Happening Today
MBTA capital program, Cannabis commission, and more
— Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets at Rumney Marsh Academy in Revere, 140 American Legion Highway, Revere, 9 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak hold a press conference to announce an accelerated capital plan for the MBTA, Wellington Station Garage, 48-74 Presidents Landing, Medford, 10:30 a.m.
— Ahead of a planned Joint Committee on Public Health hearing on legislation that would make it legal for a doctor to prescribe a terminally-ill patient with a lethal dose intended to end the patient’s life, opponents of the measure hold a press conference to urge legislators to reject such proposals, with the press conference to be held at the University of Massachusetts Club, One Beacon St., 32nd Floor, 9:30 a.m., and the hearing to be held in the Gardner Auditorium, Gardner Auditorium, 11 a.m.
— Cannabis Control Commission meets to review its newly-revised regulations for the medical and recreational marijuana industries, Department of Transportation, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, 10 a.m.
— Education Committee holds a hearing on bills that deal with school climate, discipline, safety and at-risk students, as well as legislation that would prohibit Massachusetts public schools from using Native American mascots, Room A-1, 10 a.m.
— The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government takes up 19 bills on zoning and other local matters, including legislation that would allow cities and towns to approve special permits with a simple majority rather than higher thresholds, Room 222, 10:30 a.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
So there won’t be a school-funding deal this summer?
The Globe’s Victoria McGrane reports that House and Senate leaders are working hard to reach a compromise agreement on school funding and are getting closer to a deal. But McGrane also reports that Rep. Alice Peisch, co-chair of the Joint Education Committee, is talking about how lawmakers are only at the beginning of a two-year session, while Sen. Jason Lewis, the other co-chair, “acknowledged that it was unlikely they could produce a bill by the end of this month” as some hoped and that “getting a bill to Baker’s desk this calendar year remains the goal,” as McGrane writes.
In other words: A deal this summer, let alone this month, doesn’t look likely.
Riley to present ‘radical center’ vision on education
Speaking of education, Michael Jonas at CommonWealth magazine reports that Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley today plans to outline his vision for advancing education reform in Massachusetts beyond just test scores, via new initiatives that include sometimes non-school related issues confronting students. From Jonas: “The proposal, to be presented to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at its monthly meeting Tuesday morning, has all the hallmarks of Riley’s positioning in what he has called ‘the radical center’ in education.” The Globe’s James Vaznis has more on Riley’s plan to “push public schools out of a period of stagnation.”
Lahood and others tapped to lead T’s post-derailment safety review
From Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine: “Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and two other transit veterans agreed to review the MBTA’s past derailments and safety practices in a bid ‘to inculcate safety into every facet of the T’s culture.’” SHNS’s Colin A. Young (pay wall) has more on the appointments following the recent Red Line derailment.
‘Pathetic’: Healey slams state of T as Baker pushes ‘accelerated capital’ plan
Gov. Charlie Baker is attempting to prove he can indeed act urgently when it comes to addressing the T’s woes, with plans to announce today a “accelerated capital” program for the embattled transit agency (see Happening Today section above). But Attorney General Maura Healey isn’t mincing words, saying that transportation infrastructure is currently “pathetic” and that far more urgency is needed from state leaders, Arjun Singh reports at WGBH.
Meanwhile, from the Globe’s Jon Chesto: “Kendall Square businesses, citing a ‘state of emergency,’ demand revenue to fix the T.”
Deal calls for state to manage ‘some’ of T’s pension fund
Speaking of the T, the following “some” jumps out at us. From the Globe’s Brian MacQuarrie and Aidan Ryan: “The state pension system moved a step closer to managing some of the MBTA’s troubled retirement fund, after MBTA workers and the transit authority struck an agreement to allow some money to be invested by managers for the larger state fund. The fiscal control board of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority voted Monday to add the state retirement fund as a potential manager of some or all of the $1.5 billion MBTA pension fund.”
File under: ‘Half reform’?
Driver in NH motorcycle crash was arrested last month on DUI charge
Try not to get too outraged by this. It isn’t good for your health. From Patrick Johnson at MassLive: “Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, the West Springfield man facing 7 counts of negligent homicide in New Hampshire following a weekend crash in Randolph, was arrested on a drunken driving charge last month in Connecticut.”
And Melissa Hanson at MassLive is reporting that the company Zhukovskyy worked for has its own not-so-impressive regulatory record, including “two instances where drivers were in possession of narcotic drugs.”
Brighton rabbi urges congregation members to pack guns at synagogue services
So it’s come to this. Jerome Campbell at WBUR reports that Rabbi Dan Rodkin, reacting to recent deadly violence aimed at Jewish worshipers, is asking congregation members to now bring guns to the Brighton synagogue that he runs.
