Democratic U.S. Senate Race Kicks Into Gear

Published April 26, 2011

Alan Khazei will again be a Democratic senatorial hopeful. Here, Khazei talks with the media after voting in the primary he lost in 2009. (AP)

Alan Khazei will again be a Democratic senatorial hopeful. Here, Khazei talks with the media after voting in the primary he lost in 2009. (AP)

Today we saw two big developments in the U.S. Senate race. Alan Khazei, co-founder of City Year, formally announced he would run for the Democratic nomination and Joe Trippi announced he is joining Bob Massie’s campaign.

WBUR’s Alyson Whitman caught up with Khazei and found out more about why he wanted the chance to run against Scott Brown, who is, according to a recent Suffolk University poll, the most popular politician in Massachusetts.

“We have to provide jobs for people. We have to restore the American dream. We have to make sure we’re ensuring opportunity for all of our children through a strong education system,” Khazei said. “We got to deal with energy. Gas prices are at $4 a gallon. We have to get off of Mideast fossil fuels and embrace clean and renewable alternatives.”

Khazei came in behind Rep. Michael Capuano and Attorney General Martha Coakley when he ran for the same nomination in the 2009 special election.

Trippi, who joined the Massie campaign, helped turn Howard Dean into an unlikely front-runner for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. That was until Dean lost the Iowa caucus and went down in a blaze during a concession speech in which he let out that now-famous primal screen.

Tuesday Morning: DiMasi Heads To Trial

Published April 26, 2011

Jury selection in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Sal DiMasi and two other co-defendants begins today. In the DiMasi trial — the third-consecutive corruption probe of a Massachusetts House Speaker — analysts are bracing for an explosive look into the inside workings of influence peddling on Beacon Hill.

Logan Airport isn’t immune to the recent turmoil of the aviation industry — headlines like sleeping air traffic controllers and minor runway crashes have splashed across front pages — according to the Metro.

Attorney General Martha Coakley subpoenaed records from the state Lottery Commission and the treasurer’s office as part of an investigation of former treasurer Tim Cahill’s lottery ad campaign that ran during his gubernatorial bid.

City Year co-founder Alan Khazei announced yesterday that he’s running to unseat Sen. Scott Brown in a 2012 senate bid. Khazei also ran for the seat in the January 2009 special election.

Surgeons at Brigham and Women’s performed the nation’s second full-face transplant yesterday. Doctors at the hospital performed the first full-face transplant last month.

In Boston, we remember former Sox slugger Manny Ramirez as a bit of a knucklehead, if a supremely-skilled knucklehead. A former New York Times reporter who followed Manny through his high school career in the Bronx says he’s always been that way.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on the budget debate on Beacon Hill and environmental authorities battling the Asian longhorn beetle.

Composer Peter Lieberson Dies At 64

Published April 25, 2011

Peter Lieberson, a passionate, expressive composer who created many original works for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, died Saturday at the age of 64. He was in Tel Aviv receiving treatment for lymphoma. He’d been battling the disease for years.

Lieberson photographed by his wife Rinchen Lhamo last year.

Lieberson photographed by his wife Rinchen Lhamo last year.

I spoke with Lieberson in 2010 for a story about what would be his final BSO commission, “Songs of Love and Sorrow.” The work’s world premiere performance took place at Symphony Hall in March of last year.

Lieberson dedicated “Songs of Love and Sorrow” to his second wife, mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. She died of breast cancer in 2008. It’s a companion piece to “Neruda Songs,” (2005) another work inspired by the composer’s deep feelings for his partner, as well as the couple’s profound appreciation of love sonnets by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

While reporting the story I got a glimpse into Lieberson’s relationship with his wife, with heartbreak and with death.

Lieberson is survived by three children from his first marriage, as well as his third wife, writer and former Buddhist nun Rinchen Lhamo. Lieberson was a life-long student of Buddhism. He served as director for the international meditation program known as Shambala Training.

In speaking with Lieberson for even a brief stretch of time it was abundantly clear that his heart was open and searching and filled with compassion and light. May his gentle spirit rest in peace.

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Monday Morning: State Budget Takes The Spotlight

Published April 25, 2011

The state budget takes center stage this week as lawmakers negotiate changes to the $30.5 billion spending plan in full debate on the state House floor. The biggest point of contention in the budget is House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s controversial plan that gives municipalities the ability to change employee health care without union approval.

The state failed to inspect three-quarters of escalators in Massachusetts malls over the past three years, according to the Globe. A four-year-old boy died after falling from a mall escalator last month in Auburn, spurring the probe.

