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By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan

08/24/2017

Watertown jackpot | Emissions accord | Uncle Max

Happening Today

Teddie tour, Women's Equality Day, Needham Line weekend service

Gov. Charlie Baker, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria and Rep. Joe McGonagle visit Teddie Natural Peanut Butter, 100 Santilli Hwy, Everett, 9:45 a.m. ... Department of Telecommunications and Cable holds a public hearing on proposed basic service tier programming and rates for communities served by Charter Communications, 1000 Washington St. - Hearing Room 1-E, Boston, 10 a.m. ... Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joins Sen. Richard Ross, Rep. David Linsky, Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver and others for the groundbreaking of the Natick Complete Streets project, Community Senior Center, 117 East Central Street, Natick, 11 a.m. ... U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and others distribute food to city seniors, Somerville Council on Aging, Ralph and Jenny Center, 9 New Washington St., Somerville, 11:30 a.m. ... Secretary of State William Galvin delivers the keynote address at ‘Women's Equality Day’ hosted by the Women's Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts, Boston Public Garden, Swan Boats Landing, Boston, 12 p.m. ... Auditor Suzanne Bump attends a ‘Women's Equality Day’ hosted by the Women's Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts, Boston Public Garden, Swan Boats Landing, 12 p.m. ... U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren tours the Brockton Veterans Affairs medical center campus and participates in a roundtable at Howard House, followed by a media availability, Outside of Howard House (Building 60), 940 Belmont Street, Brockton, 1:30 p.m. ... U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, who has announced she will not seek re-election in 2018, is a guest on ‘Radio Boston,’ WBUR-FM 90.9, 3:30 p.m. ... U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren releases the results of the survey she launched to identify the needs of Massachusetts organizations providing behavioral health services, High Point Treatment Center, 1233 State Road, Plymouth, MA 02360, 4 p.m.... The MBTA holds a public meeting on the installation of safety technology on the commuter rail's Needham Line, which will require the T to suspend weekend service from Sept. 2 through Nov. 18, Needham Town Hall, 6:30 p.m. ... Treasurer Deborah Goldbergis Sue O'Connell's guest on New England Cable News, NECN, 7 p.m.

Today's News

Local winner: Lone $758.7M Powerball ticket purchased in Watertown

The Massachusetts State Lottery is reporting on Twitter that the lone winning ticket for the $758.7 million Powerball jackpot was purchased at the Handy Variety convenience store in Watertown. The report is confirmed at WBZ TV (with video) and the Boston Herald and at the Boston Globe. Pretty amazing. Big congrats to whomever won. And, yes, we admit: Our greedy little minds have already conducted a thorough mental check of who we know in Watertown. We assume others have done the same.

Ignore that man behind the curtain: States agree to tough new emission standards

While the Trump administration has pulled the US out of the Paris climate-change accord, a coalition of nine states, including Massachusetts, have agreed to an aggressive new plan to cut carbon pollution, shooting to reduce power-plant emissions by an additional 30 percent from 2020 to 2030, reports the Globe’s David Abel. “This is what climate leadership looks like,” said Peter Shattuck, director of the Acadia Center in Massachusetts. SHNS’s Colin Young has more on the major RGGI agreement.

Sen. Flanagan, a pot foe, appointed to cannabis control board by Baker

Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, has appointed Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, a Leominster Democrat, to the new Cannibas Control Commission that will oversee regulation of legalized marijuana in Massachusetts, reports SHNS’s Matt Murphy at CommonWealth magazine. Looks like a nice bi-partisan move on the surface. But both Baker and Flanagan opposed the Question 4 ballot question that legalized marijuana in the state, as Murphy notes.

CommonWealth

Scramble starts to fill Flanagan's Senate seat

State Sen. Jennifer Flanagan's appointment to the state's marijuana control board means she'll be stepping down as senator -- and that means another Senate special election. Peter Jasinski at the Sentinel & Enterprise takes a look at potential candidates, including at-large Leominster City Councilor Claire Freda, former state Rep. Dennis Rosa and Michael Kushmerek, Fitchburg's Ward 4 city councilor.

Sentinel & Enterprise

If Colorado is any example, black pot-shop entrepreneurs face an uphill battle in Massachusetts

Speaking of legalized pot: The Globe’s Joshua Miller takes a look at how African-American entrepreneurs have fared in Colorado when it comes to their getting a piece of the legalized-marijuana business in their state. Their experience doesn’t bode well for aspiring African-American pot entrepreneurs here.

Boston Globe

RIP, MJ Powell, launcher of political careers

Democratic activist MJ Powell, who died earlier this week at the age of 81, is being remembered as a quietly powerful political figure in the state, credited with launching or advancing the careers of dozens of office-holders, including U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Bill Kirk of the Eagle-Tribune reports. “She’s a legend,” former state Sen. Barry Finegold said of Powell.

Eagle Tribune

‘There goes his uncle Max’

The Globe’s Yvonne Abraham feels bad for U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, whose Uncle Max and cousin Caroline have once again reminded people of the non-Camelot side of the Kennedy clan. Meanwhile, the Herald’s Howie Carr, who has literally written the book on bad Kennedy behavior, is having a field day with Uncle Max’s obnoxious antics on Cape Cod over the weekend.

