The Mass Brief — Friday, July 10, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Friday, July 10, 2026

Good morning. Governor Healey signed a $63 billion budget without touching a single line, Maine's Senate race turned into an eight-person scramble overnight, and a Beacon Hill push to regulate how teens use social media just cleared the Senate by a landslide. Let's get into it.

The Lead

Governor Maura Healey signed the state's $63.4 billion fiscal year 2027 budget Thursday — and for the first time in her tenure, she didn't veto a single line item or hold back a dollar in local earmarks. That's a notable break from the last two years, when she slashed hundreds of millions in spending and warned lawmakers about looming fiscal trouble. This year, with reelection season underway, she signed it as-is, touting a budget that raises spending 4 percent without new taxes or fees, funds a review of how the state pays for local schools, and adds new protections for sexual assault survivors.

The "no new taxes" framing matters politically — it gives Healey a clean talking point heading into the fall campaign. But the real story is what's coming next: state budget officials are bracing for what they've called "major financial turmoil" as a new federal law reshapes public benefit programs, likely squeezing things like SNAP and Medicaid funding that Massachusetts has leaned on for years. Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz framed the budget as protecting "long-term stability," but that stability is about to be tested by decisions coming out of Washington, not Boston.

Watch for two things in the months ahead: how the state responds if federal benefit cuts start hitting local budgets, and whether Healey's "no cuts, no new taxes" budget becomes a campaign liability if revenues underperform. She's betting voters reward restraint. Her opponents will be watching for the first sign of a shortfall. Full story at GBH News →

What Else You Should Know

A strike with no end in sight. Bus drivers and mechanics with Teamsters Local 170 have shut down Merrimack Valley Transit Authority service for more than a week, stranding riders in Lawrence, Salem, N.H., and beyond. Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña publicly begged both sides Thursday to remember "working families, seniors, students, and individuals with medical needs" who have no other way to get around. Boston Globe →

Senate takes on the algorithm. The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill 38-2 that would force social media platforms to turn off autoplay, infinite scroll, and late-night notifications for minors by default. Majority Leader Cindy Creem framed it as reclaiming "OG social media" from Big Tech's engagement machine — teens currently average nearly five hours a day on these apps. WBUR →

Markey and Moulton spar over age vs. urgency. In their first debate of the Senate primary, Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton found little daylight on policy but plenty on tone — Moulton needled the 79-year-old Markey over decades of unfinished promises on rail and climate, while Markey cast his experience as an asset in fighting the Trump administration. Boston.com →

Bomb threats on the commuter rail. A 29-year-old Boston man, Shane Cautillo, was ordered held on $10,000 bail after allegedly bringing homemade explosive materials aboard a commuter rail train into North Station and telling other riders he wanted to make bombs for extremist groups. Alert passengers and Transit Police intervened before anything happened. Boston Globe →

ICE detained a legal East Boston resident, lawsuit alleges. Jose Pineda, a 62-year-old Salvadoran immigrant with Temporary Protected Status and a pending T visa, says he was held for two days in "cruel and inhumane conditions" at a Burlington ICE facility despite his legal status. Lawyers for Civil Rights is seeking damages, alleging racial profiling. Boston.com →

A death that hits close to City Hall. Louisa Gag, a staff member for Mayor Michelle Wu, was killed in a bicycle crash in Roxbury Crossing. Details are still emerging, but it's a sobering reminder of Boston's ongoing struggle with cyclist safety. WBZ / CBS Boston →

Worth Your Attention

July 15: The State Ballot Law Commission holds a hearing on whether fraud tainted the signature drive behind the marijuana repeal ballot question — the measure squeaked onto the ballot by just 122 signatures. CommonWealth Beacon →

July 27: Maine Democrats face a hard deadline to pick a replacement Senate nominee after Graham Platner's withdrawal — at least eight candidates, including Shenna Bellows and Troy Jackson, are already jockeying for the nod to face Sen. Susan Collins. WBZ / CBS Boston →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Desk

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,000.00	Lisa Coll (Not Employed), Auburndale, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Marla Glanzer Curtis (Maria Glanzer Curtis), Boxford, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Meade G Curtis (Winn Development), Weston, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Jennifer Eddy (Not employed), Ipswich, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Ken Flick (Not Employed), Wilton Manors, FL → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Edward Harvey (Noble and Greenough School), Boston, MA → Thomas Melville [Individual]
$1,000.00	Danleigh KAPLAN (not employed), Washington, DC → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Stephen Katsurinis (8 Dyer Hotel), Provincetown, MA → Julian Andre Cyr [Individual]
$1,000.00	G. Lawrence Langford (Not Employed), Charlemont, MA → Corinne Coryat [Individual]
$1,000.00	Brian Moore (Nelson Mullins), Wellesley, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Monday, July 13, 4:00 PM

None

Topic: SPECIAL COMMISSION ON CABO VERDEAN CULTURAL CENTER

Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston

Tuesday, July 14, 9:00 AM

Joint Committee on Transportation (4 bills)

Topic: Regarding four lately filed pieces of legislation.

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5504: An Act authorizing the town of Hingham to grant to the Commonwealth of Massachus (Filed by Joan Meschino)
H5529: An Act creating a Legion of Merit license plate (Filed by Todd M. Smola)
H5503: An Act designating a certain bridge in the city of Gardner as the Representative (Filed by Jonathan D. Zlotnik)
S3169: An Act authorizing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to take easeme (Filed by Cindy F. Friedman)

Tuesday, July 14, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Public Service (13 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5468: An Act authorizing the town of Princeton to continue the employment of police of (Filed by Kimberly N. Ferguson)
H5498: An Act authorizing the grant of creditable service to Thomas Brooks (Filed by Mark J. Cusack)
H5507: An Act authorizing the Adams Fire District to allow firefighters to continue to (Filed by John Barrett, III)
H5513: An Act authorizing the town of Middleton to continue the employment of police of (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5514: An Act directing the city of Boston Police Department to waive the maximum age r (Filed by Christopher J. Worrell)
... and 8 more bills

Tuesday, July 14, 1:00 PM

None

Topic: Status of Persons with Disabilities Event - "Meeting the Moment" Community Conversation and Resource Fair

Location: Northampton Senior Center, Northampton

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Paul Saccardo (Democratic) — House, 6th Norfolk — Filed: 7/8/2026
Jose Candelario Gonzalez — House, 5th Hampden — Filed: 7/6/2026

PACs

Progressive Cambridge Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/8/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Abundant Housing Legalize Starter Homes — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/6/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Debating her teen social media bill on the Senate floor, Sen. Cindy Creem painted a picture a lot of parents will recognize: "How many times have we been to a restaurant and seen parents having a wonderful dinner, and a two-year-old on his tablet?" No further comment needed. WBUR →

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#81

July 10, 2026

The Mass Brief — Wednesday, July 08, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Good morning. It's Quock Walker Day — the 1781 court case that helped end slavery in Massachusetts — and today also happens to be the day thousands of nurses walk off the job at one of the state's most prominent hospitals. Let's get into it.

The Lead

More than 4,000 registered nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital are on strike this morning — the largest nurses' strike in Massachusetts history, and the first in the state since 2022. At the same time, 450 Mass General Brigham home care clinicians are beginning a separate, seven-day walkout as they negotiate their first-ever union contract.

The core dispute is money, but it's really about who absorbs the cost of running a modern hospital system. Brigham nurses get automatic "step" raises for their first two decades on the job, and historically they've also gotten cost-of-living adjustments on top of that. This round, MGB says it can't afford the COLA bump and points out Brigham nurses are already the best-paid in the state. The Massachusetts Nurses Association counters that the system's top executives are pulling in millions annually, so the money is there — it's a question of priorities. Governor Maura Healey tried to broker a last-minute deal Monday, meeting with MGB's CFO and general counsel along with MNA leadership, but no bargaining committee members were in the room and no resolution emerged.

Watch for two things: how long the strike actually lasts (it's billed as one day for the Brigham nurses, but the home care strike runs a full week), and how MGB's hastily hired 1,300 traveling nurses handle patient care in the meantime. If care quality slips publicly, it strengthens the union's hand. If the system runs smoothly, it undercuts the nurses' core argument. Either way, this is a preview of a fight likely to recur across Massachusetts' hospital-heavy economy as healthcare labor costs keep climbing. Full story at WBUR →

What Else You Should Know

Brockton's mayor may be criminally charged. State Police assigned to the Plymouth County DA's office have filed for a clerk's hearing on a proposed assault and battery charge against Mayor Moises Rodrigues, who's already facing multiple complaints from Brockton High School students alleging inappropriate touching during school events. No hearing date has been set, and officials haven't specified which incident triggered this particular filing. Boston Globe →

"Reeks of fraud and corruption." State Auditor Diana DiZoglio wants an independent probe of MassHousing's Gateway Housing Rehabilitation Program after a Globe Spotlight investigation found $1.4 million went to developers with hidden ties to the state official who awarded the grants. MassHousing hired an outside law firm to review its own findings — a move DiZoglio called "performative" and more about protecting the agency than the public. Boston Globe →

The age question gets real. Ahead of tonight's first primary debate in Chicopee, the Globe talked to 15 Massachusetts voters in their 80s about whether they'd back 80-year-old Senator Ed Markey over 47-year-old challenger Seth Moulton. Nearly all had reservations — not about Markey's politics, but about sending someone their age to Washington for six more years. Boston Globe →

Massachusetts delegation piles on Platner. At least five members of the state's congressional delegation, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, are calling on Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to drop out after a new sexual assault allegation. Bernie Sanders — Platner's most prominent backer — has also urged him to step aside, and Maine Democrats are already quietly sketching out replacement scenarios. GBH News →

A death reopens the ShotSpotter fight. Cambridge police unions are pointing to the July 4 shooting death of 32-year-old city employee Xavier Bautista as evidence that the City Council's recent vote to drop ShotSpotter gunshot-detection technology was a mistake. Bautista's body wasn't found for roughly an hour after the shooting — police say sensors might have gotten help there faster. GBH News →

A historic first for the BPDA board. Mayor Michelle Wu has nominated affordable housing developer Felicia Jacques to Boston's powerful planning board, where she'd be the first Black woman to serve if the City Council confirms her. Jacques's firm, Maloney Development, built Franklin Highlands and Morville House, both fixtures of the city's affordable housing lottery. Boston Globe →

Worth Your Attention

Tonight: Markey and Moulton face off in their first Senate primary debate in Chicopee — a preview of what's likely to be a bruising September. Boston Globe →

Thursday, 3:10 p.m.: The UK's Royal Air Force Red Arrows will do a smoke-trailing flyover of the State House to mark 250 years of American independence — best viewed from the Hooker entrance or Boston Common. WBUR →

This week: More than 50 tall ships from 21 countries are set to fill Boston Harbor — details still coming together, but it's shaping up to be a major public event. Boston Globe →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Desk

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$6,545.04	CTE Kate Lipper Garabedian, Melrose, MA → Kate Lipper-Garabedian [Non-Contribution]
$1,000.00	Janet Warwick (Varnell & Warwick), St. Petersburg, FL → Persis Yu [Individual]
$1,000.00	Thomas Green (Retired), Williamstown, MA → John Barrett [Individual]
$1,000.00	Lawrence Novak, Brockton, MA → Lawrence Novak [Candidate Loan]
$1,000.00	Brian Renaud (Retired), Williamstown, MA → John Barrett [Individual]
$1,000.00	Rosemary Scapicchio (Self), Weymouth, MA → Macy Lee [Individual]
$1,000.00	Daniel Trombley (Retired), Williamstown, MA → John Barrett [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Wednesday, July 08, 2:00 PM

Child Welfare Protection

Topic: Conference committee meeting on H4644/S2659

Location: 437 , Boston

Wednesday, July 08, 2:30 PM

Environmental Bond

Topic: Conference Committee of the House and Senate to Resolve Differences Between S.3064 and H.5518 - Meeting Notice

Location: 428 , Boston

Monday, July 13, 4:00 PM

None

Topic: SPECIAL COMMISSION ON CABO VERDEAN CULTURAL CENTER

Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston

Tuesday, July 14, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Public Service (13 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5468: An Act authorizing the town of Princeton to continue the employment of police of (Filed by Kimberly N. Ferguson)
H5498: An Act authorizing the grant of creditable service to Thomas Brooks (Filed by Mark J. Cusack)
H5507: An Act authorizing the Adams Fire District to allow firefighters to continue to (Filed by John Barrett, III)
H5513: An Act authorizing the town of Middleton to continue the employment of police of (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5514: An Act directing the city of Boston Police Department to waive the maximum age r (Filed by Christopher J. Worrell)
... and 8 more bills

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Jose Candelario Gonzalez — House, 5th Hampden — Filed: 7/6/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Abundant Housing Legalize Starter Homes — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/6/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Noah Kahan is playing four nights at Fenway this week, and the fireworks aren't gunfire — the Boston Fire Department wanted you to know that before you called 911. City Councilor Sharon Durkan is also pushing a resolution Wednesday to declare this Saturday "Noah Kahan Day" in Boston, citing his formative years spent in Watertown. Somewhere, a Stick Season needle drop is playing. Universal Hub →

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#80

July 8, 2026

The Mass Brief — Tuesday, July 07, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Good morning. Rain's finally moving in to break the drought, which is about the only good news on the docket today. Let's get into it.

The Lead

Boston is having a hard conversation with itself this week, and it's the kind that never resolves neatly. Five shootings over the Fourth of July weekend left two people dead and 11 injured, most of them in Roxbury, and by Monday the city's political class had split into two camps that don't disagree so much as talk past each other. City Councilors Brian Worrell and Miniard Culpepper stood in Roxbury calling for more investment in community violence-prevention groups — the kind of grassroots, long-game work that groups like Dorchester's 10,000 Fearless Peacemakers do. Meanwhile, Boston Police Patrolmen's Association president Larry Calderone said morale is the worst he's seen in 30 years on the job, and that the department is bleeding officers faster than Mayor Michelle Wu's administration can replace them — down to roughly 2,100 sworn officers against a 1976 city ordinance requiring 2,500, with only about 1,640 actually answering 911 calls day to day.

Both sides have a point, and both are talking about the same underlying problem from opposite ends: a city that hasn't figured out how to staff its police department at ordinance-mandated levels while also funding the kind of sustained community work that groups like Culpepper's allies say actually changes outcomes over years, not news cycles. Wu, for her part, is leaning on declining overall crime stats and recent 100-plus-recruit academy classes as evidence the city's approach is working. That argument gets harder to make after a weekend like this one.

