Happening Today
Veterans Day, ‘green zoning,’ and more
— Today is Veterans Day, with most federal, state and local government offices closed, as are most banks; U.S. stock exchanges and most private businesses will be open.
— Gov. Charlie Baker joins Veterans Services Secretary Cheryl Lussier Poppe, veterans, active military members, clergy, and musical performers from across the commonwealth for a virtual Veterans Day celebration, 10 a.m.
— U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Chicopee Mayor John Vieau and Chicopee Veterans Services Director Stephanie Shaw participate in wreath-laying ceremony at Veterans Plaza, Front Street, Chicopee, 11 a.m.
— Mass Climate Action network holds a webinar on current and future possibilities of using zoning plans as a means to ‘green’ cities and towns in Massachusetts, 7 p.m.
— U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, hosts his annual Veteran Town Hall event, 7 p.m.
For the most comprehensive listing of calendar items, check out State House News Service’s Daily Advances (pay wall – free trial subscriptions available), as well as MassterList’s Beacon Hill Town Square below.
Today’s Stories
Reminder to readers: SHNS Coronavirus Tracker available for free
A reminder to our readers as the coronavirus crisis unfolds: The paywalled State House News Service, which produces MASSterList, is making its full Coronavirus Tracker available to the community for free on a daily basis each morning via ML. SHNS Coronavirus Tracker.
The coronavirus numbers: 21 new deaths, 9,957 total deaths, 2,047 new cases
MassLive has the latest coronavirus numbers for Massachusetts.
‘Dismayed’: Baker slams Trump for stalling transition amid pandemic
Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, yesterday harshly criticized President Trump’s refusal to cooperate with the transition of power to Democrat Joe Biden, saying he’s “dismayed” by Trump’s voter-fraud claims and calling steps by federal prosecutors to review election results “wildly inappropriate.” GBH’s Adam Reilly and the Globe’s Travis Andersen and Christina Prignano have the details on Baker’s comments.
Bottom line: Baker certainly isn’t biting his tongue these days.
Meanwhile, Baker takes swipe at Mass GOP for promoting president’s voter-fraud claims
As he criticizes President Trump for not accepting last Tuesday’s election results, Gov. Charlie Baker, a moderate Republican often at odds with conservatives in his own state party, yesterday took some swipes at Mass. GOP leaders for pushing the president’s voter-fraud charges, saying “it’s important for people who run for statewide office to understand what the voters care about here are statewide or local issues and that’s really where our focus as a party needs to be.” SHNS Campaign Moitor has more.
Fyi: Boston.com and NBC Boston earlier this week reported on Mass. GOP vice chairman Tom Mountain’s recent “We do not recognize Biden as president elect” assertions.
Soul searching times for state Dems and Republicans?
The Herald’s Lisa Kashinsky and Erin Tiernan report that both the Massachusetts Democratic and Republican parties face some “soul searching,” as they prep for new state party chair elections.
Hmm. We’re not so sure about Dems engaging in “soul searching.” Their party fight is mostly over chairman Gus Bickford’s leadership qualities and alleged dirty tricks, not ideology. The Republican divisions, on the other hand, have everything to do with the ideological direction of their state party.
Pied Piper Presidency? Sort of
The Pied Piper of Hamelin isn’t a perfect analogy. But it’s close enough when describing President Trump setting the tone and leading his seemingly mesmerized followers away from last Tuesday’s election results that election officials in all 50 states confirm weren’t marred by fraud or other irregularities, as the president claims, as the NYT reports.
The Washington Post has more on Republicans, elected and non-elected, falling into line behind the president. Meanwhile, from the Globe’s Dugan Arnett and Travis Andersen: “‘There’s no indication it will succeed’: Legal analysts weigh in on Trump team’s election challenges.” Of course, this is all coming from MSM outlets. So here’s Fox News’s alternate reality (but a reality not always that different – even at Fox).
