Happening Today
MBTA Control Board, Delta terminal, global warming
— Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Rep. Jeff Roy, the Anti-Defamation League, Armenian National Committee and the Jewish Community Relations Council host a screening of ‘Etched in Glass: The Legacy of Steve Ross,’ Room 428, 10:30 a.m.
— MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board meets, State Transportation Building, Second Floor Board Room, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, 11 a.m.
— Attorney General Maura Healey, Sandy Hook Promise co-founder Mark Barden, North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard, and North Adams Superintendent Barbara Malkas visit Drury High School ‘to launch a partnership that provides mental health and violence prevention programming to school districts,’ Drury High School, 1130 Church St., North Adams, 11 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker joins Massport CEO Lisa Wieland and Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian to celebrate the growth of Delta Air Lines at Logan Airport. Terminal A, Logan Airport, Boston, 12:30 p.m.
— Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change holds an oversight hearing on the status of the Transportation and Climate Initiative and progress on offshore wind power procurement, Room 428, 1:30 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
Kennedy vs Markey: Is it really a generational battle?
As expected, U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III formally announced over the weekend that he’s challenging U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate, as Antony Brooks reports at WBUR.
Or course, the age factor has become an early campaign-coverage topic. From Adam Reilly at WGBH: “Age Is A Fault Line In Markey Vs. Kennedy. But Who Benefits?” From Steph Solis at MassLive: “Joe Kennedy, announcing Senate run in East Boston, says challenging Ed Markey comes down to vision, not age.” Amber Philips at the Washington Post disagrees with Kennedy, saying there’s indeed a generational divide here.
Our humble thought: Of course age matters. But only a little. People talk a lot about wanting more youthful candidates. Yet when push comes to shove, races usually come down to ideology, partisanship, organization, accomplishments, character etc., as today’s 70s-something top Dem presidential candidates are showing. And it doesn’t hurt to have a famous family name, too.
Btw: We liked this deliberately extra-drab headline at Universal Hub from Saturday: “Third Democrat to challenge Ed Markey.” Btw II: Kennedy barnstormed the state after his announcement, making several stops, including in New Bedford and Worcester, where he met with LGBTQ asylum seekers.
The latest poll: Warren leading Biden in Iowa
Another poll is showing U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren surging in Iowa, the latest from the Des Moines Register, which reports Warren leading Joe Biden 22 percent to 20 percent in the Hawkeye State, reports the Washington Post. Bernie Sanders is running a distant third.
Another Massachusetts politician distances himself/herself from Massachusetts
Mitt Romney did it. Now Elizabeth Warren is doing it, i.e. distancing herself from her later-in-life connections to Massachusetts. History suggests it’s a smart (and perhaps necessary) political move. The Globe’s Liz Goodwin has more.
Speaking of politicians from Massachusetts, Peter Lucas writes at the Herald that former Gov. Deval Patrick would make a stronger Dem presidential candidate than either Warren or Joe Biden – if Patrick would only run. Which he says he won’t. So that’s that.
Moulton: I regret not running sooner
On more presidential item: U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who’s no longer running for president, held a weekend town hall meeting for his constituents in Lynnfield and managed to draw only about a dozen people, Bella DiGrazia reports at the Lynn Item. Moulton did say he regrets one aspect of his brief presidential bid: That he didn’t start sooner.
Romney speaks out–sort of–on Trump’s Ukraine move
Back to Mitt Romney: He’s preparing to be troubled. The former Massachusetts governor and now proud senator from Utah is speaking out about reports that President Trump pressured Ukraine’s leadership to investigate former VP Joe Biden’s son, saying if true, the move would be “troubling in the extreme,” Zack Budryk reports at The Hill. Romney stopped short of saying what, if anything, he’d do about that trouble, saying only it’s “critical for the facts to come out.”
