Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR’s daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Today marks 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks. WBUR’s Andrea Shea reports that ceremonies honoring the 2,977 victims are planned today at the State House and beyond. A moment of silence will be held at 8:46 a.m., the time the first hijacked plane out of Logan Airport hit the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Logan will also rededicate its 9/11 memorial and Fenway Park will host a blood drive.
At dusk, dozens of landmarks across Boston will be illuminated in light blue as part of the Tribute in Light organized by New York City’s 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Organizers are also planning to shine two vertical light beams from the summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington starting at 8 p.m. — which may be visible from as far away as Boston.
Meanwhile, our colleagues across WBUR have been collecting reflections from local residents on that day 25 years ago, including from a Gloucester fire captain who was at Ground Zero. For our Cognoscenti section, former On Point executive producer Karen Shiffman wrote about launching the show in the aftermath of the attacks and New York Times obituarist Sam Roberts explained how the paper’s pioneering “Portraits of Grief” series taught us there are “no ordinary lives.”
NPR has more national coverage of the anniversary here.
In local news:
The Minogue manifesto: After facing criticism for lacking specifics in the primary, Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue unveiled his general election pitch yesterday to Massachusetts voters. And not unlike Gov. Maura Healey, the former medical device company CEO is centering affordability in his campaign (particularly energy affordability).
- What’s in it? His “blueprint for a better future” includes more third-party audits aimed at slashing government spending, cutting taxes and energy utility fees, “a gas tax holiday” whenever prices are over $4 a gallon and investing in natural gas pipelines and newer nuclear energy options. Minogue’s platform also includes repealing the state’s legal commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and eliminating the enforcement of the MBTA Communities Act so that towns have more power “to maintain the function and culture of their communities.” And to encourage housing growth, Minogue said he would create financial incentives for cities and towns to ditch “stretch codes” with higher energy efficiency standards and reduce the permitting time for single-family homes.
- Healey’s thoughts? In a statement, Healey’s campaign knocked Minogue’s blueprint for not addressing the impact of President Trump’s policies — such as tariffs and the war in Iran — on rising costs. “Any blueprint Mike Minogue puts forward has to include an explanation for why he thinks Donald Trump is good for Massachusetts,” Healey said. “He won’t call on Trump to end his war that is raising people’s gas and grocery bills … you cannot stand with Donald Trump and be Governor of Massachusetts.”
- Reality check: Many of Minogue’s objectives would likely face roadblocks from the State House’s veto-proof Democratic majority — and some are things the state is already doing. State House News Service has a closer look here.
Campaign counter-programming: Healey, meanwhile, got some backup yesterday from a quartet of groups that aren’t always rallying behind Democrats: police unions. The Massachusetts State Police Commissioned Officers Association, State Police Association of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Coalition of Police and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association all endorsed the incumbent governor at an event in Dorchester.
- Why? In an interview with WBUR’s Amy Sokolow, BPPA President Larry Calderone said his union has had “ a great professional working relationship” with Healey dating back to when she first ran for attorney general in 2014. He specifically mentioned Healey’s recent signing of a Blue Star commemorative license plate law and her regular presence at memorials for officers killed in the line of duty. “Every time that we’ve had an issue or a problem that we have to go to her for — whether it’s members that are retiring for disability […] or clearing the road for benefits to be received — she has been accessible,” Calderone said.
Down ballot: State Sen. William Brownsberger has officially eked out a win over Dan Lander, a challenger backed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Officials finished a recount of last week’s Democratic primary, which showed Brownsberger beating Lander by 35 votes out of the more than 24,000 cast. (All in all, the recount added a single vote to Brownsberger’s original win margin.)
- What’s next: Brownsberger is now a virtual lock to win an eighth term representing the district covering Belmont, Watertown, and western parts of Cambridge and Boston. But as WBUR’s Gin Dumcius reports, Wu thinks the close race sent Beacon Hill a message.
Heads up: Insurance costs for Massachusetts residents who get their health care coverage on the state’s Health Connector are set to spike (again) in 2027. State officials said yesterday that premiums will rise about 10% in the new year for the hundreds of thousands of people who buy coverage on the exchange. The primary reason? Increasing costs of prescription drugs and other healthcare services.
P.S.— Which local university chancellor recently announced plans to step down this coming winter? Take our Boston News Quiz and see how well you know the stories we covered this week compared to other WBUR readers.
