Herald’s Howie Carr, while disagreeing with Rollins’ views, expresses grudging admiration for her willingness to discuss the issues on his radio show.
It’s not just falling concrete at Alewife: More than half of T’s properties in need of ‘significant repairs’
The Globe’s Adam Vaccaro got hold of a preliminary MBTA review showing that more than half of all the T’s 378 stations and parking facilities are in need of ‘significant repairs’ – and some of those are well beyond the ‘significant repairs’ point.
Meanwhile, T’s Blue Line plan ‘borders on the fantasy’
The Blue Line used to be the one subway service that the T could point to with some pride. No longer, writes James Aloisi, the former state transportation secretary, who argues at CommonWealth magazine that a long-term T plan for the line “includes a money-wasting pedestrian connector and a Blue Line vision so distant, so expensive, and so complicated that it borders on fantasy.”
New Bedford business-park ambitions held up by $700 from 1967
The city of New Bedord’s ambitious plans to convert part of a city-owned golf course into a business park could be upended because it used $700 in federal funds to protect part of the course all the way back in 1967. Lawyers for the city and MassDevelopment believe they can work around the restrictions that came with the those long-ago funds, but it will require finding additional recreational land to complete a swap, reports Michael Bonner at South Coast Today.
By opposing hydro power, have environmentalists defaulted to a pro-fossil fuel agenda?
John Carroll, director of communications for the New England Clean Energy Connect project, and Lynn St-Laurent, public affairs and media advisor for Hydro-Québec, dispute claims by environmental advocates that plans to import huge amounts of hydro-power into Massachusetts would do more harm than good. If anything, opposition to hydro-power only increases the state’s reliance on fossil fuels, the two argue at CommonWealth magazine.
Pressley’s rise to power: ‘Everyone knew from when she was 10 years old that she was going places’
The Globe’s Michael Levenson and Stephanie Ebbert take a look at the “life and rise of Ayanna Pressley,” from her youth in Chicago to her defeat last week of U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano. Bottom line: She was a natural from a young age.
You’ll always have Willie Lantigua to kick around …
If you’re sick of hearing about 2018 and even 2020 already, there’s always 2021. Keith Eddings of the Eagle Tribune reports the field for the city’s next mayoral election three years from now is already taking shape – and, yes, , former Mayor William Lantigua, who last week lost a bid to recapture a state House seat he previously held, is already talking of running.
Thousands gather for opening of Quincy’s Hancock Adams Common
Thousands of people – including Gov. Charlie Baker, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch and historian David McCullough – gathered over the weekend for the opening of the new Hancock Adams Common, a $15.7 million project that is part of the revitalization of Quincy Center, reports Katherine Isbell at the Patriot Ledger.
Celtics guard Jabari Bird facing strangulation and kidnapping charges
From WBZ-TV: “Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird is facing charges including strangulation and kidnapping following an alleged assault in Brighton. … WBZ-TV’s I-Team first reported that Bird is now in custody at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, where he is being evaluated. Boston Police’s domestic violence unit is now investigating the alleged assault, which occurred Friday night.”
Editorial: SJC blew it on corporate and union campaing spending
Speaking of donation limits, the Eagle Tribune’s editorial board isn’t impressed with the Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling last week upholding a state law that bans corporate campaign donations while allowing unions to dish out dough during elections. “In holding that rules can be different for some entities, specifically labor unions, the state’s high court protected a key constituency and source of cash for the Democratic majority on Beacon Hill,” says the Eagle Tribune editorial.
Group pushing campaign donation limits faces its own campaign-cash limits
From Shira Schoenberg at MassLive: “A ballot question that would establish a commission to advocate in favor of overturning the Citizens United court decision has raised $272,000 so far, according to a campaign finance report released Friday. But paying to gather enough signatures to get the question on the November 2018 ballot appears to have sapped most of the resources of the committee, which currently has just $5,900 in the bank and $51,000 in liabilities.”
Looking good: Tax collections continue to outpace expectations
From SHNS’s Michael Norton: “While lawmakers still haven’t decided how to allocate the fiscal 2018 surplus, Massachusetts taxpayers continue to deliver revenue to Beacon Hill at levels higher than state government leaders forecast. The Department of Revenue released August data on Thursday showing that tax collections over the first two months of fiscal 2019 are running $233 million, or 6.6 percent over the same period in fiscal 2018.”
SHNS (pay wall — free trial subscription available)
Domestic violence murders on the rise in Massachusetts
It’s not a huge increase, but it’s still an alarming increase: Domestic-violence homicides in Massachusetts rose to 19 last year, up from 14 cases in 2016, according to the state’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, as reported by Christian Wade at the Gloucester Times.
Berkshires: Please remember us as VW money rolls in
Planners in the Berkshire region are starting to make noise about how the Bay State will divvy up the $75 million it will receive as part of the $2.7 billion Volkswagen settlement with the U.S. after it was got caught fudging emissions test results, Larry Parnass reports at the Berkshire Eagle. One planner is worried transit systems in the westernmost part of the state will be ignored while others fret that the state will dump much of the money into buses that run on natural gas.
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.
Ales and Tales at the Stone Zoo
Don’t miss Stone Zoo’s fourth annual beer-tasting event, Ales & Tails! Sample offerings from breweries and learn about the amazing animals at the Zoo – including black bears, Caribbean flamingos, North American river otters, white-cheeked gibbons, sloths, and more.
Anatomy of a Commercial Building
The session will be divided into three parts: architectural design issues (the skin and personality of a building); mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection and building control systems (the organs and brain of a building); and structural systems (the skeleton of a building).
America is Watching: Response to the Opioid Crisis in New England
William James College will convene a public forum focused on novel treatments and early intervention programs aimed at curbing the opioid epidemic that continues to devastate communities across the region. Attendees will include policymakers, academics, business and community leaders, clinicians, families and first responders.
Slums: New Visions for an Enduring Global Phenomenon
Slums: New Visions for an Enduring Global Phenomenon is a symposium that challenges its participants to discuss the range of perceptions and systemic changes needed to re-imagine integrative urban and social landscapes, as well as the labor and land markets that most often underpin the formation of slums.
Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Navigating the Permitting Maze: A Crash Course On Permitting in Massachusetts
What does it take to successfully navigate a development project through the permitting process? Find out at this in-depth two-day (September 21 + 28) educational workshop where some of the real estate industry’s foremost experts will provide a close look at the ins and outs of environmental review and permitting in Massachusetts.
2018 Better Government Competition Awards Gala
Join Us on Sept. 24th at the 2018 Better Government Competition Awards Gala! Remarks by Governor Charlie Baker Keynote Speaker: John Sexton 2018 Topic: Making higher education & career training options affordable & effective.
Starr Forum: The Assault on Intelligence
Starr Forum: The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies. A book talk with Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA.
MIT Center for International Studies (CIS)
Today’s Headlines
Metro
After long climb in U.S. News rankings, Northeastern drops – Boston Globe
Brockton parking garage project now $5 million in the red – Brockton Enterprise
Massachusetts
Central Mass. women sue Hampton Beach resort over Legionnaire’s outbreak – MassLive
Cranberry farmers look for sunnier pastures via solar panels – Standard-Times
Berkshire Museum will tap headhunter to help find new chief – Berkshire Eagle
Worcester school committee considers taking over busing operations – Telegram & Gazette
Nation
At-risk Republicans say no to new tax bill – Politico
The Urgent Question of Trump and Money Laundering – The New York Times – New York Times
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.