Happening Today
Workforce housing, Post-gas explosions update, and more
— Gov. Charlie Baker, Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development Janelle Chan, MassHousing executive director Chrystal Kornegay and local legislators make an announcement related to investments in workforce housing, Olmsted Green, 9 Falcon Lane, Boston, 10 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker, Mayor Martin Walsh, Sen. Joseph Boncore, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Uncle Frank Chin participate in the Uncle Frank & Auntie Kay Chin Park sign unveiling ceremony, Corner of Beach Street & John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road, Boston, 3 p.m.
— Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, state Sen. Barry Finegold and Rep. Christina Minicucci provide an update on business recovery efforts in the Lawrence area about 10 months after last September’s gas explosions and fires, Rose and Dove Gift Shop, 579 Chickering Road, North Andover, 10 a.m.
— Attorney General Maura Healey, advocates, health care providers, and patients hold press conference to defend the Affordable Care Act, with oral arguments set for Tuesday at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for the case of Texas v. United States, Moakley Courthouse Harbor Park, located on the back side/harbor side of the building, 10:30 a.m.
— Ahead of a Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development hearing, advocates hold a press conference is highlight ‘the retaliation workers face from their employers when seeking workers’ compensation benefits after being hurt on the job,’ according to MassCOSH; press conference is on the State House steps, 12:15 p.m., with the legislative hearing in Room B, 1 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
Bomb threat closes Martha’s Vineyard Airport
This is just breaking. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious. From WCVB: “A bomb threat has closed the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. The threat was phoned in to the airport at 6:45 a.m., according to Massachusetts State Police. Flight operations have been shut down and police are searching the airport. The airport will remain shut down until the sweep is completed.”
Baker stands by firing of MBTA safety chief
The Globe initially broke the safety-chief story, so it gets the follow-up piece too, via Nicole Dungca and Vernal Coleman: “Governor Charlie Baker on Monday stood by the MBTA’s decision to fire its former safety official, a longtime executive who alleged he was retaliated against for aggressively flagging safety hazards and pushing leaders to be more transparent about high-profile mishaps.”
The governor’s not saying exactly why the chief was fired, citing “personnel issues,” but he’s effectively saying, well, the chief deserved to get fired.
Speaking of “high-profile mishaps” at the T, the Herald’s Rick Sobey reports on the latest “just horrible” Red Line delay.
Lawmakers plan RMV oversight hearing
On another transportation-related front, from Andy Metzger at CommonWealth magazine: “State lawmakers will conduct an oversight hearing later this month to look into problems at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, where administrative lapses delayed license suspensions for nearly 900 people.” MassLive’s Shira Schoenberg has more.
Brockton councilor to serve as ‘temporary mayor’ after Carpenter’s death
Even as the body of late Mayor Bill Carpenter lay in state in Brockton City Hall, city officials were laying out a plan to fill the mayor’s office for the last six months of his term, Marc Larocque reports at the Enterprise. City Clerk Anthony Zeoli says he’ll call a special meeting of the City Council at which one of the 11 members would be chosen to be ‘temporary mayor’ until after the November election.
At least two members of the council, including its president, have expressed interest in taking over the role and a third is already a candidate for the office, so some interesting political jockeying could well ensue.
Baker and DeLeo: No weakness here!
Gov. Charlie Baker and House Speaker Robert DeLeo are dismissing Moody’s warning that the state’s tardy budget is a “sign of governance weakness,” effectively saying a tardy fiscal budget can also be a sign of cooperative strength, reports SHNS’s Colin Young (pay wall). But the Globe, in an editorial, says the “state budgeteers” just got a legitimate warning shot from the credit-rating agency about their habitually tardy-budget ways.
Better than Bernie: Warren hauls in impressive $19.1M in second quarter
More good campaign news for the Bay State’s senior senator. From the NYT: “Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts raised $19.1 million in the past three months, her campaign said on Monday, a total that places her firmly in the top echelon of the Democratic money race and ahead of her main rival for the party’s progressive wing, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.” The Globe’s Jess Bidgood reports that Warren’s risky gambit to reject high-dollar donations from bigwigs appears to be paying off.