One can disagree with his solution to anti-Semitic violence, but there’s no question about the rise of anti-Semitic violence here and elsewhere. Just ask those at Chabad houses in Arlington and Needham, as the Globe’s Deanna Pan reports.
Ousted dean blasts Harvard’s ‘dereliction of duty’
Harvard law professor Ronald Sullivan, who earlier this spring was ousted as a dean after students complained about his legal representation of accused sexual abuser Harvey Weinstein, is hitting back at university administrators in a New York Times op-ed, saying it’s a “dereliction of duty for administrators to allow themselves to be bullied into unprincipled positions.”
She’s caught his attention: Sanders now in full react-to-Warren mode
With his one-upmanship of Elizabeth Warren’s forgive-student-debt plan, the Washington Post reports that the Bernie Sanders is now pursuing an “awkward strategy” of emphasizing the Vermont senator’s purist progressive/socialist credentials while not directly attacking Warren, his chief rival on the left who’s lately been pulling voters away from Sanders.
In other presidential campaign news, the NYT has a pre-debate puff piece (sorry, but that’s what it is, folks) on how Warren’s entire life has prepared her for this week’s first Democratic debate, in an article headlined “How Elizabeth Warren Learned to Fight.” And from Callie Crossley, in a non-puff-piece column at WGBH: “Don’t Underestimate Elizabeth Warren, A Woman On A Mission.”
President’s re-election is doomed: Boston knitting club bans all things Trump
How many more hits like this can he take? From Spencer Buell at Boston Magazine: “If you’re hoping to crochet a MAGA throw pillow, or were looking to show off your freshly knitted Trump/Pence 2020 Christmas sweater, you’ll have to do it somewhere else. Ravelry, the popular knitting forum founded in Boston in 2007, says it is hereby ‘banning support of Donald Trump and his administration’ in all its forms, including pro-Trump posts, designs, patterns, or profiles.”
Baker re-nominates psychologist to parole board amid furor over too may prosecutors
It’s not quite a retreat, but it’s close to it. From Mary Markos at the Herald: “Gov. Charlie Baker nominated a psychologist to continue serving on the parole board Monday, just days after members of the Governor’s Council raised concerns that the body is prosecutor-heavy. Asked if he was sending a message to the Governor’s Council with his nomination of Charlene Bonner, Baker said she deserved another term.” SHNS’s Matt Murphy has more, including how the nomination of Karen McCarthy, who is the chief prosecutor in Springfield District court, still appears to be in trouble.
Damn it: Just appoint the woman finalist to lead Massport
The Globe’s Shirley Leung writes that Brian Golden and Lisa Wieland are both qualified to run Massport. But Wieland should get the job because it’s an opportunity for the Massport board to show that a “highly qualified woman doesn’t need to be highly connected to get a top post in this town.”
Just fyi: A woman has indeed run Massport in the past, i.e. Ginny Buckingham, but we’re assuming she doesn’t fall into Leung’s category of “highly qualified” and non-highly-connected.
No more New England Republicans in Congress? Susan Collins draws a formidable Democratic challenger
Those Supreme Court and tax-cut votes are coming back to haunt her. From the Washington Post: “Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) drew a high-profile Democratic challenger Monday, as Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon announced her candidacy with a video that sought to undermine Collins’s carefully tended moderate image.”
Gillian Graham at the Portland Press Herald has more on the challenge to New England’s last remaining Republican member of Congress.
Adelaide M. Cromwell, scholar of Boston’s black Brahmins, RIP
Adelaide M. Cromwell, who blazed a trail in African-American studies and authored a book on Boston’s little-known black upper class, i.e. the ‘other Brahmins,’ has passed away at the age of 99. The Globe’s Bryan Marquard has more on Cromwell’s life. And here’s her book, “The Other Brahmins: Boston’s Black Upper Class 1750-1950,” at Amazon.
Shannon O’Brien’s second thoughts on parental consent
With her flippant see-my-tattoo joke, Shannon O’Brien infamously got tripped up over the issue of parental consent for abortions during the 2002 gubernatorial race. Now she’s not so sure what she’d say about abortions for young people under the age of 18 and she’s not so sure abortion-rights activists are handling the abortion issue well. Joan Vennochi at the Globe has more.
Electric vehicle tax credit headed to scrap heap
They’re pulling the plug. The Baker administration says it will stop accepting applications for a program that doled out tax credits for buying electric vehicles, a move roundly slammed by environmental advocates, Christian Wade reports at the Salem News. Lawmakers could step in and save the program, which has paid out nearly $30 million worth of rebates since 2014–mostly, Wade reports, to buyers of Tesla vehicles.
