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MCCA Board of Directors, CCC meeting, and more
Today | U.S. Census Bureau recently released population data for redistricting purposes in what the agency described as its “legacy format.” That format was not of much use to many people and the federal agency on Thursday plans to provide the same data in what is calls an “easier-to-use format.”
Today | Rep. Brad Hill, the Ipswich Republican who has served as second-in-command of the House minority caucus, begins his new job as a member of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
10 a.m. | Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Board of Directors meets virtually for the first time since July.
10 a.m. | Cannabis Control Commission holds its September business meeting, at which it is likely to process dozens of license renewals, final license approvals and new business applications.
11 a.m. | House holds an informal session and Senate meets without a calendar.
Today’s Stories
Catching up on the other local elections from Tuesday
After the much anticipated preliminary election in Boston, Councilors Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu secured the top two spots and advanced to the November election. But there were also city council and mayoral elections across the state that are very much worth watching.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what else happened in Boston and across the state:
The two incumbent at-large Boston City Councilors — Michael Flaherty and Julia Mejia — topped the field of 17 candidates working for a spot on the Nov. 2 ballot, reports the Dorchester Reporter. Rothzee Louijeune and Erin Murphy also appeared to make the top four.
In Worcester’s District 5 race, housing advocate Etel Haxhiaj and retired state trooper Gregory Stratman advance to the November ballot, reports Telegram & Gazette’s Steven H. Foskett Jr. Foskett also reports that police officer and union leader Richard Cipro will take on Sean Rose in November for the District 1 City Council seat.
Boston Globe’s Tiana Woodard and Julia Carlin report that Boston at-large candidates Carla Monteiro, Althea Garrison, David Halbert, and Bridget Nee-Walsh also earned spots on the November ballot.
Brockton Enterprise’s Susannah Sudborough reports that incumbent Mayor Robert Sullivan earned the most votes in the city’s preliminary election followed by Councilor-at-large Tina Cardoso. They’ll face off in November.
Salem’s four-term Mayor Kim Driscoll will go up against Steve Dibble, reports Salem News’ Dustin Luca. Luca also has a rundown of the results for the various city council seats.
Newton-Tab’s Julie M. Cohen reports that incumbent Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and former Councilor-at-Large Amy Mah Sangiolo will go head to head in November.
Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini and City Councilor Colin LePage secured the top two spots in the city’s first mayoral preliminary in more than a decade, reports Eagle-Tribune’sMike LaBella. Fiorentini is seeking a 10th term in office.
Medford Transcripts Kinga Borondy reports incumbent Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn will face City Councilor John Falco in November.
Nangle gets 15 months in federal prison
Former state Rep. David Nangle is looking at hard time. Lowell Sun’s Alana Melanson reports that a U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel sentenced Nangle to 15 months in federal prison and two years supervised release on corruption charges during a Wednesday hearing. The former representative must report for his prison term on Nov. 1.
More from Melanson: “Zobel said she understood Nangle’s gambling addiction was at the heart of his illegal acts and that the two dozen or so letters that Nangle’s relatives, friends and constituents provided in support of him persuaded her that he was a kind and caring man who had done good things for people in the community.”
‘Nothing went wrong in Boston’
That’s the message from Secretary of State William Galvin after delays in the release of preliminary election results in Boston. Boston Globe’s Jeremy C. Fox, John R. Ellement, and Emma Platoff report that a surge in mail-in and drop box ballots slowed the count though Galvin said accuracy rather than speed is the important benchmark in this situation.
“I wanted to make sure the integrity of the election process was beyond reproach. Orderly can sometimes be slow, and it was, but that doesn’t mean it’s incorrect,’” Galvin told the Globe.
MassDOT ‘mobilizes’ emergency contract to secure stairs
More details are emerging about the stairs through which a Boston University professor fell through and died. Boston Herald’s Rick Sobey reports that the Department of Transportation said in January 2020 the structure was fenced in, a cement barricade was installed, and a sign placed by the MBTA stating the stairs would be closed. MassDOT also “mobilized an emergency contract to further secure the site.”
David Jones, 40, was a father of three and an associate professor in BU’s Department of Health, Law, Policy, and Management. A GoFundMe set up for his family has raised more than $116,000. Jones is remembered as a loving, kind, and considerate person, reports Nathan Lederman of The Daily Free Press, BU’s student newspaper.
Leading the charge: Healey, 23 fellow attorneys general challenge Texas abortion law
Attorney General Maura Healey announced Wednesday she was leading a coalition of her counterparts from 23 other states in filing a legal brief in support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s challenge of Texas’ new abortion law, Erin Tiernan of the Herald reports.
