The story developing around Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues moved from uncomfortable to genuinely alarming this week. A Brockton High School student has obtained a temporary harassment prevention order requiring Rodrigues to stay at least 100 yards away from them — and Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office are now formally investigating a complaint the student and their family filed with Brockton Public Schools. The mayor's own account confirms he had an interaction with a student at the city's May 22 Huntington Day Parade that "made the student uncomfortable." The full picture became public when the student's mother stormed the graduation stage last Saturday, screaming at Rodrigues while he stood at the podium. He kept talking. She was escorted away.

This is no longer a graduation-ceremony curiosity — it's a criminal investigation involving a sitting mayor and a minor. The court order is impounded because of the juvenile's age, so details are thin, but the DA's office isn't being subtle about where this is headed. Rodrigues hasn't stepped aside or addressed the substance of the allegations beyond calling his interaction with the student something he wants to cooperate with schools on. That posture is going to get harder to maintain as the investigation proceeds.

What happens next: Watch for the DA's office to signal whether this becomes a criminal matter, and watch the Brockton City Council to see if there's any appetite to force the mayor's hand. For a city already navigating tough fiscal and school challenges, having this cloud over City Hall is not nothing.

Full story at GBH News →

South Boston kids robbed at gunpoint — at their lemonade stand. Two children, ages 11 and 12, were setting up a lemonade stand on West 9th Street Wednesday afternoon when two suspects — described as juveniles themselves — returned with a firearm, grabbed the cash box, and ran. The kids put their hands up and weren't hurt. Their father said he was proud of how they handled it. Boston Police are investigating and looking for the suspects.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

Lawrence officer dragged two blocks during traffic stop is expected to survive. Officer Ariel Cruz, 27 and a father of three, was critically injured Tuesday night when a passenger in a stopped car jumped into the driver's seat and accelerated away with Cruz caught on the vehicle. He was dragged across the pavement and slammed into a parked car before coming free. Flown to a Boston hospital by helicopter, Cruz has since been able to communicate with family. The driver was arrested in New Hampshire.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

Boston City Council chaos over Wu's budget. Eight people were arrested Wednesday after protesters staged a die-in on the City Council chamber floor to oppose Mayor Michelle Wu's cuts to youth jobs funding. The disruption shut down proceedings for two hours. After order was restored, councilors voted 12-1 to approve $11.8 million in amendments to Wu's $4.9 billion budget. The amended budget now goes back to Wu, who can veto any or all of the changes — setting up a potential standoff at City Hall.

Boston Globe →

South Coast Rail's second phase is going nowhere fast. A year after commuter rail finally arrived in New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton, leaders celebrated the milestone at a Bridgewater State conference last week — but the celebration was tinged with frustration. The full build, which would add stops and electrify the line, has no financing plan and isn't in the MBTA's five-year capital budget. State Sen. Mark Montigny, who has been pushing for this since 1993, joked that flying cars will arrive first. He's not entirely wrong to be cynical.

CommonWealth Beacon →

Massachusetts needs 60,000 new immigrants a year just to tread water. A new report from Boston Indicators and MassInc finds the state must bring in at least 60,000 new immigrants annually through 2030 to prevent a shrinking labor force. Immigrants already make up roughly a quarter of the state's workforce and contributed an estimated $7.4 billion in state and local taxes in 2024. Health care, higher education, and construction are most at risk from any slowdown — which, given the current federal immigration environment, is not a hypothetical.

Boston.com →

Rachael Rollins wants her old job back — sort of. The former Suffolk County District Attorney, who left to become U.S. Attorney before resigning in 2023 amid a scathing federal watchdog report, sat down with GBH News Wednesday in her first interview since announcing a run to unseat current DA Kevin Hayden. Rollins called her time as U.S. Attorney "incredibly messy" and said she feels "shame" about what happened — but argued DOJ policy backed her actions and that her leadership record speaks for itself. Whether Suffolk County voters agree is, as she put it, an open question.

GBH News →

Alvin Campbell Jr. jury still deliberating — after more than 25 hours over five days, no verdict yet in the case against the AG's brother, who faces 22 counts including aggravated rape; Judge Mary K. Ames has dismissed the jury for each evening and proceedings continue. Boston Globe →

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee has 10 days to sign or veto a bill placing a three-year moratorium on new charter schools — passed 56-12 in the House — and his silence so far is its own kind of answer. Boston Globe →

World Cup matches begin across North America, including Boston — and a new Emerson College poll finds 45% of Americans have no interest at all, though Hispanic and Black voters are following closely; make of that what you will before you decide whether to brave the crowds. 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

• Donnell Wright (Democratic) — House, 11th Hampden — Filed: 6/9/2026
• Gary Gagnon — Sheriff, Franklin County — Filed: 6/9/2026

OCPF →

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