By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan

08/14/2017

Charlottesville on the Common? | Mocking moderates | JOB BOARD MONDAY

Anti-white supremacy rallies, Markey stands by T workers and more

In the wake of this past weekend’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, a number of anti-white supremacy rallies are planned today in Massachusetts, including in Cambridge and Waltham, according to media reports. ... State Sen. Marc Pacheco will moderate a climate change panel at the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference this morning, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard in Uncasville, Conn. ... U.S. Sen. Edward Markey joins MBTA mechanics at a rally and press conference to support public transit workers who worry Gov. Charlie Baker could privatize their jobs, MBTA Lynn Maintenance Facility, 985 Western Ave., Lynn, 11:45 a.m. ... The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board will receive updates on proposed pilot programs to add early morning bus service and regular commuter rail to Foxborough, Transportation Board Room, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, 12 p.m. ... Gov. Charlie Baker and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg hold regular private monthly meeting , Governor's Office, 1 p.m. ... U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton holds town hall meeting with constituents, Bedford High School, 9 Mudge Way, Bedford, 7 p.m. ... Auditor Suzanne Bump attends the 2017 conference of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers through Wednesday, Hilton Nashville Downtown, Nashville, Tenn.

Today's News

Could Charlottesville come to the Common?

Could this past weekend’s violence in Charlottesville -- or at least its tensions -- spread to Boston this weekend? State Police and the Boston Police Department are taking no chances and are bracing for a possible confrontation on Boston Common on Saturday, as right-wing protesters plan their own post-Charlottesville demonstration in Boston, according to reports at the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. The event could become even more dicey if masked anarchists and other extremists on the left show up, as they did yesterday when they effectively hijacked a peaceful anti-racism rally in Worcester, reports the Worcester Telegram.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh is “exploring legal and tactical options for shutting down or containing Saturday’s planned conservative rally,” while saying “I don’t want them here, we don’t need them here, there’s no reason to be here,” the Herald’s Laurel Sweet reports. NECN reports that as many as 1,000 people could show up for the conservative “Boston Free Speech” rally on Saturday, though an organizer of the event denies his group has any connection with the right-wing radicals responsible for violence in Virginia over the weekend. Scott Crouteau at MassLive has more on Saturday’s potential showdown between right-wing and anti-right-wing protesters.

Post-Charlottesville rallies -- past and future

A number of spontaneous rallies were held across the state following this past weekend’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, including hundreds who gathered yesterday and Saturday on Boston Common, as people expressed shock, disgust and dismay at the deaths and injuries tied to the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, reports the Globe’s Jeremy Fox. Rallies were also planned for last night in Woburn, Wellesley, Lynnfield, Westford and Randolph, the Globe reports.

Elsewhere, hundreds of people flooded the streets in front of Northampton City Hall on Sunday evening, reports Brian Steele at MassLive. Hundreds more protested in Pittsfield and Williamstown, reports the Berkshire Eagle. Dorchester residents were also standing with the victims in Charlottesville, reports Universal Hub. Cambridge Day’s Marc Levy reports that city officials are planning a unity rally this afternoon at City Hall in Cambridge.

Springfield cop slammed for post-Charlottesville ‘hahahaha love this’ post

He actually wrote it – "Hahahaha love this, maybe people shouldn't block roads” – after a person was killed over the weekend when a neo-Nazi/KKK member/whomever-and-whatever slammed his car into a crowd in Charlottesville, Virginia – and now Springfield officer Conrad Lariviere is apparently in a heap of trouble for his Facebook follies. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno’s reaction: “I just got done issuing a statement this morning on how upsetting the tragic incidents were in Charlottesville, Virginia and one of our own officers does this? Unbelievable!” Dan Glaun at MassLive has the details.

MassLive

Warren declares progressive takeover of Democratic party, mocks moderate policies of Clintons

To the chants of ‘Warren 2020!’ at this past weekend’s Netroots Nation conference in Atlanta, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren mocked moderate Democratic policies of the past and pronounced that progressives have finally seized control of the Democratic Party, reports the New York Times. “The Democratic Party isn’t going back to the days of welfare reform and the crime bill,” she said. “It is not going to happen.” Warren didn’t name names, but her comments were widely seen as shots at the policies of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Note: Warren “implored” left-wing attendees not to vote others “off the island” now that progressives have taken control, the Times reports. For some reason, we have a feeling that Dems such as Steve Lynch, Mike Capuano, Seth Moulton and Joseph Kennedy III etc. are not exactly reassured.

NYT

Beth Lindstrom: Charlie Baker’s anti-Trump deflector shield?

The Herald’s Hillary Chabot says that moderate Republicans are “drooling” at the prospect of GOP operative Beth Lindstrom running for U.S. Senate, bringing with her a “powerhouse fundraising team.” But more importantly, Lindstrom on the ticket would mean that conservative Rep. Geoff Diehl wouldn’t be sharing a statewide ticket with the moderate Baker, in what’s shaping up to be a big anti-Trump election year, she writes.

