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Tag: Editorial

  • Editorial: Bill would boost consumers’ car protection clout

    Presidents Day Week historically has been a prime time to purchase a new or preowned — used — motor vehicle.

    While we all have been told that our first president George Washington supposedly could not tell a lie about felling that cherry tree — a myth invented by a Washington biographer after his death — our state senators want to ensure that car dealerships live up to that ethical standard.

    That’s what a bill recently passed unanimously by the Senate would do, by expanding consumer protections when purchasing new or used vehicles.

    “An Act modernizing protections for consumers in automobile transactions” aims to provide more recourse for drivers facing vehicle fraud or mechanical failures.

    The legislation doubles the surety bond requirements for used-car dealers and introduces a grace period for leased vehicles to prevent immediate repossession.

    The legislation extends the timeline for the state’s Lemon Law, allowing customers seven days after receiving delivery of a vehicle to void the sale if it fails inspection. Currently, the window begins on the purchase date.

    Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues, chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, highlighted this shift as a key distinction in the bill. “This bill expands the current Lemon Law and makes an important distinction in voiding vehicle transactions by starting the seven-day window from vehicle delivery, instead of purchase date,” Rodrigues said.

    He added that the bill also makes it easier for buyers who are victims of fraud to make claims.

    To protect drivers buying older vehicles, the bill increases the maximum mileage for used car warranties by 50,000 miles, bringing the new limit to 175,000 miles.

    Sen. Pavel M. Payano, chair of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, said the update reflects the modern marketplace.

    “For many Massachusetts residents, a car is how they keep a job, get their kids to school and make medical appointments,” Payano said. He noted that without these protections, consumers are often left carrying the financial burden of a vehicle that does not meet minimum standards.

    The measure also doubles the surety bond — held for the benefit of buyers who experience fraud — that used car dealers must post to receive a license, raising it to $50,000.

    Sen. Paul R. Feeney, the lead sponsor of the legislation, emphasized that the bill reaffirms a commitment to shielding families from deceptive practices.

    Beyond sales, the bill supports residents who lease vehicles by providing a 21-day grace period to catch up on payments before a repossession can occur.

    Senate President Karen E. Spilka said the law ensures consumers have “clear rights” and “real recourse” during significant financial decisions. “For most families, buying a car is a necessity, not a luxury,” Spilka said. “When a car purchase goes wrong, the consequences can be devastating.”

    Consumer advocacy groups also expressed support for the changes.

    Deirdre Cummings, legislative director for MASSPIRG, noted that while the original law has worked well, it required updates to account for 40 years of changes in vehicles and marketing.

    “It just makes sense that we have modern, commonsense protections to ensure no one gets squeezed by a “lemon,”” Cummings said.

    The bill will now be a subject of debate by the members of the House.

    This legislation isn’t a response to a rash of consumer complaints. Most car dealers operate in a professional manner.

    It’s simply a recognition of changes in the industry and the expansion of consumer expectations and protections that accompany the necessary requirement of car ownership.

    It’s also a reflection of the financial commitment that comes with owning or leasing a motor vehicle in this state.

    The average price of a mid-sized sedan ranges from about $27,000 to $35,500, while the average  SUV costs just under $40,000.

    And to that you can add a 6.25% Massachusetts sales tax.

    These aren’t luxury items, just vehicles that most of us would feel comfortable owning.

    And “owning” a vehicle probably doesn’t accurately describe the post-sale circumstances.

    According to Experian, 61% of consumers have at least one auto loan in their credit file.

    And most auto loans now look more like home mortgages.

    According to Experian data from June 2025, borrowers paid an average of $682 monthly for that loan.

    And for the 20% of consumers that lease a motor vehicle, their monthly cost was about the same — $659.

    And of course, that’s not the only additional cost associated with owning/leasing a motor vehicle.

    According to Bankrate, the average yearly car insurance premium in Massachusetts works out to approximately $2,100 for full coverage, and $650 for minimum coverage.

    But that varies by community, with drivers in congested urban centers paying more for the same coverage.

    And don’t forget that yearly excise tax — $25 per $1,000 of valuation per vehicle — the state charges for the privilege of driving on its roadways.

    For all these reasons, residents require all the consumer protections the law allows when it comes to operating a motor vehicle in this state.

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  • Editorial: Auditor’s answers might finally end AG merry-go-round

    Déjà vu all over again.

    That describes the status of the lengthy tug of war between Attorney General Andrea Campbell and state Auditor Diana DiZoglio over the latter’s authority to inspect the inner workings of the Legislature.

    The latest iteration of this Cabinet level battle of wills occurred after the attorney general’s appearance Tuesday on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” program.

    “I hope the voters get exactly what they voted for,” Campbell said in reference to the overwhelming support of a 2024 ballot measure that sought to give the auditor the power to review how lawmakers operate out of the public eye.

    However, the AG laid the blame for this impasse squarely on DiZoglio.

    “I hope the auditor stops the standoff,” Campbell added.

    For her part, an obviously exasperated DiZoglio has accused Campbell of “public corruption” for stonewalling the will of the people.

    Despite the support of nearly 75% of their constituents, the Legislature’s Democratic leadership has raised concerns about the constitutional validity of the voter-approved law.

    Meanwhile, Campbell and DiZoglio have gone back-and-forth about who’s responsible for delaying the audit process.

    If you thought both sides have expressed similar sentiments previously, you’d be correct.

    During an October rally at the State House in support of the legislative audit, DiZoglio told the Boston Herald that the attorney general was “working together with legislative leaders” to prevent the probe from unfolding.

    In response to a Herald inquiry at the time, Campbell said “any audit must be conducted within constitutional limitations,” while saying there is “no dispute about whether Question 1 is the law.”

    But a law in name only, without any actionable powers.

    “In order to move forward, the auditor must address our unanswered questions,” the AG said in a statement shared with the Herald, “including assurances that the audit remains within the confines of the (state) constitution.”

    Then and now, DiZoglio has asked: what questions?

    DiZoglio previously said that the AG needs to “stop alleging to the general public that my office has in some way not provided or withheld information that she needs to do her job.”

    The auditor continued: “If she’s going to continue to allege that, then it is her obligation to sue me and my office to get the information that she needs… to be able to make sure that this law is enforced. We would be happy to meet the attorney general there, happy to meet legislative leaders there. We need to get this law followed.”

    The attorney general, in that recent GBH interview, doubled down on the auditor’s supposed intransigence.

    “We represent almost every state agency and constitutional officer in the commonwealth,” Campbell said Tuesday. “Anytime an agency comes to us and asks us to represent them, we ask them a certain amount of questions, they reply, and then we move forward or not.

    “The only agency or constitutional office we have had any issue with since I’ve taken office is the auditor. And it’s not for lack of trying — it’s not for lack of trying to resolve this.”

    DiZoglio responded to Campbell’s Tuesday comments in a statement to the State House News Service:

    “The Attorney General continues to falsely claim that she needs more questions answered from my office. This is why I have called on the AG to sue me, and my office, so we can end this so-called ‘standoff.’

    “She won’t face me directly in interviews, however, and won’t sue me — as I have repeatedly called on her to do. Why? Because she is well aware that she needs nothing else from my office to be able to do her job,” the Methuen Democrat said.

    “She cannot continue to claim that my office hasn’t given her what she needs, yet refuse to sue me. It’s her duty to this commonwealth to drag me to court if I haven’t provided what she needs to get this law enforced — and I’ll skip into the courtroom happily providing whatever is allegedly needed from my office.”

    DiZoglio called Campbell’s actions “stall tactics” that are “giving the Legislature more time to destroy documents and records.”

    Campbell said Tuesday that there’s “a pathway forward” where DiZoglio could get an outside lawyer should Campbell’s office opt not to represent her.

    The auditor’s office previously confirmed to the Herald that it was in contact with the law firm of Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar regarding litigation.

    “Even in that posture, which we allow for other agencies, she still has to answer certain questions, and she has not provided us those answers,” Campbell said.

    According to Campbell’s office, the core questions DiZoglio needs to answer revolve around her position on key legal issues, including what she believes she can and cannot audit, whom she would sue and what the legal claim would be.

    Asked by “Boston Public Radio” co-host Jim Braude whether it’s an “unreasonable request” to also ask DiZoglio about what aspects of the Legislature she might want to audit, Campbell said that the court would ask her the same question.

    Well, it took a while, but it finally appears we now know the questions Campbell says must be answered.

    But if the auditor believes those queries constitute AG overreach, then we’re likely back to square one.

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  • Editorial: Potential ballot bid would ax recreational pot, including cafes 

    It’s no longer a pipe dream.

    At least for now.

