POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Food for thought for Mayor Wu

BY KELLY GARRITY AND LISA KASHINSKY Presented by  FOOD FIGHT — Irate restaurateurs fed up with Boston’s ban on most outdoor dining in the North End have been trying a new tactic over the past week: hanging banners across the neighborhood’s main drag encouraging people to call the city’s 311 line to complain about the restriction. But in the process they’ve reinvigorated North End residents who have reservations about letting restaurants again take over their streets and sidewalks. North End restaurant owners warring with Mayor Michelle Wu over her decision to drop the neighborhood from the city’s pandemic-era dining program marked the start of outdoor dining across the rest of the city this week with new signs instructing people to call the city’s catch-all complaint line to advocate for the return of al-fresco dining. North End restaurateurs feuding with Mayor Michelle Wu over outdoor dining restrictions unveiled their campaign to call City Hall last Friday with the help of former Boston police Commissioner William Gross. | Kelly Garrity/POLITICO The message is meant as a jab at Wu, who cited the number of complaints about cleanliness and rodents submitted through the hotline as part of the reason the North End was eighty-sixed from the program. But restaurateurs’ ploy hasn’t played out exactly as planned. For every couple of calls to the city to let tables and chairs return to the North End’s tightly packed tangle of streets, there is another pleading with Wu to stand her ground, according to a Playbook review of 311 reports logged online since the banners first went up last Friday. “North End Residents DO NOT want Outdoor Dining!!!” says one report. “Please inform restaurant owners that diners don’t want to be involved in their petty infighting with the City of Boston. They are killing the North End vibe,” reads another. Some people even called to remove the “terrible looking” banners. Requests to reinstate outdoor dining over the past week did outnumber those calling to keep it off the menu by a count of 28 to 13, per our Thursday evening review. That includes people who took the banners' suggestion that “if you want a reservation for outdoor dining in the North End, call City Hall” quite literally. But if revenge is a dish best served cold, this level of response is lukewarm at best. And it’s one indicator that Wu may have an easier time sticking a fork in this issue ahead of her likely reelection bid than previously thought. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Lisa here: Today is my three-year Playbook anniversary! It’s an honor to be in your inboxes each weekday. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hold a Chapter 90 bill-signing event at 10:30 a.m. at Melrose City Hall. Healey is on GBH at 1 p.m. at UMass Boston. THIS WEEKEND — Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks at an AAPI Heritage Month event at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on the Boston Common. Driscoll participates in a Transhealth event with actor Elliot Page at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Northampton. SUNDAY SHOWS — House Speaker Ron Mariano is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Rep. Lori Trahan is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian , former Cannabis Control Commissioner Shaleen Title , former Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Dr. Staci Gruber are on NBC10’s “At Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Tips? Scoops? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com.   A message from the Drivers Demand Justice Coalition: Uber and Lyft are threatening to limit the rights and protections of Massachusetts rideshare drivers. But drivers have a different vision: one that empowers drivers to shape their working conditions and that gives them the chance to unionize. Drivers can’t get there alone – we’re urging lawmakers to ensure collective bargaining rights for rideshare drivers by passing the Rideshare Driver Justice bill this session, before it’s too late. Rideshare drivers need the freedom to unionize now!   YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS CASH DASH — Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy holds an early fundraising lead over attorney Allison Cartwright in what could be one of the more contentious races in the Boston area this year. Murphy, who started this contest with money leftover from her last council race and a pre-existing network to tap into — including at a fundraiser last week — raised $32,421 in April and has $47,820 in her coffers. Cartwright raised $9,191 and has $13,779 in her bank account. The rivals’ OCPF filings show clear battle lines forming in Boston over the county seat. Murphy cashed $500 checks from at least nine unions and Josh Kraft . She also received contributions from former City Councilors Bill Linehan and Larry DiCara , among others. Cartwright, meanwhile, took in donations from prominent leaders of color including state Sen. Lydia Edwards , Rahsaan Hall and retired SJC Justice Geraldine Hines (all of whom are on her campaign committee), as well as former state Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral and former state Rep. Marie St. Fleur . She also received $200 from former Rep. Chet Atkins and $100 each from former Ambassador Alan Solomont and Reproductive Equity Now leader Rebecca Hart Holder . — “Four candidates for 3rd Berkshire District submit signatures to appear on ballot,” by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle: “Democrats Leigh Davis, Jamie Minacci and Patrick White, and independent Marybeth Mitts, all reported having met the deadline… The seat is being vacated by incumbent state Rep. William ‘Smitty’ Pignatelli of Lenox.” — “Two local state rep seats won't be going to incumbents. Here's why,” by Frank Mulligan, The Standard-Times: “Three candidates have returned nomination papers for the 10th Bristol District state representative's seat currently held by William Straus, D-Mattapoisett. … Five candidates have returned nomination papers for the 8th Bristol state representative's seat currently held by Paul A. Schmid III, D-Westport.” The primary is Sept. 3 and the general election is Nov. 5. MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — “For those in Mass. emergency shelters, the new 9-month clock is already ticking,” by Simón Rios, WBUR: “People staying in the state’s emergency shelters could be required to leave as early as September — sooner than many advocates thought. A new state law capping shelter stays at nine months turns out to be retroactive, state officials told WBUR. That means the clock started ticking for shelter residents back when they first arrived in the shelters. Some 7,500 families are now living in the state’s emergency shelter system, a mix of traditional shelters and converted hotels. As of June 1, if they’ve been there for nine months, they could be given a 90-day notice that it’s time to leave, according to the state's Office of Housing and Livable Communities.” DATELINE BEACON HILL — “What to know about three consumer protection bills in Massachusetts,” by Katie Lannan and Jeremy Siegel, GBH News: “In Massachusetts, navigating utility bills, buying used cars and dealing with home heating oil tanks can sometimes feel like working without a safety net. Companies are not always required to protect consumers, and buyers are left to exercise caution and discretion on their own. But recently, the Massachusetts state Senate passed a trio of bills aiming to offer consumers more support.”   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY .     FROM THE HUB — “Watchdog says Boston should look to reserve funds, spending cuts before hiking commercial taxes,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Beacon: “[The Boston Municipal Research Bureau] is throwing cold water on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposal to raise tax rates on commercial property, saying the city should instead look to spending cuts, tapping reserve funds, and diversifying its sources of revenue as it contends with a likely drop in commercial real estate values from the resetting of office work patterns following the pandemic.” BALLOT BATTLES — “Coalition forming to oppose psychedelics ballot question, argues home-grow is unsafe,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “A coalition led by a Massachusetts General Hospital doctor is forming to oppose a ballot question that would decriminalize psychedelics for mental health treatments, with leaders of the group arguing a home-grow provision ignores public safety risks.” DAY IN COURT — “Prosecutors won’t appeal Boston Marathon bombing court ruling paving way for hearing on potential juror bias,” by Shelley Murphy, The Boston Globe: “Federal prosecutors will not challenge an appeals court ruling in the death penalty case against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that requires the judge who presided over his 2015 trial to delve into defense claims that two jurors were biased and should have been excused during jury selection."   A message from the Drivers Demand Justice Coalition: Massachusetts faces a choice between two realities for the future of rideshare work: Allow Silicon Valley executives to deceptively lock drivers into a limited set of rights, while leaving taxpayers picking up the tab on key worker benefits. Or: Pass the Rideshare Driver Justice bill to empower tens of thousands of Massachusetts rideshare drivers with the freedom to unionize – allowing them to collectively bargain with rideshare companies to improve pay, benefits, and safety.  