Happening Today
Senators talk infrastructure, more
11 a.m. | Sen. Ed Markey visits Groundwork Somerville’s Urban Farm and meets with their youth Green Team to hear about the organization’s work to mitigate climate impacts and address food insecurity in Somerville. He will be joined by Alexandra Lennon-Simon and Emily Reckard-Mota of Groundwork Somerville. Markey then plans to hold a press conference to discuss his climate priorities in the $3.5 trillion budget resolution and the implementation of a Civilian Climate Corps.
12:15 p.m. | The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce hosts a Worcester Green Corps closing ceremony, with Chamber President and CEO Timothy Murray, city leaders, program partners and Worcester Green Corps participants.
6 p.m. | U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren hosts an outdoor meet and greet to answer questions from constituents in Worcester about the work of the U.S. Senate. Warren’s office said it is the first in a series of similar events the senator plans to hold during the month of August.
Today’s Stories
Plus One: Boston likely to gain state rep seat under new Census data
It’s still the Hub, after all. Long-awaited and delayed Census data was finally released Thursday, marking the official kickoff of redistricting season and showing a continued trend of Bay State residents moving eastward and into urban areas.
The big winner may be the city of Boston, with Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin saying a first-look at the data suggests the city is in line to gain an additional seat in the state House of Representatives, Erin Tiernan of the Heraldreports.
Overall, the Bay State population grew 7.4 percent over the past decade, pushing over the 7 million resident mark for the first time ever, according to Emma Platoff of the Globe.
Shira Schoenberg of CommonWealth Magazine reports the eastward shift in population will likely mean that the two westernmost Congressional districts in the state will likely have to become larger when lawmakers convene to carve out new voting lines.
Another big winner in the population trends: Worcester. The state’s second-largest city saw its population rebound strongly, growing over the 200,000 resident level again and underscoring the city’s recent resurgence, Cyrus Moulton of the Telegram reports.
Springfield also held its own, maintaining a population above the 150,000 persons level that gives the city access to federal Community Development Block Grants, Jim Kinney of MassLive reports.
More on the local ins and outs of the Census data from Joe DiFazio of the Patriot Ledger, and George Brennan of the Martha’s Vineyard Times, who reports Dukes County on the island saw population soar 25 percent.
No change: Back in Bay State, Baker says no again to statewide mask mandate for schools
He’s leaving the door open just a crack. In his first public appearance since returning from a family vacation, Gov. Charlie Baker again said he sees no need for a statewide mandate ordering students wear masks in schools. Erin Tiernan of the Herald and Marc Fortier of NBC Boston report Baker is emphasizing local control but issued a caveat about how rapidly things can change when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.
They work: Baker says Provincetown outbreak proof that vaccines work
Meanwhile, Baker returned to touting the state’s high vaccination rate–number two in the country behind Vermont–and pointed to the recent Delta case outbreak in Provincetown as proof that the vaccines work, Katie Lannan of State House News Service reports.
Turn them over: AG sues Boston police over refusal to release White records
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy is suing the Boston Police Department after the agency refused to turn over documents related to Dennis White, the former police commissioner who was fired when decades-old domestic violence allegations against him surfaced. NBC10 Boston filed a public records request in March for internal affairs records on White, WBUR’s Ally Jarmanning and Nick Stoico of the Globe report. The department argues the documents are protected under laws that shield victims’ accounts of rape and domestic violence from the public eye, but Healy says those statements could have been redacted.
Either or: Janey mandates vaccines or testing for Boston workers
Pick one. Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey has announced that all city of Boston employees will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 or be subject to weekly testing, Christopher Gavin of Boston.com and Craig LeMoult of WGBH report. Fellow mayoral hopefuls were quick to applaud the move, though some wondered what took so long.
