The MBTA's board votes Thursday on a $3.4 billion operating budget — a nearly $300 million jump over the current year and part of a spending surge that has added more than $1 billion to the T's budget over five years. The plan includes hiring 550 more employees, continuing a hiring-and-investment binge that represents a deliberate departure from the austerity years under Gov. Charlie Baker, when the agency slashed hundreds of positions and, as federal investigators later concluded, created the safety conditions that contributed to runaway trains and slow zones.

The argument for spending big is simple: you can't cut your way to a functioning transit system, and the T's years of deferred maintenance prove it. The MBTA Advisory Board — which represents the cities and towns that help fund the system — is backing the budget, calling it a direct response to damage done by years of under-investment. Critics, including the Pioneer Institute's Jim Stergios, aren't buying it, calling the budget "bloated."

What happens next matters beyond the T's balance sheet. The agency leans heavily on state dollars to fill its gaps, and with the Legislature deep in budget negotiations, every dollar committed to the T is a dollar being weighed against schools, housing, and health care. Thursday's vote is largely a formality — but the broader question of whether Massachusetts can sustain this level of transit spending indefinitely is very much unresolved.

Mayor Michelle Wu and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng announced they've found enough money to keep Routes 23, 28, and 29 fare-free through the end of the year, just days before federal COVID relief funding was set to run out. Wu says the city is already looking for ways to keep the free rides going into 2027 — which is the harder problem, since this fix is essentially a one-year patch on a structural funding question.

Federal prosecutors announced a sweeping indictment Tuesday against 26 alleged members of the Trinitarios gang, tied to five murders and 19 attempted murders in Essex County. U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said the arrests effectively dismantled the gang's Massachusetts leadership structure, including the head of the Lawrence chapter. The operation — dubbed "Operation Paper Machetes" — has now resulted in more than 50 arrests over two years, with the gang connected to at least 15 homicides since 2017.

A Lawrence police officer is hospitalized with serious injuries after a suspect wanted on two warrants jumped into the driver's seat during a traffic stop Tuesday evening and sped off — with the officer caught on the vehicle. Surveillance video showed the officer dragged across pavement before slamming into a parked car. Police are still searching for the suspect and the vehicle.

Gov. Maura Healey signed a law Monday allowing bars and restaurants to extend last call by an hour this summer, timed to the FIFA World Cup and other marquee events. Then, the very next morning, she told WEEI she personally supports bringing back happy hour — banned in Massachusetts since 1984. Healey framed it as a "local option" and tied it to her broader push for "vibrancy" and retaining young professionals. Expect a Beacon Hill debate on this one.

Massachusetts is using about $189 million in one-time surtax surplus funds to expand child care access this year — money for financial assistance, wait-list reduction, and early educator loan forgiveness. The catch: it's one-time money, and budget analysts are already warning advocates that locking in these gains will require a permanent funding source in next year's state budget. The surtax keeps generating revenue, but there's fierce competition for every dollar of it.

William Leger, 40, was sentenced Tuesday — exactly five years after the crash — to at least 24 years in state prison for the 2021 wrong-way collision that killed 19-year-old nursing student Ashley Forward of Lynn. Leger had robbed a Saugus 7-Eleven, fled in a stolen car, and drove south in the northbound lane of Route 107. Forward's mother and sister spoke in court about the life that was taken.

MBTA Board Budget Vote — Thursday: The T's board takes up the $3.4 billion FY2027 budget; if you care about transit funding or the long-term fiscal picture, this is the vote to watch. CommonWealth Beacon →

Rhode Island Legislative Session Wrapping Up Friday: The Ocean State's General Assembly is expected to adjourn Friday night, with a proposed Voting Rights Act shelved until next year despite a recent Supreme Court ruling gutting key federal voter protections. Boston Globe →

ATM Skimmer Warning in East Boston: Boston Police are alerting residents after a skimming device and pinhole camera were found on a Santander ATM inside the CVS at 210 Border St. — worth a look before you swipe anywhere unfamiliar. Boston.com →

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

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
• Jose Candelario Gonzalez (Unenrolled) — House, 5th Hampden — Filed: 6/4/2026
• Stephen Foley (Unenrolled) — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/4/2026
• Luisa Cestari (Republican) — House, 5th Middlesex — Filed: 6/4/2026

OCPF →

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