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THE MASS BRIEF
Sunday, June 8, 2026
Smart coverage of Massachusetts, every morning.
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The Lead
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Massachusetts sheriffs are spending money they don't have — and Plymouth County is near the top of the list.
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The Massachusetts Inspector General dropped a damning final report last week on the state's 14 county sheriffs' offices, and the numbers are hard to look away from. Collectively, the sheriffs blew through $887.8 million in Fiscal Year 2025 — about $110 million more than they were actually appropriated. Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro's office didn't mince words, calling the system "chaotic" and flagging "chronic underfunding and illegal overspending" across the board. Plymouth County's Sheriff's Office accounted for nearly $17 million of that statewide shortfall, making it the third-largest single-office deficit in the Commonwealth.
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What makes Plymouth's case particularly pointed is where the OIG says that money went: discretionary law enforcement spending, including the Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation — an area where, according to the report, the office essentially "could spend without restraint" and then attribute the gap to underfunding. That's a meaningful distinction. It's one thing to be squeezed by rising costs; it's another to have a spending structure that treats the state budget as a floor rather than a ceiling.
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The OIG has laid out a four-stage reform roadmap targeting a fix by FY2029, which means the Legislature and the Healey administration will need to decide whether to actually fund these offices at realistic levels, rein in their spending authority, or both. Don't hold your breath for a fast resolution, but this report gives reformers real ammunition heading into budget season.
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| Full story at South Shore News → | |||||||||
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What Else You Should Know
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🏛️ Trump's NPS moves to strip Bunker Hill Monument of quotes on slavery and equality.
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The National Park Service has ordered the removal of three signs bearing six quotes from the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown — passages touching on slavery, women's suffrage, and immigration. Senator Ed Markey went public with the news on social media, posting photos of the signs and calling it a "campaign of censorship." The NPS has not publicly explained its reasoning. It's a strange hill to choose — figuratively and literally.
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| GBH News → | |||||||||
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🏥 The CVS-Mass General Brigham MinuteClinic deal gets its final review Wednesday.
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On June 11, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission releases its final assessment of a proposed affiliation that would embed roughly 80 CVS nurse practitioners into MGB's contracting network across 37 locations statewide. The pitch: more primary care access in a state desperately short of it. The concern: MGB's pricing power means "more access" could come with a $40 million-plus annual price tag bolted onto commercial insurance costs. This one is worth watching closely — it could set a precedent for how the state handles big-system expansion going forward.
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| CommonWealth Beacon → | |||||||||
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🌿 Chelsea's long-contaminated waterfront is finally getting a second act.
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Eighteen acres of former industrial wasteland along the Mill and Chelsea creeks — toxic, crumbling, and largely forgotten — are on the verge of becoming affordable housing and a public waterfront sanctuary, thanks to years of work by environmental justice organization GreenRoots and affordable housing partners. The Boston Globe's Yvonne Abraham tells the full story of how the good guys actually won this one. In a city that has historically been "literally dumped on," the transformation could ripple well beyond Chelsea's borders.
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| Boston Globe → | |||||||||
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⚖️ Michael Proctor is trying to avoid Monday's Karen Read deposition.
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Disgraced former State Police trooper Michael Proctor filed an emergency motion Friday seeking to postpone a deposition in the wrongful death lawsuit involving Karen Read — the very case built on an investigation he led before being fired from State Police last year. The request came just one day after Read's legal team filed a new lawsuit against State Police and the Town of Canton, and published a batch of Proctor's text messages that revealed bigoted views toward women, Jewish people, and LGBTQ people. Plymouth Superior Court Judge Mark Gildea ordered Proctor's attorneys to explain themselves by Sunday at 5 p.m., with a Zoom hearing set for Monday morning.
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| Boston Globe → | |||||||||
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⚽ World Cup is here — and so is the security gauntlet.
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Foxboro Police Chief Michael Grace is warning fans headed to Boston Stadium for FIFA World Cup matches to budget over an hour for security screening. More than 50 law enforcement agencies, federal partners, State Police, and 85 National Guard members will be deployed across the state. Starting Tuesday, the stadium closes to non-ticket holders, and you won't be able to board a Boston Stadium Train without a match ticket in hand. Plan accordingly — or enjoy one of the fan zones scattered across Greater Boston and Providence instead.
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| WBZ / CBS Boston → | |||||||||
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Worth Your Attention
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Massachusetts Health Policy Commission final review of the CVS–Mass General Brigham affiliation drops Wednesday, June 11 — a decision that could reshape how primary care is delivered (and priced) across the state. CommonWealth Beacon →
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The Karen Read wrongful death deposition hearing — whether Proctor sits for questioning or not — kicks off Monday morning on Zoom at 8:45 a.m. in Plymouth Superior Court. WCVB →
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World Ocean Day celebrations at the New England Aquarium are happening today (Sunday, June 8) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Central Wharf — free events including a life-sized inflatable humpback whale and traditional fishing demonstrations by the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag. Boston.com →
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FY2027 Budget Tracker
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Current stage: Conference committee reconciles
Governor's Budget (H2) — filed House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference
📋 No notable actions in the last few days. |
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💰 Money Watch
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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions
Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Monday, June 08, 9:00 AM Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security (3 bills) Topic: Please be advised that the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security will be soliciting written testimony for the bill listed below. Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
Monday, June 08, 4:00 PM None Topic: SPECIAL COMMISSION ON CABO VERDEAN CULTURAL CENTER Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston Tuesday, June 09, 11:00 AM None Topic: Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Aging - Quarterly Meeting Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston Tuesday, June 09, 3:00 PM None Topic: Special Commission on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution - Public Meeting Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston Thursday, June 11, 11:00 AM None Topic: Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston |
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New on the Ballot
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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance: Candidates
Ballot Question Committees
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One More Thing
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Former parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes in Revere — closed by the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004 — are getting to walk back into their old church for the first time in 22 years, invited by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo congregation that now calls it home. "They understand how emotional it was for us," said former parishioner John Verrengia. It's a small story, but a quietly beautiful one — two communities, one building, a lot of grace. The reunion Mass is June 14 at 10:30 a.m. Boston Globe →
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