Happening Today
Beach study, ‘Heroes Among Us,’ and more
— Westfield State University will relaunch the Pioneer Valley STEM Network, which has been inactive for a number of years, with Bob LePage, Massachusetts’ assistant secretary for career education, attending, Scanlon Banquet Hall, Westfield State University, 577 Western Ave., Westfield, 9 a.m.
— Pension Reserve Investment Committee meets, with Treasurer Deborah Goldberg chairing, PRIM Headquarters, 84 State St. #250, Boston, 9:30 a.m.
— Environment Massachusetts plans to release a report identifying local beaches where water contamination exceeds the threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency for safe swimming, Malibu Beach, Dorchester, 10 a.m.
— Boston Celtics and the Massachusetts State Lottery hold the annual ‘Heroes Among Us’ award ceremony at the State House, with Treasurer Deborah Goldberg among the speakers, Great Hall, 2:30 p.m.
— The Partnership to Renew the Shaw 54th Memorial holds a free screening of the movie ‘Glory,’ which tells the story of Civil War Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, with former Rep. Byron Rushing introducing the film, Boston Common, 7:45 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
The latest T delay: The Green Line extension?
The Globe’s Matt Stout and Maria Lovato and SHNS’s Chris Lisinski (pay wall) report that T officials are now concerned that completion of the multibillion-dollar Green Line extension may be delayed. Repeat: “may.” We’ll see.
Meanwhile, Sean Philip Cotter at the Herald reports that the “T’s plans to shut down major downtown train stations for work on weekends this fall could extend into 2020 and even into weekdays — and it’s already infuriating straphangers.” We’re talking major commuter delays if the closures extend to weekdays.
But to the rescue: Six new Orange Line cars to start rolling tomorrow
Here’s some good news from the T. Actually, it’s great news. Jim Kinney at MassLive reports that, finally, the first six of many new Orange Line cars – all of them built right here in Massachusetts — will be going into service tomorrow. From Kinney: “According to the MBTA, the six new cars have run over 7,000 miles during routine and qualification testing. The cars recently completed a 40-hour reliability demonstration in which they operated in simulated revenue service. After that they entered a 500-mile burn-in test, which concluded this past weekend, the T said.”
SHNS’s Chris Lisinski (pay wall) has more.
Of course not: Springfield businesses say there’s been no MGM bump
You just knew this would happen. With the one-year anniversary of MGM Springfield’s opening just days away, Nancy Eve Cohen reports via WBUR that downtown businesses haven’t seen the surge in customers that some had predicted. Some say they saw increased business during the casino’s construction but now that it is open, the vast majority of visitors spend all their time — and their money — inside the resort casino.
Former Sen. Thomas Norton, take note.
Reports of the demise of Vineyard Wind? Never mind
So it wasn’t a death blow. From SHNS’s Colin Young: “Vineyard Wind on Monday vowed that it will move forward with its $2.8 billion, 84-turbine wind farm project despite a new delay caused by the federal government, though the project will take shape on a new, yet-to-be-determined timeline.”
Quick question: Was Vineyard Wind bluffing, for lack of other words, when it previously warned that the entire project was at risk due to the fed delay? Anyway, this much is clear: The U.S. wind industry in general isn’t pleased with the fed inaction, as SHNS also reports (pay wall).
SHNS (pay wall — free trial subscription available)
Half a million immigrants in Massachusetts could get hit by new Trump public-benefits rules
Like it or not, this plan will resonate with a lot more people than immigrant-advocates think. From Shannon Dooling at WBUR: “The Trump administration on Monday introduced a new rule vastly expanding the list of public benefits federal immigration officials may take into consideration when determining whether an individual should be allowed to enter the country or obtain permanent residence. A Boston-based group estimates that it could affect more than 500,000 residents in the state.”
Boston man who was deported while his child-rape charges were pending is hauled back to Bay State
Speaking of immigrants: This is a good example of how ICE agents can seriously disrupt common-sense justice. From Scott Croteau at MassLive: “A Boston man was brought back to Massachusetts to face child rape charges five years after he was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials while the case was still pending in court.”
