Happening Today
Sox parade, Governor’s Council, Happy Halloween
— Commonwealth Children’s Center hosts its Annual Halloween Bake Sale, with proceeds supporting child enrichment programming, McCormack Building, first floor, 1 Ashburton Place, Boston, starting at 9 a.m.
— The Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership and MassHealth host a forum titled ‘Population Health in Action: Strengthening the Impact with a Behavioral Health Lens,’ with Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders expected to provide remarks, Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center, 1657 Worcester Rd, Framingham, 9 a.m.
— The Metropolitan Area Planning Council holds its fall council meeting to introduce MetroCommon 2050, a plan for regional planning, 1 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, 9:30 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and the 2018 Boston Red Sox celebrate their World Championship in a pre-parade reception at Fenway Park, Fenway Park, Gate D, 10 a.m.
— Massachusetts School Building Authority meets with Treasurer Deb Goldberg as chair, 40 Broad St., Boston, 10 a.m.
— City of Boston hosts a downtown parade to celebrate the Red Sox’ World Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11 a.m.
— Governor’s Council holds its weekly assembly, Council Chamber, 12 p.m.
— Halloween is celebrated this evening in many communities, so be careful of the little ones on the commute home.
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
Whitey Bulger, serial killer, is dead – and along with him an era
We always assumed the “old Boston” could once and for all be officially pronounced dead with, say, the welcome election of a black mayor or some other momentous political and/or cultural event, or a rapid-fire series of such events. But this is as good a moment as any to make the end of an era official: Whitey Bulger is dead, murdered in prison, perhaps at the hands of a mafia-tied inmate from West Springfield, Fotios ‘Freddy’ Geas. And it was apparently a gruesome death for the convicted serial killer, brutally beaten and his eyes nearly gouged out.
The Globe’s Shelley Murphy and Kevin Cullen and the Herald’s Laurel Sweet have the main story covered. The Globe’s Kevin Cullen and MassLive’s Stephanie Barry have the Freddy angle. The Globe’s Brian MacQuerrie has the blunt reactions of relatives of Whitey’s victims (‘There’s one less scumbag on the earth’ … ‘I can only hope it was slow and painful’ etc.)
But here’s the unlikely story that caught our attention amidst all the goodfellas/wiseguy lingo flying around this morning: An AP story at the Herald notes that old Southie where Whitey used to live and prey is now long gone. It’s an obvious truth. But it’s indeed a truth — and one that applies to the rest of the city too. Did you notice how so few people cared, or cared very little, about the recent trials of Whitey’s mob underlings? They’re old stories now. Old stories about old Boston, whose death has been repeatedly pronounced before by others. But we might as well make the death collectively official today with Whitey’s grisly passing. Good riddance to both of them.
Almost every single pol in the land agrees: Trump has it wrong on ‘birthright citizenship’
Let’s start with the guy in the corner office. From Shira Schoenberg at MassLive: “Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, opposes President Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate birthright citizenship. ‘Governor Baker strongly disagrees with any plan to change birthright citizenship and he believes the Constitution firmly protects this right,’ Baker spokesman Brendan Moss said in a statement.”
Arianna MacNeill at Boston.com has a full roundup of the angry, and almost incredulous, local reactions to Trump’s suggestion that he has the executive-order power to cross out the ‘birthright’ provision in the U.S. constitution. They’re all there: U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, Mayor Marty Walsh, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and more. Meanwhile, the Globe’s Michael Levenson reports how legal scholars are dismissing Trump’s latest anti-immigrant gambit.
