Happening Today:
10 a.m. | Gaming Commission meets to continue the evaluation of a sports wagering operator license application submitted by Massasoit Greyhound Association, d/b/a Raynham Park. Commissioners began their deliberations on the topic on June 12.
12:30 p.m. | Attorney General Andrea Campbell is on GBH News' Boston Public Radio for her "Ask the AG" segment. | 89.7 FM and Online
1 p.m. | Norfolk County Sheriff's Office hosts an American Red Cross blood drive. Sheriff's Braintree Public Safety Complex, 2015 Washington St., Braintree
2 p.m. | U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton hosts a constituent services fair, for residents to speak directly with his staff, state and federal agencies and nonprofits. | North Shore Community College, Lynn Campus gymnasium, 300 Broad St., Lynn
In an appeal to anyone with “an extra room or suite” to spare, Gov. Maura Healey asked Bay Staters to consider hosting a family in need of shelter as huge numbers of incoming migrants and needy families overwhelm state resources. It’s a strategy affordable housing advocates say could be deployed on a larger scale in a state facing both a massive shortage of homes and a lack of places to put them.
A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said the state has heard from an unspecified number of Bay Staters who have “graciously” offered to host migrant families, but the administration offered no timeline for when a program connecting residents and arriving migrants might get off the ground. Healey’s office is currently collecting information from interested parties and developing a process for implementation.
As of this week, 5,811 families are living in emergency shelters in Massachusetts. That’s 211 more families who have sought state care since Healey’s Aug. 8 emergency declaration and an increase of more than 1,200 since the pandemic policy keeping asylum seekers outside the border expired, the governor’s office said. The state has had to put 2,132 of those families in hotels and motels as shelters have filled up — 245 more in the last week alone. It’s costing taxpayers roughly $45 million a month. Community-based nonprofits supporting the families are also feeling the strain. A United Way and Boston Foundation fund has so far raised $550,000 since launching last Tuesday to help cover costs.
United Way VP of Policy Christi Staples told MASSterList the charities are working with the Healey administration and local nonprofits as resources run thin. The desperate and increasing need prompted Healey to ask residents to consider shared living. Cambridge Rep. Mike Connolly, who is championing an effort to put rent control on the ballot next year after pushing for major policy changes for years, said the programs have “potential” but noted, “the government has an obligation to fulfill housing needs.”
Anyone who is interested in helping can contact shelterhelp@mass.gov or call Mass 2-1-1. More info is at mass.gov/sheltercrisis. To donate to the migrant fund visit unitedwaymassbay.org/migrant-relief-fund/.
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Here are the top-paid hospital CEOs in Massachusetts
Hospitals are on the brink of buckling under the financial strain and staffing shortages amid the pandemic, yet Cassie McGrath from the Boston Business Journal highlights the high-paying Similar to other years, the highest-paid executive in Massachusetts worked at Mass General Brigham. Peter Markell, the former CFO and treasurer of the state’s largest health system reported a total of $5.9 million in compensation in fiscal 2021, which includes a severance payment of $1.43 million. Markell is now the executive vice president and chief financial officer for Lifespan in Rhode Island.
A Provincetown police detective accused of exhuming Lady of the Dunes body
A Provincetown police detective stepped down in July after the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office placed her name on a misconduct list, saying she improperly exhumed the body of the woman in the notorious “Lady of the Dunes” cold case, WBUR reported. The decades-long effort to crack the murder case ended in April after she allegedly helped dig up the body from a Provincetown cemetery — the district attorney sent her a letter saying Massachusetts State Police detectives had found she’d acted “without lawful authority,” and without notifying other law enforcement agencies.
Students must use names, pronouns assigned at birth under new Worcester Catholic schools policy
A new policy for 21 schools with more than 5,260 Catholic school students in Worcester will be required to dress, “conduct themselves,” and use pronouns and bathrooms consistent with their sex at birth, regardless of their gender identity, under a new policy announced this week by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, The Boston Globe reports. The policy bans bullying or harassment based on “a student’s perceived sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity” but also forbids students from expressing, celebrating, or advocating for same-sex attraction. The new policy
Alleged sovereign citizen supporter sues feds for $300 billion he claims he’s owed
A man who allegedly subscribes to the sovereign-citizen movement ideology — that the government sets up secret bank accounts on people’s births with which to enslave them – is suing the federal government to get the $300 billion he claims it owes him as his birthright and because its “silence” in answering any of his hundreds of pages of notarized dunning demands proves its “acquiescence” to his request. Nathan McGuire also wants $5 million from Fidelity Investments for the self-printed money order he sent to the company, which the company did not then send back, and is seeking roughly $16 million from the state Department of Revenue, for reasons that a Universal Hub reporter said they could not quickly understand.