So how do you cheat at roulette? Just wondering
From Rick Sobey at the Herald: “Four people were arrested at Encore Boston Harbor in the casino’s first 24 hours, including two New York men accused of cheating at roulette. … Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio downplayed the arrests in a statement Monday, a day after the $2.6 billion Everett casino opened to the public.” Our question: How do you cheat at roulette? Just curious.
Governor has privacy concerns as lawmaker tee up Janus bill
Not that his concerns really matter, considering the veto-proof look of this legislation. From SHNS’s Katie Lannan: “Gov. Charlie Baker is voicing concerns with a bill teed up for Senate debate later this week as a response to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that public employees who don’t belong to a union cannot be forced to pay union fees or dues. The House earlier this month voted 155-1 in favor of a bill (H 3854) that would allow unions to seek reimbursement from non-members for services.”
SHNS (pay wall — free trial subscription available)
Mayor matters: Hedlund seeks second term in Weymouth, Council prez wants promotion in Methuen
‘Tis the season. Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund said Monday he will seek a second four-year term in office and so far has yet to draw a challenger, though would-be candidates still have a month to come forward, Jessica Trufant reports in the Patriot Ledger.
Meanwhile, in Methuen, City Council Chair Jennifer Kannan said she will seek the mayor’s office, citing a tumultuous year in the community that saw its budget rocked by massive raises for police superior officers, Breanna Edelstein at the Eagle-Tribune reports. Incumbent Mayor James Jajuga has yet to say if he’ll run again.
Judge rules New Bedford police stop that led to shooting was illegal
In a ruling that enables a lawsuit against the New Bedford police department to move forward, a judge has found the traffic stop that set in motion a police-involved shooting in 2012 was illegal, Jeannette Barnes reports at the Standard-Times. Police detained Malcolm Garcia, then 15, after a gang unit officer saw surveillance video in which Garcia shared what police believed was a gang handshake. The city had asked the judge to toss out the lawsuit filed on behalf of Garcia’s younger sister.
Suffrage Centennial Kick-Off Celebration
Kicking off a year of commemorations celebrating 100 years since the 19th Amendment was adopted in 1920, enabling women to vote.
The Women’s Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts and The Greater Boston Women’s Vote
Co-Creating Our Future: Examining Environmental Justice in Boston
Are you interested in learning more about, and contributing to, strategic work around environmental justice being done by Boston’s public, private, and nonprofit leaders? Impact Hub Boston invites you to join us for a look at Environmental Justice in Boston.
Cambridge Crossing Street Unveiling Ceremony
Join DivcoWest, Mayor Marc McGovern and other distinguished guests to celebrate the ceremonial unveiling of Jacobs Street and Morgan Avenue at Cambridge Crossing. The new street names will not only improve wayfinding in the area, they pay homage to Harriet A. Jacobs and Gertrude Wright Morgan, prominent African-American women with ties to the City who were involved in the suffrage movement.
Is anyone listening? How PR Pros Respond to Reporters & Build Relationships
Learn how to become a source for the media and solidify relationships. What are reporters going through in the current media environment and how PR pros can help them succeed.
The Ethics of Public Memory: Professional Development for Educators
In this half-day professional development workshop, explore a unique way to teach about the Civil War, racism, and slavery while considering how perception and public memory evolves over time. Learn from teachers who have used the curriculum and plan a student-centered civic project to reimagine a memorial or monument.
Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
Queer Academics & Activism – reception
Friday – June 28 at 10 a.m. Brandeis University hosts a free reception at the Mandel Center for Humanities to celebrate the work of teens attending the first in the nation offering of Queer Academics & Activism. The teens will be joined by college staff, course faculty and Brandeis supporters. All welcome.
Greater Mattapan Meeting with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
Congresswoman Pressley is excited to partner with the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council in hosting an event geared towards directly listening to and engaging with Mattapan residents.
Massachusetts Young Republican Biennial Convention
Join the Massachusetts Young Republicans as we host our biennial convention!
Massachusetts Federation of Young Republicans
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Red Sox ready for long-awaited European debut – Boston Business Journal
Massachusetts
Former brother-in-law of ex-governor sentenced for rape, kidnap plot – Patriot Ledger
Clark U. to offer first-in-nation graduate certificate in marijuana regulation – Telegram & Gazette
Tribe’s suit against feds to stay in Washington – Cape Cod Times
Nation
Democrats will debate in a city under siege by climate change – New York Times
These three lawmakers know the secrets in the Mueller report – Politico
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