Happening Today
SJC meets, MassGOP cookout, and more
9 a.m. | Supreme Judicial Court meets with five cases on its docket.
10 a.m. | Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations holds a hearing on a citizen petition (Docket #0896) that would revert the Boston School Committee back to an elected body instead of an appointed one.
12 p.m. | Sen. Eric Lesser holds a livestreamed discussion with Col. Joseph Janik, commander of the 439th Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, in honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
3:30 p.m. | Salem State University holds a ceremony to rename its central campus to “Harrington Campus” in honor of the institution’s 12th president, Dr. Nancy Harrington, who died earlier this year.
5:30 p.m. | Massachusetts Republican Party Veterans Coalition holds a cookout and fundraiser at MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyon’s family barn in Andover.
Today’s Stories
Looking back to what happened two decades ago
Citizens across the country will likely take a moment out of their day tomorrow to think back to where they were 20 years ago when the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York crumbled to the ground and nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks have shaped the last two decades through a nearly 20-year war on terror in Afghanistan and a drastic change in national security and foreign policy in the country.
The anniversary holds particular weight in Massachusetts as both planes — United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 — that hit the towers took off from Boston’s Logan International Airport.
The Legislature held moments of silence Thursday in each branch with the House commemorating lives lost, including the 205 Massachusetts residents or natives who died, and the Senate honoring the late Lawrence native Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, who died during explosions in Afghanistan at the end of August along with 12 other service members.
While many MassterList readers probably remember exactly where they were that day, it’s worth highlighting once more WBUR’s Dan Guzman’s story on a generation that grew up in the post-9/11 world without having witnessed the catastrophic event. Telegram & Gazette’s Marco Cartolano spoke to social studies and history teachers in Central Massachusetts about what it’s like to teach students about 9/11.
And if you haven’t already seen it, a team at the USA Today network, including journalists from the Providence Journal and Cape Cod Times, asked people all across New England to reflect on the defining moment.
‘What corruption … looks like’
New court documents released Thursday describe how former Rep. David Nangle allegedly used thousands of dollars from his campaign account to pay for personal expenses, defrauded a bank to get loans, and collected income he didn’t report to the IRS, reports MassLive’s Cassie McGrath. Nangle has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements to a bank, and filing false tax returns.
Here is a partial quote from the court documents McGrath included in the story: “Nangle is before this Court because year after year, Nangle repeatedly showed a lack of judgment and lack of respect for the law, and he routinely engaged in conduct that he knew was in violation of the law. Year after year, he lied on his taxes and committed tax fraud. Month after month, he stole from his campaign account and committed wire fraud.”
Pelosi and McGovern visit Worcester
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined U.S. Rep. James McGovern in Worcester Thursday to highlight support for children and families in the American Rescue Plan, the impact of child tax credits, and efforts by Democrats in Congress to keep these provisions alive, reports Telegram & Gazette’s Marco Cartolano. The pair visited the Rainbow Child Development Center, talked to preschool children, and even sung the ABCs with the children.
Getting out: Harvard to divest from fossil fuels
They’re in ‘runoff mode.’ Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced Thursday that the university would wind down its $42 billion endowment’s investments in the fossil fuel industry, scoring a high-profile victory for divestment proponents after years of pressure from the student body, faculty groups and outside organizations. Jasper Goodman and Kelsey Griffin of The Crimson and Kevin Crowley of Bloomberg have the details.
Waiting in frustration on the first day of school
A team of Boston Globe journalists fanned out across the city Thursday as kids started their first day of school. What did they find? Parents waiting in frustration for school buses that either showed up late or not at all.
More from the Globe’s Felicia Gans, Naomi Martin, and Bianca Vázquez Toness: “Parents took to Twitter to vent about last-minute notices warning them their children’s bus routes had no drivers. In Mattapan, a group of elementary-school-aged siblings gave up waiting and took the T, while some parents decided to drive their children to school.”
COVID Numbers: 2,096 new cases
Massachusetts state health officials reported 2,096 new cases, a 2.48 percent positivity rate, and 18 confirmed deaths. Check out the Department of Public Health’s daily dashboard for more details.
Flags honoring lives lost during 9/11 damaged, knocked over
A swath of flags in Boston’s Public Garden planted to honor those who lost their lives during the 9/11 terrorist attack were knocked over and damaged, reports Boston Herald’s Meghan Ottolini, who adds that Boston police are investigating the incident as a possible act of vandalism. Project 351 and the Mass 9/11 Fund planted 2,997 flags Wednesday, each one symbolizing a life lost. The flags have since been repaired.
Teed up: Amherst regional schools poised to mandate Covid vaccine for students
Go right ahead. The Amherst Board of Health has given the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District the green light to mandate that all eligible students receive the Covid-19 vaccine, Jim Russell of MassLive reports. The district could be the first in the state–and among the first in the nation–to put the requirement in place.
The race to become Everett’s next mayor
Boston isn’t the only city with a heated mayoral election. GBH News’ Adam Reilly reports that the race to become the next mayor of Everett is shaping up to be a contest about identity and governing style. The contenders: Mayor Carlo DeMaria, who is seeking a sixth term, Gerly Adrien, the first Black woman on city council, and Fred Capone, also a city councilor.
As Reilly notes, a lot has changed since DeMaria last faced competition. A massive casino moved into the city, the pandemic hit the area particularly hard, and the Boston Globe reported in 2014 that four woman accused DeMaria of sexual harassment — claims he denies. The preliminary election is scheduled for Sept. 21 with the top two advancing to the final election in November.
Neal’s ‘moment:’ Bay State Rep. in spotlight as Democrats prep $3.5T spending bill
They’re off and running. Congressional Democrats have begun cobbling together the $3.5 trillion spending package promised by President Biden and the New York Times’ Jonathan Weisman and Emily Cochrane report U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, will find himself smack in the middle of what is likely to be a heated debate. The historical potential of the work was not lost on Neal, who kicked off the committee’s work by calling it “our moment to lay a new foundation of opportunity for the American people.”
Retired flight attendant ahead of schedule on journey to Ground Zero
A retired United Airlines flight attendant has been pushing a beverage cart from Boston to Ground Zero in honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and to pay tribute to the flight crew members who lost their lives that day. Boston Globe’s Emily Sweeney reports that Paul Veneto, 62, is ahead of schedule on his 220-mile journey and was in the Bronx Thursday morning.
Kicking the tires: World Cup officials will tour Gillette ahead of 2026 decision
Officials from FIFA, the international soccer organization, will be in Foxboro next week as they start a tour of potential host stadiums for the 2026 World Cup of Soccer to be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Tom Reilly of the Sun Chronicle reports Gillette is seen as a top contender to host matches since the stadium was home to group-stage games the last time the World Cup was in the U.S. in 1994.
Sunday public affairs TV: John Barros, Boston mayoral discussions, and more
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Ch. 4, 8:30 a.m. Guest is editor/publisher Bill Forry and managing editor Gin Dumcius of the Dorchester Reporter with analysis of Wednesday night’s mayoral debate and a preview of next Tuesday’s preliminary election.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
Census shows Dot, Mattapan remain the city’s ‘cradle of youth’ – Dorchester Reporter
Boston Fed president, stung by conflict-of-interest questions, will sell his stocks – Boston Globe
Massachusetts
Department of Correction finally hires ombudsman – CommonWealth Magazine
Springfield imposes mask mandate to curb COVID spread – MassLive
Nation
Republican governors threaten to sue over Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandates – Washington Post
Trump is already claiming the California recall is rigged – Politico
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