At least this Charlie's train seems to run.
Jerry Berger writes that famously T-averse Charlie Baker has (good and) plenty to answer for with the latest MBTA fiasco, this time on the brand-spanking new Green Line Extension (remember when Baker got into office and said he'd likely cancel the whole thing because it was too gosh-darned expensive, and then he found a way to cut the cost by zillions?). Why, the legislature should convene hearings on who's to blame. Read more.
Downtown kaboom alert: Normally, we only get howitzers firing downtown when the Ancient and Honorables have their leadership change in April, but if you're anywhere near the Common on Wednesday between 5 and 6 p.m., get your hands ready to cover your ears. Read more.
Baker reports he was glad to, adds: "As of today, 59% of the planned diversion work has been completed, including signal upgrades, track and rail replacement."
Ed. note: We're going to assume he means he walked the tracks (without a helmet) at Community College, unless the T is also using the Orange Line timeout to add a Community Center stop.
A Medfield man who sued Charlie Baker in 2020 over state face-mask requirements due to Covid-19 and lost is taking another legal crack at Baker, this time over state Covid-19 vaccination recommendations he charges got him unenrolled from the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover because he refused to get a shot for medical and religious reasons. Read more.
While 'neath the streets of Boston, Anna Seda on cello, Jacob Deck on Celtic harp and Ben Rechel on bass play their updated version of the classic Boston song: Read more.
The State House News Service reports that minutes after the Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade and with it the legal underpinnings of everything from gay marriage to contraception, Gov. Baker signed an executive order he says will protect access to reproductive health-care services in Massachusetts.
Gov. Baker announced the plan this morning, said the distribution will start with the 102 cities and towns with the highest percentages of poor people - who might otherwise have trouble paying for test kits. Read more.
WBUR reports Gov. Baker said today that everybody eligible for Covid-19 shots can now get a free booster shot six months after they've gotten their initial shots (or sooner if they got Johnson & Johnson shots).
The move comes a day after the state reported its highest one-day Covid-19 rate in months and a day before federal health officials were to consider freeing up everybody across the country for boosters.
The union representing Massachusetts corrections officers today sued the state to try to block an Oct. 17 deadline for state workers to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or risk punishment and possible job loss. Read more.
As growing numbers of entertainment venues and other places require patrons to show proof of vaccination, WGBH reports Gov. Baker is eyeing some sort of system that would let people prove they've been vaccinated, possibly similar to New York State's "Excelsior Pass" phone app.
Gov. Baker today declared that all employees of "executive" state departments have to prove they've been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or they could get fired. Read more.
Mamaleh's Delicatessen, which has outlets in Cambridge and Brookline, is not at all happy that Gov. Baker is leaving it up to local towns - and individual businesses - to figure out whether to require indoor mask wearing at a time when Covid-19 cases are on the rise and increasingly angry people are taking out their aggression on restaurant workers. Read more.
With delta breakthrough cases on the rise, the state today released updated Covid-19 guidance that calls for anybody who might be at high risk for complication - or who lives or works with somebody who is - to start wearing masks in stores and other indoor places again. Read more.
A man who sued Marty Walsh, Charlie Baker and William Evans because he couldn't find his way to the Parkman Bandstand for what turned out to be a tiny post-Charlottesville rantfest through the far larger throngs of protesters that surrounded the platform in 2017 had his First Amendment and conspiracy case tossed by a federal judge today. Read more.
WBUR reports the state will end its outdoor mask requirements starting April 30, "except for situations where it is not possible to maintain social distance and when required by business-specific guidelines." Indoor mask use will still be required, however. Various indoor and gathering limits will start to be relaxed over the coming month.
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