GBH Daily: Markey v. Moulton: the debate
☀️Sunny and hot, with highs in the 80s. Sunset is at 8 p.m. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton, the two Democratic candidates for Senate, and things got contentious. They talked about the war in Iran, President Donald Trump, housing and energy costs, and term limits. You can watch the full hour-long debate for yourself here or read a recap from GBH’s Amanda Keane here. The primary is Sept. 1, and the winner will face Republican John Deaton in November. Now let’s get to more news. Four Things to Know 1. Wheelchair users who advocated for a bill to regulate wheelchair repairs — which can take months to get, especially as private equity companies have bought up repair businesses — said they’re disappointed that Massachusetts lawmakers failed to get the bill to pass in their formal session. Advocates are hoping the bill might still pass in an informal session before the end of this year. “As a wheelchair user, that is heartbreaking,” said Destiny Maxam, a community organizer at the Disability Policy Consortium. “I’m so done waiting and the struggle to know that there’s a solution within arm’s reach, but I can’t grab it myself, is so frustrating. Every day that the legislature and every day that the industry delays, is another day that we’re stuck.” 2. Brown University’s president since 2012, Christina Paxson, will leave her job next summer. She said it’s time for her to move on, even though her contract extends through 2028. By the time she leaves, she will have served 15 years — the longest stint of any current Ivy League president. “A transition in leadership now will ensure the vision for the next phase is set by Brown’s next leader and stewarded by them from the beginning,” she wrote. 3. Lawmakers have passed a bill giving state officials permission to take over the site of Norwood Hospital by eminent domain if its owner doesn’t find a suitable buyer within 90 days. That hospital has been closed since the building flooded in June of 2020. Its former owner, Steward Health Care, went bankrupt before completing the repairs. The land’s current owner is a real estate company called Medical Properties Trust, based in Alabama. “To Medical Properties Trust, we say to you get out, get out of Massachusetts,” Rep. John Rogers of Norwood. “We don’t want you here anymore — not sure we ever did. The men and women of the House of Representatives here in Massachusetts voted to chase you out. But we’re going to give you three months, three months. Cut a deal with a qualified nonprofit hospital operator that we’ll accept.” 4. The nonprofit Boston Area Gleaners is building a new refrigerated warehouse in Acton, which will let them store more fresh produce from local farms on its way to consumers. They’re using an almost $1 million grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture to fund the project. Boston Area Gleaners Executive Director Usha Thakrar said she expects the new warehouse will allow them to triple the volume of food they can buy and sell. Baking in jail builds connection CAI’s Kurt Achin visited the Barnstable County Correctional Facility and, behind a series of locked doors, found a working commercial kitchen in which the people incarcerated at the Bourne jail are learning how to bake. “At first, you get frustrated and then you’re like, ‘All right, we don’t want to do this anymore,’” said Amy Douglass, one of the incarcerated women in the program. “It’s frustrating at first, but you’ll get better.” The goal is to teach people a skill they might be able to use once their sentence ends. The jail houses people who were convicted of misdemeanors, meaning the longest sentences for people incarcerated there are 2 ½ years. “We’re in the business of helping people stay out of jail,” Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley told Achin. “Every aspect of this organization, everyone is focused on: how do we make sure we have no repeat customers?” Most of the food they bake ends up outside the jail walls, at local food pantries or at the nonprofit Belonging to Each Other, which helps people who are homeless. And the bakers can sometimes bring chocolate chip cookies back into their units. Douglass said they’re the best cookies she’s ever had. They also shared their recipe for chocolate chip cookies, which they make in large quantities — 54 cups of flour and 48 eggs for a double batch. Dig deeper: