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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. This is the last Playbook of the week! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. And now I'm off to Market Basket with the rest of the Turkey Day procrastinators.
NEXT PHASE IN MERRIMACK VALLEY GAS EXPLOSIONS —Heading into the holiday, many impacted by the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in September are still without heat and hot water, and more than 1,500 families are still in temporary housing.
Tomorrow's holiday is expected to be unseasonably cold. In Lawrence, temperatures will peak at 21 degrees on Thanksgiving, and the low temperature will be 12 degrees. More than a quarter of residential meters impacted still don't have gas service, meaning residents are using hot plates and space heaters, or even living elsewhere.
The response to the crisis, which killed one person and injured others, looks like it will enter its next stage after the holiday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Ed Markey will be in Lawrence on Monday for a field hearing on the disaster, along with outgoing Rep. Niki Tsongas and Rep. Seth Moulton. "NiSource CEO and President Joe Hamrock and Columbia Gas of Massachusetts President Steve Bryant look forward to participating in the field hearing," NiSource spokesman Dean Lieberman told me in an email last night.
Two weeks later, Beacon Hill lawmakers will hear testimony on "statewide natural gas infrastructure and safety" on Dec. 11, the State House News Service reports. In the meantime, Columbia Gas plans to provide more than 16,000 Thanksgiving meals to people impacted by the disaster.
And Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation yesterday to "strengthen natural gas safety procedures." The proposed law would require a certified professional engineer to sign off on natural gas work that poses a risk to public safety, his office said in an email. Baker also announced on Tuesday plans to leverage an additional $10 million for the 600 businesses impacted by the disaster.
Columbia Gas says it supports Baker's legislation, which is based on safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board. Lieberman pointed to the company's new $150 million program to install "slam-shut" devices that would shut down gas if unsafe pressure levels are detected.
Columbia Gas is confident gas service will be fully restored by Dec. 16, Lieberman says, and 670 families have returned to their homes from temporary housing. The company initially said service would be restored Nov. 19, but moved the deadline after hitting delays in October. As of Wednesday night, 5,374 residential meters — 73 percent of those impacted — had been restored gas service. The company counts by residential meters, which may serve more than one household.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh talks winter weather preparations at a press conference. Walsh, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg attend the Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries Thanks-for-Giving dinner in Roxbury along with state Rep. Chynah Tyler and Boston City Councilors Andrea Campbell and Kim Janey. The Governor's Council holds two hearings on two judicial nominations.
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 | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Recreational marijuana sales begin in Massachusetts, first on the East Coast," by Dan Adams, Michael Levenson and Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: "Daquaan Hamilton wasn't about to let a little sleet stop him from making history. On Tuesday morning, the 22-year-old UMass Amherst student and hundreds of other people from around New England rose hours before dawn, bundled up in warm clothing and rain jackets, and made a pilgrimage to this progressive enclave for one reason: to be among the first to legally purchase recreational marijuana in Massachusetts."
- "In reversal, Representative Joe Kennedy calls for marijuana legalization nationwide," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "On the day the first two state-sanctioned recreational pot shops opened their doors in Massachusetts, Representative Joseph Kennedy III came out in favor of legalizing marijuana at the federal level, reversing his previous opposition to it. ... Kennedy opposed his home state's move to legalize marijuana, which voters approved by ballot measure in 2016, and as recently as March voiced skepticism of the push to legalize the drug."
- "ON OPENING DAY, POT REGULATORS EYE NEW STORES "EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "While hundreds braved the cold rain and snow Tuesday for the chance to legally buy marijuana, the Cannabis Control Commission was back to work processing more than a dozen additional cannabis business applications as it continues to ramp up the industry. Though only two retail stores began selling non-medical marijuana Tuesday, the CCC has given at least initial approval to almost two dozen more retailers and expects that they will come online on a rolling basis."
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| DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "BAKER SEEKS PASSAGE OF NATURAL GAS BILL 'WITHOUT DELAY,'" by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: "Acting based on a federal board's recommendation, Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation Tuesday that would require all natural gas work that could pose a material risk to the public to be reviewed and approved by a certified professional engineer. The administration tied its proposal to a recommendation issued last week by the National Transportation Safety Board, which has examined the circumstances surrounding the Merrimack Valley gas fires and explosions on Sept. 13."