Electric cars become more accessible across income levels in Massachusetts
A year after the state first promised it would be easier to buy an electric vehicle, new rebates have finally kicked in. CAI’s climate and environment reporter, Eve Zuckoff, broke down the extra incentives for low-income buyers and point-of-sale rebates with Anna Vanderspek, who directs the electric vehicle program at the Green Energy Consumers Alliance.
Harvard Law’s Alan Dershowitz isn’t putting much stock in Trump indictments
Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard Law School professor emeritus who represented former President Donald Trump in his impeachment, said the latest indictment and perhaps even the three others, amount to “nothing.” Dershowitz told this to Fox News on Monday evening. In the latest indictment, the former president and 18 other co-conspirators were indicted on a total of 41 counts, including racketeering.
Trump reporters stay loyal despite indictments, poll says
It will take more than four indictments and 91 federal charges to strip loyal supporters away from Donald Trump in his bid to return to the White House, a new Fox News poll suggests. Although approval of the 45th President was down 3 points in the last month, The Boston Herald’s Matthew Medsger reports polling averages show the former commander-in-chief continues to maintain a nearly 40-point lead over the next conservative contender and majority support among right-leaning voters. Pundits say the poll of more than 1,000 registered voters released Wednesday evening shows the only real race among Republicans is for second place.
Christmas Tree Shop workers who stuck it out weren’t paid on time
Some employees of the Christmas Tree Shops, which shuttered its final stores last weekend, say they haven’t been paid or received bonuses they were promised if they stayed with the chain while it liquidated its inventory and hung the closed signs for good. The Sun-Chronicle’s Stephen Peterson reports the issue has reached the court overseeing the chain’s bankruptcy.
Protests planned for public hearing on Pilgrim radioactive water discharge permit
Cape Cod environmental groups plan to rally outside a long-awaited hearing scheduled for next week, where the public will have a chance to weigh in on the permit Holtec is seeking to discharge radioactive water from the decommissioned Pilgrim Station nuclear plant. The Patriot-Ledger’s David Smith reports the hearing comes after the state Department of Environmental Protection tentatively denied permission for the release, citing the Oceans Sanctuaries Act.
‘Too extreme:’ New Bedford City Council wants nip ban nixed
The New Bedford City Council is pleading with the city’s Licensing Commission to revisit its decision to ban the sale of nip bottles of booze, saying the ban is a “nuclear option” that overlooked more measured compromises. Frank Mulligan of the Standard-Times reports some package store owners say the ban, slated to take effect on Nov. 1, will crater their businesses and that there was insufficient public input ahead of the decision.
Worcester cop says chief continuing behavior that sparked inquiry
A Worcester police officer is warning the city he will sue if it doesn’t address what he calls a pattern of harassment at the hands of Police Chief Steven Sargent that included a recent road-rage incident. Brad Petrishen of the Telegram has the details, including how the latest allegations fit with a three-year-old investigation into Sargent.
Weekend political talk shows
Keller@Large, with Jon Keller on CBS Boston (WBZ), 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. This week’s guest is U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren discussing legacy admissions policies in higher ed, wokeness, and the prospect of a Trump return to the White House.
On the Record, WCVB-TV, 11 a.m. on Sunday. The guest this week is Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss who will discuss the state of emergency over migrant shelter and climate change legislation. Ed Harding and Sharman Sacchetti host. Boston Globe Columnist Mary Ann Marsh and Republican Political Analyst Virginia Buckingham join the roundtable discussion.
@Issue, NBC10 Boston or NECN, starting at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. There are three guests this week discussing migrants and union issues. Hosts are Sue O’Connell and Cory Smith.