2-6-2014

Page 1

The Daily Free Press

Year xliv. Volume lxxxvi. Issue XII

NICOTINE CVS cigarette ban lets go of vices, embraces virtues, page 3.

[

Thursday, February 6, 2014 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

THIS IS GOSPEL

Panic! at the Disco concert pretty odd, page 5.

]

www.dailyfreepress.com

SARAH SMILES

WEATHER

Today: Sunny/High 27 Tonight: Cloudy/Low 12 Tomorrow: 28/10

Lefort, Terriers ready for northern downpour from UNH, page 8.

Data Courtesy of weather.com

Menino settles into brownstone on Bay State Road Candidates running

for governor of Mass. join in 1st live debate

By Taryn Ottaunick Daily Free Press Staff

After 20 years spent in City Hall Square, former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino settled into his new quarters Monday at 75 Bay State Road on the Boston University campus. Menino has transitioned from mayor of a major city to co-director of BU’s Initiative on Cities, an extended project that will explore the successes of major cities in order to lend resources and insight to struggling cities across the world. “So many people here [at BU] have this knowledge of urban issues and what’s going on in the world,” he said. “... I want to harness that and use it to help other mayors from around this world to run better cities. We all know that cities are going to be the center of all activity. It’s not going to be the federal government. Cities are going to drive a lot of the activity in the world today.” Although Menino received offers from numerous other Boston institutions of higher education, including Harvard University, Northeastern University and Suffolk University, Menino said he chose BU for its global presence and diverse intellectual prowess. “BU has a wealth of talent as well as institutional knowledge,” Menino said. “... I talked to some of the folks and got enthused because of their knowledge. They’re willing to work together. The question you have in all higher education is working together, bring-

By Alice Bazerghi Daily Free Press Staff

ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino discussed his plans for the semester at Boston University Tuesday morning, which includes weekly office hours open to students and a panel concerning April’s marathon.

ing all this knowledge in one place and forging a protocol to move forward.” Partnering with Menino on the Initiative on Cities is Graham Wilson, the chair of BU’s political science department, who will unite his skills as an academic with the skills Menino gathered as mayor, he said.

“Boston has got a great story to tell,” Wilson said. “The work Menino has done with the seaport district, the way that Boston has come out of the recession relatively unscathed is a testament to his leadership and

Menino, see page 2

Mayor Walsh joins coalition of mayors for gun reform By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff

After Boston saw eight gun-related homicides in January, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced Tuesday that he will be joining Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national coalition founded in 2006 by former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. With more than 1.5 million grass root supporters, the group of mayors fights for stricter gun laws across the nation and work to protect communities by keeping guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous people. “As mayor of Boston, I am committed to bringing an end to senseless gun violence in our neighborhoods,” Walsh said in a Tuesday release. “Already this year, Boston Police have taken more than 40 illegal handguns off our streets; we can do better to stop them

from getting there in the first place. I’m proud to join mayors across the country to push a national agenda for common sense reforms.” Jake Sullivan, federal relations liaison for the City of Boston, has worked with both Menino and Walsh in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition. He said Walsh is one of many mayors who have joined the group after their predecessors left office. “Mayor Walsh sees incredible value in working with his fellow mayors from across the country to really target the flow of illegal guns into our neighborhoods,” he said. “He knows that this is an issue you can’t solve Massachusetts alone. We need to work on a national level, as well as a local level, to stop the flow of crime guns and illegal guns into our cities. So he’s taken that head on, and he’s really looking forward to working

Liquor tax proposed to fund substance recovery programs for Boston residents By Kelsey Newell Daily Free Press Staff

In hopes of changing the longstanding exemption of alcohol tax in Massachusetts, a 6.25 percent liquor tax on unopened containers for off-premise consumption was proposed by City Council President Bill Linehan on Wednesday to fund substance abuse programs around Boston. Although Linehan is pushing this home rule petition forward, it still needs to be approved by the City Council, Mayor Martin Walsh and the statehouse for implementation. A similar tax was previously instituted statewide, but was repealed through a ballot question in 2010. However, this new tax will be a local sales tax limited to the city of Boston and all the revenue will go toward substance abuse recovery programs. “The neighborhoods in the City of Boston are experiencing the adverse effects of substance abuse and addictions which lead to an increase in crime; and, substance abuse prevention and treatment programs are important services that provide assistance to those individu-

als suffering from addiction,” Linehan said in the petition. After the prior liquor tax was repealed in 2010, substance abuse recovery programs suffered from losing their main source of funding. At the same time, demand for such programs actually increased, so these programs did not properly provide for those in need of substance abuse recovery. With that in mind, Linehan started searching for another way to fund these programs. City Councilor Michelle Wu, who presented the petition to the City Council, said she is supportive of finding another way to fund these essential programs. “Overall it’s important for Boston to recognize that substance abuse is an issue that needs attention in every neighborhood of the city, and I think it’s important for the city to explore ways to diversify our revenue and find funding streams for programs and services for our residents,” she said.

Liquor Tax, see page 2

with his fellow mayors on this issue and to save lives.” On Dec. 19, commemorating the oneyear anniversary of the Newtown Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, Mayors Against Illegal Guns joined forces with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a group that fights for gun reforms to make their communities safer. Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, said Menino’s legacy has brought success to the gun reform lobby for years. “Menino was — and is — a hero in this movement because he is a courageous elected official who said that regardless of what the arguments are against gun reform, I know what’s right for my constituents and America,” she said. “When you marry the

The five Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls came together in the Globe Lab Wednesday for the first of many debates leading up to the election this November. Mass. Attorney Gen. Martha Coakley, Mass. Treasurer Steven Grossman, biotech executive Joseph Avellone, former Boston Globe columnist and federal homeland security official Juliette Kayyem and former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Donald Berwick spoke about transportation, education and job creation in the Commonwealth. Travis Shofner, spokesman for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, said he is very excited about the pool of candidates his party has cultivated in this race and he is looking forward to continuing the discussion on who has the best ideas to lead in Massachusetts. “Once again, the Democratic candidates for Governor shared their ideas and values with the voters of Massachusetts,” he said in a Wednesday statement. “Discussing transportation, education, creating jobs and moving the economy forward, health care coverage for all, and making Massachusetts an even better place to live and work are key to our values and that is why voters continue to elect Democrat leaders statewide and to the legislature.” Although the candidates tried to distinguish themselves from one another in this first debate, they agreed on most topics presented by the moderator, including education and transportation. In light of the United States prosecutors announcing on Jan. 30 that they would seek the death penalty against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the candidates all said they oppose the decision and are strongly against the death penalty, no matter the circumstance. “The death penalty has no place in our jurisprudence,” Berwick said. A few in the race were missing from the debate, including Charles Baker, the only Republican candidate, and businessman Jeffrey McCormick, an independent who

Walsh, see page 2

Debate, see page 2

Snow Bunnies

MAYA DEVEREAUXDAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

During Wednesday’s snowstorm, College of Arts and Sciences sophomores Justina Chen (left) and Yuxi Chang build a rabbit made of snow on Bay State Road.


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