- "HEALEY RESPECTS PELOSI, BUT SAYS NEW VOICES 'REALLY IMPORTANT,'" by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "With Congressman Seth Moulton at the center of a firestorm in Washington and at home over the future of the Democratic Party, Attorney General Maura Healey, one of the party's stars at the state level, avoided choosing sides Tuesday in the Congressional leadership fight. Healey said she was excited for the new voices entering the Democratic Party, and also had respect for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California congresswoman vying to lead the House when the Democrats take control in January in Washington."
- "PEYSER BULLISH ON EDUCATION FUNDING BILL NEXT SESSION," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Four months after talks on education funding reform collapsed, education officials are preparing for another effort in the new legislative session that begins in January and in the meantime looking to steer new funding and tools to needy school districts in next year's budget. Legislative negotiators failed to reach consensus on a high-profile bill to revise the state's school funding formula by the end of formal sessions in July, leaving unresolved for another year an issue that educators, parents and students have been advocating around since a 2015 report found the current formula underestimates the cost of education by $1 billion to $2 billion per year."
- House staff to get 6 percent pay hikes," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Hundreds of employees working for the state's House of Representatives will receive a 6 percent pay hike, according to House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo's office, which Tuesday estimated the pay package will cost $1.35 million. The pay bumps, which a DeLeo aide described as cost-of-living increases, mark the fourth in as many sessions for House staff, which now number more than 500 and includes legislative aides, chiefs of staff, communication directors, and other employees making an average of $39,000 a year, according to state payroll records."
- "AG Maura Healey has filed 36 suits against the White House," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Attorney General Maura Healey has filed or taken part in no fewer than 36 lawsuits against the Trump administration in the past two years, in a move critics say is aimed at boosting her own profile. The lengthy list of lawsuits targets issues from immigration and education to health care and the environment, with many of them ongoing. Healey characterizes her actions as protecting the people of Massachusetts, but political pundits say it serves a personal agenda to obtain higher office by gaining national exposure."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Main Health Center In Roxbury Beset By Turnover And Turmoil, Staffers Say," by Fred Thys, WBUR: "Andalcio and 15 other current and former health care providers who spoke to WBUR describe Whittier Street, the main health center in the predominantly black and Latino Boston neighborhood of Roxbury, as beset by worsening turmoil in recent months — copious firings, financial trouble, personal conflict."
- "GAS WORKERS PLAN TO OFFER "SERIOUS COUNTERPROPOSAL" WEDNESDAY," by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: " National Grid and representatives of its more than 1,200 locked out gas workers plan to meet for more contract talks on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. 'The union has a comprehensive counterproposal that we think will address the company's concerns and the union's concerns,' United Steel Workers Local 12012 president John Buonopane told the News Service Tuesday afternoon. 'We're hoping the company takes it serious.'"
- "Following Criticism, Boston Superintendent Shifts Post-Closure Plans For McCormack Middle School," by Kathleen McNerney, WBUR: " Following criticism from teachers and students, Boston Public Schools is making changes to its initial plans for the shuttering of a Dorchester middle school as part of its larger goal to get rid of middle schools. Under the original proposal presented last month, the McCormack would have closed its doors at the end of next school year. The building would have been torn down, and a new 7-12 school built in its place. That plan also called for former McCormack students to enroll in Excel High School in South Boston, which the state has identified as underperforming."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Dartmouth case galvanizes female scientists," by Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: "A week after seven current and former psychology students filed a lawsuit alleging that Dartmouth College failed to protect them from a culture of sexual harassment and assault, the case has galvanized female scientists and sparked grass-roots activism."
- "Prosecutors blame serial rapist for 1969 murder of Harvard student Jane Britton," by Todd Wallack, Boston Globe: "For years, amateur investigators speculated about who might have killed Jane Britton, a popular Harvard University graduate student found bludgeoned to death in her Cambridge apartment in 1969. People sent theories to police. They gossiped about the case on Internet forums. Many were convinced the killer had to be a neighbor, classmate, or someone else she knew at Harvard because no one heard Britton scream and her valuables were left untouched. All the theories turned out to be wrong."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "Former Gov. Deval Patrick Addresses 2020 in 1-on-1," by Alison King, NBC10: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick was in Cleveland Monday, speaking to more than 1,000 Ohioans at the Legal Aid Society lunch. He has been watched nationally ever since he said in March on a Kansas City radio station that a run for president is 'on his radar screen.' NBC10 Boston traveled to Cleveland to see Patrick in action and to ask him where he is on his 2020 decision."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Beto O'Rourke and Elizabeth Warren push Pentagon for answers on border troops," by Todd J. Gillman, Dallas Morning News: "Amid mixed reports over whether the Pentagon is about to withdraw troops sent to the U.S.-Mexico border just two weeks ago, Rep. Beto O'Rourke joined forces with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to press Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to end the mission and in the meantime, explain its scope and costs."