    Ten years after Massachusetts voters approved the use of recreational marijuana, individuals 21 and older will now be allowed to enjoy that experience at licensed social consumption establishments.

    While it appeared at times that this eventually might never arrive — due to the glacial pace of deliberations and internal disruptions — the Cannabis Control Commission has finally approved the rules of operation for this expansion of marijuana consumption.

    “Today we honored the will of the Massachusetts voters, and they voted for this in 2016. Here we are, almost in 2026 and we got it across the finish line,” Commissioner Kimberly Roy during a press conference after last week’s vote.

    “Today is another milestone in the Massachusetts cannabis industry.”

    Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien, who successfully won her job back a few months ago after being relieved of duty by State Treasurer Deb Goldberg, agreed.

    “The important thing is, this is the will of the voters,” O’Brien said. “Some people may have some concerns, because this is a little bit of a brave new world. We don’t really know. We know what our local pub looks like, but we don’t really understand what this looks like.”

    While the regulations likely will be filed with the Secretary of State by Dec. 19 and promulgated on Jan. 2, the rollout of pot cafes or other venues probably won’t occur until 2027.

    Commissioners estimate that it will take up to 18 months before businesses can offer on-site marijuana products.

    That’s based on the rollout of cannabis delivery licenses, which took six months for a licensee to file an application. Once the applications were received, it took 11 additional months before the licensees began operating.

    The regulations allow for three types of social consumption licenses.

    A “supplemental” license for existing marijuana retail businesses, where customers could consume products they purchased on-site; a “hospitality” license for on-site consumption at new or existing non-cannabis businesses like yoga studios or theaters; and an “event organizer” license that would allow for temporary on-site consumption at events like rallies and festivals.

    Municipalities must decide individually if they want social consumption businesses in their community, and if so, develop their own standards of practice.

    Roy said several communities, including Cambridge, Chelsea, Fitchburg, Somerville, Haverhill, Holyoke, Provincetown and Worcester, have expressed interest in allowing social consumption sites.

    Chair O’Brien said the Commission would continue to work with municipalities over the next six months to gauge their interest.

    “I’m hoping that some of these things can go more quickly,” O’Brien said. “But there is a lot of work to do with the municipalities to make sure that they are ready, because there’s going to be a lot of regulatory framework that is going to be controlled by municipalities, a lot of applications that’s going to be managed by them.”

    Commissioners are also part of several working groups, including one for local advisory to help city and town leaders with the regulations, public awareness, and a group focused on responsible vendor training.

    O’Brien said the regulations have been changed from the draft released in late July to get rid of “unnecessary regulatory burdens,” allowing retailers to bring in more revenue and helping businesses take care of over-served patrons.

    For example, O’Brien said the approved regulations allow retailers to sell shelf-stable snacks, which offers a new form of revenue. Also, retailers can offer what’s called “THC inhibitors,” which can help reduce symptoms and reactions for those who feel like they’ve consumed too much marijuana.

    The regulations require licensees to offer customers food and ban alcohol sales within the same area, so there’s no “co-mingling” of substances.

    Alcohol can be sold under the same roof as cannabis, but must be sold in different areas, Roy said.

    Roy noted there are several provisions aimed at ensuring safe cannabis consumption.

    These include training “budtenders” serving cannabis on site to recognize signs of impairment.

    Also, the sale of cannabis products must end 30 minutes before a business closes, and licensees must have approved transportation plans to help customers who may be too impaired to drive home.

    Licensees also have to get a public-safety plan approved by both the Commission and local officials.

    Massachusetts becomes the first New England state to allow social consumption of cannabis, joining Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York.

    Ironically, just as Massachusetts prepares to enact a provision of a law passed by referendum, a group is in the process of using that same vehicle to repeal that 2016 recreational pot statute.

    That ballot question, called “An Act to restore sensible marijuana policy,” would end non-medical cannabis use in Massachusetts, effectively terminating a $1.6 billion industry.

    Wendy Wakeman, chair of the organization behind this campaign, told Springfield 22News that her coalition, made up of parents, mental health professionals, teachers, and medical professionals, feels that the industry is woefully understudied and under-regulated.

    If approved, the ballot question, currently awaiting signature certification from the Secretary of State, would make Massachusetts the first state in the country to undo recreational marijuana legalization.

    It would come up for a vote on the November 2026 state ballot — before pot cafes even served their first customers.

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  • Editorial: Agencies need real clout to exert health-care control

    UMass Memorial Health’s unwavering decision to close the Leominster Hospital Maternity Ward sent a clear signal to Beacon Hill that the Department of Public Health needs more leverage to bear in these situations.

    And that can only happen through the Legislature, which must provide the DPH with the authority to make shuttering a vital medical service a difficult, painstaking process.

    If that were the case, UMass Memorial Health probably wouldn’t have gone forward with its September 2023 closure.

    As we previously predicted at the time, as long as UMass Memorial Health followed the current protocol, the state was powerless to alter the closure’s course.

    The announcement reaffirming its intention to close came only hours after the Worcester legislative delegation joined with North Central Mass. lawmakers to request a delay.

    That, like previous petitions, fell on deaf ears, even over the DPH and lawmakers’ objections.

    The Health Policy Commission, in its quest to control health-care costs, works under the same limitations.

    Although it’s an independent state agency charged with monitoring cost trends, as with the DPH, the Health Policy Commission can only make recommendations, not issue binding mandates.

    Since the HPC has no real enforcement powers, we shouldn’t be surprised that its health-care cost-containment goals have been routinely ignored.

    In a competitive environment, marketplace forces control the pace of price increases and worker compensation.

    Without those restraints, health-care costs find their own level – considerably higher than HPC guidelines.

    That’s not how business works in the real world.

    The HPC previously set the cost growth benchmark at 3.6% for 2026, despite the fact that total health-care expenditures grew by 8.6% from 2022 to 2023.

    While hospitals and other medical facilities routinely blow through cost controls, private industry in this state somehow manages to toe the line HPC expects from its client base.

    That’s reflected in the combined data for the Boston-Worcester-Providence, R.I., area for the statistical year that ended in September.

    Compensation costs for private industry workers in the Boston metro area rose by 3.3% for that 12-month period.

    Nationwide, total compensation and benefit costs for civilian workers increased by 3.5% over the same timeframe.

    Undeterred, health-care oversight officials pledged last week to maintain their strategy of setting a cost-containment target, despite their ineffectiveness.

    The HPC urged policymakers and health-care leaders to “recommit to the health care cost growth benchmark” in 2026, and “convene to develop consensus on a comprehensive set of reforms.”

    The HPC board agreed on the topline recommendation as they voted to issue a new report in response to last month’s cost trends hearing.

    As reported by the State House News Service, hours of testimony at the Dec. 11 hearing focused on mounting affordability issues, challenges accessing care, and the threat of massive insurance coverage losses due to federal policy changes.

    Critics rightly pointed out the obvious – the benchmark established in 2012 does not represent a strong check on growing costs.

    At a recent primary-care task force meeting, Retailers Association of Massachusetts President Jon Hurst said the benchmark “obviously has not been followed for the last decade or so.”

    The new cost trends report offers four major and familiar themes for recommendations: administrative complexity, health-care prices, pharmaceutical spending, and low-value care, avoidable health-care visits.

    Lora Pellegrini, CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, said the HPC, for more than a decade, has identified the same factors driving health-care spending growth.

    “The troubling reality is that, year after year, these cost drivers have gone largely unaddressed,” Pellegrini said in a statement.

    “And we are now seeing the consequences in real time: premiums climbing faster than wages, cost sharing rising as employers struggle to manage those premiums, and patients facing increasing barriers to care. The affordability challenges we face today are the direct result of a failure to act on what the data has long made clear.”

    The HPC says Massachusetts should take action to “dramatically” reduce the “significant administrative complexity” in the system, “prioritizing those that impede care for patients and burden primary-care clinicians and support staff (e.g., prior authorization).”

    The HPC recommended Massachusetts tackle “excessive prices” for provider services, noting that other states rein in costs “above a fair, reasonable threshold or moderate price growth to a sustainable rate.”

    With rising prescription drug spending, the HPC advises the state to consider forthcoming recommendations from the new Office of Pharmaceutical Policy and Analysis, as well as the Division of Insurance.

    The HPC also recommends that Massachusetts should encourage payers and providers to reduce “low value care” and avoidable emergency department visits, ED boarding, and readmissions.

    To accomplish that, the state must expand access to behavioral health-care and primary care, which is at the crux of the task force led by the HPC and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

    “The HPC has outlined a comprehensive and evidence-based roadmap, not once, but repeatedly,” Pellegrini said. “The time to act is now.”

