| | | | | |  | | By Stephanie Murray | Presented by Uber Driver Stories | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. JANEY WANTS POLICE RECORDS MADE PUBLIC — Acting Mayor Kim Janey is calling on the Boston Police Department to release documents to the public in the case of former police union chief Patrick Rose, who stayed on the job for years after being accused of sexually abusing children. The move suggests that , at a time when cities across the country are grappling with police reform, Janey's tenure could be a step toward shedding more light on the BPD. Now that the scandal has brought the police front-and-center in the mayoral race, releasing the documents is an issue that all of the candidates running for mayor appear to agree on. Janey is directing the department to review the documents quickly before making them public. "I have asked that the review and redaction happen as quickly as possible so that the file can be released to the public," Janey said in a statement yesterday. The Walsh administration previously denied requests to make the file public, saying it would be impossible to remove information that could identify sexual assault survivors. The acting mayor's decision came at the urging of her opponents in the mayoral race, all of whom demanded the records be released. And Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a former city councilor who has not endorsed in the contest, urged the police department to make the records available as well. The City Council is also seeking the files. City Councilor Andrea Campbell, who is running for mayor, used council power to file a subpoena for records pertaining to the Rose case, she announced at a press conference yesterday. Campbell is the chair of the council's public safety and criminal justice committee. Janey is planning a police reform and public safety press conference this afternoon, where she'll give an update on the implementation of the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, which was created under her predecessor, the former mayor and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. LAWMAKERS TO STUDY CORONAVIRUS VARIANTS — As Covid-19 variants fuel rising virus cases across Massachusetts, lawmakers on a special committee will hear from health experts about the new coronavirus strains today. The Joint Committee on Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management will listen to health experts beginning at 10 a.m., along with the Joint Committee on Public Health. The relatively new Covid-19 committee has already held two oversight hearings on the state's response to the virus this year. Massachusetts ranks fourth in the country for the Covid-19 variant that initially spread in the United Kingdom, and overall more than 1,400 variant cases have been detected here. The newer Covid-19 strains can be difficult to track. In Chelsea, officials test wastewater to get a read on where variants are spreading. And even as Massachusetts nears 2 million vaccinations, cases are still higher than they were weeks ago. Lawmakers have tapped health experts from Mass General Brigham, Boston Medical Center, MIT and Harvard University, among others. Dr. Dan Barouch, one expert who will testify, contributed to developing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Also on the list are Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician and the medical director of the special pathogens unit at Boston Medical Center, and Mass General Brigham medical director for emergency preparedness Dr. Paul Biddinger. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Maura Healey speak at a Senate hearing on student debt. Senate President Karen Spilka speaks to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. | | A message from Uber Driver Stories: Meet Jesus. A US Army veteran and single father, Jesus's number one priority will always be his 14-year-old daughter. Having the flexibility to work his own hours allows Jesus to be the dad he wants to be. Watch his story in his own words below. | | | | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION: Power is changing, in Washington and across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. Our twice-weekly newsletter "The Recast" breaks down how race and identity are shaping politics and policy in America and we are recasting how we report on it. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear from important new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS | | – "COVID deaths in Massachusetts drop even as active cases continue to climb; state looks to surpass 2 million fully-vaccinated residents this week," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "Active COVID infections in Massachusetts rose to 36,775 on Monday, up from 36,466 on Sunday, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health. State health officials confirmed another 1,376 new COVID-19 cases on Monday." | | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | – "As Beacon Hill begins budget debate, tax breaks come under scrutiny," by Emma Platoff and Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "As an uncertain budget process kicks off on Beacon Hill this week, the stage is set for a debate over how Massachusetts hands out $17.8 billion a year in tax breaks, heralding the