MASSterList: What next? | Baker under pressure | Fort Point deal

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By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan 05/05/2017 What next? | Baker under pressure | Fort Point deal

Happening Today

SJC cases The Supreme Judicial Court hears Commonwealth v. William Dunn; Commonwealth v. Joseph Facella; Commonwealth v. Norton Cartright; and Commonwealth v. Aaron Morin, John Adams Courthouse, Courtroom One, Second Floor, Pemberton Square, 9 a.m.

Rosenberg at opioid task force Senate President Stanley Rosenberg attends a meeting of the Franklin County Opioid Task Force, Greenfield Community College, 1 College Dr., Greenfield, 9 a.m.

Cabinet meeting Gov. Baker holds a closed cabinet meeting of his top department secretaries and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Room 360, 10 a.m.

Baker addresses AIM Gov. Baker is the keynote speaker at the 2017 Associated Industries of Massachusetts annual meeting. Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer St., 12:30 p.m.

’29 Who Shine’ Gov. Charlie Baker, Education Secretary Jim Peyser, Higher Education Commissioner Carlos Santiago and Board of Higher Education Chair Chris Gabrieli honor student leaders from each of the 29 public higher education campuses for their volunteerism and ‘contributions to the Commonwealth,’ Grand Staircase, 2 p.m.

Safe Homes gala Attorney General Maura Healey receives the social Justice Advocacy and Action award at the Safe Homes Gala and People of Courage Awards ceremony, Beechwood Hotel, 363 Plantation St., Worcester, 6 p.m.

Today's News

Post-ObamaCare: What now for Massachusetts? Though the U.S. House’s vote yesterday to gut ObamaCare must still be approved by the Senate, officials in Massachusetts were already trying make sense of how to deal with a potential multi-billion dollar hole punched into the state budget if it loses substantial amounts of federal Medicaid aid. Not only is it a matter of federal funds, but the House action, if ultimately approved, may threaten the state’s entire universal health-care system, reports the Globe’s Priyanka Dayal McCluskey. The Globe’sEvan Horowitz has a good run-down on what the House bill would actually do. Meanwhile, the Herald’sLindsay Kalter reports on the “tremendous challenges for folks on Beacon Hill.”  Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Local reactions to House vote: ‘People will die’ Reacting to the House vote yesterday on the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren seemed to be channeling an old Michael Dukakis quote when she declared: “People will die,” as reported by the Boston Globe. The reactions from U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and Jim McGovern, both Democrats, were swift and harsh, as reported at MassLive. Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, vowed to “continue to advocate for the Commonwealth's priorities,” as reported at SHNS (pay wall). Former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the House bill, if enacted by the Senate, would have “devastating effects” on the state, as reported at WGBH. Local health-care industry officials are also reacting, as reported at WBUR. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Pressure is building on Baker on two budget fronts The Herald’s Joe Battenfeld writes that Gov. Charlie Baker has to more aggressively confront the Trump administration over potential health-care funding cuts – or pay the consequences next year. “As the lone Republican leader in the state, the pressure’s on Baker to use whatever influence he can on the GOP Congress and the Trump administration. It may not be much, but he’s got to try. What’s on the line for Baker? Only his re-election, that’s all.”  Meanwhile, Jay Gonzalez, a Democratic candidate for governor, is now openly taking swipes at Baker’s handling of the state’s back-home budget matters, accusing Baker of mishandling state finances, writes the Globe’s Joshua Miller. “We’ve got a governor whose whole case for being governor is he’s a great manager. And he is failing at that,” said Gonzalez, himself a former budget chief during the Patrick administration. Republicans are hitting back hard at Gonzalez. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