    But there’s that word again, recommend.

    As we’ve witnessed, words without teeth don’t produce the desired results.

    Arm the DPH and HPC with actionable authority to make those recommendations stick.

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  • Posh Pets® Photography on the Cover of Modern Cat Magazine

    When you first start your photography journey, you dream of seeing your work in print. With less and less print magazines being published, it’s getting harder and harder to reach this dream. But, this cover is also reminder of why I fell in love with photographing pets in the first place.

    Cats especially keep you on your toes (or, toe beans!). If you have the priviledge to share your life with a cat, you know that you don’t pose a cat; you negotiate with one. They challenge you to make it work. (Side point: this fact is also the reason why many ‘pet’ photographers, are in fact, dog photographers – simply put: cats can be hard.)

    This cover is a celebration of the moment when a beautiful cat decides, “Alright. I’ll give you the shot.”

    Karen Weiler

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  • Posh Pets® Photography on the Cover of Modern Cat Magazine

    When you first start your photography journey, you dream of seeing your work in print. With less and less print magazines being published, it’s getting harder and harder to reach this dream. But, this cover is also reminder of why I fell in love with photographing pets in the first place.

    Cats especially keep you on your toes (or, toe beans!). If you have the priviledge to share your life with a cat, you know that you don’t pose a cat; you negotiate with one. They challenge you to make it work. (Side point: this fact is also the reason why many ‘pet’ photographers, are in fact, dog photographers – simply put: cats can be hard.)

    This cover is a celebration of the moment when a beautiful cat decides, “Alright. I’ll give you the shot.”

    Karen Weiler

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  • Editorial: Despite building spurt, home ownership still remains elusive goal

    It’s a recurring, discouraging statistic that no aspiring first-time homebuyer wants to hear.

    Despite enduring some of the highest monthly expenses nationwide, only one in seven renter households in Greater Boston can afford an “entry level” home, according to the 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card released Wednesday.

    The share of renter households with the means to buy a starter home fell from 30% in 2021 to 15% in 2025, the report shows.

    That’s despite a period of increased housing construction activity.

    “While new data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a significant uptick in new home completions in recent years, the increase has not significantly helped home affordability, and a decline in the number of new housing permits statewide suggests any construction uptick could be short-lived,” said Luc Schuster, executive director of the research arm of the Boston Foundation.

    The annual housing report found that Massachusetts created just under 98,000 housing units from April 2020 to July 2025, with about 71,000 in Greater Boston.

    The pace marks a “meaningful increase” and “would put Massachusetts within striking distance” of meeting the state’s goal of building 222,000 new units by 2035, the report stated.

    “But permits, which signal future housing construction, are way down,” the report states. “New permits as of July 2025 are running 44% below levels for the same period in 2021.”

    Despite the modest increase in housing construction, “Greater Boston’s housing affordability crisis has only worsened since the pandemic,” the report shows.

    In 2025, home prices and rents have broadly leveled off but remain at unaffordable levels, the data shows.

    Whereas in 2021, a household earning about $98,000 could buy a home at the low end of the market with a $2,520 monthly payment, a household this year would need to earn over $162,000 to afford the $4,200 monthly payment on the starter homes.

    While Greater Boston encompasses communities with the state’s highest housing costs, it’s not an insignificant sample.

    The Metropolitan Area Planning Council defines Greater Boston as an area made up of 101 communities — 22 cities and 79 towns — that includes a mix of coastal communities, older industrial centers, rural towns, and urban neighborhoods.

    And while housing costs do moderate somewhat beyond that region, so do the incomes of those who live there.

    And in many cases, incomes haven’t kept pace with housing prices, even in Gateway Cities.

    For example, since 2021, housing prices in Lawrence have climbed nearly 70% to a median of $500,000.

    Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll spoke on the report’s finding Wednesday, citing the administration’s work in passing the $5.2 billion Affordable Homes Act in 2024, and the MBTA Communities Law requiring zoning for multifamily housing in the 177 communities served by that transportation system.

    Despite the government’s efforts to spur housing construction, market forces — primarily the high cost of land and building materials — have conspired against it.

    As the lieutenant governor stated, building sufficient housing shouldn’t be this hard.

    But in Massachusetts, that’s the inescapable norm.

    DPU continues exemplary pipeline safety performance

    Building on the protocols incorporated in the wake of the catastrophic 2018 pipeline explosions in three Merrimack Valley communities, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has received another perfect score from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for its oversight safety program in 2024.

    On Sept. 13, 2018, a series of natural gas pipeline explosions in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover killed one man and injured dozens more.

    The explosions and fires occurred after high-pressure natural gas was released into a low-pressure gas distribution system, causing damage to more than 130 structures, and destroying five homes.

    Firefighters fought more than 80 blazes and thousands of people were evacuated from their homes.

    Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, the company held responsible for the disaster, pleaded guilty in federal court to pipeline safety law violations and negligence and agreed to pay a fine of $53 million.

    The events ultimately cost the company more than $1 billion.

    This evaluation marks the third consecutive year that the DPU’s Pipeline Safety Division has received a perfect score for the enforcement and implementation of federal pipeline safety standards.

    Through rigorous enforcement, the Division now ensures that the investor-owned gas utilities, municipal gas departments, steam distribution companies, and operators of intrastate Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) facilities comply with both state and federal safety laws.

    The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulates the safety of the transportation of energy and other hazardous materials. It must review annual progress reports, pipeline program procedures and records, and observe on-site inspections done by state safety regulators to adequately assess each state’s pipeline safety program when conducting evaluations.

    Since 2022, the Pipeline Safety Division has scored the maximum possible points for both portions of PHMSA’s evaluation.

    With legislative changes increasing penalties for gas operators that violate pipeline safety laws and regulations, the Pipeline Safety Division drove the reduction in damages through its enforcement, an increased field presence, and education.

    The series of safety reforms resulting from the 2018 pipeline disaster that tragically took one life should ensure that nothing approaching the scale of that cataclysmic event will ever occur again.

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  • Editorial: Legislature, take baby steps with poverty-lifting bills

    First the BabySteps Savings Plan, and now the Baby Bonds program?

    The latter is distinct from the former, an operational opt-in strategy providing a $50 seed deposit into a 529 college savings account for all state newborns.

    As of September 2023, the most recent data available, more than 26,000 families had started saving for their children’s education and vocational training since the program’s inception in January 2020.

    The two initiatives also differ in eligibility criteria. While the BabySteps plan covers every newborn, Baby Bond legislation targets the socially and economically disadvantaged.

    Multiple Baby Bond bills have been introduced in the state Legislature, where they’ve remained without gaining any traction.

    Several related bills have been filed, including S.1999, “An Act Addressing the Racial Wealth Gap,” and H.3429 / H.48, “An Act establishing a Massachusetts Baby Bonds program.”

    Currently, “An Act establishing a Massachusetts Baby Bonds program” has been filed by House Bill H.3429 (and related H.48) and Senate Bill S.2146.

    The legislation’s sponsors include state Rep. Andres Vargas, state Sen. Paul Feeney, and supported by State Treasurer Deb Goldberg.

    A virtual hearing for the Senate bill before the Joint Committee on Financial Services occurred Wednesday.

    In 2022, Treasurer Goldberg established a Baby Bonds Task Force, a diverse group of experts, advocates, and community leaders, to research and develop recommendations for how a baby bonds program could be most effectively structured and implemented.

    The task force’s findings have served as a foundation for the treasurer’s ongoing policy discussions.

    If enacted, the proposal would work as follows, based on task force recommendations and bills’ details:

    Children born on or after a specific date — tentatively July 1, 2024 — whose families receive Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children or are in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, would automatically be enrolled in the program.

    Individual, government-managed trust accounts would be created, with an initial state investment — amount to be determined — that would accrue interest over time.

    Funds would become accessible to the beneficiaries when they turn 18 up until age 35, provided they still reside, work, or pay taxes in Massachusetts at the time of withdrawal.

    A Baby Bonds Trust Fund Advisory Board would assist the treasurer in policy development and fraud prevention.

    If beneficiaries don’t claim their funds by age 35 or die before that age, the money will return to the trust.

    Funds could be used for specific wealth-building purposes, such as post-secondary education, job training, purchasing a home in Massachusetts, investing in a Massachusetts-based business, and other wealth-generating investments as defined by the legislation.

    The funds in the account would not be considered an asset when determining eligibility for other government benefits.

    The legislation aims to reduce economic disparities and provide long-term financial opportunities for disadvantaged children in Massachusetts.

    The legislation would align Massachusetts with Connecticut and Washington, D.C., where similar bills have been passed.