The tally: National Grid lockout is costing taxpayers millions in lost revenues and jobless benefits
SHNS’s Matt Murphy (pay wall) reports how National Grid’s lockout of more than 1,200 workers has cost the state millions of dollars in lost tax revenues and $13 million in unemployment benefits. Meanwhile, Brook Sutherland at the Herald reports city councilors are furious that National Grid didn’t send anyone to yesterday’s hearing about the city’s gas infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
Warren and Diehl tangle over immigration, guns, fundraising and, yes, Trump
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican challenger Geoff Diehl went at it last evening during their final televised debate, arguing over immigration, gun control and President Trump, reports Matt Stout and Joshua Miller. The Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter reports on Diehl’s attacks on Warren’s post-Kavanaugh fundraising. Shannon Young at MassLive reports the two candidates did agree on one thing: They’re both concerned about the safety of natural gas pipelines in Massachusetts.
Law Professor Warren gives Charlie Baker a ‘C’ grade
She hesitated just a bit when asked to grade Republican Gov. Charlie Baker during last night’s senate debate. But U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat and former Harvard Law School professor, blurted it out: ‘C.’ Gintautas Dumcius at MassLive has the academic details, including Geoff Diehl’s grade for Baker.
Democrats – or at least two of them — are distancing themselves from Warren
The Globe’s Liz Goodwin reports on how two Democratic senators in tough re-election battles are distancing themselves from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other “crazy Democrats” on the progressive left. Keep in mind: The two are still more than a little sore at Warren for taking shots at them during a recent debate over a financial-reform bill.
Come to think of it, how do you regulate fortune tellers?
Paul DeBole, an assistant professor of political science at Lasell College in Newton, has a fun piece at CommonWealth magazine about how Massachusetts does indeed require local licenses for fortune tellers. We liked this tale from his arduous field research on the issue: “Several years ago, I called a licensing board of a nearby city and asked why they license fortune tellers? The clerk responded, with all sincerity, that they wanted to make sure that only qualified people told fortunes. I then asked the clerk to repeat that last sentence and she hung up on me!”
Bump bumped, Part II
This is not how our two-newspaper town is supposed to work. A day after the Boston Globe, the media pillar of the Democratic establishment in Massachusetts, endorsed a libertarian candidate over Democrat Suzanne Bump for auditor, the Herald, the media pillar of the much smaller Republican establishment, has endorsed the Democratic Bump. Fyi: The Herald resorts to norm this morning by endorsing Republican Keiko Orrall for state treasurer. But yesterday it endorsed Democrat Maura Healey for attorney general. So much for pillars.
In op-ed, Baker bemoans the loss of civility he once knew growing up
Gov. Charlie Baker has an op-ed this morning in the Globe, taking swipes at both sides for the breakdown in political civility in America. “It is incumbent on those of us in public life to recognize the larger trends that are pulling people apart, and to use our voices to bring them together,” he writes. “It won’t end the debate to treat one another with respect, but it could nudge some people who have turned their backs on the whole (political process) to come back.”
Is Baker’s environmental record the chink in his re-election armor?
Speaking of the governor, the Globe’s David Abel reports that environmental activists are blasting away at Gov. Charlie Baker’s environmental record, a record that’s perhaps Baker’s most “vulnerable flank in his bid for a second term.” If it’s a vulnerable flank, it’s a very small vulnerable flank, based on the polls showing Baker with an overwhelming lead over Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez. And speaking of Gonzalez, he’s launched his second TV ad, this one trying to tie Baker to President Trump, i.e. another very small chink in the governor’s re-election armor. The Globe’s Joshua Miller has more.
The next monumental political story to shake our world: Should Sox visit Trump at the White House?
Joe Battenfeld examines all the political angles and concludes that, no matter what decision they reach, our World Series champion Red Sox can’t win when it comes to whether or not they should visit the White House to meet a certain orange-haired resident living there.
A Boston mayor from New York? ‘Never in 100,00 years’
Speaking of post-World Series political analysis: After getting the tired clichés out of the way about our alleged “inferiority complex” and “little-sibling mentality” toward New York, David Waldstein at the NYT makes a good political point: The last two mayors of New York have hailed from Boston, “(but) that could never — in 100,000 years — happen in reverse. No way a New Yorker would ever become mayor of Boston, unless he or she publicly renounced the Yankees and forced Dunkin’ Donuts to give out free crullers in perpetuity.”
