MASSterList: Education history? | Wynn-lose scenario | JOB BOARD MONDAY

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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 01/29/2018 Education history? | Wynn-lose scenario | JOB BOARD MONDAY

Happening Today

MBTA Control Board, Education commissioner vote, State House leadership meeting   -- Boston Mayor Martin Walsh offers remarks at the Catholic School Week Kick-Off, St. Gregory's, 2222 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, 9:30 a.m. -- Massachusetts Tech Collaborative Executive director Tim Connellyspeaks at the Massachusetts TechHUB Caucus State House Innovation Day 2018, with Sen. Karen Spilka and Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante expected to attend, Hall of Flags, 10:30 a.m. -- Sen. Marc Pacheco and the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change are scheduled to release the Massachusetts Clean Energy Future Report, Room 428, 11 a.m. -- The MBTA Fiscal Management Control Board meets to discuss safety, ‘positive train control,’ the commuter rail and other topics, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, 12 p.m. -- Gov. Charlie Baker is a guest on ‘Boston Public Radio,’ WGBH-FM 89.7, 12 p.m. -- The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets to discuss the three finalists for the state's next education commissioner -- Lawrence Receiver Jeff Riley, Penny Schwinn of the Texas Education Agency and Angelica Infante-Green of the New York State Education Department -- and vote to recommend one to Education Secretary James Peyser, 75 Pleasant St., Malden, 12:30 p.m. -- Gov. Charlie Baker, Acting Senate President Harriette Chandler, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and House Minority Leader Brad Jones meet privately, House Speaker DeLeo's office, 2 p.m. -- Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz talks on ‘Radio Boston’ about education funding, WBUR-FM 90.9, 3 p.m. -- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation holds a public meeting regarding the State Rail Plan draft, which outlines the state's 20-year vision for rail transportation and infrastructure, 60 Foster St., Worcester, 6 p.m. -- Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg attend Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch's State of the City address, Thomas Crane Public Library, Historic Richardson Room, 40 Washington St., Quincy, 7 p.m.

Today's News

World Bank chief says no to Harvard presidency   The Harvard Crimson’s Caroline Engelmayer reports that the university’s presidential search committee recently reached out to World Bank president Jim Yong Kim about the soon-to-be-open Harvard presidency post and Kim was “debating the pros and cons” of pursuing the job. But after the Crimson story came out on Sunday, the Globe’s Dylan McGuiness reports that a World Bank spokesman for Kim, the former president of Dartmouth College, said that “Dr. Kim has confirmed he plans to remain as president of the World Bank Group.” The Crimson

Republicans in full retreat over Wynn sexual-misconduct charges   This is shocking: The #MeToo movement has hit the casino industry. The casino industry! At the center of the storm is billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn, the developer of the under-construction Everett casino and, until this past Saturday, the finance chair of the Republican National Committee. Wynn stepped down from his GOP post amid dozens of allegations, first reported in the Wall Street Journal, of his sexual misconduct at his company. Republicans spent most of the weekend distancing themselves from Wynn, some even vowing to return funds he's  showered on Republicans over the years, reports the WSJ. Locally, one of those distancing himself was none other than Gov. Charlie Baker, reports Brian Dowling and Jordan Graham at the Herald. Baker’s campaign committee and the state Republican party never received funds directly from Wynn, but “Wynn has cut generous checks to the national party and the Republican Governors Association while Baker was running for office in 2014.” The Herald’s Joe Battenfeld reports Democratic gubernatorial candidates are wasting no time taking shots at Baker over Wynn. Craig LeMoult at WGBH and Mark Arsenault at the Globe report that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is launching a regulatory review following the allegations against Wynn – “allegations (that) could jeopardize Wynn’s license to open a resort casino in Everett,” as LeMoult puts it. With or without Wynn’s name on the license, analysts believe the Everett casino will indeed open one day, the Herald reports. “Wynn (Resorts) at this point is a global publicly traded corporation,” said Clyde Barrow, a professor at the University of Texas. “It is much bigger than Steve Wynn even though it bears his name.”