    Treasurer Goldberg testified last week before the Joint Committee on Financial Services in support of Baby Bonds legislation, emphasizing the positive opportunities it would provide.

    “Baby Bonds will narrow the racial wealth gap and provide our youngest generation with a foundation for success,” said Goldberg. “By investing early in the lives of every child, we can help ensure that more young people enter adulthood with the resources they need to build a stable financial future.”

    The concept of Baby Bonds, first developed by economist Dr. Darrick Hamilton, advances the idea as a way to address structural inequities in wealth accumulation. His work has helped shape national conversations on how publicly funded child trust accounts can promote economic mobility and reduce racial wealth disparities.

    During her testimony, Goldberg highlighted the need for a fiscally responsible and equitable program that builds on her office’s ongoing economic empowerment work. She emphasized the importance of collaboration among state leaders, community organizations, and private partners to create a program that meaningfully supports children and families across Massachusetts.

    Beyond the individual benefits, Goldberg stressed that Baby Bonds represent a smart investment in the overall Massachusetts economy. By helping more young adults pursue higher education, start businesses, and become homeowners, the program would stimulate economic growth and strengthen local communities.

    Research indicates that reducing wealth inequality enhances productivity, innovation, and long-term economic stability, benefiting not only individual families but also the state’s workforce and competitiveness.

    Goldberg invited the joint panel and her fellow policymakers to collaborate with her office to develop a model that’s both impactful and operationally feasible, ensuring accountability and strong outcomes for children and families.

    While no one can argue with the altruistic intent of this legislation, as with many well-intentioned measures, they come with bedeviling details, with the funding source being the most obvious.

    Will this be a line item in annual fiscal year state budgets, come from the treasury as needed, or be funded through some private endowment?

    Can that initial investment — $6,500 has been mentioned — guarantee a return that will significantly improve someone’s economic prospects as they enter adulthood?

    These and many other questions will need an answer before we can expect lawmakers to make an informed Baby Bonds decision.

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  • Editorial | ICE’s attack on reporters is unacceptable and un-American | amNewYork

    The two ICE agents who accosted and shoved amNewYork Police Bureau Chief Dean Moses at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Sept. 30, 2025.

    Photo by Dean Moses

    President John F. Kennedy once said that the free press in America is “the only business specifically protected by the Constitution,” but lately, it feels that the Constitution itself is no longer enough.

    We say this after one of our own journalists, Dean Moses, was manhandled by two masked ICE agents at the federal immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Sept. 30.

    Moses has been faithfully covering proceedings at the courthouse for months, where ICE agents have rounded up immigrants attending court-mandated hearings there. He and other photojournalists have come here because of the importance of telling the story of the ongoing immigration crackdown, the countless lives impacted, and the families torn asunder. Few people see firsthand the screams of anguish, the tears of children, and the stunning actions of ICE agents at Federal Plaza — and it’s our job to convey that to you, the reader.

    The way ICE carries out its mission is something never before seen in American law enforcement — with agents wearing body armor and so much covering that you can only see their eyes in most cases. It’s our job to convey that to you as well. 

    By design, the way ICE agents mask up makes it impossible for anyone to identify who the arresting officers are — and while ICE insists this is a method to protect their agents from doxxing, it also seems to double as a cloak for the anonymous agents to do whatever they want to anyone they see fit to attack.

    Moses witnessed this first hand on Tuesday when masked ICE agents roughly shoved and cursed at him as he went to photograph their arrest of an immigrant. Another ICE agent, also masked up, shoved another photojournalist at the scene; that caused a third photographer to fall and smack his head on the floor, knocking him unconscious for a time.

    While we’re grateful Moses is fine and the more seriously injured photographer is expected to recover, we are seething at the actions of the ICE agents who went on the attack Tuesday. It was unacceptable and un-American.

    ICE is here to enforce the law, not to act arbitrarily. It must act in accordance with the Constitution and respect the civil rights of every individual agents encounter, including those who are not citizens of this country. 

    And it must respect and honor the free press, protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, and allow journalists to do their job. 

    We will not be pushed around and told to look the other way. We will not be bullied into leaving Federal Plaza. Moses will return there to fulfill his role of documenting ICE’s actions and informing New Yorkers about what’s happening in their courts. 

    We do not need ICE to roll out the welcome mat, but we do need them to respect us and the rule of law. 

    And since Moses and other reporters are not afraid to show their faces, the ICE agents should act in kind and take their damn masks off.

    amNewYork

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  • City Council aims to destroy food delivery in order to save it

    New York City’s elected activists can’t stop micro-managing app-based food delivery.

    It’s an obsession driven by economic ignorance that harms the low-wage, unskilled workers the left claims to care about so deeply.

    In 2023, the City Council imposed new minimum-wage regulations on apps such as Uber Eats or Doordash, which employ bicycle deliverymen to pick up food from restaurants to deliver to customers: It hiked wages to above $20 an hour, forcing the apps to do strict recordkeeping to track time on-call and time making deliveries.

    The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection correctly predicted that wages — and prices — would rise, yielding fewer deliveries as some customers decided that paying an extra 10 bucks to get sandwiches delivered wasn’t worth it.

    And, in fact, the “reform” drove thousands of delivery workers out of the industry, while those who remain are working much harder.

    And now the City Council thinks it can stop that job-killing effect . . . by giving app deliverymen job protections that most American workers can only dream of.

    New York, like almost every other state, follows the doctrine of “at-will employment,” meaning that (with limited exceptions) you can be fired for any reason, or no reason, at any time.

    But progressives’ new bill would prevent the apps from “deactivating” delivery workers without “just cause.”

    Being extremely slow in completing deliveries, for instance, wouldn’t be sufficient reason for termination.

    Plus, the company would have to give workers 15 days’ notice and written explanations of which rules it believes they violated. And in the event of “bona-fide” economic distress, it would have to give 120 days’ notice.

    More, the apps couldn’t deactivate any delivery worker unless they could prove he knowingly violated the rules.

    Prove to who? The law prescribes an arbitration system that could occupy a team of labor lawyers for years, and requires back pay, lawyers’ fees and thousands of dollars in penalties and fines if the worker’s termination is found to be “without cause.”

    Food delivery is casual labor, done mostly by undocumented people with few options or skills beyond knowing how to ride a bike.

    Nobody wants these folks to be exploited, but it’s beyond nuts for the City Council to devote so much of its attention to imposing some supposed “perfect justice” on a minor service that’s worked well enough for decades with basically no oversight at all.

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  • Editorial: New Rourke Bridge links family legacy with Lowell’s future

    Four decades after a temporary solution was built to bridge sections of Lowell and provide access to Route 3 and I-495 for motorists in surrounding communities, a groundbreaking on Aug. 13 signified the dawn of a new transportation era — the construction of a modern, permanent replacement.

    The Rourke Bridge honors the legacies of Raymond Rourke, a former Lowell mayor, state representative and deputy state Department of Transportation secretary, and his son, state Rep. Timothy Rourke, whose life was tragically cut short in 1982 at age 29 by a fatal car accident.

    The bridge opened in 1985, two years after construction began.

    The two-lane Bailey pony truss bridge spanned the Merrimack River, connecting the Highlands and Pawtucketville sections of Lowell.

    Thought to be just a temporary solution for accommodating the growing number of vehicles from Lowell and surrounding communities, over time, it became overwhelmed by the volume of traffic, which routinely caused significant congestion throughout the surrounding area and delayed emergency vehicle response times, given its proximity to Lowell General Hospital on Varnum Avenue.

    Not only was the bridge’s vehicle capacity inadequate, but the 40-year-old structure does not comply with current multimodal Americans with Disabilities Act standards for bicycle and pedestrian use.

    The 1,250-foot span carries approximately 27,000 vehicles back and forth each day, including buses and other heavier vehicles. There are no shoulders or bike lanes, and pedestrians navigate the crossing in a steel cage that vibrates with passing traffic.

    At the groundbreaking, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, a Lowell native, summed up the feelings of countless motorists over the decades by recalling her Rourke Bridge experiences.

    “When I got my driver’s license I crossed the bridge, white-knuckled in my dad’s old pickup truck. If you’ve ever felt that bridge sway under your tires, or braced yourself as cars squeezed past in the opposite direction, you know exactly what I mean,” said Trahan.

    Even the walking path, which sits on the west side of the bridge under a chain-link arch, is nerve-racking to walk across, the 3rd District U.S. rep said.

    “That experience is not unique to me … Every person in Lowell, Dracut, Chelmsford, Tyngsboro and beyond has a story about the Rourke Bridge, the bottlenecks, the anxiety and the frustration.”

    Those unpleasant memories should, like the existing temporary structure, fade into history once the new Rourke Bridge opens for business.

