For years, the controversy surrounding Carlo DeMaria was background noise in Massachusetts politics — something Everett City Council members grumbled about while the longtime mayor kept winning elections. That changed Wednesday, when the State Ethics Commission's Enforcement Division formally accused DeMaria of violating conflict of interest law by pocketing excessive bonuses he then buried in the city's budget. According to the state inspector general's findings from last year, DeMaria improperly collected $180,000 in bonus payments — more frequently and at higher amounts than he was authorized to receive.

This isn't a resignation-in-disgrace story that ends quietly. The Ethics Commission has launched an "adjudicatory proceeding," which means an actual quasi-judicial process with real stakes: penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, plus potential restitution. DeMaria, characteristically, is calling it a dispute over the "interpretation of a poorly written" policy — which is a creative defense for someone who allegedly set up the payments himself and then hid them. The fact that he established a legal defense fund just weeks before these findings dropped suggests he knew this was coming.

What happens next: the adjudicatory process plays out before the commission, DeMaria fights it, and Everett — now under new leadership — continues reckoning with the legacy of a six-term mayor who apparently treated the city budget like a personal bonus pool.

All 62 turbines are installed, and as of Friday, Vineyard Wind is selling electricity to Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil at locked-in contracted rates — averaging $69.50 per megawatt hour over 20 years, compared to the January wholesale average of more than double that. Gov. Maura Healey says the deal will save ratepayers $1.4 billion over the life of the contract. That's the headline number; the fine print is that Vineyard Wind is simultaneously suing turbine manufacturer GE Renewables to keep the project from unraveling further.

A Department of Children and Families caseworker named Richard Magrath, 31, of Quincy, was arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court on two counts of rape, accused of assaulting a Boston mother during a home visit earlier this month. A judge set bail at $20,000 and ordered Magrath to stay away from all of his former clients. This is as serious a breach of public trust as it gets — a man sent by the state to protect vulnerable families allegedly used that access to commit a violent crime.

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced a $5 million settlement with Texas-based Adroit Health Group, which prosecutors say sold thousands of Massachusetts residents health plans that didn't meet state or federal requirements using deceptive tactics. Adroit is now permanently barred from selling health plans in the Commonwealth, and a significant chunk of the settlement will go back to affected consumers. If you bought a health plan through Adroit, watch your mail.

Massachusetts is a founding member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the Northeast's cap-and-trade program for power plant emissions, and the compact just got a bit stronger. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed off on regulations reinstating the state's participation, effective July 1. Virginia left RGGI under its previous Republican governor; it's back now, adding 11.48 million allowances to the program. More states, more market pressure on carbon — that's the theory, anyway.

Tuesday was a rough day for local bank tellers. Two connected armed robberies — at a Santander in Roxbury and a TD Bank in Roslindale — were pulled off by masked gunmen who remain unidentified. A separate crew allegedly robbed an Eastern Bank in Everett with a gun and a machete; those two suspects were quickly arrested. Boston police are asking for the public's help identifying the Roxbury and Roslindale suspects.

Social media restrictions for kids are moving through the State House — the House has already passed a bill banning social media for children under 14 and requiring parental consent for teens 14-15. CommonWealth Beacon has a sharp opinion piece out arguing the legislation raises serious First Amendment concerns and could create more privacy problems than it solves. Worth reading before this clears the Senate. CommonWealth Beacon →

The Massachusetts GOP's next chapter starts taking shape this week — 600 supporters gathered in Danvers Wednesday night for a "unity rally" behind endorsed gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, following his 70% convention win Saturday. The September primary still features Brian Shortsleeve; the general election matchup against Healey is shaping up as the defining political contest of 2026 in the Commonwealth. State House News Service →

Heads up for your commute this morning — rain is moving through Massachusetts Thursday, with temperatures stuck in the low 50s and a wet morning drive expected. The weekend may bring more of the same. WCVB →

Full budget details →

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Henry Bousquet (Republican) — House, 9th Bristol — Filed: 4/29/2026
• Kayla Kittredge — Lieutenant Governor — Filed: 4/28/2026
• Daniel Kelly (Republican) — House, 2nd Essex — Filed: 4/28/2026
• Edward Walsh (Democratic) — House, 3rd Bristol — Filed: 4/28/2026
• Jennifer Spadafora (Democratic) — Mayoral, Malden — Filed: 4/24/2026

Ballot Question Committees

• Democratic Socialists for Rent Control — N/A, No office — Filed: 4/29/2026
• Democratic Socialists Against Austerity — N/A, No office — Filed: 4/29/2026

Change of Purposes

• Karla Miller — Senate, 1st Middlesex → House, 16th Middlesex — Filed: 4/29/2026

OCPF →

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