This email may be cut off by your email provider. To see today's full MASSterList, click "View entire message" at the bottom, or view the online version here. | By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan 02/15/2021New and improved | Tax talk | JOB BOARD MONDAY | | | | Job Board Monday | | | Reach MASSterList's 22,000 Beacon Hill connected and policy-minded subscribers with your job postings. Have friends interested in one of these positions? Forward the newsletter to them! Contact David Art at dart@massterlist.com or call 860-576-1886 for more information. | | | | Recent postings to the MASSterList Job Board: | | | | Assembly Clerk, Assembly of Delegates - new!, County of Barnstable | Public Affairs Coordinator - new!, Groundwork Lawrence (GWL) | Digital Communications Coordinator - new!, Groundwork Lawrence (GWL) | Director of Human Resources, City of Marlborough | Director of Projects and Partnerships, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, Central Transportation Planning Staff | Director of Public Policy, Children’s League of MA | Public Relations Associate, City of Brockton, Office of the Mayor | Chief Operating Officer, Boston Society for Architecture | Account Director (Labor Communications), 617MediaGroup | Assistant Director, Human Resources, City of Brockton | Assistant City Solicitor, City of Brockton | Executive Director, Right Question Institute | Regional Director, Office of Congressman Seth Moulton | | | | | Happening Today | | | | President’s Day, Green Line project, police reforms | | | -- Today is President Day, with most federal, state and local government offices and schools closed; stock markets and banks are also closed. -- The MBTA starts a year-long project to consolidate four stations on the Green Line's B Branch into two stations -- and for the next 13 months the T will replace trolley service between the Babcock Street and Kenmore stops with buses starting at 8:45 p.m. on weeknights and all day on weekends, 8:45 p.m. -- The police reform bill Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law requires a 22-member special legislative commission on government use of facial recognition technology to start meeting not later than Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. For the most comprehensive list of calendar items, check out State House News Service’s Daily Advances (pay wall – free trial subscriptions available), as well as MassterList’s Beacon Hill Town Square below. | | |
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| | | | Today's News | | | | Reminder to readers: SHNS Coronavirus Tracker available for free | | | A reminder to our readers as the coronavirus crisis unfolds: The paywalled State House News Service, which produces MASSterList, is making its full Coronavirus Tracker available to the community for free on a daily basis each morning via ML. SHNS Coronavirus Tracker. | | | |
| | | | The coronavirus numbers: 60 new deaths, 15,916 total deaths, 1,820 new cases | | | MassLive has the latest coronavirus numbers for Massachusetts. | | | |
| | | | State unveils new and improved website: Vaxfinder.mass.gov | | | Gov. Charlie Baker has obviously concluded the state’s original vaccination website wasn’t as easy to use as he once touted. GBH’s Mike Deehan reports that state has rolled out a new and (hopefully) improved vaccination-search website – Vaxfinder.mass.gov. Meanwhile, the Globe’s John Hilliard reports that the state’s COVID-19 call center has expanded to weekends. GBH | | | |
| | |  | | | | | | DPH: UK virus variant spreading among locals | | | It’s not a big increase in the number of confirmed cases of the U.K. coronavirus variant in Massacusetts, but it’s an alarming increase, since it seems to be spreading via local transmissions, not from people who have recently traveled in Europe. WCVB has more on the 19 new U.K. cases in Massachusetts. WCVB | | | |
| | | | Mariano: ‘Move teachers to the head of the line’ | | | House Speaker Ron Mariano is jumping into the Baker-vs-teachers-union fray, saying the state should “move teachers to the head of the line” to receive their COVID vaccine, according to a report at CBS Boston. The announcement is not too surprising, considering Mariano is a former teacher and school committee member. Meanwhile, Mariano also says the administration’s vaccine rollout in general has been a “virtual disaster,” as a three-reporter team at the Herald report. In Everett, they’re having trouble with plans to vaccinate teachers. The problem? The Baker administration says teachers aren’t eligible yet. CommonWealth’s Sarah Betancourt has more. CBS Boston | | | |
| | | | As state says no to funeral-worker vaccinations, it says yes to public medical-examiner shots | | | Speaking of vaccine-priority lists, file this one under: ‘Do as we say, not as we do.’ The Globe’s John Hilliard and Matt Stout report that while the Baker administration has steadfastly refused to move funeral-home workers higher up on the vaccine-priority list, the head of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has been imploring staffers to hurry up and get shots, damn it. | | | |