Nope: Romney waves away talk of joining Biden administration
He’s not going there. Former Mass. Gov. and Utah U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, one of the few Republicans to acknowledge Joe Biden won last week’s presidential election, told reporters Tuesday he has not been asked and would not accept an offer to join the incoming Biden administration, Jordain Carney at The Hill reports. Romney says he’s focused on serving out his Senate term which ends — conveniently, some might argue — in 2024.
Here we go again: State preparing to bring back COVID field hospitals
As coronavirus cases surge and with Gov. Charlie Baker saying he sees “no signs” of the trend changing, the state is preparing to bring back field hospitals to help deal with an expected spike in hospitalizations, MassLive’s Steph Solis reports.
SHNS’s Colin Young has more on the field hospitals (pay wall) and Baker’s comments on the case counts heading in the “wrong direction” (pay wall).
As virus cases increase at MCI-Norfolk, Pressley and Rollins urge Baker to release more prisoners
WBUR’s Deborah Becker and CommonWealth’s Sarah Betancourt report that U.S. Rep. Ayannaa Pressley and Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins, reacting to a COVID-19 outbreak at MCI-Norfolk, are calling on Gov. Charlie Baker to release more prisoners, saying he could do so with a “the stroke of a pen.”
For some reason, we don’t see the governor whipping out his pen anytime soon on this issue. We could be wrong.
Coronavirus updates: No First Night ice sculptures, Cape camp closure, somber Veterans Day, T-Day travel plans
Besides the opening of new pandemic field hospitals and appeals to release inmates at state prisons, there’s a lot of other COVID-19 news out there, so we’ll just go with some headlines here. From Universal Hub: “No ice sculptures, parade, fireworks or in-person performances for First Night this year.” … From CBS Boston: “Popular Cape Cod Camp Closing Permanently Due To Impact Of Coronavirus.” … From MassLive: “‘Failure is not an option’: Holyoke Soldiers’ Home trustees begin search for new superintendent.” … From the Herald: “Veterans Day amid coronavirus: ‘The pandemic has hit veterans hard’ in Massachusetts.” … From WCVB: “Popular East Boston restaurant will be ‘hibernating’ for winter due to coronavirus pandemic.” … And from NBC Boston: “More Than Half of Americans Plan Thanksgiving Travel Despite Pandemic, TripAdvisor Says.”
State House tensions flare over transportation taxes
It was an odd juxtaposition of votes and rhetoric yesterday at the State House. As SHNS’s Chris Lisinski reports, House Democrats yesterday beat back attempts from within their own party to raise transit-related taxes – and then House members turned around and blamed the Senate for not going along with the House’s earlier plan to raise new revenues for transportation.
The obvious backdrop: The T’s unveiling earlier this week of proposed severe service cuts due to the pandemic-era plunge in riders and revenues. CommonWealth’s Shira Schoenberg has more on the general tax tensions at the State House, including a brief fight over capital gains taxes.
SHNS (pay wall — free trial subscription available)
Has Massachusetts dodged a multibillion-dollar ACA bullet?
As the Washington Post reports, the U.S. Supreme Court appears ready to uphold the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, amid the latest GOP-led attempt to legally gut the landmark health-care measure passed in 2010. If the high court indeed upholds ACA, it would mean Massachusetts has dodged a potential financial bullet that some say would have blown a multibillion-dollar hole in the state budget, as CommonWealth’s Shira Schoenberg reports. We’ll see. The legal case isn’t over until it’s over.
Black Economic Council’s rising clout at the State House
The Globe’s Jon Chesto reports on the rising clout of the Black Economic Council on Beacon Hill, exhibited mostly recently by the Baker administration’s rush to change state contracting rules in order to help minority businesses.
Plot twist: Man charged with entering governor’s home out after bail fund posts bond
They’re back. The controversial Massachusetts Bail Fund has posted $5,000 to gain the pre-trial release of the man charged breaking and entering into Gov. Charlie Baker’s Swampscott home last month, Julie Manganis at the Salem News reports. The Bail Fund has come under fire lately for aiding in the release of violent offenders, some of whom have committed additional crimes after being released.
