Happening Today
Danvers mass-vax site closure, House session, Governor’s Council
The mass vaccination site at a Doubletree in Danvers closes down today, as previously announced by Gov. Charlie Baker.
10 a.m. | Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management holds virtual hearing on all legislation referred to it.
11 a.m. | The House plans to hold a formal session with plans to consider a Gov. Baker veto of project labor agreement language in legislation financing the reconstruction of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.
11 a.m. | The Governor’s Council interviews Timothy Dooling, a nominee for a six-year term on the Industrial Accidents Board, with Auditor Suzanne Bump planning to testify in support of Dooling’s confirmation, Council Chamber.
1 p.m. | Joint Committee on Elder Affairs holds virtual public hearing on bills related to nursing homes and rest homes.
Today’s Stories
Ex-House candidate indicted on campaign finance charges
Authorities indicted Abhijit Das, an ex-congressional candidate, Tuesday on two counts of making false statements and multiple counts violating federal campaign finance laws, reports Boston Herald’s Marie Szaniszlo. Das ran for the 3rd Congressional seat which was ultimately won by U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan.
‘A tough fix’
One of the central issues in the Boston mayoral race: how to fix a police department that has been embroiled in political turmoil for months. WBUR’s Ally Jarmanning breaks down what each candidate proposes to improve the Boston Police Department and includes several candid takes on the state of the force.
Seeking reinforcements: Pressley endorses Turner in Ohio special election
She’s hoping to expand the squad. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is the latest Democrat to publicly endorse Bernie Sanders acolyte Nina Turner in a special election for a congressional seat in Ohio, Aris Folley of The Hill reports. Pressley said Turner shares her belief in the power of progressive policies and in “legislating boldly.”
House sets up debate on union labor language
It’s on the chopping block. Gov. Charlie Baker’s push to nix language requiring union labor on a new Holyoke Soldiers’ Home will come up in the House Wednesday, reports SHNS’s Matt Murphy. House Democratic leadership asked members to be prepared to vote on Baker’s veto of project labor agreement language in the legislation financing the reconstruction of the soldiers’ home.
More from Murphy: “Baker’s budget office cautioned lawmakers on Tuesday that if they override the governor’s veto of a project labor agreement for the $400 million Holyoke Soldiers’ Home construction project they could be jeopardizing $260 million in federal reimbursement.”
‘Baptism and exorcism’
Authorities say a 19-year-old Duxbury man murdered his father in what the son called a “baptism and exorcism,” reports Boston Globe’s Kate Lusignan and John R. Ellement. More from the Lusignan and Ellement: “The younger Callahan allegedly told police that he was exorcising a demon named ‘Dirty Dan’ and that he had given his father a choice while both were in the pond — to go to heaven with him or to hell. “I believe he chose hell,” Callahan allegedly told police.”
New Boston committee looks to advocate for Black men
A new Boston Black Men’s Committee plans to advocate for civic engagement, increased economic and education opportunities, assistance for previously incarcerated people, and push for more attention to mental health concerns, reports GBH’s Adam Riley.
More from Riley: “Voting-rights activist Ron Bell decried national efforts aimed at restricting the right to vote, and said the committee would work to register 20,000 Black voters before this fall’s election — while giving them a crash course in civics.”
Is 8 enough? Former councilor latest to join Holyoke mayoral race
They’re going to need a bigger ballot. Former City Councilor Diosdado Lopez has pulled papers to seek the Holyoke mayor’s office, making him the eighth candidate to declare for the vacant seat. Dusty Christensen of the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports Lopez served as a councilor for two decades and was the first Latino ever elected to the council in the city back in 1991.
Study: Higher Black, Latinx voter and same-day voter registration
As Massachusetts continue to debate voting reforms, researchers from UMass Amherst and an England-based think tank presented data that links same-day voter registration with higher turnout among bother Black and Latinx voters, reports MassLive’s Ron Chimelis.
May the Fourth travel with you
This has nothing to do with Star Wars. It’s about a recurring theme over the past couple weeks — signs of normalcy as the state and country move past the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s comes via Telegram & Gazette’s Marco Cartolano, who reports that Independence Day travel is projected to near pre-pandemic levels in Massachusetts and the U.S.
Nipped: Mashpee ban on single-service booze bottles starts Thursday
No more reprieves. By a single vote, the Mashpee select board decided to go ahead with a local ban on the sale of nip bottles of alcohol first approved in November, saying any impacts on the town’s liquor stores is outweighed by the potential benefits of keeping hundreds of the tiny bottles from turning into litter. Jessica Hill of the Cape Cod Times reports Mashpee joins neighbor Falmouth in having bans on the books even as activists push for a statewide law.
Sue us already: Fall River board member suggests bus company lawyer up to get paid
Fall River School Committee member Kevin Aguiar says he stands by an email in which he suggested the district’s bus company should file a lawsuit against the city in order to recoup some $1.3 million in contracted payments lost due to the pandemic, Jo C. Goode of the Herald-News reports. Aguiar says he just wants a dialogue opened about how to make bus contractors whole now that federal relief funds have landed in city coffers.
Tour the State House … from the outside
Want a tour under the Golden Dome? You’ll still have to wait as the State House remains closed to the public. But Secretary of State William Galvin announced that his office will start offering outdoor tours starting in July, reports SHNS’s Chris Lisinski.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Brandeis ‘Potentially Oppressive Language’ List Raises Eyebrows – Patch
Nahant celebrates 75 percent vaccination rate – Lynn Item
Massachusetts
House eyes override of Baker veto on Holyoke Soldiers’ Home construction labor agreement – MassLive
Lawmakers plea for safety-net hospitals – Salem News
Hottest temperature ever recorded for western Massachusetts – WWLP
Nation
The House Votes To Remove Confederate Statues In The U.S. Capitol – NPR
A New Darkness Falls on the Trump Movement – Politico
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