The Boston sports fan in your life should be walking with an extra spring in his/her step this morning after a banner weekend for the city’s teams. The Celtics yesterday finished off a sweep of the Knicks and won their first round playoff series, behind a solid day from Kevin Garnett. The Bruins beat the Canadiens in double overtime Saturday — they lead their series 3-2. And the Sox, 2-10 to start the season, are almost back to .500 after a torrid 8-1 run.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on a conference at the Berklee College of Music set to examine the future of the music industry, the debate on improving the Marshfield seawall and Boston’s effort to get many tax-exempt businesses to pay taxes.

Friday Morning: Report Finds Bullying Endemic In Mass. Schools

Published April 22, 2011

One quarter of Massachusetts middle-schoolers and over 15 percent of the state’s high school students report being victimized by bullying at school, according to a federal report released yesterday. Students who said they were involved in bullying were also five times more likely to have been exposed to violence at home, the report found.

As you might imagine, leaving a gang and dropping out of thug life isn’t easy. A Suffolk Superior Court jury found a Boston-area gang member guilty yesterday of armed assault with intent to murder for shooting his (former) best friend in retaliation for quitting their gang.

Career centers and job training programs in the state are facing major budget cuts as stimulus money runs dry and the house budget gets trimmed in Washington.

Though they never led until the final horn sounded, the Bruins beat Montreal 5-4 in overtime last night to even the first-round playoff series, 2-2. The teams will suit up again Saturday in Boston.

Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, a 19-year veteran of the team, wrote a memoir about his time in the league. Wakefield, solid never flashy, is beloved by fans as a pitcher. Maybe now he’ll join the New England literary pantheon, too.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on a state trooper hit by a drunk driver, a solar power project on the Cape and a challenge to the state’s gun laws.

Bruins Look For Series Tie In Montreal

Published April 21, 2011

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas looks behind as a shot by Montreal Canadiens' Mathieu Darche, right, goes in for a goal during Game 2. In Game 3, Thomas notched the win. (AP)

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas looks behind as a shot by Montreal Canadiens' Mathieu Darche, right, goes in for a goal during Game 2. In Game 3, Thomas notched the win. (AP)

Which Boston Bruins team will show up Thursday evening in Montreal? We all hope it will be the one that was on the ice for the first two periods of Game 3. We do not want to see the third period Bruins, who — in part due to the Canadiens’ desperation — were helter-skelter, could not get the puck out of their own end and gave up 13 high-quality shots, while managing just two shots of their own.

In that third period, it was the first time Tim Thomas displayed the Vezina Trophy-candidate goaltending that he showed pretty much all season long — although the two goals he did surrender had a lot of “softness” in them, which just cannot happen.

This series has shown that the first goal scored is the all-important factor. Montreal did it in the first two games, while the Bruins built a three goal-lead before hanging on in Game 3’s aforementioned third period. But they also played inspired hockey in those first two periods. They took advantage of the turnovers that Montreal handed them and made netminder Carey Price look beatable.

We could talk about some of the bad things the Bruins did in that game, such as the “too many men” penalty in the game’s first minute. Or the power play (or lack thereof). But these things have been going on all year and the Bruins have been able to survive them. They managed their way to a 103-point season with scoring efficiency and a darn good penalty kill. They seem to no longer rely on the power play, which is a good thing; it hasn’t produced all season and there is no reason to think that will change now. Just decline the penalties.

Home ice has not meant an advantage for either squad, although if you have ever witnessed a playoff game in the old Montreal Forum or the current Bell Centre, you can see and feel why opponents can feel intimidated playing there. Boston seems not to have that problem, but the crowd can stimulate the Habs when they need to come back — like Monday night — or stymie an opponent when ahead.

Win or lose, the Bruins will be back home Saturday night at the TD Garden. A Boston win Thursday and it’s a best-of-three, anyone’s series and a happy flight from Dorval Airport to Hanscom Field. A loss would put the Bruins in a familiar hole, where history is not on their side!

Thursday Morning: Governor May Become A Witness

Published April 21, 2011

Gov. Deval Patrick may be called to testify in the corruption trial of former Mass. House Speaker Sal DiMasi. DiMasi resigned his seat in January 2009 before he was indicted on conspiracy, extortion and fraud charges.

The state’s most senior judge is backing House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s proposal to overhaul the state Probation Department, over Gov. Patrick’s plan. Roderick Ireland, the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, will appear at a joint press conference with DeLeo today to endorse his plan.