A handy-dandy candidate’s guide to Tuesday’s preliminary council races in Boston
Universal Hub’s Adam Gaffin has a handy list of past media stories and other items related to tomorrow’s preliminary (and crowded) elections for city council in Boston.
Slots of concern: Casinos seeking ways to boost sagging machine take
Andy Rosen of the Globe reports on efforts inside the state’s three casinos to boost lagging slots machine revenue, though some experts say the market just isn’t as big as it was projected to be. MGM Springfield has already replaced some slot machines with table games and Encore Boston has already replaced 100 of its machines with newer models as it tries to find the right mix for the market.
Education overhaul welcomed with open arms in New Bedford
After digesting details of the compromise education funding proposal reached by lawmakers last week, school officials in New Bedford say the measure could provide a windfall for the district’s bottom line by boosting state aid by as much as 10 percent and covering more charter school costs, Aimee Chiavoroli reports at the Standard-TImes. The reaction of leaders in cities like New Bedford is key, considering many of them were only recently threatening legal action if changes weren’t made.
Second person dies from EEE in worst outbreak since 1950s
CBS Boston reports that a Freetown man in his 70s has become the second person to die and the 10th person to be diagnosed with EEE in Massachusetts – and one government doctor says that the number of people infected so far this year is the highest number since the 1950s. Meanwhile, the Globe’s Lucas Phillips reports that the Freetown victim, James Longworth, is being remembered as an “all around family guy.”
New Hampshire AG blocks Partners acquisition over antitrust concerns
This isn’t the first regulatory thumbs-down on a proposed Partners merger — and it probably won’t be the last. From the BBJ’s Jessica Bartlett: “Partners HealthCare’s plan to further its expansion into New Hampshire ran into a roadblock on Friday, with the Granite State’s attorney general, Gordon MacDonald, saying the acquisition would violate state antitrust laws.In May 2018, Partners’ flagship Massachusetts General Hospital announced that it planned to acquire Exeter Health Resources in New Hampshire.”
Boston.gov? Hello? Anyone there?
It was a simple test: Email 100 city agencies, boards, commissions and cabinets listed on Boston.gov and then wait to see if anyone in city government responded. In most cases, it was wait … and wait … and wait. Colman Herman at Commonwealth has the details on the meager 38 percent response rate.
Thousands turn out for Youth Climate Strike in Boston
Boston Magazine’s Alyssa Vaughn and Universal Hub’s Adam Gaffin have lots of photos, videos and tweet reactions to last Friday’s ‘Youth Climate Strike’ in Boston, where thousands of youths (and more than a few adults, as UH notes) demanded action on climate-change policies. The Herald emphasizes the “skip school” angle, of course.
Similar scenes unfolded in Worcester and in Amherst.
Weld’s climate plan: Let the market decide
Speaking of climate change, former Mass. Gov. William Weld says his plan to combat the threat is to leave it up the market, though he also tells The Hill he would support a carbon tax to help encourage the free markets to do the right thing.
Brockton mayor won’t give up this job: His weekend Pats security gig
Moises Rodrigues, who was appointed Brockton’s interim mayor after the recent death of the late mayor Bill Carpenter, took a leave of absence from his full-time job as a child protection specialist for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese to run the city. But he isn’t giving up his part-time weekend gig for the TeamOps security group that manages New England Patriots home games and other events, including Boston College football, reports Marc Larocque at the Enterprise.
Would you give up such a job? We suspect not many would.
To ban or not to ban: E-cigs debate heats up behind the scenes
State heath officials are under increasing pressure to follow the lead of others and put a statewide ban in place on flavored e-cigarettes, Christian Wade reports at the Gloucester Times. The American Lung Association called for a total ban on flavored tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes in the wake of the nationwide outbreak of a vaping illness and continued concern about marketing of products to children.
