Threats to Jewish community ‘horrible and destructive,’ Baker says

By Matt Murphy, State House News Service

One day after three institutions were evacuated in Massachusetts due to a multi-state wave of bomb threats, Gov. Charlie Baker called continued threats against Jewish community organizations around the country “horrible and destructive.”

“I thank God that so far it's just been threats and not anything more than that, although there are definitely incidents of, sort of, isolated incidents of small acts of violence against people because of their religious persuasion,” Baker said at a press conference Wednesday.

According to reports, two schools – the Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton and MetroWest Jewish Day School at Temple Beth Sholom in Framingham – and the Anti-Defamation League's New England offices in Boston were the targets of bomb threats Tuesday morning.

No bombs were found, but the phoned threats marked another escalation of the recent spate of anti-Semitic activity around the country that has included the desecration of cemeteries and other acts of hatred.

Baker, who attended an event with FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, said he did not speak with him about the Massachusetts incidents, but his administration has been in touch and is working with the FBI.

“There's no excuse for this. There's no reason for it. It's horrible and destructive and we will work collaboratively with our colleagues in law enforcement to do everything we can to make sure that people can safely and securely and enthusiastically practice their faith here in the Commonwealth,” Baker said.

SNOW ROW POSTPONED BY ONE DAY

Due to anticipated severe weather conditions and safety concerns, the Hull Lifesaving Museum's 2017 Snow Row is being moved ahead one day, to Sunday, March 5. All other details of the race day schedule will remain the same for spectators and competitors.

For any questions or additional information, call Michael DeKoster at 617 233-7016 or email michael@hulllifesavingmuseum.org. Additional information and updates if needed will be posted on the museum's website – www.hulllifesavingmuseum.org – until 9 a.m. on race day.

No Hingham boat service this week could mean more riders in Hull

The MBTA posted this banner alert on its website today:

Hingham Commuter Ferry service will be suspended to/from Hingham throughout this week due to emergency dock repairs.  

The lack of commuter boat service in Hingham will bring added ridership to Hull. Local commuters should allow for extra time in the morning as there may be Hingham riders who don't know the protocol and who are seeking to park at Pemberton.

Fortunately, it's school vacation week, so many of the high school parking spaces should be available for use.

– Susan Ovans

Critical Logan Airport noise forum Feb. 22

Hull Neighbors for Quiet Skies is asking local residents to attend a Logan Airport noise study forum in Boston on Wednesday. Here's the press release sent out by the organization today:

So here’s where we stand. For several months now, a study team at MIT has been looking for ways to diminish and/or eliminate the noise burden of commercial aircraft on Massachusetts communities surrounding Logan Airport (including ours). That study, jointly sponsored by Massport and the Federal Aviation Administration, is now nearing completion and the study team is seeking citizen feedback before finalizing their report.
To that end, a public hearing has been scheduled at the Massachusetts Transportation Building in Boston for this coming Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. We know the timing and location present a hardship for many, but this will be our last, best chance to advocate for Hull before the MIT study is put to bed. Residents from other impacted communities will be attending; it’s important that the people of Hull are heard as well.
If you need a ride to Boston or can offer a ride to someone else, please let us know ASAP.
The hearing details:
WHEN: Wednesday, February 22, 2017
6:00 – 8:00PM
WHERE: State Transportation Building
Conference Room
10 Park Plaza, Boston
Here’s a link for directions (driving and public transport) to the State Transportation Building (public parking under the building is $14 for two hours): http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/39/Docs/directionss22.pdf
Below are a few links that attendees should check out.
• Study materials related to the hearing:https://hullneighbors.org/downloads/HEARING.pdf
• A refresher on flight path changes Hull has proposed: https://hullneighbors.org/downloads/SELECTMEN.pdf
Note: Hull also seeks steeper aircraft ascents and descents during takeoffs and landings; stricter enforcement of RNAV waypoints (the GPS coordinates aircraft follow); pushing flights at least a mile off-shore, and pushing back against suggestions that Hull take on more flights from other communities (we already have 90,000 a year!) We’re not the solution for everyone else.
One last note: It’s been a long, grinding road to get to this point. Let’s finish the journey for the future health and well-being of ourselves and our families. Hope to see you Wednesday night.
All the best,
The Hull Neighbors "Quiet Skies" Committee

www.hullneighbors.org

Baker urges payraise opponents to call legislators

By Andy Metzger

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

People opposed to the payraise bill vetoed on Friday should “make their voices heard” as the House and Senate prepare for override votes this week, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday.

