Happening Today
Gaming Commission, Gillette vax site closes, and more
9:30 a.m. | Gaming Commission meets for an update on the reopening of the state’s slots parlor and casinos.
10 a.m. | Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion meets virtually with an agenda that includes remarks from Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Dr. Atyia Martin, CEO and founder of AllAces, Inc., and Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey
12 p.m. | The mass vaccination site at Gillette Stadium administers its final doses before closing down as the Baker administration continues to shift its vaccine campaign to focus on more local and targeted outreach.
1 p.m. | Elder Affairs Committee holds virtual public hearing on bills affecting assisted living and retirement communities.
1 p.m. | Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee holds virtual public hearing on a docket of bills topped by Gov. Baker’s licensing accountability proposal.
For the most comprehensive list 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
And then there were two…
Harvard Professor Danielle Allen is reportedly launching her campaign for governor on Tuesday, making her the first Black woman to run for the state’s top office as a major party candidate. Boston Globe’s Emma Platoff had the news last night as well as Politico’s Lisa Kashinsky.
Allen, a Democrat, is now the second candidate to formally jump into the 2022 gubernatorial contest after exploring the possibility of a run over the past few months. Former state Senator Ben Downing, a Democrat, launched his campaign in February and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, also a Dem, is exploring a bid.
MassGOP wants to know if it can cover candidate’s legal fees…
Can the Massachusetts Republican Party use its own funds to cover attorney fees for candidates facing legal actions initiated by a state agency? MassGOP lawyer David Carr reached out to the Office of Campaign Finance to figure out the question, writes the Boston Globe’s Matt Stout, who adds that it’s not clear who the party is trying to help out.
It’s worth noting that OCPF said it had evidence that Republican Sen. Ryan Fattman, Party Chair Jim Lyons, Worcester County Register of Probate and Ryan Fattman’s wife Stephanie Fattman may have broken campaign finance laws last year and referred them to Attorney General Maura Healey’s office. All three have denied any wrongdoing.
Duff leaves auditor’s race, cites family health situation
Gloucester Democrat and Governor’s Councilor Eileen Duff withdrew from the 2022 state auditor’s race Friday, saying a family health situation “left her unable to justify the time commitment of a statewide run,” writes SHNS’s Katie Lannan. That leaves Sen. Diana DiZoglio as a declared candidate and Transportation for Massachusetts Executive Director Chris Dempsey fundraising for a campaign.
Far out: U.S. Space Force stakes claim on Cape Cod base
They’re here. As of Friday, the Bourne military encampment known since it opened in 1979 as Cape Cod Air Force Station officially became Cape Cod Space Force Station, a renaming that officials say both helps build culture and identity for the new military branch formed under President Trump and shows adversaries the U.S. has its eyes on the skies, Beth Treffeisen of the Cape Cod Times reports.
‘Something’s fishy’
Remember on Friday when Massachusetts Twitter, local media, and pretty much anybody who didn’t live under a rock stopped dead in their tracks to read about the wild story of veteran lobster diver Michael Packard getting swallowed by a whale? Well, The New York Post’s Kerry Byrne and Julia Marsh are jumping into the mix with an interview with a Cape Cod Hospital emergency room doctor — not named in the story — who is questioning the entire ordeal.
If you didn’t happen to see or read the story, here’s a recap from Doug Fraser over at the Cape Cod Times. In short, Packard was off Herring Cove Beach and was “swallowed whole by a humpback whale,” Fraser writes. Oh, and if the story couldn’t get any crazier, Boston.com’s Nik DeCosta-Klipa shares a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” post where Packard says he also survived a plane crash in Costa Rica and found a missing person’s dead body in the ocean.
Steamship Authority up and running
After falling victim to a ransomware attack at the start of the month, the Massachusetts Steamship Authority announced Saturday that its website is once again functional for reservations. MassLive’s Melissa Hanson has the update.
Michlewitz on redistricting bill
House Ways and Means Chair Rep. Aaron Michlewitz went on WCVB’s “On The Record” Sunday morning where he defended a redistricting proposal that would allow the Legislature to craft state and federal electoral districts before municipalities draw precincts.
The bill passed the House Thursday and started a bit of a tiff between Democratic legislators and Secretary of State William Galvin as SHNS’s Chris Lisinski reported Friday. Galvin criticized the proposal as a way to protect incumbents while Democratic lawmakers like Michlewitz say census delays require a timeline change.
Worcester councilors asked not to come to officer’s funeral by widow
The widow of late Worcester Police Officer Enmanuel Familia asked three city councilors not to attend his funeral in part because of their positions on police reform. From MassLive’s Noah R. Bombard: “The widow of Worcester Police Officer Enmanuel “Manny” Familia says a decision to ask three Worcester city councilors not to attend the funeral services for her husband came from her and was consistent with her husband’s wishes.”
To accept or not to accept?
That’s the question Boston mayoral hopefuls are facing regarding police union endorsements months before voters head to the polls. Boston Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter dissects which candidates will take them, which won’t, and what the unions themselves think about the situation.
Hint: Andrea Campbell and Michelle Wu aren’t in the “seeking” category.
On the docket? Harvard admissions case could get Supreme treatment
The U.S. Supreme Court could decide as soon as today to hear arguments in the admissions discrimination case brought by Asian American students against Harvard University — a case that could dramatically alter the state of college admissions nationwide. Mark Sherman of the Associated Press has the details, via WBUR.
