Happening Today
Quincy funding, Climate Strike, and more
— Department of Public Utilities holds an evidentiary hearing on Northeast Energy Center LLC’s proposal to construct a new natural gas liquefaction and storage facility in Charlton, DPU, 1 South Station, 5th floor, Hearing Room A, Boston, 10 a.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch and other local leaders make an announcement about MassWorks funding for the city of Quincy, Nova Quincy – Atrium, 1500 Hancock Street, Quincy, 3:15 p.m.
— U.S. Sen. Ed Markey joins youth activists in the Massachusetts Climate Strike, Copley Square, Boston, 10:30 a.m.
— Chelmsford’s South Row Elementary School performs a holiday concert at the State House, Grand Staircase, 11 a.m.
— U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and 32BJ SEIU officials hold a press conference to announce the union’s endorsement of Markey’s re-election bid, 26 West St., 2nd floor, Boston, 12 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
Warren (and NYT) take aim at surging Pete Buttigieg
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whose once surging presidential campaign is no longer surging, last night took aim at the surging campaign of Pete Buttigieg, demanding that he open his fund-raising events to the media and fully disclose the names of his wealthy donors, the NYT reports.
Meanwhile, the Times itself has launched a two-pronged attack on Buttigieg, over his past ties to the consulting firm McKinsey, via a Times news story and an editorial. It’s almost as if the Times is acting as wingman for Warren’s campaign. But we’re just a lowly newsletter and certainly not in the position to question the journalistic greatness of the Times and so … WBUR’s Fred Thys takes a look at whether Warren’s wealth tax will really raise as much as touted.
All politics are not local: Kerry stiffs Warren, endorses Biden
Speaking of the presidential race, former senator and presidential candidate John Kerry yesterday officially endorsed Joe Biden for president, skipping over home-state favorite Elizabeth Warren. The NYT and the Washington Post have the details. The Herald’s Lisa Kashinsky reports that Warren is dismissing Kerry’s action.
Meanwhile, from the Herald’s Joe Battenfeld: “Whether one aging gaffe-prone pol’s support will do the other aging gaffe-prone pol any good is an open question. But it was definitely yet another indignity for Elizabeth Warren.” Technically, it was also indignity to Deval Patrick, but … never mind.
Four arrested as activists ‘escalate’ opposition to Weymouth compressor station
They said civil disobedience was their last resort – and they resorted to it yesterday. From the Patriot Ledger’s Jessica Trufant and Joe DiFazio: “Four protesters were arrested Thursday when they refused to move out of the way for construction crews at the site of a 7,700-horsepower natural gas compressor station fiercely opposed by nearby residents and elected officials alike.” Mariam Wasser at WBUR has more on the showdown yesterday in Weymouth.
Orange Line riders: Trapped in a time warp?
Of course there was another delay yesterday on the Orange Line. And the Globe’s Adam Vaccaro and Matt Stout report that more delays will probably be the norm until new subway cars come to the rescue of the old subway cars. Until then: “The glitches with both generations of Orange Line cars alike have some riders worried that they’re stuck in a time warp between the old and the new.”
The logical question T officials need to start asking themselves: What would Jim Kirk and Spock do?
Cheap shot: Lyons ties Galvin to disco music of ’70s
He stopped short of accusing Secretary of State Bill Galvin of wearing leisure suits in the ‘70s. But MassGOP chairman Jim Lyons threw just about every other insult he could think of at the Democratic secretary of state, comparing Galvin to an “old-fashioned big-city political boss” who got his start in the ‘70s when “‘All in the Family’ topped television ratings, and disco was the newest music fad.” It’s all tied to the dispute over the setting of a special Senate election date, as SHNS’s Chris Lisinski reports.
SHNS (pay wall — free trial subscription available)
Is the debate over congestion-pricing finally shifting to tolls in Boston?
For more than a year, supporters of congestion pricing have pushed for a “pilot” tolling program on the Pike and Tobin Bridge only. But a column this morning by the Globe’s Shirley Leung shows that the debate has finally shifted – and rightly so – to a discussion over new tolls in the city of Boston that would apply to all drivers (read: I-93, Route 2, Route 9 motorists etc.), not just a minority of drivers who are already paying tolls. It’s progress.
Speaking of transportation financing, SHNS’s Chris Lisinski (pay wall) reports on a legislative hearing yesterday that focused on alternatives to raising the gas tax, while Zeninjor Enwemeka at WBUR has a good explainer piece on the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) non-tax tax.