So what are the governor’s budget plans? It’s still not clear exactly how Gov. Baker plans to deal with the $462 million budget shortfall that the state is now facing. But Baker seems confident his team can handle the matter without slashing local and school aid, reports SHNS’s Michael Norton and Matt Murphy. "We've been planning and anticipating that we might have a shortfall at the end of this year, and while those April numbers are disappointing, we're going to continue to work on a plan and strategy for dealing with that both this year and next year," Baker told reporters yesterday. SHNS (pay wall) Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Massport land deal could free up Fort Point area for South Station expansion It’s almost like a complicated multi-team sports trade. The bottom line: Massport has inked a tentative land deal with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that could end up allowing the U.S. Postal Service to move out of its coveted Fort Point Channel location near South Station, reports the Herald’s Donna Goodison. As Goodison notes, the state has been eyeing the Fort Point area for years for an expansion of South Station in order to accomodate projected growth in T rail service. Boston Herald Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Timilty officially steps down, special senate election set for Oct. 17 A special election to fill the state Senate seat vacated by former Sen. James Timilty, who officially stepped down Wednesday evening to become the new Norfolk County treasurer, will be held Oct. 17, with the primary election set for Sept. 19, reports Jim Hand at the Sun Chronicle.  Sun Chronicle Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Harvard hit by possible cheating scandal Possibly more than 60 Harvard students are suspected of cheating in a popular computer science course and are now being questioned by the university’s “honor council,” both the Boston Globe and the Harvard Crimson are reporting. The student-run Crimson initially broke the story. Harvard Crimson Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Pollack on Tinlin: ‘Tom is doing well’ The state’s highway chief, Tom Tinlin, who underwent surgery earlier this week, apparently tied a brain aneurysm, is recovering and “doing well,” said Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack. “He had a procedure, which seemed to go well. We're going to leave him alone for another couple weeks to get all the way better, but we're hearing positive things from his doctors."  SHNS (pay wall) Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Boston police investigating racist-taunt incidents at Fenway Boston Police are investigating two recent incidents of racial slurs being hurled at Fenway Park during Sox games, with the probe apparently involving the department’s civil rights unit, the Herald’s Bob McGovern is reporting. Boston Herald Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

From Todd Rundgren to Charlie Baker, the list of this month’s commencement speakers There’s some pretty cool commencement speakers hitting campuses this month in Massachusetts, including Todd Rundgren (Berklee) and Oprah Winfrey (Smith College), according to a complete commencement list at MassLive. Here are some local and national pols speaking on campuses: U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts); U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania (Boston College); U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (University of Massachusetts); Gov. Charlie Baker (Salem State University); Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (Westfield State University) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (Wellesley College). Lots more names at MassLive. MassLive Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

T sues parking-lot operator over millions in stolen funds From Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth: “The MBTA its former private parking lot operator on Thursday, seeking the recovery of millions of dollars allegedly stolen by the firm’s employees over a three-year period. If the suit is successful, the T says its contract with LAZ Parking Ltd. requires the firm to pay the T twice the amount stolen plus additional penalties and fees.” Here’s the thing: Both sides agree money was indeed stolen. CommonWealth Share on Twitter Share on Facebook BRAVO SUDBURY!

Sudbury bans plastic bags -- and plastic water bottles Sudbury residents at a town meeting have voted to prohibit retailers from providing single-use plastic checkout bags, joining numerous other towns and cities passing similar bans. But Sudbury went a step further by also banning retail sales of plastic water bottles, becoming only the second Massachusetts community – after Concord – to ban plastic water bottle sales, writes Jonathan Dame at MetroWest Daily News. MetroWest Dailey News Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Now here’s a defense: Kraft says Trump ‘doesn’t mean everything he says’ New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft says people shouldn’t take President Trump at his word. ‘“He doesn’t mean everything he says,” Kraft, a big pal of the prez, recently said, reports Kyle Scott Clauss at Boston Magazine. “But I’m privileged to know that, but people who don’t know him maybe don’t see the better side. I really believe that he wants to make this country better, and he’s grown in the job. I’ve seen it, too.” Boston Magazine Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Sheriff Hodgson sued for not releasing immigrant detention documents The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice has filed a lawsuit in state court that alleges Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson violated the state's public records law by failing to release documents related to his participation in a program to identify and detain inmates who may have entered the country illegally, writes the AP’s Denise Lavoie at WBUR. WBUR Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

UMass Memorial: Let other hospitals meet the demand for psychiatric beds In a letter to state regulators who have put a hold on UMass Memorial Hospital’s plans to slash its number of psychiatric patient beds, the medical system says other hospitals in the Worcester area can meet demand for those services, Cyrus Moulton of the Telegram reports. City officials have joined nursing unions and others in opposing the plan to convert the psych beds for use by surgical patients.  Telegram Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

More school districts grapple with finances School officials in Gloucester are preparing to take a scalpel to next year’s budget and say they can’t rule out layoffs as the district joins others grappling with slow-growing state education funding, reports Ray Lamont at the Gloucester Times.  Earlier this week, Brockton Public School leaders said they could be forced to cut as many as 250 jobs to make its budget numbers work. Meanwhile, the East Bridgewater School Committee said it won’t endorse any more reductions to its own spending plan, rejecting a plea from the superintendent to go along with a smaller spending plan in exchange for a pledge to hold a special town meeting to raise additional funds later in the year, reports Shannon Gallagher at the Enterprise. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Security tightened at newly opened detox center in Carver State officials say they are tightening security at a newly opened detox center in Carver after nine patients walked away from the facility, prompting two days of searches with police dogs and helicopters, Neal Simpson of the Patriot Ledger reports. The new facility, which serves patients ordered by courts to undergo treatment, opened earlier this week. Patriot Ledger Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

