Most people who followed the day-to-day coverage of the trial of state Rep. Carlos Henriquez were confused. Katherine Gonsalves, the college student who accused Henriquez of hitting her when she refused to have sex, told a story that was often inconsistent. Henriquez never took the stand to offer his version of what happened. The jury kept coming back to Judge Michele Hogan with questions, prompting her to say at one point that the jury members seemed frustrated.
Boston Globe columnist Farah Stockman sorts through the evidence — the fake, pink fingernail and the used condom wrapper found in the backseat of Henriquez’s rented Zipcar, the sometimes racy emails of yearning between the 35-year-old Henriquez and the 23-year-old Gonsalves, and the visit of a drunk and seemingly apologetic Gonsalves to Henriquez’s home the night before the first pre-trial hearing.
“I heard the evidence at the trial and I’m still not sure exactly what happened in the car that night,” Stockman writes. But she concludes that “Carlos Henriquez is clearly guilty: if not of assault, then of really poor judgment.”
Judge Hogan didn’t appear to be confused. Once Henriquez was found guilty on two counts of assault and battery and acquitted on three other charges, Hogan sentenced the Dorchester Democrat to six months in jail, an unusually harsh sentence, according to the Globe. “I’m very concerned that you’re not remorseful,” Hogan told Henriquez.
Another group that’s not confused is the state’s Democratic political establishment. Even though Henriquez is considering an appeal, Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are clamoring for the lawmaker to resign. If Henriquez refuses, DeLeo and his House colleagues are threatening to kick him out of the House.
–BRUCE MOHL
BEACON HILL
Sen. Therese Murray tells her Democratic colleagues that she won’t be stepping down early this year and turning the reins over to Senate Majority Leader Stan Rosenberg, CommonWealth reports.
The state Ethics Commission revises the conflict of interest regulations to allow officials with businesses to have contracts with the state and cities and towns, CommonWealth reports.
Rep. John Keenan gives up his legislative quest to block legal challenges to the proposed natural gas-fired power plant in Salem and leaves the matter to the Supreme Judicial Court, CommonWealth reports.
The state GOP is calling for an overhaul in the process for issuing medical marijuana licenses, saying the state public health commissioner has too many ties with several former politicians connected to proposed dispensaries.
The Senate adds same-day voter registration to the early voting bill, State House News reports.
At a school in Revere, Gov. Deval Patrick signs an executive order creating a task force to propose ways to improve school safety, the Item reports.
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
The state granted approval for Fall River to establish a housing development zone, which gives incentives to developers in Gateway Cities to rehab multi-unit housing at market rates.
Mayor Marty Walsh promises a new “era of transparency” for development in Boston. Walsh won’t balance the budget with Boston’s $200 million in cash reserves.
The Service Employees International Union looks to be courting some of the 9 percent of Boston municipal employees who are not union members.
NATIONAL POLITICS/WASHINGTON
Back to the minors: The Brookings Institution has set up “Congressional Moneyball” site that uses “baseball-inspired statistics” to try to evaluate the productivity of members of Congress. Slate’s David Weigel isn’t wowed, and Robert Sullivan, writing in America, says the effort swings and misses wildly.
House Speaker John Boehner said Congress will not take up flood insurance reform this session but Rep. Stephen Lynch says he’s hopeful lawmakers will find some bipartisan solution to bail out coastal homeowners.
US Sen. Tom Coburn, the Republican from Oklahoma, is stepping down, Time reports.
The sisterhood that is getting things done in Congress is the subject of a Washington Post analysis.
House Republicans put their shoulders back into immigration reform.
ELECTIONS
In a cordial early campaign event, the five Democrats running for governor appear together for the first time at a forum in Lexington.
Scot Lehigh lays out a sensible agenda for reform of the state’s election calendar, convention rules, and campaign donation limits.
Howie Carr dreams of Chuck Turner running for the Legislature.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie heads to Florida on a fundraising trip to gauge just how damaged his presidential hopes are.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Nonprofit officials are confident charitable deductions will be safe for 2014 with Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, an avowed supporter of the tax write-offs, slated to take over as chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
The Christian Science Monitor profiles Ashley Stanley, head of Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a Boston nonprofit that steers unused food that would otherwise get thrown out to people in need.
EDUCATION
More than 100 college and university heads pledged to increase affordability for low-income students during a White House summit called by President Obama to bring down education costs and ease student debt.
HEALTH CARE
Partners Healthcare and South Shore Hospital are defending their merger proposal, saying a state commission report criticizing the plan is based on “flawed reasoning” and contains “inexplicable omissions.”
In his Boston.com blog on health care, John McDonough calls Michael Jonas’s feature in the new issue of CommonWealtha look at “two of the nation’s most exciting health care innovators.”
Calls grow for more urgent for the state to fix its broken health insurance connector website.
The US Surgeon General warns that the federal government may not reach its goal of reducing the percentage of the adult population that smokes to 12 percent by 2020, the Associated Press reports.
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
The Marblehead Board of Health has proposed banning plastic shopping bags and styrofoam cups, the Salem News reports.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
As part of a robbery reduction initiative in Lawrence, Mayor Daniel Rivera plans to go door to door this weekend talking to residents and offering advice on how to avoid being held up, the Eagle-Tribune reports.
Dorchester Drug Court gets a visit from Marty Walsh, who shares his anything-is-possible story of recovery from addiction.
MEDIA
Haverhill Matters, a proposed news cooperative, is hoping to launch this year, Dan Kennedy writes for the Nieman Journalism Lab.
Ken Doctor, writing for the Nieman Lab, reports on the sale of Forbes using confidential internal documents the magazine is giving prospective buyers.