Another shark incident -- and more ammo for Barnstable official’s catch-and-kill solution

A few days after a shark attacked a seal just feet from two teen surfers and shocked beachgoers, a shark bit a paddleboard while a man was on it yesterday, just off the coast of Cape Cod, reports WCVB. No one was injured. But it did mark two close calls in less than a week.

Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty says the latest attack is yet more proof that a catch-and-kill policy towards sharks is needed, reports the Herald’s Owen Boss. But many others disagree, including the Herald’s editorial board: “Yesterday’s editorial on inane ideas from politicians looking for something to do in August came a day too soon. We hadn’t yet learned of a Barnstable County politician’s plan for a publicly-funded shark killing spree.”

WCVB

Video shows Garden security guard striking homeless man with cane

The Globe has a story and an accompanying video that shows a former TD Garden security guard striking a homeless man in the face with his own cane. But look closer. Near the door at the start of the confrontation in the video. It sure looks like the homeless man took a few swings at the guard with his cane – before the guard seconds later hit him in the face with the cane. Not making excuses for the guard. But the homeless man sure doesn’t look like Mr. Innocent. We’ll stand corrected if what we think we see isn’t what we think we see.

Boston Globe (video)

Capuano criticizes T privatization but not Baker

Union workers may have been holding signs saying “Charlie Baker is hurting families” and “I want a governor who cares about my family,” but U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano never mentioned Gov. Baker at a rally yesterday protesting the privatization of some T jobs, a policy pushed by the Baker administration. Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine has more on the T rally and Capuano, who’s among a number of Democrats who have expressed their admiration for the Republican governor.

Fyi: Bruce has a separate CommonWealth piece on how the T recently gave several private contractors a midnight to 2 a.m. tour of bus garages. The machinists union says the tour is proof the “that negotiations over the future of the facilities are taking place out of the public eye,” as Bruce writes.

CommonWealth

Baker to testify on how to stabilize and fix ObamaCare

Now that Republicans have failed to repeal ObamaCare, let’s hope this is a sign that Congress is finally getting serious about fixing the massive program. From SHNS’s Matt Murphy at the BBJ: “Gov. Charlie Baker will testify on Capitol Hill next month before a Senate health committee alongside four other governors from both parties about steps Congress could take to stabilize insurance markets following the collapse of GOP-led efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Baker, the former chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, will go before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Sept. 7."

BBJ

Our mistake: WBUR’s the one doing outstanding reporting on the T’s incoming GM

In yesterday’s MassterList, we incorrectly attributed the great reporting of Meghna Chakrabarti and Kathleen McNerney at WBUR – on the T’s incoming general manager’s past work at Global Power Equipment Group – to another radio station. Our sincere apologies. Check out their story if you haven’t already. It’s good.

WBUR

‘Tough on Trump, but not on the Teamsters’

The Globe’s Joan Vennochi is not impressed with Attorney General Maura Healey’s argument that her office had no need to get involved with the investigation and prosecution of local Teamsters accused of behaving badly toward the ‘Top Chef’ production crew. “Measured against her ferocious stance on national issues, Healey’s rationale for standing down in her own backyard is weak,” writes Vennochi.

Boston Globe

Harvard researchers: Exxon Mobil misled the public about the state of climate science

We have a feeling Attorney General Maura Healey, who’s been battling with Exxon Mobil over climate change, will find this new study from Harvard’s Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes quite interesting. From their op-ed in the NYT: “Our findings are clear: Exxon Mobil misled the public about the state of climate science and its implications. Available documents show a systematic, quantifiable discrepancy between what Exxon Mobil’s scientists and executives discussed about climate change in private and in academic circles, and what it presented to the general public.”

NYT

Police looking into alleged Arroyo incident, mayor says probe to wrap up soon

Boston police are looking into the allegation that the city’s health services chief, the now suspended Felix G. Arroyo, grabbed the neck of a female employee who has since accused Arroyo of repeated sexual harassment, the Globe is reporting. As of publication of the story, the police had yet to contact the woman. Mayor Marty Walsh is saying the Arroyo investigation should wrap up soon, the Herald is reporting.

Kinder Morgan has paid State Police $116K to keep protestors at bay

From Phil Demers at MassLIve: “Texas-based energy transfer pipeline giant Kinder Morgan is paying Massachusetts State Police thousands to quell protests at a Western Massachusetts project site, where troopers have arrested dozens so far. Financial records obtained by customer funded journalist network Muckrock reveal the Houston, Texas-based company had, as of June 3, paid state police $115,949.33.”

MassLive

In Attleboro, mayoral race gets nasty, right on cue

The race to become mayor of Attleboro took a nasty turn as former candidate Jose Lemus endorsed incumbent Kevin Dumas -- but then used the opportunity to attack his opponent, state Rep. Paul Heroux. Lemus questioned whether Heroux has the temperament to lead the city, pointing to Facebook posts Lemus said amounted to threats, Jim Hand of the Sun-Chronicle reports.

Sun Chronicle

Today's Headlines

Metro

Police now investigating allegations against Felix G. Arroyo - Boston Globe

China ‘parasite’ owes New Balance - Boston Herald

Massachusetts

Mass. has the most educated workforce in the U.S., report says - MassLive

Effort afoot to repeal Natick plastic bag law - MetroWest Daily News

Mayor, councilors sign anti-hate compact - Gloucester Times

Third deer hunt in Blue Hills draws opposition - Patriot Ledger

Telemedicine helps patients and cuts costs, but Mass. is far behind - WBUR

Nation