Happening today:
11 a.m. | Gov. Maura Healey speaks at the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus's annual Black Excellence on the Hill event. Lt. Gov. Driscoll also speaks. | Great Hall
9 a.m. | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper, Condon School leader Carlitta Camillo, Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy, and Red Sox Partner and Foundation Board Member Linda Henry for the annual One Boston Day Hat Day giveaway for BPS students. | James F. Condon School, 200 D Street, South Boston
10 a.m. | Massachusetts Association of Health Plans holds policy forum to discuss the MassHealth redeterminations process with Assistant Secretary Mike Levine at an invitation-only event. Contact Ann Chamberlin LaBelle at chamberlin@mahp.com to attend. | UMass Club, One Beacon Street, 32nd Floor, Boston
10:45 a.m. | U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Trahan tour UMass Lowell Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center to see the work in microelectronics technology. Lawmakers and the leadership team of the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition will also discuss the group's proposal to the Department of Defense Microelectronics Commons Program established in the CHIPS and Science Act. | 40 University Ave., Lowell
Along the Boston Marathon race route, yellow daffodils and “Boston Strong” banners pay solemn tribute to victims and survivors of the 2013 Marathon bombings and encourage racers and onlookers to keep their memories alive.
This year, especially, runners will be carrying that tribute with them as they cross the finish line on the 10th anniversary of the attack that took three lives and injured hundreds more, sending shockwaves through the city.
For those who care to relive the bombing and its aftermath, the three-part Netflix series “American Manhunt” recounts in vivid detail the horrible shock and temporary shutdown of the region, and among those featured prominently are Ed Davis and Billy Evans, formerly of the BPD, and Phillip Martin of GBH and former Globe reporter David Filipov.
The Legislature will be in the race, so to speak. East Boston Senator Lydia Edwards will be among the runners on Monday — her second Boston Marathon and third overall. She said she will be “thinking about the little one we lost, who would be an adult now, and the people who have been living with injuries for 10 years now. Those living without limbs and with PTSD.”
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” Edwards told MASSterList. “It makes me think back on how much we’ve changed as a city because of it. We became stronger as a city, I’m very proud to say it.”
As she traverses the race route from Hopkinton to Boston, Edwards said she’ll be filled with “gratitude” for the healthy limbs that will help carry her across the finish line.
Running also: Sen. William Brownsberger will join her on the race route.
The Belmont Democrat said he, too, would turn his mind “to the first responders who keep us safe and to those who fell victim that day.” “But I think about it as an event that brings us all together — whether it’s those of us running together or watching together,” he said.
Every year since the bombings, the Boston Athletic Association extends invitations to its One Fund community. This year, 264 of the nearly 30,000 racers are somehow connected to the bombings, a BAA spokeswoman told MASSterList.
The city of Boston will mark the somber anniversary with a series of events beginning on One Boston Day on Saturday, which marks 10 years to the day since the bombs exploded at the finish line. The city is partnering with the BAA to pay tribute to the victims, survivors and first responders who were there that day.
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MBTA watch 🚇
Days since the last derailment, fire, crash, falling debris, or critical incident: 2
Days with localized speed restrictions: 35
Days without “normal” weekday subway service: 296
On Jan. 5, Gov. Healey pledged to hire a new MBTA Transportation Safety Chief within 60 days. It has now been 100 days without the position being filled.
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Good grades: Healey’s 100-day report card
Gov. Maura Healey hits her 100-day mark after taking the oath of office on Jan. 5.
Like most politicians, Healey entered the corner office with some time-stamped pledges.
She’s already blown past her 60-day target to appoint an MBTA safety chief, although the T’s new general manager, Phillip Eng, started last week.
A housing secretary is still TBD, but Healey filed legislation within her 100-day mark to create the new Cabinet position. So far, the Senate has approved the governor’s plan to reorganize and create a standalone Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities. If the House also approves the plan or decides to take no action, it will go into effect in 30 days from the deadline.
Her first budget attempts to deliver on open-ended promises to expand tax deductions for renters, make community college free for over 25-year-olds with no degrees, and boost funding to higher ed and environmental agencies. It remains to be seen if the full Legislature will support those goals.
Voters don’t seem to mind, though. A recent University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB poll shows that 57% of those who responded to the poll approve of her job, writes Ryan Mancini for MassLive. About a fifth said they are still “not sure,” about the new governor.
Massachusetts guardsman accused of spilling national secrets
The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who allegedly leaked dozens of highly classified documents, spilling national security secrets and details on Russian surveillance over an online group chat, reports a six-reporter team at The New York Times. Airman First Class Jack Douglas Teixeira of North Dighton was taken into custody on Thursday.
The New York Times | The Boston Globe | WCVB
Neighbors told WHDH it was “a shock” yesterday to hear that Teixeira, whom they described as an avid video gamer and “small-town kid,” would be behind a leak of top-secret documents.
Nothing to change here: Tax cuts sail to passage in House
The House easily passed its version of a tax cut package on the heels of its big budget reveal earlier this week. The $56.2 billion plan for the next fiscal year builds in the tax relief plan, writes Matthew Medsger for The Boston Herald. The House plan is similar to Healey’s with a few key differences including a multi-year phase-in on the $600 dependent tax credit.
