Ten years ago this month, news media descended upon the small town of Danville, New Hampshire, population 3500, in the southeastern portion of the state midway between Manchester and the seacoast. They came to cover the search for a mysterious giant monkey that had been spotted prowling the forests and stealing food from terrified residents.

In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I check into the growing buzz about Elizabeth Warren jumping into the race for US Senate. I report that Democratic activists in the state are not yet sold on the idea; they also have not been getting calls from her, as they would expect from someone already in the public-buzz phase.

Boston city councilor Ayanna Pressley has a big fundraiser tomorrow, timed to coincide with the Urban League conference in Boston, and she already had some pretty good local names scheduled to appear including Mayor Tom Menino and Sheriff Andrea Cabral.

But they ain't nothin' compared to Jesse Jackson.

I have learned that Jackson is confirmed to appear and speak at 5:30 at the fundraiser, after a conference panel he is on.

I've been meaning to follow up on my political-science-wonk brother's post last week at Greg Sargent's Plum Line, and this seems like a good time; if you stick with me, I will get around to an explanation of what was going on with John Boehner's speech last night, and where I think things are at with the DC debt crisis. So bear with me.

James Coyne King has not received much attention in the Massachusetts Democratic primary for US Senate, to take on Scott Brown in 2012, and perhaps rightly so -- "served in the Carter administration" is not a compelling top-line qualification these days. But I have learned something that may be worth taking note of: Chris Keohan has agreed to join the campaign.

I thought Obama's speech tonight on the debt negotiations was so-so at best. I thought John Boehner's response -- while chock-full of cock-and-bull nonsense -- was quite good. Regardless, I thought the main effect an average American might have from watching both is that there's not going to be an agreement on anything anytime soon, and we're all doomed.

This is the first non-election year in which Massachusetts state legislators must report campaign finances in mid-year, under new reporting rules passed in 2009. That still keeps the contributions and expenditures hidden during the budget process, but reveals them pretty shortly after, so that's a start. Plus, it gives dorks like me a lot of numbers to play with during the dog days of summer.

In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I peek behind the curtains at the plans for next week's national Urban League conference in Boston. Sure, the conference itself is expected to be fine, but will it help to reverse Boston's damaging reputation on race?

As you'll see in the article, there's been a growing concern that not enough has been done on that front.

Boston city government does not register lobbyists, and state-registered lobbyists may or may not have any business before the Boston City Council. Still, wouldn't you like to know which councilors take money from lobbyists?

I would! And fortunately, state lobbyists include contributions to municipal candidates in their disclosures, which are posted and searchable on the Secretary of State's web site.

A joint statement just came from senate president Therese Murray and house speaker Bob DeLeo, saying that expanded gaming legislation will not be debated in the legislature until after Labor Day.

That's a setback for DeLeo, who had been publicly pushing to debate gaming in July, once the budget was done. On the other hand, maybe this could be read as a sign that Murray does expect to move on gaming this fall, which would be something.

In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I look at a new trend in big-money funding at colleges and universities. Conservative foundations are making a concerted effort to fund programs that add right-wing voices to the campus dialog.

This is a shift in focus from what I call 'think-tank model' funding that they've done for years -- and from funding of campus activities (like conservative student newspapers) outside the faculty and department structure.

According to reports, Mitt Romney will report raising $18.25 million since officially launching his Presidential campaign in early April. This is way ahead of the rest of the field: Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, and Jon Huntsman have each claimed a little over $4 million, while Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich say they're in the $2 to $2.

Setti Warren will report raising $122,000 for the just-ended 2nd quarter, in just under two months since he launched his campaign. A spokesperson tells me they think that's a "strong start," while Warren's been focusing mainly on meeting and speaking with Democratic committees, and trying to raise his name recognition, and so on.

"Drew" asks:

Do you have any insight on redistricting? Lynch-Keating? Tierney-Tsongas? Olver? Will someone run for Senate? Who is the odd man (or woman) out?

Sadly, I don't have much more insight than in the past. I still think Western Massachusetts keeps two seats -- ie, Olver is spared -- because state senator Stanley Rosenberg is the senate redistricting chair.

Bundling a few questions on the topic -- "Jim-C" asks:

Predictions: Order of finish in Boston City Council At-Large race in November?

"BeantownBill" asks:

What impact will the 2011 Boston Elections have on the 2013 Mayor's Race? And when would you expect candidates to announce their intensions for Boston's Elections in 2013 including Mayor Menino?