Healey to review Baker administration’s massive hydropower deal   From the Associated Press at Boston.com: “Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is promising a thorough review of the process that led to the selection of the Northern Pass project to deliver Canadian hydropower to the state. ‘Our role is to ensure that this bid was selected based on a transparent, competitive and fair evaluation of all proposals submitted," the Democratic attorney general's spokeswoman Chloe Gotis said in a statement.” In an editorial, the Boston Globe is demanding a “full accounting” of the Northern Pass contract, noting how Eversource and other utilities were given a “privileged role” by the Legislature in the procurement process. Boston Herald

Maybe the T is in the wrong business?   Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine reports that the MBTA is on track to one day reach its goal of $100 million in re-occurring revenue from advertising, parking, real estate and other non-transportation initiatives, with revenue in those categories growing by 33 percent since 2015. By comparison, fare revenues have grown by 10 percent since 2015. CommonWealth

State Police to bump-stock owners: Come out with your bump stocks held high   From Scott Croteau at MassLive: “The Massachusetts law prohibiting bump stocks and trigger cranks goes into effect on Thursday and the Massachusetts State Police are urging people to turn in those devices. Massachusetts became the first state to ban bump stocks after 58 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the October mass shooting in Las Vegas.” MassLive

Education commissioner: Will Massachusetts finally break with the past?   The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets today for a probable vote on a recommendation for the next state education commissioner – and the Globe’s Shirley Leung wonders if the board will finally break from its past gender-appointment history. Two of the three final candidates are women, so the odds look good for some glass-ceiling breakage. But history tells us, well, you know what history tells us. Boston Globe

Mazen drops out of Third Congressional race, citing money and health   Then there were twelve. From Chris Lisinski at the Lowell Sun: “The 3rd Congressional District race became (slightly) less crowded Sunday. Nadeem Mazen, a former Cambridge city councilor and political activist, announced he was withdrawing from the race due to concerns over meeting fundraising demands exacerbated by a recent health scare. He is the first Democrat to drop out of the crowded race, bringing the primary election field down to 12.” Lowell Sun

The Forry-seat scramble …   The Herald’s Matt Stout and the Globe’s Laura Crimaldi have rundowns on all of those maneuvering and mulling bids to fill the seat of former state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, who stepped down last week to take a job with Suffolk Construction. The names being bandied about include: state Reps. Nick Collins, Russel Holmes, Dan Hunt, Dan Cullinane and Evandro Carvalho, City Councilors Ayanna Pressley (if she doesn’t run for Congress against incumbent Michael Capuano), Andrea Campbell and Annissa Essaibi-George. One big name that stands out: John Barros, the mayor’s chief of economic development and former mayoral candidate, reports Akilah Johnson at the Globe.

‘Does the Mass. State Senate matter anymore?’   Even though there’s a scramble underway for Linda Dorcena Forry’s now vacant Senate seat, David Bernstein, echoing the sentiments of the Herald’s Joe Battenfeld, wonders if the Massachusetts Senate has lost some of its luster, causing the recent exodus of members from the chamber, the most recent being Forry. He has some thoughts on why it might be happening. WGBH

Springfield city councilor to challenge state Sen. Welch   Well, here’s one person who really wants to be a state senator: Springfield City Councilor Adam Gomez, a Democrat who says he will run against state Sen. James T. Welch, a Democrat from West Springfield, for the Hampden District seat this fall. MassLive

Partners HealthCare is poised to finally win one on the merger front   The state’s largest health-care provider network, Partners HealthCare, has been stymied in previous attempts to expand in Massachusetts via mergers, due to fears of its ever-growing market clout in the state. But two regulators – Attorney General Maura Healey and Department of Public Health – are saying they won’t block Partners’ takeover of Massachusetts Eye and Ear. The Globe’s Priyanka Dayal McCluskey has the details. Boston Globe

Report: Pols, pundits, profs and others buying fake social-media 'followers' on massive scale   No one from Massachusetts is mentioned in the piece, but you know it’s only a matter of time before some locals are outed too. In a terrific story, the NYT catches all sorts of pols, pundits, PR types, professors, celebrities and others who have purchased social-media “followers” (and “friends”) via a Manhattan-based “followers factory” that, if the allegations are true, effectively steals the Twitter and other social-media identities of people and then sells them to those desperate for online fame, or at least the illusion of fame. It’s great reporting. NYT

‘Boston Agonizes Over How to Protect Itself From Future Storms’   The Wall Street Journal has a story on growing concerns among city and state officials about whether large swaths of Boston – including the city’s extensive “Big Dig” road network – can withstand future climate-change floods. The fears are partly based on a computer model developed by a Department of Transportation geologist. WSJ