Grafton selectman resigns one day, asks for pot license the next
Remember me? Grafton Select board member Bruce Spinney, who resigned yesterday, is slated to appear before his former board tonight to ask for a license to operate an adult-use cannabis shop, Lisa Redmond reports at the Telegram. Spinney, who has been a vocal advocate for issuing pot licenses for the revenue they’ll generate, is now part of a team that will offer the town up-front payments in addition to ongoing tax revenues.
SJC: Cops can follow their nose only so far when it comes to pot
While on the subject of marijuana, the Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a search warrant was properly issued for a raid on an illegal Amherst pot-growing facility, but the court also ruled that the odor of unburnt marijuana alone isn’t enough to justify a warrant, reports the BBJ’s Jessica Bartlett. Put another way: Cops can follow their noses, but only to an extent.
One more pot item: Whatever happened to those craft marijuana cooperatives that were supposed to spring up all over the state? Shira Schoenberg at MassLive looks into their noticeable absence.
So Rep. Straus likes ‘managed lanes’?
The Globe’s Shirley Leung isn’t all that impressed with the Baker administration’s new traffic-congestion study, but the proposed ‘managed lanes’ idea does pique her interest – and apparently the interest of Bill Straus, the House chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, who says managed lanes are a “model everyone should like: Let the other guy pay.”
State: Time to end coyote hunting contests
On one wildlife front, from SHNS’s Kaitlyn Budion (pay wall): “Motivated by public outcry, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has recommended banning hunting contests for coyotes. … After holding several listening sessions across the state, MassWildlife has recommended that the Fisheries and Wildlife Board prohibit hunting contests for predators and furbearers, prohibit ‘wanton waste’ of all wildlife, and impose new reporting requirements on fox and coyote harvests.”
Meanwhile, Healey plans suit over Trump’s endangered-species rollback
And on another wildlife front, from WCVB: “California and Massachusetts say they’ll go to court to fight the Trump administration’s overhaul of the Endangered Species Act. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Monday that they planned to sue. It came hours after the administration announced broad changes to the way the government would enforce endangered species protections.”
Fall River mayor can’t even sit down without causing controversy
It seems Fall River Mayor Jaisel Correia, now facing federal fraud and tax evasion charges, can’t even attend, and sit down at, a city council meeting without tensions flaring, as 7 News reports.
The Boston Deep State keeps the Pentagon firmly under its thumb
You’ve heard of the “deep state.” Now the Globe’s Kevin Cullen is lifting the veil on the deep Boston portion of the deep state, so to speak, i.e. how three guys from the Boston area are playing musical chairs amongst themselves at the very top of the U.S. military: “General Joe Dunford, who grew up in Quincy before he joined the Marines, stepped down as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replaced by General Mark Milley, who grew up in Winchester, who in turn was replaced as chief of staff of the Army by General Jim McConville, who grew up near Dunford in Quincy.” Cullen adds: “If you’re keeping score at home, that’s South Shore 2, North Shore 1.”
Pressley: Congress could save ‘millions’ with gun bills, not to mention save lives
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley took a star turn on the Daily Show Monday night and called for quick action on gun control, Peter Bailey-Wells at the Globe reports. Pressley explained her political roots to host Trevor Noah and highlighted her advocacy as a Boston city councilor. Pressley’s rhetoric may have gotten a bit away from her, however, when she claimed that Congress could “tomorrow, save millions of lives” with an assault weapons ban and universal background check legislation.
In wake of RMV scandal, state revokes background clearances for nine Uber and Lyft drivers
Apparently the bad driving records of Uber and Lyft drivers were also sitting unprocessed in those RMV bins. The BBJ’s Lucia Maffei reports that the state has revoked nine background-clearance certificates for drivers of ride-hailing companies, after officials finally got around to updating the agency’s driver-violation records.