| | | Sponsored Virtual 12th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day, Held in Honor of Black History Month and Naakh Vysoky – February 25, 10 am to 2 pm Join Governor Charlie Baker, Senate President Pro Tempore Brownsberger, Senator Majority Leader Cynthia Cream, NEAC NAACP President Juan Cofield, leaders of legislature, advocacy, medicine and prostate cancer survivors on February 25, 10 am to 2 pm. You will take part in creating Massachusetts model of national leadership in prostate cancer awareness and reducing health disparities in the times of Covid-19. You will learn about the cutting-edge advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and Covid-19. This event is hosted by AdMeTech Foundation, creator of The Manogram® Project. Learn more here. | | | | | | State has spent only half of its federal relief fund – yet wants more money | | | The Globe’s Emma Platoff has a good piece this morning about how the state has spent only half of the $2.7 billion it has received via last year’s federal CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. And yet the state is pushing for more money from the feds. So what’s going on? Two budget watchdog groups say it’s actually not a bad idea to go slow on the spending, rather than spending fast and unwisely. Boston Globe | | | |
| | | | Mariano: New taxes 'not on the table' -- for now | | | Speaking of state finances, House Speaker Ron Mariano says that “right now, taxes are not on the table” as state officials “sort of figure out where we are in our budget, how much we are going to be short,” reports WCVB. But that doesn’t mean other Dems aren’t looking at tax increases on the wealthy, as the Herald’s Erin Tiernan reports. WCVB | | | |
| | | | Baker and Cuomo: There go their presidential hopes? | | | The Herald’s Joe Battenfeld seems to be in a cranky anti-Dem/RINO mood this holiday morning, blasting away at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker for their handling of coronavirus matters – while taking shots for good measure at Maura Healey, Marty Walsh and Mitt Romney. No political cowardice on the right to cite? Not one example? Boston Herald | | | |
| | |  | | | | | | Collins and Romney among seven lonely Republicans to vote to convict Trump | | | All of New England’s U.S. senators, including Republican Susan Collins of Maine, voted over the weekend to convict former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, reports WBUR’s Lisa Creamer. And former Mass. Gov. and current U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah also voted to convict Trump, one of only seven Republicans to cast conviction votes that ultimately didn’t matter. Trump was still acquitted. The reaction of the state’s all-Democratic delegation to Trump’s acquittal: “Sad day” (WCVB). WBUR | | | |
| | | | Scott Brown: Trump ultimately responsible for Capitol riot | | | Here’s another local Republican who isn’t happy with Donald Trump. Scott Brown, the former U.S. senator and Trump-appointed ambassador to New Zealand, says he’s “disgusted” with the state of politics. But he’s taking that previously expressed disgust a step further, saying Trump was responsible for ‘what ultimately happened’ on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, reports Hannah Uebele at GBH. GBH | | | |
| | | | Bannon to local GOP: Trump will ‘lead us in 2024’ | | | Speaking of the former president, this is a pretty zany scenario outlined by a pretty zany strategist who nevertheless has his finger on the pulse of the MAGA movement. From the Herald’s Rick Sobey: “Former White House strategist Steve Bannon told a group of Boston Republicans that former President Donald Trump will come roaring back in 2024, suggesting he may first be elected to Congress, displace Nancy Pelosi as speaker and launch impeachment proceedings against President Biden.” Boston Herald | | | |
| | |  | | | | | | Republicans on making mail-in voting permanent: Not so fast | | | More proof that the MAGA mindset is alive and well in some form, to wit: a small band of local Republicans, including the state GOP’s vice chairman, are opposing efforts to make mail-in voting and same-day registration permanent features of state elections, reports the Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter. But a Globe editorial makes clear what the rest of Massachusetts seems to think and will likely get: “Mail-in voting a winner, let’s keep it.” | | | |
| | | | ‘Labor intensive:’ Clerks on Cape cast wary eye toward expanded voting options | | | They’re wary of expanded voting for different reasons. City and town clerks on Cape Cod say they’re going to need extra resources if legislation proposed by Secretary of State William Galvin to expand early in-person and mail-in voting measures is passed, Beth Treffeisen at the Cape Cod Times reports. Cape Cod Times | | | |
| | | | Boston’s Anti-Defamation League joins the manhunt for local Capitol rioters | | | Using its own extensive database of known extremists, the Anti-Defamation League of Boston is conducting a review of photos from last month’s assault on the U.S. Capitol to help the feds ID and apprehend those with a ‘growing propensity for violence,’ reports MassLive’s Heather Morrison. MassLive | | | |
| | |  | | | | | | Ex-FBI agent and Whitey pal Connolly seeks early release | | | The AP at WBUR and the Herald’s Joe Dwinell report that ex-FBI agent John “Zip” Connolly, the disgraced former handler/enabler of gangster Whitey Bulger, is said to be dying and wants a medical release from prison so he can die at home. A hearing on the medical request is set for Wednesday. | | | |