Rideshare drivers have a roadmap on how to improve our lives and our communities. It starts with the legislature allowing us the freedom to unionize. Rideshare drivers are currently struggling with pay below the state minimum wage. And because we don’t have the freedom to unionize, taxpayers pay for a range of benefits that the companies are denying us. Drivers and our communities are at a critical crossroads. It’s time to pass the Rideshare Driver Justice bill.   ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR IT'S TIME TO CHANGE THE RHETORIC!  Student Protests impacted the VIETNAM WAR and it's belongs on campuses and elsewhere.  The protests are ANTI-GENOCIDE There is no defense for killing unarmed civilians and denying humanitarian aid as ISRAEL continues to do.    LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN — Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Stephen Lynch and Jim McGovern signed onto a letter this week urging President Joe Biden to “dissuade the Israeli government” from invading Rafah as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to launch an offensive into the southern Gaza Strip “with or without” a cease-fire deal. — “Auchincloss demands Harvard, other colleges take down pro-Palestinian encampments,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss is demanding university officials to take down pro-Palestinian encampments as they’re creating a ‘hostile learning environment’ for Jewish and Israeli students, but he says that can happen without more federal laws. The Massachusetts Congressman on Thursday visited Harvard University, where an encampment popped up on April 24, and spoke with Jewish and Israeli students. The interactions, he said, provided a clear indication that the Cambridge campus is in violation of Title VI.” — “MIT says cutting research ties with Israeli military would ‘violate academic freedom’,” by Charlie McKenna, MassLive: “Senior leaders at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and pro-Palestinian student protesters who have established an encampment on the school’s Cambridge campus appear to have reached an impasse on negotiations to resolve the protest , with the university saying students’ chief demand — that it no longer accept funding from the Israeli military for research — violates ‘academic freedom.’” BOB KRAFT: GET A LIFE! Defending GENOCIDE, WAR CRIMES & ETHNIC CLEANSING defines your moral bankruptcy! — “Robert Kraft says colleges are ‘emboldening hate’ as campus protests against Israel continue,” by Neal Riley, WBZ News. DATELINE D.C. — “John Kerry to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom,” by Tonya Alanez, The Boston Globe: “He’s been a senator, a presidential nominee, secretary of state and the nation’s first climate diplomat. On Friday, John F. Kerry can add recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to his list of accomplishments. Kerry is one of the 19 luminaries who will receive the nation’s highest civilian honor at the White House on Friday, President Biden said in a statement.” FROM THE 413 — “‘Pervasive antisemitic climate for Jewish students’: ADL files complaint against UMass-Amherst,” by Maria Papadopoulos, Boston 25 News: “The University of Massachusetts-Amherst has failed to address a ‘hostile antisemitic environment’ against Jewish students on its campus, according to a federal complaint filed this week by the Anti-Defamation League.” — “Federal civil rights complaint filed against Southwick school district over ‘abhorrent’ delayed response to racism,” by Aprell May Munford, Springfield Republican: “A Boston law firm has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District and Southwick Regional School on behalf of Skyla Lopez, a Black eighth grade student and victim of an online mock slave auction.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “School districts across Massachusetts weigh teacher and staff cuts,” by Muskaan Arshad, GBH News. RELATED — “Weymouth to cut 26 school workers due to budget shortfall. What administrators are saying,” by Jessica Trufant, The Patriot Ledger. — “Local officials admit CVPA not coming back to New Bedford,” by Jack Spillane, The New Bedford Light: “Nine months after UMass Dartmouth abruptly closed its graduate school in downtown New Bedford, everyone, it seems, except Mayor Jon Mitchell, is now publicly conceding that the College of Visual and Performing Arts will never come back to its longtime home in the Star Store in downtown New Bedford.”   Power Play will be at the 27th Annual Milken Global Conference in Los Angeles, from May 5-8. POLITICO’s highly influential podcast, hosted by Anne McElvoy, will bring conversations with power players in politics, finance, tech philanthropy and beyond to your ears, as they grapple with the world’s most pressing and complex challenges. Listen and follow Power Play here .     HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Georgina Burros will be comms director for Rep. Jake Auchincloss. She was chief comms officer for global issues at the British Embassy. — Kenneth E. Burdon is joining Simpson Thacher & Bartlett as a partner in the registered funds practice, based in the firm’s new Boston office. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former national climate adviser Gina McCarthy, Ben Ginsberg, Andrew Miga, Josh Irwin and Peter Brown of Peter Brown Communications. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Erin Mershon , The Boston Globe’s Shira Center, James Hannon, Natalie Akers, Ryan Evans, GWU’s Todd Belt and former Lexington state Rep. Jay Kaufman , who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Endpoints’ Nicole DeFeudis, Nicole Serrano, Brian Fry and Jedd Ari Fisch . NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: STABLE COINS — Host Lisa Kashinsky dives into the role of crypto in the state’s U.S. Senate race. CommonWealth Beacon’s Gintautas Dumcius joins hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela to talk about Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden ‘s ethics fine. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud . 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 .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: How much will the House tighten the belt?

BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY Presented by  DOLLAR SIGNS — It may finally feel like spring, but we’re about to find out whether the state’s still in fiscal "winter." House Democratic leaders who’ve been preaching fiscal prudence for months amid slumping tax revenues will unveil their fiscal year 2025 budget proposal today — a spending plan that will serve as a gut check on the state of the state’s finances. Gov. Maura Healey kept things tight in her $58 billion budget plan, pairing $2 million in new spending with $450 million in cuts to various line items and roughly $500 million in pared-back spending in other areas. In the two-plus months since she filed her blueprint, the fiscal outlook has largely worsened. Even with revenues coming in above the benchmark in March for the first time in months, Healey still moved ahead with pausing executive-branch hiring through June. And it’s become even clearer that the state is alone in paying for its exceedingly costly emergency shelter system. House Democrats are still plowing ahead with a record investment in the MBTA. But there have been hints that the rest of the budget might not be so rosy. House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz spoke at a budget hearing in early February of the need to keep funding key programs like universal free school meals and the Student Opportunity Act. But he also warned that his chamber would “proceed with caution” given the “challenge of declining revenue while facing stiff spending pressures.” And after that hearing, Michlewitz told Playbook that if revenues kept falling short of benchmarks, the House would consider putting forward a spending plan that’s lower than the one Healey put on the table. With that in mind, here are three things we’re watching for in the House’s take on the biggest spending plan of the year: THE BOTTOM LINE — Healey’s second budget calls for a 3.7 percent spending increase over her first (or 2.9 percent, if you take out the $1.3 billion in spending on education and transportation being paid for by “millionaires tax” revenues). Look to see if the House has a lower bottom line. SURTAX SPLIT — The House, through its transportation proposal, already appears to be diverging from how Healey wants to spend the $1.3 billion in surtax dollars. That’s no surprise — each of the budget plans put forward last year included different spending priorities for what was then a $1 billion pot. REACHING FOR REVENUE — Healey is proposing using one-time revenues and redirecting others to fund the budget — calling to drain accounts lawmakers set aside to fund K-12 and early education, redirect $100 million in casino gambling revenue and authorize online lottery sales for an estimated $75 million. She also wants to divert $375 million in excess capital gains tax revenue from flowing into the state’s “rainy-day” fund. It would be surprising if the House didn't follow Healey on the lottery piece after the lower chamber pushed unsuccessfully for it last year. But legislative leaders in both chambers have sounded skeptical about relying too much on one-time funds. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . We’ll have a budget breakdown Thursday. TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu holds her annual budget breakfast at 9 a.m. at City Hall Plaza and joins former Patriot Rob Gronkowski for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at New Mission High School at 11 a.m. Rep. Jake Auchincloss co-hosts a press conference on lowering the price of inhalers at 10 a.m. at the U.S. Capitol. Sen. Elizabeth Warren chairs a Senate banking subcommittee hearing at 2:30 p.m. Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Revere State of the City address at 6:30 p.m. Tips? Scoops? Budget breakdowns? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .   A message from NextEra Energy: With a presence in 49 states, NextEra Energy is one of the nation’s largest capital investors in infrastructure, creating thousands of jobs and generating millions of dollars in new tax revenue for communities across the U.S. We generate more electricity from the wind and sun than anyone in the world as we work toward securing America’s energy independence and security with clean and emission-free low-cost energy.   WARREN REPORT CONFLICT ZONE — The U.S. secretary of defense disputed the idea that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide, days after Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the International Court of Justice has “ample evidence” to rule otherwise. “We don’t have any evidence of genocide being [committed]” by Israel in Gaza, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee , on which Warren sits, during a budget hearing Tuesday. Warren pushed the Pentagon chief and the Defense Department to take further steps to protect civilians in the besieged region during the hearing . “There are serious concerns that Israel is not complying with international humanitarian law,” Warren said, urging officials to “push our closest allies” to apply high standards to prevent civilian harm — and “to cut off U.S. support if they refuse to do so.” It is clear that the FLASH IN THE PAN UNKNOWN Ian Cain, who couldn't decide what Party he belonged  to, is UINFORMED, ignores the actions of other nations, as well as the rulings in the International Court.  What should be of greater concern is that IAN CAIN is ignoring GENOCIDE! Now, likely GOP U.S. Senate candidate Ian Cain is trying to turn Warren’s stance on the conflict into a campaign cudgel. “It is clear Elizabeth Warren is more concerned with placating the far left anti-Israel base of her party than standing for Israel’s right to defend itself,” Cain wrote on X on Tuesday, calling Warren’s initial comments “concerning.” But new polling shows Massachusetts residents may be souring on Israel’s aggressive campaign in the region. Forty percent of the 1,002 people surveyed in a recent GBH News/CommonWealth Beacon/MassINC Polling Group survey said they opposed Israel’s military action, while 34 percent said they supported it and another 26 percent didn’t know or didn’t answer. And 47 percent said the U.S. should encourage Israel to end the war immediately. More on that from GBH News.  CASH DASH — Warren raised more than $1.1 million for her reelection bid in the first quarter of the year and has just over $4.4 million in cash on hand, her campaign said. She also continues to help raise money for colleagues in key races, President Joe Biden ’s reelection campaign and a Florida abortion-rights effort. TAX RETURNS! Warren is also calling on her opponents to release their tax returns as a “basic standard of transparency, which ought to be the law,” according to a statement provided by her campaign and first reported by The Boston Globe . Cain told The Globe he’d release his tax returns when he’s on the ballot. Ya mean IF you're on the ballot! Republican John Deaton ’s campaign told The Globe it would release his returns in the “near future.” Warren and her husband reported $893,534 in total income last year , a decrease from the $1.14 million they reported for 2022 . They paid $244,312 in taxes and donated $38,285 to charity.   Access New York bill updates and Congressional activity in areas that matter to you, and use our exclusive insights to see what’s on the Albany agenda. Learn more .     DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Long-sought hearing to decide embattled cannabis commission chief’s fate delayed — again,” by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “The long-running saga surrounding Shannon O’Brien will apparently run even longer. Aides to state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said Tuesday that she agreed to a request from O’Brien’s attorneys to postpone a two-day administrative hearing just hours before the two sides were slated to meet in the closed-door sessions.” — “New ‘Blue Envelope’ program aims to protect people with autism during police stops,” by Ryan Mancini, MassLive: "This voluntary program will offer people on the autism spectrum a specially designed blue envelope to carry their driver’s license in case of traffic stops, Massachusetts State Police said in a statement about the program’s launch on Tuesday." — “Programs that could help keep Massachusetts children out of foster care are struggling for money,” by Jason Laughlin, The Boston Globe. PAYING IT FORWARD — The Healey administration is repaying nearly $10 million in student loans for 221 direct-care staffers under the Department of Mental Health in the latest batch of awards under the MA Repay Program. FROM THE HUB TAX TALKS — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’s administration has started some “early conversations” with Beacon Hill lawmakers on her proposed tax hike on commercial real estate, she said on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” At least one, state Sen. Nick Collins , is already sounding notes of caution . — “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu fires back on North End restaurateurs over outdoor dining,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “The city is looking to toss a lawsuit filed by North End restaurateurs, arguing the businesses have no basis for claiming the mayor has targeted their establishments by imposing heavy restrictions on outdoor dining due to anti-Italian bias.” — “Boston Mayor Wu working to formalize rat czar position, administration official says,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald.   