Layer onto that the fight happening 15 minutes north in Cambridge, where a DPW worker named Xavier Bautista was shot and killed early on the Fourth and lay undiscovered for roughly an hour — precisely the scenario police unions warned about when the City Council voted in May to drop the ShotSpotter gunshot-detection system. No 911 calls came in reporting gunfire. Whether ShotSpotter would have saved Bautista's life is unknowable, but the union talking point now has a face and a name attached to it, and that changes the politics of every city council in the state currently debating whether to keep or cut the technology. Expect this debate to get louder before it gets quieter. Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

Norwood Hospital could finally reopen — by government seizure. Beacon Hill is moving fast on a bill letting the state take the unfinished hospital site by eminent domain, then hand it to a nonprofit operator, resolving a piece of the Steward Health Care collapse that's left roughly 250,000 people without a full-service hospital since 2020. The House already passed it; the Senate gave initial approval Monday. GBH News →

BPS layoffs are happening — and City Hall says no to using reserves to stop them. More than 560 positions are being eliminated under the $1.7 billion Boston Public Schools budget, and Councilor Ed Flynn's push to tap reserve funds to save jobs — many held by lower-income women of color working with vulnerable students — got rebuffed by the Wu administration. Boston.com →

The House wants to rein in e-bikes. A $425 million economic development bill unveiled Monday includes a tiered regulatory framework for e-bikes, mopeds, and scooters — similar to what Governor Healey proposed in May — aimed at the explosion of fast-moving devices on sidewalks and paths since the pandemic. The House votes Wednesday. Boston Globe →

Chinatown's air is finally getting attention. The neighborhood has the worst air quality and highest vehicle emissions in Massachusetts, sandwiched between two interstates, and residents like 21-year-old Ada Wu grew up managing childhood asthma because of it. New monitoring stations and a revived Community Clean Air Grant program are the state and city's latest attempts to address decades of exposure. Boston Globe →

Most Bay Staters think police hid evidence in the Karen Read case. A new UNH poll found 69% of Massachusetts residents familiar with the case believe police definitely or probably concealed evidence, and nearly two-thirds see it as symptomatic of broader policing problems in the state. Meanwhile, seven Democrats are running to replace retiring Norfolk DA Michael Morrissey, and the Read case dominated their pitch to voters. Boston.com →

Maine's Senate race just blew up, and Massachusetts Democrats are watching closely. Senate nominee Graham Platner is "reflecting" on whether to stay in the race against Susan Collins after a former girlfriend told Politico and CNN he sexually assaulted her in 2021. Chuck Schumer and Maine party leadership are calling on him to drop out; he denies the allegation but hasn't committed to staying in. WCVB →

Worth Your Attention

Wednesday: The Mass. House votes on the $425 million economic development bill, which includes the e-bike regulations and new housing rules for religious-institution land. Boston Globe →

September 1: Norfolk County's crowded Democratic DA primary, with seven candidates jockeying to define the office post-Morrissey and post-Karen Read. WBZ/CBS Boston →

This week: Expect more City Council pressure on the Wu administration over both police staffing and BPS layoffs as officials weigh a possible public safety summit. Boston.com →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Desk

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,273.80	Contributions Total Member, Milford, MA → MA Correction Officers Federated Union PAC M.C.O.F.U PAC [Voluntary Payroll Deduction]
$1,000.00	Abigail Jewett (PMI US Corporate Services), West Hartford, CT → Kimberley Driscoll [Individual]
$1,000.00	Marc Pacheco (Not Employed), Taunton, MA → Kimberley Driscoll [Individual]

Big Spending This Week

$34,615.40	Michael Minogue paid RJKPayServiceFee — WEB PMTS [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$32,100.00	Michael Minogue paid MAXWELL LUCIANOS BANQUET CENTER — EVENT EXPENSE: FACILITY & CATERING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$10,000.00	Andrea Joy Campbell paid 4C PARTNERS, LLC/SALE [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,500.00	Latoya Gayle paid MALLON BONNER — CONSULTING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$5,374.93	Maura T. Healey paid Execupay 01SOVk/TAX IMPOUN [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$5,000.00	Lydia Edwards paid KC STRATEGIES — Consulting - No Sub Vend Rep Req [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$5,000.00	David Solet paid KRM CONSULTING SERVICES LLC — CONSULTING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$5,000.00	Adam Gray Hinds paid MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE — Check [Bank Reported Expenditure]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Tuesday, July 07, 1:00 PM

Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice

Topic: Informational Hearing on Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board 2025 Annual Report

Location: 222 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Senate Committee on the Census

Topic: Census Racial Categorization and Redistricting

Location: A-1 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Massachusetts Data Privacy Act

Topic: Data Privacy Conference Committee Initial Meeting

Location: A-2 , Boston

Wednesday, July 08, 2:30 PM

Environmental Bond

Topic: Conference Committee of the House and Senate to Resolve Differences Between S.3064 and H.5518 - Meeting Notice

Location: 428 , Boston

Monday, July 13, 4:00 PM

None

Topic: SPECIAL COMMISSION ON CABO VERDEAN CULTURAL CENTER

Location: Virtual Hearing, Boston

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Jose Candelario Gonzalez — House, 5th Hampden — Filed: 7/6/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Abundant Housing Legalize Starter Homes — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/6/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Police in Sturbridge are looking for a U-Haul driver caught on camera weaving in and out of highway traffic — proof that whatever chaos energy defined this holiday weekend, it wasn't confined to big cities. If you know who was behind the wheel, the Sturbridge PD would very much like to hear from you. WBZ/CBS Boston →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward this to someone who needs to know what's happening in Massachusetts.

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#79

July 7, 2026

The Mass Brief — Monday, July 06, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Monday, July 6, 2026

Good morning. Hope your long weekend involved fewer illegal fireworks than Boston's did. Let's get into it.

THE LEAD

The Merrimack Valley bus strike is now in its second week, and it's not just an inconvenience — for some riders, it's a crisis. Roughly 114 drivers with Teamsters Local 170 have been picketing around the clock outside Merrimack Valley Transit's Haverhill headquarters since before the holiday weekend, leaving the free MeVA bus system — which serves 16 cities and towns including Lawrence, Haverhill, and North Andover — completely dark. For riders like Martin Leahy, a 61-year-old formerly unhoused Lawrence resident who depends on the bus to reach his caseworker and doctors' appointments, the strike isn't an abstraction. It's a wall between him and the services keeping his life stable.

The dispute boils down to scheduling: MeVA wants to fold Saturday shifts into drivers' regular schedules instead of keeping them optional overtime, a system that's been in place since 1976. The agency has offered a 25 percent raise over three years as a trade-off, but the union isn't biting yet. Both sides talked Sunday and were set to continue Monday morning, and MeVA administrator Noah Berger says he's hopeful a deal is close. But "hopeful" doesn't get anyone to a dentist appointment in Haverhill.

Watch this one closely — not just because thousands of low-income, elderly, and disabled riders in the Merrimack Valley have no other way to get around, but because it's a preview of a fight playing out at transit agencies statewide as they try to control costs while keeping workers from walking. If MeVA and the union don't settle soon, expect state officials to start feeling pressure to intervene. Full story at Boston Globe →

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

Boston's bloody Fourth. Five separate shootings left 13 people injured and two dead over the holiday weekend, including back-to-back incidents on Blue Hill Avenue and George Street in Roxbury early Sunday morning. Police Commissioner Michael Cox blamed the violence on large gatherings mixing illegal fireworks, alcohol, and firearms, warning "it's a long summer" ahead. WBZ / CBS Boston →

Cambridge's algebra experiment hits a wall. The district's move to put every eighth-grader into Algebra I this year — meant to open doors to advanced math tracks — backfired for many: more than 60 percent of rising ninth-graders will have to retake the class in high school. Teachers who spoke anonymously called the rollout rushed and poorly planned, a cautionary tale for other districts eyeing similar universal-algebra pushes. Boston Globe →

The MBTA still won't say what it did about Phil Eng. More than a month after acknowledging that General Manager Phil Eng pulled an employee's hair at a work dinner, the T has refused to answer basic questions about whether it investigated the incident at all. Employment lawyers say that silence is unusual for a case involving an agency's top official. Boston Globe →

GOP civil war intensifies as Minogue surges. A new poll shows businessman Mike Minogue building a commanding lead in the Republican primary for governor, but the more interesting story is the party infighting escalating around him. MassLive →

Your grocery bill might be about to get more expensive — for the state. A rising SNAP error rate could shift more of the program's cost burden onto Massachusetts taxpayers, a wonky-sounding development that could mean real budget pressure and possibly tighter eligibility rules down the line. MassLive →

Marshfield puts opioid settlement money to work. The Select Board unanimously approved a $32,000 grant from the town's opioid settlement fund to Plymouth County Outreach, part of a $1.8 million pipeline of settlement dollars the town will receive through 2039 to fund recovery coaching and post-overdose care. South Shore News →

WORTH YOUR ATTENTION

Flooding risk today and tomorrow. A flood watch stretches from Rhode Island and Connecticut into Plymouth, Bristol, and Barnstable counties through Tuesday afternoon, with some spots possibly seeing over three inches of rain. WCVB →

WGI's expansion meeting in Southwick. After winning Town Meeting approval for a tax increment financing deal, WGI Inc. is holding a community outreach session to gather feedback on its planned 68,000-square-foot facility as it seeks a special permit. MassLive →

Senate social media bill takes shape. State senators unveiled a proposal targeting "addictive design" features in social media platforms rather than the outright ban the House already passed — expect a conference committee fight this session. WWLP →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Desk

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

✅ [July 01] Emergency preamble adopted

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Big Spending This Week

$34,615.40	Michael Minogue paid RJKPayServiceFee — WEB PMTS [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$32,100.00	Michael Minogue paid MAXWELL LUCIANOS BANQUET CENTER — EVENT EXPENSE: FACILITY & CATERING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$26,582.58	Michael Minogue paid GUSTO — NET [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$18,244.16	Brian Shortsleeve paid GUSTO — NET [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$10,617.69	Michael Minogue paid GUSTO — TAX [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$10,000.00	Andrea Joy Campbell paid 4C PARTNERS, LLC/SALE [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$8,117.57	Brian Shortsleeve paid GUSTO — TAX [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$7,456.66	Shannon Teabo paid CONNOLLY PRINTING — ATM POS DEBIT [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,500.00	Latoya Gayle paid MALLON BONNER — CONSULTING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,000.00	Nicholas P. Collins paid RESTAURANT CES — DBT PURCHASE [Bank Reported Expenditure]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Tuesday, July 07, 1:00 PM

Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice

Topic: Informational Hearing on Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board 2025 Annual Report

Location: 222 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Senate Committee on the Census

Topic: Census Racial Categorization and Redistricting

Location: A-1 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Massachusetts Data Privacy Act

Topic: Data Privacy Conference Committee Initial Meeting

Location: A-2 , Boston

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Change of Purposes

Ana Levy — City Councilor, Lawrence → House, 16th Essex — Filed: 6/30/2026

OCPF →

ONE MORE THING

For 141 years, observers at the Blue Hill Observatory south of Boston have recorded the exact day the first berry ripens on a single wild blueberry bush that's been growing there since 1885. Back at the turn of the last century, that day fell in late June; now it's arriving a full week earlier on average — a tiny, delicious data point in a very big story about a warming New England. WBUR →

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#78

July 6, 2026

The Mass Brief — Sunday, July 05, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Sunday, July 05, 2026

Good morning. Hope your Fourth was more fireworks-and-cookout than storm-evacuation, though a lot of you got both. Here's what's happening across the Commonwealth.

The Lead

A Cambridge city employee is dead after being shot early Saturday morning, and the case is a grim reminder that violence doesn't take holidays off. Xavier Bautista, 32, a member of the city's Department of Public Works, was shot before 4:30 a.m. near the intersection of Broadway and Norfolk Street — but wasn't found until roughly an hour later, when a pedestrian discovered his body and called 911 around 5:30 a.m. Cambridge Fire paramedics declared him dead at the scene.

What makes this story sting beyond the usual tragedy of gun violence is the timeline: Bautista lay on the pavement, apparently unnoticed, for close to an hour in a residential part of the city near Sennott Park. City Manager Yi-An Huang and Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui issued a joint statement calling him "deeply loved" and pledging that "gun violence has absolutely no place in our city." Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Cambridge Police Commissioner Pauline Wells, and Massachusetts State Police are all involved in the investigation, but as of Sunday morning, no arrests have been made and police have released no details about a motive or suspect.

The next 48 to 72 hours matter a lot here — homicide investigations tend to go cold fast without early tips, and Cambridge police are explicitly asking anyone with information to call (617) 349-3300 or submit an anonymous tip. Watch for whether the DA's office releases more about the circumstances, and whether this becomes a flashpoint in city budget conversations about public safety funding, given DPW workers are now grieving one of their own. Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

A second shooting, this one in Dorchester. Just hours after the Cambridge killing, a man was shot late Saturday night on Fayston Street in Dorchester and is in critical condition. Boston police homicide detectives responded given the severity of his injuries, and the investigation is ongoing — no word yet on a motive or suspects. Boston Globe →

A 105 mph wrong-way chase over the Bourne Bridge. A 74-year-old Falmouth man, Armando Deleon, is being held without bail after allegedly nearly hitting a state trooper and a patient on a stretcher, then leading police on a wrong-way pursuit across the Bourne Bridge and through the rotary at highway speeds before barricading himself in his home. He's facing more than a dozen charges. Boston.com →

Should Healey say no to school vouchers? A CommonWealth Beacon opinion piece argues Governor Maura Healey should reject a new federal tax-credit voucher program set to take effect in 2027 — part of the Trump administration's push, rooted in Project 2025, to funnel public money toward private school tuition through dollar-for-dollar donation credits. Three other governors have already opted out; Healey has until year's end to decide. CommonWealth Beacon →

Massachusetts is done outsourcing its sewage surveillance. Biobot Analytics, the Cambridge startup that pioneered COVID wastewater tracking, is losing its $400,000-a-month state contract at the end of July as Massachusetts brings testing in-house at a quarter of the cost. It's a case study in how a pandemic-era innovation became routine enough that government decided it didn't need the middleman anymore. Boston Globe →

Weymouth locks in a $16.6 million bus contract — but the real drama was over the minutes. The School Committee approved a five-year deal with First Student for student transportation, but the meeting devolved into accusations that official minutes omitted "inappropriate and offensive comments" from the chair, with one member accusing her of targeting a colleague's child. South Shore News →

Cohasset says goodbye to two central-office veterans — and picks up a surprise state check. The School Committee honored the retirements of Assistant Superintendent Leslie Scollins and finance director Susan Owen, while also celebrating a $70,000 earmark from state Senator Patrick O'Connor that will restore department head positions for next school year. South Shore News →

Worth Your Attention

July 31: Massachusetts' contract with Biobot Analytics for wastewater COVID surveillance officially ends as the state shifts testing in-house. Boston Globe →

End of 2026: Governor Healey faces a deadline to decide whether Massachusetts opts into the federal school voucher tax-credit program. CommonWealth Beacon →

Ongoing: Cambridge Police are seeking tips in the Xavier Bautista homicide investigation — call (617) 349-3300 with information. WCVB →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Desk

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

📋 [July 01] Reported from the committee of conference

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 223)

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted, in concurrence

📋 [July 01] Enacted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 224)

📋 [July 01] Enacted -see Roll Call #200 (Yeas 39 to Nays 1)

📋 [July 01] Laid before the Governor

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,000.00	Jw Carney (Carney, Gaudet & Carney), Chestnut Hill, MA → William N. Brownsberger [Individual]
$1,000.00	Robert Parisi-trone (Retired), Potomac, MD → William N. Brownsberger [Individual]

Big Spending This Week

$34,615.40	Michael Minogue paid RJKPayServiceFee — WEB PMTS [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$32,100.00	Michael Minogue paid MAXWELL LUCIANOS BANQUET CENTER — EVENT EXPENSE: FACILITY & CATERING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$26,582.58	Michael Minogue paid GUSTO — NET [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$18,244.16	Brian Shortsleeve paid GUSTO — NET [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$10,617.69	Michael Minogue paid GUSTO — TAX [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$10,000.00	Andrea Joy Campbell paid 4C PARTNERS, LLC/SALE [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$8,117.57	Brian Shortsleeve paid GUSTO — TAX [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$7,456.66	Shannon Teabo paid CONNOLLY PRINTING — ATM POS DEBIT [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,500.00	Latoya Gayle paid MALLON BONNER — CONSULTING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,000.00	Nicholas P. Collins paid RESTAURANT CES — DBT PURCHASE [Bank Reported Expenditure]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Tuesday, July 07, 1:00 PM

Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice

Topic: Informational Hearing on Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board 2025 Annual Report

Location: 222 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Massachusetts Data Privacy Act

Topic: Data Privacy Conference Committee Initial Meeting

Location: A-2 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Senate Committee on the Census

Topic: Census Racial Categorization and Redistricting

Location: A-1 , Boston

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Change of Purposes

Ana Levy — City Councilor, Lawrence → House, 16th Essex — Filed: 6/30/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

A 375-person dive bar on Nantucket is quietly becoming the island's hottest music venue, booking big-name touring bands that you'd never expect to see west of the ferry terminal. Turns out even a summer resort island can have a scrappy little scene if someone's willing to book it. MassLive →

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#77

July 5, 2026

The Mass Brief — Saturday, July 04, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Happy Fourth, everyone. Here's what's happening in Massachusetts while the burgers are on the grill.

The Lead

More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital are on track to strike Tuesday, July 8, after talks with hospital leadership collapsed Thursday with no further bargaining sessions scheduled. This isn't a small labor dispute — it's one of the largest nursing staffs in the state walking off the job at one of Mass General Brigham's flagship hospitals, and it comes down to two things: money and health insurance.

The union wants raises of 3% in year one and 4% in year two on top of the existing "step increase" system. Hospital management hasn't offered any across-the-board raise at all, arguing the automatic 5% anniversary bumps most nurses already get are enough to keep Brigham pay competitive. Meanwhile, MGB wants nurses on the Harvard Pilgrim plan — roughly half the union — to pay 2.5 percentage points more toward their monthly premiums. Nurses voted for the strike almost unanimously, and bargaining committee member Jim McCarthy didn't mince words, calling the zero-raise offer "completely disrespectful" and a threat to patient care.

