10:00am PFAS Interagency Task Force, Virtual Hearing

10:00am Joint Committee on Public Service, Public Hearing

10:30am Joint Committee on Labor & Workforce Development, Public Hearing

10:30am Joint Committee on State Administration & Regulatory Oversight, Public Hearing

11:00am Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, Public Hearing

11:00am Joint Committee on Municipalities & Regional Government, Public Hearing

Birthdays: Rep. Alan Silvia

Grand jury is said to have heard testimony about potential campaign finance violations by MassGOP head, Republican state senator » Boston Globe (T)he probe appears focused on MassGOP chairman Jim Lyons, state Senator Ryan Fattman, and his wife, Worcester County’s register of probate, Stephanie Fattman.…

Michelle Wu holds big lead over Annissa Essaibi George in mayor’s race, 62 percent to 30 percent, new poll finds » Boston Globe Fifteen percent of Black respondents and 21 percent of Hispanic respondents said they remain undecided, illustrating one reason why both Wu and Essaibi George continue to concentrate their campaigns i…

Getting a religious exemption to a vaccine mandate may not be easy. Here's why07:09 » WBUR But even if an employee's religious belief is determined to be sincere, it's the employer who decides what the reasonable accommodation will be. It does not have to be the accommodation requested by t…

Democrats brace for staredown over paid family medical leave » Axios Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has indicated he wants to cut the program to reduce the bill's price tag. “Paid family and medical leave must be in the final package,” Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), chai…

Beacon Hill eyeing tradeoffs on offshore wind » Commonwealth Magazine The price cap is now a key part of the debate about how offshore wind developers should be treated in Massachusetts. House leaders say they want the state to make a major investment in the industry an…

Restaurant, Service Workers' Wages Would Rise To $15 Under Mass. Bill » WGBH Some lawmakers want to fully eliminate the lower $5.55 rate for service staff after a legislative compromise in 2018 retained a separate minimum wage for tipped workers in Massachusetts.…

Battenfeld: Michelle Wu silent on luxury development project headed by her close friend » Boston Herald Both Likovich and Wu, along with their husbands, purchased a two-family house in Roslindale together in June 2015 for $660,000, according to Suffolk County Registry of Deeds records. The Likoviches ha…

Advocates suggest Mass. Legislature may be breaking the law by refusing to draw majority-minority Senate district for Brockton » Boston Globe Last week, Brownsberger said his decision not to draw a majority-minority district anchored in Brockton was not made in the interest of protecting an incumbent, which in Brockton’s case would be Dem…

NJ: A look at the Lobby Club, the pricey, members-only restaurant, bar and meeting place that just opened in Trenton » roi=nj-com The Lobby Club officials say the venue was designed with professionals, politicians, lobbyists, legislative aides and judges in mind, offering varying levels of membership based on the needs of both b…

FL: Miami Democrat upends Florida governor’s race » Politico State Sen. Annette Taddeo on Monday scrambled Florida’s Democratic primary for governor, as the Miami Democrat jumped into the contest against two better-known rivals who have been running for sever…

Can Anyone Stop the Uberization of the Economy? » New York Magazine In January 2020, Henry DeGroot, an Uber and Lyft driver and organizer with the Boston Independent Drivers Guild (BIDG), walked into a room in one of the Brutalist concrete buildings near Boston’s ci…

Coming Into Focus: Hillary's Secretive, Russiagate-Flogging Pair of Super-Lawyers » RealClearInvestigations Working secretly for the Clinton campaign, Fusion GPS planted Trump-Russia conspiracy theories in the FBI and US media via its subcontractor, former British spy Christopher Steele. The FBI used the Fu…

Colin Powell appreciation: ‘We will miss him’ » Boston Herald Colin Powell could “speak truth to power.” When you serve Republican and Democratic presidents that’s an amazing skill, said former colleague Andy Card.…

Jan. 6 panel plans contempt vote for Steve Bannon as Trump sues over probe » Boston Globe A House committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is moving swiftly Tuesday to hold at least one of Donald Trump’s allies in contempt as the former president is pushing bac…

Dropbox CEO: Pandemic caused ‘the death of the office as we’ve known it’ » Boston Globe Fourteen years ago, Drew Houston was a recent MIT grad pitching a startup to a roomful of investors in Cambridge. What if you could store all your important digital information — whether photos or s…

Boston startup’s robotic tug completes 1,000-mile sea voyage » Boston Globe The automated tugboat controlled by software from Boston-based Sea Machines arrived in Hamburg on Friday, the last stop on a 1,000-mile, 16-day trip around the coastline of Denmark, a voyage aimed at …