    The new iteration will be built at more of an angle across the Merrimack River, with the southern end being in roughly the same spot as it is today — near Wood Street past the Collegiate Charter School’s athletic fields — while the northern end will connect farther to the west along Pawtucket Boulevard, across from Old Ferry Road.

    It will include four total passenger vehicle lanes, two going in each direction, with a bicycle path and walking path.

    By design, the new Rourke Bridge will arc over the Merrimack River on its six concrete piers.

    The new span will improve passage, sightlines and safety for all users. The placement of the six piers maximize the width of usable riverway for recreational use such as rowing and boating.

    The new bridge, which has a 75-year service life, will be three times as wide as the existing two-lane bridge, a welcome relief for motorists used to the claustrophobic feel of the current one.

    While preliminary sight work, including soil boring samples, utility work and tree clearing at the north and south approaches, has already begun, construction, which is expected to take up to four years, is scheduled to start in earnest this fall.

    The temporary bridge will remain in use during that time; it won’t be demolished until the new one opens for traffic in 2029 or 2030.

    The design-build project, which keeps costs down by combining final design and construction into a single phase, will be built by construction firm Skanska USA and Jacobs Solutions Inc.

    In April, MassDOT announced that Skanska was awarded the $274 million contract.

    In June, Skanska announced that it had been awarded a $303 million contract.

    That sum includes a fund for unexpected expenses.

    Hopefully, unlike Skanska’s experience with the Lowell High construction/rehab project, those funds will cover any contingencies.

    The majority of the construction capital will come from the federal government, with the remaining portion from state and local sources.

    The city of Lowell will allocate $10 million to support the construction of water main connection work by the Lowell Regional Water Utility adjacent to the new bridge.

    The project will increase the city’s ability to provide potable water backup when needed for the Highlands.

    State and federal money funds the bridge design and construction costs, but incidental costs such as cross connections and utilities fall on the municipalities.

    Aside from harrowing stories of traversing a span that has lasted far beyond its intended purpose, that bridge kept the memory of two honored sons of Lowell alive.

    And now, this new motorist, pedestrian and bicyclist friendly bridge will carry the Rourke name well into the next century.

    Editorial

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  • Editorial: Trump & Harris want weed legalized, ignore downside – The Cannabist

    Editorial: Trump & Harris want weed legalized, ignore downside – The Cannabist

    Legalizing marijuana isn’t as hot-button an issue in this election as abortion or immigration, but both presidential candidates former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have weighed in, and for once, they’re in agreement.

    Both, however, are missing a big point.

    Last month, Trump posted on the Truth Social platform: “As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use. We must also implement smart regulations, while providing access for adults, to safe, tested product. As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November. As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens.”

    Read the rest of this story on BostonHerald.com.

    The Cannabist Network

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  • Editorial: Public ill served in mayor’s handling of police chief matter

    Editorial: Public ill served in mayor’s handling of police chief matter

    Why all the drawn-out suspense?

    That’s probably what Leominster taxpayers want to know, considering the black hole of information surrounding the imminent “retirement” of its police chief.

    Mayor Dean Mazzarella announced Tuesday that Police Chief Aaron Kennedy will retire on Oct. 1, following a long, unexplained absence, amid allegations of discriminatory remarks attributed to the chief.

    The mayor appointed Kennedy police chief in 2020, and according to city records, Kennedy was the highest paid city employee in 2023, earning $232,494.

    While confirming the retirement, Mazzarella declined to divulge the chief’s reason for doing so.

    The mayor said that Capts. Ryan Malatos and John Fraher are currently in charge of the department on a temporary basis.

    It marked Mazzarella’s first morsel of public information about the situation, after previously claiming that it was a “personnel matter,” despite pressure from several news outlets, individuals and organizations to be more forthcoming.

    The newspaper, citing an anonymous source, said Kennedy was sent home by Mazzarella seven weeks ago, pending an investigation, allegedly as a result of another complaint being lodged against the police chief.

    “Eighteen people have testified, it’s concerning,” longtime City Councilor Claire Freda stated on Monday about Kennedy’s alleged lengthy history of making off-color comments.

    A Sept. 11 letter addressed to Mazzarella, signed by three local union presidents, called the mayor out for being silent about the pressing issue and brought up some compelling questions.

    “We are writing to express our dismay with the extended, unexplained absence of Chief Aaron F. Kennedy from his role leading the Leominster Police Department and his responsibilities to this community,” the letter stated. “…Additionally, we are surprised and disappointed with the lack of information and transparency coming from City Hall with regard to Chief Kennedy’s status. What are the city’s current expectations for his presence at police headquarters? Is the chief currently on leave? Is he expected to carry out his duties as chief from his home?”

    The letter also mentioned that a collective bargaining process between the unions and the city “has been halted by the chief’s unavailability” and came after two of the police unions – patrolmen and supervisors – passed a vote of no confidence against Kennedy at their last meeting.

    “We are a great city, we have great things happening, but people are just so frustrated,” said Freda, who is currently a city councilor-at-large.

    Freda brought up the fact that Kennedy had been absent for a long period of time without any explanation at the tail end of the Aug. 26 City Council meeting. She requested that Mazzarella make a public statement about Kennedy’s ongoing absence, which the public has been clamoring for, fueled by speculation and rumors on social media.

    Last week Freda said she was disappointed that Mazzarella had remained tight-lipped, saying “the city deserves to know.”

    “People need to feel safe,” she said of the Police Department being without a police chief for so long. “People should be concerned, and it should be public information. Emergencies can happen quickly, like the flood, murders, and residents need to know they are safe and that someone is in charge. Thankfully we have two great captains and lieutenants.”

    In reaction to Freda’s statement, Mazzarella emphasized the two captains’ experience with the department.

    Mazzarella also disputed the claim that Leominster residents were concerned about their safety.

    “I’m out in the community every day,” Mazzarella told the Telegram & Gazette newspaper. “Not one person has told me that they’re worried about their safety.

    “If the chief is on vacation, there’s going to be someone running the department.

    “Nobody needs to be concerned.”

    However, the mayor’s reticence on this issue led to the pent-up concerns that many residents and other stakeholders harbored during this lengthy information blackout.

    We all understand that in personnel matters, the person involved should be entitled to a degree of privacy during ongoing deliberations on the matter.

    But it appears that for almost two months, the mayor assumed that describing the police chief’s absence as a “personnel matter” was all that was required of him.

    In hindsight, we believe that was a short-sighted decision.

    The city’s taxpayers, who’ll end up paying the chief’s salary for the several weeks he was off the job, deserve better than what the mayor delivered.

    A few general updates during this extended period of time – like announcing who was in charge of the Police Department’s daily operation – likely would have satisfied a questioning public, if not an inquiring press.

    Editorial

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  • Editorial: An election primer as we approach Mass. primary day

    Editorial: An election primer as we approach Mass. primary day

    With the primary election in Massachusetts just two weeks away – on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the day after Labor Day – there’s some other important dates and information prospective voters should consider.

    Registered voters can cast ballots for several federal and state races on primary day, including U.S. senator, U.S. representative, Governor’s Council, state senator, state representative, Register of Deeds, Clerk of Courts, and county commissioner in certain jurisdictions.

    Unfortunately, in many instances, state senator, state representative and congressional candidates have no opposition and thus will run unopposed.

    Polling hours run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

    Of course, you must be a registered voter to take part in this process.

    And the deadline for getting on the voting rolls is fast approaching.

    State citizens must register by Aug. 24 to be eligible for the Sept. 3 primary.

    If you wish to vote remotely by mail, you have until Aug. 26 to request a ballot.

    When you register to vote, you may choose to enroll in a political party or political designation, or may opt to remain “unenrolled,” which is commonly referred to as independent.

    If you do not enroll in a party, you can still vote in state and presidential primaries by choosing a party ballot and remain unenrolled.

    Once you make an enrollment choice, you may change your enrollment status by notifying your election official in writing at least 10 days before an election.

    Primary winners then move on the Nov. 5 general statewide election, which will also feature the presidential race.

    Polling hours again will run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

    The voter registration deadline for the general election is Oct. 26, and voting by mail applications must be submitted by Oct. 29.

    And since primary elections have historically produced weak voter turnouts, we don’t want to give already indifferent voters any more excuses for not exercising this privilege of democracy.

    Just to clarify, anyone who’s a U.S. citizen, a resident of Massachusetts, at least 18 years old, and not currently an incarcerated felon can register to vote.

    For those teens 16 and 17 chomping at the bit to take part in this rite of citizenship, you can pre-register if you meet all the other requirements asked of those actually applying to vote.