What happens next matters beyond one hospital's payroll. MGB is the state's largest health system, and how this fight resolves will shape contract talks at other hospitals watching closely. If both sides don't find a deal before Tuesday, expect disruptions to scheduling and patient care at one of Boston's busiest hospitals during peak summer tourist season — right as the city is also gearing up for Sail Boston's Tall Ships event. Full story at WBUR →

What Else You Should Know

Tugboats go quiet right before the Tall Ships show up. Boston Harbor tugboat workers with Teamsters Local 25 walked off the job Thursday, timing their strike for maximum leverage — just a week before roughly 60 tall ships and an expected 4 million visitors descend on the harbor for Sail Boston. The dispute is over wages in a stalled three-year contract with Boston Towing & Transportation, and the company isn't commenting. Boston Globe →

The State Senate wants to protect kids online without ID checks. A new Senate bill (S.3164) would force social media companies to disable "addictive" features for minors but skips the age-verification requirement in Governor Maura Healey's and the House's competing plans — a move privacy advocates like Fight for the Future's Evan Greer are cheering as a way to protect kids without handing tech companies everyone's government ID. GBH News →

A 74-year-old Falmouth man is held without bail after a wild Bourne Bridge chase. Armando Deleon allegedly nearly struck EMS workers and a state trooper responding to a medical call near the bridge, then dragged a trooper with his car after being forced to stop atop a backed-up Bourne Bridge — before barricading himself at home. He's due back in court August 5. Boston Globe →

Data centers are turning up the heat, literally, in Lowell. As this week's heat wave strained the power grid, residents near a Markley Group data center in the Sacred Heart neighborhood described diesel generator fumes and buzzing AC units making already-hot days worse — a preview of the tension between the AI boom and the neighborhoods hosting its infrastructure. WBUR →

Someone tore down flags honoring a fallen Marine, again. Vandals ripped American flags off the Lance Cpl. William Joseph Donovan Jr. Memorial Bridge in Yarmouth the day before the Fourth — the second time in two summers. Cape Cod residents, including state Rep. Steve Xiarhos, are already rallying to replace them. WBZ / CBS Boston →

Springfield's future may hinge on one building. A Republican editorial argues a pending decision on a new courthouse could reshape downtown Springfield's economic trajectory for a generation — worth watching for anyone tracking Western Mass development. MassLive →

Worth Your Attention

Tuesday, July 8: Brigham and Women's nurses are set to strike absent a last-minute deal — watch for updates on patient care disruptions. WBUR →

Next week: Sail Boston's Tall Ships arrive for the Sail250 celebration, with the ongoing tugboat strike casting uncertainty over dockside logistics. Boston Globe →

Ongoing: Attorney General Andrea Campbell's legal challenge over the EPA's rollback of the endangerment finding is now before a federal appeals court in D.C. — a case that could determine the legal footing for vehicle emissions rules nationwide. WCVB →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Desk

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

📋 [July 01] Reported from the committee of conference

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 223)

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted, in concurrence

📋 [July 01] Enacted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 224)

📋 [July 01] Enacted -see Roll Call #200 (Yeas 39 to Nays 1)

📋 [July 01] Laid before the Governor

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,000.00

Salvatore Pangallo (Not Employed), Salem, MA → Dominick Pangallo [Individual]

Big Spending This Week

$34,615.40	Michael Minogue paid RJKPayServiceFee — WEB PMTS [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$32,100.00	Michael Minogue paid MAXWELL LUCIANOS BANQUET CENTER — EVENT EXPENSE: FACILITY & CATERING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$26,582.58	Michael Minogue paid GUSTO — NET [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$18,244.16	Brian Shortsleeve paid GUSTO — NET [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$10,617.69	Michael Minogue paid GUSTO — TAX [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$10,000.00	Andrea Joy Campbell paid 4C PARTNERS, LLC/SALE [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$8,117.57	Brian Shortsleeve paid GUSTO — TAX [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$7,456.66	Shannon Teabo paid CONNOLLY PRINTING — ATM POS DEBIT [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,500.00	Latoya Gayle paid MALLON BONNER — CONSULTING [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,000.00	Nicholas P. Collins paid RESTAURANT CES — DBT PURCHASE [Bank Reported Expenditure]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Tuesday, July 07, 1:00 PM

Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice

Topic: Informational Hearing on Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board 2025 Annual Report

Location: 222 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Massachusetts Data Privacy Act

Topic: Data Privacy Conference Committee Initial Meeting

Location: A-2 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Senate Committee on the Census

Topic: Census Racial Categorization and Redistricting

Location: A-1 , Boston

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Change of Purposes

Ana Levy — City Councilor, Lawrence → House, 16th Essex — Filed: 6/30/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Nothing says regional pride like arguing about hot dogs on a national holiday. New Yorkers swear by "dirty water dogs" with spiced onion sauce, Chicagoans famously refuse to put ketchup anywhere near theirs, and somewhere in Massachusetts, someone's about to ruin a perfectly good frank with baked beans. Whatever your style, enjoy the cookout. WBUR →

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#76

July 4, 2026

The Mass Brief — Friday, July 03, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Friday, July 3, 2026

Good morning. It's the last workday before a scorching, thunder-streaked holiday weekend, so let's get through this quickly — you've got fireworks to plan around, potentially at 100 degrees.

The Lead

The $63.4 billion state budget landed on Governor Maura Healey's desk this week, and buried inside it is one of the more quietly significant criminal justice reforms Massachusetts has passed in years: the state is about to stop being one of the strictest places in America for prosecuting rape.

Right now, Massachusetts bars nearly all rape prosecutions involving adult victims after 15 years — full stop, no matter what evidence turns up later. That's meant that even when DNA technology matches a suspect to an old case, prosecutors' hands have been tied. A WBUR/ProPublica investigation found that as many as 47 other states give prosecutors more time than Massachusetts does. Healey pushed to fix this in her January budget proposal, and it survived the Legislature's monthslong budget grind intact — a provision that will let prosecutors file charges indefinitely once DNA evidence produces a match, even outside that 15-year window.

Healey has already said she'll sign the budget, and has until July 11 to do it. Once she does, the change takes effect immediately, meaning cold cases sitting in evidence lockers with untested or previously unmatched DNA could suddenly become prosecutable again. This is the kind of policy shift that won't make headlines the way a governor's race or a Celtics trade will, but it will change outcomes in real cases, for real survivors, for years to come. Full story at WBUR →

What Else You Should Know

Healey's reelection ad debuts, wrapped in a flag. The governor's first TV spot of the cycle leans hard into the 250th-anniversary patriotism of the moment, set to the Dropkick Murphys, hitting her usual notes on affordability and health care without ever saying Donald Trump's name. It's a modest five-figure buy, but paired with two dark-money groups already running friendly ads, it signals the governor's race is shifting out of neutral. Boston Globe →

A dozen Weymouth voters say their names were forged on GOP nomination papers. A state commission already ruled that hundreds of signatures submitted for Republican candidates Anne Manning Martin (lieutenant governor) and Michael Walsh (attorney general) were "likely fraudulent," booting them from the primary ballot. Now the Globe has tracked down actual voters — including one who's lived in Florida for over a year — who say they never signed anything. Both candidates are appealing, including to the state's highest court. Boston Globe →

The Senate takes its own swing at kids and social media. Rather than banning minors from platforms outright like the House did, Senate leaders unveiled a bill that forces companies to turn off "addictive" features by default — infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic feeds — and send usage reminders after an hour. It skips the government-ID verification fight entirely, leaving that to the attorney general's office. A vote is expected next week, setting up a negotiation with the House over which approach survives. GBH News →

The head of the collapsed Croft School allegedly used tuition money for vacations. Scott Given ran two sets of books, forged records to hide $13 million in debt, and lied to families about Croft's finances while quietly selling off his own equity stake, according to a new complaint from Secretary of State William Galvin's securities division. The school — 600 students across Boston and Providence — closed last month despite a frantic, ultimately futile fundraising push by parents. Given is also under federal investigation. Boston Globe →

Beacon Hill's housing "fix" this session is mostly leftovers. Despite affordability topping every poll of what's stressing out Massachusetts residents, lawmakers aren't pursuing a big swing this year — just incremental moves tucked into the budget, a supplemental budget, and an economic development bill, while leaning on a housing bond bill and MBTA Communities zoning law that already passed years ago. "This isn't the monumental session for housing," says Jesse Kanson-Benanav of Abundant Housing Massachusetts. CommonWealth Beacon →

Energy bill negotiations are getting tense — and political. The Senate passed its own energy affordability package late Wednesday night, 32-8, aimed at winding down subsidies for leak-prone gas pipe replacement and putting clean energy requirements on data centers. But it's wildly different from the House's version, and with an election year bearing down, negotiators face real pressure to actually produce utility bill relief voters can feel. WBUR →

Worth Your Attention

• The Senate is expected to vote on its social media restrictions bill (S.3164) sometime next week — worth watching how it's reconciled with the House's more restrictive ban. WBUR →

• Governor Healey has until July 11 to sign the $63.4 billion state budget, which includes the DNA/rape prosecution fix and no new taxes or fees. CommonWealth Beacon →

• The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the Esplanade opens gates four hours later than usual Saturday — 4 p.m. — because of the heat, with cooling and misting stations on site. WBUR →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Desk

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

📋 [July 01] Reported from the committee of conference

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 223)

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted, in concurrence

📋 [July 01] Enacted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 224)

📋 [July 01] Enacted -see Roll Call #200 (Yeas 39 to Nays 1)

📋 [July 01] Laid before the Governor

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,041.02	Muhammad Itani (Stonebridge Homes Inc.), Easton, MA → Francis Crimmins Jr. [Individual]
$1,000.00	angus beasley (Adams+Beasley Associates), Carlisle, MA → David Solet [Individual]
$1,000.00	Christopher Carney (Carney Disposal), Hanover, MA → Philip Griffin [Individual]
$1,000.00	George Carney (Carney Disposal), Raynham, MA → Philip Griffin [Individual]
$1,000.00	Merle Chambers (Not Employed), Denver, CO → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Matthew Griffin (Griffin Tile & Stone LLC), Brockton, MA → Philip Griffin [Individual]
$1,000.00	Douglas King (Douglas A King Builders Inc), N Easton, MA → Philip Griffin [Individual]
$1,000.00	Rebecca Matchett (Synchrony Productions. LLC), NY, NY → David Solet [Individual]
$1,000.00	Robert Parisi-trone (Total Wine and More), Potomac, MD → Daniel M. Donahue [Individual]

Big Spending This Week

$20,191.25	Robert Jubinville paid GOLDEN MANET PRESS INC — NONE [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$7,456.66	Shannon Teabo paid CONNOLLY PRINTING — ATM POS DEBIT [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$7,337.20	Benjamin Ewen-Campen paid East Coast Print [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$6,000.00	Nicholas P. Collins paid RESTAURANT CES — DBT PURCHASE [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$5,000.00	Adam Gray Hinds paid MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE — Check [Bank Reported Expenditure]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Tuesday, July 07, 1:00 PM

Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice

Topic: Informational Hearing on Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board 2025 Annual Report

Location: 222 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Senate Committee on the Census

Topic: Census Racial Categorization and Redistricting

Location: A-1 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Massachusetts Data Privacy Act

Topic: Data Privacy Conference Committee Initial Meeting

Location: A-2 , Boston

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Change of Purposes

Ana Levy — City Councilor, Lawrence → House, 16th Essex — Filed: 6/30/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Boston broke a 63-year-old heat record Thursday, hitting 100 degrees and smashing the old July 2 mark of 98, set in 1963. A new study out this week found the current heat wave would have been "virtually impossible" without fossil fuel pollution — so, silver lining, at least science can now confirm what your un-air-conditioned apartment already told you. Stay hydrated, watch the radar near fireworks time, and Happy Fourth. WCVB →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Stay cool out there.

The Mass Brief • Powered by South Shore News

Get The Mass Brief every morning

Massachusetts politics, development, and daily life — straight to your inbox.

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#75

July 3, 2026

The Mass Brief — Thursday, July 02, 2026

The Mass Brief

Thursday, July 02, 2026

Your morning briefing on what matters in Massachusetts.

The Lead

Brockton’s history-making mayor is in serious trouble

Just six months after Moises Rodrigues made history as the first Black person elected mayor of Brockton, he’s now the subject of a criminal investigation. Two students have accused Rodrigues of inappropriately touching them during school-related activities, allegations serious enough to prompt the Plymouth County District Attorney to open a formal probe. The school district — which Rodrigues also chairs as head of the School Committee — has launched its own independent investigation, putting administrators in the awkward position of scrutinizing the very person who oversees them.

This is a genuinely complicated story. Rodrigues ran on a platform rooted in his own experience as a Cape Verdean immigrant who credits Brockton teachers with turning his life around. He won promising to restore dignity and stability to a school system that has been battered by years of financial mismanagement and other controversies. Now he’s the latest source of disruption. The allegations came to light dramatically on June 6 while Rodrigues was delivering a public speech — the kind of moment that’s almost impossible to walk back from politically.

What happens next depends heavily on what investigators find. The DA’s probe will move on its own timeline. The independent school investigation adds another layer of accountability — and pressure. City councilors are already speaking carefully but publicly about community concern. Rodrigues has not resigned, and whether he can survive this politically, let alone legally, is now the central question hanging over Brockton City Hall.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

Massachusetts finally has a budget — and it’s actually on time. Lawmakers sent Gov. Maura Healey a $63 billion spending plan on the first day of the new fiscal year, a rare feat of Beacon Hill punctuality. The budget increases spending by about 4 percent, largely preserves existing programs, and revives a commission to re-examine the state’s school funding formula — the first such review since the 2019 Student Opportunity Act. Education advocates are cautiously celebrating, but note that many districts are already cutting budgets while they wait for the commission’s recommendations, which aren’t due until October 2028.

Boston Globe →

Two GOP statewide candidates could be knocked off the September primary ballot. The State Ballot Law Commission ruled that Republican candidates Anne Manning Martin (lieutenant governor) and Michael Walsh (attorney general) are ineligible after signature fraud allegations invalidated enough signatures to drop them below the 10,000-signature threshold. Both are appealing. If Manning Martin’s appeal fails, Shawn Oliver — who is already campaigning as running mate to gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve — would be the only Republican LG candidate standing. The Massachusetts GOP’s preferred gubernatorial pick, Mike Minogue, currently leads Shortsleeve in polls.

Boston.com →

North Shore beach closures are over — just in time for the Fourth. Beaches at Sandy Point on Plum Island and Salisbury Beach Reservation have reopened after water quality testing showed bacteria levels back to normal following a raw sewage spill into the Merrimack River in Haverhill. A temporary bypass pipe stopped the flow of untreated wastewater, and Ipswich beaches also reopened Wednesday. Signage was being updated Thursday morning.

Boston Globe →

Merrimack Valley bus riders are stranded. Drivers, mechanics, and other workers at the Merrimack Valley Transit Authority walked off the job Wednesday in a labor dispute over weekend shift pay. The Teamsters Local 170 says management wants to eliminate overtime rates for Saturday work and force lower-seniority employees onto weekends — essentially a pay cut. MeVa serves Lawrence, Haverhill, Newburyport, Methuen, and surrounding communities. No resolution is in sight, and for riders who depend on the bus to get to work, this isn’t a minor inconvenience.

Boston.com →

Plymouth is staring down a fiscal cliff. The Plymouth Select Board held an emergency economic development workshop to confront a looming problem: the massive housing developments that have fueled the town’s tax revenue for years are nearly fully built out. With the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant long gone and residential construction approaching its ceiling, officials warn that the town’s 83-percent-residential tax base is unsustainable. The plan involves aggressive rezoning, courting light industry, and reviving dormant commercial sites like Cordage Park — but the window to act is narrowing fast.

South Shore News →

The House wants you to know who’s paying for ballot question campaigns. The Massachusetts House unanimously passed the Ballot Spending Transparency Act, which would require real-time campaign finance disclosure for groups spending on statewide ballot questions. The bill now heads to a conference committee to be reconciled with a similar Senate version before going to Healey. It’s a bipartisan win with genuine teeth — voters have long been left guessing about the deep-pocketed interests behind initiative campaigns.

State House News Service →

Worth Your Attention

AG Campbell’s updated fantasy sports regulations are open for public comment — if you play DraftKings or similar platforms, her office’s new draft rules on responsible gaming, youth protections, and data privacy are worth a look. State House News Service →

The Boston City Council is debating whether to make 3 a.m. bar closings permanent after the World Cup pilot — Councilor Brian Worrell is pushing to keep the later last call, while Councilor Ed Flynn is pumping the brakes over public safety concerns. Worth watching as it heads toward a formal vote. Universal Hub →

Cohasset residents won a rare one — the Select Board voted 5-0 to scrap plans for a 17-story cell tower inside Wheelwright Park and find an alternative site, after residents delivered a 199–30 rebuke at Town Meeting. South Shore News →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Sent to Governor

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

Conference Budget (H5555) — governor_desk

📋 [July 01] Reported from the committee of conference

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 223)

📋 [July 01] Committee of conference report accepted, in concurrence

📋 [July 01] Enacted - 142 YEAS to 6 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 224)

📋 [July 01] Enacted -see Roll Call #200 (Yeas 39 to Nays 1)

📋 [July 01] Laid before the Governor

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$2,000.00	Peter Warren, Monson, MA → Peter Warren [Candidate Loan]
$1,000.00	Chris Caruso (Self Employed), Washington, NJ → Stephen Cavey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Richard R. Galbraith (Retired), Sandwich, MA → Dylan Fernandes [Individual]
$1,000.00	Ralph Martin (Prince Lobel), Chestnut Hill, MA → Djuna Perkins [Individual]

Big Spending This Week

$7,456.66	Shannon Teabo paid CONNOLLY PRINTING — ATM POS DEBIT [Bank Reported Expenditure]
$7,337.20	Benjamin Ewen-Campen paid East Coast Print [Bank Reported Expenditure]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Thursday, July 02, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets (2 bills)

Topic: H5527 - An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovation; "The MassWins Act", H.5519, Chapter 90 Terms

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5527: An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovati (Filed by Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies)
H5519: An Act providing for the terms of certain bonds to be issued by the Commonwealth (Filed by Maura T. Healey)

Tuesday, July 07, 1:00 PM

Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice

Topic: Informational Hearing on Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board 2025 Annual Report

Location: 222 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Massachusetts Data Privacy Act

Topic: Data Privacy Conference Committee Initial Meeting

Location: A-2 , Boston

Tuesday, July 07, 2:00 PM

Senate Committee on the Census

Topic: Census Racial Categorization and Redistricting

Location: A-1 , Boston

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Kenneth Willette (Republican) — House, 4th Essex — Filed: 6/26/2026

Change of Purposes

Ana Levy — City Councilor, Lawrence → House, 16th Essex — Filed: 6/30/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

A young black bear has now been spotted two days in a row in Randolph — first near Jane and Mitchell streets, then near West and Fowler streets — and wildlife officials say he’s just looking for a snack and will probably wander home on his own. MassWildlife counts at least 4,500 black bears in the state, with their range creeping steadily eastward. At this rate, the South Shore is next. Boston Globe →

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#74

July 2, 2026

The Mass Brief — Wednesday, July 01, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Good morning. Here's what Massachusetts needs to know today.