COVID-19 Numbers: No new deaths
The state recorded zero new COVID-19 deaths Sunday for only the fourth time since the state started reporting death counts. NBC10 Boston has the numbers: 33 new cases and 17,576 total deaths.
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.
‘Indefensible and Unethical’
Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers board of directors called the Berkshire district Attorney Andrea Harrington’s attempt to remove a district court judge from the bench “an indefensible and unethical effort to circumvent fair process,” report Amanda Burke and Jimmy Nesbitt at The Berkshire Eagle.
Heavy hitters: Eyeing appeals, Correia hires new legal team
He’s making a fresh start. Former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia has replaced his defense team as he prepares to appeal his conviction on 21 federal counts, Jo C. Goode of the Herald News reports. Correia’s new team includes William Fick, who led the appeal team for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Daniel Marx, who worked on the case of Michelle Carter after she was convicted on manslaughter charges for urging her boyfriend to commit suicide.
Blow it up: Attleboro councilor says state’s fireworks ban has to go
Now’s the time. Attleboro City Councilor Diana Holmes says she is ready to organize a statewide push for a ballot question that could clear the way to end the Bay State’s ban on consumer fireworks — and says the end of the pandemic is the perfect time for the policy change. George Rhodes of the Sun Chronicle reports Massachusetts is the only state in the country that still outlaws personal pyrotechnics.
Four more years? LaChapelle says she’ll seek re-election as mayor of Easthampton
She’s looking to double down. Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle says she’ll run for a third term and her bid to become the city’s first-ever mayor to serve a four-year term is challenger-free so far, Jacquelyn Voghen of the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports.
A brief introduction
Let’s break from the news for a quick moment to formally introduce myself as the new editor and co-author of Massterlist. My name is Chris Van Buskirk, and I’ve been reporting from Beacon Hill for the State House News Service for over a year now. Before that, I was a part-timer at the News Service and a student at Emerson College.
I’m looking forward to bringing you the news each morning and wish the best of luck to my predecessor Jay Fitzgerald, who has done a wonderful job with the newsletter for the past five years. There are some new ideas in the works for Massterlist but for now feel free to reach out to me with any ideas, tips, or news at editorial@massterlist.com or on Twitter.
PDIA in Action: Radicalization in France
As part of MLD103M, students at HKS spent 7 weeks working on exploring radicalization in France, and to help identify ideas and entry points. In this presentation, the student team and their authorizer will share some of their key takeaways and recommendations from this experience. Please register in advance to attend this event.
The Black Liberation Front Q&A
The Black Liberation Front (BLF) was formed in 1971 and to date was one of the most active and impactful Black Power organizations in Britain. In 2017 the Young Historians Project interviewed 9 former members of the BLF to capture their stories and created a 38 minute documentary and a multi-panel exhibition for people to learn and be inspired by this history.
Jefferson’s West: Lewis, Clark, and Native Americans
This presentation will discuss Thomas Jefferson’s reasons for proposing this expedition and the goals of reaching the Pacific and establishing trade and diplomacy with an array of Native peoples on the way to the West Coast. It will describe the challenges that the expedition faced and the role of Native peoples in helping or hindering its progress.
AAPI Community and Allies Series: Acknowledging “We”
This series of 4 workshops is for the members of the AAPI community and anybody else wanting to take a deep dive into understanding their personal cultural identity in America and exploring how they can become a better ally at this important time in history. Share the obstacles that we face individually and collectively as a result of our cultural identities and the harm we have sustained.
National Conflict Resolution Center
Virtual Summit: Continuing Threats to Free and Fair Elections
Elections are more than ballots, polling places, and voting machines. The human component of administering elections was exposed to unthinkable stress and attack during the 2020 cycle. It nearly reached the breaking point. The Brennan Center, the Ash Center, and the Bipartisan Policy Center invite you to explore the challenges to voting in America and necessary solutions.
Legal Pride 2021: The Past, Present, and Future of LGBT+ Rights
Please join us for a very special part of our Legal Pride 2021 celebration where we explore the past, the present, and the future of LGBT+ rights and activism in the United Kingdom and across the globe.
Best Places to Work – Virtual Event
For 2021 we will be celebrating Boston Business Journal’s Best Places To Work with a fun filled virtual celebration – stay tuned for details! Best Places To Work is all about celebrating and creating memorable experiences for your employees. We hope you can join us as we honor the 2021 BPTW!
Juneteenth: A Story of Freedom
Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day in 1865 (June 19th) when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed—a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and more than two months after America’s Civil War “officially” ended.
North Carolina Museum of History
A Conversation with Angela Davis
Join a live conversation with activist and scholar Angela Davis, who has been deeply involved in our nation’s quest for social justice for decades. The Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at UC Santa Cruz has also taught at UC Berkeley, UCLA, the Claremont Colleges, Stanford, and other universities.
Whither the GOP? 2 Republican Stalwarts Discuss Its Future
Michael Steele, an American conservative political commentator, attorney and former chairperson of the Republican National Committee, and William “Bill” Kristol, neoconservative political commentator and editor at large at Bulwark, discuss the future of the Republican party.
Jews United for Democracy and Justice and Community Advocates
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Governing Paradise: Noho’s Recovery Would be Sciarra’s Biggest Campaign Yet… – WMASSPI
Massachusetts
All aboard! Vax Express coming to Lawrence – Eagle-Tribune
Judge upholds ban on recreational marijuana shops in Bourne – Cape Cod Times
Nation
Why Has Local News Collapsed? Blame Readers – Politico
How to Contact MASSterList
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