Meanwhile, Politico’s Alex Thompson reports that Warren’s camp plans to produce and place its own video ads, cutting the Washington, D.C. political consultant class out of the loop in a move some are labeling as risky but which the campaign says reflects how Warren will govern.
After Swalwell’s withdrawal from the presidential race, is Moulton next?
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California has become the first serious Democratic candidate to withdraw from the presidential race, opting instead to focus on trying to win re-election to Congress next year, the Washington Post reports. The NYT and The Hill are now asking: Who’s next? Maybe, oh, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who already has candidates lining up to fill his House seat?
At the Globe, Jennifer C. Braceras nominates another local pol who should (but probably won’t) end his presidential bid, albeit he’s a Republican: Bill Weld.
Michelle Carter files appeal to Supreme Court in ‘texting suicide’ case
Yet another reason to watch the new HBO documentary on the case. From Dan Glaun at MassLive: “Michelle Carter, the Plainville woman found guilty of manslaughter for pressuring her on-and-off again boyfriend into killing himself while they were both teenagers, has appealed her conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court.” The Globe’s Danny McDonald has more on the appeal.
The Kevin Spacey groping case: Stick a fork in it
On another legal front: When the main accuser in a legal case unexpectedly decides to exercise his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself, you can pretty much stick a fork in the case. And that’s exactly what unfolded yesterday in a Nantucket courtroom, where the young man who accused actor Kevin Spacey of groping him at an island bar took the Fifth, putting the entire case in jeopardy, reports the Globe’s Matt Rocheleau and MassLive’s Dan Glaun.
We can’t help but think of Herald columnist Wendy Murphy’s piece the other day in which she suggested that the fix was in on the Spacey case. She explains.
The Rockland sex-scandal show must go on …
Well, here’s one sex-scandal trial that isn’t going away. The Herald’s Andrew Martinez reports that a federal judge has rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit stemming from a steamy sex scandal that has engulfed Rockland Town Hall. Bottom line: The case is now headed to trial.
Attention Rachael Rollins: The Globe just did you a favor
The Globe’s Kevin Cullen is giving Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins some friendly advice: Stop being so thin-skinned about criticism of her “do not prosecute” policies, saying a recent Globe story that pointed out some legitimate flaws in her approach toward reform will actually help her in the long run.
Fyi: The Herald’s Michael Graham isn’t dispensing friendly advice to Rollins. He’s in all-out-attack mode.
The long and winding road to county-government oblivion …
Jim Kinney at MassLive reports on the final days of the Hampshire Council of Government, the last vestige of county government in the area, as it winds down operations. What to do with the courthouse is still up in the air, though most assume it will be taken over by the state.
About Nancy Pelosi’s swat at Ayanna Pressley et gang …
The Globe’s Joan Vennochi happens to think Nancy Pelosi is legislatively on track on most issues, but she thinks Pelosi is making a mistake by taking swats at U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for opposing the recently passed border-aid bill. The bottom line: The rebellious newcomers have time on their side, unlike the 79-year-old Pelosi, Vennochi writes.
Advocates: DOC undermining solitary-confinement reforms
From Shira Schoenberg at MassLive: “Amid controversy over Massachusetts’ solitary confinement policies, prisoners’ rights advocates say the Department of Correction is seeking to hamstring an oversight committee with restrictive regulations that would limit members’ ability to visit prisons and bar them from speaking to the press.”
At CommonWealth magazine, local attorney Margaret Monsell is accusing the Baker administration of undermining new solitary-confinement reforms.
Local governments find gold mine in pot sales
Nancy Eve Cohen at WBUR reports that some Massachusetts cities and towns are seeing a nice bump in tax revenues from recently opened marijuana businesses. One of the big winners: Northampton, which has pulled in $530,000 so far this year.
