Round two

Also: Much ado about voter fraud claims; what to know about Question 3 [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 20, 2022 🌞 Sunny, with a high near 57. Good Morning Boston, We like to think WBUR is as good at reporting local news as [this guy is at identifying the location of highway telephone poles](. But it only takes him under a second; reading this newsletter might take you a little longer, so let's get to it: - Maura Healey and Geoff Diehl will meet again tonight for their second and final scheduled debate in the race to be Massachusetts' next governor. The 8 p.m. debate — hosted by The Boston Globe, WCVB and your very own WBUR — will be televised on WCVB. You'll also be able to [listen live on WBUR]( and we'll have a livestream on [wbur.org](. - The big question: Can Diehl do anything to make it a competitive race, especially as [a Donald Trump-aligned candidate]( in a state where Trump is deeply unpopular? Earlier this week, [a Boston Globe poll]( showed Healey with 56% support and Diehl with 33% support. - ICYMI: WBUR's Anthony Brooks has [a full recap of the first debate]( between Healey and Diehl last week, which saw a heavy national focus from both candidates. - Expect more of the same tonight. Diehl's campaign says the GOP former lawmaker will continue to link Healey to what they call "Biden-like policies." Meanwhile, the Democratic attorney general is expected to continue to link Diehl to "Trump-ism" and conservative policies that are out of step with most local voters. - Meanwhile, as Gov. Charlie Baker prepares to leave office this January, he's working to further leave his mark with the time he has left leading the state — especially when it comes to the courts. State House News Service [reports]( there are at least another eight judicial vacancies that the Republican could fill in the coming months. The seats include two lifetime clerk magistrate appointments, as well as replacing two Superior Court judges and two Appeals Court judges. - Zoom out: Baker has picked all seven Supreme Judicial Court justices during his two terms. According to State House News Service, the remaining vacancies are a light lift compared to the steady stream of nominees he's already pushed through this year. - Zoom in: The Governor's Council also quickly approved [four pardons]( Wednesday that Baker had issued to men with decades-old criminal convictions. He said they show commitment to their communities and rehabilitation. - The Haverhill teachers strike is stretching into its fourth day today — meaning another day of no school for the city's 7,700 students. WBUR's Max Larkin reports that the teachers union and school committee again came close to reaching a new contract agreement yesterday, but hit a stalemate over school safety issues. The local union and the Massachusetts Teachers Association both face court-ordered $50,000 fines for the strike going into today. - The good news is that the two sides have tentatively agreed to the union's financial proposal, which school officials say put teacher salaries "on par" with similar districts. - Check out [this visual chart]( showing how Haverhill's salaries compare with other school districts across the state — and they loosely correlate with teacher retention. - We're going to have to wait a little longer for the new Washington Street bridge linking Boston's North End and Charlestown. The Boston Herald [reports]( that the replacement of the 124-year-old bridge won't open to cars until the end of 2023 — and won't fully reopen until 2024. It was originally slated to be back this coming spring. - Officials say they have good reason for the delay. Inspectors found cracks in the welding job done by contractors, "a serious issue for bridges like this." It will take a year (and a lot of money) to fix. - Up next: MIT is planning to announce its new president this morning, replacing the institution's current leader, L. Rafael Reif, who is [stepping down at the end of the year](. Head to [wbur.org]( later for the announcement. P.S.— Massachusetts has an official state bird, state flower — even [a state muffin](. And now, at long last, we have an official state dinosaur. After a social media campaign and vote, Baker signed a bill yesterday making the podokesaurus holyokensis — a "swift-footed lizard" that used to roam prehistoric Massachusetts — the state dinosaur. It may be the [smallest state dino in the country]( but Baker says it was "a tough, spunky underdog from Holyoke." Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Local officials reject concerns about voter fraud as they prepare for the election]( Republicans across the country have raised concerns about voter fraud over the past two years, including in Massachusetts. But the people who actually run the elections in communities across the state insist the elections are secure. [Read more.]