Happening Today
Health insurance sign-up, DOT-MBTA meeting, and more
10 a.m. | U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders and Health Connector executive director Louis Gutierrez join the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council to launch a ‘final push’ to encourage people to sign up for health insurance ahead of Friday’s open enrollment deadline.
12 p.m. | Department of Transportation Board of Directors and MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board hold a joint virtual meeting, the final scheduled meeting for the FMCB before its statutory authority expires at the end of the month, with possible agenda topics including the status of the Green Line Extension.
1 p.m. | Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure reviews 19 bills proposing reforms to the Massachusetts Lottery and charitable issues.
1 p.m. | Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery meets to consider 16 bills concerning equity and parity in mental and behavioral health care systems.
6 p.m. | Joint Committee on Redistricting holds virtual hearing for residents of the First Congressional District.
For the most comprehensive list of calendar items, check out State House News Service’s Daily Advances (pay wall – free trial subscriptions available).
Today’s Stories
Mass vaccine sites rack up a lot of jabs
Just like they (sometimes) do in football, the Patriots lead the pack. Well, their home field, Gillette Stadium, that is. And it takes the top spot in total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered among the state’s mass vaccination sites, according to data provided to MassterList by the state’s COVID-19 Command Center.
The numbers MassterList obtained are interesting because they show just how much residents relied on the mass vaccination sites since the Baker administration first emphasized their use early on in their vaccine campaign. The site in Foxborough closed last Monday and two more — Hynes Convention Center and Natick Mall — are slated to shutter their doors this week.
The state recorded over 1.76 million total doses administered at the eight mass vaccination sites, according to data last updated on June 17. Gillette Stadium topped the leaderboard with 609,247 total doses administered, just over 247,000 ahead of the Hynes Convention Center site.
The closing of the mass vaccination sites marks a shift in the administration’s vaccine strategy from large venues that can process thousands of people to hyper-focused community outreach.
Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders likened the change in approach to managing a political campaign. “Think of it almost as like a political campaign but instead of political canvassing, we’re vaccine canvassing,” she said at a virtual forum at the start of the month.
Sudders also announced over the weekend that 4.1 million residents are now fully vaccinated.
Here’s the rest of the data: 361,774 at Hynes Convention Center; 195,925 at the Danvers Double Tree; 176,563 at the Eastfield Mall in Springfield; 163,097 at the Reggie Lewis Center;127,425 at the Natick Mall; 55,581 at Fenway; and 75,027 at the former Circuit City in Dartmouth.
Boston’s election-year makeover
There’s been a lot of movement in Massachusetts politics of late. Think about it … a contingent is seeking statewide offices and several across the state have made their way to Washington. Another casualty? Jasper Goodman for the Boston Globe writes how the Boston mayoral race is set to usher in “the biggest election year makeover to the Boston City Council in over two decades.”
Get to New York in under two hours?
Ever thought four hours to New York wasn’t fast enough? Lawmakers from New England and New York — including the state’s entire House delegation — seem to agree with you as they lobby for a $105 billion proposal to install a bullet train that could cut the trip down to under two hours, reports WBUR’s Callum Borchers.
Not holding back: Moulton calls Congressional conspiracy theorists ‘traitors’
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton let it fly when asked his thoughts on fellow members of Congress who spent last week amplifying a right-wing conspiracy theory suggesting the FBI helped organize the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Christina Zhou at Newsweek reports Moulton accused three GOP reps of being ‘traitors’ and said they were attempting to ‘whitewash history.’
Where you live may not matter in this case
Despite Sen. Adam Hinds and his family buying a $690,000 house in Amherst that they plan to stay at a majority of their time, his declaration of homestead in the town “won’t necessarily disqualify him” from seeking another term as state senator, writes Berkshire Eagle’s Danny Jin.
