Happening Today:
9 a.m. | Governor's Council interviews Gov. Charlie Baker's deputy legal counsel Lauren Greene Petrigno. Baker nominated Petrigno to serve as clerk magistrate of Stoughton District Court.
10 a.m. | Governor's Council interviews former Rep. Joseph McIntyre, nominated to serve as clerk magistrate of the Housing Court's Southeastern division.
11 a.m. | House and Senate meet in informal session.
11 a.m. | Governor's Council interviews New Bedford attorney Pamela Gauvin-Fernandes, nominated for clerk magistrate of Wrentham District Court.
5 p.m. | Candidates face a deadline to file districtwide recount petitions with Secretary of State Galvin's office in races where the margin is within one half of one percentage point.
Traveling for the holiday? You’re not alone. AAA Northeast predicts that 1.3 million Massachusetts residents will travel at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving to spend the day with family or friends. That’s up 2.4 percent from a year ago.
About 1.2 million of those travelers will be in cars, according to AAA Northeast, with today being the heaviest for traffic if you’re using I-93, I-95, I-90 or Route 3 to make your escape. With 56.4 million people expected to take to the roads and skies, AAA is actually predicting this to be the third busiest Thanksgiving for travel since the motor club started tracking in 2000.
“Families and friends are eager to spend time together this Thanksgiving, one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades,” says Mary Maguire, vice president of public and government affairs at AAA Northeast. “Plan ahead and pack your patience, whether you’re driving or flying.”
It’s a good thing gas prices have generally been moving in the right direction. The average price of a gallon of regular motor fuel in Massachusetts this morning was $3.79, almost 2-cents above the national average but down 6 cents from last week and a far cry from the $5 drivers were paying in June.
A year ago the average cost of gas was $3.423 per gallon.
The same can’t be said for home heating oil.
With electricity prices going way up this winter, oil bills are also bringing their own sticker shock.
According to the Department of Energy Resources, the average price for a gallon of home heating oil during the week of Nov. 14 was $5.78, with a high of $6.27 and a low of $5.30.
Those prices were also down 10 cents week over week, but are still 74 percent higher than a year ago when homeowners and business owners with oil furnaces were paying $3.34 per gallon.
— Baker move temporarily shelter migrants in Devens
The Baker administration plans to open a community center in Devens next month as an emergency intake center for migrants where up to 60 families or 125 people could be offered temporary shelter. The move to open the facility comes as the state’s shelter system has been strained by recent arrivals of migrants. Baker last week sought $130 million from the Legislature to help set up temporary shelter, and has repeatedly asked the federal government to make it easier for arriving migrants to get jobs. MassLive’s Alison Kuznitz reports that the Devens center will be run by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, with help from a shelter provider.
— Biden extends pause on student loan payments
President Joe Biden on Tuesday extended the federal pause on student loan payments until the ongoing litigation challenging his debt forgiveness plan can be resolved by the courts. With loans payments set to resume at the end of the year, the White House said it would continue the pandemic-era pause until Sept. 1, assuming the legal challenges to his student debt plan can be resolved by June 30. The announcement from the White House came as the Biden were packing up to spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket.
— Bidding process underway for Wellington development site
The Globe’s Jon Chesto called it his “dark horse” site for the Krafts to finally build that soccer stadium they’ve always wanted. But the paper’s Catherine Carlock reports that eight developers have submitted proposals for the site alongside the Wellington MBTA station in Medford that would likely see the area transformed into even more mixed-use retail, housing and office space.
— First round of reviews finds nine police officers unfit for duty
Nine police officers have been denied recertification after the first round of reviews conducted by the state’s new Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, a board created under 2020 law intended to bring more accountability to policing in Massachusetts. The Herald’s Matthew Medsger has more on the process and the status of hundreds of officers whose reviews are still pending.
— Neal beats Trump in fight for tax returns
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is just a little more than a month away from losing his powerful Ways and Means chairmanship to Republicans, but before he leaves the Supreme Court gave him at least one last big win denying former President Donald Trump’s attempts to block Congress and Neal from gaining access to his tax returns. MassLive’s Jim Kinney has more from Neal.
