Federal charges of strong-arming film producers to force them to hire local Teamster drivers. Threats of violence and vandalism to send a message to nonunion production companies. Ties to an incumbent administration that allegedly intervenes on behalf of Local 25.

The current indictment of members of Charlestown-based Teamsters Local 25? Yes, but also echoes of the turn of the century – the most recent one – when there were near-daily reports about Teamsters bullying producers into hiring crews for make-work and no-show jobs that ran production costs into the stratosphere and nearly killed the industry in Massachusetts.

Four members of Teamsters Local 25 were indicted Wednesday on federal extortion charges in connection with intimidating the talent and crew filming Top Chef episodes in the Boston area because the show didn’t use union workers. The indictment nicks Mayor Marty Walsh by saying a “representative from the city of Boston” warned two businesses planning events with the Top Chef crew that the union planned to picket. It harkens back to what a Boston Herald editorial says are the “bad old days.”

Howie Carr throws a spotlight on the connections between the Teamsters and top Democrats but it isn’t necessarily partisan. In the mid- to late-90s, similar allegations surfaced during a federal Department of Labor investigation into Local 25, including whispers that the union was insulated because of the tight relationship between then-president George Cashman and then-Gov. William Weld and his lieutenant governor and successor, Paul Cellucci. Weld, who used to say Cashman amused him, appointed the gruff union official to the Massport board, where his ties were investigated for an allegedly shady deal the Teamsters got from the authority to operate a controversial truck driving school, overseen by current union president Sean O’Brien.

During one raid of a Teamster official’s home in Medford, labor department investigators found envelopes stuffed with cash with the names of movie and television productions handwritten on the outside.

Cellucci, an avid movie-goer, was a major recipient of Teamster largesse, much like Walsh is today. On several trips to Hollywood to woo producers, he brought Cashman along to try to make nice. But back home, things weren’t always so peachy. There were charges that a Teamsters’ driver, a former disgraced MDC cop, wanted to put his snack truck on a South End movie set where a non-Teamster woman was already operating. When the woman refused to relinquish her route, top union officials allegedly sent over another driver to beat her up “to send a message.” But the media got hold of the story and suddenly, the woman retained her place, as well as getting more work, and the charges were dropped.

Back then, the Local 25 movie crew was a rogue’s gallery, including former Middlesex sheriff John McGonigle, seven of the eight men indicted in the 1994 robbery and murders of two armored car guards in New Hampshire, and the notorious Jimmy Flynn, who allegedly was tied into the mob and who was once fingered by James “Whitey” Bulger for a murder that the now-jailed FBI rat committed.

“It’s a crew of Damon Runyon characters,” one Teamster member who was not on the movie crew told the Herald back in 2000.

Cashman eventually pled guilty to conspiracy and extortion charges for putting nonunion members on the Local 25 health plan and served 34 months in prison. O’Brien, who took over after Cashman’s indictment, had been telling anyone who would listen that the Teamsters had changed their habits and were part of the new, welcoming atmosphere for producers in Massachusetts.

But the latest charges do not bode well for the new narrative, nor do they look especially good for Walsh, the former head of the Boston Building Trades. Included in the allegations are that a member of Walsh’s administration made calls to venues hosting nonunion productions to warn them they would be the target of Teamster picketing, which prompted the venues, the Omni Parker House and the Boston restaurant Menton, to sever ties with the production. Walsh initially refused comment and then offered the mildest of rebukes about being “disappointed” if the allegations are true. The Herald says relations between US Attorney Carmen Ortiz and Walsh have been strained.

The allegations may be new but there’s indications that the Teamsters are still partying like it’s 1999.

—JACK SULLIVAN

BEACON HILL

House Speaker Robert DeLeo expects quick action in the next two weeks on a bill revamping the Public Records Law. (Associated Press)

The MetroWest Daily News is cautiously optimistic about Department of Children and Families reforms.

It’s time to play “Guess how many state workers make more than than Gov. Charlie Baker!” brought to you by the Boston Business Journal.

Baker says the state must be aggressive in going after welfare fraud after a Worcester convenience store owner is charged in a multimillion-dollar food stamp fraud case. (Boston Herald)

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

More trouble for Mayor Marty Walsh‘s plans for Grand Prix racing through Boston’s streets, as the CEO of Massport and the Baker administration both pour cold water on the idea of putting any money toward the effort. (Boston Herald)

A Quincy police lieutenant who was the city’s highest earner last year has been placed on leave amid accusations he was “double dipping” by being paid for multiple details he reportedly worked at the same time. (Patriot Ledger)

Pittsfield City Council votes to approve a municipal affirmative action ordinance. (Berkshire Eagle) CommonWealth looked at the controversy over hiring in the city last year.

