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THE MASS BRIEF
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Your morning guide to what’s happening in Massachusetts — every morning.
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THE LEAD
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Bobby Kilduff Died Doing What Three Generations of His Family Have Done
Boston firefighter Robert “Bobby” Kilduff Jr. fell from a third-story window battling a Dorchester house fire Saturday night and never came home. He was 53, a Marine Corps veteran, a 24-year veteran of the Boston Fire Department, and — in one of those details that hits you in the chest — a third-generation firefighter. His department called him “BK.” Fire Commissioner Rodney Marshall said he “embodied the courage, commitment, and selflessness that define this profession.” That’s not boilerplate. That’s a guy people knew. The fire at 18 Treadway Road sent flames through all three floors and burned through the roof before crews knocked it down. Kilduff’s death is a gut-punch reminder that firefighting remains one of the most dangerous jobs in America, and that the people who run toward burning buildings are often the ones who’ve watched their fathers and grandfathers do it first. The city is mourning. The department is mourning. Over Memorial Day weekend, that mourning felt especially heavy. Watch for a formal tribute in the coming days — these things tend to bring the full weight of Boston’s civic life to bear. In the meantime, Kilduff’s family, colleagues, and the Dorchester and West Roxbury communities are carrying something that no ceremony fully addresses. |
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WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
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🚗 Massachusetts Rideshare Drivers Just Made History
About 70,000 Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts are now officially members of the App Drivers Union — the first certified rideshare union in the entire country. The Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations issued the certification last week, 18 months after voters approved it at the ballot. Governor Maura Healey is on board. Next step: actually bargaining a contract with the companies, which have promised to cooperate. The hard part starts now — and economists note that higher driver wages will likely mean higher fares for riders. |
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🏥 30,000 Immigrants Lost Health Coverage. The State Still Hasn’t Filled the Gap.
Federal law — the Trump administration’s sweeping 2025 tax-and-spending package — stripped subsidized health coverage from roughly 30,000 lawfully present immigrants in Massachusetts on January 1. The state has been aggressive in some areas, but this particular gap remains unfilled. Legal advocates warn the full impact could ultimately leave 300,000 Massachusetts residents uninsured and cost the state $3.5 billion a year in lost federal revenue. Victoria Poulos of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute laid it all out on CommonWealth Beacon’s Codcast. |
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🏗️ A Shuttered Lynn Hospital Is Becoming Senior Housing
When Union Hospital closed in 2020, Lynn lost its only hospital. Now, five acres of that site are being transformed into Solimine House — 150 units of affordable housing for residents 62 and older, with incomes up to 60% of area median income. The $85 million project broke ground in December and should be ready in late 2027. It’ll connect directly to a next-door PACE health center serving Medicaid and Medicare patients. It’s exactly the kind of adaptive reuse that cash-strapped Gateway Cities need more of. |
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🗳️ Diana DiZoglio Is Annoying All the Right People — and Winning Because of It
State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is widely loathed in Beacon Hill offices, has sued Democratic leadership over her right to audit the Legislature, and accused the attorney general of running interference. She’s also cruising to reelection with zero serious challengers from either party. The Globe’s profile paints a portrait of a politician who has turned institutional friction into a brand — and found that it plays well across party lines, especially in rooms full of people who already assume Beacon Hill is hiding something. Whether her audit crusade is principled or performative probably depends on who you ask. |
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💸 New Bedford’s $32 Million Budget Hole Came Out of Nowhere. Or Did It?
Mayor Jon Mitchell told New Bedford residents a few weeks ago the city faced a $13 million deficit. Then the number became $32 million — with layoffs, a possible fire station closure, and tax increases on the table. The New Bedford Light digs into how the numbers ballooned so fast, and the picture that emerges is one of healthcare and public safety costs outpacing projections, plus a city council that says it learned the real number the same time the public did. |
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🔀 Marshfield Select Board Can’t Move Forward — Because There Are Only Two of Them
The Marshfield Select Board met last week with just two members — one seat is vacant — and deadlocked 1-1 on sending voter-approved charter amendments to Beacon Hill. Residents had overwhelmingly backed expanding the board from three to five members and creating a town finance director, but without a third vote, the board can’t act. The vacant seat is creating a genuine governance crisis, and it comes just ahead of Annual Town Meeting. |
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WORTH YOUR ATTENTION
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Two arraignments Tuesday: Sean Brewer, 58, of Winthrop faces manslaughter charges in East Boston Municipal Court after allegedly shooting his wife Jacklyn Berry during an argument Sunday morning; and Tyler Halley, 21, of Lawrence is expected in Lawrence District Court on a murder charge after a woman was found with a fatal head wound at a Canal Street apartment Saturday. WBZ / CBS Boston → App Drivers Union celebration at the State House: Union and state leaders gathered today to mark the official certification of the App Drivers Union — the first step before bargaining begins with Uber and Lyft. WCVB → New Bedford City Council budget deliberations continue: With a $32 million deficit on the table and potential layoffs and fire station closures in play, watch for the council to push back on Mayor Mitchell’s proposed budget in the coming weeks — this one is far from settled. New Bedford Light → |
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FY2027 Budget Tracker
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Current stage: Senate passes budget
Governor's Budget (H2) — filed House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — senate_passed
📋 No notable actions in the last few days. |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Tuesday, May 26, 1:00 PM None Topic: Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Aging Listening Session at Northampton Senior Center Location: Northampton Senior Center, Northampton Wednesday, May 27, 10:30 AM Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming Topic: The Value of the Mass Save Program Location: Virtual Hearing , Boston Wednesday, May 27, 1:00 PM Protect Act Topic: Conference Committee of the House and Senate to Resolve Differences Between H.5316 and S.3072 - Meeting Notice Location: Room 210, Boston Thursday, May 28, 12:00 PM None Topic: Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities - Special Workforce Supports Subcommittee Meeting: Addressing Workforce Barriers Through Apprenticeships Panel Location: Virtual Hearing , Boston Thursday, May 28, 1:00 PM Joint Committee on Transportation (5 bills) Topic: Regarding micromobility and additional, lately filed pieces of legislation. Location: A-1 , Boston
Friday, May 29, 1:00 PM House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs Topic: Higher Education and Federal relationships Location: Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Bourne |
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ONE MORE THING
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The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward it to someone who needs to know what’s going on. |
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