The bane of teachers far and wide: Classroom cell phones
Molly Boigon at WGBH reports on the various ways school districts across the state are dealing with a widespread problem in classrooms: cell phones. “I’ve never done anything that’s made teachers happier than this,” says one school administrator of his stern crackdown on classroom cell-phone users.
As Bernie tries to hang on to N.H. voters, Moulton lectures them about what they’re doing wrong
The Globe’s James Pindell reports that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is working hard, and apparently somewhat successfully, at keeping his progressive base pumped up in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Pindell writes that U.S. Seth Moulton, who has no base in New Hampshire, is taking the unique approach of telling Granite State voters about what they’re doing wrong when it comes to highways and pot, etc.
Neal and Markey rake in the out-of-state dough
We missed this one from the other day by the Herald’s Hillary Chabot, who reports that the majority of donations to U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, two Democrats facing primary challengers next year, come from out-of-state contributors. For Neal, it was 80 percent out-of-state donations.
Massachusetts Sales-tax Holiday: On your mark, get set …
Finally, Jim Kinney at MassLive has everything you need to know (policy-wise) about this weekend’s state sales-tax holiday. For deals, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Transportation and Climate Community Engagement Workshop – Chelsea
We have an opportunity to address two of our greatest challenges together — transportation and climate change.
Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, MassDEP and MassDOT
Make Our Voices Heard – “Our Fight For Healthcare”
This event is designed to discuss the disparities that Black Women, the elderly, and other underserved demographics in America face during their experiences with the American healthcare system.
The Mary J. Harris Foundation, Inc.
Commercial Leasing Onsite Course
The course will provide an overview of the commercial leasing process and educate students on pertinent leasing issues and clauses in lease transactions for office, industrial and retail.
PLAN: Downtown Public Alleys Walking Tour
Join the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) for a walking tour of Downtown Boston’s public alleys.
Boston Planning & Development Agency
Deal Winning: Political Mapping and Execution (Braintree)
Identify opportunities by locating critical information. Ask yourself why your company is the best choice by developing a message of value to convey to the executive sponsor. Develop a competitive strategy and avoid traps. Formulate a political strategy to gain enough support to win the sale.
Greg Nanigian and Associates – affiliate Sandler Training
Kiosk Unveiling and Reception: State of-the-art kiosk makes available the complete volumes of Susan B. Anthony’s Newspaper
The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum now has a state-of-the-art, interactive kiosk that displays the complete, unedited Susan B. Anthony newspaper, The Revolution, from 1868-1872. The kiosk indexes the period, January 1868-May 1870, the years Anthony was the owner and publisher. The unveiling coincides with the opening of the National Suffrage Centennial, when women won the right to vote.
Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum
Authors@MIT | Nolen Gertz in Conversation with Robin James
Nolen Gertz in Conversation with Robin James discussing Gertz’s new book Nihilism
Town Hall Meeting on Climate Change with Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Katherine Clark
A community discussion will be held at Framingham High School with Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Katherine Clark, with plans to discuss “the Green New Deal resolution, a bold set of goals that calls for a national mobilization to transform the economy, fight climate change, and create millions of jobs.”
Tenant Rights and Responsibilities
A housing professional will provide an overview of tenant rights and responsibilities.
City of Boston’s Office of Housing Stability
2019 Malden Democratic City Committee Annual Summer BBQ
We hope you’ll join us for our summer BBQ! This annual event is always a lot of fun and a great chance to catch up with old friends while supporting MDCC.
Malden Democratic City Committee
Global Engagement Networking Night
Join WorldBoston, BNID, and UNAGB, three local international relations organizations, for an exciting evening on international affairs!
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Neighbors concerned about East Lynn pot shop – Lynn Item
Saga of empty Cambridge courthouse tower enters new chapter – Boston Globe
Massachusetts
Lawrence cop to run for Methuen city council – Eagle-Tribune
Charlton seeks more time to weigh in on LNG project – Telegram & Gazette
Nation
Trump crackdown on legal immigrants could damage California economy, experts say – Los Angeles Times
How a recession could doom Trump’s 2020 reelection – Washington Post
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