Chinatown is “ground zero” in Boston’s income-inequality battle. (Bay State Banner)

Corcoran Jennison and a national development partner, SunCal, have been tapped by Boston officials for the planned $1 billion makeover of the Bunker Hill public housing development in Charlestown. (Boston Globe)

CASINOS

In separate lawsuits, Boston and Somerville slam the Baker administration for approving an environmental certificate for the Wynn Resorts casino in Everett. The lawsuits, filed against Wynn, suggest talks between Boston and casino officials have broken down, but Boston Mayor Marty Walsh suggests that’s not the case. (CommonWealth) Globe columnist Joan Vennochi doesn’t get the mayor, who filed his suit a week after a “productive” meeting with top Wynn officials.

The state Gaming Commission has accepted the final application from the developers of the proposed Brockton casino. (The Enterprise)

MGM Springfield blames rising construction costs for its decision to scale back its casino hotel plan. (MassLive) Meanwhile, a candidate for Springfield city council wonders how the change will affect the “wow” factor.

The Globe takes a look at the Thailand-based developer who is behind the push for a ballot question allowing a second slots parlor in the state. He’s also been scoping out land near Suffolk Downs for a would-be gambling operation.

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Current Secretary of State John Kerry has also occasionally used a private email account to send official State Department messages, the Globe reports.

US Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey back legislation to increase the smoking age to 21 nationally. Many communities in Massachusetts have already adopted 21 as the minimum age to buy cigarettes. (WBUR)

A new report says the Secret Service sought to retaliate against US Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican who was leading probes of the agency. (Time)

US Rep. Katherine Clark and Elisabeth Babcock say reauthorization by Congress of funding for a key safety-net program offers an opportunity to improve on strategies for helping people lift themselves out of poverty. (CommonWealth)

Oregon begins selling recreational pot. (The Oregonian)

ELECTIONS

Worcester lawyers will pony up $10,000 to settle charges they illegally sent employees to attend a fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. (Telegram & Gazette)

Telegram & Gazette columnist Dianne Williamson tells the story of Tina Zlody, a recovered drug addict who is running for the Worcester City Council.

Income inequality, which was a big issue in the last round of mayoral elections, doesn’t seem to be a hot topic this year. (Governing)

Twitter unveils a hilarious handbook for politicians looking for advice on how to tweet. (The Verge)

Charity groups say Donald Trump‘s tax plan is a “backdoor tax on giving.” (Chronicle of Philanthropy)

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Acushnet-based equipment maker Titleist, one of golf’s biggest names, is talking to banks about a potential IPO even as interest in the game wanes. (Bloomberg News)

New data from federal officials claims one of the main fishing grounds of cod in New England is in even more dire shape than previously suspected, though fishermen say the problem isn’t the cod stock but rather that the NOAA research boats “can’t catch fish.” (Associated Press)

With Boston waterfront development moving at a torrid pace, employees at the Moakley federal courthouse are getting used to all the neighbors they now have on what was long a mostly barren patch of waterfront land. (Boston Globe)

Tesla, looking to diversify its electric car offerings, now has an all-electric SUV to sell you — for around $100,000. (Boston Herald)

EDUCATION

As the state’s first virtual school grows, so do concerns about its academic performance. (WBUR)

The Boston NAACP sponsors a forum on charter schools. (Bay State Banner)

Parents say an incident being investigated by police in Swampscott doesn’t meet the legal definition of hazing. (Salem News)

The Massachusetts School Building Authority gives approval for a new middle school in Beverly. (Salem News)

George H.W. Bush, at 91, pays a visit to his alma mater, Phillips Academy in Andover. (Eagle-Tribune)

Move over Harvard and MIT: the California Institute of Technology is the number one university in the world, according to a British education publication. (USA Today)

TRANSPORTATION

Brian Lang of the MBTA oversight board tells lawmakers that absenteeism is a major concern at the authority. “For this, our most valuable resource, we find the T is in a state disrepair,” he says. (WBUR)

Massport CEO Thomas Glynn says all the new international flights at Logan require an expansion of Terminal E. (Boston Herald)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

The state Department of Public Utilities has approved a request by four cities — Fall River, New Bedford, Attleboro, and Melrose — to participate in an alternative bidding plan for wholesale electricity that could save the communities and their residents millions of dollars. (Herald News)

It’s true: fish care. (Christian Science Monitor)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

The American Civil Liberties Union is applauding a Supreme Judicial Court decision requiring police to obtain a warrant if they want to review more than six hours of a suspect’s cellphone records. (Lowell Sun)

MEDIA

With the proliferation of ad blockers on the new iPhone, the New York Times takes a look at the top 50 news websites and finds that Boston.com is the biggest drain on data usage, taking nearly 31 seconds to load pages on average because of the large volume of advertising, incuding video. In an accompanying interactive graphic, the Times shows the next closest site takes one-third the time to load with advertising.

Could the Philadelphia Inquirer become part of Temple University? (Billy Penn)

Could NBC cut its affiliation with WHDH (Channel 7) when their contract comes up in 14 months and send its shows instead to NECN? (Boston Globe)

PASSINGS

Former television correspondent Clark Booth has a fond remembrance of Yogi Berra in the Dorchester Reporter.