THE LEAD

Merrimack Valley's Bus System Is Shut Down — Right Before a Heat Wave and a Holiday

At midnight, 138 Teamsters Local 170 bus drivers and mechanics walked off the job at Merrimack Valley Transit, grinding MeVa service to a halt across 16 communities in the northeastern part of the state — including Lawrence, Lowell, Haverhill, Methuen, Newburyport, and Andover. The timing couldn't be worse: temperatures are climbing toward triple digits, and the Fourth of July weekend starts in three days.

The core fight is about Saturdays. Drivers have been able to volunteer for Saturday overtime shifts since 1976. MeVa wants to make those shifts mandatory and pay a flat $3-an-hour premium instead of overtime rates. The agency is offering a solid 25.4% wage increase over three years, but the union says the Saturday money still doesn't come close to what drivers currently earn in overtime — and that plenty of workers simply don't want to give up their weekends. MeVa Administrator Noah Berger says the current system is unsustainable. Both sides voted down two contract proposals. Nobody blinked.

Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was already sounding alarms Tuesday night, urging residents to arrange backup transportation and check on elderly neighbors and people with disabilities who depend on the buses. With extreme heat moving in, this isn't just an inconvenience — for transit-dependent residents trying to get to work, medical appointments, or just somewhere cool, it's a genuine crisis. There's no timeline yet for when talks might resume.

Full story at Boston Globe →

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

🚨 Sewage in the Merrimack, Beaches Closed Heading Into July 4th

A violent Friday thunderstorm overwhelmed a 42-inch wastewater main at Haverhill's South Mill Street pump station — a pipe built to handle 8 million gallons that got hit with 60 to 65 million — and it's been dumping raw sewage into the Merrimack River ever since. Beaches downstream in Newburyport, Salisbury, Ipswich, and Essex are closed to swimmers. Governor Maura Healey and Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett say a temporary bypass pipe could be operational within 24 hours, which would "essentially save the Fourth of July from ruin," Barrett said. Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon had a blunter take: right now, it's a "Jaws-like scenario." An opinion piece from CommonWealth Beacon argues the spill is a loud reminder that the state hasn't invested nearly enough in aging climate-vulnerable infrastructure.

Boston Globe → | CommonWealth Beacon →

💰 Legislature Sends Healey a $63 Billion Budget — On Literally the Last Day

House and Senate Democrats unveiled a $63.4 billion fiscal year 2027 spending deal on Tuesday — one day before the new fiscal year began — and planned to send it to Governor Healey on Wednesday. No tax or fee increases, a 4% bump over last year's budget, and a new commission to reexamine the school funding formula lawmakers last overhauled in 2019. Senate budget chief Senator Michael Rodrigues called the plan "very tight." Whether it's tight enough heading into a November election is another question.

Boston Globe →

⚡ The Senate Takes Up a Sweeping Energy Bill Today

The Massachusetts Senate is debating a major energy affordability bill Wednesday that supporters say could save ratepayers more than $14 billion over a decade by reining in utility overspending, winding down a costly gas pipe replacement program, and consolidating grid planning. Senators filed 183 amendments — yes, 183 — so expect a long day on the floor. The House passed its own version back in February, and the two chambers will eventually need to reconcile the differences.

CommonWealth Beacon →

⚖️ Trump DOJ Sues Massachusetts Over In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students

The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against Massachusetts (and Rhode Island) Monday, targeting the state law that allows students without legal immigration status who graduated from Massachusetts high schools to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. The DOJ argues it amounts to unconstitutional discrimination against out-of-state American citizens. The Healey administration called it "yet another attempt by President Trump to punish immigrant families." The lawsuit adds Massachusetts to a growing list of blue states tangled in federal immigration enforcement fights.

CommonWealth Beacon →

🏛️ Healey Wants Medical Debt Off Your Credit Report

The governor announced a proposed regulation Tuesday that would bar licensed health care providers and their debt collectors from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus. The argument: getting sick shouldn't tank your ability to rent an apartment or get a loan. The rules have already cleared the state's Department of Public Health. A public comment period is expected before they take effect.

GBH News →

🚔 State Police Coverup Investigation Widens

Court documents reveal that a current Massachusetts State Police sergeant and a former lieutenant are now subjects of a criminal investigation tied to the alleged coverup of Sergeant Scott Quigley's role in a fatal 2023 crash. Prosecutors say Quigley was driving drunk when his cruiser crossed into oncoming traffic and killed Angelo Schettino, 37. The scandal has already delayed a separate murder trial in Lowell. No charges have been filed against Lieutenant Anthony DeLucia or Sergeant Mark Delaney as of Tuesday night.

Boston.com →

WORTH YOUR ATTENTION

Beacon Hill's July 31 Deadline

The Legislature enters its final month of formal sessions with the energy bill, an economic development package, immigrant protections, school cell phone legislation, and public records reform all still on the table — Commonwealth Beacon has the full rundown of what needs to happen and when.

CommonWealth Beacon →

House Ballot Question Bill — Vote Today

The House plans to vote Wednesday on legislation that would require ballot question campaigns to disclose their donors monthly rather than going dark for months at a time. Critics of the effort — which also creates a commission to study broader reforms — say it's Beacon Hill trying to kneecap a process voters use to go around them.

Boston Globe →

World Cup Watch Party Tonight

Team USA plays Bosnia and Herzegovina at 8 p.m., and Mayor Michelle Wu's office has set up a free watch party at MGM Music Hall at Fenway — indoors, air-conditioned, and a very good idea given the heat wave; register in advance because capacity is limited.

Boston Globe →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$5,000.00	Krista Ferrante, Princeton, MA → Krista Ferrante [Candidate Loan]
$2,000.00	Lawrence Novak, Brockton, MA → Lawrence Novak [Candidate Loan]
$1,786.79	Commonwealth of Massachusetts, → Cory Bisbee [Non-Contribution]
$1,000.00	Alexandra Brown Alexandra Brown (Retired), Somerville , MA → Matthew McLaughlin [Individual]
$1,000.00	Daniel Antonio (LAL Construction), Fall River, MA → Shaunna O'Connell [Individual]
$1,000.00	Jamie Antonio (LAL Construction), Fall River, MA → Shaunna O'Connell [Individual]
$1,000.00	Roger Berkowitz (Rogers Fish Co), Nahant, MA → Kimberley Driscoll [Individual]
$1,000.00	Martha Biggers (Martha Biggers), Oak Bluffs, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Binoj Pradhan Binoj Pradhan (Masala On Elm Restaurant), Somerville , MA → Matthew McLaughlin [Individual]
$1,000.00	Johanna Boynton (Johanna Boynton), Concord, MA → Kimberley Driscoll [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Kenneth Willette (Republican) — House, 4th Essex — Filed: 6/26/2026
Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026

PACs

Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

Change of Purposes

Ana Levy — City Councilor, Lawrence → House, 16th Essex — Filed: 6/30/2026

OCPF →

ONE MORE THING

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy — who once floated a mayoral run in Boston before decamping for New York — is now apparently considering a run for mayor of New York City. Universal Hub notes that should he lose, he'd join former Senator Scott Brown in the very niche club of people who failed to win the same office in two different states. The dream lives on.

Universal Hub →

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#73

July 1, 2026

The Mass Brief — Tuesday, June 30, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

THE LEAD

Wu Goes to War With the Senate

Mayor Michelle Wu has crossed a line that Boston mayors rarely cross — and she's doing it loudly, on purpose. Last Tuesday, Wu stood inside a Brighton restaurant and told a crowd of supporters that the Massachusetts Senate is "holding us back" and "throwing up more obstacles." She wasn't just venting. She was formally endorsing Daniel Lander, a former aide, in his primary challenge against Senate Assistant Majority Leader William Brownsberger. She's also backed Latoya Gayle in a race against Senator Nicholas Collins, another Democrat she views as an obstacle.

The core dispute is Wu's commercial property tax shift proposal — a plan that would reduce the residential tax burden by loading more of it onto commercial real estate. The Senate has blocked or stalled it repeatedly, and Wu has clearly decided that the diplomatic path is closed. Endorsing challengers against sitting members of your own party is a high-risk move: it burns bridges, generates enemies, and can fail spectacularly if the incumbents hold on. But it also signals that Wu is betting her political capital on a specific vision of Boston's future and is done waiting for the chamber up the hill to get on board.

What happens next: the Democratic primaries are the ballgame. If Lander or Gayle wins, Wu gets an ally and a message sent. If both incumbents survive, Wu faces a more hostile Senate with fewer chips to play. Either way, the 2026 primary season just got a lot more interesting.

Full story at Boston Globe →

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

A State Budget Deal, Just In Time

House and Senate leaders announced Monday they've reached agreement on a roughly $63 billion state budget — just two days before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday. No tax or fee increases, no dipping into the rainy day fund, according to budget chairs Senator Michael Rodrigues and Representative Aaron Michlewitz. The Legislature is expected to vote Wednesday, then it heads to Governor Maura Healey's desk for her 10-day review.

Boston Globe →

DOJ Sues Massachusetts Over In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students

The Trump Justice Department filed suit against Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Monday, challenging state laws that extend in-state college tuition rates and financial aid to undocumented students. The administration argues the policies unfairly disadvantage American citizens — the outcome will likely depend on which federal circuit weighs in, given that courts in Texas and Minnesota have already split on similar laws.

Boston Globe →

26-State Coalition Sues Over Medicaid Work Requirements

Attorney General Andrea Campbell co-led a 26-state lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration's new Medicaid work requirement rules, which go beyond what Congress authorized in the "One Big Beautiful Bill." The coalition argues that federal regulators rewrote the statute's protections for people with serious illnesses and disabilities — potentially stripping coverage from hundreds of thousands of MassHealth enrollees who never should have been affected.

Universal Hub →

Maternity Unit Closes in Methuen — A Month Early

Merrimack Health quietly shuttered its maternity unit at the Methuen campus (formerly Holy Family Hospital) on Monday — more than a month ahead of the August 1 date it had announced. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents staff there, was given six days' notice. It's the 13th maternity unit closure in Massachusetts since 2010, and the sixth in a Gateway City. Services are being consolidated at Lawrence General Hospital, less than two miles away.

CommonWealth Beacon →

Serial Rapist Who Posed as Rideshare Driver Gets Life Plus

Alvin Campbell Jr., 45 — the older brother of Attorney General Andrea Campbell — was sentenced Monday to life in prison plus over 100 additional years for raping five women he picked up outside Boston bars while posing as an Uber driver. Judge Mary K. Ames called his conduct "manipulative and depraved." Campbell was convicted on 21 of 22 counts earlier this month.

Boston.com →

Trooper Jacob Mick, 31, Killed in Grafton Motorcycle Crash

Off-duty State Police Trooper Jacob Mick died Sunday evening after his motorcycle collided with a vehicle on Providence Road in Grafton. Mick, a Northborough native who joined the force in 2023, was married and the father of an infant daughter. State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble called it "an enormous tragedy." The Worcester DA's office is investigating.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

WORTH YOUR ATTENTION

State budget vote expected Wednesday, July 1 — The Legislature is set to vote on the fiscal year 2027 spending plan the first day of the new fiscal year; watch for late amendments and any last-minute drama on Beacon Hill. Boston Globe →

Quincy roofing company owner Craig Galligan arraigned July 17 — The owner of The Roof Kings, LLC faces workers' compensation insurance fraud and larceny charges after allegedly underreporting payroll to avoid higher premiums; arraignment is set for Norfolk Superior Court. State House News Service →

Three-year bachelor's degrees pilot launching fall 2027 — Merrimack College and Suffolk University received state approval for reduced-credit degree programs; if you're advising students or tracking higher ed affordability, the annual reporting requirements are worth following. CommonWealth Beacon →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$2,000.00	Victoria Croll (Not Employed), Chestnut Hill, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,468.00	Members of Lawrence Teachers Union all under $50.00, Lawrence, MA → Lawrence Teachers Union Committee on Political Action [Voluntary Payroll Deduction]
$1,000.00	Joshua Forman (The Legal Intelligance Corporation), Winchester, MA → Wilfred N. Mbah [Individual]
$1,000.00	Scott Allen (M.S. Walker), Brookline, MA → Deborah Goldberg [Individual]
$1,000.00	Gregory Antonelli (Gta Construction), Everett, MA → Joseph Markey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Steven R Becker (Retired), Boca Raton, FL → Deborah Goldberg [Individual]
$1,000.00	Hal Belodoff (Hal Belodof), West Newton, MA → Kimberley Driscoll [Individual]
$1,000.00	William Gerald Burke (Not Employed), North Attleboro, MA → Deborah Goldberg [Individual]
$1,000.00	paul cammarata (paul cammarata), Wilmington, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Donald Chiofaro (The Chiofaro Company), Boston, MA → Kimberley Driscoll [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities (3 bills)

Topic: Misc 2

Location: B-2 , Boston

H5085: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Marjorie C. Decker)
H5286: An Act relative to specific medical diagnoses regarding the Department of Childr (Filed by Brian W. Murray)
S3095: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Sal N. DiDomenico)

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (13 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: B-1 , Boston

H5432: An Act to restrict the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides in Ne (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5433: An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5446: An Act to authorize the town of Topsfield to prohibit or restrict the applicatio (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5475: An Act authorizing the city of Holyoke to prohibit use of SGARs (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5483: An Act allowing the town of Williamstown to ban second generation anticoagulant (Filed by John Barrett, III)
... and 8 more bills

Thursday, July 02, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets (1 bills)

Topic: H5527 - An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovation; "The MassWins Act"

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5527: An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovati (Filed by Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Kenneth Willette (Republican) — House, 4th Essex — Filed: 6/26/2026
Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026
Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

PACs

Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

OCPF →

ONE MORE THING

Brockton's own A.J. Dybansta — the No. 1 overall NBA draft pick — paid a visit to Governor Healey at the State House on Monday, which is exactly the kind of home-state moment that earns genuine smiles in a building that mostly produces headaches. The South Shore has had a pretty good week, all things considered.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

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#72

June 30, 2026

The Mass Brief — Monday, June 29, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Monday, June 29, 2026

The Lead

Brigham Nurses Set to Strike July 8 — And the Hospital Plans to Lock Them Out for Five Days After

More than 4,000 registered nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital have voted to authorize a one-day strike beginning Wednesday, July 8, making this shaping up to be the largest nurses' strike in Massachusetts history. Add in roughly 450 clinicians at MGB Home Care — also represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association — and you're looking at a workforce action that will ripple across one of the state's most prominent hospital systems.

The core dispute is money: nurses say Mass General Brigham has refused to offer cost-of-living raises that keep pace with inflation, while the MNA argues hospital executives have spent months stonewalling contract negotiations. But here's the kicker that's drawing the most attention: even though the nurses' strike is technically one day, Brigham management has announced plans to lock nurses out of the building for an additional four days after the strike ends. That means patients, families, and the broader healthcare system should be bracing for a potential five-day disruption at one of New England's busiest hospitals.

Watch this one closely. MGB leadership has so far framed this as a staffing-logistics issue, but a multi-day lockout of thousands of nurses — at a hospital that regularly handles some of the most complex cases in the region — is a decision with real consequences. The clock is now ticking toward July 8.

Full story at WCVB →

What Else You Should Know

🌡️ A Dangerous Heat Wave Is Coming Mid-Week

A Storm Team 5 Weather Alert is in effect Wednesday through Friday, with temperatures forecast to hit 100 degrees Thursday — and a heat index that could feel like 110°F. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Watch for most of the state (Cape Cod and the Islands are excepted). If you have elderly relatives, neighbors without AC, or kids in non-climate-controlled buildings, now is the time to make a plan.