Weymouth councilors chafe at compressor deal’s legal-action limitations
Members of the Weymouth City Council want the office of Attorney General Maura Healey to weigh in on some of the details of a deal Mayor Robert Hedlund struck with the builders of the controversial natural gas compressor station in town, Jessica Trufant at the Patriot Ledger reports. Some members of the council are miffed that one section of the deal requires Hedlund to halt any legal proceedings against the project and want an outside agency to decide if those limitations are binding.
Still building: Amazon announces plans for more sorting, delivery facilities
No slowdown. Amazon says it will add 2,000 jobs as it staffs up three new sorting and delivering centers in the central part of the state. Samantha Mercardo at Patch.com and Lucia Maffei at the Boston Business Journal report Amazon–already one of the state’s largest employers–says it has opened facilities in Milford and Northborough and will add another in Northborough in coming weeks.
Tommy Heinsohn, RIP
He was a member of eight Celtics championship teams from 1956 to 1965. He won two more championships as Celtics coach in 1974 and 1976. He’s a player and coach NBA Hall of Famer. He was a Celtics TV announcer for decades. And now he’s gone. The Herald’s Mark Murphy and the Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy remember the legendary Tommy Heinsohn, who died yesterday at the age of 86.
ICP – Breaking the crime-poverty cycle
Panel Debate – The event will feature an overview by Professor Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, Director, Center for Crime, Justice and Policing, University of Birmingham, a quick historical recap of antiquated laws and contributions by the panelists.
ESRC IAA – University of Birmingham
US Market Outlook Part II: Post Presidential Election and Covid-19
In this discussion, we will hear from experts at BlackRock as they examine where the market is, where it is going, and how to think about the macroeconomics of the new financial policies put into place in the US to address the current economic challenges. Register to receive the virtual meeting link.
What’s Next for Energy & Climate Change Policy in the Wake of the U.S. Election?
This event will explore the implications of the U.S. presidential election for U.S. energy and climate-change policy. The speaker will explore, in particular, how various election outcomes might lead to quite different U.S. stances on climate-change and energy policy.
Harvard Kennedy School and Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Critical Conversations: Racial Justice and the Immigrant Rights Movement
The Binger Annual Immigration Law Forum brings together lawyers, students, advocates and community members to learn from each other and develop tools to continue the struggle to protect human rights, basic dignity, and the rule of law.
James H. Binger Center Annual Immigration Law Forum
The ROI of DEI
Get Konnected! and Newton-Needham Regional Chamber will virtually unveil the first ever 50 Most Influential Business Leaders of Color in the Western Suburbs in addition to a panel discussion: “The ROI of DEI: Why diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to success in the suburbs” featuring five leaders who made our top-50 list.
Get Konnected! and Newton-Needham Regional Chamber
Building a Better Business Through Diversity and Inclusion
In this panel discussion we’ll explore steps large and small organizations can make to further promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. How are companies going about building a more diverse and inclusive work environment, and what have been the major challenges, as well as best practices that assure a strong program.
Virtual Discussion – Women Who Lead: Navigating the Challenges of 2020 and Beyond
Join us for a virtual live-streamed panel discussion with four female business leaders moderated by Carolyn Jones, publisher of the Boston Business Journal. Women have unique perspectives to offer on leading through these current turbulent times from how to build organizational resilience to how to advocate for themselves in a politically charged environment to maintaining a work/life balance.
Boston Business Journal and Santander Commercial Banking
Virtual-Revolutionizing Retail: The Omnichannel Experience
Omnichannel is a word we’ve heard tossed around the industry, but what does it really mean? Some years ago, in-store was the only channel, then we moved into multi-channel and now it seems omnichannel is the way to go. Join us to learn about which technologies are supporting the omnichannel approach, how 5G is opening up a word of consumer insights, and how retailers can use those takeaways.
