Latest news with #Spilka
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shield Law update: Mass. Senate set to make first move against Trump in 2025
Good Monday morning, everyone. In April, Democrats who control the Massachusetts Senate announced what they described as an aggressive legislative effort to fight back against the Trump White House's attacks on the Bay State. They dubbed the effort 'Response 2025.' But three months later, that response was starting to look more like a regular glance in President Donald Trump's direction, punctuated by the obligatory rhetorical broadsides. This week, however, Senate Democrats say they'll bring the first of those bills intended to check Trump to the floor for a vote: It's an update to the 2022 state law that shields reproductive and transgender care from out-of-state legal action. That news came courtesy of Senate President Karen E. Spilka, who outlined some of the upper chamber's legislative priorities with the end of the current budget year (and Pride Month) just days away on June 30. " We will protect our residents, defend Massachusetts values, and help lead us out of these dark times," Spilka said, adding that the effort took on some new urgency after last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The shield law update set to come before the Senate this week would, among other things, bolster privacy protections and guarantee that Massachusetts emergency rooms provide care to people seeking emergency reproductive treatment, according to GBH News. Friedman, who has been leading the Senate's response to Trump's efforts to pull billions of dollars in federal funding for the commonwealth and to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ residents, called the legislation the " next step in ensuring that people who provide that legal care and who need that legal care get access to it." 'In Massachusetts, when you have an emergency, we're going to make sure that we take care of you,' the Arlington Democrat said. Asked how many Trump-related bills she thought the Senate could act on before the end of the year, Friedman said the Senate is " looking at a list of issues," that have been brought up by lawmakers. 'There's the Shield Law, there's book banning, there's what's happening with veterans ... there's data privacy,' she said, ticking off some of those issues. 'And what we are doing is trying to take something from those buckets, figuring out how ready they are, and then push them out.' 'But these are big issues. So, how much do we expect to put out? Well, if we have our way, we'd put out one [bill] a month. Right? But ... we can't promise that.' Chalk that up to the complexity of the legislation and a president who sets policy on a dime, and then pivots in the other direction just as quickly. 'As you know, one day [Trump] says one thing and [he] was going to institute something, not even the next day, the next hour, he reverses it,' Spilka said. 'And he's doing this on purpose to make it harder for any one state, any one country, anyone, anybody to respond.' The Healey administration has spent nearly $830 million on Massachusetts' emergency shelter system so far this year, according to recently released state data. Total costs for the system, which houses mainly state residents and a smaller number of migrant new arrivals, are expected to soar past $1 billion by the end of the current budget year, which wraps up on June 30, according to a report the administration regularly sends to budget writers in the state House and Senate. Some other big numbers from that report: $679 million: The amount the administration had spent on 'direct shelter costs' in the 2025 budget year. $149 million: The amount the state has spent on such services as HomeBase, National Guard payroll, education, work programs and other initiatives. $3,496: The average amount that state taxpayers are spending weekly for each family in the shelter system. 1,583: The number of families who entered the shelter system as migrants, refugees or asylum-seekers. 4,088: The total number of families, as of June 18, that were enrolled in the state's emergency shelter system, according to a state dashboard. 1,143: The total number of families who were in emergency shelter spaces in Boston. 240: The total number of families who were in emergency shelter spaces in Springfield. 208: The total number of families who were in emergency shelter spaces in Worcester. 'As a pastor whose church was burned down, if we don't look at the rhetoric that caused such racism and hatred, we won't get anywhere.' ― Dr. Terrylyn Curry Avery, pastor of MLK Community Presbyterian Church and interim executive director of the Healing Racism Institute. Harvard researcher's work gives 'hope' for Parkinson's. But the feds cut his funding How Beacon Hill bosses quietly buried reform bills that threatened their power Rep. Angelo Puppolo to face challenger in 2026 Democratic primary MIT joins group of universities suing the DOD over funding cuts Worcester City Council approves nearly $1B operating budget Weymouth mayor announces plans to resign next month Walter Gunn resigns from Longmeadow Planning Board amid town tensions Democracy fans, this one's for you: U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, is holding a virtual town hall and Q&A at 7 p.m. on Monday. His guest: Justin Florence, the managing director and co-founder of Protect Democracy. On its website, the advocacy organization describes itself as 'a cross-ideological nonprofit group dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom and liberal