News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: BAKER to give NEW VAX details — Attack of the ‘COVID-BLASTING’ ROBOTS

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: BAKER to give NEW VAX details — Attack of the ‘COVID-BLASTING’ ROBOTS — MBTA train DERAILED

Mar 17, 2021

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY — To commemorate this most Irish of days, the U.S. Census Bureau released a collection of data that sketches out America's Irish ancestry in great detail. And you guessed it — Massachusetts ranks pretty high.

Massachusetts has the second-highest percentage of people who claim Irish ancestry in the United States, according to the census. Nearly 20 percent of people in Massachusetts — 1.3 million residents — say they have Irish heritage. The only state with a higher percentage is New Hampshire.

You're most likely to bump into someone with Irish heritage in Plymouth County, which has the highest percentage of Irish residents in Massachusetts at 30.1 percent. That ranks it second in the nation behind Cape May County, New Jersey, which clocks in at 30.2 percent.

In fact, three of the top 10 counties in the nation when ranked by percentage Irish are in Massachusetts: Barnstable County comes in at number five, and Norfolk County is in seventh place.

In terms of sheer numbers, Middlesex County has the fourth-largest population in the nation of people who claim Irish ancestry — 310,458. The number one county in the nation? That would be Chicago's Cook County with 461,589. Why do you think they dye the Chicago River green for the holiday?

It's worth mentioning that today is our second St. Patrick's Day of the pandemic, and that this was the first holiday squashed by Covid-19 last year. But that's kind of a downer, so Playbook asked a bunch of #mapoli political watchers — operatives, reporters and politicians — for their top St. Patrick's Day moments from years past.

Here are a few old St. Patrick's Day clips to make you laugh (or cringe): Boston Mayor Marty Walsh in a fur coat and big sunglasses spoofing Adele, though the video seems to have disappeared from the internet; Climate envoy John Kerry's surprise 2003 appearance during his presidential campaign; former state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry's Southie skit from her first year hosting the breakfast; former Gov. Deval Patrick tallying the jokes about his Cadillac and new drapes; former Worcester County Sheriff Guy Glodis getting banned for his over-the-line jokes; former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray in a NASCAR uniform; and for a shocking lack of social distancing, here's a St. Patrick's Day clip from 1987.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.

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THE FIFTY

– "6 cities where police reform is shaping the race for mayor," by Stephanie Murray, POLITICO: "The rush to slash police funding and add new limits on use of force in the wake of George Floyd's death hasn't stopped policing from emerging as a top issue in big city mayoral contests across the country."

THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "New COVID cases in Massachusetts rose slightly last week, data shows," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "State health officials confirmed another 1,018 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, which is based on 47,546 new molecular tests, according to the Department of Public Health. Officials also announced another 16 COVID-related fatalities, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 16,355."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Pivots and reversals mark Baker's vaccine rollout," by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: "Asthmatic residents were not eligible to receive the vaccine — until they were. Local school officials could decide whether to return students to classrooms — until they couldn't. And hospitals received shipments of vaccine — until some abruptly did not, and then did again. Call it folding to public pressure or just responsive government: Governor Charlie Baker's vaccine rollout has been full of twists and turns, some of them 180-degree swerves."

– "How to make up for the pandemic's devastating learning loss? Massachusetts families say summer school will be key." by Bianca Vázquez Toness, Boston Globe: "As Massachusetts leaders and school officials grapple with how to make up for lost learning from the pandemic, a clear majority of parents say robust summer school offerings need to be a part of the solution."

– "Charlie Baker's charmed political life has hit a snag," by Adrian Walker, Boston Globe: "Remember when Massachusetts loved Charlie Baker? Not long ago at all — but also, a pandemic ago — people in this state thought they had landed on the ideal governor: a strong steward of the machinery of state government, not progressive certainly, but moderate enough, a steady hand on the wheel. His approval ratings were the stuff of politicians' dreams. Now, not so much."

– "Riley says feds won't let Massachusetts skip MCAS," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "As school officials have been pressuring the state to cancel this year's MCAS tests, state education commissioner Jeff Riley said the decision is not his – it belongs to the federal government. 'The federal government is still requiring we test our students,' Riley said, speaking at a Tuesday budget hearing before the Ways and Means Committees."

– "UMass expected to freeze tuition for the second year in a row," by Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: "The University of Massachusetts expects to freeze in-state tuition rates for a second year in a row, a nod to the continuing financial strains that many of its students face in the pandemic, the system's president Martin Meehan said Tuesday."

