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Friday, October 23, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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Today: Heroes Remembered; a Fairmount celebration
Gov. Baker speaks at Heroes Remembered, a ceremony honoring World War II veterans, hosted by Reps. Sheila Harrington and Jennifer Benson. All WWII veterans and their families are welcome. It will be held at the Hall of Flags, One Quebec St., Devens, 1:30pm.
The Boston Foundation, public officials, performers and artists and community members hold a "moving celebration" to light the bridges at five stations along the Fairmount commuter rail line.There will be live entertainment, parties and a "Lighting the Line" art installation after 7:00pm at 691 Dudley Street between Clifton and Humphreys Street, 4:30pm.
For fantasy sports, is a sales tax in order?
First there was Uber eating the lunch of the taxis. Then there was Airbnb taking a bite out of the lodging industry. And now there's DraftKings (and FanDuel) siphoning off billions in gambling money. Startups outsmarting, via ubiquitous technology, embedded, brick-and-mortar industries.
Only with fantasy sports there's a big difference. While DraftKings and FanDuel have major sports leagues and TV networks as partners, casinos have only one meaningful partner: state government, a de facto passive investor taking a large percentage off the top. It's one thing to watch the taxi industry get hammered by self-made, lightly regulated Uber drivers; it seems fine, although questionable, to let people rent out their homes (where's the hotel tax?). But government isn't going to allow a direct threat on a primary revenue source.
How to tax fantasy sports, which is so different from conventional, landlocked venues? Where there's a will to tax, there's a way. A modest suggestion: Perhaps governments implement a sales tax on the fee transaction. (To our knowledge, there isn't a sales tax. This is no one's crazy idea but our own.) Such a move would not be highly punitive, but would add up to real money as the industry grows.
One question, however, is whether government has bought into an outdated gambling model, and will always be playing catch-up. Globe columnist Dante Ramos writes that the likes of DraftKings puts officials on notice that "traditional casinos have entered an era of diminished expectations." http://bit.ly/1OW0hh9
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| SPONSORED Undemocratic charter schools siphon money from public schools. www.massteacher.org/chartermap #KeepTheCap |
New England Council dinner draws 1,600 or so, including Baker
New England Council CEO Jim Brett knows how to fill a room, which was in amply proved again last night at NEC's New Englanders of the Year event at the Seaport/World Trade Center. Gov. Baker was there to introduce Hill Holliday CEO Karen Kaplan, not only an exemplary executive but also an old family friend of the Bakers, in the warmest possible terms. Also honored was New Hampshire's Ryan Pitts, a Medal of Honor recipient. Of the Medal of Honor recipients, Baker said: "To a person, they all basically say the same thing. 'I was just doing my duty. The person on my left and the person on my right would have done the same thing.' And then when you hear their story, the hair on the back of your neck stands up and your jaw drops and you just can't believe what these people did under the most extreme circumstances you can possibly imagine." Read Pitts' story here. Legendary broadcaster Jack Williams and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz also were honored.
This mansion yours, for a mere $30K
A Manchester, NH mansion, 9,500 square feet and 20 bedrooms, is for sale, asking price: $30,000. What's the catch, you ask? As Boston.com reports, the house, built in 1878, must be moved as part of the purchase. That would take quite an operation, but interest is high in the property, reports Megan Turchi. The story, along with plenty of pictures of the home here: http://bit.ly/1MIf7mY
Witch house is my house?
Another real estate story, and just in time for Halloween. An abandoned Framingham house that was once the home of Sarah Clayes, who was accused of witchcraft and jailed at Salem witch trials, is being auctioned off today. Clayes was released and later settled in Framingham, and the house, which dates back to 1693 and is in a state of disrepair, may end up in the hands of a local preservation group. Andy Rosen of the Globe has more details. http://bit.ly/1OVWsZq
Canceled train a bad winter omen?
The Herald says MBTA officials canceled a commuter train on the Newburyport line during Monday's commute because frost and leaves on the tracks created slippery rails-a move the paper suggests may portend bad news for the coming winter months. But the T says the shutdown was not because temperatures dropped below 32 degrees for the first time. "Frost had absolutely no impact on the performance of locomotives," T spokesman Joe Pesaturo told the tabloid. http://bit.ly/1W8LmpL
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Baker's opioid plan gets police support
Police officials from across the state came out behind Gov. Charlie Baker's plan to address the state's opioids crisis in what the Globe describes as a "show of political force." Some of Baker's policy proposals have drawn strong criticism, including a provision that would allow doctors to commit patients involuntarily for up to three days. http://bit.ly/1PFLAQU
Duplicate political finance records scrubbed
The Office of Campaign and Political Finance has removed records of more than $30 million worth of political contributions, saying its record-keeping system contained thousands of duplicate entries, the MetroWest Daily News reports. The errors were discovered by the newspaper during a database analysis and the duplicate entries helped boost the apparent fundraising totals of some candidates. http://bit.ly/1MdLJKS
Activists: Shut down Plymouth now
Anti-nuclear activists descended on Beacon Hill Thursday to call for the immediate closing of the Plymouth Station nuclear plant, WGBH's Mike Deehan reports. Activists say the planned closing date of 2019-which would be followed by a lengthy and costly decommissioning process-means the plant, which regulators say faces numerous safety shortcomings, will continue to pose a threat to the public. http://bit.ly/1R03J9G
Solar battle gets heated
The battle over whether to extend or expand solar net metering credits is coming to a head and getting nasty, CommonWealth magazine's Bruce Mohl reports. A coalition of business groups is urging lawmakers to roll subsidies back, saying the state's solar industry has matured, while solar industry groups say if the legislature fails to act before it recesses for Thanksgiving, some solar projects on the drawing board may be canceled. http://bit.ly/1MIfwpp
Thumbs up for Herald's redesign
Something wonderful happened to the Boston Herald's website. It's modern, clean and much more usable. Boston magazine's Garret Quinn noticed, and has this take. http://bit.ly/1Gv6jUG
Sunday public affairs shows
On the Record, WCVB TV, 11:00am. This week's guest: Gov. Charlie Baker. Moderated by NewsCenter 5 Anchor Ed Harding and State House Reporter Janet Wu.
Boston College Chief Executives Club Event, NECN, 1:00pm and 8:00pm, featuring ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO Ryan Lance.
This Week in Business, NECN, 12:30pm and 7:30pm. NECN Legal Analyst Michael Coyne talks about regulation options for on line fantasy sports. And Macy's District GM Joe Simas gets you ready for the holiday season and talks about the future of the department store.
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Today's day: It's a big one -- National Boston Creme Pie Day. http://bit.ly/1R0wVgP
REMEMBER: To send your tips to me at gdonnelly@massterlist.com. Op-eds and other commentary invited for publication on Massterlist.
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