| For those hoping for a blue tsunami this fall: It’s still the economy, stupid |
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| The Globe’s Evan Horowitz notes that, sure, Democrats are all pumped about a blue wave sweeping aside Republicans in this fall’s Congressional midterm elections. But he takes a look at the historical data and concludes that it’s going to be mighty hard to dislodge large numbers of Republicans with the economy as strong as it is right now. |
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| So how the heck might a federal judge rule in a big ICE case? |
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| This is an odd one: A print version of a Globe story this morning on a major ICE case sure makes it sound like U.S. Judge Mark Wolf is poised to crack down on the feds for arresting immigrants showing up for scheduled visits at government offices. But in the online version of the story, also by Maria Cramer, Wolf sure sounds like he’s ready to rule in favor of ICE.
Anyway, here’s coverage of the same court hearing in Boston on Monday, via the Herald’s Marie Szaniszlo: “A federal judge in Boston yesterday suggested Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seeking to deport undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens may have a duty to take into account whether they have begun the process of applying for a green card.” Maybe we should flip a coin on how Wolf might rule – or perhaps wait until he makes an actual ruling? |
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| At least Worcester gets to keep the keys to the new baseball stadium … |
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| Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine takes a closer look at the financial details of the tentative deal that would bring the Pawtucket Red Sox to Worcester. The minor league team will indeed be paying $36 million to Worcester over 30 years. But that only covers just over one-third the cost of building a new stadium. Check out this graf from Bruce:
“The city will own the stadium, but the ball club will operate it and retain all the revenues, including ticket fees, concessions, liquor sales, branding rights, premium seat sales, broadcast rights, merchandise sales, and naming rights. Advertising revenues at the stadium will go to the club, while off-site advertising will be split 50-50 with the city. The club has already negotiated a naming rights deal with Polar Beverages of Worcester for an undisclosed sum.”
Btw: Economists are divided on the potential impact of the stadium deal on Worcester, according to a report at the Telegram. |
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| As MGM opens, Connecticut tribes prepare to start construction on nearby casino |
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| Enjoy it while it lasts. That seems to be the message coming from Connecticut casino operators to MGM Springfield about the brief competition-free environment the casino will enjoy when it opens later this week. Jim Kinney of MassLive reports the tribes that operate Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun plan to break ground on a joint venture casino in East Windsor—just a short drive down the highway from Springfield—sometime this fall. |
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Pouncing on anything nice Warren may say about them … |
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| U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is so popular among Democratic voters that Secretary of State Bill Galvin and City Councilor Josh Zakim, battling it out in the Dem primary for secretary of state, seem to be bending the truth a bit when it comes to suggesting that Warren has endorsed their respective candidacies. In fact, Warren has issued no endorsements in the race. The Globe’s Milton Valencia has the details.
Fyi: Valencia also has two other stories – one on Galvin and the other on Zakim – as they politically duel for the party’s nomination. |
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| ‘Cleary the winner in the best television ad contest’: John Kingston’s Warren look-alike spoof |
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| Speaking of Elizabeth Warren: Peter Lucas, in a Lowell Sun column assessing the GOP candidates for U.S. Senate, thinks Republican John Kingston’s TV ad, featuring a look-alike Elizabeth Warren packing her bags for another out-of-state political trip, is “clearly the winner in the best television ad contest of the 2018 Massachusetts primary election.’” We got to admit: It’s pretty damn funny. Whether it does Kingston any good in the primary is another matter. |
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Many AirBnB Hosts Are Seniors
Senior discount: Boston may be tightening the reins on short-term rentals but the senior citizens of the city are going to make hay while the sun is still shining.
The number of seniors in MA who rent out their homes through the website grew 40 percent last year, Airbnb said in a report. Not only that, seniors are the fastest-growing demographic of Airbnb hosts, growing 45 percent year.
In Mass., older adults make up almost a quarter (22%) of all Airbnb hosts. Why not? $8,000 in annual passive income is not a bad deal at all. Read: The Number Of Mass. Seniors Renting Homes Through Airbnb Grew 40 Percent In 2017
Jet Blue Promotion
JetBlue discounts: The JetBlue Get the Flight Out TRUCK will offer Bostonians a chance to win one of twenty pairs of roundtrip flights out of town for themselves and a companion to places such as Punta Cana and Grand Cayman. Complete with a JetBlue ticketing counter inside, the truck is also a convenient place to purchase a JetBlue flight out of Boston during moving day weekend. The truck will be open for business in South Boston, Brighton, Back Bay and the Waterfront. Details:
Wednesday, August 22: 12:00PM – 2:00PM: Waterfront – Rose Kennedy Greenway 5:00PM – 7:00PM: South Boston – West Broadway
Thursday, August 23: 7:00AM – 9:00AM: Brighton – Washington Street near Brighton Center 12:00PM – 2:00PM: Back Bay – Commonwealth Avenue Mall
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| DeLeo starts dishing out PAC dough to incumbent Democrats |
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| From SHNS’s Matt Murphy at the Sentinel & Enterprise: “In a sign of which House primary races may be worth watching over the next two weeks, the political action committee controlled by House Speaker Robert DeLeo made its first round of donations earlier this month to eight of the 16 incumbents facing party challenges in two weeks. The Committee for a Democratic House, whose stated purpose is to support Democratic members, doled out $4,000 in campaign contributions in early August.” |
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| Towns looking more closely at what’s in your curbside recycling bins |
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| With China refusing to accept recycling materials that it says are too contaminated with things like food waste and plastic grocery bags, the pressure is now on local towns and cities to literally clean up their recycling act – and they’re looking more closely at what’s under the lids of residents’ curbside recycling containers, reports Yasmin Amer and Bob Oakes at WBUR. |
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