WCVB →

⚖️ Alvin Campbell Jr. Sentenced Today

Alvin Campbell Jr. — convicted earlier this month of raping six women while posing as an Uber driver, and the brother of Attorney General Andrea Campbell — is scheduled to be sentenced this afternoon in Suffolk Superior Court. He faces up to life in prison on three counts of aggravated rape. Campbell secretly recorded the assaults on his phone; that footage was central to the prosecution's case. Six survivors testified over the four-week trial.

Boston Globe →

🗳️ GOP Ballot Drama: Two Candidates Ruled Ineligible

The State Ballot Law Commission ruled late Friday that two Republican statewide candidates — lieutenant governor hopeful Anne Manning Martin and attorney general candidate Michael Walsh — are ineligible to appear on September's primary ballot, following hearings on signature fraud complaints. It's a significant blow to the GOP field heading into the fall, and raises fresh questions about the party's bench strength in down-ballot races.

WWLP →

🏛️ Sanders Endorses Markey, Drawing a Clear Progressive Line

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday threw his support behind incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary against Rep. Seth Moulton, calling Markey "one of the strongest progressive voices" in the Senate. Sanders notably sat out the 2020 primary between Markey and Joe Kennedy III, so this is a meaningful signal. Moulton has been moving left on the trail — calling to abolish ICE, returning AIPAC money — but the Sanders stamp gives Markey a credibility boost with the progressive base that's hard to replicate.

Boston Globe →

🏗️ Healey Pumps the Brakes on Data Center Tax Breaks

Gov. Maura Healey has frozen applications for a 20-year sales and use tax exemption for data centers — a program she agreed to in the 2024 economic development law — until the state has "strong protections in place" against higher utility bills for residents. With AI-driven data centers consuming enormous amounts of power and water, Healey is threading a needle: welcoming the tech economy while trying not to hand ratepayers the bill. The framework she released requires developers to bring their own clean energy to the table.

CommonWealth Beacon →

🚔 Trooper Jacob Mick Killed in Motorcycle Crash

Massachusetts State Police Trooper Jacob Mick, 31, of Northborough, died Sunday from injuries suffered in an off-duty motorcycle crash in Grafton. Mick joined the department in 2023 and was assigned to the Holden Barracks. He is survived by his wife and an infant daughter. Col. Geoffrey Noble called his death "an enormous tragedy." The Worcester District Attorney's office is investigating.

Boston Globe →

Worth Your Attention

Brigham and Women's nurses strike begins Wednesday, July 8 at 7 a.m. — if you or a family member has an upcoming procedure at Brigham, it's worth calling ahead now to understand what services will be affected. WCVB →

The Supreme Court is still expected to rule this week on birthright citizenship — a decision that could affect hundreds of thousands of children born in the U.S. and has significant implications for Massachusetts families and immigration policy. WCVB →

Abington's new youth mental health advisory committee is taking shape — if you're a parent, provider, or resident in the Abington area, the newly formed seven-member standing committee is an early-stage effort worth watching as the town works to close a stark gap in youth programming. South Shore News →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,000.00

Steve Snider (Real Estate), Newton, MA → Trevor Currier [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (13 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: B-1 , Boston

H5432: An Act to restrict the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides in Ne (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5433: An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5446: An Act to authorize the town of Topsfield to prohibit or restrict the applicatio (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5475: An Act authorizing the city of Holyoke to prohibit use of SGARs (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5483: An Act allowing the town of Williamstown to ban second generation anticoagulant (Filed by John Barrett, III)
... and 8 more bills

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities (3 bills)

Topic: Misc 2

Location: B-2 , Boston

H5085: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Marjorie C. Decker)
H5286: An Act relative to specific medical diagnoses regarding the Department of Childr (Filed by Brian W. Murray)
S3095: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Sal N. DiDomenico)

Thursday, July 02, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets (1 bills)

Topic: H5527 - An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovation; "The MassWins Act"

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5527: An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovati (Filed by Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Kenneth Willette (Republican) — House, 4th Essex — Filed: 6/26/2026
Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026
Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

PACs

Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Democratic Socialists For a Fair Massachusetts — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026
Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Nearly 10% of surveyed Abington High School students reported having considered attempting suicide — a number that stopped the Select Board cold during a recent presentation. Neighboring Hanover offers more than 55 summer youth programs. Abington offers 11. Sometimes a single statistic says everything about where a community's priorities need to go next. South Shore News →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward it to someone who should be paying attention.

The Mass Brief • Powered by South Shore News

Get The Mass Brief every morning

Massachusetts politics, development, and daily life — straight to your inbox.

Powered by South Shore News

#71

June 29, 2026

The Mass Brief — Sunday, June 28, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Sunday, June 28, 2026

The Lead

A Supreme Court Ruling Is About to Upend Life for Thousands of Massachusetts Immigrants

The Supreme Court's decision this week to let the Trump administration revoke Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians isn't an abstract legal ruling — it's a gut punch landing right here in Massachusetts. An estimated 330,000 TPS holders nationwide are now on a fast track to losing their legal status and work authorization, and a significant chunk of them call Greater Boston home. Haitian communities in Mattapan, Brockton, and Springfield are particularly exposed. Kerry Doyle, a former ICE legal adviser under Biden who now practices immigration law in Massachusetts, put it plainly: "A lot of people are going to be in an extremely vulnerable position as a result of this."

The human stakes are stark, but so are the economic ones. Advocates and healthcare executives are sounding alarms about what happens when you abruptly remove tens of thousands of workers — nurses, home health aides, construction laborers — from the workforce. State officials and legal groups like Lawyers for Civil Rights have vowed to fight back, but "every legal tool" is a promise that runs headlong into a Supreme Court that just ruled against them. Congressional advocates are pushing federal legislation to extend TPS protections, though that's a long shot in the current Senate. For now, families are waiting, teachers are watching children ask hard questions in class, and community organizations like Mattapan's Immigrant Family Services Institute are bracing for an overwhelming surge in need.

What comes next: Watch for Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Governor Maura Healey to weigh in with formal state responses. Legal challenges at the circuit level are possible but face steep odds post-ruling. And if you want to understand the real-world ripple effects — economic and human — columnist Yvonne Abraham's piece on why this "victory" will cost everyone is worth your time.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

MassHealth Stops Covering Weight-Loss Drugs This Tuesday

Starting July 1, roughly 22,000 MassHealth members will lose coverage for GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound when prescribed solely for weight loss — a policy change baked into Governor Healey's FY2027 budget meant to save $15 million a year. For people on Medicaid, "pay out of pocket" often means choosing between a $1,300-per-month drug and rent. The state says it will continue covering these medications for conditions like Type 2 diabetes, but the line between obesity and its comorbidities is rarely clean.

Boston.com →

One Dead, Four Wounded in Mattapan Square Shooting

A mass shooting in the early hours of Saturday morning on Blue Hill Avenue left one person dead and four others injured after ShotSpotter alerts drew officers to the scene around 1:45 a.m. A fifth victim made his own way to a hospital outside Boston. Police have an active investigation underway and are asking anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. No arrests have been announced.

Dorchester Reporter →

Duck Boat Flips on Cambridge Ramp, 11 Injured

A Boston Duck Tours vessel rolled onto its side Saturday afternoon on the boat ramp at 10 Museum Way after a tow rope snapped while pulling the mechanically disabled boat out of the Charles River. Thirty-one people were aboard; one was extricated and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. Duck Tours suspended operations for the rest of the day and is cooperating with State Police and the Coast Guard. If you've ever wondered whether those tow ropes are robust enough — now everyone's wondering.

Boston Globe →

Haverhill Sewer Lines Burst Into Merrimack River After Storm

A Friday night thunderstorm overwhelmed Haverhill's sewer infrastructure, rupturing a 42-inch force main near the city's main pumping station and sending untreated wastewater into the Merrimack River. The mayor says drinking water is unaffected, but residents are being warned to stay out of the river while crews race to contain the spill. Aging infrastructure plus increasingly intense storms is becoming a recurring and expensive story across the Commonwealth.

WCVB →

Off-Duty State Trooper Punches Colleague, Relieved of Duty

Massachusetts State Police relieved a trooper of duty after video surfaced showing the officer punching another off-duty trooper during a bar altercation. Neither trooper has been publicly identified. The department's Office of Professional Integrity and Accountability is investigating, and State Police say they will take "swift and appropriate action." The incident follows a period of heightened scrutiny over trooper conduct across the state.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

Halifax Residents Revolt Over Beach Chaos at Monponsett Pond

If you think your local beach situation is bad, spare a thought for Halifax. Residents showed up in force to a Select Board meeting last week to describe what they called "permissible mayhem" at the Monponsett Pond public beach — jet skis in swim zones, blocked emergency ramps, public intoxication, and a one-year-old struck by a wake. The board moved fast, passing an emergency motion to install a locked security gate at the 4th Avenue boat ramp. South Shore summer in full swing.

South Shore News →

Worth Your Attention

Marshfield Special Election Early Voting begins July 6, with the full vote on July 25 to fill a vacant Select Board seat — a race that will break the current two-member deadlock over a $7 million budget override and a permanent Town Administrator hire. South Shore News →

Massachusetts nurses are expected to strike in July — worth watching this week for announcements on which hospitals are affected and what negotiations look like heading into the holiday. WBZ / CBS Boston →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Kenneth Willette (Republican) — House, 4th Essex — Filed: 6/26/2026
Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026
Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

PACs

Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Democratic Socialists For a Fair Massachusetts — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026
Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Boston Harbor — once so filthy that George H.W. Bush used it as a political weapon against Michael Dukakis — is now being called "one of, if not the premier fishing spot in the Northeast" by the publisher of the region's biggest angling magazine. Tuna. Humpback whales. Seals. In the harbor. Downtown. Sometimes it's worth pausing to acknowledge that we actually fixed something.

Boston Globe →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward it to someone who needs to know what's going on — or just wants to sound smart at Sunday brunch.

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#70

June 28, 2026

The Mass Brief — Saturday, June 27, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Saturday, June 27, 2026

Good morning. Here's what Massachusetts needs to know today.

THE LEAD

Trump Is Holding a Housing Bill Hostage — and Warren Is Not Having It

A rare thing happened in Washington: a bill actually passed with overwhelming bipartisan support — 85-5 in the Senate, roughly 90% of the House — and then the president refused to sign it. President Donald Trump, who had been poised to put pen to paper on a sweeping affordable housing bill co-authored by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, abruptly reversed course this week. His condition for signing: Congress must first pass his "SAVE America Act," a voter ID bill that doesn't have the votes to clear the Senate.

Warren didn't exactly respond diplomatically. She called Trump a "man child" throwing a "tantrum" and had a simple message for him: "Sign the damn bill." The legislation would boost housing supply, lower construction costs, and limit how many single-family homes large institutional investors can buy — exactly the kind of policy that could chip away at the housing crisis hammering Massachusetts renters and first-time buyers. The bill passed with a veto-proof margin, which means Congress could override a veto, though whether Republican members would follow through on that is a very different question.

What happens next is essentially a game of chicken between Trump and an unusually united Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson met with Trump this week and reportedly believes there's a path to getting the bill signed — but that path runs through a voter ID fight the Senate has already rejected. Warren's optimism may be warranted, or it may be wishful thinking. Either way, families waiting for housing costs to come down are the ones sitting in the waiting room.

Full story at GBH News →

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

GOP Ballot Chaos Gets Worse The Massachusetts Republican Party's already-thin statewide ticket took another hit Friday when the State Ballot Law Commission ruled that Anne Manning Martin, a candidate for lieutenant governor, and Michael Walsh, the party's endorsed attorney general candidate, will not appear on the September 1 primary ballot. Both had signatures invalidated amid a growing fraud controversy. Walsh says he'll appeal in court. The state GOP is now officially contesting just three of six statewide constitutional offices. Boston Globe →

Healey Hits Pause on Data Center Tax Breaks Governor Maura Healey has suspended applications for a 20-year sales and use tax exemption for data centers — an incentive she herself agreed to in a 2024 economic development law — until the state has stronger protections against higher energy bills for residents. It's a careful balancing act for a governor who wants Massachusetts to be an AI-economy player while also not getting blamed for spiking utility costs heading into a reelection year. Boston Globe →

Healey Signs Early Reading Overhaul On Friday, Governor Healey signed legislation requiring Massachusetts schools to use evidence-based reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade, mandate universal literacy screenings, and ban the controversial "three-cueing" method. The bill grew out of a 2023 Globe investigation that found nearly half of state school districts were using curricula rated "low quality." The final version dropped a $25 million funding transfer that had been in earlier drafts, which advocates say will be a real constraint on implementation. Boston Globe →

Boston Federal Judge Blocks Trump Voter List Order U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ruled Thursday that Trump's executive order to create a federal voter list and restrict mail ballots is unconstitutional — finding it violates the separation of powers because elections are the domain of states and Congress, not the president. The ruling, which applies to this year's midterm cycle, is the second in two days against Trump election orders. The administration is expected to appeal. Boston.com →

Birth Centers: One Opens, One Shrinks Massachusetts is gaining a birth center — the Cambridge Health Alliance Birth Center is set to reopen for deliveries on July 6, its first since closing during COVID — but the landscape for maternal care remains fragile. Methuen Hospital is reportedly accelerating plans to stop admitting new patients to its birth center as soon as next week. Advocates at a Statehouse forum pointed to a core problem: MassHealth reimburses birth centers at just 70% of hospital rates for the same care. CommonWealth Beacon →

Framingham Man Freed After Three Months Over Traffic Tickets A federal judge ordered the immediate release of a Brazilian national from Framingham — a 30-year Massachusetts resident with three American-citizen children — after finding that the immigration judge who denied him bond had improperly labeled him a flight risk based largely on old traffic tickets. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley found the reasoning didn't hold up. It's another chapter in the ongoing legal battles over immigration enforcement in Massachusetts. Universal Hub →

WORTH YOUR ATTENTION

Michael Walsh's court appeal is expected to be filed next week as he fights to get back onto the September Republican primary ballot for attorney general — watch for a hearing date that could reshape what little remains of the GOP statewide ticket. Boston Globe →

Cambridge Health Alliance Birth Center opens for deliveries on July 6 — the first freestanding birth center in the Boston area, offering midwife-led care for lower-risk pregnancies in a non-hospital setting. CommonWealth Beacon →

Thunderstorms possible through this evening — WCVB's StormTeam 5 says hit-or-miss storms could roll through Massachusetts until around 9 p.m. tonight. Plan outdoor plans accordingly. WCVB →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$25,000.00	Lisa Lopez, Canton, MA → Lisa Lopez [Candidate Loan]
$1,250.00	Joseph D. McKenna Committee, Sutton, MA → MA Republican House Political Action Committee [Committee]
$1,000.00	Matthew Armstrong (Not Employed), Boston, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Hal Belodoff (Plymouth Rock Company), West Newton, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Geoffrey Caraboolad (Metric Construction), Brighton, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Laurent Delli-Bovi (Laurent Delli-Bovi), Brookline, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Marlon Demelo-Batista (Self-employed), Salem, MA → Tony King [Individual]
$1,000.00	Katherine Deyst (Not Employed), Harvard, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Kenneth DiPietro (Not Employed), Aquinnah, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Jr., Francis Doran (Doran and Doran, P.C.), Natick, MA → Robert Jubinville [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities (3 bills)

Topic: Misc 2

Location: B-2 , Boston

H5085: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Marjorie C. Decker)
H5286: An Act relative to specific medical diagnoses regarding the Department of Childr (Filed by Brian W. Murray)
S3095: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Sal N. DiDomenico)

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (13 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: B-1 , Boston

H5432: An Act to restrict the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides in Ne (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5433: An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5446: An Act to authorize the town of Topsfield to prohibit or restrict the applicatio (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5475: An Act authorizing the city of Holyoke to prohibit use of SGARs (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5483: An Act allowing the town of Williamstown to ban second generation anticoagulant (Filed by John Barrett, III)
... and 8 more bills

Thursday, July 02, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets (1 bills)

Topic: H5527 - An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovation; "The MassWins Act"

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5527: An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovati (Filed by Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Kenneth Willette (Republican) — House, 4th Essex — Filed: 6/26/2026
Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026
Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

PACs

Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Democratic Socialists For a Fair Massachusetts — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026
Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026

OCPF →

ONE MORE THING

Mattapan is getting its first sit-down restaurant with a full liquor license: Marabou Café on Blue Hill Avenue, a Haitian spot owned by two sisters who are also both registered nurses, just got approved by the Boston Licensing Board. They're planning hours of 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., six days a week. That's a genuinely good news story for a neighborhood that has deserved one for a while. Universal Hub →

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#69

June 27, 2026

The Mass Brief — Friday, June 26, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Friday, June 26, 2026

The Lead

45,000 Reasons Massachusetts Is Watching the Supreme Court's TPS Ruling

The Supreme Court handed down one of its most consequential immigration decisions in years on Thursday, ruling 6-3 that the Trump administration has the authority to end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 330,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians living in the United States. For Massachusetts, this isn't an abstract legal question — an estimated 45,000 Haitians in this state held TPS, and many of them woke up Thursday morning not knowing what comes next.