Tufts University drops Sackler name from buildings and programs
From the BBJ’s Hilary Burns: “Tufts University is parting ways with the Sackler family name, ending a decades-long relationship due to the family’s connection to the opioid crisis. Tufts announced Thursday that it has decided to remove the Sackler name from graduate biomedical sciences school, its medical education building, and from within medical school programs. The name changes go into effect immediately.”
Caveats included: Walsh hints at possible theoretical support for nebulous transfer tax that potentially could apply to homes
There are a lot of “signaled” and “possible” and “open” and “would like to” caveats here. But, yes, Mayor Marty Walsh is signaling he’s possibly open to a new tax on the sale of real estate in Boston to pay for affordable housing, though many questions remain, of course, as the Globe’s Tim Logan reports.
The Globe and WBUR’s Barr Foundation ties: Conflicts of interest?
As the BBJ’s Don Seiffert notes, nonprofit grants for journalism are on the rise and generally welcome in this age of rapidly shrinking newsrooms. But do non-profit grants also pose conflicts of interests, such as grants by the Boston-based Barr Foundation to the Boston Globe and WBUR? Seiffert dives into the thorny issue.
That’s a lot of Toyota Camrys: Herb Chambers LLC pays $18M for One Dalton condo
By our calculation, the One Dalton Place condo price paid by car-dealer king Herb Chambers amounts to the sale of approximately 7,200 Toyota Camrys (at a gross profit of 10 percent). Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine has the ultra high-end condo-sale details.
State: Six lung illnesses linked to regulated marijuana vaping products
They can’t blame this on the black market. From the Globe’s Dan Adams: “Six Massachusetts patients with probable — but not confirmed — cases of vaping-related lung illnesses reported using regulated products from state-licensed marijuana companies, state health officials revealed Thursday night.”
Feds dethrone Latin Kings and Queen Nation gang leaders
It’s being described as the ‘biggest takedown’ in FBI Boston history. From the Herald’s Andrew Martinez: “The feds claim they have taken down the Latin Kings regional leadership with federal racketeering charges on a wide range of crimes from drug dealing to attempted murder Thursday in the largest sweep in the FBI Boston field office’s history.”
WGBH’s Isaiah Thompson has more on the massive sweep that netted more than “60 individuals alleged to be members of the Almighty Latin Kings and Queen Nation, a criminal gang known more widely as the Latin Kings.”
Presto: Airbnb purges more than half of its Boston listings
From Wired: “Airbnb deactivated deactivated thousands of listings in Boston on Sunday to comply with a new city law, significantly shrinking its footprint in the area. Most of the listings advertised on the platform in Boston the week before violated local rules, which require, among other things, that short-term rental hosts register with the city before appearing on sites like Airbnb.” We’re talking about 3,000 to 5,000 listings suddenly gone, baby, gone. Wired story via UH.
Break-in before the breakout? Weld’s N.H. office among those targeted by burglars
First it was a break-in at a building where Elizabeth Warren’s Granite State offices are located. Now the New Hampshire field office of former Gov. Wliliam Weld’s campaign was among those broken into at least once in recent days in Manchester, reports the Union-Leader.
Weld’s campaign said it didn’t appear anything was taken. Weld, meanwhile, continues to express confidence in his prospects, telling a Fox News podcast that he can win five states on the Super Tuesday map–including his home state and others that hold open primaries.
In Worcester, tempers still flaring over disputed Thanksgiving event
Thanksgiving may be in the rear view mirror for most, but not for the Worcester School Committee. The board on Thursday night clashed over the appropriateness of one school’s holiday event, which originally encouraged students to attend wearing colonial-era and Native American costumes. Scott O’Connell at the Telegram has details on the debate which got so heated at one point that an audience member was escorted out of the meeting room by a police officer.
Question of the day: How do you support school-funding law without allocating any funds?
With state officials warning of a possible decline in tax-collection revenues next fiscal year, maybe it’s time to revisit the issue of how the state plans to pay for the new$1.5 billion school-funding law that has no dedicated funding source and that seems to depend on ever-growing tax collections. The Globe’s Matt Stout tackles the “they’ll figure it out later” quandary.
Going down swinging: Former assessor takes to Fall River airwaves
He’s not going away quietly. Benjamin Mello, who recently resigned as Fall River’s assessor, used a radio talk show appearance to claim that “thousands” of properties in the city are mis-valued for tax purposes, not just those of the politically connected. Jo C. Goode at the Herald News also reports that Mello is disputing a recent report critical of his department for the decreasing valuations of property owned by now-former City Administrator Cathy Viveiros.