Editorial: Biden tries talk therapy on gas prices » Boston Herald The good news: President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has given a thumb’s up to holiday gatherings for the vaxxed.…

‘You need to govern from the streets.’ What small-business owners on one block want to see from Boston’s next mayor » Boston Globe After 19 months of struggle, small businesses in Hyde Park are hoping City Hall’s next administration can make life a little easier.…

Editorial: A chance for Congress to turn concern over Big Tech’s sway into action » Boston Globe If the largest platforms can’t be trusted to enforce even their own anticompetitive policies, then Washington has little choice but to act.…

Panel weighs changes to chicken cage law » Gloucester Times A legislative panel began deliberations Monday on a proposal to change the 2016 voter-approved law requiring larger enclosures for egg-laying chickens to reduce the size of their coops.…

Baker-Polito Administration declares October is Massachusetts Cranberry Month » Wicked Local Continuing the commonwealth’s support of cranberry farmers and encouraging Massachusetts residents to purchase locally produced cranberry products, Governor Charlie Baker has declared October as “…

Higher Fees Will Hurt Downtown New Bedford Businesses [OPINION] » WBSM Gas prices are up. Food prices are soaring. The cost of heating your home is skyrocketing. Inflation is choking the economy. Businesses are struggling. So what does the City of New Bedford do to assis…

Polito speaking at blue economy event » Gloucester Times Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will be making her way over the bridge to speak about the blue economy later this week.…

Boston Struggles To Boost Minority, Female Labor Force In Construction » WGBH Four years after the City of Boston established more ambitious goals for equitable hiring in construction jobs, none of the city’s top projects hit the standard for hiring women and less than a thir…

Justice Department asks Supreme Court to block Texas abortion law » Boston Globe In a forceful brief filed Monday, the Biden administration urged the Supreme Court to temporarily block a Texas law that bans most abortions in the state while a legal challenge moves forward, calling…

Northampton school panel works to tweak policy on hate symbols as students demand action » Gazette Net The subcommittee tasked with crafting a policy on hate symbols for the city's public schools met Monday to rework the language, about six weeks after a draft was pulled back on the advice of the Ameri…

Lawmakers Urged To Intervene On Teacher Diversity » State House News Service Lawmakers mulling policy changes aimed at building a more diverse educator workforce in Massachusetts repeatedly heard the same set of statistics Monday: people of color account for about 40 percent o…

Safety plan unveiled for LHS after fights, arrests » The Eagle Tribune After the start of a school year marked by fights and arrests, students at Lawrence High will start each day talking with their teachers about the school’s “culture and climate.”…

Opinion: In Chelsea, environmental justice rises as a political issue » Boston Globe María Belén Power is running for City Council to highlight the need to take action on policies that lie at the intersection of the environment and public health, housing, and industrial and commerci…

Biden administration plans new regulations for toxic ‘forever chemicals’ » Boston Globe The Biden administration on Monday said it would require chemical manufacturers to test and publicly report the amount of a family of chemicals known as PFAS that is contained in household items such …

My Turn: Let’s not forget about water » The Recorder State Auditor Suzanne Bump released a study that nicely captures several infrastructure challenges facing Western Massachusetts communities; however, we’d like to focus on an area not covered in her…

Baker-Polito Administration Files Legislation to Invest $750 Million in Clean Energy Innovation, Workforce Development » Boston Real Estate Times Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced that the Baker-Polito Administration will file legislation to direct $750 million to support the continued growth and development of the Commonwealth’s…

Broad Institute's first chief equity officer talks anti-racism in health care » Boston Business Journal For René Salazar, the new chief equity officer at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the work of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) must be strategic.…

Somerville Appeals To State On Real Estate Fee » State House News Service The mayor, city councilors, city housing officials and almost the entire legislative delegation from Somerville turned out for a Revenue Committee hearing Monday to continue the city's quest to be abl…

With ARPA money in flux, Baker pushes ahead with funding for job-training » Boston Business Journal The Baker administration plans to spend $68 million on job-training programs starting this fall, the state’s labor chief said in an interview Friday, as it pushes Legislature to put a much bigger po…

‘We will not return to work’: Striking Saint Vincent Hospital nurses respond to CEO’s open letter, call for guarantee of old jobs » MassLive Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Carolyn Jackson has issued an open letter to the hospital’s striking nurses asking for them to accept its final offer and return to work after the hospital invoked its rig…

