State Senate’s lack of action to cap delivery fees inspires Harvard Square restaurateur to speak
With the state Senate still not taking action to cap restaurant delivery fees, John Schall, owner of Harvard Square’s El Jefe’s Taqueria, plans a 2 p.m. Wednesday press conference on the steps of the State House in Boston.
Now that we’re all worried Trump will ignore election results, time to figure out what to do
Have Massachusetts (or any state) officials gamed out what they would do if Trump refuses to accept the results of the November election or unilaterally deems them invalid?
Police union deletes warning of possible ‘purge’
The union representing Cambridge rank and file police officers suggested its members warn legislators not to pass a police reform bill: “If you think seven civilians killed in seven days in Boston is bad, just wait for the purge that will come.” It deleted the statement two days later after criticism.
Background and residence become vital issues in race for Somerville’s open 27th District seat
Close watchers of state politics expected the race to fill the vacancy left by retiring state Rep. Denise Provost to be hotly contested. But with only two Democratic candidates vying, what the race lacks in numbers and duration, it’s already made up for in spectacle.
For peace through policies as well as protesting, start with body cameras, use-of-force standards
The Legislature needs to ensure that safeguards and protections are made a part of the law and practice of law enforcement. A uniform code for police body-worn cameras, uniform standards in use of force and a law against the use of facial recognition technology are ways to start.
With state waiver, schools to end on schedule without need to pay $2M for remote learning
The state has waived a requirement to add four days to the school year, making the last day of school June 17 – the district calendar’s original end date before the emergency campus closings on March 16 in response to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Should violence replace political debate, democracy could end; We’re getting a taste
Last weekend, state Rep. Mike Connolly got a death threat on Facebook for calling for keeping the state’s stay-at-home advisory in place until June. We need to proceed very very carefully and think deeply about where we’re going as a society.
District could end the year with $1.8M to spend or need additional $606,000 from City Council
In scenarios at the extremes of savings and expenditures, the school district could finish out the year with a surplus of $1.8 million or a possible deficit of $606,000 on the way to a proposed district budget of $213.7 million, an increase of 5.9 percent from the current fiscal year.
With dip in state funds comes risk of grant cuts for extended hours at MLK, Fletcher-Maynard (updated)
The slow-motion economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic may be felt at the Martin Luther King Jr. and Fletcher-Maynard Academy elementary schools, which could see cuts in state funding for longer days and additional instruction.
Candidate declares for 29th Middlesex seat: Transportation expert, activist Steve Owens
Longtime Democratic activist and Democratic State Committee member Steve Owens plans a run to replace state Rep. Jon Hecht in the 29th Middlesex State House seat, representing parts of Cambridge and Watertown. Hecht said last month that he will not run for reelection.