Massachusetts residents have already been dialing into elected officials to give feedback about the legislation that would cost $18 million to hike the pay of legislative leaders, statewide elected officials, and judges.

“It was the single largest number of calls we've gotten on one day, on Friday,” Baker said during his monthly “Ask the Governor” segment Monday on WGBH Radio. “And we've gotten a lot of calls on a lot of things. I mean, keep in mind, we're the administration that had the MBTA breakdown.”

With a 116-43 vote in the House on Wednesday and a 31-9 vote in the Senate on Thursday, both branches would have enough votes to clear the two-thirds threshold for a veto override if that level of support holds.

Both branches meet in formal sessions on Thursday, giving them an opportunity to pass the payraise bill into law over the governor's objections.

“If it comes over from the House we are planning to take it up on Thursday,” Senate President Stan Rosenberg told the News Service on Monday.

The matter came up when a caller – identified as Ken in Amesbury – thanked the governor for the veto and asked, “Is there anything more that we can do, the taxpayers of Massachusetts, to keep these legislators from overriding your veto?”

All Republicans in the House and Senate voted against the measure, and they were joined by nine Democrats in the House and three Democrats in the Senate. Those hoping to sustain the veto would need to flip either 10 Democrats in the House or five in the Senate.

“People should encourage those who share our views to reach out to and speak to their legislators about it, because that is in fact the best way to bring attention to this and to get it on people's radars,” Baker said. He said, “I think it's important for people to make their voices heard.”

Hull’s state representative is newly-elected Democrat Joan Meschino, who voted in favor of the payraise. State Sen. Patrick O’Connor, a Weymouth Republican, voted against the bill.

The bill (H 58) is the first major legislation to reach the governor's desk this session.

Last week, the Senate president said the legislation would provide needed updates to the compensation of lawmakers, which starts at a base salary of about $62,000.

“We are losing young people every election cycle,” Rosenberg told reporters Thursday, “particularly the younger members, who are trying to start families and start their own career, they cannot live on this."

Baker was scheduled to meet Monday afternoon with legislative leaders, but their meeting was cancelled Monday morning.

To contact Rep. Joan Meschino, call 617 722-2425, or email Joan.Meschino@mahouse.gov.

To contact Sen. Patrick O’Connor, call 617 722-1646, or email Patrick.OConnor@masenate.gov.

Councilors urge Baker to consider pardons, commutations

Governor's Councilor Robert Jubinville used a rare council appearance by Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday to ask him for an update about possible recommendations for pardons and commutations.

"Not today," Baker told Jubinville, who told the governor he would check back in with him on it in the future.

Councilor Marilyn Devaney said she also hoped Baker would make commutation and pardon recommendations, noting the role such measures can play in turning around the lives of individuals who have committed crimes. She said councilors have "drawers and drawers" full of pardon and commutation materials, including some associated with people who have died.

"I would like to put in a plug too for pardons," said Devaney, who said the council had received "not enough" pardon recommendations from governors during her 18 years on the council.

After the meeting, Jubinville told the State House News Service that Southern states have been using pardons and commutations to reduce prison populations. The councilor said he's received an "uptick" in interest among people seeking pardons and commutations, a trend that he attributed to the lack of recommendations from governors in recent years.

According to the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries, a pardon is an act forgiving the petitioner for the crime and sealing all records related to the crime. A commutation reduces a petitioner's sentence or punishment.

– Michael P. Norton/SHNS