Advocates pushed for a minority-heavy district for Randolph & Brockton. They didn't get it. » Wicked Local Voting rights advocates knocked the Senate redistricting proposal, including a missed opportunity to combine heavily minority-populated Brockton and Randolph into the same district.…

Super PAC accuses Wu of wanting to ‘defund police’ in new negative ad » Boston Globe The ad, called ‘Defund,’ cites top donors like the IBEW and firefighters union, as well as the subsidiary of a developer that has tangled with Wu over a major downtown project.…

State Rep. Paul Mark to run for Senate » Gazette Net State Rep. Paul Mark announced his candidacy for state Senate in the 2023 election cycle on Monday, speaking at Park Square in Pittsfield. Mark, D-Peru, is campaigning for the Senate seat for the Berk…

First five at-large Holyoke council candidates stress commitment » Gazette Net On Nov. 2, Holyoke residents will vote to fill six at-large seats on the City Council. There are 11 candidates on the ballot competing for those seats, only four of whom are incumbents.…

Launching Senate bid, state Rep. Paul Mark aims to help 'working families' » Berkshire Eagle State Rep. Paul Mark is running to represent the Berkshires in the state Senate, he says, “to really make a difference for working families.”…

Berkshire delegation rallies around Mark’s state Senate campaign at Pittsfield kickoff » WAMC Mark represents the 2nd Berkshire district, which will disappear if proposed redistricting maps released last week are finalized. The Democrat has represented the district, which covers a slice of Pit…

In Boston City Council race, campaign mailer featuring dark image of Black candidate sparks charge of racism » Boston Globe A recent campaign mailing that featured a darker, black-and-white image of one Black candidate for City Council has sparked controversy and accusations of racism in the race for the District 6 seat.…

Paul Mark announces candidacy for state Senate; will likely run against Nuciforo » the Berkshire edge As a state representative, Mark says he has advocated for "Medicare-for-all," higher education funding reform, student debt relief, and additional funding for vocational programs across the state.…

The Boston accent: political tool or just the way some people talk? » Boston Globe As a proud lifelong Bostonian, with a genuine thick Boston accent, I was disheartened by the insinuation made by Renée Graham regarding Annissa Essaibi George’s accent.…

Candidates Tackle Issues at Pittsfield School Committee Debate » iBerkshires Seven candidates running for the School Committee debated in person for the first time on Monday.…

Flaherty, Mejia, Louijeune win likely, but fourth at-large seat uncertain, poll shows » Boston Globe Incumbents Michael Flaherty and Julia Mejia are leading in the race for four at-large seats on the Boston City Council, with newcomer Ruthzee Louijeune in third position, according to a new Suffolk Un…

Campbell Endorses Council Candidates, Stays Mum On Mayoral Race » WGBH Former Boston mayoral contender and outgoing city councilor Andrea Campbell is rolling out a slate of endorsements Tuesday — but a mayoral candidate’s name will be conspicuously missing from that …

Chaos confronts Massachusetts state workers seeking medical, religious exemptions to new vaccine mandate » Boston Herald State workers seeking exemptions to a new coronavirus vaccine mandate are speaking out against a chaotic process that has left their job statuses in limbo as the state takes weeks to work through hund…

Rat-borne bacteria investigated on Mass and Cass poses health threat to dogs, deadly in some cases » Boston Herald While the Boston Public Health Commission investigates the outbreak of a nasty rat-borne disease in the area of Mass and Cass, dog owners might want to check in with their veterinarians.…

Massachusetts’ flu season is starting more active than the past 3 years » Boston Herald Flu season is starting more active than the previous three years, as public health officials urge people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.…

Drink Taxes Pitched To Boost Health, Addiction Treatment » State House News Service Former Gov. Deval Patrick tried repeatedly without success to tax soda and voters in 2010 rejected higher taxes on alcohol, but supporters of slapping new levies on sugary and alcoholic beverages test…

The state police union is raising fears about Charlie Baker’s vaccine order. Baker isn’t moved. » Boston.com Leaders of the union for rank-and-file Massachusetts State Police officers say Gov. Charlie Baker’s order requiring state workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine or potentially lose their job could resu…

FBI reports 59 officers have been murdered this year, a 51% spike compared to 2020 » Boston Herald The FBI is reporting that 59 law enforcement officers have been feloniously killed in the line of duty so far this year, a 51% spike compared to the 39 deaths at this time last year.…

