Tuesday, September 1, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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The action today: Bridgewater State inauguration; Opioid update
Gov. Baker joins State Auditor Suzanne Bump at the inauguration ceremony of Bridgewater State University President Frederick Clark, Jr., a Bridgewater State alumnus who had been appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to serve as chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and also served as Bridgewater State's executive vice president, at Bridgewater State University, Boyden Quadrangle, 131 Summer St., Bridgewater, 1 pm... A press conference is planned to "provide
current data on the opioid epidemic and to inform the public about the Greater Lowell Health Alliance's Substance Use and Prevention Task Force efforts." Scheduled speakers include Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Lowell City Manager Kevin Murphy, Lowell Police Superintendent William Taylor and Kerrie D'Entremont of Greater Lowell Health Alliance, Lowell General Hospital, One Hospital Drive, Lowell, 9 am.
Government by consultant -- it's wiser than you think
There are a lot of smart people in Massachusetts, who, for a reasonable price, would be happy to help weigh in on some of government's thorniest problems. Yes, consultants can be inane, and sometimes do more harm than good. But the third-party approach seemed to work with the Boston 2024 bid, providing a buffer for Charlie Baker to stay uncommitted while the bid unraveled on its own. Wasn't the Brattle Group's analysis worth the money ($250K), even if the findings were moot? The commonwealth's bedraggled transportation infrastructure begs for some fresh thinking, which is what appeals about the MBTA Control Board's interest in bringing in an outside group to examine what went wrong with the Green Line Extension costs overruns, as Gabrielle Gurley reports on CommonWealth's website. http://bit.ly/1JzlwlI
But perhaps it's time to look at the much bigger picture and project 20 years ahead. Computer models should be able to tell us if anyone truly will be able to get anywhere on 93 near Somerville in five years. (It shouldn't be a matter of debate, but instead a matter of science -- simulated logistics.) In 10 years, will the Mass. Pike be obsolete because of the population growth in the western suburbs? What would high-speed rail mean for the economic development of Worcester and Lowell? Simple but big questions aren't asked simply because the Commonwealth is too busy trying to catch up from years of neglect, as exemplified by the now $7.1 billion backlog in public transportation repairs. In the midst of the disrepair and gridlock, we're starved for vision.
It was exactly a year ago... Coakley by 9 points
In the what a difference a year makes department: UMass Lowell released a poll with AG Martha Coakley with a commanding lead over her primary opponents while also leading Charlie Baker 41-32
The odds favor Brady
The Globe's Ben Volin, a sportswriter by trade by quickly emerging as one of the best law and courts journalists in the land, gives us the latest lowdown on the Brady matter. Based on comments from US District Court Judge Berman, who has blitzed the NFL on several matters, Volin says it's more likely No. 12 will prevail. "Berman appears to have made up his mind. If the previous two hearings were an indication, he will be siding with Brady and the NFLPA." http://bit.ly/1LPiWLQ
Bobby Farrelly, Deflategate and Mayberry
A poignant episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" may be helpful in explaining the psychological dynamics of the Patriots' fans and the ongoing Deflategate controversy, movie-maker Bobby Farrelly explains on the Globe op-ed page. It's about the need to believe transcending the particulars of a situation.http://bit.ly/1LQJYT2
50,000 people can't be wrong
The return of the Red Sox to Fenway has activated the fan base to protest the firing of Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo, whom NESN will replace at the after the end of the season. Some 50,000 have signed a petition to save Orsillo, who's in his 15th year. The senselessness of the move has many fuming, and none more than the Globe's Dan Shaughnessey, who writes: "Game after game, Orsillo continues to deliver the story of the 2015 Red Sox with no acknowledgment that he has been fired by the team. He is killing them with class." http://bit.ly/1JJ2N8p. The story is without a controversial sentenceShaughnessey deleted last night claiming that Fenway employees were told to confiscate pro-Orsillo signs from attendees. The controversy, as it unfolded on Twitter last night, was captured by Dan Kennedy's blog: http://bit.ly/1NUWj8l
Silicon Valley star coming to Hub tech event
T.J. Miller, who plays the not so loveable "Erlich" on the hit show "Silicon Valley," will be in Boston for an event called Xively Xperience 2015. hosted by Boston-based tech firm LogMeIn on Oct. 1-2, reports the BBJ's Sara Castellanos. The show, on HBO, was recently renewed for a third season.http://bit.ly/1JuDmEf
Oh, yeah, President Obama will be here, too
He seemingly can't get enough of the Bay State. President Obama is expected to visit a "union-hosted" Labor Day breakfast in Boston, reports the Globe's Jim O'Sullivan. http://bit.ly/1JxE7P6
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