Meanwhile, it looks like we’ll all have to wait a bit longerfor Fall RIver Mayor Jasiel Correia’s federal criminal trial: Both sides have asked a judge to kick court proceedings forward to next summer.
Tossing black and brown girls from schools is not the way to achieve a more just society
In a Globe op-ed, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Dr. Monique Morrispush for passage of the Ending Punitive, Unfair, School-based Harm that is Overt and Unresponsive to Trauma Act, saying the evidence is clear that black and brown girls are subject to more school suspensions and arrests than white girls, harming their long-term education and career prospects. The legislation was filed yesterday by Pressley and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Don’t drill, baby: Report cites threats to offshore exploration
A federal plan to increase offshore oil drilling would pose immediate threats to the Bay State’s environment and the health of residents, a new report from Environment America argues. Benjamin Kail of MassLive has the details.
Sunday public affairs TV: Joe Curtatone, Steve Poftak and more
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Channel 4, 8:30 a.m. This week’s guest: Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, who talks with host Jon Keller about the housing crisis and his support for a gas tax to fund transit and infrastructure improvements.
This Week in Business, NECN, 10 a.m. Massachusetts Retailers Association president Jon Hurst on trends and early results in this year’s holiday shopping season; Bob Luz, head of the Mass. Restaurant Association, on trends within the industry; Doug Banks of the Boston Business Journal on jobs numbers, the Partners rebrand and other local business stories.
CEO Corner, NECN, 10:30 a.m. A repeat: A discussion among business and political leaders on recovery efforts in the Merrimack Valley area following last year’s natural-gas disaster.
On The Record, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 11 a.m. This week’s guest: MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, who talks with hosts Ed Harding and Janet Wu, followed by a roundtable political discussion with political analysts Mary Anne Marsh and Rob Gray.
CityLine, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 12 p.m. With host Karen Holmes Ward, this week’s main topic: Temporary Protected Status (TPS) update, with Dr. Geralde Gabeau of the Immigrant Family Services Institute and Patricia Monte of Centro Presente, among others.
Can We Bridge the Political Divide? Better Angels Red/Blue Workshop
Please join us for an intensive workshop that will bring together Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning citizens for a day of structured conversations, with a focus on listening and reflecting rather than debating and persuading.
Better Angels Red/Blue Workshop
Community Forum on the Future of Education
With the Student Opportunity Act signed into law, now is the time to celebrate what’s been accomplished and think about what comes next. What programs and services do students need to succeed? How can schools better reflect the priorities of community members? The Rennie Center is hosting a community forum to raise these questions and gather input from students, parents, and others.
Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
The Constitution: Changes and Challenges in US History
Akhil Amar, professor of law and political science at Yale University, and Eric Foner, professor emeritus of history at Columbia University and author of The Second Founding: How Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution, discuss constitutional changes and challenges throughout our nation’s history.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Getting to the Point: The Next Frontier of Public Health in Massachusetts
State and local leaders will discuss public health issues facing communities across Massachusetts, including gun safety, substance abuse, mental health, and the social determinants of health. The panel will highlight how the Commonwealth addresses each of these issues and will reflect on opportunities for the state to continue to lead and expand on support for strong public health policy.
Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
JP Progressives 10 Year Anniversary & Holiday Celebration
JP Progressives is 10 years old!! Come celebrate with the founders of JP Progressives and with our many amazing partners. We are proud to be increasingly working in collaboration with other organizations around the city to build progressive political power together.
Think/Write/Speak: Activism in Action
Join the Bostonian Society and nomadic arts incubator Brown Art Ink for a workshop on raising your voice for local issues.
Swampscott, Marblehead & Nahant RTC Holiday Party
Please join us for our annual Swampscott, Marblehead & Nahant Republican Town Committees holiday party with special guest Governor Charlie Baker.
Swampscott Republican Town Committee
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Walsh signals possible support for transfer tax on real estate sales – Boston Globe
Massachusetts
Bourne school board OKs Narcan use – Cape Cod Times
Northampton City Council backs $2.5M override for March vote – Daily Hampshire Gazette
New Bedford is biggest target in Fed’s Latin Kings drug raid – Standard-Times
Nation
On impeachment, Trump left House no choice, Pelosi says – Washington Post
Uber Says 3,045 Sexual Assaults Were Reported in U.S. Rides Last Year – New York Times
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