UMass coach kept highest-paid title amid poor reviews Before being fired earlier this year, former UMass Amherst basketball coach Derek Kellogg kept his job—and his spot atop the list of the highest paid state employees—despite receiving two unsatisfactory job performance reviews, Jack Sullivan of CommonWealth Magazine reports. The bad reviews meant that Kellogg’s contract was not automatically extended and that the $2.2 million buyout he received after being terminated could have been even larger. Sullivan notes that UMass appears to have learned a lesson through the experience: Newly named coach Matt McCall will receive a base salary one-third the size of Kellogg’s. CommonWealth Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

New Bedford mulls how to honor Frederick Douglass Attention: President Trump. New Bedford residents met Thursday to discuss the best way to honor abolitionist Frederick Douglass in the city he once called home and help make more people aware his role in the country’s history, Michael Bonner of the Standard-Times reports. Organizers will complete work on an Abolitionists Row park this year, marking the place where Douglass and others smuggled escaped slaves to safety. Trump, of course, famously cited Douglass, in the present tense, as “somebody’s who’s done great work and is being recognized more and more.”  SouthCoast Today Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Setti and Charlie trade quips over gravest of issues: Newton North vs Needham   If this is any indication how the gubernatorial election is going to unfold, it’s going to get mighty ugly. Newton Mayor Setti Warren, a likely Democratic candidate for governor, appeared yesterday at the same event as Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, and made a bold high-school football prediction that exposed the governor’s ignorance, apparently, about who actually plays in the Bay State League. The Herald’s Chris Villani has more details, as does the Boston Globe, on yesterday's dramatic showdown. Boston Herald Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Sunday public affairs TV   Keller at Large, WBZ-TV Channel 4, 8:30 a.m. Guest: Senate President Stan Rosenberg, who talks with host Jon Keller about the impact of federal healthcare reform on Massachusetts, sagging state tax revenues and pressure for new taxes. This is New England, NBC Boston Channel 10, 9:30 a.m. With host Latoyia Edwards, this week’s topics: Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Mother’s Day Walk for Peace. This Week in Business, NECN, 10 a.m. David Jones, assistant director of Boston University School of Public Health, on the vote to repeal and replace Obamacare; Steven Rothstein, executive director of the JFK Library Foundation on the 100th anniversary of JFK’s birth & honoring Barack Obama with the Profile in Courage Award; and Shirley Leung of the Boston Globe on the top business stories of the week. CEO Corner, NECN, 10:30 a.m. Repeat: Laurie Glimcher, MD, president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, on the latest revolutions in cancer care, plus her concerns over potential cuts in federal funding for research. On the Record, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 11 a.m. This week’s guest: Tito Jackson, candidate for mayor of Boston, who speaks with anchor Ed Harding and co-anchor Janet Wu. CityLine, WCVB-TV Channel 5, 12 p.m. With host Karen Holmes Ward, this week’s focus: A conversation with Misty Copeland, the first black female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Today's Headlines

Metro

Mail facility may get new home in Boston - Boston Herald

Celtics ready to suit up eGaming team - Boston Herald

New data speak to encouraging shift in Dot rental market - Dorchester Reporter

Massachusetts

Tolls booths are down but work drags on - Boston Globe

UMass Memorial says area hospitals can meet demand for psychiatric beds - Telegram & Gazette

Anti-foreclosure protestor arrested during eviction in Worcester - Telegram & Gazette

Sudbury bans plastic bags, water bottles - MetroWest Daily News

Keenan among Salem State President finalists - Salem News

Schools to cut spending - Gloucester Times

Security tightened after 9 patients ‘walk away’ from new state detox center - Patriot Ledger

Judge grants delay in Lawrence’s suit challenging Trump - Eagle-Tribune

Rolling out the red carpet: Mayor wants to make it easier to do business in Pittsfield - Berkshire Eagle

AG: Committee violated open meeting law several times - Hampshire Gazette

After bond reversal, Lawrence man detained at citizenship office remains in ICE custody - WBUR

T sues LAZ, its former parking lot operator - CommonWealth Magazine

State’s highest-paid employee survived two bad reviews - CommonWealth Magazine

New Bedford residents discuss proper way to honor Frederick Douglass - Standard-Times

Nation

GOP health-care plan faces uncertain future in Senate - Washington Post

Uber faces federal inquiry over tool to evade authorities - New York Times

Why can’t the left win? - The Atlantic

Trump praises Australia’s universal health-care system - Washington Post