Baxter Lecture with author Nathaniel Philbrick: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
Join for an online talk with Nathaniel Philbrick about his book Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War as part of the BPL’s Baxter Lecture Series. Ryan J. Woods from NEHGS will be the moderator and a representative of the State Library will be a co-host. BPL President David Leonard will introduce this program. Registration is encouraged.
Policymakers Live: Virtual Briefing with Representative Hannah Kane, Ranking Minority, Joint Committee on Public Health
MassBio is launching “Policymakers Live”, a series of virtual briefings with a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Massachusetts Senate, or a member of the Governor’s Alliance. Policymakers will outline initiatives they are working on and attendees will have the chance to ask questions.
MassBio (Massachusetts Biotechnology Council)
8th Annual 2020 Startup of the Year Summit
For the first time in its eight year history, the Startup of the Year Summit will be held online, allowing a global audience to participate from afar in the annual conference and have a behind-the-scenes experience for the 2020 competition. Date: November 16-18,2020. We are waiving all fees this year. We want you to join us.
Energy Policy Seminar: Brenda Mallory on “Clean Energy Priorities in the Southeast”
Join us for an Energy Policy Seminar featuring Brenda Mallory, Director of Regulatory Policy at the Southern Environmental Law Center. Ms. Mallory will speak on “Clean Energy Priorities in the Southeast”. The seminar will be hosted by HKS Professor Joe Aldy.
Harvard Kennedy School and Belfer Center for Science and International Afffairs
The State of the State Department & Transatlantic Diplomacy
WorldBoston’s annual State of the State Department is a high-level speaking event, serving as an annual occasion to assess the strength of a critical instrument in the pursuit of U.S. national interest within a policy context. In addition to critically evaluating the current of the State Department, we will also look at the U.S diplomacy through the lens of the transatlantic relationship.
Harvard Kennedy School and Belfer Center for Science and International Afffairs
Make Shift Happen with EDIE
Join MassBio’s Edie Stringfellow for a bi-weekly conversation on equity, diversity, inclusion, and engagement (EDIE). For the month of November, MassBio is dedicating Make Shift Happen to support and salute our life sciences colleagues who are service members in observation of November National Veterans & Military Families Month.
MassBio (Massachusetts Biotechnology Council)
Local Voices Network Conversation: Civic Engagement (Honan-Allston)
Join the Boston Public Library and Local Voices Network for an online discussion about civic engagement. LVN conversations are focused on sharing our lived experience, rather than beginning the conversation with our positions on issues. We are doing this in order to help build connections and to foster conversations that improve our understanding of one another.
Modern Mobility Aloft: Elevated Highways, Architecture and Urban Change in Pre-Interstate America
Join the Boston Public Library and the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library for an online talk with Amy D. Finstein, author of Modern Mobility Aloft: Elevated Highways, Architecture and Urban Change in Pre-Interstate America.
Managing Change to Grow Business – Part II: Growing Your Business in a Virtual World
Please join Middlesex Savings Bank and the Boston Business Journal for this conversation about managing business change in our new normal.
Boston Business Journal and Middlesex Savings Bank
Data + AI Summit Europe 2020
Data and AI are converging. The Success of Apache Spark has accelerated the evolution of data teams to include data analytics, science, engineering, and AI. Date + AI Summit brings together thousands of data teams to learn from practitioners, leaders, innovators, and the original creators of Spark. Delta Lake, MLflow and Koalas.
Climate Change, Survival, and Deepening Our Humanity
City of Boston’s Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola leads a panelist discussion on how the belief systems that define and maintain our societies impact the planet and influence our survival. Register for this free virtual Kennedy Library Forum to receive an email reminder with a viewing link before the event.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
MIT: AI and the Work of the Future Congress
Join MIT’s Task Force on WOTF, MIT CSAIL, and MIT Digital for this year’s Congress which will be a virtual event highlighting research findings from the MIT Task Force on WOTF’s final report that will be released in November. Given the rapidly changing environment brought on by Covid-19, this topic is more important and relevant that ever.