democracy. The event runs from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. You can RSVP for the Zoom link here. Singer-songwriter Hozier opens up a two-night stand at Fenway Park, with shows on Monday and Tuesday nights. Start time for both is 8 p.m. (tickets and more info here). You have probably heard his mega-smash 'Too Sweet' a billion times by now. But here it is for the billionth and one. We've been reading a lot over the last week about the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran — now with the added wrinkle of President Donald Trump launching an attack over the weekend. But what we haven't heard a lot of are the voices of the Iranian people who are living through the bombing campaign, and whose lives have been upended by it. Writing for The Observer, Rana Rahimpour brings you the sights, the sounds and smells of what appears to be the latest war in the Middle East. Here's the germane bit: Tehran has a smell now – a thick, metallic haze that clings to your clothes, your breath, your memory. 'I've just come to understand the smell of war,' writes Nazanin, a journalist who fled the city earlier this week. 'Air defences have a smell. So do the missiles … It's been imprinted in my olfactory memory. Now, forever, I know the smell of war.' The scent lingers longer than the explosions. It weaves itself into the emptiness of a once-bustling metropolis – 10 million people now adrift. Abandoned pets. Taped windows. Shuttered shops. Petrol queues stretching for miles. Tehran is holding its breath. So is the rest of the world. 'I may do it, I may not,' said U.S. President Donald Trump when asked on Wednesday about the potential of U.S. strikes on Iran. The threat of intensification is looming. Already, more than 500 people are estimated to have been killed. On Monday, I fought with time — and with my 80-year-old parents. My deeply spiritual father dismissed any urgency to leave their flat in District 3, saying he was not afraid of death. He had seen bombs before, during the Iran -Iraq war. Fear is not new. When Israel later announced strikes on their district, I called again. My dad, fresh from a shower, laughed: 'Let me put on a shirt to greet Mr Netanyahu.' How typically Iranian to meet an imminent threat with humour. That's it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@ Have a good week, friends. How Beacon Hill bosses quietly buried reform bills that threatened their power Markey Warns: Rural health crisis looms if Big Beautiful Bill passes | Bay State Briefing Troops in the Streets, Questions in Congress: Mass. reckons with role of military in civil society Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
16-06-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Mass. Democrats promised a more efficient, transparent Legislature. So far, it's been a lot of jabs and ‘bravado.'
Asked how he'd categorize his interactions with Senate leaders, House Speaker Ron Mariano said recently that he wouldn't 'even attempt to try.' Advertisement 'There's always a healthy tension, but that's on everything. That's from the simplest bill to the rules,' the Quincy Democrat said. Pressed if that means House and Senate leaders have a good, working relationship, Mariano offered 'yeah,' before adding: 'I don't think much has changed, to be honest with you.' Statewide, there is no shortage of demands on lawmakers. Advocates and everyday voters are pressing lawmakers to offer concrete responses to the Trump administration's its first offering, a Advertisement Legislators have simultaneously faced pressure to be more transparent, in part after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question in November Lawmakers in the coming weeks also must agree on their 'For them to pass [six] bills in five months when we're facing a crisis of unprecedented levels from the federal administration, it boggles the mind,' said Scotia Hille, executive director of Act on Mass, a progressive advocacy organization. Hille said she was encouraged initially when legislative leaders said they'd usher 'But with five months in the rearview,' she said, 'it seems more like bravado and just another development in this epic battle between the House and Senate.' The public jabbing has indeed continued. When the House voted last month to replenish the budget of the health insurance agency for state employees Advertisement 'We are glad that the House decided to take action on this bill, which was filed five weeks ago,' she said in a statement. The same day, Spilka took a second swipe at the House after she said Senator Jacob Oliveira was blocked from testifying remotely at a joint House-Senate hearing, a decision based on a House rule that requires committee members to participate in person. Oliveira, a Ludlow Democrat, was meeting with childcare providers in his district at the time, Spilka's office said. 'The notion that one branch's rules can bind the operations of joint committees is without merit,' she charged. In a statement Thursday to the Globe, a spokesperson for Spilka said the two chambers have an 'amicable relationship,' noting that 'differences in policy areas are a natural and healthy part of the legislative process in any bicameral legislature.' 