| | | | Developers float idea of floating waterfront homes | | | We already have a new nickname for the neighborhood if it ever becomes reality: Venice. Universal Hub’s Adam Gaffin reports on developers’ proposal to replace a decaying pier at the Charlestown Navy Yard with, among other things, a series of floating homes. The design sketch accompanying the UH post looks pretty cool. Universal Hub | | | |
| | | | Census delay throws off timing of state’s redistricting efforts | | | SHNS’s Michael Norton reports that the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision last week not to deliver critical population data to states until Sept. 30 has thrown a “major wrench into efforts by state legislatures to redraw Congressional and legislative districts this year as is required every 10 years.” SHNS (pay wall -- free trial subscription available) | | | |
| | | Sponsored An investigative watchdog exposing corruption through filmmaking and unbiased reporting. Seeking to expose and report on Anti-Semitism and the BDS movement in America today, reversing the tide against hate. Dark Wire will bring you information and coverage you will not get anywhere else. | | | | | | State’s payroll diversity numbers look positive except … in the governor’s office and Legislature | | | Here’s some good news: State government’s hiring of minorities is strong and more than matches the state’s demographic make-up. But the governor’s office and the Legislature have some work to do when it comes to diversifying their own work-force ranks, reports CommonWealth’s Colman Herman. CommonWealth | | | |
| | | | Confirmed: Walsh’s botched BPD appointment was seriously botched | | | A three-reporter team at the Globe reviewed the process by which Mayor Marty Walsh selected Dennis White at the new BPD commissioner – and found it wasn’t much of a process. And ... you know what happened next. Boston Globe | | | |
| | | | Walking the beat: Worcester makes 1,800 Covid inspections, issues only 20 tickets | | | Busy, busy, busy. The city of Worcester’s Covid restrictions enforcement team has made some 1,800 inspection visits since September and issued just 20 fines for noncompliance -- almost half of them to a single business, Michael Bonner at MassLive reports. MassLive | | | |
| | | | Cliff hanger: After strike vote, Worcester nurses bide their time | | | Not yet. Days after they voted to authorize a strike, nurses at St. Vincent Hospital have yet to walk off the job and Isabel Sami at the Telegram reports the union is both making plans to launch the action and holding out hope for renewed negotiations. Telegram | | | |
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| | | | | | To view more events or post an event listing on Beacon Hill Town Square, please visit events.massterlist.com. | Beacon Hill Town Square | | |
| | | Feb. 15, 8 p.m. | | Abraham Lincoln Assassination & Ford's Theatre - Livestream Program | | Hosted by: Washington DC HIstory & Culture | | | | Our President's Day livestream history program is on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, April 4, 1865. This program will focus on Abraham Lincoln, the assassination at Ford's Theatre, including an overview of the site, and Lincoln's legacy as our greatest president. This is a online/virtual version of our popular in-person tours we host at Ford's Theatre. More Information | | |
| | | | Feb. 16, 11 a.m. | | Out Here 3: Stories of Homelessness and Transition from the Streets of Downtown Boston | | Hosted by: Boston Public Library | | | | Join the Black Seed Writers Group, including founder and editor John Parker, and the Boston Public Library for another online morning of poetry, protest, prayer, witness, and visionary reportage from the streets and shelter of the city. The Out Here series, created with the BPL to keep these writers in touch with their readership during the pandemic, has been an extraordinary success. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 16, 6 p.m. | | GBH News Forum: The Color of Public Money — A Public Discussion (Virtual) | | Hosted by: WGBH | | | | Join us for the next GBH News Forum. This time, we’re looking at inequities in government contracting and public spending revealed by the work of the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting in its ongoing series, “The Color of Public Money.” More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 16, 7 p.m. | | Unsung: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition | | Hosted by: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | | | | Join us for the launch of Unsung: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition, edited by Dr. Michelle Commander. The event will feature readings from the anthology that includes essays, speeches, plays, and more. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 17, 2 p.m. | | Bill Gates - How to Avoid a Climate Disaster | | Hosted by: How To Academy | | | | In this livestream event, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical and accessible plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. He will explain not only why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 17, 6 p.m. | | Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter | | Hosted by: Boston Public Library | | | | Participants will discuss this book, by Kerry K. Greenridge, who is a Mellon Assistant Professor in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora at Tufts University where she also directs the American studies program. She lives in Massachusetts. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 17, 7 p.m. | | Nate Marshall Presents FINNA | | Hosted by: Cambridge Public Library | | | | Join us as we celebrate Black History Month with a special poetry reading by Nate Marshall, author of FINNA. Marshall is a writer, rapper, and educator from the South Side of Chicago. He is the author of FINNA, winner of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's award for Poetry Book of the Year, and the Great Lakes College Association's New Writer Award. More Information |