Markey and Billerica officials speak on the opioid crisis and incarceration » Wicked Local Local leaders, public safety officials, and politicians gathered outside of the Middlesex Jail and House of Correction to weigh in on Sen. Edward Markey's, D-MA, announcement of the reintroduction of …

Advocates Welcome FBI's Anti-Hate Crime Effort, Saying Cases Are Dramatically Underreported » WGBH The Anti-Defamation League of New England and members of New England’s Chinese American Alliance are applauding the FBI's new public awareness campaign against hate crimes, but caution that fear and…

Before disciplining nearly 1,600 Mass. state workers over noncompliance of COVID vaccination mandate, Baker wants to know why » MassLive Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday defended his COVID-19 vaccination mandate for state employees, arguing the “vast, vast majority” of the executive branch’s 40,000-plus workers are on b…

1,571 Massachusetts state workers still unvaccinated, including 300 troopers » Boston Herald At least 1,571 state workers — including nearly 300 troopers — are unvaccinated against coronavirus or are not in compliance with Gov. Charlie Baker’s new mandate one day after it took effect fo…

Proposed bill would allow state auditors access to tax records » The Center Square Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne Bump asked a committee to recommend a bill that would give her office access to tax records maintained by the Department of Revenue.…

State employees who missed vaccine deadline face suspension and eventual termination » Boston Globe Nearly 1,600 state employees have not proven they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 or sought an exemption and now face being suspended and potentially fired under Governor Charlie Baker’s inocu…

Baker’s vaccine mandate takes effect after injunction bid is denied » Mass Lawyers Weekly With Gov. Charlie Baker's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for executive branch employees in effect on Oct. 18, hundreds of correction officers could be in violation of the policy following a decision by a fe…

Massachusetts' COVID Vaccine Mandate Is in Effect. Here's What to Expect This Week » NECN Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's coronavirus vaccine mandate took effect Monday. The rule doesn't apply to everyone in the state, but employees of its Executive Department must be fully immunized or…

No Timeline From Baker On Vax Mandate Discipline » State House News Service More than 95 percent of executive branch state employees submitted the necessary paperwork on time to comply with Gov. Charlie Baker's vaccine mandate, but for the more than 1,500 who did not, it rema…

AAA: Average Gas Fill-Up Cost Up $17 In Past Year » State House News Service Gas prices continue to contribute to inflation concerns, rising nine cents per gallon in the last week and cutting further into household budgets across Massachusetts.…

State leaders deflect on fare-free MBTA question » WHDH The push to make MBTA service free of fares to riders that Boston mayoral candidate Michelle Wu has made a campaign staple has yet to sway Beacon Hill leaders.…

Social Media Spotlight

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GBH News A Spike In Demand Means Mental Health Care Can Be Harder To Access WCVB Channel 5 Boston Thousands of state workers must now be vaccinated against COVID-19

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Podcast Spotlight

Tech Freedom Tech Policy Podcast: Antitrust and Innovation NPR The NPR Politics Podcast: If You're Vaccinated, You Can Visit The US From Abroad In November Crooked Media Pod Save America: “Terry vs. Trump.”

Massachusetts Association of Realtors Indicates a Potential Shift in the Housing Market » Massachusetts Association of Realtors

Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts Names New President and Officers to Board of Directors » Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts

Republicans must stand together against mandates » MassGOP

Woman pleads guilty in brutal 2019 attack on colleague » Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan

Senate Appropriations Committee Introduces Historic Spending Bills That Would End Several Abortion Bans and Include Significant Funding Increases for Family Planning, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs » Planned Parenthood

Nixon Peabody clients break ground on school redevelopment with affordable housing » Nixon Peabody

EPA Announces Plan to Confront PFAS Pollution » Conservation Law Foundation

ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Inches Lower in September; Contractor Confidence Down for Second Consecutive Month » Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Massachusetts

Drawing Democracy Coalition Outlines Legal Rationale for Joining Brockton, Randolph, Stoughton and Avon in One Senate District » Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition

Gov. Baker stood up to vax mandates for state employees until he didn't. » MassGOP

Press Release: Last Dog from Randolph Law Enforcement Case Still Seeking New Home » Animal Rescue League Boston

Trahan, Guthrie Introduce the Net Price Calculator Improvement Act » Office of U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (MA-3)

DCR Celebrates Completion of Blue Hills Trailside Museum and Otter Exhibit Improvement Project » MA Department of Conservation and Recreation

Make AARP Money Map work for you! » AARP

Testimony of State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump in Support of Increasing State Auditor's Access to Tax Return Information » Office of MA State Auditor Suzanne Bump