( [Local officials reject concerns about voter fraud as they prepare for the election]( Republicans across the country have raised concerns about voter fraud over the past two years, including in Massachusetts. But the people who actually run the elections in communities across the state insist the elections are secure. [Read more.]( [What to know about Question 3, which could expand beer and wine licenses in Mass.]( Question 3 asks voters if the state should let companies own more alcohol licenses, particularly licenses to sell beer and wine. The measure additionally would let customers present out-of-state licenses as proof of age for alcohol purchases. It also would prevent them from buying alcohol in self-checkout lines. [Read more.]( [What to know about Question 3, which could expand beer and wine licenses in Mass.]( Question 3 asks voters if the state should let companies own more alcohol licenses, particularly licenses to sell beer and wine. The measure additionally would let customers present out-of-state licenses as proof of age for alcohol purchases. It also would prevent them from buying alcohol in self-checkout lines. [Read more.]( [Attorney General Healey still chasing $16 million for masks that never came]( USiDG is one of scores of opportunists that jumped into the frenzied medical mask and supply business in the early days of COVID, when states were scramblingto acquire protective gear for frontline workers. [Read more.]( [Attorney General Healey still chasing $16 million for masks that never came]( USiDG is one of scores of opportunists that jumped into the frenzied medical mask and supply business in the early days of COVID, when states were scramblingto acquire protective gear for frontline workers. [Read more.]( [Public defenders seek to dismiss cases involving disgraced Woburn police officer]( Massachusetts public defenders said Wednesday that every criminal court case should be dismissed involvinga Woburn police officer accused of helping plan a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia five years ago. [Read more.]( [Public defenders seek to dismiss cases involving disgraced Woburn police officer]( Massachusetts public defenders said Wednesday that every criminal court case should be dismissed involvinga Woburn police officer accused of helping plan a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia five years ago. [Read more.]( [How a nonprofit moved 150 people from 'Mass. and Cass' into permanent housing, and is helping them stay there]( Eliot Community Human Services was tapped by the city to lead efforts to house people from the tent encampment near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. [Read more.]( [How a nonprofit moved 150 people from 'Mass. and Cass' into permanent housing, and is helping them stay there]( Eliot Community Human Services was tapped by the city to lead efforts to house people from the tent encampment near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Here are [five things to do this weekend from WBUR's arts and culture team]( including a new rendition of the Headless Horseman and a dance and movement workshop on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. - Rep. Ayanna Pressley sat down with Radio Boston to talk about everything from student loan forgiveness to marijuana policy. (She's touring Massachusetts this week with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to promote the former.) [Give the interview a listen here.]( - Anna May Wong will [become the first Asian American to be on U.S. currency](. The silent film-era actress will be on 300 million quarters as part of a U.S. Mint initiative celebrating five female trailblazers in American history each year between this year and 2025. - What happens when you apply the Marie Kondo philosophy to teaching? Arlington middle school teacher Abbi Holt [writes in this commentary]( about the lessons she learned after reassessing which methods and assignment were actually helping students.  What We're Reading 📚 - Along the US-Canada border, the pandemic leaves a deeper divide ([The Boston Globe]( - Half the World Has a Clitoris. Why Don’t Doctors Study It? ([The New York Times]( - This Is Not Justice ([The Atlantic](  Tell Me Something Good [Hampden teacher who sold cakes at end of her driveway during pandemic opens bakery (MassLive)]( As a hobby, one Hampden teacher sold cookies, cakes and more at the end of her driveway. But after a few months, the city shut her down. Now, she is back open and selling baked goods again. [Read more.]( [Hampden teacher who sold cakes at end of her driveway during pandemic opens bakery (MassLive)]( As a hobby, one Hampden teacher sold cookies, cakes and more at the end of her driveway. But after a few months, the city shut her down. Now, she is back open and selling baked goods again. [Read more.]( Before you go: When your endorsements are strong, but he breaks into song, [that's Amore](. WBUR's Meagan McGinnes helped produce today's newsletter. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.