A year ago today, supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington D.C. in what would become an infamous and deadly event. The insurrection, as people would later call it, cast a pall on American politics all across the country and showed the polarization that we deal with today. In Massachusetts, the event had no different effect than anywhere else. A day after the storming, I took stock of the mood at the State House for the State House News Service. Some Senators on Beacon Hill told me they were shocked and horrified to see what played out at the Capitol, including one lawmaker who said she started thinking about what pieces of furniture she could use to barricade her door in the event something like that happened in Boston. Some of the commonwealth's federal delegation do not want you to forget what happened that day. Boston Globe's Jazmine Ulloa reports that U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley was one of the many the lawmakers who barricaded themselves in her office. More from Ulloa: "The response to Jan. 6 'is much bigger than ensuring that within the footprint and the confines of these office buildings that people feel physically safe,' Pressley continued, although that too, is crucial." Also worth a read: U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern writes for the Boston Globe, reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the storming of the Capitol. His take? He's seen a lot on Capitol Hill over the year he's worked there, but nothing prepared him for that day. | Rollins to be sworn in as U.S. attorney on Monday | | | The date's set. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins will be sworn in as the next U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts on Monday. Boston Globe's Andrea Estes reports Rollins will take the oath of office without a federal security detail even after requests for protection as threats come in. More from Estes: "Rollins, the first Black woman to serve as US attorney for Massachusetts, submitted her resignation letter to Governor Charlie Baker Wednesday afternoon. Baker is expected to soon name Rollins’s successor, who will serve in an acting role until Rollins’s term expires at the end of the year." Boston Globe | | | |
| | | | Lawmakers want COVID updates from Baker during oversight hearing | | | Get the governor. Lawmakers behind a committee focused on COVID-19 and emergency preparedness invited Gov. Charlie Baker to testify next week during an oversight hearing that will delve into testing efforts, personal protective equipment, and vaccine status verification. State House News Service's Colin A. Young reports Committee Co-Charis Sen. Jo Comerford and Rep. William Driscoll sent Baker an invitation on Wednesday. State House News Service | | | |
| | | | Former Suffolk County Sheriff's Department aide running for top seat | | | The student is looking to become the top boss. Sandy Zamor Calixte worked in the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department for 16 years. Now, she plans to run for the sheriff's seat, challenging nine-year incumbent Steve Tompkins. GBH News' Saraya Wintersmith reports Tompkins confirmed he will seek re-election. GBH News
| Stopping short: Divided commission recommends only tweaks to qualified immunity | | | Leave it alone – for now. A commission established by the Legislature as part of a police reform package in 2020 to study qualified immunity is recommending lawmakers hold off on any major changes to existing law for at least two years. Christian Wade of the Gloucester Times and Bruce Mohl of CommonWealth report the Democrat-led group was deeply divided on what to recommend, with victim-rights groups representatives wanting to move more aggressively to end the protection from civil suits against police officers. | | | |
| | | | Weymouth High School closes amid staffing shortages | | | Staffing shortages led Weymouth High School to shut down Wednesday. Patriot Ledger's Jessica Trufant reports Superintendent Robert Wargo notified families about the closure on Tuesday and said the the day will be treated like a school cancellation, meaning students will need to make it up at the end of the year. Schools across the state faced delays or cancellations this week as teachers and students took time to get tested for COVID-19. Separately, Pittsfield schools Superintendent Joseph Curtis advised parents that a day may soon come when schools in the district may have to close as a result of rising COVID cases. Any missed days would be made up in-person rather than through a remote model. Berkshire Eagle's Meg Britton-Mehlisch has more details. | | | |
| | | | Worth it? Strike likely cost St. Vincent $31 million in details, replacement workers | | | Monica Benevides of the Worcester Business Journal uses publicly available figures and other data to estimate that St. Vincent Hospital spent at least $31 million to keep the facility running during the 10-month nurses strike that ended earlier this week. The tab includes more than $4 million paid to the city for police details and the top-of-scale hourly wages paid to traveling nurses used to fill vacant posts. Worcester Business Journal | | | |
| | | | Danielle Allen puts forward democracy agenda | | | More civic engagement and voter participation are part of a new plan put forward by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Danielle Allen. CommonWealth's Bruce Mohl reports that the plan also seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics. More from Mohl: "Some of the proposals are part of the current debate on Beacon Hill — same-day voter registration, the establishment of Indigenous People’s Day as a state holiday, the creation of a new state flag, and allowing communities to embrace ranked-choice voting and a lower voting age without state approval." CommonWealth | | | |
| | | | How much did state employees make in 2021? | | | Curious how much your local state employee is making? Boston Herald's Joe Dwinell has you covered with a searchable database detailing 2021 Massachusetts state employee payrolls. The Herald plans to update the page throughout the year, so keep checking back for new information. Boston Herald | | | |
| | | | Free guy: Covid surge gets Correia more time before prison | | | Not yet. Former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia won’t have to start serving his federal prison term until at least the start of March after a federal judge granted another delay, this time due to the latest surge in coronavirus cases. Jo C. Goode of the Herald-News reports the latest delay comes after a reprieve granted to allow Correia to help his family’s hospitality business during the busy holiday season. Herald News | | | |
| | | | Paul English creates another startup in Boston | | | A serial entrepreneur is getting into the game again. Paul English, best known for starting and then selling Kayak, is creating a new startup in Boston: Boston Venture Studios. Boston Business Journal's Lucia Maffei reports that BVS's will focus on consumer technology by coming with ideas and then hiring a CEO if it gets to a fundraising stage. Boston Business Journal | | | |
| | | | Hold up: Cambridge board wants more study before wiping out single-family zoning | | | The Cambridge Planning Board is warning that a proposal to do away with all single-family zoning in the city won’t have the desired effect – of making the city more affordable and equitable – unless it’s done carefully, and could in fact just continue to enrich entrenched property owners. Marc Levy of Cambridge Day has the details. Cambridge Day | | | |
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