08/24/2017 07:31 AM EDT
By Rebecca Morin (rmorin@politico.com; @RebeccaMorin_) and Charlie Mahtesian (cmahtesian@politico.com; @PoliticoCharlie)
GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Mostly sunny with a high of 80 today.
I'm Rebecca Morin and I'm filling in along with Charlie Mahtesian this week while Lauren is on vacation in Minnesota. She'll be back Sept. 5. Feel free to drop some tips or questions or just say hello.
THE FIRST APPOINTMENT: The Cannabis Control Commission has its first member - state Sen. Jen Flanagan. Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday appointed her to serve on the commission, which will approve and regulate pot sellers.
Flanagan, a Leominster Democrat, will resign from her seat on Aug. 31.
Her appointment was praised by Senate President Stan Rosenberg, who said in a statement that Flanagan's "academic, professional and legislative experience make her eminently qualified to serve," adding that "she's tough but fair and her integrity is beyond reproach."
But one thing was missing from the fanfare surrounding the announcement: Flanagan's opposition to legalizing marijuana.
Flanagan, one of 119 state legislators who fought against the ballot measure legalizing marijuana, signed a letter last year that said "the billion-dollar marijuana industry ... is the wrong path for the state," noting that the state was in "an addiction crisis."
Still, she meets the requirement that the governor's appointee (the commission will have 5 members; one pick each from the governor, attorney general and treasurer and then two consensus picks) have a background in public health, mental health, substance use, or toxicology. And the Beacon Hill veteran is well-versed on the issue. In January, Flanagan wrote on her website that one of her priorities in the upcoming legislative session was tackling the legalization of marijuana. "Legislators want to be certain that this takes place in the most responsible way possible," she wrote. "There are many moving parts to legalizing marijuana, and establishing firm regulations is crucial. Given that this is a first for the Commonwealth, we will all be moving as cautious as possible."
Baker, like Attorney General Maura Healey, opposed the ballot measure legalizing marijuana. In an op-ed last year, the two, along with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, wrote that "marijuana is not safe" and that "regular use that starts in adolescence has been shown to impair brain development, shrink school and career outcomes, and even lower IQ. "
All of that makes pro-marijuana advocates nervous - they're concerned that the more skeptics on the commission, the stricter the regulations will be.
Jim Borghesani, who managed communications for the ballot campaign to legalize marijuana, told the Boston Globe that he hopes "Senator Flanagan will put her personal position aside in order to advance the will of Massachusetts voters."
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TODAY - Gov. Charlie Baker, along with Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria and Rep. Joe McGonagle, will visit Teddie Natural Peanut Butter - Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joins Sen. Richard Ross, Rep. David Linsky, Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver and Natick town officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Natick Complete Streets project - U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano joins Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and members of the Somerville Board of Aldermen to distribute food to city seniors - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh offers remarks at the TD Garden's 6th annual Back-Pack-A-Thon - Sen. Elizabeth Warren will tour the Brockton VA medical center campus and Howard House, followed by a press conference. She has a town hall in the evening in Marshfield - House and Senate meet in informal sessions.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
- "Will legal pot be a chance for minority business owners?" by Joshua Miller, Boston Globe: "Now, eight years after the commercialization of medical marijuana here, and almost five years after voters legalized recreational use, there are hundreds of pot shops, farms, and manufacturers. But Wanda James and her husband, Scott Durrah, are still among the few black owners of a cannabis business in Colorado. ... The dearth of black pot entrepreneurs serves as a warning to Massachusetts, where advocates and lawmakers have trumpeted the new industry's potential to create business opportunities in communities of color that bore the brunt of the decades-long War on Drugs."
- "Mass. Becomes 1st State To Have Half Its Labor Force Hold Bachelor's Degrees," by WBUR News: "A new report finds that half of all workers in Massachusetts held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2016, marking the first time any U.S. state has reached that threshold. The same analysis by the independent Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center shows that college-educated workers on average earn 99 percent - basically double - the wages of those in the labor force with only a high school education."