| | | | Feb. 17, 8 p.m. | | President Clinton's Defense Secretary William Cohen: Foreign and Domestic Policy | | Hosted by: Jews United for Democracy and Justice and Community Advocates | | | | A Republican Discusses the Future: Former Secretary of Defense Senator William Cohen talks about foreign and domestic policy in the hyper-partisan time. After 32 years of public service, Secretary Cohen leaves behind a record of unparalleled accomplishment, integrity, and respect, and takes with him unrivaled knowledge, reputation, and relationships across America and around the globe. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 18, 12 p.m. | | Lunch Hour Live — Codeswitching: Race And Identity In The Suburban Schoolhouse (Virtual) | | Hosted by: WGBH | | | | In an increasingly interconnected and hyper-competitive world, how will future students continue to navigate such intense social contracts while remaining connected to their authentic selves? On this week's Lunch Hour Live, Sue O'Connell sits down with "Codeswitching" director Jonathan Schwartz and producer Mike Mascoll to better understand the challenges of the METCO system and its impact on students of color. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 18, 3:30 p.m. | | NASA's Perserverance Rover Mars Landing | | Hosted by: NASA | | | | NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is nearing its new planetary home. The spacecraft has begun its approach to the Red Planet and on Feb. 18, 2021, Perseverance will blaze through Mars' atmosphere at about 12,100 mph (19,500 kph), toughing down gently on the surface about seven minutes later. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 18, 5 p.m. | | Poet of the People: The Greatness of Langston Hughes | | Hosted by: Library of America | | | | Join Brent Hayes Edwards, Director of the Schomburg Center's Scholars-in-Residence Program and Rafia Zafar, Professor of African-American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, for a conversation about Hughes's greatness and about his centrality for American literature and the culture of the global African Diaspora. Featuring readings by poets Kevin Young and Tuehimba Jess. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m. | | Stone Social Impact Forum featuring Catherine Coleman Flowers | | Hosted by: Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate | | | | Acclaimed environmental activist, MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, and author Catherine Coleman Flowers, founding director of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, will headline the virtual 2021 Stone Social Impact Forum. More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 22, 8:30 p.m. | | Webinar Series “Africa, Israel, and Their Descendants” Part 1: Zionism & The Civil Rights Movement (Joshua Washington) | | Hosted by: Americans for Peace and Tolerance | | | | ]APT is proud to co-sponsor an up-coming webinar series on the closely intertwined history of blacks and Jews. Zionism & The Civil Rights Movement (Joshua Washington). More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 23, 6 p.m. | | Virtual Author Talk with Anna Malaika Tubbs | | Hosted by: The Boston Public Library, the Museum of African American History, American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society, and the State Library of Massachusetts | | | | Virtual author talk with Anna Malaika Tubbs, in conversation with L'Merchie Frazier, on Tubbs's new book, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 23, 8:30 p.m. | | Webinar Series “Africa, Israel, and Their Descendants” Part 2: Ancient Friendship: Africa & Israel (Olga Meshoe-Washington) | | Hosted by: Americans for Peace and Tolerance | | | | APT is proud to co-sponsor an up-coming webinar series on the closely intertwined history of blacks and Jews. Ancient Friendship: Africa & Israel (Olga Meshoe-Washington) More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 24, 8:30 p.m. | | Webinar Series “Africa, Israel, and Their Descendants” Part 3: Combatting the Anti-Zionist Blaxploitation & How We Move Forward (Dumisani Washington) | | Hosted by: Americans for Peace and Tolerance | | | | APT is proud to co-sponsor an up-coming webinar series on the closely intertwined history of blacks and Jews. Combatting the Anti-Zionist Blaxploitation & How We Move Forward (Dumisani Washington) More Information |
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| | | | Feb. 25, 9 a.m. | | Future of Health Care | | Hosted by: Boston Business Journal | | | | How will the events and economic impact of 2020 shape what health care looks like in the future? Hear from top industry leaders regarding the changes brought on by the pandemic and who will share their views of the road ahead. What is the prognosis for this key piece of our economy? How is the delivery of care impacted? How will the cost structure change? More Information | | |
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