Boston Herald

GOP’s chances of winning Tsongas’ seat: Tilting toward slim or none?

Even though a Republican hasn’t held the seat since the 1970s, some people, including Paul Craney, executive director of the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, believe Republicans have a decent shot at winning retiring US Rep. Niki Tsongas’ seat next year. But others are not giving Republicans much of a chance, particularly in a mid-term election year with an unpopular Republican president in the White House. Rick Sobey at the Lowell Sun has the details.

Lowell Sun

‘Good ol’Congressman Seth Moulton’

Arlington illustrator A.J.B. Lane has a pretty funny Peanuts-like cartoon in the Globe that pokes fun of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton’s presidential ambitions, with Moulton as Charlie Brown and Nancy Pelosi as Lucy. Good grief. Check it out.

Boston Globe

Harvard Square’s Temple of Political Incorrectness’

Warning to local politicians: Don’t upset Billy Bartley or you’ll end up on his menu at Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage in Harvard Square. “I will tell you, there is no one more feared than I by the Cambridge City Council,” Bartley tells WGBH’s Peter Kadzis. “If you cross me, you go on my menu. So sometimes you want to be there, sometimes you don’t.” One of his current burger offerings: “The Mike Pence, Way Right And Way Wrong”

WGBH

Thank you, Teamsters: Number of reality shows filmed in Bay State plunges after ‘Top Chef’ fiasco

The Herald is reporting that the number of reality shows filmed in Massachusetts fell to just three last year, down from 11 shows in 2014, the year our local Teamsters rolled out their version of a welcome mat for the producers of ‘Top Chef.’ No big surprise. Who’d want to work here after the over-the-top reception that ‘Top Chef’ got?

Boston Herald

State hasn’t learned very much from previous wood-frame infernos

Recent multi-alarm blazes in Waltham and Dorchester may have brought to the forefront safety issues surrounding the use of manufactured composite wood in the framing of large apartment complexes. But the Globe’s Kay Lazar and Shelley Murphy report that safety at all-wood construction sites has been a concern for a while now – and state and local officials have done little to address the problem.

Boston Globe

Wayne Woodlief, long-time Herald political columnist and reporter, RIP

The Herald’s Rachelle Cohen pens a sad but fond farewell to Wayne Woodlief, the paper’s long-time political reporter and columnist who was indeed “beloved by a younger generation of (Herald) staffers.” The Herald’s Joe Fitzgerald, who didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Wayne on political matters, also fondly remembers Wayne, who absolutely loved journalism and politics.

Neil ‘Looking at the Law’ Chayet, RIP

Another sad local death: Neil L. Chayet, famous for his ‘Looking at the Law’ spots on WBZ NewsRadio. His scripts were always smart, engaging and often ended with delightful puns.

Boston Herald

It’s all yours: Video of Great White Shark hurtling out of water to steal fisherman’s striped bass

Imagine being on a charter fishing boat, hoping to snag something, anything, and finally getting a bite only to see the striper snatched away by a Great White Shark breaching the water to devour it. That’s what happened on the Stunmai II off of Wellfleet – and it was caught on video, reports Jason Savio at the Cape Cod Times. The breach is at 1:30 of the accompanying clip. Note: There was another GWS chomp-fest before the breach, so watch it all. Extra bonus: A separate Times story and video of Great Whites chowing down on a dead minke whale.

Cape Cod Times

Dozens protest planned sale of Berkshire Museum paintings

Protesters gathered outside the Berkshire Museum over the weekend to voice their opposition to the institution’s plan to sell 40 artworks, including two Norman Rockwell paintings, to pay for renovations and to boost its endowment fund, reports Derek Gentile at the Berkshire Eagle. "This museum is a custodian of this artwork," said Susan Lockwood of Richmond. "It's for the Berkshire community, not the Board of Directors of the museum. It's not theirs to sell."

Berkshire Eagle

Freedom-loving voters of Massachusetts, unite!

The ACLU’s Carol Rose isn’t happy about Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposed immigrant detention bill and she’s urging “freedom-loving voters” to demand that lawmakers take steps to stop collaborating with Trump’s immigration agents and policies.

The Herald’s editorial board, meanwhile, isn’t impressed with such arguments, saying Baker’s bill is “quite simple and exceedingly modest” in its attempt to find common-sense middle ground on detentions.

CommonWealth

Today's Headlines

Metro

Mayor on alt-right rally planned for Saturday: ‘I don’t want them’ in Boston - Boston Herald

Boston Free Speech rally organizers say they aren't connected to group behind Charlottesville 'pro-white' rally - MassLive

Woodlief was consummate political writer - Boston Herald

Massachusetts

All over Massachusetts, people are rallying against violence - Boston Globe

Protesters to Berkshire Museum: Art is 'Not For Sale' - Berkshire Eagle

GOP senses chance to break 40-year Democratic control of 3rd District seat - Lowell Sun

Nation

Politicians, others react to Trump’s ‘many sides’ condemnation of Va. Violence - NYT