Kennedy’s high-risk, low-yield speech   Will he park it or will he flub it? The Herald’s Kimberly Atkins believes U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy’s is taking a big political gamble by giving the official Democratic response to tomorrow night’s State of the Union address by President Trump. John Farrell at Politico is wondering roughly the same thing, asking whether Kennedy can beat the “State of the Union curse.” Meanwhile, the Herald’s Hillary Chabot says a lot of Democrats are hoping Kennedy nails it, if only to weaken the generational power grip of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

The DiMasi Compassionate Release Law?   From Maria Cramer at the Globe: “After years of rebuffing calls to release prisoners too frail to be dangerous anymore, Massachusetts lawmakers are poised to make it easier for sick and dying inmates to be freed before their sentences are up. The main reason for the about-face? Former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, according to advocates who have long lobbied for medical parole measures.” The catalyst was indeed watching DiMasi, convicted on corruption charges, serving a long prison sentence while seriously ill, says Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, a former state representative. Boston Globe

Supreme Court to hear Martha’s Vineyard immigration spat   The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a decade-old deportation case sparked by a 2006 traffic stop on Martha’s Vineyard, a case that could have far-reaching implications amid a national debate over immigration enforcement, George Brennan of the Martha’s Vineyard Times reports. The Brazliian man at the center of the case arrived on the island in 2000 and claims protection from deportation because he has now been in the country for more than 10 years straight. Martha's Vineyard Times

GE scores partial win in Housatonic ruling   What’s this? Good news for GE? Well, partly anyway. Larry Parnass of the Berkshire Eagle reports GE won a major concession in a ruling issued Friday by the Environmental Appeals Board, which said the EPA must reconsider its order that the company haul contaminated soils dredged from the Housatonic River out of state. That alone could save GE some $250 million.  Berkshire Eagle

Let kids be kids: Children actually need school recesses, folks   State Rep. Marjorie Decker explains why school recesses really are important for the development of kids – and she touts her bill at the State House requiring that all students in grades K-5 receive at least 20 minutes of unstructured recess per school day. CommonWealth

Warren warms up on Trump punching bag   Did she leave anything out? From Jeremy Fox at the Globe: “Senator Elizabeth Warren slammed President Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, his abandoned voter fraud inquiry, and his attacks on judicial independence, freedom of the press, and the very concept of agreed-upon facts, as she held her first town hall meeting of 2018.” The Herald’s Donna Goodison reports that Warren also laid out when and how she’d accept a DACA compromise.

Lynn moves to demolish house where 20 overdoses have been reported   It’s a symbol of the opioid crisis -- and the city of Lynn wants it gone. The Lynn City Council will hold a hearing next month on whether to order the demolition of a house where 20 suspected overdoses—including two fatalities—have been reported in less than five years, Gayla Cawley of the Lynn Item reports. Lynn Item

Electronic prescriptions: A surprisingly effective way to fight the spread of opioids   Dr. Sean Kelly, an emergency department physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and chief medical officer for a Lexington technology security firm, calls Gov. Charlie Baker’s anti-opioids-abuse bill “visionary” and one provision in particular – requiring that prescriptions for controlled substances be completed electronically – would help create an “accountable and secure practices for those who prescribe and dispense controlled substances.” He has more at CommonWealth magazine Fyi: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Setti Warren was in New Bedford over the weekend pushing for, among other things, more funding to fight the opioid crisis, reports Steve Urbon at South Coast Today. CommonWealth

The world’s most famous, or at least Finland’s most famous, Boston terrier   Lennu is a very naughty dog –but that’s only made him more popular in Finland, where President Sauli Niinisto’s Boston terrier has quite a large non-bot-driven following, the NYT reports. NYT

Today's Headlines

Metro

Developer says large units in proposed Boylston tower require extra parking spaces - Universal Hub

Nadeem Mazen, former Cambridge city councilor, drops out of race for Tsongas’ seat - Boston Globe

Massachusetts

Worcester councilors are asked to scrap automatic pay raises - Telegram & Gazette

Truro mulls town wide restriction on house size - Cape Cod Times

Waiting game for AG report as Berkshire Museum injunction expires Monday - Berkshire Eagle

Nation   Deadline looms for Trump and Russia sanctions - Politico Map showing users of fitness devices lets the world see US soldiers and what they are doing - Washington Post

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