MassDevelopment and UMass Donahue Institute release new details about economic impacts of Devens, a 4,400-acre community in north-central Massachusetts, Emerson Green, 97 Grant Road, Devens, 1:30 p.m.
| Today's News |
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| Obama’s Marine Monument pits environmentalists versus working class – again |
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President Obama plans to designate 4,913 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 130 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, as an officially protected national marine monument – a move that would ban commercial fishing in the area by early next decade, reports the Globe’s Travis Anderson. Needless to say, working fishermen are not happy and environmentalists are delighted. And it’s just the latest example of how good-intentioned, and sometimes necessary, environmental policies clash with the interests of working-class people. Oh, environmentalists will try to portray the fishermen as mostly giant “commercial fishing operators,” but when you get right down to it, they’re largely a bunch of regular guys you can now watch on reality TV shows working in incredibly tough conditions. The Globe’s Anderson deserves credit for highlighting the environmental-vs-economic tradeoffs involved in this proposal.
Boston Globe |
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| Duff to Kerrigan: Not so fast on claiming victory |
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Steve Kerrigan, the long-time political activist now running for chair of the state Democratic party, is trying to project an aura of invincibility in his quest to replace outgoing chair Tom McGee, releasing the names of his backers and saying his intra-party campaign is “going great,” reports SHNS’s Matt Murphy at CommonWealth magazine. But one of his opponents, Governor's Councilor Eileen Duff of Gloucester, is saying not so fast. “Steve loves to beat his chest. He needs a job," Duff said. "The election isn't for two months, so don't get too excited." She added, "My numbers are strong and exactly where we thought they'd be."
Other potential candidates for the post, some of whom are burning up the lines to gauge and line up support, include Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, former Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong, and Democratic National Committeemen Gus Bickford and David O'Brien, Murphy writes.
CommonWealth |
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| Texas congressman says Globe ‘mischaracterized’ his views on clash with Healey |
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Responding to a recent Globe editorial accusing him of ‘bullying’ state Attorney General Maura Healey over her ongoing climate-change investigation, Texas Congressman Lamar Smith says in a Globe letter-to-the-editor that the newspaper got it wrong: “The Boston Globe mischaracterized my concern with the climate change investigations launched by the Massachusetts and New York attorneys general. The attorneys general are seeking decades’ worth of communications from university researchers, nonprofit organizations, and individuals with whose research or opinions they disagree. The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology wants to determine whether the actions by the attorneys general adversely affect federally funded scientific research.”
Ah, so it’s not about him protecting ExxonMobil, from his perspective. And it’s not about political grandstanding, from Healey’s perspective. It’s about academic freedom versus saving the planet, when you drill right down to the nub of the debate. Glad that’s cleared up.
Boston Globe |
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| ‘Dear John: We’re watching’ |
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The Boston Police Department is poised to launch an effort to reduce the online sex trade in the city by 20 percent, complete with a proposal to create a ‘john school’ where prostitution customers would be sent to be educated on the horrors of the sex trafficking industry, Dan Atkinson of the Herald reports. The school—which the head of the department’s human trafficking unit said would mirror the courses judges order for those convicted of drunken driving—could be added to an arsenal of tactics aimed johns that also includes public shaming and vehicle seizures.
Boston Herald
| Fall clearance sale? Medical marijuana shops may start posting pot prices |
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Massachusetts health regulators are considering changes that would allow nurse practitioners to certify patients for medical marijuana and allow dispensaries to post pot prices online, giving patients the ability to compare products and prices on their own, reports MassLive’s Gintautas Dumcius. State Department of Public Health officials unveiled the changes to the state's Public Health Council yesterday and the proposals will now be subject to public comment before a final decision is made within several months.
MassLive |
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| Swillers vs Stoners: Beer distributors bankroll opposition to marijuana legalization |
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Beer distributors are among the largest financial backers of the group seeking to block the Question 4 ballot question that would legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, Lee Fang of The Intercept reports. The Beer Distributors PAC, an affiliate that represents 16 beer-distribution companies in Massachusetts, donated $25,000 to the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, which has the backing of several major statewide pols. Fang also reports that some beer makers, including The Boston Beer Company, have expressed fears that legal weed would dent their bottom lines.
The Intercept |
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| Progressives plan to press agenda |
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With their sights already set on the 2018 statewide election, Massachusetts progressives are hoping to press a legislative agenda that forces Gov. Charlie Baker to take a stand on issues such as a new tax on millionaires and criminal justice reform, Mike Deehan of WGBH reports. As it is, Baker may actually be on board with some of the initiatives. An equally common frustration for progressives is how the more moderate House often stalls proposals that start in the more liberal Senate, Deehan notes.
WGBH |
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| Former taxpayer watchdog urges passage of preservation surcharge (or tax or whatever) |
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Michael Widmer, the former head of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, says city voters in November should approve a 1 percent property tax surcharge (in other words, a new tax) under the Community Preservation Act, saying it’s a sound “investment” in affordable housing, parks and recreation, and historic preservation. Writing at CommonWealth magazine, Widmer: “It is widely acknowledged that the lack of affordable housing is a major social and economic problem for Boston and the region, and the problem is getting worse. It is also widely recognized that Boston¹s quality of life – including its parks and history – are an important element of the city’s charm and attraction.”
CommonWealth |
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| First police body cameras. Now name tags? |
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After winning the legal authority to force police officers to wear body cameras, Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans is moving on to the next item on his TTD list: Getting police officers to wear name tags as part of their uniforms, reports WGBH’s Isaiah Thompson. And, yes, he’s apparently bargaining with police unions over this idea too. Evans says name tags will help “increase transparency and foster trust between cops and the communities they serve,” as Thompson puts it. After the recent court ruling in Evans’ favor over use of police body cameras, it seems like a slam dunk that Evans will get his way on name tags.
WGBH
| C’mon Down Theaters |
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Auto magnate Ernie Boch Jr. has purchased the naming rights to the Citi Performing Arts Center, operator of the historic Wang and Shubert Theaters in Boston. Starting Nov. 1, the new names will be the the Wang Theatre at the Boch Center and the Shubert Theatre at the Boch Center, reports the Globe’s Shirely Leung. In an interview, Boch said he used to go to music concerts at the Wang as a youth and has since developed a strong friendship with theaters CEO and fellow guitar-player Josiah Spaulding Jr., so purchasing the naming rights just made sense.
Boston Globe |
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| When Jill Stein ran for governor … |
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At WGBH, Dan Kennedy looks back at now presidential candidate Jill Stein’s 2002 campaign for governor of Massachusetts, and finds a number of similarities, including Stein’s complaints that she was unable to break through the two-party dominated media narrative. “Stein is still yelling from the mountaintop. But she’s no closer to breaking through than she was 14 years ago,” Kennedy writes.
WGBH |
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| In Framingham, teacher absences spike with new system |
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The town of Framingham spent $200,000 more on substitute teachers last school year due to a spike in absences that coincided with the introduction of a new automated system, Brittney McNamara of MetroWest Daily News reports. Teacher absences increased 15 percent after the rollout of the Aesop system, which enables teachers to digitally report they’ll be staying home, prompting the district to change its substitute policy.
MetroWest Daily News
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