Weymouth to host area’s first Major League Rugby stadium
It’s not the PawSox, but it’s not bad. Weymouth–which briefly wooed the Pawtucket Red Sox before they cemented their move to Worcester–will host to a new Major League Rugby team at the Union Point Sports Complex instead, Fred Hanson reports in the Patriot Ledger. The New England Free Jacks will play an eight-game home season starting in February and the team is expected to unveil more plans for improvements to its home pitch this week.
No parole, but Michelle Carter may still get early release
Nope. The state’s Parole Board denied Michelle Carter’s request to end her 15-month prison sentence for her role in encouraging the suicide death of Conrad Roy in 2014, with members saying she failed to meet the legal threshold for being released, John Ellement and Travis Andersen report at the Globe.
Still, Carter is on track to shorten her time in the Bristol County House of Corrections by as much as two months due to her good behavior behind bars, Jessica Schladeback reports at the New York Daily News.
Checking in: State to review Boston public schools
They’re going to take a look. State education officials plan to review the Boston Public Schools, a move that has led to state takeovers in other cities but is more likely to yield specific suggestions for improvements, James Vaznis reports in the Globe. The review, which will include classroom visits and interviews with leadership, is the first the city has been through in a decade.
Bill that would restrict state forest logging to get hearing
To cut or not to cut. That is the question lawmakers will grapple with this week when they hear testimony on a bill that would restrict commercial logging operations in state forests, Larry Parnass reports in the Berkshire Eagle. Lawmakers expect an earful from both environmentalists and the logging industry when the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture takes up the bill proposed by Athol Rep. Susannah M. Whipps, which already has support from 15 other lawmakers, many of them from western Mass.
The Man Without a Party: Charlie Baker
Cut the GOP ties, Charlie. Just cut ‘em. That’s the advice of the Globe’s Adrian Walker, who chronicles the latest antics of the Massachusetts Republican Party and how its leaders and Gov. Baker no longer see eye to eye on most things.
Boston Trade Compliance & Policy Seminar 2019
International trade regulations change constantly—old rules are updated and new regulations are added every day. Attend one of the full-day seminars in a location close to you to stay up to date on the latest information. Learn about changing international trade regulations with industry experts—C.H. Robinson’s Kevin Doucette and Jeff Simpson—who are passionate about the subject.
Boston Speakers Series: John Kerry
Kerry served as United States Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s second term. He represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate for nearly thirty years, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in 2004.
12th Annual Public Performance Conference
This year’s National Center for Public Performance (NCPP) Public Performance Conference marks the 12th year the nation’s top government and nonprofit performance professionals and academics will convene to emphasize the use of data to improve efficiency and efficacy of public services.
ADL’s Breaking Barriers Speaker Series Presents: Survivor’s Club with Michael & Debbie Bornstein
ADL’s Breaking Barriers Speaker Series presents: Survivors Club with Michael and Debbie Bornstein. Please join us on Thursday, September 26, 2019 to hear from Michael Bornstein, one of the youngest survivors of the Auschwitz death camp, and his daughter Debbie Bornstein, co-author of Survivors Club. Register by Wednesday, September 25: www.adl.org/breakingbarriers2019
Starr Forum: Iran Reframed
A discussion about the evolution of the Islamic Republic and its reaction to President Trump’s Iran strategy
MIT Center for International Studies (CIS)
Boston Speakers Series: John Kerry
Kerry served as United States Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s second term. He represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate for nearly thirty years, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in 2004.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Boston’s black community fights to save Harriet Tubman house – Boston Herald
Boston Officer On Leave After Roxbury Prep Students Say He Called Them Racial Slurs – WBUR
Massachusetts
Landmark censorship case remembered 50 years later at Fitchburg State – Telegram & Gazette
Cape Seashore may allow e-bikes – Cape Cod Times
Amherst, Northampton ramp up 2020 census campaigns – Daily Hampshire Gazette
Nation
Trump campaign pessimistic about winning Michigan again – Politico
Alaska Republican party cancels 2020 primary – The Hill
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