– "Mass. gasoline prices up 28 cents in last month," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Just a little over a year ago wholesale crude oil prices went into negative territory, meaning demand was so low and storage space so scarce that for the first time in history sellers were paying buyers to take barrels of oil off their hands."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Massachusetts to release COVID vaccine schedule for all residents not yet eligible, Baker administration announces," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday said officials will be releasing the remaining vaccination schedule for all residents not yet eligible for the COVID shot. The rest of the timeline will be made available Wednesday morning, Baker said in a tweet later in the day."

– "Correctional staff in Hampden, Worcester counties are getting vaccinated at rates higher than the state, but vaccine myths persist," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "More than 60% of Hampden and Worcester counties' correctional staff have agreed to in-house COVID-19 vaccinations, a rate about 10% higher than Department of Correction employees statewide. It's a trend that's helped multiple facilities slowly return to normal operations, including increased visitations and educational programming for inmates."

HEALTH CHECK

– "First Case Of Potentially More Contagious Brazil COVID Variant Found In Massachusetts," by Mark Herz, GBH News: "The first case of the P.1 COVID-19 variant originally detected in Brazil has been confirmed in Massachusetts, the state Department of Public Health announced Tuesday. The P.1 variant — first found in the city of Manaus, in Brazil — is one of several strains of the virus that public health officials are concerned about because of their potential for increased contagiousness."

FROM THE HUB

– "In Chelsea, original epicenter of state's COVID outbreak, demonstrators protest federal aid distribution," by Deanna Pan and Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "More than 100 demonstrators rallied at City Hall Tuesday to protest the amount of federal aid earmarked for the hard-hit city of Chelsea in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package. Led by staff and volunteers of the nonprofit La Colaborativa, protesters marched from the organization's Sixth Street food pantry, chanting in English and in Spanish their demands for more federal relief."

– "Pooled COVID testing in Massachusetts schools showing low prevalence of virus among students, staff," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "With pooled COVID-19 testing underway at more than 1,000 Massachusetts schools as health metrics improve, few positive cases are being reported among the students and staff who submit a nose swab each week."

– "Will COVID Revolutionize Boston Architecture?" by Adam Reilly, GBH News: "If you work, or used to work, in a relatively new office building — like, say, GBH's Brighton headquarters — the windows around your desk probably don't open. According to Russel Feldman, principal emeritus at TBA Architects in Concord, there are a couple of good reasons for that."

– "Red Sox turn to 'Covid-blasting' robots for disinfecting Fenway," by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Business Journal: "The Red Sox are adding robots to their roster. As part of an effort to prep Major League Baseball's oldest ballpark for the return of fans this year, three disinfectant 'Covid-blasting' robots will be placed around Fenway Park to exterminate coronavirus."

– "What's up with those blocked-off stairs in downtown Boston? An answer, one year later," by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: "So what's down there, and what used to be? Why does the sweeping descent look fit for the opening night of a vaudeville show? That was the question posed by a Globe reader last year for an ongoing series exploring the strange, peculiar, and mysterious sights people stumble across in Boston and beyond."

– "Planning a return to the office? Boston's real estate firms never really left." by Greg Ryan and Catherine Carlock, Boston Business Journal: "Many of us have been working from our home office — or our kitchen table, or our four-year-old's bedroom floor — for a full year now. But not the brokers and project managers at real estate firm JLL's Post Office Square office."

– "Harvard could receive $25 million from recent stimulus plan," by Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: "Harvard University could receive more than $25 million from the recent COVID economic relief plan passed by Congress, but university officials haven't yet decided whether to accept the money."

YOU'VE GOT MAIL

– "Massachusetts extends mail-in voting through June 30," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts voters can vote by mail in their upcoming elections through June 30 under a bill Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law. Baker signed the bill that temporarily extends expanded mail-in voting, an option that became available to the broader public to reduce spread of COVID-19 during the 2020 election season, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced in a statement Tuesday afternoon."

FEELING '22

– "Charlie Baker's sinking approval rating could hurt his third-term chances — and Karyn Polito's ambitions," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Gov. Charlie Baker's sinking approval ratings amid the coronavirus pandemic could hurt his chances at a third term or even torpedo a possible run by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, but strategists say there's still plenty of time to right the ship."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "New Orange Line train derails near Wellington Station," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "A new Orange Line train derailed Tuesday morning outside of Wellington Station. No one was injured in the derailment that happened around 11:40 a.m., MBTA officials said. Passengers were shifted onto shuttle buses to replace service between Oak Grove in Malden and Community College in Charlestown while officials worked to separate and right the trains."

