| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | Presented by Uber Driver Stories | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. It’s Opening Day at Fenway Park! HOW NEW YORK’S POT DEAL COULD IMPACT MASS. — New York legalized recreational cannabis yesterday, and the move could have an impact on dispensaries in Massachusetts as the new marijuana market gets up and running. Now it’s legal to possess cannabis in New York, but there is no place to buy it yet. And things will stay that way for a while, as the state sets up its new licensing structure. New York’s plan is loosely inspired by Massachusetts. In fact, the Bay State came up quite a bit as New York lawmakers debated their marijuana deal. In the short-term, New York’s new law could boost sales at Massachusetts cannabis stores that border the Empire State. Dispensaries in Western Mass already count New Yorkers as reliable customers. “There could be an opportunity for us to engage more people as it obviously becomes more prevalent in the news in New York, and they start looking for alternatives until it's available for them,” Berkshire Roots CEO James Winokur told me. The company operates a store in Pittsfield, just 11 miles from the New York border. The store already has a “good base” of out-of-state customers who have second homes in the Berkshires, Winokur added. But in the long term, New York’s move could pull business away from those same Massachusetts dispensaries as the New York industry gains steam. “Stores here might have a temporary bump, but then of course, they might also have a dip later when the stores open in New York,” said Shaleen Title, a former member of the Cannabis Control Commission. It is hard to know just how many New Yorkers buy cannabis in Massachusetts, because stores don’t track customer addresses. But in the western part of the state, it’s pretty significant. Great Barrington’s Theory Wellness is a 15-minute drive from the New York border, and under three hours from New York City. CEO Brandon Pollock estimates “up to half” of the business at the company's Great Barrington dispensary comes from out of state, namely people coming from New York. “There's certainly no doubt that some folks are driving long distances to reach the only legal cannabis that's accessible to them, and if they have a more convenient location closer to home, I wouldn't make that drive myself,” Pollock told me. But it’s not exactly a zero-sum equation -- Berkshire Roots and Theory Wellness are both eyeing expanding to New York now that it’s legal. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Maura Healey hold a student loan debt cancellation press conference. Warren visits businesses in Quincy. Healey moderates an event to kick off Victim Rights Month with Tarana Burke. Rep. Richard Neal holds a press conference on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan in Springfield. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Lori Trahan tour the vaccine clinic at Lowell Community Health Center. Markey meets with business owners in Andover. Rep. Jake Auchincloss tours Tripadvisor’s headquarters. Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey holds a press conference to celebrate National Poetry Month, provides a Covid-19 update and visits small businesses in Fenway. | |
A message from Uber Driver Stories: Meet Fallon. Delivering with Uber Eats helps her pay for college while allowing her the flexibility to fit her schedule around studies. Fallon chooses Uber because, unlike most other gigs, she can control her hours and spend more time focusing on her future. Watch her story in her own words below. | | | | |
| | JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO “THE RECAST” Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. “The Recast” is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don’t miss out on our latest newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Weekly COVID infections have grown 44% this month, as Massachusetts reports 2,252 new cases, 36 deaths,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “The steady rise in COVID cases is continuing unabated this week. Active COVID infections in Massachusetts rose to 31,911 on Wednesday, up from 31,298 the day before, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health. State health officials confirmed another 2,252 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Charlie Baker wants ‘significant’ climate resiliency investment in Biden’s $2T infrastructure plan,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “Gov. Charlie Baker is calling for a “pretty significant investment” in climate resiliency as part of President Biden’s sweeping $2 trillion proposal to re-engineer the nation’s crumbling infrastructure and move toward a greener future.” – “DCF head admits agency failed David Almond,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “The top Massachusetts officials charged with protecting vulnerable children admitted Wednesday that the system failed badly in not preventing the death of Fall River teenager David Almond. ‘It is clear to me and the leadership of this organization that the safety net we’ve been putting in place in this agency failed this child and failed this child in a significant way,’ said Linda Spears, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.” – After ‘damning’ David Almond report, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says he expects DCF will implement reforms,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “After a ‘distressing’ report showing a 14-year-old autistic boy’s death was preventable, Gov. Charlie Baker says he expects the state to implement all of the recommendations made by the Office of the Child Advocate.” – “Anti-Asian attacks prompt call for updated hate crimes law in Massachusetts,” by Steve LeBlanc, The Associated Press: “A national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes — including a recent mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent — is prompting state lawmakers to push a bill they say would expand and clarify hate crime laws in Massachusetts.” – “On The Day Many Vehicle Stickers Expire, Vendor Outage Halts RMV Inspections,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “A vendor outage has halted vehicle inspections in Massachusetts for the last day or more — the final days before stickers expire for many drivers, leaving them unable to renew their right to be on the road. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles said a nationwide outage isn't the fault of dealers and mechanics but of Applus Technologies of Wisconsin, the technology company it pays almost $5 million a year to keep the system working.” – “If A First Responder Gets COVID, Is It A Work-Related Injury? The Answer Affects Their Benefits,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: “Because of the nature of their work, firefighters, police and EMTs continue to risk contracting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. But an effort is underway to create laws that would treat those infections like any other workplace-related injury.” | | VAX-ACHUSETTS |
| – “Massachusetts expected to get more than 100,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Gov. Charlie Baker says Massachusetts will get more than 100,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, as the company begins to release the floodgates on its long-anticipated increase in supply .” – “Mass. officials not told to expect delays in shipping Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: “Massachusetts has not been told to expect delays in shipping doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the state, state officials said Wednesday night after the federal government announced that about 15 million doses of the vaccine had been unintentionally ruined.” – “Pop Up COVID Vaccine Clinics Are A Hit Among People Sometimes Considered Vaccine Hesitant,” by Liz Neisloss, GBH News: “The Roxbury-based Whittier Street Health Center set up the pop-up clinic with the goal of getting vaccines to people in this immigrant community, who are often considered ‘vaccine hesitant.’ In reality, advocates said the high level of interest indicates people here want the vaccines but often don't have the time or means to get to a vaccine clinic.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Boston Home Cooks Will Soon Be Able To Sell Food From Their Own Kitchens,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “In a pair of votes Wednesday the Boston City Council cleared the way for home cooks to make and sell food out of their own kitchens. The new law covers ‘cottage foods’ that don't easily spoil, like pastries, tortillas, dried fruit, and pasta.” – “Several Boston Black executives join call out against new Georgia voting law,” by Anissa Gardizy, Boston Globe: “Several prominent Black executives from Boston are among the more than 70 business leaders from across the country who signed a letter on Wednesday demanding that corporate America denounce legislative efforts by states to pass more restrictive voting laws.” – “Police Dash Cams, Body Cams Remain The Exception In Massachusetts,” by Ally Jarmanning, WBUR: “When someone dies in a violent encounter with police, people have come to expect to see the video. A police body camera captured Daniel Prude’s death after he was physically restrained by police in Albany, New York last year. In Minneapolis, both police and private cameras caught officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck — footage that will likely play a central role in Chauvin’s trial starting this week. But police in Massachusetts are much less likely to record incidents on cameras.” | | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| – FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Campbell endorsed by Our Black Party,” from the Campbell campaign: “Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell received the endorsement of Our Black Party, a national organization that exists to advance a political agenda that addresses the needs of Black people, founded and led by former Black elected officials across the country.” | |
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| | | | | FEELING '22 |
| – “It's 'Maybe' Season In The Mass. Governor's Race,” by Callum Borchers, WBUR: “It is spring in the year before a gubernatorial election, and the ‘maybes’ are blooming faster than the magnolias. State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz said Monday she is ‘seriously considering running for governor.’ The Jamaica Plain Democrat joins a list of people publicly mulling bids that includes Harvard professor Danielle Allen, a fellow Democrat; former GOP Senate candidate Geoff Diehl and incumbent Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.” | | PARTY POLITICS |
| – “Obscure Boston Republican race vote count changes yet again,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The vote count in a little-known Boston race has yet again changed, now nearly 13 months after the final ballot was cast and a few days after a court-ordered recount. The Boston Election Commission on Wednesday voted to accept the tally of March 2020’s election for the Massachusetts Republican Committeewoman from the 2nd Suffolk District, with Nicaela Chinnaswamy leading after this past weekend’s court-mandated recount.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “State Sen. Ryan Fattman Loses Court Challenge To Campaign Finance Probe,” by Todd Wallack, WBUR: “A Superior Court judge has rejected state Sen. Ryan Fattman’s request to put the brakes on a campaign finance investigation involving him and his wife. The Fattmans and others filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court on March 17, claiming the outgoing head of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Michael Sullivan, is biased, rushed to complete his investigation before a new director takes over in two weeks and refused to show the plaintiffs all the evidence he has amassed in the probe.” | | WARREN REPORT |