Business and conservative groups urge Baker to veto Janus bill
Christian Wade at the Gloucester Times reports that the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pioneer Institute and the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, among others, are urging Republican Gov. Charlie Baker to veto a union-backed bill passed by lawmakers last week that would allow unions to charge non-members fees for their services.
Kraft joins President Trump at the head table for dinner
He’s emerged. From the Globe’s Justin Sink: “President Trump dined with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft Monday night, less than five months after the billionaire businessman was charged as part of a South Florida prostitution investigation. Kraft was among a group of government and business leaders invited to the dinner, hosted at the Treasury Department, to honor the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.”
N.E. Center for Investigative Reporting to merge with WGBH
The BBJ’s Don Seiffert reports that the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit launched in 2009, has merged with WGBH News. It looks like a good fit for both organization, though it’s unclear whether the center will continue to partner with other media organizations moving forward. In the past, the center has teamed up with the Globe and WBUR on projects.
Border hopping: Interstate school district gets Vermont OK
They said yes! Voters in Stamford, Vermont approved a unique proposal to create a border-straddling school district, setting the stage for voters in the western Massachusetts town of Clarksburg to take the next step, Larry Parnass reports at the Berkshire Eagle. Officials are proposing using one school in Vermont to educate kids until the second grade and a Massachusetts school just four miles away for older students — and they say other rural districts are watching closely to see if the experiment succeeds.
Sailing into history …
Taylor Pettaay at the Herald reports that state and city officials are gearing up for next year’s 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ historic landing in Plymouth, with the restored Mayflower II visiting Boston and plans to examine the painful history between Native Americans and colonial settlers. “This stuff really matters and sometimes it takes a big event like this to bring everyone together and give it the kind of attention it’s due,” said Gov. Charlie Baker of the Mayflower Sails 2020 celebration.
… and unearthing Chinatown’s past
Speaking of Boston’s history, from the AP’s William Kole at NBC Boston : “City archaeologist Joe Bagley on Monday launched the first excavations in Boston’s Chinatown, and he expects the dig to turn up artifacts that will shed new light on immigrants — not only those from China but also Syria, Ireland and England who sought new lives in Boston from 1840 to 1980. Work began at a vacant lot near the ornate gate to the colorful neighborhood. It’s expected to continue until early autumn.”
ADL’s Glass Leadership Institute Info Session & Happy Hour
Join us to learn more about ADL’s Glass Leadership Institute (GLI) and meet recent graduates!
Boston Unity Cup
Join us to honor and celebrate the immigrant communities of Boston. Boston Unity Cup is citywide World Cup style adult soccer tournament designed to bring together Boston’s diverse and immigrant communities around the shared passion for sport. There are 21 nations represented across the men’s and women’s tournaments. This event is powered by the City of Boston and Mayor Walsh.
CMO Breakfast with Massachusetts General Hospital
Register for a CMO Breakfast with Misty Hathaway, the Chief Marketing Officer of MGH.
RCV Lobby Day
Join us July 16 as we gather with other electoral reform advocates and meet at the State House with legislators and representatives from across the state, urging them to support RCV! Hear from our expert speakers, then meet with your own representatives and tell them that you want RCV in MA!
Evaluating Creative: How to Get the Best from Your Creative Team- Professional Development
This full day workshop will focus on best practices for evaluating creative; why, when and how to evaluate creative work (and how not to!), comparing work against your brief, asking the right questions, giving productive feedback, and understanding and valuing team members roles.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Millennium Partners affiliate proposes huge Seaport ‘innovation campus’ – Boston Business Journal
Quincy readies deal for recreational marijuana sales in the city – Patriot Ledger
Massachusetts
Group aims to keep Cape Cod Canal bridges in spotlight – Cape Cod Times
Coogan leads in fundraising for Fall River mayoral race – Herald News
Nation
Trump lied to the Supreme Court and four justices don’t care – The Atlantic
As one 2020 Democrat drops out, will others follow? – New York Times
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