- "Baker To Testify On Obamacare Before Senate Committee," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "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."
- "The Incoming MBTA GM's Former Company May Face Bankruptcy," by Meghna Chakrabarti and Kathleen McNerney, WBUR: "Global Power Equipment Group, the corporation run previously by incoming MBTA General Manager Luis Ramirez, has had to sell off assets, lay off employees, and risks declaring bankruptcy as a result of erroneous financial statements it filed with federal regulators while Ramirez was CEO."
TRUMPACHUSETTS
- "North Adams OKs plan to honor Paris climate accord," by Adam Shanks, Berkshire Eagle: "The Trump administration may have dropped out of the Paris climate accord, but North Adams plans to keep doing its part. The City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution declaring the city's support for the pact. The resolution was drafted by City Council President Benjamin Lamb at the recommendation of former Councilor Vincent Melito. Melito said Tuesday voices should come 'from all over' on the issue."
- "Council unanimously backs immigration protection," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "In a unanimous vote Wednesday, Boston's City Council called on the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status, a program that authorizes employment and establishes protection from deportation for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who cannot safely return to their home countries because of environmental disasters, or ongoing armed conflicts, or other epidemics. City Councilor Josh Zakim sponsored the resolution in partnership with Centro Presente, an East Boston-based social-service agency that works closely with immigrant communities, specifically from South America."
- "Scott Brown rocks out to Cheap Trick in New Zealand," by Travis Anderson, Boston Globe: "Scott Brown's loyalty to the rock band Cheap Trick apparently knows no bounds, geographic or otherwise. Earlier this week, a photo surfaced online of a smiling Brown, the former US senator and current ambassador to New Zealand, holding an electric guitar and wearing a T-shirt bearing the name of Ralph Nielsen, father of Rick Nielsen, who's the creative force behind the legendary rock group."
THE WARREN REPORT
- "Health care 'is basic human right' -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren," by Jennette Barnes, South Coast Today: "U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren got an earful when she visited the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center on Wednesday: America ought to have universal health care, one physician said. Others said the New Bedford area sorely needs more outpatient psychiatric services."
- "Elizabeth Warren's bankrupt brand," by Patrick Griffin, Fox News Opinion: "Beyond the sound bites and made-for-Twitter-outrage, what exactly is the Senator Elizabeth Warren brand? In a recent article for Politico discussing the "Elizabeth Warren merchandising empire" -- empire! -- the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee called her 'the Apple of Politics.' Wow. THAT'S a brand. But what does it stand for? A recent speech Warren delivered to Netroots Nation, a progressive conference, is particularly illuminating."
ON THE STUMP
- "Several local politicians interested in running for Leominster Sen. Jennifer Flanagan's seat," by Peter Jasinski, Sentinel & Enterprise: "With state Sen. Jennifer Flanagan's resigning from her seat on Aug. 31 to serve as a member of the state's Cannabis Control Commission, several local politicians said they are considering running for the open seat. 'I'm pretty interested in it. I've got a lot of people who supported me before and are looking to support me again,' said At-large Leominster City Councilor Claire Freda, who has served council for over 20 years."
- "So far, only one Democrat is openly eyeing this statewide race," by Jim O'Sullivan, Boston Globe: "Democratic activists, strategists, and officials say there is an unusual paucity of candidates for the number-two spot of lieutenant governor. Historically, that job has drawn multiple candidates from lower offices, who are seeking to raise their profiles and, if all goes well, secure one of the state's six constitutional offices. This time, party insiders say, there's just one so far. Quentin Palfrey, a former science and technology policy official in the Obama administration, has been courting activists and says he's 'exploring' a run."