possibility of major changes to state tax law even as lawmakers have largely taken broad-based tax hikes off the table." | | VAX-ACHUSETTS | | – "Half of Mass. adults have received first vaccine dose," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Massachusetts has become the first state of its size to give a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to at least half its adult population. According to CDC statistics, Massachusetts has given 53 percent of adults a first dose, making it the first state with over 5 million people to reach that milestone. Massachusetts continues to rank number one for number of doses administered per capita in states with populations over 5 million." – "Baker Calls For More Consistent J&J Vaccine Supply From Feds," by Mike Deehan, GBH News: "Gov. Charlie Baker said Massachusetts will reach two million vaccinated residents by the end of this week but that the process could be going faster if federal suppliers were more consistent with what they send the state — especially with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine." – "Mobile Clinics Help Deliver Coronavirus Vaccine To Hard-To-Reach People," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "More than one and a half million people in Massachusetts are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. But with an uptick in positive coronavirus tests and the spread of variants, there's increased urgency to get shots administered to as many people possible, as quickly as possible. So the state and several health groups are taking vaccines directly into the community and setting up mobile vaccine clinics." – "Boston Medical Center cancels vaccine appointments for those who signed up through leaked link," by Mark Gartsbeyn, Boston.com: "Boston Medical Center has canceled COVID-19 vaccine appointments for people who signed up through a scheduling system not intended for the public. The system was a pilot for BMC volunteers to schedule appointments for patients in Boston communities that are disproportionately affected by the virus, a spokesperson told Boston.com in a statement." | | FROM THE HUB | | – "Plagued By Turmoil, Boston Police Department On 'Standby' As Investigations Play Out," by Ally Jarmanning, WBUR: "The last time the Boston Police Department faced this kind of intense scrutiny was in the early 1990s. Then Mayor Ray Flynn launched the St. Clair Commission to investigate the agency. The commission found a shoddy internal investigations system and recommended the police chief be fired. (He wasn't.)" – "What we know about the probe into sex abuse allegations against former Boston police union boss Patrick Rose," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "The Boston Globe reported over the weekend that Patrick M. Rose Sr., the former Boston police union president who's currently jailed on child sex abuse charges, was accused previously of molesting a 12-year-old boy in 1995, a case that was ultimately dropped in court, though an internal affairs probe at the time concluded he likely committed a crime." – "'Everyone in Boston is grieving' — GoFundMe launched for family of slain Dorchester great grandmother," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "The family of a Dorchester great grandmother who was fatally struck by a stray bullet on Saturday night has launched an online fund-raiser for funeral expenses. The GoFundMe page for services for Delois Brown, the 73-year-old woman who was shot as she sat on her porch at 17-19 Olney St., had raised more than $10,000 by late Monday afternoon." – "Some Boston Business Leaders Call For Action On 'Mass And Cass,'" by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "For decades, Sue Sullivan has been working in the Newmarket area of Boston and has been actively involved with the issues surrounding the so-called 'Mass and Cass' area - the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. Sullivan, who is Executive Director of the Newmarket Business Association, says problems in the area are the worst she's seen." – "Jonathan Kraft makes case for full-capacity Patriots games in 2021," by Darren Hartwell, NBC Sports: "It's difficult to imagine more than 65,000 fans crowding into Gillette Stadium in September to watch the New England Patriots' home opener. Unless you're Jonathan Kraft. The Patriots president spoke on a virtual 'life after COVID' panel at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference late last week and laid out why he believes Gillette Stadium should be at full capacity for games by the 2021 season." | | | |   | | | | | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL | | – "Out in Boston Harbor, one voter is an island," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "Out here, with the biting wind and changing tides, Laurel Wills is a statistical anomaly. Most of Boston's 255 voting precincts have hundreds of registered voters; at least one precinct boasts more than 7,000 voters on the city rolls. But on the beautifully isolated harbor islands, Wills is the single, solitary registered voter in Boston's Precinct 15 of Ward 1. Win her vote and you win the precinct." | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | – "White House gives Massachusetts a C- grade on infrastructure report card," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "The bad news is that Massachusetts didn't exactly get a sterling grade from the White House for its overall infrastructure. The other bad news is that neither did anyone else." – "MBTA shopping list criticized as being off track," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "As the MBTA plans an all-electric regional rail system, state and local leaders say the agency's short-term shopping list that includes more than two dozen diesel locomotives is a "step in the wrong direction." Last year, the MBTA's Fiscal Management and Control Board adopted plans to transform the 400-mile commuter rail network over the next two decades into a subway-like electric rail." – "Gov. Charlie Baker expects RMV inspection outage to end by this week," by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: "Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that he anticipates the vehicle-inspection system at the state Registry of Motor Vehicles to be up and running by the end of the week following a prolonged outage." – "Orange Line returns to normal service after March 16 derailment," by Charlie McKenna, Boston Globe: "Trains on the Orange Line resumed service between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square on Monday, after shuttle buses replaced service on that stretch of the line for four weeks following a March 16 derailment at Wellington Station, transportation officials said." | | DAY IN COURT | | – "SJC: Juvenile Court judge was wrong to find Black teenage girl in contempt for insulting comment," by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: "A Juvenile Court judge violated court rules when she found a Black teenage girl in contempt for insulting her in court using profanity and citing her race, and then ordered the apologetic girl to serve 90 days in custody, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Monday. The judge in the case is white." | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | – "US Rep. Richard Neal confident COVID vaccinations will stay on course despite Johnson & Johnson shortage," by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, said Monday he remains confident the nation will meet its goals in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines despite a setback for Johnson & Johnson." | | ABOVE THE FOLD | | — Herald: "OUT PATTERN," "DEFUNDING ABSURD," — Globe : "Officer yelled 'Taser,' shot gun, police say," "Janey will release internal police files," "COVID'S LINGERING GRIP." | | FROM THE 413 | | – "Holyoke City Councilor Terence Murphy appointed acting mayor," by Dennis Hohenberger, Springfield Republican: "The City Council elected Ward 2 Councilor Terrence Murphy as acting mayor during a special meeting Monday night. Murphy will serve until the November mayoral election. A recently passed home rule petition granted the City Council one-time authority to appoint any councilor as acting mayor." – "UMass student group denounces proposed out-of-state tuition, fee increases," by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "A student-led group at the University of Massachusetts is objecting to a proposed increase in tuition for out-of-state students, as well as rising room and board fees for all students, that will be considered by the UMass board of trustees this week." | | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | – "Nashoba Regional athletes now Wolves, after School Committee votes to change mascot," by Ken ClevelandItem, Telegram & Gazette: "The Nashoba Wolves took on the Marlboro Panthers just days after the Nashoba Regional High School's new mascot was approved by the Regional School Committee. With a 14-7 win, the local football team (still wearing the name Chieftain) prevailed, just as the Wolves prevailed over the Golden Bears to become the new mascot." – "A haunting tale: What this clerk has to say about the Mattapoisett Town Hall ghost," by Seth Chitwood, Standard-Times: "A town hall is peopled by clerks, accountants, coordinators and other municipal employees. Mattapoisett Town Hall also has a prankster poltergeist named Abner, employees claim." HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Courtney Lewis and Laura Chester. NEW EPISODE: BORN TO BE DIALED – On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray speak with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Downing about his campaign. The hosts discuss a recent Supreme Court decision that will change the way pollsters do business. 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. | | A message from Uber Driver Stories: After 9 years in the Army, and missing the birth of his daughter because he was stationed overseas, Jesus decided to make changes in his life.
Jesus chooses the flexibility of Uber because it lets him be there for his daughter—which has become even more important now that she's in distance learning due to the pandemic.
"It's tough being a single parent," Jesus says. "Without Uber, I wouldn't have been able to bond with my daughter because I wasn't able to spend time with her."
"Flexibility is important to me because I'm able to spend those magical moments with my daughter. Those moments are irreplaceable."
To see more stories like Jesus's, click here.
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