The human reality landed hard at the State House. Governor Maura Healey called it a "cruel and callous" ruling, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu — her voice noticeably breaking — told local Haitian and Syrian residents directly: "You belong here." Beyond the emotional response, both officials are moving toward concrete action. Healey and United Way of Massachusetts Bay announced a statewide emergency fund to help TPS holders navigate what's coming. The Boston Foundation launched a parallel fund focused on the city. These aren't solutions, but they're a signal that Massachusetts intends to use every tool it has — legal, financial, and political — to cushion the blow.

The bigger worry, though, is what Thursday's ruling signals for the other 1.3 million TPS holders from 17 countries. Haitians and Syrians are first. Venezuelans, Salvadorans, and others may not be far behind. For Massachusetts communities in Springfield, Brockton, Boston, and beyond, the next few weeks will be a scramble — immigration lawyers, community organizations, and school districts all trying to figure out what "what happens next" actually looks like.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

Boston's $4.9 Billion Budget Is a Done Deal — With Caveats

After a genuinely dramatic budget season that included a deadlocked rejection vote and arrests in the council chambers, the Boston City Council this week formally accepted Mayor Wu's amended $4.9 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The council managed to restore $1.8 million for rental vouchers, $750,000 for youth jobs, and $500,000 in senior programming — but hundreds of BPS layoffs remain in the plan, and some councilors are already saying the process needs a serious overhaul next year.

Boston.com →

Healey Hits Pause on Data Center Tax Breaks

Governor Healey announced Thursday that she's suspending tax incentives for data centers — a significant shift given that Massachusetts passed a generous 20-year sales tax exemption for them just two years ago. Her administration's new framework demands that data center operators bring their own clean energy, avoid straining local water supplies, and not drive up residents' utility bills. In plain terms: you can build here, but not on the public's dime and not at the public's expense.

WBZ/CBS Boston →

The Cannabis Repeal Fight Is On

A coalition of dispensary owners, municipal leaders, and health advocates rallied on the State House steps Thursday to launch the "Stop the Repeal" campaign — their pushback against a November ballot question that would roll back Massachusetts's decade-old legal marijuana law. The campaign is framing this as an in-state grassroots effort vs. out-of-state money: the group pushing repeal received $1.55 million from a Virginia-based anti-marijuana nonprofit. With 20,000-plus jobs and a $1.65 billion industry on the line, this one's going to get loud.

CommonWealth Beacon →

Framingham Drops License Plate Surveillance System

The Framingham Police Department announced it won't renew its contract with Flock Safety, the automated license plate reader company, after months of sustained pressure from residents concerned about privacy and data sharing. Access to the system gets cut off June 30. It's a notable win for community organizing in a city that has become something of a bellwether for surveillance tech debates — and a reminder that showing up to meetings actually works sometimes.

Boston.com →

Moulton's Phone Incident Becomes a Thing

A video circulating on social media appears to show Congressman Seth Moulton — currently challenging Senator Ed Markey in the Democratic primary — making contact with a phone being held by someone who asked him whether he endorses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. Moulton's campaign says the person was a "paid political tracker" from America Rising, a Republican opposition research firm, not a journalist. Fox News says otherwise. Either way, "You should do a better job at hanging onto your phone" is not the line you want following you into a Senate primary.

Boston.com →

Worth Your Attention

The Stop the Repeal campaign officially launched Thursday — the November ballot question on cannabis legalization is now an active battleground, so watch for signature deadlines and campaign finance filings in the weeks ahead. GBH News →

A federal judge in Boston this week blocked the Trump administration's attempt to create a national voter list and restrict mail-in ballot delivery — the case is expected to head to the Supreme Court, so this fight isn't over. Universal Hub →

Afternoon thunderstorms are possible today across Massachusetts, with a heavier heat wave expected to build mid-to-late next week — plan your weekend outdoor activities accordingly. WCVB →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$49,328.21	Timothy Allen, Springfield, MA → Timothy Allen [Loan Forgiveness]
$2,000.00	Lawrence Novak, Brockton, MA → Lawrence Novak [Candidate Loan]
$1,000.00	Marlon Demelo-Batista (Self-employed), Salem, MA → Tony King [Individual]
$1,000.00	Aracelis Rodriguez (Self-employed), Salem, MA → Tony King [Individual]
$1,000.00	Bill Bogdanovich (Broad Reach Healthcare), Orleans, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Sherry Bogdanovich (Not Employed), Orleans, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	shaun V cusson (Hillcrest Educational), Pittsfield, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Gary Darman (Gary Darman Company), Hingham, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Peter DeLuca (Redgate), Hingham, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Alex Dubanowitz (Redgate), Boston, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills)

Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities (3 bills)

Topic: Misc 2

Location: B-2 , Boston

H5085: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Marjorie C. Decker)
H5286: An Act relative to specific medical diagnoses regarding the Department of Childr (Filed by Brian W. Murray)
S3095: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Sal N. DiDomenico)

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (13 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: B-1 , Boston

H5432: An Act to restrict the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides in Ne (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5433: An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5446: An Act to authorize the town of Topsfield to prohibit or restrict the applicatio (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5475: An Act authorizing the city of Holyoke to prohibit use of SGARs (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5483: An Act allowing the town of Williamstown to ban second generation anticoagulant (Filed by John Barrett, III)
... and 8 more bills

Thursday, July 02, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets (1 bills)

Topic: H5527 - An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovation; "The MassWins Act"

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5527: An Act relative to Massachusetts winning global investment, talent, and innovati (Filed by Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026
Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

PACs

Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Democratic Socialists For a Fair Massachusetts — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026
Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

At Thursday's State House rally on TPS, former Boston City Councilor and dispensary owner Tito Jackson — who apparently had a full day — compared the fight to keep legal marijuana to the American Revolution: "Two hundred fifty years ago, we had to chase some stuffy dudes with red coats out of the city." Whether you're for or against the ballot question, you have to admire a man who can work Kendrick Lamar into a cannabis policy speech on the steps of the State House.

CommonWealth Beacon →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward it to someone who should be paying attention.

The Mass Brief • Powered by South Shore News

Get The Mass Brief every morning

Massachusetts politics, development, and daily life — straight to your inbox.

Powered by South Shore News

#68

June 26, 2026

The Mass Brief — Thursday, June 25, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Thursday, June 25, 2026

The Lead

Rent Control Is Dead on Beacon Hill — At Least for Now

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision this week to strike the rent control ballot question from November's ballot didn't just end a campaign — it effectively killed the last real leverage advocates had to force a legislative deal. And Beacon Hill insiders aren't sugarcoating it. State Senator Julian Cyr, the Senate chair of the Housing Committee, said plainly that the pressure to cut a deal has "diminished," while real estate industry officials were even more blunt: no ballot threat, no negotiations. Full stop.

Here's the thing about how reform happens on Beacon Hill: it almost always requires someone holding a gun to the Legislature's head. The ballot question was that gun. Without it, rent control supporters are back to lobbying a chamber where Democratic leadership has spent years quietly running out the clock on anything resembling tenants' rights. Cyr left a small door open — "if they come to us with a good idea, we're all ears" — but nobody reads that as an invitation.

What happens next? Rent control supporters rallied at the State House Wednesday, showing they're not ready to pack up. But their path to any legislative win is now steep. Expect advocates to start recalibrating — whether that means a new ballot campaign for 2028 or pushing for narrower, more palatable reforms that can survive conference committee. For renters already stretching every month, this is a genuinely bad week.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

🌬️ Vineyard Wind Celebration, With Asterisks

Gov. Maura Healey headed to New Bedford on Wednesday to mark the completion of Vineyard Wind 1 — the country's first commercial-scale offshore wind project — touting nearly 4,000 jobs and an estimated $1.4 billion in electricity savings for Massachusetts families. The milestone is real, but so are the complications: the development company is mired in financial disputes, and the project isn't yet operating at full capacity. Call it a victory lap with a few potholes.

CommonWealth Beacon →

⚡ Senate's Energy Bill Takes Aim at Gas Pipes — and House

Senate Democrats are readying a vote next week on an energy bill that would end the controversial Gas System Enhancement Program — the pipe-replacement program that's been quietly adding hundreds of dollars a year to your gas bill — while largely protecting the Mass Save efficiency program that the House wanted to gut. The two chambers are miles apart, and whatever emerges from a conference committee is anyone's guess. If you pay a utility bill in Massachusetts, this fight is worth watching closely.

CommonWealth Beacon →

⚖️ Boston Federal Judge Permanently Blocks Trump Voter Citizenship Mandate

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston made permanent on Wednesday her earlier injunction blocking the Trump administration from requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. Casper was direct: the Constitution "does not grant the President any specific powers over elections." The ruling also bars the administration from refusing to count mail ballots postmarked before Election Day, and from punishing states that refuse to comply. A significant win for the coalition of Democratic attorneys general who sued.

Boston.com →

🏙️ Boston Passes $4.9 Billion Budget — Barely

The Boston City Council signed off on Mayor Michelle Wu's amended $4.9 billion fiscal year budget on Wednesday, ending what had been a tense few months of negotiations over cuts to community programs. Wu reversed a $1.4 million transportation personnel cut that the council had pushed, instead shifting the reduction to contracted services — a move she says won't require layoffs but will require "adjusting service levels." Councilor John FitzGerald backed the change but complained publicly that the mayor's office gave him contradictory information along the way.

Boston Globe →

🏥 Healey's Secret Health Care Working Group Is at Halftime

We got a rare, accidental update this week on Gov. Healey's health care affordability working group — which has been meeting privately for months — when a member let slip during a public board meeting that the panel has hit its midpoint and expects to send a first round of recommendations to the governor "within the next few weeks." Healey promised back in January that she wanted action, not another blue-ribbon report. We'll see. Bay Staters paying record premiums will be watching.

CommonWealth Beacon →

🚨 More Allegations Pile Up Against Brockton Mayor

Another Brockton resident has gone on the record about what she called a "very inappropriate" encounter with Mayor Moises Rodrigues, describing a comment he allegedly made about her pregnancy when she met him last year. Rodrigues declined to comment. The allegations are accumulating — Rodrigues chairs the school committee in addition to serving as mayor — and pressure on city officials to respond more forcefully is growing.

GBH News →

Worth Your Attention

Senate Energy Bill Vote — Next Week: The Massachusetts Senate is expected to vote on its sweeping energy affordability package in the coming days; if you want to weigh in before it passes, now's the time to contact your senator. CommonWealth Beacon →

Orange Line Extension Proposal: Boston City Councilors Miniard Culpepper and Brian Worrell are making a public case for extending the Orange Line down Blue Hill Avenue — a long-discussed idea with real equity implications for Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan. Universal Hub →

Weekend Weather Heads-Up: Enjoy today's sunshine — Friday brings morning showers and a risk of afternoon thunderstorms before clearing out for a genuinely nice final weekend of June, with temperatures in the 80s. WCVB →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$2,000.00	Paul E. Finn (Bank of New England), Salem, NH → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	John Anderson (Plumb House), Wrentham, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]
$1,000.00	John K Anderson (Plumbhouse), Wrentham, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Anthony Badway (Plumb House), Westborough, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]
$1,000.00	Abbe Becker (Retired), Boca Raton, FL → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Larisa Bogdanovich (Waterbury Ambulance & Sugarbush Resort), Waterbury, VT → Robert Galibois [Individual]
$1,000.00	William Burke (Burke Distributing), Randolph, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Don Cordell (Casner & Edwards LLP), Sherborn, MA → Michael Zullas [Individual]
$1,000.00	John Cruz (Cruz Companies), Boston, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]
$1,000.00	Justin Cruz (Cruz Construction), Dorchester, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM

Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5417: An Act authorizing the town of Lynnfield to impose a local sales tax upon restau (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5418: An Act authorizing the town of Wakefield to establish a means tested senior citi (Filed by Kate Lipper-Garabedian)
H5457: An Act authorizing the town of Provincetown to impose a 0.5% real estate transfe (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5487: An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities f (Filed by Michelle L. Ciccolo)

Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills)

Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (13 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: B-1 , Boston

H5432: An Act to restrict the use of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides in Ne (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5433: An Act regulating the use of fertilizer in the town of Wellfleet (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5446: An Act to authorize the town of Topsfield to prohibit or restrict the applicatio (Filed by Kristin E. Kassner)
H5475: An Act authorizing the city of Holyoke to prohibit use of SGARs (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5483: An Act allowing the town of Williamstown to ban second generation anticoagulant (Filed by John Barrett, III)
... and 8 more bills

Wednesday, July 01, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities (3 bills)

Topic: Misc 2

Location: B-2 , Boston

H5085: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Marjorie C. Decker)
H5286: An Act relative to specific medical diagnoses regarding the Department of Childr (Filed by Brian W. Murray)
S3095: An Act significantly alleviating poverty (Filed by Sal N. DiDomenico)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

Ballot Question Committees

Democratic Socialists For a Fair Massachusetts — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026
Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

After 38 years as a State House page — outlasting six House Speakers, not a few Ways and Means chairs, and apparently also Monica Seles on the tennis court — Casimir "Chip" Zigulis has retired. He was the first person with an intellectual disability to serve in the role, and by all accounts he made the place a little better every single day he was there. "I had a blast," he told the Globe. That's the right note to go out on.

Boston Globe →

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#67

June 25, 2026

The Mass Brief — Wednesday, June 24, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Your morning guide to what’s happening in Massachusetts — delivered every morning.

THE LEAD

The Rent Control Dream Is Dead — For Now — And the AG Has Some Explaining to Do

For the second time in less than a week, Massachusetts voters have been denied a chance to weigh in on a major ballot question — and both times, the Supreme Judicial Court pointed the finger squarely at Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office. Tuesday’s ruling tossed a proposed statewide rent control measure that would have capped annual rent increases at the lower of 5% or the rate of inflation. The court’s reasoning was almost painful in its simplicity: the petition specifically exempted housing operated by religious institutions, and the state Constitution doesn’t allow ballot questions that touch on matters of religion. The AG’s office certified it anyway.

The stakes here were enormous. Organizers with Homes for All Massachusetts had collected more than 157,000 signatures from residents who are watching rents eat them alive. Real estate industry groups — long the loudest voices against anything resembling rent stabilization — had even begun quietly negotiating, sensing they might be better off cutting a deal than going to war at the ballot box this fall. That conversation is now over. The ruling doesn’t just kill this specific question; it also resets whatever political momentum tenant advocates had been building for a year. They’ll be back, but the calendar is brutal — the next realistic shot is 2028.

Campbell went on GBH’s Boston Public Radio Tuesday and said plainly: “We made a mistake.” That’s a notable admission, and credit where it’s due for owning it. But with a record 47 petitions reviewed this cycle and two high-profile certifications now thrown out by the SJC — including last week’s income tax cut question — critics are asking whether the AG’s office needs a more rigorous process before waving major initiatives through. Expect that question to follow Campbell for a while.

Full story at CommonWealth Beacon →

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

The AG Speaks — “We Got It Wrong”

Attorney General Andrea Campbell released a formal statement acknowledging her office erred in certifying the rent control question, noting the legal question had only been addressed twice in over a century of case law. Her office reviewed a record 47 petitions this cycle, certified 44, and saw 3 ultimately struck down. That’s a batting average that will invite scrutiny heading into her next campaign. GBH News →

New Graduation Standards Are Coming — But Schools Need More Time

Two years after Massachusetts voters eliminated MCAS as a graduation requirement, the state has released new proposed graduation standards, giving districts until fall 2027 to align their curricula. Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education are raising real concerns: the timeline is tight, the costs are significant, and the local councils that will design new end-of-year assessments don’t even exist yet. This one will be a slow burn, but it affects every high schooler in the state. GBH News →

Boston Taxis Can Now Ride the Uber Wave

Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox announced a one-year pilot that will allow Boston’s licensed cab drivers to accept rides requested through Uber and Lyft apps — at the rideshare companies’ upfront pricing rather than the traditional metered rate. It’s a pragmatic attempt to stop the slow bleed of the city’s taxi industry while giving passengers more options. Whether drivers actually benefit will depend heavily on how the fare math works out. Universal Hub →

Congress Passes a Housing Bill. Will It Help Here?