It’s true. We’ve recently elected governors from Michigan and Illinois and a U.S. senator from Oklahoma, but you have to draw the line somewhere. And, David, two things: 1.) Dunkin’ Donuts hasn’t made crullers since 2003, to its everlasting damnation. 2.) You may be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Please consult your doctor and return home to Boston soon.
Voting rights lawsuit heats up Lowell City Council meeting
An effort by one member of the Lowell City Council to suggest changes in the way council members are elected—in response to a voting rights lawsuit about to launch in federal court—led to heated exchanges on Tuesday night, with the city’s attorney and other councilors warning against discussing the case in open session. Rick Sobey of the Lowell Sun has the details.
Arlington cop put on leave after ranting it’s time to combat ‘violence with violence’
Scott Croteau at MassLive reports that an Arlington police lieutenant slated to take over as head of the Massachusetts Police Association has been put on leave by town officials and relieved of duties at the MPA for writing columns railing against criminal justice reforms and saying police need to combat “violence with violence.” Here’s Croteau’s first story about the town’s action and his follow-up piece on the MPA’s action.
He should know: Capuanao consultant sees a possible surge in Millennial voting next week
Mark Horan, a consultant to the losing Michael Capuano campaign in the Seventh Congressional primary election last month, saw firsthand how “new voters,” many of them young, propelled Ayanna Pressley over top in her battle against the incumbent Capuano. He thinks the same Millennial voting trend may unfold elsewhere across the country next Tuesday.
Eliot at Jordan’s Furniture: Buy now before Trump’s tariffs take hold
He says it’s not about politics. Just business. And that’s why Eliot Tatelman, the ponytailed president of Jordan’s Furniture, rejected the advice of his staffers by launching a TV ad in which he tells people to buy their home furnishings now, before President Trump’s tariffs take hold and drive up prices. “I am not saying whether tariffs are right or wrong,” he tells the BBJ’s Greg Ryan. “I’m just saying that if it happens, it’s going to cost more money, so buy now.”
Green’s duck-and-dodge debate performance
In a column, the Globe’s Scot Lehigh goes after Third Congressional District candidate Rick Green, a Republican, for going after the Globe’s Frank Phillip during a debate earlier this week and for generally not facing up to the fact that, well, Donald Trump is indeed a major issue in this year’s races.
GE hit with new investigation by SEC and Department of Justice
It’s going from bad to worse for Boston-based General Electric. The company announced yesterday that SEC and even the Department of Justice are now looking into its recent $23 billion writedown of its slumping power division, CNN reports. Technically, it’s an “expansion” of a previous investigation. Technically, the DOJ doesn’t often get involved in these type of things.
Btw: New GE chief executive Larry Culp appears to be taking heart in the first-year coaching success of Red Sox manager Alex Cora. The BBJ’s Greg Ryan explains. Meanwhile, the Globe’s Jon Chesto reports that Culp didn’t exactly wow everyone in his first earnings release and analysts call yesterday.
Shove over, GE. Thermo Fisher Scientific is now the big boy in Massachusetts
How bad was it for General Electric yesterday? So bad that the BBJ’s Don Seiffert reports GE has lost its claim to being the largest business in Massachusetts, based on valuation, after the drubbing the conglomerate took on Wall Street. Waltham’s Thermo Fisher Scientific is now the largest company in the state, with a valuation of $93.7 billion.
The ultimate T ‘perq’
We liked ‘Charlie Card’ better. Anyway, from Bruce Mohl: “The MBTA is rolling out a promotional campaign to rebrand its largely anonymous corporate pass program, complete with a new name (Perq), special plastic fare cards, and lots of information extolling the benefits for employers and employees of paying commuter expenses with pretax money.”