| – “Sen. Warren returns to New Bedford, touting $3.9M for waterfront vaccines,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren made her first visit to New Bedford in more than two years on Wednesday, touring a new federally funded vaccination center and expressing gratitude to essential workers in the food sector. Warren joined Mayor Jon Mitchell to inspect a waterfront building that the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center is turning into a vaccination site designed to serve employees in the nearby fish processing plants. It will begin offering Johnson & Johnson doses on April 10.” | | MARKEYCHUSETTS |
| – “Fourth stimulus: Sens. Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren push President Joe Biden for $2,000 monthly checks,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “Nearly two dozen U.S. senators now want the federal government to send recurring COVID-19 stimulus checks to tens of millions of Americans for the duration of the pandemic.” | | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
| – “Northeast governors need Biden to deliver on offshore wind,” by Benjamin Storrow, Danielle Muoio, Heather Richards, Marie J. French, and Samantha Maldonado, POLITICO: “Northeast governors built their climate agendas on the promise of offshore wind. The only problem: They’ll need help from Washington to realize their goals.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “JOY IN MUDVILLE,” — Globe: “Suit accuses Duxbury teacher of rape," "Results promising on shots for teens.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “$97.5M+ in federal COVID aid will have ‘transformative’ effect on Springfield,” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “The city’s chief administrative and financial officer said this week that new COVID-19 aid from the federal government will total at least $97.5 million, and will have a ‘transformative’ effect on Springfield.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Some striking St. Vincent Hospital nurses feeling financial pinch; Part-time jobs, spousal support, union strike fund help make ends meet,” by Nicole Shih, Telegram & Gazette: “St. Vincent Hospital and its owner, Tenet Healthcare, have been spending millions on replacement nurses. Meanwhile, some striking nurses are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Some have filed for unemployment, some are working part-time jobs and others are relying on the income of spouses.” – “Livestream craze raises privacy questions,” by Julie Manganis, The Salem News: “In an era where cameras and microphones are everywhere — from the pocket where you keep your smartphone to your front doorbell to the little speaker on the kitchen counter that will tell Amazon to bring you more paper towels — a livestream of a street corner isn’t all that unusual in 2021.” – “Weather Service closes Chatham office amid fears it could fall into the ocean because of erosion,” by Charlie McKenna, Boston Globe: “For half a century, the National Weather Service has been tracking storms and atmospheric conditions on Cape Cod from an outpost in Chatham. Now those very same elements have claimed the research facility. The service shuttered the operation Wednesday, launching a final weather balloon before preparing the site for demolition in April after coastal erosion raised fears the property could fall into the ocean, officials said.” TRANSITIONS – Eoin Cannon joins the Department of Labor as a speechwriter. Link. – Chris Cook is the new executive director of the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. – Matt Brodeur is the new president of the Cape and Islands Democratic Council. – John B. Shinn joins Sherin and Lodgen as counsel in the business law department. SPOTTED: via a Playbooker in Southie yesterday … A black SUV with a Rep. Stephen Lynch sticker and “USA 8” license plate. Pic. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Matt Szafranski of Western Mass Politics & Insight, photog Dan Little, Dan Lothian, founder of Little Park Media and a CNN alum; and Jacob Spiering. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. | |
A message from Uber Driver Stories: As a woman of color, Fallon’s number one priority is to better herself through her education. And that means finishing her bachelor’s degree in business.
At first, Fallon tried to go down the traditional route of working part-time. But she says it didn’t offer the flexible schedule that she needed.
“I like the flexibility of driving with Uber,” she says. “I can drive when I want to.”
With Uber, Fallon can choose when, where, and how long she wants to drive. If she has an exam that needs her attention, she doesn’t have to worry about asking her boss or requesting time off—she can take the time she needs on her terms.
To see more stories like Fallon’s, click here.
*Driver earnings may vary depending on location, demand, hours, drivers, and other variables. | | | | |
| | JOIN PLAYBOOK TODAY FOR A CONVERSATION WITH RON KLAIN : The Biden administration is full speed ahead with an ambitious vaccination timeline, the deployment of $1.9 trillion in pandemic relief, and a multitrillion dollar infrastructure plan. But the White House is also dealing with a mounting crisis at the border, the aftermath of back-to-back mass shootings, and a looming showdown over the Senate filibuster. Join Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza for a conversation with White House chief of staff Ron Klain to discuss Biden's agenda in the coming months and how the administration plans to address the challenges facing the nation. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | |
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