A message from NextEra Energy:     YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS — “Peabody’s Anne Manning-Martin announces campaign for Governor’s Council,” by ItemLive staff: “Peabody City Councilor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin announced Tuesday she is running for the Governor’s Council 5th District to represent 36 cities and towns across the Commonwealth’s North Shore and Merrimack Valley. Councilor Manning-Martin is vying to replace outgoing Councilor Eileen Duff.” FROM THE 413 — “Smith College students end sit-in over divestment, but vow to expand their protest movement,” by James Pentland, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The shift in focus brings an end to the longest sit-in in Smith College history, the group said. It began March 27 in response to the board of trustees’ rejection of the justice group’s petition for divestment from weapons manufacturers supplying arms for Israel’s assault on Gaza.” — “Smith College library workers unanimously vote to unionize,” by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive. THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Violence 'really bad' after COVID, Brockton superintendent says. What he saw, what helped,” by Christopher Butler, The Brockton Enterprise: “Although the safety and security concerns that schools in Brockton are experiencing have existed since before the pandemic, Brockton Public Schools saw a huge increase in violence once it returned to in-person learning, said BPS Superintendent Mike Thomas.” — “Cape Cod Hospital has first day with zero positive COVID-19 tests since start of pandemic,” by Zane Razzaq, Cape Cod Times. — “Uxbridge school pauses MCAS testing after 11-year-old student suffers burns from district laptop,” by John Monahan and Maria Papadopoulos, Boston 25 News.   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ENDORSEMENT CORNER — Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster has endorsed Colin Van Ostern , her 2010 campaign manager and “good friend,” to succeed her in the U.S. House. The former New Hampshire executive councilor and businessman also has the backing of former Democratic Gov. John Lynch . MEDIA MATTERS IN MEMORIAM — “Larger than life Patriot Ledger reporter dies suddenly at 67. He worked there for 42 years,” by The Patriot Ledger staff: “Patriot Ledger reporter Fred Hanson died Monday, April 8, 2024, after collapsing outside of Braintree Town Hall. He was there to cover a school committee meeting. Hanson, 67, worked for The Patriot Ledger for nearly 43 years.”   A message from NextEra Energy: Leading America with safe, reliable and affordable clean energy The need for reliable, low-cost clean energy in America has never been greater – and NextEra Energy is ready to deliver it. Millions of Americans depend on us to power their lives in good weather and bad. By investing in resilient, storm-tested infrastructure and harnessing innovative technology, we’re keeping reliability high and bills low. We are also working toward securing America’s energy independence and security with clean and emission-free low-cost energy. We’ve virtually eliminated foreign oil from our power plants and, today, generate more electricity from the wind and sun than anyone in the world – while continuing lead in battery storage technology.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH HELLO, FELLOWS — MassINC’s inaugural group of Greg Torres Senior Fellows includes retired trial court judge Dina Fein ; former state Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie ; Pema Latshang, Mary Wambui and Leverett Wing . TRANSITIONS — MassBay Community College alum Alfonso Hidalgo has been appointed to the MassBay Board of Trustees. — John Alvarez is now Eversource’s manager of government affairs for Massachusetts. He's a Baker administration, Global Partners and New Balance alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to past Boston mayor, former Labor secretary and NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh, Max Clermont and Elaina Nigro. 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 .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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