The usually bustling spring home sales is market has started slowly in Massachusetts and many sellers are growing frustrated.

In a bizarre story, Lawrence police say they’ve found no evidence to support a criminal claim by the city’s mayor. Mayor William Lantigua says he was nearly run down by a car with unregistered plates outside city hall last month. The mayor has clashed with police during his tenure.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on Boston’s new bike sharing program, the water main break in the town of Nahant and developments in the DiMasi trial. Radio Boston will dive into the controversy over the legalization of marijuana.

Wednesday Morning: Cape Wind Takes Another Step

Published April 20, 2011

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar gave the OK yesterday to start construction on Cape Wind, the controversial wind farm in Nantucket Sound. Strong backing from state and federal authorities has given the project momentum, despite the objections of some Cape Codders.

The state’s highest court yesterday ruled that the odor of marijuana smoke is not grounds for officers to order someone out of a parked car. The ruling has been assailed by police groups as the stripping of a crime-fighting tool.

It’s Cyber Wednesday at the Herald, with a bevy of Internet related stories. The paper reports on the Springfield TV news anchor who resigned in the wake of a YouTube scandal, the state-funded sex education website Mariatalks.com and a teenage cyber-bullying victim from North Andover.

The man whom many believe will be the next to lead the exiled Tibetan government currently lives in Medford and worked as a research fellow at Harvard Law School. Lobsang Sangay may move to Dharamsala, India after Tuesday’s election results.

The Celtics barely escaped with a win over the Knicks last night, taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on a lawsuit filed by the parents of DJ Henry, an accident at Logan and the UMass football program’s decision to play home games at Gillette Stadium.

Pulitzer Praise For Critic Sebastian Smee

Published April 19, 2011

Sebastian Smee, an art critic for the Boston Globe, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for criticism yesterday.

In announcing the award, the Pulitzer board called Smee’s writing “vivid and exuberant” and praised his ability to bring “great works to life with love and appreciation.” Smee, a relative newcomer to Boston, came to the Globe by way of Sydney, Australia, where he served as the national art critic for The Australian.

Sebastian Smee (AP)

Sebastian Smee (AP)

Smee told WBUR’s All Things Considered yesterday that he was particularly proud of a series he started called “Frame by Frame,” in which he highlights an individual work from a permanent collection in New England.

“The reason I like it, I guess, is since I moved here to New England three years ago I’ve just been so impressed by the quality and the range of the museums,” Smee said. “And not just the big, obvious ones like the MFA and the ICA and Harvard, but so many great, smaller college museums which have wonderful permanent collections.”

In 2010, Smee covered the MFA’s new Art of the Americas wing with the Globe as well as with WBUR’s Radio Boston. We learned about Smee’s love for illustrations in the The New Yorker from his piece on the Norman Rockwell Museum’s William Steig exhibit. Smee even ventured out to western Massachusetts to explore the art scene there. The art critic doesn’t just do art, either. Books sometimes fall into his repertoire.

Boston also features another local Pulitzer-winner. The Pulitzer Prize for music was awarded to “Madame White Snake” by Zhou Long. “Madame White Snake,” Long’s first opera, premiered in Boston at the Cutler Majestic Theater and was produced by the city’s very own Opera Boston.

Tuesday Morning: Authorities Engage On Energy

Published April 19, 2011

The controversial Cape Wind wind farm in Nantucket Sound may take a crucial step forward today. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will unveil a final operation and construction plan for the project today, according to the Associated Press.

In other local energy news, the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday designed to prevent Vermont authorities from shutting the plant down when its license expires next year. The Entergy Corp. filed the suit in the first salvo of what’s expected to be a lengthy legal battle.

Marathon fans in Kenya and Japan had a lot to celebrate yesterday after the 115th running of the historic Boston Marathon. Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai won the men’s race in record time, while countrywoman Caroline Kilel bested the field on the women’s side. Masazumi Soejima and Wakako Tsuchida gave Japan a sweep of the men’s and women’s wheelchair divisions.

If you’re interested in the 26,000-plus entrants who didn’t win, the Herald has a story on the non-elites, including an adorable picture of a couple celebrating after finishing the race and getting engaged.

The Bruins finally got on the board last night after downing the Canadiens 4-2 in Montreal. The team is still down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on the Boston police officer suing the city over a promotion, a pre-trial hearing in Sal DiMasi’s corruption case and the ongoing state budget negotiations.