Happening Today:
9 a.m. | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu offers remarks at the 248th annual Patriots' Day Parade. | City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Square, Boston.
9:02 a.m. | The Boston Athletic Association kicks off the 127th running of the Boston Marathon with nearly 30,000 athletes from more than 100 countries. | Marathon starting line on East Main Street in Hopkinton.
10 a.m. | Gov. Maura Healey crowns the men's open winner of the Boston Marathon. | Boston Marathon Finish Line, 655 Boylston St, Boston
12:30 p.m. | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu presents a wreath to the Boston Marathon women's champion. | Grandstands opposite the Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Boston
Patriots’ Day looks a little different in Massachusetts.
The third Monday in April which kicks off school vacation week and is more commonly referred to as “Marathon Monday” across most of the Bay State, actually commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War.
It’s one of just five states that officially mark the holiday in some way.
The Boston Marathon has stolen the spotlight of Patriots’ Day since 1969 and shifts the date Bay Staters officially observe the day. The Battles of Lexington and Concord and Menotomy (now Arlington) took place on April 19, 1775.
Reenactments still take place annually at the battle sites, Boston leads a parade, but the race festivities typically overshadow the day. The actions of those founding Americans that led to the birth of a new nation, however, will start to take on a greater focus once again as the United States readies to mark its semiquincentennial — or 250th anniversary.
The Massachusetts 250th American Revolution Commission led by co-chairs Rep. Mindy Domb of Amherst and Sen. Ryan Fattman of Sutton, is partnering with other states to commemorate the events and people central to American Independence. The 35-member commission created by a 2021 law signed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker also includes tourism and historical leaders.
But it’s finally time to “keep an eye out” for details on a Boston Tea Party anniversary celebration to come later this year, commissioners tell MASSterList. It will be the first celebration marking American independence in Massachusetts.
Dozens of colonists boarded three ships at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston on Dec. 16, 1773 in defiance of what they deemed “taxation without representation” by their British overlords and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor, igniting a spark of protest throughout the 13 colonies.
Deemed the “most magnificent movement of all” by John Adams of Quincy who would later become the nation’s second president, it is remembered as one of the most important actions that led to the Revolutionary War.
Massachusetts is joining with other states to plan events and celebrations in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Rhode Island technically kicked off the nation’s 250th celebrations last June with a ceremonial burning of a replica HMS Gaspee ship, considered one of the first acts of aggression leading up to the fight for American Independence.
Boston was considered the heart of the rebellion during the Revolution.
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MBTA watch 🚇
Days since the last derailment, fire, crash, falling debris, or critical incident: 5
Days with localized speed restrictions: 38
Days without “normal” weekday subway service: 299
On Jan. 5, Gov. Healey pledged to hire a new MBTA Transportation Safety Chief within 60 days. It has now been 103 days without the position being filled.
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On your mark, get set, go!: It’s Marathon Monday in Massachusetts
A weekend of commemorative events observing the 10-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three and injured hundreds culminates on Monday with the 127th running of the race. Red Sox legend David Ortiz, or Big Papi, will serve as this year’s race grand marshal, which WBUR called a poignant choice. Ortiz’s words helped unite the city in the aftermath of the bombing. Several of Martin Richard’s friends — the 8-year-old boy killed in the attack — will lace up this year in his honor.
Keep up with the winners, losers, and where your friends are at in the race. Several outlets will provide live coverage.
NBC | WBZ | The Boston Globe | GBH
Healey in support of online lottery sales after House pitches issue in budget
Gov. Maura Healey would support lawmakers’ efforts to bring lottery sales online in an effort to bump revenue, the Cambridge Democrat said during an appearance on GBH on Friday, reporter Katie Lannan writes. The issue is set up for debate later this month after House leaders included it in their budget and want to use the proceeds from sales to pay for stabilization grants for childcare providers.
GBH | State House News Service
New details in case against Massachusetts national guardsman charged in intelligence leak
It was a video of a Massachusetts National Guardsman Jack Teixeira shooting an old Soviet pistol that prompted a fellow forum user to tip off police, the 20-page FBI application for a search warrant at the alleged leaker’s home reveals, Flint McColgan for The Boston Herald reports. The guardsman was arrested last week after he allegedly revealed classified documents.
The Boston Herald | The Wall Street Journal
Intel leak by Massachusetts guardsman likened to that by Benjamin Franklin
A packet of letters initially leaked by Benjamin Franklin was shared with a much wider audience once they got into the hands of Revolutionary Samuel Adams back in 1772. Gillian Brockwell of The Washington Post compares Franklin’s leak that led to the Boston Tea Party to the leak by North Dighton resident and Massachusetts National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, saying both intelligence leaks spun wildly out of their control.
A look at equity in cannabis
When cannabis became legal for recreational use and sale in Massachusetts, it came with a caveat that the industry must offer opportunities to communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and over-policing. GBH’s Jenny Ferm explores whether legalization has really made the industry more equitable.
AG releases tapes of Dartmouth ICE Detention Center 2020 riot
Attorney General Andrea Campbell has released the tapes capturing the May 1, 2020 riot by immigration detainees at the Dartmouth ICE Detention Center that caused “thousands upon thousands of dollars” in property damage and led to then-Sheriff Thomas Hodgson’s ICE contract being terminated. The incident began after detainees Hodgson said were showing at least two symptoms of COVID-19 were to be brought to the main jail facility for testing.
Trains ‘dangerously close’ to hitting MBTA workers after miscommunications, officials say
MBTA trains came dangerously close to workers along subway tracks due to miscommunications between dispatchers and construction crews on four separate occasions last month, agency officials told members of its board of directors last week at a meeting.
Hampden DA clears troopers in shooting death of William Tisdol
The Hampden County District Attorney’s Office has cleared Massachusetts troopers in the shooting death of Connecticut man William Tisdol outside of MGM Springfield in February. He determined the shooting lawful because troopers first attempted to subdue Tisdol without weapons, then warned him that he would be tased.
Athol man gets 68 months for role in Capitol breach
Vincent Gillespie, an Athol resident who was identified through video released by the FBI as one of the assailants in the Jan. 6 insurrection, was sentenced Friday to 68 months in federal prison following his conviction in December on charges that included assaulting a police officer.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette | The Boston Herald
Second superintendent finalist withdraws in controversial Easthampton search
The Easthampton School Committee canceled a Friday meeting aimed at naming a new superintendent for the district after the board’s second-choice finalist for the job withdrew from consideration. MassLive’s Luis Feldman reports the search, which has been closely watched since the first person targeted for the job said his offer was withdrawn after he used the word “ladies” to refer to female board members, may have to be restarted from scratch.
Warren to huddle with Lee officials critical of her work to stop PCB dump
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren will hold a private meeting this week with officials in Lee, who have pressed for her to do more to address their concerns about the PCB dump that will be created in the community to receive contaminated soil from GE’s cleanup of the Housatonic River, the Berkshire Eagle’s Scott Stafford reports.
Do over: Recount on tap in Chelmsford Select Board race
Election officials in Chelmsford have scheduled a recount of ballots cast in the April 4 town election, which saw challenger Erin Drew unseat Select Board member Ken Lefebvre by a margin of just six votes. The Lowell Sun has the details on the recount and the back-and-forth that has led up to it.