Second thoughts: Late-entrant Bellotti drops out of Quincy Council race
Last in, first out. Norfolk County Treasurer Michael Bellotti says he won’t actively campaign for a seat on the Quincy City Council just a couple weeks after he became a late entrant in the race, Mary Whitfil of the Patriot Ledger reports. Bellotti is citing the workload at his day job and family matters for the decision.
Buy something: Retailers hopeful that tax-free weekend does its thing
They’re already busy, but they’re not complaining. Jim Kinney of MassLive and Hafsa Quraishi of WBUR set the stage for the state’s sales tax-free weekend, noting that the Commonwealth will likely give up around $20 million in revenue in exchange for a boost for retailers, many of whom say things are already hopping when it comes to shopping.
Success: After years of effort, Belchertown State School building to become housing
A New York developer plans to build 100 mixed-income housing units on the grounds of the former Belchertown State School, a plan that both state and local officials have been pursuing for years, Jim Russell of MassLive reports.
Going up: Value of Amazon warehouses in Bellingham soars amid pandemic
Forget Amazon stock. Get yourself a piece of a warehouse. TheWorcester Business Journal reports two warehouses in Bellingham that house an Amazon distribution center recently sold for $93 million–a $20 million increase in value in about seven months.
Joining the pack: New vaccine mandate for employees at Boston museums
The Boston Children’s Museum and the Museum of Science will require employees to get the COVID-19 shot, citing concerns over the Delta variant. Employees at the Museum of Science must be vaccinated by Sept. 13 unless they have a valid religious or medical exemption, in which case twice-weekly testing is mandatory, the Boston Globe’s Anissa Gardizy reports. The institutions join a growing list of employers that are mandating the vaccine for workers.
Just keep swimming: State will designate funds to increase access to swim lessons
Officials are hoping to combat this summer’s surge in drownings with a new program that will designate $475,000 in funds for organizations and nonprofits to provide free beginner swim lessons. Groups that qualify and apply for the funding will be awarded a contract from the state, the State House News’ Michael P. Nortonreports. Priority will be given to organizations in environmental justice communities.
Sunday public affairs TV: Mayoral race, casino update, more
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Channel 4, 8:30 a.m. Guest is Father Richard McGowan of Boston College, gaming industry expert, discussing the state of Massachusetts casinos, the sports betting bill under discussion on Beacon Hill, and the problem of compulsive gambling.
This Week in Business, NECN, Sunday, 10 a.m., The rebound of the wedding industry with photographer Nelly Saraiva and D-J Chris Saraiva; the business of building a beverage brand with Tom First, Founder of Nantucket Nectars & Culture POP and Ryan Ayotte, Founder & CEO of Ohza; plus Boston Business Journal Editor Doug Banks on Delta’s impact on the return to work, the role of universities in the vax mandate push and why there are no female CEOs in the biggest 25 publicly traded companies in Massachusetts.
On The Record:, Sunday, 11 a.m. Guest: Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor and candidate for Mayor of Boston. Ed Harding and Janet Wu will host the show, with Democratic Political Analyst Mary Anne Marsh and Republican Political Analyst Virginia Buckingham, joining for the roundtable discussion.
CityLine, WCVB-TV Channel 5 Sunday 12 p.m., CityLine host Karen Holmes Ward spends an afternoon getting to know Asuncion ‘Sunny’ Cummings Hostin, co-host of ABC’s The View. She discusses being an Afro-Latina, growing up in the Bronx, some of her favorite interviews on The View and her New York Times best-selling novel ‘Summer on the Bluffs’ about a life-changing summer on Martha’s Vineyard.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Boston firefighters union calls new vaccine mandate a human-rights violation – Universal Hub
Officials pan plan to route air traffic over Swampscott – Salem News
Massachusetts
Great Barrington suing former tax collector for $150,000 she allegedly stole – Berkshire Eagle
Nantucket Clubs requiring proof of vaccine for entry – Inquirer & Mirror
Nation
How Schumer’s kept his Democrats in array — so far – Politico
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