The Globe’s Shirley Leung has another great piece on development (or lack thereof) in Boston, this time about how neighboring Revere’s side of the old Suffolk Downs is booming while Boston’s side is sitting idle. … The Wu administration can’t blame construction prices in this case. The two sites sit literally next to each other. … Hmmm. Is this the bad side of Wu’s micromanaging, as opposed to the good side of her micromanaging? See post immediately below. … Here is HB’s take on Shirley’s earlier development piece.

Jon Keller at MassterList thinks Mayor Wu was right to overrule the overzealous bureaucrats in the streets department: 

Wu should be praised, not vilified, for doing what elected leaders should (but often do not) do – recognizing a mistake, and taking responsibility for fixing it. “I feel lucky and blessed every day to represent a community that is among the most opinionated and involved in the entire world,” said Wu in a brief interview with MASSterList. “We get the best outcomes when we can hear people’s feedback and incorporate that into what we try to do.” 

Part I is here. I admit: I was initially a vilifier. But I can recognize a mistake too (very grudgingly so).

— And we’re talking about VCs and mutual funds as well, not just banks: “Boston has lost its financial services clout. Santander’s latest move is just another example” (Globe)

— But here’s a local industry that’s doing rather well – for now: “Robotics funding is surging in Mass. But so is the competition” (BBJ)

— Yet more good news: “Vineyard Wind, country’s first large-scale offshore wind project, finishes construction” (WBUR)

— More like freed from bad trade policies: “Red Line train shells freed from US Customs, allowing work to resume” (GBH)

— I can already see the GOP commercials this fall: “Massachusetts Parole Board frees toddler killer, 17 other murderers” (Herald)

— He’s back! “Four and a half months after being laid off, Jon Keller is returning to WBZ-TV’s airwaves” (Dan Kennedy)

— This is the type of idea that infuriates moderates – and loses Dems elections: “Boston City Council floats letting non-citizens vote amid federal immigration crackdown” (Herald)

— Believe it or not, it’s not a totally bad idea: “SEC Prepares Proposal to Eliminate Quarterly Reporting Requirement” (WSJ)

— The young ones definitely rose to the occasion when Jayson was out: “Why Celtics legend loves Joe Mazzulla, believes Jayson Tatum injury helped team” (Herald)

Perhaps inspired by my recent reading of Amir Aczel’s ‘The Jesuit and the Skull,’ I decided to embark on a cultural anthropological quest of my own: in search of true old-fashioned donuts. And, tipped off by friends, I recently found some in Northborough. In the photo above, the plain donut to the left is from Nicky D’s Donuts on Route 20 in Northborough. Notice the cracks and crevices and other non-smooth imperfections. And it’s slightly crunchy to the taste, a texture true donut connoisseurs expect.  Now look at the donut to the right from Dunkin’ – and its perfectly smooth surfaces and perfectly round dimensions. And it’s ridiculously soft and gummy to the taste, as if it’s made from a Ducan Hines cake mix. It’s no contest: Nicky D’s donuts are far, far superior.

Btw: Nicky D’s also has old-fashioned crullers (see below), which Dunkin’ shamelessly dropped from its menu years ago (and before Dunkin’ dropped ‘Donuts’ from its very name, it should be noted).

Update –– An HB reader emails in: “You’ve become a true Influencer!” … Well, I try. First ice cream. Now donuts. What next? Maybe meatball grinders. Good ones are hard to find these days.

They’re hoping people fall for it. I.e. the illusory utility savings in the various energy bills now floating through the Massachusetts State House, as the Globe reports. And part of the illusion is bogus symbolic votes designed to give some lawmakers cover when the ‘environmental advocates’ come after them in primaries.

Sorry, but cutting Mass Save fees just isn’t going to be enough to significantly lower utility bills. Personally, I’ll believe Beacon Hill lawmakers are serious about cutting utility costs when they start addressing our energy supply problem, not conservation fees, and acknowledge that part of the supply solution is procuring lower-priced fossil fuels until new clean-energy sources kick in. 

And they need to openly acknowledge that this transition to clean-energy is going to take a hell of a lot longer than thought.

