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THE MASS BRIEF
Sunday, May 4, 2026 · Good morning, Massachusetts
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The Lead
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The Mifepristone Mail Ban: What It Means for Massachusetts
A federal appeals court dropped a bombshell Friday that ripples well beyond the states with abortion bans: the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that mifepristone — the most common medication used in abortions — can no longer be mailed or prescribed by telehealth providers anywhere in the country. That means patients in Massachusetts, a state that has actively worked to protect and expand abortion access, now face new obstacles to a medication they were previously able to obtain from home. The ruling, which stems from a lawsuit brought by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, overrides FDA regulations and requires that mifepristone be dispensed only in-person at clinics. The practical effect: patients who relied on mail-order prescriptions — often those who face the biggest logistical, financial, or safety barriers to in-person care — are now shut out, regardless of where they live. Massachusetts lawmakers and advocates will be under immediate pressure to respond, whether through state-level workarounds, funding for clinic access, or jumping into the legal fight that's almost certainly headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. This isn't the final word. The ruling is in effect while appeals proceed, and given the current Supreme Court's track record, nothing is guaranteed. But for now, this is the biggest single rollback of abortion access since Dobbs — and it hits states that thought they were protected just as hard as everyone else. |
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What Else You Should Know
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Saints, Taxpayers, and the SJC: Quincy's Church-State Fight Goes to the High Court
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch wants to spend $850,000 in public money to plant giant bronze statues of Saint Michael and Saint Florian outside the city's new police and fire headquarters. The ACLU and local residents sued to stop it. On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court takes up the case — and the outcome could signal whether the commonwealth is willing to hold the line on church-state separation even as federal courts retreat from it. This one is worth watching closely. |
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A Promise to People with Mental Illness — Now at Risk
In 2024, Massachusetts signed the Marsters v. Healey settlement, a federal court-backed commitment to move at least 2,400 people with serious mental illness out of nursing facilities and into community-based care over eight years — a $1 billion-plus pledge. A new opinion piece from a veteran of the state's health and human services system warns that proposed budget cuts are already threatening to hollow out that promise before it's even gotten started. |
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South Shore Towns Vote: Mixed Results on Big Spending
Saturday's local elections and town meetings delivered a clear message across the South Shore: voters will open their wallets, but only so far. In Hingham, a $29.9 million Center for Active Living was rejected at the ballot box — failing to crack 44% — after it had already fallen short of the two-thirds threshold at Town Meeting. Meanwhile in Marshfield, Rick Smith won a landslide Select Board victory (over 70% of the vote) on a platform of fiscal discipline, as the town faces a $7.4 million budget deficit and a punted Town Meeting. |
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Plymouth's Old Benny's Plaza Could Become Assisted Living
A partnership of Boston's HYM Investment Group and Denver-based NexCore Group is expected to announce plans Tuesday to redevelop the long-vacant Benny's Plaza on Court Street in Plymouth into an assisted living facility, along with mixed-use commercial space and public green area. HYM has done this before — they converted the Newbury College campus in Brookline into senior living — so they know the playbook. Community engagement and permitting hurdles still lie ahead. |
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Essex Water Rescue: Body Cam Footage Shows Just How Close It Was
Essex Police released dramatic body cam video Saturday of Friday night's rescue of two brothers — ages 28 and 30 — and their dog from the sinking sailboat Jenny Lee in the Essex River. The men had been wading in frigid, chest-deep water for up to two hours. One had to be carried 250 yards through sand dunes on an officer's shoulders. Both men are expected to recover. The dog is fine. |
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Worth Your Attention
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Wednesday, May 6 — The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court hears oral arguments in the Quincy saints statues case; it's the most significant church-state case before the state's highest court in recent memory. Boston Globe → |
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Sunday, May 4 — Cohasset's Annual Town Meeting votes on a $21.7 million borrowing request for a long-overdue public safety building — the final piece of a $32 million project two decades in the making. South Shore News → |
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Saturday, May 9 — Somerville Porchfest returns for its 15th year with 530 performers — about 100 more than last year — spread across the city's famous porches. Cambridge Porchfest host and performer registration opens Monday, May 4. Cambridge Day → |
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💰 Money Watch
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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions
Big Spending This Week
Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Monday, May 04, 9:00 AM Joint Committee on Revenue (10 bills) Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files II Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
Monday, May 04, 9:00 AM Senate Committee on the Census Topic: Privacy Protection, Data Sharing, and Governance of the Census Location: A-1 , Boston Monday, May 04, 1:00 PM None Topic: Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration Meeting Location: 428 , Boston Tuesday, May 05, 1:00 PM Joint Committee on Education (2 bills) Topic: Miscellaneous Location: A-1 , Boston
Wednesday, May 06, 12:00 PM None Topic: Special Legislative Commission to Study the Future of Payments and Sales Transactions by Credit Card and the Impacts for Small Businesses Location: Gardner Auditorium , Boston Thursday, May 07, 1:00 PM Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses (2 bills) Topic: Community Development Location: A-2 , 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
Change of Purposes
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One More Thing
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After the Artemis II crew's trip around the moon last month, a ten-year-old from Northborough named Matteo McMahon summed up the national mood pretty well after completing a Mission to Mars simulation at the Christa McAuliffe Center in Framingham: "The moon is cool again." The center's director says interest in space science among young students has spiked — which, given everything else going on, feels like exactly the kind of news we needed this Sunday morning. |
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