    You may pre-register to vote by submitting a voter registration form. You’ll receive confirmation of your pre-registration by mail. When you turn 18 you will be added to the voter list.

    And registering or pre-registering to vote can be done online, by mail or in person.

    With a mail-in voter registration form, print, fill out, and sign the voter registration form. Mail the signed form to your local election office. Your voter registration form must be postmarked by the voter registration deadline.

    You also may be surprised to find that you’re already a registered voter.

    If  you’re a Massachusetts citizen who’s conducted transactions with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, MassHealth, or the Commonwealth Health Connector, you will be automatically registered to vote.

    That occurs when you:

    • Apply for or renew your driver’s license at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV).

    • Apply for or renew a learner’s permit.

    • Apply for or renew a state ID.

    • Apply for MassHealth benefits online, in person, or by phone.

    • Apply for health insurance through the Commonwealth Health Connector.

    When the RMV, MassHealth, or the Health Connector determines that you are a U.S. citizen, they will send your information to the election office. When your election office receives your name, address, and date of birth, they’ll add you to the voter list.

    They will send a notice confirming your registration in two to three weeks. If you don’t want to be automatically enrolled, you can opt out at that time.

    And even if you have just a signature on file with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, you can register online. You can also pre-register, update your address, update your name, and change your political party designation.

    Voter registration forms submitted online must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the date of the voter registration deadline.

    And in Massachusetts, you can register to vote in-person at:

    • Your local town clerks, election commission, and boards of registrars.

    • The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth Elections Division.

    • The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s regional offices.

    Voter registration forms completed in-person are valid on the day they’re signed.

    If you are registering to vote in Massachusetts for the first time, you should include a copy of identification that shows your name and address with your form. If you don’t include a copy of your ID, you may need to show it the first time you vote.

    If you became a U.S. citizen after the voter registration deadline, you can register to vote in person at your local election office until 4 p.m. on the day before the election. Make sure you bring proof that your naturalization ceremony took place after the voter registration deadline.

    We trust that the above information has answered or clarified any questions a potential voter in this state may have.

    Other questions can likely be answered by visiting the Secretary of State’s website: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/elections-and-voting.htm.

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  • Editorial: Bill leveling car insurance ‘paying’ field has merit

    Editorial: Bill leveling car insurance ‘paying’ field has merit

    Long-suffering Massachusetts motorists not only must deal with some of the worst traffic in the country, they also pay a hefty price for putting that vehicle on the road.

    That’s especially true if you live in more congested urban centers.

    We’re not talking about the vehicle’s purchase price, an onerous burden in itself.

    It’s the cost of insuring it – and the huge variances in that number – that’s aligned to where you live.

    It’s painfully plain that drivers in densely populated areas tend to pay more, according to Christopher Stark, the executive director for the Massachusetts Insurance Federation.

    According to Bankrate, a personal finance company, urban areas comprise the top 10 most expensive municipalities in Massachusetts to insure your car, highlighting the correlation between auto costs and population density.

    That’s a reality to which motorists in Lowell, Fitchburg, and Lawrence can attest.

    While it costs Lowell drivers on average $151 a month for car insurance, those right over the line in Chelmsford pay only $118.

    That same disparity between more densely populated cities and their immediate suburban counterparts applies to Fitchburg ($136) and Westminster ($114), and especially Lawrence ($189) and Andover ($121) as well.

    Bankrate used Quadrant Information Services, a data analytics company, to analyze insurance using the most recently approved rates for August for zip codes and areas in the United States, the company told MassLive. The rates were then weighed against the population density of each geographic region of the country.

    You can also attribute part of the reason for these stark insurance premium differences to how auto insurers calculate rates.

    Generally, insurance companies set their rates by estimating the likelihood of losses — due primarily to accidents, thefts — in each territory of the state, MIF Executive Director Stark said.

    This practice, known as territorial ratings, allows insurance companies to determine a standard set of rates for a given area.

    “The reality of it is, is that in many instances, these are more urban locations and with that comes a higher level of congestion, and with a higher level of congestion comes a higher level of accidents,” Stark added.

    Statistics do show that the more densely populated an area, the more likely an accident will occur.

    In Massachusetts in 2022, over 90% of vehicular deaths occurred in urban areas, compared to 7% in rural areas, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

    And the communities with the state’s top 10 highest monthly insurance premiums — Revere ($229), Brockton ($228), Chelsea ($226), Lynn ($209), Everett ($206), Randolph ($198), Malden ($197), Winthrop ($195), Lawrence ($189), and Springfield ($188) — all fall into that high-density category.

    Territorial ratings also stick to where the driver resides, no matter where an accident occurs.

    According to Stark, if a driver registers their car in Lynn and gets into an accident in Boston, the accident would still be associated with Lynn.

    However, one lawmaker in particular has criticized the territorial system as discriminating against communities of color.

    As we’ve mentioned previously, Pavel Payano, a Lawrence Democrat who also represents Haverhill and Methuen, wants to reduce auto insurance rates in urban areas by making the statewide average part of the rating formula.

    He and other lawmakers don’t want the cost of auto insurance determined exclusively by someone’s ZIP code, claiming that people of color in low-income and urban areas pay higher rates.

    However, insurance companies say the move would take away one of the only tools left for them to determine rates, and could raise insurance payments for all.

    Payano filed a bill last year that would restructure Massachusetts’ rating formula.

    That legislation would give up to 75% in weight to a driver’s local area, with the other 25% based on the statewide average, a move that would help cut down auto rates in urban areas.

    While testifying before the Joint Committee on Financial Services in May of last year, Payano cited data from the Merit Rating Board that showed racially diverse communities paid an average of 90% more than drivers in less diverse areas, the State House News Service reported.

    The Lawrence lawmaker held up Connecticut as a similar state that has added some balance to the insurance premium playing field.

    Payano cited a study in Connecticut that showed the 75/25 ratio there has led to declines in premiums by up to 11% in Hartford, the News Service reported.

    We share Sen. Payano’s frustration with the current insurance rating system.

    His bill would at least give some recognition to urban drivers who maintain clean driving records, and should receive a discount, not a penalty, for their responsible behavior.

    If the 75/25 rating can work in Connecticut, there’s no reason it can’t work in this state as well.

    Sen. Payano’s rating adjustment proposal merits serious consideration, something it hasn’t received thus far in the Legislature.

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  • Editorial: A long-overdue thank-you helps Vietnam vets heal

    Editorial: A long-overdue thank-you helps Vietnam vets heal

    In itself, The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in our nation’s capital, evokes a panoply of emotions.

    But none compares with the reactions of those who actually served their country in that domestically divisive war a half a world away.

    Those fortunate enough to return home physically intact were met with derision or indifference for putting their lives on the line.

    As one Vietnam vet aptly put it: “Some gave some, some gave it all, but everybody did their part.”

    One Navy vet who flew over 100 combat missions was told on his return to San Francisco not to wear his uniform when going ashore.

    “I came home to my country, and they didn’t give an (expletive) for me defending their freedom.”

    Like thousands of others, he carried the psychological scars of combat inside, unable to unburden himself of that emotional toll.

    That’s why for many of the more than 3 million who served, reading the names of the over 58,000 on that moving wall who made the ultimate sacrifice ignites a pent-up release of emotions welled up from decades of denial and self-doubt.

    And although The Wall That Heals has made several appearances locally since its unveiling on Veterans Day in 1996, its most recent foray may have been its most moving.

    That’s when, more than 50 years after the withdrawal of U.S. armed forces from Vietnam, several former service members received a long overdue thank-you.

    More than 30 Vietnam veterans were honored during a remembrance ceremony on July 27 during The Wall That Heals’ stop at Devens.

    They all received a 50-year welcome-home pin, courtesy of the Blue Star Mothers, the Leominster-based Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Post 116, and the Capt. John Joslin, Jr. chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), along with the two wall co-hosts, Operation Service and Clear Path for Veterans New England.

    Each Vietnam vet donned a lapel pin that recognized them for their service, sacrifice, and valor. A message embossed on the back of the pin reads “A Grateful Nation Thanks and Honors You.” Symbols on the front include an eagle, which represents courage, honor, and dedicated service, and laurel wreath, which stands for honor and victory.

    Many veterans, their families, and community members experienced The Wall’s 24-hours-a-day presence during its stay at the Devens Reserve Forces Training Area from July 25 through July 28.

    A welcoming ceremony with military flyover was held on July 25 and the remembrance ceremony that following Saturday evening.

    “It’s an honor to bring The Wall that Heals back to Central Mass. and Fort Devens,” said Operation Service Director Joe Firmani. “As our Vietnam Veterans hit their mid-70s, it’s more important than ever to bring events like The Wall That Heals to them. As time passes, medical and financial issues now make travel to D.C. impossible or impractical,” added Firmani.