Coalition opposes ride-share companies’ campaigns
A new coalition opposing campaigns by Uber, Lyft, and Doordash that “undermine civil rights, wages, and benefits” of workers in the state plans to launch Tuesday with a slate of speakers scheduled for an event outside the State House, Boston Business Journal’s Don Seiffert reports.
How happy are you?
It’s an odd question and one that doesn’t often make its way into political messaging. But Sean Philip Cotter at the Boston Herald reports how Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey and City Councilor Michelle Wu are working in themes of “joy” and “play” into their campaigns.
Executives making an exit at Wormtown Brewery
Executives at Wormtown Brewery are making an exit as company officials investigate claims of inappropriate sexual and racist comments, Boston Globe’s Janelle Nanos reports.
More from Nanos: “Two former employees are considering legal action against Wormtown, saying they were victims of discrimination. The dramatic fallout at Wormtown comes amid an international reckoning over the way women and other underrepresented groups have been treated in the largely white, male-dominated craft beer industry.”
From Boston Business Journal’s Jessica Bartlett: “The CEO of Lord Hobo Brewing Co. and all but one executive of Wormtown Brewery have become the latest local brewers to step down amid a #metoo movement that has echoed across the nation’s craft-beer companies.”
Marine reservist found guilty in Hollis case
A Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary found a U.S. Marine reservist guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2019 death of Emerson College student Daniel Hollis, MassLive’s Scott J. Croteau reports. Camilo Fonseca at the college’s student newspaper The Berkeley Beacon has additional details.
‘Missing a historic opportunity’
Citing a broken public health system, Boston Globe’s Kay Lazar reports that local public health officials are griping at what they say is Gov. Charlie Baker’s lack investment into a “tattered public health system.”
‘Slippery slope’: Taunton mayor refuses to fly Pride flag
No ‘causes.’ Taunton Mayor Shauna O’Connell has said a resounding ‘no’ to calls for a Pride flag to fly outside City Hall, saying doing so would set a bad precedent leading to a ‘slippery slope,’ Susannah Sudborough at the Taunton Gazette reports. As Sudborough notes, O’Connell, a Republican, has a history of inflammatory rhetoric around some LGBT issues, including when she took a strong stance against the state’s so-called ‘bathroom bill’ when she was a state representative back in 2016.
‘Dead money’: Methuen council eyes probe of 2018 school deficit
Should they go back in time? Some members of the Methuen City Council are pushing for a possible audit of town finances going back to 2017, when a massive school budget deficit — the long-term impacts of which will continue to show up in annual budgets for years to come — prompted the Department of Revenue to step in to oversee local spending, Bill Kirk of the Eagle-Tribune reports.
Not this year: Salem State delays campus buildout, blames lack of state funds
Maybe next year. Salem State University says it will press pause on a plan to invest $60 million on laboratory and classroom upgrades after state officials skipped over the school in allocating this year’s construction funding, and will focus instead on plans to partner with a private developer to rebuild part of its campus instead, Dustin Luca of the Salem News reports.
Cape officials in search of temporary housing
The housing crisis on the Cape is bad, one local housing advocate told Cynthia McCormick of the Cape Cod Times. So bad, that officials are looking for immediate solutions like winterizing motel rooms and trailers.
Fighting fire with fire
Pop. Bang. Boom. You’re not reading a fight scene in a comic book. No, it’s the city of Worcester announcing that they are going to take “proactive measures” to clamp down on the use of illegal fireworks, reports Richard Duckett at the Telegram & Gazettte.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Boston-area revelers celebrate Juneteenth in its first year as a national holiday – Boston Globe
Lynn schools put $60,000 toward mental health – Lynn Item
Massachusetts
St. Vincent Hospital nurses strike officially second longest in state history – Telegram & Gazette
Region experiencing severe blood supply shortage, according to American Red Cross – Sun Chronicle
Nation
The economy isn’t going back to February 2020. Fundamental shifts have occurred. – Washington Post
Trump endorses Murkowski challenger – Politico
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