For Mermell, stars are beginning to align
If Jesse Mermell goes on to win the Democratic nomination in the 4th Congressional District, she will likely look back fondly on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Early in the day, one of Mermell's eight rivals in the crowded Democratic field, Dave Cavell, announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Mermell. In a statement, Cavell indicated his strategy was due at least in part to "one candidate in this race who I believe has proven himself unfit to represent this District."
He didn't name that candidate, but it is widely believed to be Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss, who has been criticized recently for past statements on race and religion.
But Mermell's day got even better in the afternoon, when Attorney General Maura Healey became the second statewide elected official to endorse Mermell's campaign (Auditor Suzanne Bump was the first). Cavell is a former adviser to Healey, whose popularity among Democrats is such that she is frequently mentioned as a potential gubernatorial candidate — whether Charlie Baker chooses to run for a third term in 2022 or not.
Healey called Mermell, a former adviser to Gov. Deval Patrick and senior leader at Planned Parenthood, a "proven progressive leader."
The primary election is Sept. 1. The winner takes on one of two Republicans, Julie Hall or David Rosa, for the right to take over the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III.
The 4th Congressional District includes most of Greater Milford.
Apologies to Pink Floyd, but experts agree kids do need some education. The nagging question is how best to provide it.
Learning is supposed to resume in a matter of weeks, but tension abounds between the state, districts, teachers' unions and parents about whether it's safe to return to the classroom and whether remote learning is an acceptable substitute.
The state's two major unions — the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the American Federation of Teachers — want school buildings to remain shuttered, at least to start the year. But Gov. Charlie Baker said he "can't imagine" why most kids wouldn't be returning to school given the current status of the virus in Massachusetts.
After creeping up and ringing some alarm bells, the statewide positive test rate is back down around 1.5%, which is the lowest it's been since widespread testing began.
Baker has preached local control throughout much of the pandemic, and rolled out a new rubric this week for people, including school administrators, to make decisions based on what's happening in their own communities, not just across the state.
But he also made clear where he comes down on the question of remote versus in-person schooling.
Green means go (to school)
The administration deployed another "stoplight" system to track each city and town's progress in controlling COVID-19. The new color-coded maps of Massachusetts municipalities shade cities and towns "red," "yellow" or "green" based on the prevalence and spread of the coronavirus.
The colors correlate to average new daily cases reported over the previous two weeks, with "green" towns reporting fewer than four daily cases per 100,000 people, and "red" towns reporting more than eight new cases a day for every 100,000 people.
A fourth category — white — means a municipality has had fewer than five new cases reported in total over the past two weeks.
"If you're in a green or a white community, I can't imagine a good reason not to go back, whether it's full-time or some sort of a hybrid, because for all intents and purposes you meet all the benchmarks that are being used across the country and across New England to make decisions about whether it's safe to go back to school," Baker said.
The governor said that unlike remote learning in the spring, the start of a new school year means students starting new grades with teachers they don't know, and vice-versa. Learning to read, he has said, is not a virtual exercise.
Watch party at Suffolk Downs
Big-name actors, from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John to Sam Neil, Jeff Goldblum and a T-Rex, have graced the the summer screen at Suffolk Downs.
But next week Hollywood will take the backseat for a night when U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the Democratic Party's newly minted nominee for vice president, Kamala Harris, will have top billing at the East Boston drive-in.
The Massachusetts Democratic Party plans to host a Democratic National Convention watch party at Suffolk Downs next Wednesday. While the "Ridin' with Biden" event is primarily for the 114 delegates from Massachusetts who will no longer be traveling to Milwaukee for the convention, limited tickets are also available for purchase to the public.
"The excitement around a Joe Biden Presidency is too great for us not to do something that celebrates what the Democratic National Convention means for this country. It means the beginning of the end of Donald Trump's horrific presidency, and the restoration of decency and humanity to the White House," said Gus Bickford, chair of the state party.
Local Boston food trucks will be supplying food for Wednesday night's DNC viewing party.
For non-delegates interested in attending, a limited number of tickets are available starting at $46 per car for young Democrats under 35 and $246 per car for everyone else.
Clayton's day
Clayton Ward, a 2020 MassBay Community College graduate who was profiled in the Daily News on June 29, was featured Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
Ward is a Framingham Public Schools bus driver who was inspired by the students he drives to school to return to college and earn a degree. He graduated with an associate's degree in liberal arts in May with a 4.0 grade-point average and was honored during MassBay’s commencement ceremony with many academic awards.
Ward, a 30-year-old native of Tennessee, will continue his studies this fall at Framingham State University. His goal is to become a history teacher.
One more time
Two weeks before primary day, U.S. Sen. Markey and his challenger, Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, are scheduled to square off in their final live debate, hosted by WCVB in a consortium that includes The Boston Globe, WBUR and the University of Massachusetts Boston's McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies.
The Tuesday debate starts at 7 p.m.
WCVB anchor and "On The Record" co-host Ed Harding will moderate the hourlong debate, which organizers say will "adhere to strict social distancing guidelines." Panelists include Harding's "On The Record" co-host, Janet Wu; Adrian Walker of The Boston Globe; and Bob Oakes of WBUR.
The debate will be broadcast live on WCVB and WBUR and streamed on WCVB.com, WBUR.org, UMB.edu, BostonGlobe.com and Boston.com. WGGB-TV and WSHM-TV will simulcast the WCVB broadcast on TV and online.
Sign of the times
Did they know nobody was watching?
Members of an activist group on Monday night hung a banner that read “CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW” on the iconic Citgo sign near Boston’s Fenway Park, leading to eight arrests, police said.
The group unfurled the banner as the Red Sox began their game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway. A spokesman for the group, Extinction Rebellion Boston, told The Boston Globe that it was hoping to bring attention to environmental issues.
“We think the ultimate values of the city of Boston would say climate justice is more important than fossil fuel profits,” Matthew Kearney said. “We’re giving the Citgo sign a makeover — just temporary, of course — an update to the Boston skyline that matches the values of the city."
The Sox, like every other major league team, are playing before no fans due to the pandemic.
Eight people were taken into custody and charged with trespassing and disturbing the peace, police said.
They said it...
“I saw the first test of the A-bomb.” — Lester Gediman, 94, of Marlborough, recalling a night in the summer of 1945 when, as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, he witnessed a bright flash in the sky while taking a walk on the airstrip at Alamogordo Air Base in New Mexico.
“As a friend and a colleague, I’m excited for his next chapter. Go for it, and seize the world, and come back and please be our town attorney when (Current Town Attorney) Mark (Cerel) feels like he doesn’t want to do it anymore.” — Franklin Town Councilor Matt Kelly, after fellow Councilor Eamon McCarthy Earls announced plans to step down from the board and attend law school in Virginia.
Contributors to the Political Notebook this week include Deputy Director of Multimedia Dan O'Brien and the State House News Service.
