THE MASS BRIEF

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

The Lead

The Saugus liquor license hearing that wrapped up yesterday is the kind of bureaucratic proceeding that usually flies under the radar — except this one is tied to the death of a Massachusetts State Trooper, and the details coming out are damning. The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission spent an hour Tuesday weighing what to do about Tribu Mexican Kitchen and Bar on Route 1, the Saugus restaurant that served Hernan Ramon Marrero nine drinks — seven of them free — in the hours before he got turned around on Route 1 and slammed head-on into State Trooper Kevin Trainor's cruiser in May, killing him.

The timeline investigators laid out is hard to read: Marrero posted a photo of his margarita on social media captioned "Second stop!!!" at 9:20 p.m. By the time he left at 1:56 a.m., his blood alcohol was 0.192 — more than twice the legal limit. The ABCC took no action Tuesday, instead taking the matter "under advisement," which means Tribu keeps pouring drinks while regulators decide what, if anything, happens to its license. That's likely to frustrate Trainor's family and colleagues, and it raises a bigger question that state lawmakers have been kicking around for years: whether Massachusetts' patchwork of local licensing boards and the state ABCC actually holds bars accountable when overserving turns deadly, or whether "under advisement" is where these cases quietly go to die. Expect pressure to build on the commission to actually rule — and possibly for legislators to revisit liquor liability law before this fades from the news cycle.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

T fares are staying cheap into the fall. Governor Maura Healey and MBTA GM Phillip Eng announced the half-off commuter rail pass deal will run through November, plus three new pilot discounts on buses and subway service. Healey says Friday commuter rail ridership is up 50% since the discounts started — proof, her office argues, that price is a bigger barrier than people assumed. GBH News →

Speed cameras could be coming to a school zone near you. Buried in the Legislature's $575 million economic development bill is a Senate-approved provision letting cities and towns install traffic cameras in school zones and construction areas — one per 5,000 residents, triggered at 11+ mph over the limit. Boston, the nation's most collision-prone city, is a likely test case if this survives conference committee. Boston Globe →

A state trooper is accused of stealing a contractor's excavator. The POST Commission suspended 26-year-old Joseph Franklin's law enforcement certification after he was charged with larceny and witness intimidation stemming from a dispute over tree work at his Palmer property. He's due back in court August 6. Boston Globe →

Stoughton's town hall drama isn't cooling off. More than a dozen residents packed a Select Board meeting Tuesday night — many in matching orange "I Support Chief McNamara" shirts — to back Police Chief Donna McNamara, who filed a harassment and gender discrimination lawsuit against Town Manager Tom Calter this week. Calter, notably, skipped the meeting despite being scheduled to speak. WCVB →

A Natick couple's eBay nightmare finally has an ending — a $55.7 million one. Ina and David Steiner, who run a small e-commerce trade publication from their Natick home, settled with eBay after former company employees terrorized them for years with harassment deliveries — a bloody pig mask, live spiders, even a fake Craigslist ad turning their home into a "swingers" destination. Several ex-eBay executives went to prison over the scheme. WBZ/CBS Boston →

A vacant Fort Point office tower is becoming apartments. Boston's Zoning Board of Appeal approved converting the old LogMeIn building at 320 Summer Street into 145 apartments — 46 studios among them — using the city's office-to-residential pilot program, which comes with a 75% property tax break for 29 years. It's a small but real sign that Boston's push to refill empty downtown office space with housing is gaining traction. Universal Hub →

Worth Your Attention

• The Massachusetts House takes up bills Wednesday on Alzheimer's/dementia first-responder training and ALS home care services — part of a busy Ways and Means Committee push this week. GBH News →
• Starting August 3, new (and never formally announced) campaign finance disclosure rules kick in ahead of November elections — nonprofits doing public policy advocacy should pay close attention before they trigger donor disclosure requirements unknowingly. CommonWealth Beacon →
• Massachusetts senators are pushing to join a multistate social worker licensing compact, tucked into the Senate's economic development bill — worth watching as it heads to conference committee with the House. CommonWealth Beacon →

Track all bills →

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

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

PACs

• Americans4Hindus-Massachusetts Political Action Committee — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/23/2026

Change of Purposes

• Anne Brensley — Statewide, Lieutenant Governor → Statewide, Secretary of State — Filed: 7/28/2026

OCPF →

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