— Mass. and Cass a work in progress
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says the area is under far more control than when she first took office. But with homelessness and drug use still rampant in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston, the Globe’s Danny McDonald takes stock of what has been done, what has changed and what’s left to do. This story is one of many over the past several days in multiple outlets looking at Wu’s first year in office and trying to gauge whether she’s been able to deliver on the progressive promises made during her historic campaign.
— Two-thirds of rebates in taxpayers hands
Here’s something to be thankful for. MassLive’s Alison Kuznitz reports that 2.4 million taxpayers have received about $1.9 billion in rebates so far under the state’s 1986 tax revenue cap law. That leaves about $1 billion that the Baker administration still has to get out before Dec. 15.
— Key entrance closed to UMass/JFK due to structural issues
The Dorchester Reporter’s Gintautas Dumcius reports that “structural issues” discovered by MBTA inspectors at the UMass/JFK station prompted the closure of the Columbia Road. The Dorchester station is something of a hub in the system, with passengers of the subway, buses and commuter rail converging. Dumcius says the T has ambassadors on site to help passengers navigate the entrance closure.
— Recounts already requests as deadline arrives
Qualifying candidates who ran for office this year and saw their races decided by razor thin margins have until 5 p.m. to ask for a recount, but State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski reports that in two House districts where candidates are separated by 10 votes in each instance the district-wide recount petitions have already been filed. On the North Shore, Democrat challenger Kristen Kassner of Hamilton is seeking a recount after finding herself behind incumbent Georgetown Republican Lenny Mirra by just 10 votes. It’s a similar story in the First Middlesex District where Democrat Margaret Scarsdale of Pepperell is clinging to a 10 vote lead over Townsend Republican Andrew Shepherd. Shepherd has asked for a recount as he tries to hold on to a seat for the GOP that was given up by longtime Rep. Sheila Harrington of Groton.
— Seekonk man pleads guilty to vandalizing during Jan. 6 riot
Seekonk resident Chase Allen has pleaded guilty to charges that he damaged media equipment on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, David Linton of the Sun Chronicle reports. Allen, who has said he was covering the melee as a documentarian, faces up to six months in prison when he is sentenced next March.
— Report: Climate change will bring regular Charles River flooding
Key infrastructure in a number of cities and towns along the Charles River could be in jeopardy in coming years as climate change paves the way for more extreme weather and flooding, a new report finds. The report from the Charles River Watershed Association and funded by 20 communities in the watershed warns that “bold” and coordinated regional action will be required to address the problem.
— Charges coming for Freetown mom who tested school security
Police and school officials in Freetown say a local mom who gained entry into one elementary school and was stopped trying to enter another will face charges, despite her assertions that she was working to expose what she saw as lapses in security protocols. Matthew Ferreira of the Standard-Times has the details.
The Talk Shows
SUNDAY
Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Ch. 4, 8:30 a.m.: MASSterList columnist and WBZ political analyst Jon Keller talks with Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos about the elections and what he saw in the data on the state and national levels.
On The Record, WCVB-TV Ch. 5, Sunday, 11 a.m.: U.S. Sen. Ed Markey is the guest with hosts Ed Harding and Janet Wu. Markey’s interview will be followed by a political roundtable discussion with Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker and Republican political analyst Rob Gray.
MORE HEADLINES:
Metro
Man claiming he inspired ‘The Town’ charged with robbing Boston banks – MassLive
ICE Boston arrests 6 illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes in New England – Boston Herald
Driver charged in deadly Hingham Apple store crash Boston Herald
Massachusetts
A diverse group: Talking to presidents of Holy Cross, Assumption, WPI and Clark – Telegram & Gazette
State extends Covid-19 policy to deal with RSV – Eagle-Tribune
National
Senate Announces Hearing After Chaos Over Taylor Swift Ticket Sales – The New York Times
Unemployment assistance to millionaires soared during pandemic – Politico