Reading this WSJ story about President Trump reportedly telling his inner circle that some mass deportations went too far, I started wondering if Massachusetts would ever see a Minnesota-like flood of ICE agents in these parts – or anything close to that anti-immigrant campaign. At this point, it sure doesn’t look like it. … Of course the president is known for changing his mind on a whim. So it may be a case of only a temporary reprieve for Mass. … Maybe after the president finds a way to extricate the U.S. from the mess he made in Iran?

Update – 3.22.26 — Another sign that policy/tactics might be changing. From NYT: “Mullin Explored Bipartisan Deal to Rein in Immigration Crackdown” (NYT)

Even before reading this story (“Iran may be where the US-led world order ends”), whose headline I first noticed at Drudge (of course), the history-buff in me was thinking of the Suez Crisis and how that joint European-Israeli strike in 1956 broke the world-order back of the U.K. and France. Now we have it sort of in reverse: how the current joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is breaking the world-order back of the U.S. … Think about it: not one of our European allies is offering to help the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz. Can you blame them after the way Trump has trashed them? The U.S. didn’t even consult them prior to our Iran strike, just as the U.K. and France didn’t consult the U.S. before their attack on Egypt in 1956.

Image above via Wikipedia (scroll down), where you can watch the 70-year-old newsreel on the Suez Crisis.

Update – More on the president’s unfortunate trash talk: “Trashing American Allies Turns Out to Be Bad for National Security” (Atlantic)

They nailed it. Enjoy.

A friend recently told me how Mayor Michelle Wu personally edits many city press releases before they’re released, confirming what I gleaned from this year-old snippet and from Joe Battenfeld’s complaint last year that she’s become the ‘master of tightly controlled messaging.’ Now this from the Globe: ‘As pressure mounted on transit plans, Wu imposed a new policy: nearly all streets projects must go through her.’ The subhead is the kicker: ‘Advocates and city staff say the majority of Boston’s transit, street safety projects have stalled over past year.’ … What a surprise. … What else is she micromanaging and screwing up? Just asking. …

Looking for some damning quotes/thoughts on micromanagement, I stumbled across this alleged Steve Jobs quote (“Hire great people and let them do their jobs”) but it turns out Jobs himself was a notorious micromanager. … Searching for more apt samples, I discovered other non-damning examples of successful micromanagers, including Martha Stewart and Walt Disney. Then again, the same source says Warren Buffett and Richard Branson are considered classic non-micromanagers. … Anyway, I wasn’t finding what I needed until I found this innocuous career-guide advice piece from Indeed: “14 Examples of what to say to a micromanager.” The first example: ‘Understand their insecurities.’ … Fyi – Not one of Indeed’s suggested sayings has the ring of reality to it. But no matter.

Update — From a Boston reader: “I noticed that everyone quoted in the (Wu) article is from an advocacy group. No one else. No neighborhood groups or business associations, no elected officials. I read the linked article about Blue Hill Avenue, and it was clear that people have legitimate concerns.

“It may be that the people who are in place are tone deaf, or so anti-car that their proposals are generating lots of backlash.”

Update II — 3.16.26 – Another reader also spots the articles’s heavy ‘advocacy’ emphasis and wonders if Wu isn’t a little right (and I’m a little wrong), at least in this particular micromanagement case:

“My first thought reading your post today was… if Jobs, Martha Stewart, Disney were micromanagers… how does that correlate to their statuses as notable business visionaries who created entirely new categories of product/service/’brand’?   I’d guess, a lot.  …

“So my first thought was ‘inside Mayor Wu’s low key cautionary demeanor is a visionary trying to break out.’  Totally consistent with the bike lanes and progressive bona fides… but then I read the Globe article and it completely flipped my perspective.   Not everybody in the city is onboard with speed bumps and bike lanes – I suspect the majority of people who need cars and trucks to do their business in the city of Boston.  Money quote:

‘Wherever possible, we need to be getting things right the first time,’ Wu said. “Our role as a city is not to decide within City Hall what’s right for the neighbors and fight to force people to accept that.’

“This is constrasted in the article with ‘advocates’  (including ‘transit advocates’) who disagree and cite ‘broad community support.’   It also seems more consistent with the Mayor’s low key cautionary demeanor.”

Update III – 3.21.26 – From WBUR: “Wu defends ‘consensus’ approach to street projects following city council pushback.” … Notice the reference again to ‘transit advocates.’