A bipartisan federal housing bill — the 21st Century Road to Housing Act — is headed to President Trump’s desk for a signature today. The legislation reduces federal regulations on construction, speeds up building timelines, and restricts investment firms from bulk-buying single-family homes. Massachusetts, with its brutal housing market, stands to benefit if the supply-side provisions have teeth. Local experts are skeptical that federal action alone closes the gap, but it’s something. WCVB →

A Terrible Loss in Franklin

A 15-year-old boy from Franklin died Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle near the Route 495 northbound off-ramp on King Street. Neighbors told WCVB that the intersection is notoriously dangerous — drivers come off the highway too fast, and nobody slows down. The driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators. There are no words for this one. WCVB →

City Councilors Want an Orange Line Extension to Mattapan

Boston City Councilors Miniard Culpepper of Roxbury and Brian Worrell of Dorchester are pushing the MBTA to extend the Orange Line from Ruggles Station to Mattapan Square via a new tunnel under Warren Street and Blue Hill Avenue. Both councilors are opponents of the T’s existing plan for dedicated bus lanes along that corridor. It’s an ambitious — some would say audacious — proposal for a transit agency still catching up on basic maintenance, but it reflects real frustration with transit equity in those neighborhoods. Universal Hub →

WORTH YOUR ATTENTION

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education continues deliberations on the new post-MCAS graduation standards framework — districts and parents watching this process should track board meeting agendas at the DESE website, as the fall 2027 implementation clock is already ticking. GBH News →

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission’s Social Consumption Regulatory Implementation Project continues its multi-phase rollout — cities and towns interested in opting into social consumption establishments should be aware that licensing infrastructure and zoning frameworks are actively being developed now. State House News Service →

Pembroke’s School Committee is finalizing a strict new classroom cell phone policy for the high school — students will be required to place phones in classroom caddies during all instructional periods and study halls — with the updated handbook heading toward a final vote. South Shore News →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,000.00	Clayton Ferraz (6s Design + Build Inc.), Dorchester, MA → Tony King [Individual]
$1,000.00	Barbara Cruz (Cruz Construction), Boston, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]
$1,000.00	Daniel Cruz (Cruz Management), Roxbury, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]
$1,000.00	Jian S Du (Jian Du), Wellesley, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Miao Kun Fang (C-Mart Supermarket), Weston, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Qian Ge (Weststar Group), Weston, MA → Macy Lee [Individual]
$1,000.00	Sheila Hudson (at home), Winchester, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]
$1,000.00	Nirmal P Jain (Lahey Health), Lynnfield, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Shashi K Jain (EMC Global Services), Lynnfield, MA → Maura T. Healey [Individual]
$1,000.00	Dennis Maguire (Maguire Company, INC), Newtonville, MA → Michael J. Rodrigues [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM

Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5417: An Act authorizing the town of Lynnfield to impose a local sales tax upon restau (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5418: An Act authorizing the town of Wakefield to establish a means tested senior citi (Filed by Kate Lipper-Garabedian)
H5457: An Act authorizing the town of Provincetown to impose a 0.5% real estate transfe (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5487: An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities f (Filed by Michelle L. Ciccolo)

Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills)

Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Ballot Question Committees

Democratic Socialists For a Fair Massachusetts — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026
Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/23/2026

OCPF →

ONE MORE THING

Brockton — yes, that Brockton — had itself a moment Tuesday night. AJ Dybantsa, a product of the city’s basketball culture, was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, setting off celebrations at his former school. The City of Champions keeps adding to the list. WBZ/CBS Boston →

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#66

June 24, 2026

The Mass Brief — Tuesday, June 23, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Smart, connected coverage of Massachusetts — every morning.

The Lead

Massachusetts voters will get a say on blowing up the primary system

The Supreme Judicial Court handed down a unanimous ruling Monday that clears the way for one of the most consequential ballot questions Massachusetts has seen in years: a proposal to scrap traditional party primaries and replace them with a California-style “top-two” system. Under the new format, every candidate — Democrat, Republican, Green-Rainbow, independent, whoever — would appear on a single September primary ballot. The two highest vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to November. Yes, that could mean two Democrats squaring off in the general election in a heavily blue district. Yes, that’s kind of the point.

The Democratic Party establishment tried to kill this before it even got to voters, arguing it was unconstitutional. Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt, writing for the court, essentially said: that’s not our call to make. The SJC’s job is to determine whether the proposal is a “reasonable regulation of elections” — and they concluded it is. Backers say they already have more than enough signatures to land it on the November 3 ballot, so barring something unexpected, this is happening.

Why does it matter? Massachusetts has some of the least competitive general elections in the country — most seats are decided in low-turnout partisan primaries dominated by activists on both flanks. Supporters say opening things up would give moderates and independents more sway. Critics — including many progressive Democrats — worry it would dilute third-party voices and scramble the left’s organizing power. Both sides have a point. Get ready for a very loud fall debate.

Full story at CommonWealth Beacon →

What Else You Should Know

🎤 Moulton goes on TV — and takes a shot at Schumer, not Markey

Rep. Seth Moulton dropped a seven-figure TV ad buy Monday in his Senate primary challenge against 79-year-old Sen. Ed Markey, leaning hard on his youth, his Marine Corps background, and his two young daughters. The spot conspicuously never mentions Markey by name, but takes aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — a contrast Moulton has been pushing for months. Meanwhile, Markey told WBZ over the weekend that he’s open to a “discussion” about Senate leadership changes, which is either a pivot or damage control, depending on who you ask.

Boston Globe →

💉 Measles is surging nationally. Will Beacon Hill finally act?

More than 2,000 measles cases have been confirmed across the country so far this year — already approaching last year’s record annual total. That’s putting pressure on Massachusetts legislators to pass a bill that’s been filed four times since 2019: one that would eliminate the religious exemption from school vaccination requirements. Advocates say momentum is better than ever, but legislative leaders aren’t tipping their hand, and the end-of-session clock is ticking. Some schools in the state already have vaccination rates below what’s needed to prevent an outbreak.

CommonWealth Beacon →

🏛️ Brockton mayor’s harassment order lifted — but the story isn’t over

A Hingham District Court judge declined Monday to extend the harassment prevention order served to Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues two weeks ago. The judge called Rodrigues’ alleged touching of a 17-year-old student at a May parade “unwelcome, offensive, and certainly unprofessional” — but said it didn’t legally meet the bar to extend the order. Critically, the judge also described the teen as a credible witness and told Rodrigues to have no further contact with her. A separate investigation is ongoing, and this is far from the end of Rodrigues’ legal and political headaches.

GBH News →

🚇 Healey backs MBTA’s Eng despite hair-pulling incident

Gov. Maura Healey said she has “absolutely” full confidence in MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, following last week’s revelation that Eng pulled a subordinate’s hair during a team dinner in November 2024. Eng addressed the incident publicly on Sunday, saying “I own the mistake” and that he’s “learned from that day” — while declining to say whether he underwent any workplace training afterward. The T has enough operational challenges without its top executive in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Boston.com →

🌧️ Rain today — and it could dampen the World Cup

WBZ has issued a weather alert for a widespread 1-to-2 inches of rain across Massachusetts today — the most significant rainfall since St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Boston has been running 10 to 20 inches below average precipitation over the past year, so the relief is welcome. Less welcome: a second round of showers is expected to push through this evening, potentially hitting during England vs. Ghana at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro at 4 p.m. No severe weather expected, but pack an extra layer.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

Worth Your Attention

State House end-of-session crunch: The Legislature is barreling toward its informal summer recess, and several major bills — including the vaccine exemption measure and housing legislation — need to move now or wait until next year. Watch for floor action and leadership signals this week. CommonWealth Beacon →

World Cup at Gillette: England vs. Ghana kicks off at 4 p.m. today in Foxboro — see weather note above, and plan accordingly if you’re heading to the stadium. WBZ / CBS Boston →

Brockton mayor investigation: A separate investigation into Mayor Rodrigues’ conduct remains active; the court hearing Monday was specifically about the harassment prevention order, not the broader probe. More developments expected. Boston.com →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,000.00	Gary G Campbell (Campbell Communities), Lowell, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Isabelle Davis (Self), Boston, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Stephen Davis (Stephen Davis), Boston, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Scott Glosserman (GATHR), Ipswich, MA → Kristin Kassner [Individual]
$1,000.00	David McGrath (Northeast Veterinary Partners), Andover, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Thomas OBrien (The HYM Investment Group, LLC), Boston, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]
$1,000.00	Michael Olson (Rhino Capital Advisors LLC), Boston, MA → Barry R. Finegold [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (8 bills)

Topic: Late-filed Matters

Location: B-1 , Boston

S3082: An Act relative to animal telehealth (Filed by Joan B. Lovely)
S3090: An Act relative to consumer connected devices (Filed by William N. Brownsberger)
S3094: An Act authorizing the town of Foxborough to grant three additional licenses for (Filed by Paul R. Feeney)
H5425: An Act authorizing the town of Southborough to grant an additional license for t (Filed by Kate Donaghue)
H5445: An Act relative to the issuance of certain liquor licenses in the city of Eastha (Filed by Homar Gómez)
... and 3 more bills

Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies (1 bills)

Topic: H.5436-An Act establishing MassQuantum

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5436: An Act establishing MassQuantum (Filed by Michael S. Day)

Tuesday, June 23, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (14 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5426: An Act amending the charter of the town of North Attleborough (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)
H5434: An Act providing for the appointment of associate members of the Planning Board (Filed by Thomas W. Moakley)
H5448: An Act modernizing financial departments in the city of Holyoke (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5449: An Act relative to amending the Traffic Commission in the city of Westfield (Filed by Kelly W. Pease)
H5456: An Act amending Chapter 305 of the Acts of 2016 relative to the year-round marke (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
... and 9 more bills

Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM

Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5417: An Act authorizing the town of Lynnfield to impose a local sales tax upon restau (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5418: An Act authorizing the town of Wakefield to establish a means tested senior citi (Filed by Kate Lipper-Garabedian)
H5457: An Act authorizing the town of Provincetown to impose a 0.5% real estate transfe (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5487: An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities f (Filed by Michelle L. Ciccolo)

Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills)

Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Katherine Putnam (Unenrolled) — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/17/2026
Melanie Layden — Register of Probate, Bristol County — Filed: 6/17/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Beverly police had a gentle reminder for residents Monday: coyote pups are out there, and mom is not in the mood for your Labradoodle. A dog was attacked near Fox Hill Trail after wandering too close to a den — the coyote and her pups were left in place, naturally, because this is their home and we are the visitors. Keep dogs leashed, give the woods some respect, and maybe don’t name your hiking trail “Fox Hill.”

Boston Globe →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward it to someone who needs to know what’s going on.

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Massachusetts politics, development, and daily life — straight to your inbox.

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#65

June 23, 2026

The Mass Brief — Monday, June 22, 2026

The Mass Brief

Monday, June 22, 2026

Your morning rundown on what’s happening in Massachusetts — every morning.

The Lead

Massachusetts Could Blow Up Its Primary System — And Voters Will Get to Decide

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled unanimously Monday that a ballot question replacing the state’s party primaries with a California-style “top-two” system can go before voters this November — and it’s a bigger deal than it might sound. The proposal would scrap separate Democratic and Republican primaries entirely, replacing them with a single all-party September primary where every candidate appears on the same ballot regardless of party. The top two vote-getters advance to November, full stop — even if they’re both Democrats, both Republicans, or neither.

Two Democratic Party operatives sued to block it, arguing the system disadvantages third-party candidates who currently have a guaranteed path to the general election. Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt, writing for the court, essentially said that’s a policy debate, not a constitutional one. The court’s job isn’t to decide if the new system is better — just whether it’s legal. It is.

What happens next: the campaign behind the question says it already has more than enough signatures to secure its spot on the November 3 ballot. If it passes, Massachusetts elections — long dominated by whichever candidate survives a low-turnout Democratic primary — could look very different starting in 2028. Incumbents in heavily blue districts should be paying close attention. So should the roughly 57% of Massachusetts voters who aren’t registered with either major party and currently have limited say in who makes it to November.

Full story at CommonWealth Beacon →

What Else You Should Know

Brockton Mayor Faces Restraining Order Hearing Over Student Encounter

A 17-year-old Brockton High School student testified in Hingham District Court Monday, asking a judge to extend a civil restraining order she took out against Mayor Moises Rodrigues last month. She described two encounters, including one during a May parade where she says Rodrigues put his arm around her waist, pulled her close, and danced while she was trying to march and play her instrument. This one will be closely watched.

Boston Globe →

Wu Takes Aim at Senate Leadership — Again

Mayor Michelle Wu endorsed Daniel Lander, her former aide, in his primary challenge against state Senator Will Brownsberger of Belmont — the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate and a key obstacle to Wu’s property tax agenda. This is Wu’s second Senate primary intervention in weeks, and this one stretches beyond Boston into Cambridge, Watertown, and Belmont. Brownsberger has Governor Maura Healey in his corner, which means this race is effectively Wu vs. Healey — a dynamic worth watching.

Boston Globe →

A Woman is Dead After a Mattapan Carjacking. Bystanders Held the Suspect.

Bent Jenna, 45, was killed Saturday afternoon on Blue Hill Avenue after a man allegedly crashed his own car, carjacked a woman waiting at a car wash, then drove the wrong way and struck Jenna as she crossed the street. Her family, reached in Sierra Leone in the middle of the night, said they want people to remember her “as an amazing woman whose life mattered.” Ibraim Matos, 37, of Hyde Park, has been charged with murder. Bystanders physically detained him until police arrived.

WCVB →

The State’s New Housing Secretary Says We’re On Track. Really.

Juana Matias, Governor Healey’s newly appointed Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, sat down with CommonWealth Beacon and made a striking claim: Massachusetts is not just on pace to build its goal of 222,000 new homes by 2035 — it may be slightly ahead. That’s a bold statement given lagging permit numbers, a looming rent control ballot question, and federal funding uncertainty. Worth reading the whole conversation before deciding whether to be relieved or skeptical.

CommonWealth Beacon →

A Chaotic Night in Brockton

Two separate shootings injured people in Brockton on Sunday evening, and hours later police — with help from surrounding departments — used pepper spray to disperse a large crowd on Main Street that had been celebrating after a World Cup match. It was a rough night for a city already managing a lot.

WCVB →

Middleborough Man Arrested for Recording Under Child’s Skirt at Concert

Brandon Cora, 27, was arrested Friday at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield after venue security — alerted by a witness — caught him allegedly recording beneath a 13-year-old girl’s skirt. He’s charged with photographing sexual or intimate parts of a child and was set to be arraigned in Attleboro District Court Monday. The quick action by the witness and security personnel was credited with making the arrest possible.

WCVB →

Worth Your Attention

Brockton Mayor Restraining Order Hearing — The court hearing involving Mayor Moises Rodrigues continues in Hingham District Court; Judge Scott Peterson is presiding over the student’s request to extend the order. Boston Globe →

Brandon Cora Arraignment — The Middleborough man charged with recording a child at the Mansfield concert venue faces arraignment today in Attleboro District Court. WCVB →

November Ballot Shape-Up — With the SJC clearing the all-party primary question Monday, keep an eye on the Secretary of State’s office for the official certification timeline as the November 3 ballot continues to take shape. GBH News →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

This Week on Beacon Hill

Monday, June 22, 10:30 AM

Joint Committee on Financial Services (2 bills)

Topic: The Joint Committee on Financial Services will hold a public hearing on the following late-filed matters:

Location: A-1 , Boston

S3091: An Act creating crumbling concrete relief for homeowners (Filed by Peter J. Durant)
H5477: An Act expanding the treatment of cleft palate and cleft lip (Filed by Steven Ultrino)

Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (8 bills)

Topic: Late-filed Matters

Location: B-1 , Boston

S3082: An Act relative to animal telehealth (Filed by Joan B. Lovely)
S3090: An Act relative to consumer connected devices (Filed by William N. Brownsberger)
S3094: An Act authorizing the town of Foxborough to grant three additional licenses for (Filed by Paul R. Feeney)
H5425: An Act authorizing the town of Southborough to grant an additional license for t (Filed by Kate Donaghue)
H5445: An Act relative to the issuance of certain liquor licenses in the city of Eastha (Filed by Homar Gómez)
... and 3 more bills

Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies (1 bills)

Topic: H.5436-An Act establishing MassQuantum

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5436: An Act establishing MassQuantum (Filed by Michael S. Day)

Tuesday, June 23, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (14 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5426: An Act amending the charter of the town of North Attleborough (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)
H5434: An Act providing for the appointment of associate members of the Planning Board (Filed by Thomas W. Moakley)
H5448: An Act modernizing financial departments in the city of Holyoke (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5449: An Act relative to amending the Traffic Commission in the city of Westfield (Filed by Kelly W. Pease)
H5456: An Act amending Chapter 305 of the Acts of 2016 relative to the year-round marke (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
... and 9 more bills

Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM

Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5417: An Act authorizing the town of Lynnfield to impose a local sales tax upon restau (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5418: An Act authorizing the town of Wakefield to establish a means tested senior citi (Filed by Kate Lipper-Garabedian)
H5457: An Act authorizing the town of Provincetown to impose a 0.5% real estate transfe (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5487: An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities f (Filed by Michelle L. Ciccolo)

Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills)

Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Katherine Putnam (Unenrolled) — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/17/2026
Melanie Layden — Register of Probate, Bristol County — Filed: 6/17/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

Westborough patrol officer Ashlyn Mercier made history over the weekend by becoming the first police officer ever crowned Miss Massachusetts. Her department’s response on social media was perfect: “Officer by day, Miss Massachusetts by title, and making the rest of us look bad 24/7.” Somewhere, her fellow officers are going to have a very good time with this at roll call.

WCVB →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward it to someone who should be paying closer attention.

The Mass Brief • Powered by South Shore News

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Massachusetts politics, development, and daily life — straight to your inbox.

