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| Good morning. It's been a rough week for anyone paying attention to public safety headlines in Boston, but also a genuinely newsworthy one for policy wonks — kratom, heat, water rights, and a court ruling on ICE detainees all landed within about 24 hours. Let's get into it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Lead
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Boston had a violent 48 hours, and it's forcing a real conversation about policing in the city. Wednesday's rush-hour stabbing death at South Station — which Police Superintendent Paul McLaughlin now says was targeted, not random — was followed Thursday by a daylight double stabbing near North Station (one victim self-inflicted, per police) and a body found in the TD Garden parking garage. Add in Wednesday's wild I-93 chase, where a Roxbury man allegedly held a pregnant woman hostage and smashed into eight cars before troopers took him down near Milton, and you've got a stretch of news that's rattled a lot of commuters.
The political fallout arrived fast: City Councilor Ed Flynn is now calling for the Massachusetts National Guard to help Boston police, arguing the department simply doesn't have enough officers to keep up. That's a striking ask, and it's landing at an awkward moment — Police Commissioner Michael Cox held an unusual pre-parade press conference Thursday insisting "there is no uptick" in violence, trying to reassure the public ahead of Sunday's Dominican Parade, a massive Jamaica Plain-to-Franklin Park event that's had violent incidents at past festivals, including a 2023 shooting that wounded eight people at Caribbean Carnival. So which is it — a genuine safety crisis or a bad week amplified by bad timing? That's the debate that will play out over the next few days, and how Sunday's parade goes will shape it further. Cox is betting on visible security and community buy-in; Flynn wants outside reinforcement. Worth watching whether other councilors or the mayor's office line up behind either message. Full story at Boston Globe → |
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What Else You Should Know
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| Healey puts kratom in the same legal category as heroin. The governor's administration issued an emergency order Thursday temporarily classifying kratom — the plant-derived, opioid-like substance sold at gas stations and smoke shops — as a Schedule I drug. The ban takes effect after a two-week notice period and lasts up to a year, giving local officials new power to crack down on retailers. Boston Globe → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A judge for the Quabbin. Healey sent a letter to the MWRA this week backing decades of complaints from towns around the Quabbin Reservoir, which supplies Boston's water while many surrounding communities deal with their own well shortages during this year's drought. State Sen. Jo Comerford called it "unprecedented" after years of state inaction — now the question is whether the MWRA actually changes how it compensates or includes these towns. GBH News → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Massachusetts gets its first heat czar. Katie Schlick was named the state's first heat resilience officer Thursday, tasked with coordinating agencies on extreme heat prep. Massachusetts is only the second state to create the role (after Arizona), which tells you something about how seriously state officials are now taking heat as a public health threat — Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer noted July was the hottest month in U.S. history. WBUR → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plymouth County sheriff must hand over ICE detainee records. A Suffolk Superior Court judge ordered the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office to release anonymized health records for immigrant detainees at its facility — the only ICE detention site in Massachusetts — to the ACLU. The sheriff's office had argued federal law shielded it from state public records requirements; the judge disagreed, and the office says it will comply. WBUR → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Bedford pulls the plug on Flock cameras after alleged misuse. An officer is accused of using the department's license-plate tracking system to monitor her ex-girlfriend nearly every day. The ex says she felt followed; the officer denies targeting her but admitted daily use of the system. New Bedford has suspended the program while it sorts this out. WBZ/CBS Boston → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cape Cod readers hate the mansion tax idea — and they're not shy about it. A proposal from 26-year-old Barnstable County delegate Dan Gessen would let Cape towns tax non-owner-occupied homes worth over $1 million to fund mortgage help for year-round residents. Boston.com readers pushed back hard, even as the region's median home price has quadrupled since Gessen was born. Boston.com → | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Worth Your Attention
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Sunday: The Dominican Parade runs from Hyde Square to Franklin Park starting around noon, with road closures on Centre Street, Perkins Street, Columbus Avenue, and Walnut Avenue — expect heavy police presence after this week's safety debate. Boston Globe → Monday: The Lindsay Clancy murder trial resumes in Plymouth with more State Police testimony on her internet search history — a pivotal thread for both the prosecution and the postpartum psychosis defense. Boston Globe → Ongoing: Public comment period opens as DPH's kratom ban moves toward its 14-day effective date — local boards of health will need to figure out enforcement. WBUR → |
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End-of-Session Tracker
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⏳ Formal sessions ended July 31. Conferees were appointed in time, so talks run until the term ends Jan 5 — 144 days
Energy Affordability & Clean Power (H5175) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Economic Development (H5576) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (S2619) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Climate Resilience for Communities (S3064) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Student Learning & Mental Health (phone ban) (S2581) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention (H4767) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Ballot Question Campaign Finance Reporting (S2916) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Public Records & Government Transparency (H5469) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Primary Care (S3141) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Higher-Ed Infrastructure (BRIGHT Act) (H4769) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned Pet Equity, Treatment & Safety (S3028) House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned |
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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, August 17, 4:00 PM None Topic: SPECIAL COMMISSION ON CABO VERDEAN CULTURAL CENTER 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
PACs
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One More Thing
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| The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward this to someone who needs to know what's happening in Massachusetts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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