- "Mike Capuano may dodge party lines in gubernatorial vote," by Matt Stout, Boston Herald: "U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano yesterday joined a growing list of powerful Democrats who won't commit to voting for one of their own in the 2018 gubernatorial race against presumed front-runner, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. 'I can't remember the last time, if ever, I voted for a Republican, you know. But it happens and guess what? I judge people on who they are,' Capuano, a Somerville Democrat, said on Boston Herald Radio."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "Hillary: My skin crawled while Trump lurked at debate... 'BACK UP, YOU CREEP!" "FACEBOOK SUICIDE.." - Globe: "A growth industry, except for minorities," "Coalition forges deal on carbon emissions," "Lawsuit seeks to block strict N.H. voter law," "Joint effort strives to stem sex abuse at private schools," "FIRING ROCKS SUMMER HAVEN."
THE LOCAL ANGLE
- "$758.7 million Powerball jackpot won in Mass.," by Felicia Gans and Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: "A small neighborhood convenience store here sold the winning Powerball ticket for a $758.7 million jackpot, the second largest lottery prize in US history. The numbers for the prize, chosen in Wednesday night's drawing, are 6, 7, 16, 23, and 26, with a Powerball number of 4. The winning ticket was sold at the Handy Variety convenience store in Watertown. By Thursday morning, the convenience store was receiving congratulatory messages on its Yelp and Facebook pages."
- "Martha's Vineyard Has a Nourishing Magic for Black Americans," by Nicole Taylor, New York Times: "An African-American resort area that's more than 125 years old, Oak Bluffs has earned its seat at history's table. Black families stay all over the island now, huddling over lobster rolls or fried clams from Chilmark to Edgartown, but that was not always the case. 'Oak Bluffs,' Dr. [Jessica B.] Harris said, 'was the hub of the island's black life.'"
-- "What's Really Behind the Civil War to End Harvard's Fraternities?" by John Sedgwick, Vanity Fair: "Breaking with centuries-old tradition, Harvard is moving to eliminate its all-male final clubs, charging that the Porcellian, A.D., Fox, Fly, and other high-end frats are bastions of patriarchal privilege, fomenters of sexual misconduct, and antithetical to its values. Is any of that true? An alumnus considers the legal, moral, and logical flaws in the college's crusade."
- "Should Boston rename famous meeting hall with slave ties?" by the Associated Press: "As U.S. cities grapple with what to do with Confederate statues, an advocacy group is calling for renaming Boston's historic Faneuil Hall because its namesake had ties to the slave trade. The brick meeting house, built in 1742 and nicknamed the 'Cradle of Liberty,' was where Samuel Adams and other American colonists made some of the earliest speeches urging independence from Britain."
- "From bust to bumper crop: Central Mass. peach growers report juicy turnaround," by Bradford L. Miner, Worcester Telegram: "Last year, Glenn Stillman of Stillman's Farm in New Braintree was borrowing money to offset an estimated $100,000 shortfall, his farm like others across the state having lost its entire peach crop to Valentine's Day temperatures that plunged as low as 18 below zero. This year, his bumper peach crop is selling at $3.50 a pound at the Boston Public Market, and Mr. Stillman and Al Rose, owner of the Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, celebrated the turnaround by staging a Peach Festival on Saturday at the year-round market on Hanover Street in Boston."
- "Kinder Morgan has ponied up $115K to state police for pipeline security detail," by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: "A Massachusetts State Police Department invoice shows $115,000 in charges to Kinder Morgan for pipeline-related trooper details at Otis State Forest between May 6 and June 3. The invoice, related emails, as well as trooper names and hours working for the company's subsidiary, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. turned up on MuckRock, a public records request site."
- "Raynham residents find KKK newspaper in their driveways," by Sara Cline, Brockton Enterprise: "At least ten homes on Sherwood Lane received a copy of The Crusader, a white supremacist newspaper, at the end of their driveway Monday morning, police said. The Crusader is an official publication of The Knights Party or the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. The newspaper's slogan is 'The Political Voice of White Christian America.'"
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to East Sandwich state Rep. Randy Hunt
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! - The Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians 6-1.
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