Wednesday, August 19, 2015

MASSterList: Rail link: the next big infrastructure question? | Boston's best bloggers | Extra nail in Olympic bid's coffin




 

 Wednesday, August 19, 2015

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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
Today: Animal protection protest; demonstration against ICE
Animal protection leaders officially launch their 2016 ballot campaign to phase out the use of small crates and cages to confine farm animals. Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals CEO Carter Luke, and Zoo New England President John Linehan are among those scheduled to attend at State House steps, 10:30am... Centro Presente holds a "public action" to highlight and publicize "the disconnect between what ICE says their policies are and the reality (their) community is experiencing." They want to "emphasize that the deportation machine is still active and functioning with the new Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) as the tool to continue criminalizing (their) communities." The demonstration will be in front of the State House, 11:00.am... Boston Mayor Martin Walsh attends the Boston Centers for Youth and Families end of summer celebration, Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street, Boston, 4:00pm.
 
For a full daily political schedule, subscribers can go to the State House News Service's detailed listing: http://statehousenews.com/schedule/wednesday
   
The Brattle Group's extra nail in the coffin
The Olympics might have cost as much as $3 billion more than estimated, according to the Brattle Group, the Cambridge consulting firm hired to stress test Boston 2024's bid. The report raised the taxpayer risk to high alert, prompting Gov. Baker to say it would have convinced him not to endorse the bid. Boston 2024 shot back yesterday criticizing the report, saying it missed the mark in several areas, including the media center. The Brattle Group says the media center, which was pegged at $50 million, cost $500 million in London. Boston 2024 says its plan was to refurbish existing space. In general, Boston 2024 claims the report relied too much on comparing costs to previous Olympics, especially London, rather than exploring the specifics of its bid. The Globe's Mark Arsenault has more in this story. http://bit.ly/1NtNdiP

The North-South rail link -- two former governors unite
With exquisite timing, two former governors have banded together to push for a new infrastructure project -- but an idea that is over a century old: the North-South Rail Link. Will it be the next infrastructure project cause celebre? Linking North and South stations, an idea that's been considered and rejected because of its cost, would almost pay for itself, say former governors Mike Dukakis and Bill Weld. "Connecting the two stations will bring enormous benefits to Boston and the region. It will take thousands of cars off the road every day. It will earn millions of dollars in new passenger revenues and millions more in maintenance savings -- money that can be used to pay for all or most of the project." The price tag is approximately $2.7 billion. One might think that with a public transportation system that's carrying $9 billion in debt, the rail link might remain low on the priority list. But you know, it might be another opportunity for the Brattle Group to give us a reality check. Here's the governors' column: http://bit.ly/1TUn4Ju
Globe columnist Shirley Leung is intrigued by the effort of these two strange political bedfellows, and writes about their relationship here: http://bit.ly/1PlHR7w 
 
The Elements of Blogging
Just who are the best bloggers in Boston? I asked that question of Mark Leccese, longtime political journalist and now professor of journalism at Emerson College. Leccese, an old friend, former colleague and fellow hacker on the hardscrabble fairways of Putterham, was unequivocal as usual. "Adam Gaffin at UniversalHub.com, hands down. He has so many readers who contribute so much to his blog -- it's a true conversation, led by Adam." Others? Bluemassgroup.com and redmassgroup.com -- "I always read them one after the other." Leccese himself was an accomplished blogger, writing the "Gatekeeper," following the deeds and misdeeds of the media on Boston.com. Now he's written, along with co-author Jerry Lanson, THE book on blogging, called "The Elements of Blogging." It is well written, practical, informative, and full of Q&As with bloggers of all stripes, from a travel blog couple to a California woman who blogs in Portuguese. Here's a link to the book's web page:http://bit.ly/1NiPE8w. And please send us links to your favorite bloggers, which MASSterList would be happy to feature in future editions.

DCF woes not new to Baker 
Charlie Baker is just the latest governor to grapple with issues within the Department of Children and Families and also oversaw changes at the agency during the Weld administration, the Globe reports. Baker, who also saw DCF become a campaign issue while facing off with Martha Coakley, said the improvements made under his watch did not go far enough in the areas of "staffing and caseloads."
 
Consultant's ties questioned 
The Herald reports that close ties between the consultant hired to review the agency's handling of the recent case of a 7-year-old boy who almost died and the head of DCF are raising questions about that investigation. The consultant, Etta Lappen Davis, also worked with DCF Commissioner Linda Spears on a on a probe of the agency ordered by then-Gov. Deval Patrick. The paper said watchdog groups believe any appearance of conflict could be a problem given the scrutiny the agency is now facing. 
 
Head-to-head in New Bedford 
Deadline day came and went Tuesday without former mayor Scott Lang entering the New Bedford mayor's race. That sets up a head-to-head face-off between two-term incumbent Jon Mitchell and former Barney Frank staffer Maria Giesta, the Standard-Times reports. It was widely believed Lang would join the fray -- in recent months he has begun posting videos that offer his views on local issues -- but he told the paper the workload at his law firm would make running impossible. 
 
White House makes history with local hire 
The White House made history by tapping Brookline resident Raffia Freedman-Gurspan as the first openly transgendered official to work in the Obama administration, the Boston Business Journal reports. Freedman-Gurspan is widely known in political circles for her work that included time as legislative director for Rep. Carl Sciortino and as legislative staffer for the Massachusetts Transgendered Political Coalition, the BBJ says. 
 
Not in his backyard 
Rep. Garrett Bradley is facing heat for filing a bill that would authorize the construction of a natural gas pipeline through conservation land in Western Mass -- far from his home district of Hingham, the Patriot Ledger reports. Bradley tells the paper he filed the bill last month at the behest of Kinder Morgan representatives and said the need for more gas pipeline capacity is a statewide concern. 
 
Hurry up and wait 
Some special education staffers in the Boston schools tell the Globe they are spending two weeks of their summer watching movies and reading books as they fulfill a requirement that they work beyond the school year. With no students around, the staffers say they are confined to a school cafeteria and are forced to pass the time on their own. The district, however, says the assistants are supposed to be working and preparing for the upcoming school year, but acknowledges the need to find better facilities for the workers to complete their contract-mandated summer work. 
More headlines from the State House News Service:

Baker Says Police Logs Deserve Consideration As DCF Check

Northeastern Settles Case Involving Gov't Research Funds

Mid-August Mass. Gas Prices Lowest In A Decade

Pew Study Looks At Ways To License Unauthorized Immigrants

Baker Defers To Local Leaders In Veto Threat Over Immigration Bills


How to reach me and MASSterList
Nothing makes me happier than comments, tips, suggestions. Also, opinion articles also will be considered. Please don't hesitate to weigh in on what we're missing and where we should look. Reach me atgdonnelly@massterlist.com or on Twitter @geodonnelly.


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