- "Senators want answers on 'patient neglect' at Brockton VA," by Marc Larocque, The Enterprise: " The two U.S. Senators from Massachusetts are seeking answers surrounding a "disturbing report" of sleeping nurses and patient neglect at a government-run nursing home serving military veterans in Brockton. In a joint letter to secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., asked for additional information about findings from an internal investigation that was prompted by a whistle-blowing nurse at the Brockton Campus of the VA Boston Healthcare System, who shared alarming observations about substandard care with the federal Office of the Special Counsel."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "A Week In Washington With Ayanna Pressley," by Meredith Nierman, WGBH News: "With a packed daily schedule that began before sunrise and lingered late into the night, Pressley attended information sessions on Congressional ethics and the Capitol's underground subway system, met one-on-one with senior Democratic leadership, and convened with other new members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus."
- "Only half of the House Democrats in New England support Pelosi — so far," by James Pindell, Boston Globe: "Just over half of the House Democrats from New England — whose party captured every House seat in the region in the midterm elections — are publicly supporting Nancy Pelosi to serve as their next speaker. A Globe survey of the 21 House Democrats from the six New England states found 11 backed the California Democrat for speaker, seven said they were undecided, and three opposed her."
- "US Reps. Joe Kennedy, Jim McGovern say Democrat-led House should push to fund anti-hunger efforts," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "With Democrats poised to take control of the U.S. House when the new Congress convenes in January, at least two Massachusetts lawmakers said Tuesday that they hope funding for anti-hunger and other safety net programs is a top priority. U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern and Joe Kennedy III, who walked in 'Monte's March' as the 43-mile anti-hunger fundraiser made its way through Amherst, offered that they're confident Democratic leaders will push to protect and fund efforts that help Americans facing poverty and food insecurity."
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| BEHIND THE TOFU CURTAIN |
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- "Mark Whipple out as UMass football coach (report)," by Matt Vautour, MassLive.com: " UMass coach Mark Whipple's second stint as the head coach of the UMass football team didn't go nearly as well as the first. A source connected to UMass confirmed Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman's report Tuesday that Whipple is out as coach of the Minutemen. ... Whipple's contract states that he's owed $500,000 if he's fired before Dec. 1 and $300,000 after that. But it's possible the two sides have come to an agreement."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "TRADITION," — Globe: "Trump wanted to order Clinton prosecuted," "Half of House Democrats from N.E. backing Pelosi," "Pot shops have customers to burn," |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Martha's Vineyard detective fired for conducting illegal background checks," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "A veteran detective was fired from a Martha's Vineyard police force this month for allegedly conducting illegal background checks — a problem that surfaced after a separate investigation found packages filled with large amounts of cocaine had been delivered to a tenant living inside his home, police officials said."
- "Suspended Rockland town administrator files complaint over sexual harassment claims," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "A Town Hall soap opera in Rockland involving allegations of sexual harassment, affairs between married members of the Board of Selectmen, and late-night surveillance video from town offices took a new turn Tuesday as the suspended town administrator filed a discrimination complaint."
- "In Brookline, immigrants prepare for their first Thanksgiving," by Emma R. Murphy, Wicked Local Brookline: " Among the many around the country who will sit down to tables laden with turkey, potatoes and pie, will be immigrants for whom Thanksgiving will be an altogether new experience. The American holiday was the subject of conversation at an English as a second language conversation group meeting at the Brookline Library on Nov. 15. For many of the attendees - from Japan, China, Israel and Russia - this Thanksgiving would be their first."
- "Thanksgiving off the grid: Worcester family roasts turkey à la trash can in Maine woods," by Mark Sullivan, Telegram & Gazette:"Call it an off-the-grid Thanksgiving. When it was Luisa and Jim Heffernan's turn to host Thanksgiving dinner for their large extended family last year, the Worcester couple had the idea to try something different. Why not have Thanksgiving at the rustic cabins the family owns on a pond in the Maine woods?"
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Matt Martinelli, editor of The Improper Bostonian, who is 36; Michael Lipson; and Grafton state Rep. David Muradian.
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