Guns, gangs, and toddlers
By 
There is often very little daylight between victims and victimizers in the mayhem caused by gang-fueled gun violence. Sometimes that is the case figuratively, with today’s target of a gang shooting becoming tomorrow’s gun-wielding retaliatory marksman. But it can also be true in a literal sense, as Saturday’s shooting of a Roxbury 2-year-old lays bare.
It happened just before 4 pm on Winslow Street. The little girl — whose gang-involved father is believed to have been the intended target — is recovering after sustaining wounds to her hand and leg. Her grandmother, Brenda Peoples, hopes any psychic wounds also heal quickly. “Hopefully, at the end, as she grows it doesn’t traumatize her,” Peoples told the Globe.
Today’s coverage in Boston’s two daily papers underscores the thin line separating those perpetrating gun violence and those victimized by it. The Globe story focuses on Peoples, her concern for her granddaughter, and her revulsion at the gun violence that is too common in her neighborhood.
Peoples, who is an MBTA bus driver, told the Globe she believes in the T’s motto about public safety incidents: If you see something, say something. “People should be willing to speak up and say whatever they saw,” she said.
The Herald story focuses on the fact that the little girl’s father was the intended target of the shooting, that he is a known gang member, and that he is doing nothing to help police get the bottom of the daylight shooting that could have killed his daughter. (The Globe story does not report whether he is Peoples’ son.)
“That’s a coward right there, Mayor Marty Walsh said of the father. “It was a gang-involved shooting, and they clearly were going after this young girl’s father and he’s clearly not talking to the police about it. I just can’t fathom that.”
— MICHAEL JONAS
BEACON HILL
Hillary Chabot argues that a few (indirect) reelection storm clouds emerged over Gov. Charlie Baker while he was vacationing in Ireland, citing the fact that he might have to share the 2018 ballot with a referendum question calling for a repeal of the transgender rights bill he quietly signed and with anything-but-quiet fellow Republican Curt Schilling, who is making noises about taking on Elizabeth Warren, who has dialed up her own criticism of Baker in recent days. (Boston Herald)
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch is proposing loosening zoning regulations at three of the city’s four MBTA Red Line stations in an effort to attract more mixed-use development similar to what’s happening downtown. (Patriot Ledger)
WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Jeffrey Sachs reports on the political tradeoffs in the debate on international trade. (Boston Globe)
Maine Gov. Paul LePage says advocates for raising the minimum wage should be jailed for pushing a policy that would raises the prices of some goods beyond what seniors can pay. LePage said the advocates are guilty of “attempted murder.” (Governing)
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
A new Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll has Hillary Clinton up by five points over Donald Trump, with the Republican nominee even bleeding support from independent voters and men, two groups he’s been strong with. (Boston Herald)
Big money donors may be publicly showing their disapproval of Trump (New York Times) but the money trail reveals they are quietly supporting him. (U.S. News & World Report) Donors in Massachusetts heavily favor Clinton; surprisingly Libertarians Gary Johnson and William Weld haven’t raised much in the Bay State. (Gloucester Times)
Would a President Trump work hard to make sure Massachusetts is not great? (Boston Globe)
The latest batch of leaked emails from the Clinton campaign includes a transcript of a speech by Hillary Clinton in which she tells a Goldman Sachs gathering she would have no problem with covert actions in countries such as Syria as long as they stay secret. (New York Times)
Even as Trump and his surrogates continue the drumbeat of a “rigged election,” top Republicans including Trump’s running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, say they have confidence in the voting system and will accept whatever the results say. (New York Times)
Clinton is holding a lot fewer public campaign appearances than Trump, and the lower-profile approach seems to be working well for her. (Boston Globe)
Check out Saturday Night Live’s take on the second debate. (Time)
James Aloisi offers the third installment of his five-part series on presidential elections, with this essay focusing on foreign policy. (CommonWealth)
OTHER ELECTIONS
The state’s Democrats, including Attorney General Maura Healey, rally around Moses Dixon, who was involved in a 2012 domestic assault case. Dixon is running against Republican incumbent Kate Campanale of Leicester. Dixon’s case was dismissed and the woman involved now says she supports his campaign. (Telegram & Gazette) T&G columnist Clive McFarlane slams Republicans calling for Dixon’s head, noting many of them are backers of Donald Trump.
What will happen to all the money from marijuana sales if the referendum passes since many banks are prohibited by federal law from handling drug money? (Herald News)
The Globe backs Question 3, which would mandate better treatment of egg-laying hens and other farm animals.
A Boston Herald editorial decries the idea raised by some black activists of a return to an elected school committee in Boston.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge is looking to expand. (Berkshire Eagle)
Churchgoers have given bigger donations but smaller portions of their income over time. (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Employees of the Shrewsbury post office have taken a vote of no confidence in their postmaster, saying he’s fostered an atmosphere of harassment and bullying. (MetroWest Daily News)
EDUCATION
A plan to build a new Josiah Quincy Upper School on the property where the McKinley South End Academy is located demonstrates the difficulty of rationalizing facilities owned by the Boston Public Schools. (WBUR)
The national NAACP board ratified a resolution passed by the organization’s annual convention in July opposing the expansion of charter schools. (Huffington Post)
HEALTH/HEALTH CARE
John E. McDonough examines Gov. Charlie Baker’s big health care move. (CommonWealth)
The number of diagnosed concussions among young athletes has risen faster in Massachusetts since 2010 than any other state, partly because of increased awareness among medical officials to look for the injuries. (Wicked Local)
A deadly synthetic opioid that is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine is making its way through the Midwest and could show up in New England soon. (Boston Globe)
TRANSPORTATION
The MBTA waived nearly half of the $1.7 million in fines levied against commuter rail operator Keolis for service problems during the winter of 2015, a revelation that seems to fly in the face of Gov. Charlie Baker’s avowals to hold the company fully responsible for its performance. (Boston Globe)
The 160-year-old Gay Head Light on Martha’s Vineyard, which was moved 135 feet inland to protect it from crumbling cliffs, will require at least $1.3 million to repair. (Cape Cod Times)
Inspections by the US Army Corps of Engineers found no damage on the Bourne and Sagamore bridges after a cruise ship scraped a railroad span in Bourne as it passed through the Cape Cod Canal. (Cape Cod Times)
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
The MIT nuclear fusion reactor attains a milestone on its last day of operation before being shut down. The reactor was the focus of a CommonWealth report by Edward M. Murphy in the summer print issue.
Westport selectmen signed agreements with the developers of three solar projects for payments-in-lieu-of-taxes but some officials wonder if it’s a deal too good to be true. (Herald News)
CASINOS
Eugene McCain, the front man for a ballot question that would add a slots parlor in Revere, talks a bit about his past but offers no insight on his financial backers. (Boston Globe)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS
A third ally of former Lawrence mayor William Lantigua goes on trial this week.The tally so far? One ally was convicted, the other wasn’t. (Eagle-Tribune)
Twelve Springfield police officers are under investigation for beating a group of men in 2015. (MassLive)