Disinformation and Digital Citizenship: Disinformation and Election Psychology
Disinformation and Digital Citizenship is a Learning Circle that meets weekly to discuss disinformation and its effect on civic institutions and society during an election year. Learning circles are small groups of individuals who explore and area of shared interest through discussion in a collaborative, friendly and mutually supportive environment.
Managing Climate Risk in the US Financial System
This webinar will be given by Robert Litterman, Chairman of the Risk Committee and Founding Partner, Kepos Capital, and Stephen Moch, MBA and MPP candidate at HBS and HKS. It is part of M-RCBG”s weekly Business and Government Seminar series. Registration is required.
Harvard Kennedy School of Business/Mossavar-Rahmani center for Business and Government
Interrupting Hatred Can Save Someone’s Life
This presentation, part of the Town of Lexington’s No Hate November series, will focus on lessons learned after the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Vincent Chen. The event is co-sponsored by the Lexington Human Rights Committee, Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, Chinese American Association of Lexington.
The Future of Higher Education
As schools around the country plan, react, and adapt during the Covid-19 pandemic, the presidents of Greater Washington’s top universities will gather virtually to discuss health and safety, diversity and inclusion, and budgeting and development of the future of higher education. Join the Washington Business Journal for a look behind the scenes with the decision makers.
AARP Innovation Labs’ Innovation Challenges
AARP Innovation Labs and Mass Challenge HealthTech are excited to offer themed innovation challenges. Do you have an innovative entertainment solution that curates the fun in life for older adults? We are highly encouraging our 50+ entrepreneurs and founders to apply to this challenge.
AARP Innovation Labs and Mass Challenge HealthTech
Virtual Job Fair: MassHire Central Region Honors Our Veterans
Virtual Job Fair featuring 45 employers from diverse industries throughout Central Massachusetts. Free and open to the public and veterans!
MassHire Central Region Career Centers
17th Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Awards: Celebrating 2020’s Massachusetts Corporate Heroes
With our Corporate Heroes Award, MassEcon will honor a sampling of employers, large and small, in every region of the state, that reflect the spirit of Massachusetts businesses to solve problems, serve their communities and provide for the livelihoods of their workers. Register: https://massecon.z2systems.com/np/clients/massecon/eventRegistration.jsp?event=61&
Inno on Fire
The Inno on Fire Awards is our annual celebration of innovators, big and small, people, and organizations in Boston. What makes a company or individual on fire? We are looking at startups that have had a banner year, people and companies with hew funding, recent product launches, hot hires, innovative approaches to solving problems, and creative leaders who think out of the box.
WBJ Central MA Health Care Forum
Healthcare Post Pandemic: The Covid-19 pandemic has not only claimed over 200,000 lives in our country, but has been a disruptive force to many industries, including healthcare. Join us for this timely and informative webcast where our panel of experts will discuss what has changed since the beginning of the pandemic and what lies ahead.
The State of Innovation: Electrification presented by Analog Devices
Across the network, Innos State of Innovations meetups focus on a specific industry, category, theme or individual and will feature a keynote, fireside chat, panel, pitch, demo or a combination of the five. Join us for a conversation with local innovators and experts.
2020 Women Who Mean Business
Join us as we celebrate outstanding women at our fourth Women Who Mean Business awards program. These women represent the scale of business in Greater Boston and have demonstrated significant growth in their companies.
Boston Business Journal and Webster Bank
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Amazon plans new delivery station, sorting center in Mass. – Boston Business Journal
Massachusetts
Commuters rally to save ferry service – Patriot Ledger
Methuen firefighter sues for sex discrimination – Eagle-Tribune
Scanlon to step down from North Attleboro council early – Sun Chronicle
Nation
Election officials nationwide find no fraud – New York Times
House will vote on cannabis legalization in December – Politico
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