MASSterList: Why we're still paying for last winter | EMC deal with Dell is done, job impact unknown | Steve Tyler to Trump: Stop dreaming on

 

Monday, October 12, 2015

Subscribe now for free!

By George Donnelly and Sara Brown

Happy Columbus Day. Although schools and government offices are closed and many others have the day off, many don't, especially if they work in financial services (the stock market is open); retail (you know why); and national companies, as much of the country doesn't fully acknowledge the holiday with a day off. (In Texas and Kansas, for example, state government is open.) On Oct. 12, 1492, Columbus reached land on an unknown Bahamian island before later landing on the island of Hispaniola.   Tomorrow: Minimum wage fight; charter school hearing - CNN will broadcast the first televised debate of Democratic presidential candidates, 8:30pm. The debate will feature former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.  - The Education Committee meets, 10:00am, Gardner Auditorium, where Gov. Charlie Baker will testify on his recently proposed charter school legislation. - The Labor and Workforce Development Committee meets, and among the most controversial items will be bills to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour for fast-food chains and big box retailers (11:30am, A-2). There will be a rally calling for the $15 minimum wage in advance of the hearing on the State House steps, organized by Raise Up Massachusetts and other groups. - Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, who is overseeing efforts to address problems at the MBTA and manage the state's overall transportation agenda, will sit on a panel Tuesday concerning the future of transportation in Massachusetts. Pollack will be joined by A Better City CEO Rick Dimino and Charlie Chieppo of Chieppo Strategies for a discussion hosted by MASSterList and State HouseNews Service. (Tuesday, 7:30am, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Center, 10 Winter Place, Boston)   EMC to be acquired by Dell; local economic impact unclear In a deal that will rock the Massachusetts tech world, Dell will acquire EMC for $67 billion in a mega-tech combination. The deal, which was confirmed at about 7:00am today, gives shareholders about a 28 percent premium from when news of the possible acquisition first surfaced, according to this breaking Bloomberg report. Expect lots of follow-up coverage on potential job losses here, as the local economic impact of the deal will be profound. EMC employs 9,700 in Massachusetts, and even though there isn't significant product overlap, there certainly will be administrative redundancies.  NY Times covers buzz for "Spotlight" and nostalgia for bygone journalism era The Oscar buzz is building for "Spotlight," the story of the Boston Globe's intrepid efforts to expose the cover-up of sexual abuse of children by priests in the Roman Catholic Church. For the New York Times, which owned the paper at the time the action takes place (2001-2003), the flick is not only a very good movie, but also as a reminder of a bygone era when newspapers -- and newsprint -- truly ruled. "We wanted to show the power of well-funded, boots-on-the-ground local journalism," the director of the movie, Tom McCarthy, told the Times: http://nyti.ms/1jjwRhJ For some background on the movie, see these essays from Globe journalists watching themselves become recreated for the silver screen by the likes of Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Ruffalo: http://bit.ly/1P9yVFN   DeLeo opines on possible regs for fantasy sports, Uber In an appearance on WCVB's "On the Record" yesterday, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said the state should receive "its fair share" from fantasy sports, suggesting that state regulation of the currently unregulated sports sites might be in order. On the program, he also said Uber has to "play by some of the rules of the taxi service." He also hinted that new regulations may be in order to prevent distracted driving. Michael Norton of the State House News Service covered the interview here; see the "On the Record" interview here: http://bit.ly/1VNMeKN   Insure this: More pain from the Winter of 2015 The repercussions of the harsh winter are still being felt as insurers drop some customers who filed claims for repairs, the Boston Globe's Deirdre Fernandes reports. Insurers can drop customers at will. "Massachusetts doesn't have laws governing when companies can decide against renewing a customer," Fernandes reports. "Insurers are required only to provide consumers with a 45-day notice and reasons for the decision." Getting dropped by an insurer often forces the customer into the high-risk pool, and higher premiums. http://bit.ly/1hzQCQb SPONSORED Undemocratic charter schools siphon money from public schools. www.massteacher.org/chartermap #KeepTheCap Some lawmakers sit on the presidential campaign fence (they're Biden their time) Many state lawmakers are still on the sidelines when it comes to backing a presidential candidate. "Among Democrats, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears to be the favorite, but many lawmakers are reserving their endorsements to see if Vice President Joe Biden will join the race for the party's nomination," the Gloucester Times reports. "He could really bring some real fire to the party, and I think that's what a lot of people are looking for right now," said Rep. Linda Campbell, D-Methuen, who said she is still undecided to the Times. http://bit.ly/1L7ty60  Walsh defends city's legal actions Mayor Martin Walsh said Wynn Everett shouldn't take it personal that the city filed a lawsuit against them. They are currently in talks over traffic mitigation. "He can be baffled if he wants," Walsh said to the Herald. "I think it's contentious in the sense that there are legal matters. But you can't take it personal... Mr. Wynn wants to build a casino and I want to make sure that the residents of Charlestown, the residents of Boston, everything is done right by them." http://bit.ly/1VNNZHV Tyler tells Trump to 'dream on' over using song Steven Tyler of Aerosmith has told Donald Trump to stop using his band's song "Dream On" at campaign events. Tyler's attorneys have sent Trump a second cease-and-desist letter over the weekend. The letter states that Trump doesn't "have our client's permission to use 'Dream On'" or any of Tyler's other songs and that it "gives the false impression that he is connected with or endorses Mr. Trump's presidential bid," the Boston Herald reports. http://bit.ly/1LJs2dE  Report: Baker's panel is lacking diversity Gov. Charlie Baker's economic development panel is very white and male, according to a Globe report -- over 80 percent of the 59-person panel is male and 85 percent is white. "I think the council is a great idea and has many great leaders on it, but this is a missed opportunity to use government's role to lead by example," U.S. Representative Katherine Clark told the Globe. http://bit.ly/1jr2MfB REMEMBER: To send your tips to me at gdonnelly@massterlist.com. Op-eds and other commentary invited for publication on Massterlist. TODAY'S TOP STORIES National: Aerosmith frontman asks Trump campaign to stop using song From school elections to federal races, Clinton has relied on fierce preparation - The Boston Globe Patrick Kennedy hopes book draws more attention to mental health issues - The Boston Globe In N.H., a new push to engage religious voters - The Boston Globe State: Mayor defends lawsuit in casino fight State senate president says DCF has myriad issues Baker would give hospitals new power to force treatment on addicts - The Boston Globe Walsh declines to say whether councilors should vote on their pay - The Boston Globe Presidential contest divides Massachusetts lawmakers Senators hope to curb PARCC test Local: Saugus applies to go green Paxton vote could be tipping point for Wachusett school budget Outgoing Worcester Superintendent Melinda Boone refuses to 'feed' her critics New Bedford's Gender Wage Gap: For women in abusive relationships, money is a major complication Port looks to tighten dog laws Council supports green space parking lot Preservation money could be casualty of budget battles