Steward back in the spotlight with contempt votes, regulatory review

Steward Health Care didn’t make too many major headlines over the past week in a change of pace, but today it’s back in the spotlight when the state’s Health Policy Commission Board meets to review the system’s six court-approved Massachusetts facility sales and Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre faces a U.S. Senate committee contempt vote. 

While initial HPC review is set to take 30 days, the agency could choose to follow with a more rigorous, six-month review — the only caveat being that Steward’s deals are supposed to close by the end of September. The HPC did receive a notice of material change for Lifespan’s proposed acquisition of St. Anne’s and Morton Hospitals, which shows processes are moving forward, despite any timeline uncertainties.

Just a couple of hours before the HPC meets, down in D.C., a Senate health committee will meet to vote on civil and criminal contempt resolutions for de la Torre, who continues to be a no-show at hearings. de la Torre says his absence is due to ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, but in a letter to senators Wednesday, his team offered an additional and pointed reason: his attorney wrote that the government intends to “frame Dr. de la Torre as a criminal scapegoat for the systemic failures in Massachusetts’ health care system.”

There has been one Steward facility, though non-operational, that has skirted most attention: the inactive Norwood Hospital. After a 2020 flood and halt to construction, the facility wasn’t included in Steward’s broader bankruptcy proceedings and is essentially rudderless. Perhaps not for much longer, though — Sen. Mike Rush and Rep. John Rogers filed identical state legislative proposals earlier this week that would enable Norwood Hospital to be operated by UMass Memorial Health.

Rush’s petition was sent to a Senate regulatory oversight committee, while the House has yet to move on Rogers’s. But UMass Memorial doesn’t appear to be on the same page: the health group said it has “no plans” to take over Norwood Hospital and had nothing to do with the legislation. — Ella Adams

Fighting ‘Taxachusetts’: Massachusetts business groups, execs launch Mass Opportunity Alliance

The Massachusetts Technology Council, the Pioneer Institute and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership are leading the Mass Opportunity Alliance — a nonprofit meant to highlight the tax burden and high costs of business and living in the Bay State. The group wants to improve the state’s competitiveness, and has been raising millions of dollars from donors who can stay invisible, considering the nonprofit doesn’t have to make its contributors public. All three groups, despite different leanings, unsuccessfully fought what’s known as the “millionaires tax,” the surtax on annual earnings over $1M. Its leaders say they designed the nonprofit to be a “long-term, permanent fixture.” The nonprofit launches this morning. — Boston Globe

Understanding police recertification in Mass: A dive into POST

Chris Faraone and Sam Stecklow of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and the Invisible Institute take a deep dive into the inner workings of the system of police data in Massachusetts, now four years removed from historic police certification reform. 

The POST Commission, the system that goes through the process of recertifying thousands of existing police officers statewide, is heralded by the state as the end-all-be-all of police disciplinary reform — and yet a series of decisions made by the commission have implications for its attempted transparency and the usefulness of the data it’s attempting to collect. Full employment history of all officers going through the recertification process isn’t available, which means the public can’t see who the officers are who transfer between departments after they commit misconduct; and the disciplinary data that is provided is minimal. — HorizonMass

Milton’s MBTA Communities Act lawsuit has a court date

The Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments on Oct. 7 on AG Campbell‘s push to force the town of Milton to comply with the MBTA Communities Act — the controversial zoning law that requires municipalities near T service to allow multifamily housing by right in certain areas. Campbell filed a lawsuit against Milton and its building commissioner in February, and whatever happens in the case could impact dozens of other municipalities statewide. — State House News Service

The Federal Reserve interest rate cut: How will it impact state and local governments?

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve made an interest rate cut of 0.5 percentage points — the first rate cut in four years — representing a change in the operating environment for state budgets. The cut could lower borrowing costs for state and local governments looking to finance infrastructure projects, which in turn can impact the housing market, creating a more affordable path to buying and building homes. Rate cuts also tend to boost economic activity and slow overall growth, and state and local governments could see an increase in tax revenue resulting from that. Some officials say that if the federal funds rate continues at this pace, debt costs could improve and prompt states to refinance older, higher-interest bonds. — Pew Charitable Trusts

Critics of WPI hotel deal calling for reevaluation of Worcester’s relationship with colleges

News spread recently that Worcester Polytechnic Institute completed a $46M purchase of two hotels at Worcester’s Gateway Park. The mayor called the sale “discouraging” for the intended purpose of Gateway Park; a city councilor said this could be the “biggest example of getting our pockets picked.” This situation might affect how the city handles business with colleges and universities, considering city officials say they were not made aware of WPI’s plan to buy the properties until the very end of the process. — Telegram & Gazette

RFK Jr. under investigation for allegedly decapitating whale on Cape Cod

Former presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr. said Saturday that he’s under investigation by the National Marine Fisheries Services for allegedly decapitating a dead whale in Hyannisport around 1994 and bringing it home. The NMFS is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the entity to which an environmental advocacy group sent a letter requesting an investigation be opened into Kennedy after a 2012 interview resurfaced where his daughter told the story. The letter points out that it’s illegal to possess any part of an animal, dead or alive, protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act or the Endangered Species Act. — Cape Cod Times

UMass system has challenges ahead

Enrollment in the UMass system saw a 0.1 percent increase this year across campuses, and officials have also flagged a big funding gap for infrastructure repairs and upgrades. The UMass Board of Trustees Administration and Finance Committee Chair said Wednesday that enrollment continues to be “a top risk” for the university. The News Service’s Michael P. Norton reports that UMass is one of many universities across the nation facing demographic challenges as the population of high school graduates declines, especially across the Northeast, but leaders are optimistic about the future in light of an “admissions sharing” pilot program. — State House News Service

Ethics questions raised by Globe host’s Harris endorsement

Segun Oduolowu, the host of “Boston Globe Today,” spoke in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris on a fundraising call last month, urging attendees to vote for and donate to Harris for president. A Globe spokeswoman said the action was “not appropriate” even though at the time, Oduolowu and the show weren’t technically associated with the outlet’s newsroom — a fact that has now changed, as only two weeks later, the outlet announced that the show was moving under newsroom control. The Beacon’s Jennifer Smith reports that the move likely subjects the show to the same journalistic ethics the rest of the outlet has to abide by, though Globe newsroom ethics policies and guidelines are not posted publicly. — CommonWealth Beacon

Framingham cops to get body cams

Like a number of other departments statewide, police in Framingham are scheduled to start wearing body cameras in October, the MetroWest Daily News’s Norman Miller reports. The city received roughly $211K from the state and other grants to help fund the project. — MetroWest Daily News

Lawrence’s newest housing is in its oldest mill

A Lawrence mill that the Eagle-Tribune reports was the oldest in the city at 179 years old is now its newest housing with 86 mixed-income units. The paper’s Jill Harmicinski reports that the Stone Mill Lofts’ services are fully electric, with no fossil fuels burning on site. — Eagle-Tribune

Fall foliage will light up early in state

The natural light show — and tourism driver — produced by trees whose leaves are changing color for the fall will come early this year, MassLive’s Charlie McKenna reports, citing experts on fall foliage and climate. Parts of the state haven’t seen significant rain for a month — and dry weather produces colorful leaves. — MassLive

Winchendon fires treasurer

Winchendon officials fired the town’s treasurer and accused him in a Facebook post of theft, the Telegram’s Stephen Landry reports. The officials did not disclose the sum allegedly stolen and said the money was taken from Town Hall. — Telegram & Gazette

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