    “…We must use opportunities like this to educate the public on the sacrificial nature of military service so the poor treatment they endured in defense of our freedom never happens again.”

    Devens Army Community Service Director Joe Cunningham, whose background includes over 25 years in Army Special Forces with two combat tours in Afghanistan, said he “had the honor” to serve as the master of ceremonies for both the opening and closing ceremonies.

    When asked for his overall wall impression, Cunningham said he was “mostly struck by observing how much they (the veterans) revere the flag, either when saying the pledge of allegiance or saluting during the National Anthem.”

    He told the story of Vietnam veteran Norman Beaudoin, who was a member of a C-130 aircraft crew, a workhorse aircraft for the military.

    He and his crew had the sacred task of bringing home the fallen soldiers, encased in body bags.

    “Norman recalled how at that time the bags were simply the job to be done, impersonal,” Cunningham said. “Now, 50 years later, seeing the name on the walls, the significance of what they meant hit home and you could see the heart wrenching emotion on his face and hear it in his voice.

    “Seeing the importance of the flag to these men and women was a stark contrast to the images from Washington D.C. of protestors burning the American flag and yelling death to America.”

    Thankfully, no other returning members of the armed forces since that time have received the shameful treatment that Vietnam vets endured.

    Now, no matter our feelings about a particular military action or engagement, most Americans now make a distinction between our nation’s foreign policy and those individuals sent to carry it out.

    Unlike our Vietnam veterans, they didn’t survive combat only to be targets of resentment and abuse back home.

    Elaine Dalessandro played “Taps” at the July 27, 2024 remembrance ceremony at The Wall That Heals in Devens. (COURTESY MICHAEL FIRMANI)

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  • Editorial: Are the Frankenstein mansions on East Colfax really worthy of preservation?

    Editorial: Are the Frankenstein mansions on East Colfax really worthy of preservation?

    Should the two historic “Frankenstein mansions” on Franklin and East Colfax – badly damaged by a fire following years of neglect — be demolished or should Denver’s preservationists prevail in their demands the homes be restored to their former glory?

    The truth is that little remains architecturally on the 130-year-old buildings worth salvaging, and that was the case even before the Wyman Historic District was designated in 1993 to save a neighborhood full of stately mansions of historic value. Like bulky monsters constructed in an ad-hoc manner from bits and pieces, storefronts had been added to the homes in 1938 to capitalize on the bustling commercial area on Colfax. The boxy additions are poorly executed.

    And even before the current owners – Pando Holdings — purchased the buildings at Franklin and Colfax in 2017, they were in decline.

    Sadly saving the old buildings by blocking their demolition until someone comes along with the desire, financial means and ability to structurally restore them is not the best way to protect the Wyman Historic District.

    Signs of fire damage are apparent from the back of the vacant building at 1600 East Colfax Avenue in Denver on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Zachary Spindler-Krage/The Denver Post)

    In March a fire rendered the homes unsound and the owner wants to abandon his already approved plans to preserve both houses as part of a mixed-use development with a seven-story residential building on the large parking lots behind the homes.

    Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission rejected the demolition permit requested by Pando Holdings and developer Kiely Wilson.

    But allowing the buildings to sit structurally damaged, vacant and badly burned for an indeterminate amount of time is doing more damage to Wyman than their demolition.

    The fire was possibly started by people using the empty buildings for shelter – although the Denver Fire Department has not been able to determine a cause yet. The remaining structures are unsound and a safety hazard to anyone else who might try to enter the fenced-off area, whether that’s homeless individuals or Denver teens looking for a fun graffiti pallet.

    Demolition seems to be the best path forward.

    That is not to say that we don’t sympathize with the Preservation Commission’s consternation over the turn of events.

    A plan was in place to save the buildings, and if they are demolished there is less ability to ensure that the developer will build something compatible with the historic district. The commission has more teeth when it comes to preserving a historic building and can even order repairs on buildings so homeowners don’t intentionally allow a historic structure to decay beyond the point of salvage so they can demolish it. Do we suspect that Pando Holdings is guilty of such a nefarious practice? If there was evidence of wrongdoing, no one has named it.

    The Denver Post Editorial Board

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  • Editorial: UMass can look inside, outside public-college system to raise numbers

    Editorial: UMass can look inside, outside public-college system to raise numbers

    Can the UMass system successfully navigate the trough of the declining pool of high school graduates?

    UMass President Marty Meehan, who’s acutely aware of the rise in higher-education institute closures, said in an interview over the weekend that UMass has a strategy that he hopes will spare it from the same demographic shift driving those shutdowns.

    That strategy builds in part on the UMass system’s elevated academic stature.

    “There’s a demographic issue — not just in Massachusetts and New England, [the] northeastern part of the country — in that the number of students that are graduating high school is coming down; it’s going to come down at a faster pace. That’s one of the reasons why you see so many colleges in New England that have closed. The non-elite privates are in trouble … eventually, it’s going to affect the public universities,” Meehan said on WCVB’s “On The Record” in an interview that aired Sunday.

    He added, “And I can tell you, we’re focused like a laser beam at UMass on making sure we keep our national rankings up, make sure our reputation is up, so we won’t have the problem of enrollment going down.”

    The problem is, that’s already happened.

    UMass’ enrollment was projected to decrease by 0.3% in fiscal year 2024, part of a three-year downward trend.

    The “points of pride” section of the UMass system webpage that in 2019 featured UMass’ swift growth now focuses on the system’s standing in national rankings in keeping with Meehan’s strategy.

    “UMass is now ranked 43rd among all U.S. institutions and 22nd among all U.S. public universities in the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings,” the system wrote. “UMass remains the top public university in New England, a position it has held in the Times Higher Education rankings since 2014.”

    Meehan has previously warned that UMass has started to contend with “very strong headwinds” of enrollment pressures fueled by lower birth rates, a resultant increased competition for students, and the questioning of the return on investment from a college degree.

    The latter’s a concerning matter that must compound Meehan’s unease.

    And he won’t be assuaged by a new Pew Research Center survey that shows the public has mixed views about the importance of a college degree.

    According to the Pew poll, only one-in-four U.S. adults believe it’s extremely or very important to have a four-year college degree in order to get a well-paying job in today’s economy. About a third (35%) say a college degree is somewhat important, while 40% say it’s not too or not at all important.

    These findings have undoubtedly been influenced by rising tuition costs and mounting student debt.

    For instance, students entering UMass Lowell face a $30,000 bill for tuition, fees, plus room and board.

    We see one of Meehan’s main missions, aside from positioning the UMass campuses as attractive alternatives to the state’s prestigious private universities, as concentrating on retaining students already matriculating in the state’s public-college system, and facilitating a college path for lower-income high-school students.

    One internal pipeline that should be exploited involves the further education of community college graduates.

    Providing the way to a four-year public college undergraduate degree just happens to be the goal of the MassTransfer program.

    The cost of that four-year degree becomes more manageable if you first earn an associate’s degree at a two-year community college.

    To help leverage those savings toward completion of a bachelor’s degree, the state’s community colleges, state universities, and the University of Massachusetts system offer a variety of cost-saving transfer options to reduce the overall out-of-pocket expense of a bachelor’s degree.

    That’s a recruiting advantage that none of the state’s private colleges can match.

    At the secondary-school level, since last fall through the Commonwealth College Academy, UMass Lowell and UMass Dartmouth have partnered with 11 high schools in Massachusetts — two-thirds of which are in Gateway Cities — to offer students the ability to earn 30 college-level courses at the schools.

    That could decrease the cost of college by 25% – one full year.

    Locally, Billerica, Dracut, Greater Lowell Technical, and Methuen high schools participate in the program.

    The CCA experience also teaches students what to expect in college, both inside and outside the classroom, by providing them with periodic visits to UMass campuses and an optional summer program for further enrichment.

    Encouraged by the program’s successful rollout,  Meehan said in his State of the University address that the Commonwealth Collegiate Academy’s enrollment will increase threefold, serving more than 2,000 high-school students.

    Already, 50 students from the nascent CCA program have been accepted into UMass Lowell or UMass Dartmouth.

    The trend of declining enrollment has prompted an amendment to the Senate’s fiscal year 2025 state budget to create a special commission to find short- and long-term solutions to declining enrollments.

    State Sen. Marc Pacheco said the UMass system has seen a decline from 57,199 undergrads in 2019 to 53,854 in 2023.

    Whether that amendment survives the budget’s reconciliation process remains to be seen.

    With or without it, promoting internal and external measures to boost enrollment appears a viable way to stem the UMass system’s student decline.