A harsh reality became crystal clear on Boston’s election night
While history will be made no matter who wins Boston’s Nov. 2 mayoral election, the promise of the city’s first Black mayor and the pivotal moment that would bring for Black residents in the city vanished. Boston Globe’s Meghan E. Irons and Zoe Greenberg report that the path forward seen in Janey and the two other viable candidates — Andrea Campbell and John Barros — didn’t play out on election night.
More from the Globe duo: “It was not supposed to end this way. But as Tuesday night came to a close, the harsh reality that many people in the Black community had hoped they would not face became crystal clear. There will be no Black candidate in the general election.”
Deal struck: Insurrection defendant from North Adams accepts plea deal
North Adams resident Brian P. McCreary will accept a plea deal from federal prosecutors over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, admitting that he entered the building without authorization and likely avoiding jail time, the Berkshire Eagle’s Amanda Burke reports.
Meanwhile, Hadley Barndollar of the USA Today Network has an update on where the cases of all 12 of the New England residents charged so far in connection with the insurrection stand.
Firefighters criticize decision to keep PFAS in gear
Regional firefighters are criticizing a decision by a Quincy-based association that sets national fire safety standards for allowing PFAS to remain in the manufacture of protective gear, reports WCAI’s Eve Zuckoff. The National Fire Protection Association decision means a cancer-causing chemical will remain required in firefighting gear.
Zuckoff explains that the middle layer of firefighting gear needs to withstand 40 hours of continuous UV light, and passing that essentially requires textiles containing PFAS. The association said removing the test could pose risks to firefighter safety and said a task force will make a recommendation at a later date on PFAS in gear.
A successful $495,000 bet
How often does a bet pay off? Well, for New Balance Chairman Jim Davis, a $495,000 gamble on Annissa Essaibi George paid off after she took second place in the Boston mayoral preliminary election, reports Boston Globe’s Shirley Leung. The billionaire put the money into a super PAC backing Essaibi George.
More from Leung: “Deep-pocketed donors, both local and national, have already spent nearly $4.2 million to fund mayoral super PACs, according to state campaign filings. In a race loaded with big spenders, Davis is the single largest individual donor so far, according to an analysis of available filings.”
Not happening: Standoff suspect seeks compensation, written apologies from state leader
He wants written apologies — and $1,000 a day for his troubles. Adam Gaffin of Universal Hub reports that Jamhal Talib Abdullah Bey, the leader of a group of Moorish citizens arrested in July, is claiming his Second Amendment rights mean he and his fellow travelers were not breaking any laws when they drove through the Bay State with an arsenal of heavy weapons and wants written apologies from Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey and $1,000 in compensation for every day he spends behind bars.
SJC upholds verdict against cigarette company
The Supreme Judicial Court upheld a jury verdict that cigarette company Philip Morris must pay $21 million to the family of a Lynn man who died from smoking-related causes, reports CommonWealth’s Shira Schoenberg. The suit was brought by Pamela Laramie, the widow of Fred Laramie, who died from lung cancer in 2016 at the age of 59.
More from Schoenberg: “A central issue in the case is whether individuals can sue a cigarette maker for damages or whether individual suits are precluded by a 1998 multi-state settlement that states, including Massachusetts, entered into with Philip Morris and other tobacco manufacturers. The Massachusetts attorney general had sued Philip Morris and other companies for deceiving consumers about the health risks of smoking, seeking to recover money the state had paid for smoking-related health care.”
Barnstable County Commissioners oppose proposed machine gun range
There’s additional opposition to a proposed machine gun range at the Massachusetts Army National Guard’s Joint Base Cape Cod. Cape Cod Times’ Jeannette Hinkle reports that the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners voted to send a pair of letters to state regulators that expresses their disagreement with the project and willingness to take legal action if necessary.
Starting over: Oak Bluffs renews effort to ban mopeds as war of words continues
After a long simmer, this issue is coming to a boil. Voters in the town of Oak Bluffs will soon consider whether to submit another home-rule petition seeking to ban moped rentals in the wake of a recent fatal accident — even as local officials and the state legislative delegation remain locked in a war of words over why past attempts have fizzled out once they reached Beacon Hill. Brian Dowd of the Martha’s Vineyard Times reports on the continuing back-and-forth.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
‘Dire’ Mass and Cass situation costing Boston food bank $500K in security costs – WCVB
Workers at Darwin’s Ltd., a Group of Cambridge Cafes, Are Forming a Union – Eater Boston
Massachusetts
Ludlow rejects local mask mandate to curb COVID – MassLive
Nation
Warren, Daines introduce bill honoring 13 killed in Kabul attack – The Hill
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