DAY IN COURT

– "AG Healey Alleges Lynn Landlord Threatened, Harassed Immigrant Tenants," by Beth Healy, WBUR: "Attorney General Maura Healey is suing a Lynn landlord, alleging that he intimidated tenants and threatened to report them to immigration authorities so they would not complain about dangerous and unsanitary living conditions in their apartments."

THE OPINION PAGES

– "Boston's next mayor must be bold on climate," by Boston City Councilor Matt O'Malley, CommonWealth Magazine: "To effectuate change, Boston's next mayor must be bold on climate. And he or she must offer policies crafted through the lens of environmental justice. Through waste management, building standards, transportation, and green infrastructure, our mayor can build a city that is resilient, thriving, healthy, and green."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "Biden turns to top Hill Dems to help sell Covid law," by Laura Barrón-López and Burgess Everett, POLITICO: "The White House is turning to top Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to hit the trail and help sell President Biden's recently-passed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. … The White House has reached out to Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Democratic Reps. Raul Ruiz (Calif.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), according to sources familiar with the discussions."

– "US Rep. Richard Neal, state lawmakers plan tour of home with crumbling concrete foundation," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is scheduled to join state Sen. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, and state Rep. Brian M. Ashe, D-Longmeadow, April 6 on a tour of a home deteriorating because the concrete it was built on contains reactive pyrrhotite and is relentlessly crumbling."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "DOLLAR BILL," — Globe: "Putin tried to sway '20 US vote, report says," "Clarity on rollout -- maybe."

FROM THE 413

– "East vs. West? 'Regional equity' emerges as flashpoint in debate over funding for Holyoke Soldiers' Home," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "Local lawmakers and veterans advocates are smarting over concerns their counterparts in Eastern Massachusetts are raising over regional equity amid a debate over a new, $400 million Holyoke Soldiers' Home ."

– "Morse to step down as Holyoke mayor next week," by Bera Dunau, Daily Hampshire Gazette; "Mayor Alex Morse has announced that his last day in the job he has held for more than nine years will be March 26. 'When I reflect on the past decade, I'm proud of what we've been able to achieve,' said Morse, in a letter announcing his imminent resignation to City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee."

– "Springfield Police Officer John Toledo fired for social media policy violation," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "Another police officer has been fired for violating the department's social media policy, an increasingly thorny issue for municipal employees in this and other local cities. A spokesman for the Springfield Police Department confirmed Officer John Toledo was fired on March 5 after four years on the job."

– "Berkshire unemployment ticks up over half a point in January," by Tony Dobrowolski, The Berkshire Eagle: "After holding steady at 8.1 percent for three consecutive months, the Berkshire County unemployment rate jumped more than half a percentage point in January. For the third month month in a row, the Berkshire jobless rate, now 8.8 percent, remained above the state rate, which rose from 7.3."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Newton Special Election 2021: John Oliver, Tarik Lucas Win Seats," by Jenna Fisher, Patch: "John Oliver of Ward 1 and Tarik Lucas of Ward 2 were elected to the City Council Tuesday in a Special Election to fill two open seats. Lucas and Oliver appear to have each bested their closest opponents by more than 1,000 votes, although the results won't be certified until later, according to the city clerk's office, once mail-in ballots are also tallied."

– "Report finds no racial profiling by Needham police," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Investigators hired by the town of Needham concluded "the weight of the available evidence" suggests four white police officers did not engage in racial profiling last year when they arrested a black man on suspicion of shoplifting at a CVS store, but their report nevertheless raises issues of potential bias."

– "Worcester City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson asks colleagues to join her in support of striking St. Vincent nurses," by Cyrus Moulton, Telegram & Gazette: "A nurse raises her arms in a show of thanks as a trucker honks outside St. Vincent Hospital on Tuesday. In a statement issued Tuesday, Worcester City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson asked colleagues to join her in support of striking St. Vincent nurses."

MEDIA MATTERS

– "Announcing The Emancipator," the Boston Globe: "Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research and the Globe's Opinion team are collaborating to resurrect and reimagine The Emancipator, the first antislavery newspaper in the United States, founded more than 200 years ago." Link .

TRANSITIONS – Pete Kavanaugh, who served as deputy campaign manager for President Joe Biden, is launching Highbury Strategies today, a new Boston-based consulting firm focused on political and public affairs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to MassGOP chair Jim Lyons, Daniel Bellow, Cam Charbonnier, Amber Jamanka, Jeremy Comeau, and candidate for Northampton mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra.

NEW EPISODE: A YEAR ON THE CORONACOASTER – On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Murray discuss a CommonWealth Magazine investigation into a 2017 birth control law with Sarah Betancourt, and talk about the school reopening plan with Melissa Hanson of MassLive. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

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