Thursday, January 7, 2016

MASSterList: Sources say Henry ignored Globe delivery warnings | Globe zeroes in on O'Flaherty | Amendola's controversial carport




 
Thursday, January 7, 2016
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Keith Regan
Officials to come out in force to give digital health a boost
Gov. Baker, Mayor Walsh and Speaker DeLeo will join business leaders from the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership to announce a digital health industry initiative. Given the combination of health care, biotech and tech acumen in the region, officials see growth potential here for the digital health industry. One notable recent e-health success was the decision of IBM Watson Health to locate in Kendall Square (it received a $2.5 million tax break), where the company will create at least 500 local jobs. The event will be held at Boston Children's Hospital, 9:30 am. The Boston Business Journal previews the event here: http://bit.ly/1RkTJvN
Also today the Massachusetts Gaming Commission meets with an agenda that includes a discussion about correspondence from AG Healey's office about the open meeting law. The AG said last month it found the commission violated the Open Meeting Law on several occasions. Among other agenda items, Chairman Stephen Crosby is expected to give an update on the Commission's look into fantasy sports. 101 Federal St., 12th floor, Boston, 10:30 am.
Sources: Henry ignored Globe delivery warnings
Globe sources tell WGBH's Emily Rooney that publisher John Henry ignored warnings from circulation veterans that the switch to a new vendor would not work. "As one newspaper insider told me, 'the non-newspaper people won the debate' over people with decades of experience," Rooney reports. http://bit.ly/1S4P6pm
Meanwhile, don't miss the Globe's Marcela García on the real newspaper delivery people, often immigrants who often work two or three jobs to get by. "Part of the subtext of the crisis the Globe has faced for the past week is that our new delivery vendor can't seem to find enough people willing and able to do the grueling work."


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Each day, the Commonwealth's Emergency Service and Mobile Crisis units intervene in severe cases where children and adults pose a danger to themselves or others. But as the opiate epidemic sweeps the state and suicide rates reach an all-time high, Governor Baker has introduced a plan to slash these vital services by as much as 72%. Baker's drastic cuts stand to disrupt client care, extend wait times and expose our communities to unpredictable risk.

Fortunately, it's not too late for the Governor to put the brakes on this reckless plan. Learn more and take action to stop the attack at http://BakersAttackOnMentalHealth.com . 


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Is a pass a fare? The T keeps winning the semantics battleThe T, in proposing fare hikes, continues to interpret the language around allowable increases in its favor. Bruce Mohl of CommonWealth magazine reports on the fare versus pass dispute -- fares can't go up by more than 10 percent, but the T says passes can. "A pass is not a fare. A pass is actually a discount from a fare, and that is the legal interpretation," Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack announced. Thus certain passes may go up well above 10 percent, a threshold already twice as high as many believe the 2013 law limiting fares intended.
December revenue comes in strong
December revenue was $39 million over the budget benchmark, putting the state $114 million ahead of plan for the year, according the Department of Revenue. That good news is tempered by shortfalls in non-tax revenue and spending exposure, and the Baker administration is expected to soon announce midyear budget cuts. More on the revenue numbers from the State House News Service's Michael Norton:
Globe editorial zeroes in on O'Flaherty
Today's Globe editorial is critical of City of Boston Corporation Counsel Eugene O'Flaherty, who was scrutinized in a recent Globe story about lawyer Sean O'Donovan's access to city officials. O'Donovan and O'Flaherty are friends and former law partners. "The corporation counsel shouldn't be a part of the mayor's political operation. His job is to represent not just Walsh, but also city departments and the City Council. He has to avoid even the appearance that he's providing an in at City Hall for his buddies." http://bit.ly/1ISspSt
Study: T operators best-paid in country 
MBTA drivers are paid better than their counterparts at other public transit systems in the country and the 5 percent raises they are scheduled to get over the next two years also rank among the most generous in the country, the Herald's Erin Smith and Matt Stout report, citing a consultant's study prepared for the T's Fiscal Control Board. T bus drivers out-earn their counterparts in Chicago, the second-highest paying system, by more than $2 an hour, and rail operators out-earn subway drivers in New York City by nearly $1. http://bit.ly/1JZ16ke 

T, cities skip hearing on transit financing bill 
No one from the MBTA provided testimony to the legislature's Transportation Committee on Wednesday during a hearing on an alternative approach to financing transit projects, including the cash-strapped Green Line Extension, reports CommonWealth magazine's Erik Mohl. None of the cities that would be impacted by the value capture financing approach on the Green Line project were at the hearing either. http://bit.ly/1PPEI3f


House backs drug-offender license bill 
The House unanimously passed a bill that would eliminate automatic license suspensions for anyone convicted of a drug crime, MassLive reports. The Senate passed a similar measure last fall and Gov.Baker has indicated his support of the move. http://bit.ly/1kOybsy 

Baker on board with Framingham's city push 
Gov. Charlie Baker says he supports a bid by some Framingham residents to adopt a city form of government, the MetroWest Daily News reports. Voters will decide in Spring whether to move forward with a change from its current representative town meeting setup and citing the experiences of other communities, Baker calls the move "a winner." http://bit.ly/1O6AvG3 

Mouton will seek re-election 
Freshman U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton confirmed he will seek a second term in Congress representing the state's Sixth District. According to the Salem News., Moulton will formally kick off his re-election bid on Feb. 16. http://bit.ly/1JZ5CPR
Danny Amendola's controversial carport is click bait
Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola lives in a fancy section of Providence, and neighbors are harrumphing about the temporary carport he has erected. Cross a Patriot and fans weigh in.http://bit.ly/1JvraZq
Madaro won't run for Senate
East Boston State Rep. Adrian Madaro announced yesterday he will not run for the senate seat soon to be vacated by Sen. Anthony Petruccelli, who plans to resign later this month to take a job at the downtown lobbying firm Kearney, Donovan and McGee. See a full review of the remaining field in this State House News Service story: http://bit.ly/1S5U5WH
SJC to hear long-running WalMart dispute
The Supreme Judicial Court today will hear a dispute that dates back 23 years about plans to build a Walmart -- or some other big box store -- in Greenfield. The Globe's Megan Woolhouse takes us through the complex and lengthy legal maneuvering, which "has dragged on for so long that changes in the retail industry over the past two decades make the case seem anachronistic." http://bit.ly/1S5UAQB
Snow removal on rooftops target of bill
Conjuring memories of last winter's Snowmageddon, when desperate homeowners hired legions of rooftop snow removers, a bill will be heard today by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee to improve rooftop snow removal safety. The bill, sponsored by Rep. William Galvin, "directs the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to study "the necessity and feasibility" of rooftop safety markers to flag skylights when they are buried beneath snow. State officials would have 180 days to conduct the study and submit a report," writes the State House News Service's Sam Doran. http://bit.ly/1PgHVEr (pay wall)


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