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  • Editorial: Dracut’s Greatest Generation member honored with DC trip

    Editorial: Dracut’s Greatest Generation member honored with DC trip

    A member of the Greatest Generation honored once more by a grateful nation.

    An event of this significance can’t fly under the radar, even if the honoree left in the cloak of Sunday morning darkness for his flight to our nation’s capital.

    That’s what Dracut resident Frederick “Pat” Walor discovered, when he encountered dozens of people on his front lawn to give him a rousing sendoff.

    Pat’s family, friends, Dracut police and firefighters, staff from the Centralville Sportsman’s Club in Dracut that Pat frequents, Boy Scouts Troop 80 and Cub Scouts Pack 8 stood before him to cheer him on as the sun just began to peek over the horizon.

    Actually, he should have known something was up.

    If it wasn’t the fact that state Rep. Colleen Garry presented a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives ahead of his departure, he certainly knew by the time Dracut police and Chief Peter Bartlett arrived in his kitchen.

    That’s when Sandy Walor, one of his daughters who served as a designated trip guardian, took him outside in a wheelchair.

    It was Sandy that nominated her father for the Honor Flight, for which was rightfully chosen.

    On that Sunday, just days after the 80th anniversary of D-Day and Walor’s arrival in France, he joined 60 other veterans on a flight provided by Honor Flight New England to Washington.

    There, with two other World War II veterans, and veterans of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, Walor toured the city’s war memorials before being honored for service to his country.

    For veterans of Walor’s ilk, of whom only 119,000 still survive out of the 16 million who served in that momentous undertaking, it truly stands as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

    Now 100, Walor served in the Army during World War II, enlisting in 1942 at 18 years old. He landed on Utah Beach along France’s Normandy coast just four days after D-Day in June of 1944. Two months later, he received a Purple Heart on his 21st birthday for injuries sustained from German artillery in Belgium.

    During his time in the European Theater, he also received the Europe and American Campaign medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, a Bronze Star, the World War II Victory Medal and a Distinguished Unit Ribbon.

    Pat’s oldest daughter, Patty Diodati, said her father was shocked at all the attention he was getting.

    “He is so humble. He never talks about the war, but he has more recently,” said Diodati.

    Selfless sacrifice became the hallmark of this generation of men and women who risked their lives to defeat Nazi Germany and Japan’s imperial warlords.

    Frederick “Pat” Walor certainly fits that stoic, sense-of-duty mold.

    Keep your cool during first heat wave of season

    A few days before its official start, the first wave of summer’s oppressive heat has arrived.

    Our region will experience an intense heat wave over the next several days, with temperatures forecast to spike into the 90s — and feeling like a “dangerous” 100-plus in spots.

    Tuesday ushered in the hot and humid weather. The heat should peak today and Thursday, with indices spiking to above 100 degrees and even to 106 in certain regions.

    The heat will hang on into Friday, with the indices still in the upper 90s, before breaking over the weekend.

    Across Massachusetts, residents can cool off at the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s 81 waterfronts and spray decks.

    “We encourage people to cool off at DCR’s waterfronts, beaches and splash decks, or check out the cooling centers in your town,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

    In Lowell, the Eliot Church, 273 Summer St., will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for anyone wishing relief from the heat. Food will be served from 8 a.m. to noon, with dinner at 5:30 p.m.

    And the Lowell Transitional Living Center, 193 Middlesex St., will be open during the day for clients.

    Courtesy of Mass.gov, here’s some dos and don’ts during periods of extreme heat and humidity:

    • Never leave children or pets alone in a closed vehicle. Even with the windows cracked open, interior temperatures can rise almost 20°F within 10 minutes.

    • Slow down and avoid strenuous activity.

    • Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to help maintain normal body temperature.

    • Drink plenty of water — even if you are not thirsty. Avoid alcoholic beverages and liquids high in sugar or caffeine.

    • Stay indoors as much as possible and limit exposure to the sun.

    • If you must be outdoors, limit your outdoor activity to the morning and evening hours.

    • Use sunscreen with a high SPF and wear a wide-brimmed hat.

    • If you don’t have air conditioning, stay on your lowest floor. Use fans to stay cool and avoid using your stove and oven.

    • Be a good neighbor. Check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially the elderly, those who live alone, those with medical conditions, those who may need additional assistance, and those who may not have air conditioning.

    Fortunately, living in New England, we know that extreme heat is a short-term inconvenience. Be thankful you don’t live in parts of the country where these conditions occur almost daily.

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  • Editorial: Will agreement on housing needs push production?

    Editorial: Will agreement on housing needs push production?

    A University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB poll released Monday reinforced what just about everyone already knew – lack of affordable housing represents the most pressing issue facing the state.

    It would appear that House leadership agrees with that assessment, to the point of significantly increasing Gov. Maura Healey’s far-reaching housing production proposal.

    Given the chance to name one issue they would like the governor and the Legislature to tackle in the next year, 34% of those polled pointed to the state’s “housing shortage and affordability” crisis.

    And residents seem open to a number of ways to address the problem; all six policy proposals polled won the support of a majority of respondents.

    The five-year, $4.12 billion housing bond bill (H.4138) Healey filed in the fall to kick-start production of new housing units has been redrafted by the House Ways and Means Committee and scheduled for debate today.

    The House bill, a substantial expansion of the governor’s proposal, combines $6.2 billion in borrowing and tax credits with policy reforms designed to spur much-needed production.

    Out of the financial reach for many residents, home sales across Massachusetts sank to a 12-year low in 2023, due in part to a lack of inventory.

    Surprisingly, those surveyed wouldn’t point fingers at public officials for the critical lack of housing production.

    “Many would assume that the governor – who has been at the helm for the most recent acceleration in the state’s housing market – or her predecessor, who occupied the office for eight years and helped to usher in the resuscitation of the Massachusetts miracle, would be blamed for the housing crisis,” said poll director Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst. “Yet only 5% of the state’s residents hold Gov. Healey responsible for the housing and a paltry 1% lay the blame with former Gov. Charlie Baker.”

    Instead, close to 3 in 10 (29%) of the UMass Amherst/WCVB Poll’s respondents pin the blame for the commonwealth’s high cost of housing on high interest rates.

    The governor last year identified housing as “the number-one issue facing this state,” and said a shortage of 200,000 units across the commonwealth must be closed to keep up with population growth and stem the outflow of talented workers.

    The housing policy idea that received the greatest poll support (73% strongly or somewhat strongly support) involved providing tax breaks for the conversion of empty office buildings into housing, something Healey included in her bill.

    The second-most supported policy was one that Healey didn’t propose: allowing local governments to limit annual rent increases (72% strongly or somewhat).

    Residents also support allowing accessory dwelling units by right in single-family zoned districts (66% strongly or somewhat), tax breaks for developers who build more low-income housing (66% strongly or somewhat), and allowing cities and towns to tax real estate transactions valued at more than $1 million to raise money for local affordable housing (62% strongly or somewhat).

    The House’s redraft of Healey’s bill agrees with the governor and poll respondents in allowing accessory dwelling units by right, and helping cities and towns convert vacant commercial properties into multi-family residential or mixed-use units, but appears to part ways with Healey and those surveyed on efforts to create a local-option tax on high-price real estate transactions to fund affordable housing initiatives.

    The governor’s own estimates suggested the transfer tax would create only 3,200 units over the next five years.

    Beyond that, the bill the House Ways and Means Committee moved Monday also includes $1 billion for potentially expanding the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s system to the Ipswich River Basin and the South Shore.

    Speaker Ron Mariano’s office said the water system expansion would “facilitate an increase in housing development outside the Greater Boston area.”

    There had been studies to expand the MWRA system into Chelmsford, Acton and other northwest Boston suburbs to expand areas suitable for housing, but that’s apparently off the table in the House bill.

    In a statement shared by Mariano’s office, Housing Committee Co-chair Jim Arciero, a Westford Democrat, described the borrowing bill’s bottom line as “the largest housing investment in state history.”

    House Democrats want to steer $2 billion — $500 million more than Healey proposed — toward repair, rehabilitation and modernization of the state’s roughly 43,000-unit public housing stock, much of which lies in a state of disrepair.

    Healey’s office estimated the combination of funding and reforms in her bill could generate more than 40,000 units of housing. It was not immediately clear Monday whether House Democrats have a similar projection for their own proposal.

    The governor, one branch of the Legislature and a sampling of the people have spoken.

    All want an ambitious, concerted push to make a significant dent in the lack of housing. Beacon Hill can’t do much on its own to alter the course of interest rates, but it can implement incentive policies to demonstrably ramp up housing production.

    The only question remains: how soon and how much?

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