Another poll shows eroding support for Question 1
A new WBUR/MassInc poll shows a stark drop in support among voters for Question 1, which would set minimum nurse-patient staffing ratios, with 58 percent of voters opposed and just 31 planning to vote in favor, Callum Borchers reports. The results mirror those from a Globe/Suffolk poll released earlier this week.
Fall River mayor: ‘Please show your support by NOT signing the recall petition’
Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia, now facing multiple federal wire and fraud charges, has taken to social media to urge residents to show their support for him by not signing the recall petition now being circulated around the city, reports the Herald News. “Let’s keep making Fall River great!” he writes.
Columbia Gas completes main pipeline work, but only 15 percent of customers have service
Give credit where credit is due: Columbia Gas has finished work on its main pipeline construction, three weeks ahead of schedule and far ahead of the time many experts said it would take. The Eagle-Tribune has the details. But now comes the hard and tedious part: Hooking up individual homes and buildings to those lines. As of yesterday, only 15 percent of customers have had their natural-gas service restored, reports SHNS’s Michael Norton (pay wall).
SJC’s Gants: Reimbursement claims tied to drug-lab scandals could overwhelm courts
The Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed the right of defendants wrongly convicted on evidence tainted by disgraced lab technicians Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan are indeed entitled to court reimbursements for fines and fees they paid, reports Shira Schoenberg at MassLive. But SJC Chief Justice Ralph Gants is warning that the time, effort and expense of paying out those claims could “pose so substantial a collective burden that it would threaten the administration of criminal justice in our courts.”
Democrats spending big in attempt to flip GOP-held legislative seat
Money is flooding into a state representative race in Andover, where the Democratic candidate, Tram Nguyen, has raised more than $163,000 in her bid to unseat GOP Rep. Jim Lyons, Christian Wade reports at the Salem News. Lyons has raised $90,000 himself, making the race for the 18th Essex district one of the most expensive in the state this cycle.
Advocates push for registry to guard against abuse by caregivers
From SHNS’s Colin Young at WBUR: “Family members of people with disabilities who have been abused by caregivers called on the House Tuesday to follow the Senate’s lead and pass a bill to create a registry of individuals found to have abused people who they were supposed to be caring for.”
Author Talk and Book Signing with Melinda Ponder
Author talk and book signing with Dr. Melinda Ponder, author of the book: Katharine Lee Bates: From Sea to Shining Sea. Tenor soloist Teddy Crecelius will sing “America the Beautiful.”
State Library of Massachusetts
A Nation of Immigrants Dinner & Reception
Join the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for A Nation of Immigrants – Celebrating the Immigrant Experience in American Culture as we celebrate immigrants and their contributions to America’s culture and success.
2018 Distinguished Real Estate Awards Gala
Join NAIOP Massachusetts for the 2018 Distinguished Real Estate Awards Gala as we honor Related Beal for their achievements in real estate, charitable activities and community betterment. David Begelfer will be honored with this year’s Edward H. Linde Public Service Award in recognition of his 27 years of service to NAIOP.
TEDxBeaconStreet
On November 17, TEDxBeaconStreet will return to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for a second year! Some of the most inspiring minds and speakers in the world will come to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for the final day of TEDxBeaconStreet.
2018 Newman Civic Fellows National Conference
The Newman Civic Fellows National Conference is an annual conference exclusively for current Newman Civic Fellows that provides opportunities for networking, collaboration, and shared learning among Fellows. Only members of the 2018 Newman Civic Fellowship cohort may attend the 2018 Newman Civic Fellows National Conference.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Apartments planned on former Gillette land in South Boston – Boston Business Journal
Are colleges in Boston paying their fair share? – Dig Boston
Massachusetts
Mashpee planning board head cleared of conflict allegation – Cape Cod Times
Marijuana manufacturer looks to set up shop in Pittsfield – Berkshire Eagle
Nation
Has Mueller Subpoenaed the President? – Politico
Female candidates break barriers, except when it comes to money – New York Times
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