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#64

June 22, 2026

The Mass Brief — Sunday, June 21, 2026

The Mass Brief

Sunday, June 21, 2026 | First day of summer edition ☀️

The Lead

A Mattapan Tragedy on a Busy Afternoon

Blue Hill Avenue — one of Boston's most traveled corridors — turned into a scene of chaos and grief on Saturday afternoon when a man crashed his car near Woodhaven Street in Mattapan, then carjacked a second vehicle and went on a destructive tear down the road at speeds witnesses described as around 70 miles per hour. A woman who was crossing Blue Hill Avenue near Fairway Street was struck and killed. The suspect also hit several other cars and an MBTA bus before being taken into custody. A second person was injured; a third reportedly suffered a panic attack witnessing the scene unfold in front of them.

This happened in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon on one of the neighborhood's busiest streets. Witnesses described the horror in real time — one told reporters they heard the victim's last words. That kind of trauma doesn't just disappear when the police tape comes down. Blue Hill Avenue remained closed for hours, and the victim's identity had not been released as of Saturday night pending family notification and autopsy.

The arrest has been made, but the questions that follow a tragedy like this — about street safety, carjacking trends, and what a neighborhood absorbs when violence happens in plain sight — will take longer to answer. Boston officials haven't yet commented publicly. Expect that to change early this week.

Full story at Dorchester Reporter →

What Else You Should Know

The Legislature Fires Back at DiZoglio — Loudly

House Speaker Ronald Mariano's allies are going on offense over the ongoing legislative audit fight, with a new op-ed accusing State Auditor Diana DiZoglio of running a campaign built on misinformation and personal attacks rather than good-government substance. The piece argues the House's recently passed bill already gives DiZoglio the documents she's requested and, for the first time, subjects the Legislature and the governor's office to public records law — with backing from the ACLU of Massachusetts and Common Cause. DiZoglio, who has been eyeing a run for higher office, has framed the fight differently. This one is far from over, and voters will have their say at the ballot box.

CommonWealth Beacon →

An Andover Middle Schooler Has Died

Cody Nguyen, an eighth grader at Doherty Middle School in Andover, passed away on Friday — nearly a month after he was found unresponsive and submerged in Field Pond at Harold Parker State Forest in May. He was medflighted to a Boston hospital after first responders pulled him from about 10 feet of water. The school district confirmed his death Saturday and will provide grief support for students and staff Monday and Tuesday. Andover Police continue to investigate.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

Scituate Girls' Sports Getting the Short End — By a Lot

A Title IX athletics equity audit presented to the Scituate School Committee has exposed significant and systemic disparities between boys' and girls' sports programs, with parents pointing to unequal schedules, match counts, and facilities. The boys' golf team gets an 18-match season; the girls' team doesn't. Superintendent Dr. Tom Raab presented an 11-point corrective action plan, but parents weren't satisfied — particularly given that budget breakdowns for FY2025 and FY2026 were missing from the report, leaving the full scope of the spending gap unknown. The newly reorganized committee, now chaired by Nicole Brandolini, has some accountability work ahead of it.

South Shore News →

Plympton Is Racing the Clock on Federal Water Money

The small Plymouth County town of Plympton has until December 31 to complete a public water supply infrastructure project or lose its remaining ARPA federal funds entirely. Interim Town Administrator Robert Fennessy announced the town is pivoting its procurement strategy — dropping the Owner's Project Manager approach and going straight to a project designer — to shave precious weeks off the timeline. A bid package goes out this week, with opening around July 13. If the build isn't done by year's end, the money reverts to the federal government. No pressure.

South Shore News →

A World Cup Watch Party Ends in a Shooting

A man was shot in the chest Friday night at an unofficial World Cup watch party at Hood Park in Charlestown. Homicide detectives were initially called in given the severity of the wound, but the victim is now expected to survive. Hood Park management said it is cooperating fully with Boston Police. With World Cup games drawing big crowds to venues across the region, this is a reminder that large public gatherings require real public safety planning.

Universal Hub →

Worth Your Attention

Plymouth LGBTQ Tea Dance — June 28: Psychotherapist Kelly Bearer is launching a quarterly afternoon gathering for the South Shore's LGBTQ community at 36 Cordage Park in Plymouth, 4–7 p.m., closing out Pride Month with dancing, connection, and — per the science — potentially a lower risk of dementia. Plymouth Independent →

Rain Monday: WCVB has declared Monday an "Impact Weather Day" — expect widespread rain and possible thunderstorms arriving by the evening commute, so plan accordingly if you're heading into work. WCVB →

Silver Lake School Committee — Infrastructure Watch: The Silver Lake Regional School Committee has approved emergency repairs on a failed $585,000 rooftop HVAC unit at the middle school using capital stabilization funds — worth watching as the district navigates aging 21-year-old facilities and tries to secure town funding for a broader capital plan. South Shore News →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$1,000.00	Joseph Bernard (Bernard Defense Team), Springfield, MA → Michael Fenton [Individual]
$1,000.00	Elizabeth Bisio (Tandem Vetcare), Norwell, MA → Wilfred N. Mbah [Individual]
$1,000.00	Paige Collins (Retired), Springfield, MA → Michael Fenton [Individual]
$1,000.00	David Fontaine (Fontaine Bros. Construction, Inc.), Somers, CT → Michael Fenton [Individual]
$1,000.00	James Sheehan (Retired), Holyoke, MA → Jacob Oliveira [Individual]

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Monday, June 22, 10:30 AM

Joint Committee on Financial Services (2 bills)

Topic: The Joint Committee on Financial Services will hold a public hearing on the following late-filed matters:

Location: A-1 , Boston

S3091: An Act creating crumbling concrete relief for homeowners (Filed by Peter J. Durant)
H5477: An Act expanding the treatment of cleft palate and cleft lip (Filed by Steven Ultrino)

Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (8 bills)

Topic: Late-filed Matters

Location: B-1 , Boston

S3082: An Act relative to animal telehealth (Filed by Joan B. Lovely)
S3090: An Act relative to consumer connected devices (Filed by William N. Brownsberger)
S3094: An Act authorizing the town of Foxborough to grant three additional licenses for (Filed by Paul R. Feeney)
H5425: An Act authorizing the town of Southborough to grant an additional license for t (Filed by Kate Donaghue)
H5445: An Act relative to the issuance of certain liquor licenses in the city of Eastha (Filed by Homar Gómez)
... and 3 more bills

Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies (1 bills)

Topic: H.5436-An Act establishing MassQuantum

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5436: An Act establishing MassQuantum (Filed by Michael S. Day)

Tuesday, June 23, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (14 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5426: An Act amending the charter of the town of North Attleborough (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)
H5434: An Act providing for the appointment of associate members of the Planning Board (Filed by Thomas W. Moakley)
H5448: An Act modernizing financial departments in the city of Holyoke (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5449: An Act relative to amending the Traffic Commission in the city of Westfield (Filed by Kelly W. Pease)
H5456: An Act amending Chapter 305 of the Acts of 2016 relative to the year-round marke (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
... and 9 more bills

Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM

Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5417: An Act authorizing the town of Lynnfield to impose a local sales tax upon restau (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5418: An Act authorizing the town of Wakefield to establish a means tested senior citi (Filed by Kate Lipper-Garabedian)
H5457: An Act authorizing the town of Provincetown to impose a 0.5% real estate transfe (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5487: An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities f (Filed by Michelle L. Ciccolo)

Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills)

Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Katherine Putnam (Unenrolled) — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/17/2026
Melanie Layden — Register of Probate, Bristol County — Filed: 6/17/2026

OCPF →

One More Thing

The World Cup brought hundreds of Haitians and Brazilians to the same block in Everett on Friday night — more than 100 fans packed into La Perle Restaurant cheering for Haiti, while 150 Brazil supporters filled Oliveira's Bar and Grill just down the street. "It feels like my house in Brazil," one fan said. Massachusetts has one of the largest Brazilian and Haitian diasporas in the country, and for one evening, that block in Everett felt like the center of it all. Happy first day of summer. ☀️

GBH News →

The Mass Brief lands every morning. Forward it to someone who should be paying attention.

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Powered by South Shore News

#63

June 21, 2026

The Mass Brief — Saturday, June 20, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Your morning briefing on what’s happening in Massachusetts — delivered every morning.

THE LEAD

The Income Tax Ballot Question Is Dead. Here’s How It Happened.

The story of how a high-profile ballot question to slash Massachusetts’ income tax to 4% died isn’t just about a court ruling — it’s about a chain of emails, a friendly back-and-forth between lawyers, and a summary that quietly omitted something enormous. Thanks to new reporting from the Globe, we now know that an assistant attorney general and a lawyer for the measure’s backers spent weeks negotiating the ballot summary language last August — and in doing so, inadvertently wrote the question’s death warrant.

The crux: that capital gains income — a significant revenue category — would also have been cut by the proposal, but the summary language danced around it. Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office suggested language explaining that long-term capital gains were “excluded” from the affected income definition. The proponents’ lawyer, Kevin Martin of Goodwin Procter, responded with a thumbs-up emoji and “That summary works well for proponents.” That friendly agreement became the smoking gun. The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that the summary was so fundamentally misleading it couldn’t go before voters — and threw the whole thing out.

The winners? Governor Maura Healey, House Ways and Means chair Aaron Michlewitz, and budget hawk Doug Howgate at the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, who never loved the uncertainty a 4% rate would have created. The losers? Business groups who saw the November ballot as their best shot at tax relief in years. Where does that energy go now? Back to Beacon Hill — where it’ll move a lot more slowly.

Full story at Boston Globe →

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

Karen Read case ripple: Another Canton officer loses his badge. The state Police Officer Standards and Training Commission suspended the certification of former Canton Sergeant Sean Goode, who resigned in late May just before Karen Read’s lawsuit went public with years’ worth of racist, sexist, and antisemitic texts he’d traded with disgraced former State Police trooper Michael Proctor. The suspension isn’t permanent yet — Goode can request a hearing — but it signals POST is moving swiftly in the wake of the Read case’s ongoing fallout. Boston Globe →

A welding safety bill heads to the Governor’s desk. The state legislature has passed a bill tightening welding regulations, named in honor of two Boston firefighters killed in the Back Bay in 2014. It now awaits Governor Healey’s signature. It’s been more than a decade since those deaths — and the families who pushed for this didn’t stop pushing. WBZ / CBS Boston →

Boston opens “sip and stroll” districts for the World Cup. Mayor Michelle Wu launched two downtown open-container social districts Friday — one in the Blackstone Block Historic District, one at Temple Place in Downtown Crossing — where visitors can legally drink in public through the end of July. This follows the state’s new law extending last call to 3 a.m. and enabling cities to create public drinking zones this summer. The FIFA Fan Festival at Government Center has had a rockier start — high winds forced delays two days in a row — but the party, clearly, is just getting started. Boston.com →

Marshfield’s budget crisis is stuck in neutral. South Shore communities have been wrestling with Prop 2½ overrides all spring, but Marshfield’s situation is uniquely maddening: Town Meeting passed a $7 million override by a wide margin, yet the Select Board — deadlocked at two members — hasn’t scheduled the required public ballot. Finance officials are already flagging that even if the override passes, structural problems including 12–13% health insurance hikes and rising pension assessments make fiscal sustainability through FY2028 a serious question. Overrides, one finance director noted, buy time. They don’t buy solutions. South Shore News →

Gas prices are finally heading in the right direction. Massachusetts drivers are still paying above the national average at $4.09 a gallon, but prices have dropped sharply in the past week — the result of the U.S.–Iran agreement that reopened the Strait of Hormuz and sent crude oil prices tumbling. South of Boston, some wholesale clubs are selling at $3.60. Not a bad time to plan a road trip. GBH News →

A former N.H. lawmaker gets 33 years for child exploitation at a Massachusetts daycare. Stacie-Marie Laughton, 42, was sentenced Thursday for orchestrating the sexual exploitation of children at a Tyngsborough daycare, where her then-partner Lindsay Groves took explicit photos during routine care. Prosecutors say more than 10,000 messages over a single month documented the abuse. The victims were between the ages of 3 and 5. Boston.com →

WORTH YOUR ATTENTION

Summer solstice arrives Sunday at 4:24 a.m. — the longest day of the year brings 15 hours, 17 minutes of daylight in Boston; the latest sunset of the year is still a few days away. Boston Globe →

2nd Middlesex Senate race heating up: Five candidates — including state Reps. Erika Uyterhoeven and Christine Barber, Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem, Somerville City Councilor Matt McLaughlin, and Winchester’s Tom Hopcroft — are already debating transparency, legislative audits, and leadership stipends at public forums ahead of what’s shaping up to be a consequential race for a progressive-leaning district. Cambridge Day →

Impact weather Monday: The weekend stays manageable — spot showers possible Saturday afternoon, especially north and east of Boston — but forecasters are flagging more significant weather moving in Monday. Plan outdoor events accordingly. WCVB →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: Conference committee reconciles

Governor

House

Senate

Conference

Signed

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference

📋 No notable actions in the last few days.

Full budget details →

This Week on Beacon Hill

Monday, June 22, 10:30 AM

Joint Committee on Financial Services (2 bills)

Topic: The Joint Committee on Financial Services will hold a public hearing on the following late-filed matters:

Location: A-1 , Boston

S3091: An Act creating crumbling concrete relief for homeowners (Filed by Peter J. Durant)
H5477: An Act expanding the treatment of cleft palate and cleft lip (Filed by Steven Ultrino)

Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 AM

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (8 bills)

Topic: Late-filed Matters

Location: B-1 , Boston

S3082: An Act relative to animal telehealth (Filed by Joan B. Lovely)
S3090: An Act relative to consumer connected devices (Filed by William N. Brownsberger)
S3094: An Act authorizing the town of Foxborough to grant three additional licenses for (Filed by Paul R. Feeney)
H5425: An Act authorizing the town of Southborough to grant an additional license for t (Filed by Kate Donaghue)
H5445: An Act relative to the issuance of certain liquor licenses in the city of Eastha (Filed by Homar Gómez)
... and 3 more bills

Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies (1 bills)

Topic: H.5436-An Act establishing MassQuantum

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5436: An Act establishing MassQuantum (Filed by Michael S. Day)

Tuesday, June 23, 1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (14 bills)

Topic: Late files

Location: A-1 , Boston

H5426: An Act amending the charter of the town of North Attleborough (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)
H5434: An Act providing for the appointment of associate members of the Planning Board (Filed by Thomas W. Moakley)
H5448: An Act modernizing financial departments in the city of Holyoke (Filed by Patricia A. Duffy)
H5449: An Act relative to amending the Traffic Commission in the city of Westfield (Filed by Kelly W. Pease)
H5456: An Act amending Chapter 305 of the Acts of 2016 relative to the year-round marke (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
... and 9 more bills

Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM

Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills)

Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5417: An Act authorizing the town of Lynnfield to impose a local sales tax upon restau (Filed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr.)
H5418: An Act authorizing the town of Wakefield to establish a means tested senior citi (Filed by Kate Lipper-Garabedian)
H5457: An Act authorizing the town of Provincetown to impose a 0.5% real estate transfe (Filed by Hadley Luddy)
H5487: An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities f (Filed by Michelle L. Ciccolo)

Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills)

Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth

Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston

H5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth (Filed by Adam J. Scanlon)

Full hearing schedule →

New on the Ballot

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

Candidates

Katherine Putnam (Unenrolled) — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/17/2026
Melanie Layden — Register of Probate, Bristol County — Filed: 6/17/2026

OCPF →

ONE MORE THING

In 1893 — on this date — a New Bedford jury found Lizzie Borden not guilty. One hundred and thirty-three years later, we still don’t entirely know what happened in that house. Massachusetts has always had a flair for the unresolved. Boston Globe →

The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Forward this to someone who should be reading it.

The Mass Brief • Powered by South Shore News

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Massachusetts politics, development, and daily life — straight to your inbox.

Powered by South Shore News

#62

June 20, 2026

Mass Brief

Mass Brief

Archive

The Mass Brief — Friday, July 10, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

PACs

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Wednesday, July 08, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

The Lead

What Else You Should Know

Worth Your Attention

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

Ballot Question Committees

One More Thing

The Mass Brief — Tuesday, July 07, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Candidates

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Monday, July 06, 2026

Big Spending This Week

Change of Purposes

The Mass Brief — Sunday, July 05, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Change of Purposes

The Mass Brief — Saturday, July 04, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Change of Purposes

The Mass Brief — Friday, July 03, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Change of Purposes

The Mass Brief — Thursday, July 02, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Candidates

Change of Purposes

The Mass Brief — Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

PACs

Change of Purposes

The Mass Brief — Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

PACs

The Mass Brief — Monday, June 29, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

PACs

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Sunday, June 28, 2026

THE MASS BRIEF

Candidates

PACs

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Saturday, June 27, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

PACs

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Friday, June 26, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

PACs

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Thursday, June 25, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Candidates

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Ballot Question Committees

The Mass Brief — Tuesday, June 23, 2026