The Boston Herald | State House News Service
City officials talk safety ahead of Monday’s Boston Marathon
City public safety officials are “laser-focused” on ensuring an enjoyable and secure race day for runners and spectators come Monday. Authorities from all sides assured reporters they are not aware of “any specific or credible threats” in the runup for the 127th running, writes Lance Reynolds for the Boston Herald.
For runners, mixed weather is forecast for race day, not necessarily bad for running a marathon. Meteorologists are predicting patches of rain and cooler temperatures south of 60 degrees, reports WCVB.
Locked in: UMass trustees vote to increase tuition by 2.5%
Tuition is on the rise for the state university system as Beacon Hill lawmakers argue over clamping a “tuition lock” shut amid soaring costs. The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees voted during their quarterly meeting on Wednesday to increase tuition for in-state undergraduates by 2.5 percent and increase room and board on the Amherst campus by 4.5 percent and on the Dartmouth and Lowell campuses by 2.7 percent, writes Sam Drysdale for State House News Service.
Lexington is first to meet Mass.’s steep new zoning law encouraging housing production
Lexington is home to one of the most expensive housing markets in Massachusetts, and now it’s the first town in the state to pass zoning that aims to comply with a new law that calls for denser housing development in communities served by the MBTA, writes Andrew Brinker for The Boston Globe.
Better late than never: Edna Kiplagat named 2021 Boston Marathon winner
The trophy came two years late for Edna Kiplagat, who was named the official 2021 Boston Marathon winner during a Thursday ceremony. She initially came in second place behind Diana Kipyokei, who was later involved in a doping scandal that resulted in her losing her 2021 title and getting handed a six-year ban, reports WHDH. The Globe’s John Powers writes that a “scourge” of doping cases threatens Kenya’s reputation in races.
Changing face of Boston Marathon race route caused by pandemic, not bombings
Less than a handful of the more than two dozen retailers that lined Boylston Street leading up to the finish line in 2013 still remain, Grant Welker reports for the Boston Business Journal. The shops and restaurants closed not as a direct result of the bombings, but largely because of the pandemic. A few sit empty, but most storefronts have been replaced.
Touchdown: Brockton to name ex-Patriot Jermaine Wiggins as head football coach
Former New England Patriot tight end Jermaine Wiggins will lead Brockton High School’s football team as the school’s new coach. Wiggins will be introduced by Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan and Brockton Public Schools Superintendent Michael P. Thomas at a press conference Friday afternoon at Marciano Stadium, writes Danny Ventura for The Boston Herald.
Saga continues: Second Boston city councilor antes up in redistricting suit
As the battle over Boston’s recent redistricting continues, highlighting cracks between city councilors, council President Ed Flynn last month gave $10,000 from his campaign account to a law firm leading a challenge, reports Danny MacDonald for The Globe. Councilor Frank Baker did the same last December.
Bristol Sheriff unveils suicide-prevention push that was focus of campaign
Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux delivered the report on the high rate of suicides in the county’s jails he promised when he campaigned to unseat longtime Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. The report found the county’s inmate suicide rate is three times the national average and that in seven deaths since 2017, inmates used bunk beds, which Heroux said will be modified–one of several changes he’s putting in place.
The Sun Chronicle | New Bedford Light | WBSM
Cape environmentalists urge Healey to block Pilgrim discharge
The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is calling on Gov. Maura Healey to invoke the Ocean Sanctuaries Act to block Holtec’s planned discharge of 1 million gallons of radioactive water from the now-closed Pilgrim power station into Cape Cod Bay. The environmental group says Healey can essentially kill the plan thanks to a 1971 declaration that the bay is a federally recognized ocean sanctuary. Heather McCarron of the Cape Cod Times reports the push comes as other green groups are ramp up public protests this weekend.
Insa confirms layoffs in latest sign of cannabis market saturation
Insa, which operates a half-dozen dispensaries in the state and sold more cannabis than any other operator last year, says it recently laid off an unspecified number of staff. MassLive’s Jim Kinney reports the company cited fresh out-of-state competition for the cuts.
Chilling: Leyden wonders who took refrigerator, furniture from Town Hall
Yes, it’s public property, but … The Leyden select board says it wants answers after a full-sized refrigerator and other large items went missing from Town Hall. The Recorder’s Bella Levavi reports that while there could be an innocent explanation, board members are looking for some clarity on how to stop it from happening again–and on who actually owns the items in question anyway.
Weekend political and policy talk shows
Keller@Large | 8:30 a.m. Sunday | WBZ-TV | Political analyst Jon Keller interviews former Boston Police Commissioner and WBZ security analyst Ed Davis discussing public safety and policing lessons learned from and since the Boston Marathon bombings.
On The Record | 11 a.m. Sunday | WCVB-TV | Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy is the guest this Sunday. Topics will include the marking of 10 years since the Boston Marathon bombings, school safety concerns, and her opposition to Mayor Michelle Wu’s rent control proposal. Sharman Sacchetti hosts. Ed Harding is off. Democratic Political Analyst Mary Anne Marsh and Republican Political Analyst Rob Gray join the roundtable discussion.