'While policy differences are to be expected, leaders on both sides engage in good faith to deliver results for Massachusetts,' said Gray Milkowski, Spilka's spokesperson. Mariano and Spilka both vowed in the winter to But the Senate and House remain divided on several details. Following a public meeting last month of the panel negotiating a final rules package, Senate Majority Leader Cynthia S. Creem and House Majority Leader Michael Moran engaged in a lengthy session with reporters during which they openly disagreed, particularly over the House's push to keep 'attendance' records for committees. Advertisement Creem, a Newton Democrat, said she didn't understand why it was important. Moran charged that Senate members often miss hearings, noting that the Senate chair of one committee last month for the committee he oversees 'There's no reason to this. I don't know whether it's a grudge or what it is,' Creem said of the push to track attendance. She later added that, despite the naked disagreement, she and Moran, a Brighton Democrat, actually 'have a nice personal relationship.' 'It may not look like that,' she said, 'but no, we do.' Advocates for various causes said they, too, are looking to Beacon Hill for urgent help. Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, for example, is bracing for impact if a federal budget reconciliation bill now moving through the US Senate slashes funding for Planned Parenthood or Medicaid. While the state budget currently under negotiation could dedicate $2 million to Planned Parenthood, a loss of more than $14 million in federal funding is at stake, according to a Planned Parenthood spokesperson. The MIRA coalition, which represents New England groups advocating for immigrants and refugees, is feeling similarly threatened by the Trump administration, which has been actively cracking down on immigrants across the country, including The group lobbied for $10 million in the state budget to back a legal defense fund to help immigrants pay for lawyers in immigration court. The House included $5 million in its budget plan, which state lawmakers are still negotiating. Advertisement 'It's an intense moment and everyone has so many asks of the Legislature,' Sarang Sekhavat, MIRA's chief of staff, said. 'It gets difficult asking for anything, but not only is this important, it's the moral thing to do.' Some lawmakers said the underlying tensions in the building are, in fact, less intense than in past years. There is irritation and exasperation among legislators, but 'not outright animosity,' said one lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity between the two chambers. But still, without visible efforts of collaboration, the lawmaker said important debates are still being held up. 'We didn't learn our lesson from bad relations of last session and the bad press that followed,' the lawmaker said. When it comes to budget talks, Michlewitz's Senate counterpart, Michael Rodrigues, brushed off the idea that inter-chamber disputes are holding up negotiations, which usually stretch into the summer. Massachusetts hasn't opened the fiscal year that begins in July with a budget in place 'The House passed a very responsible budget balance that reflects the priority of its members, we in the Senate will pass an equally balanced and responsible budget reflecting the priorities of the Senate members,' he said. 'And we'll sit down at the conference table and we'll get it done. I'm confident of that.' Samantha J. Gross can be reached at
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
The millionaires tax is becoming a slush fund for Democratic leaders
When it was before voters, the millionaires tax sparked a debate about whether it would scare rich people and businesses away. That's still a real danger. But there was always another, subtler risk that came with the surtax: that it created a multibillion-dollar slush fund that the Legislature could abuse. And some of the Democrats' latest maneuvers are evidence that the tax is doing just that. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Senators put the finishing touches on a millionaires tax spending bill this month meant to allocate a $1.3 billion surplus from the surtax. At the 11th hour, leading Democrats passed $10 million in earmarks in a so-called corrective amendment, which is meant for technical errors. The corrective amendments included $1.6 million for Spilka's district, which, Advertisement The House version of the bill wasn't innocent either, with Mariano claiming the award for largest earmark at $25 million for a 500-spot garage in his hometown of Quincy. Advertisement 'It's certainly not what I was out there knocking on doors for,' one supporter of the millionaires tax The projects are transportation and education related — though Mariano was stretching the definition pretty far with the parking garage. That's not the issue. The issue is the backroom way Democrats are divvying up the tax revenues. Still, if you didn't think the Legislature would handle the bonanza behind closed doors and to the benefit of leadership, you haven't been paying attention. And while it isn't unusual for leadership to use corrective amendments to add earmarks, the timing and magnitude of this one raises red flags. 'Business as usual at the State House,' Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance president Paul Diego Craney told me. 'What makes this [amendment] a little more egregious is that it's going to the leaders. It didn't require debate, it didn't require a roll-call vote.' Not only are the leaders abusing the trust that voters placed in them in 2022, but their fiscal flippancy is also inconsistent with Democrats' economic fearmongering. Under Spilka's leadership, the Senate launched RESPONSE 2025 to 'counter federal threats' from the Trump administration, But if federal policy is on the verge of wrecking the state economy, wouldn't it make sense to return some state money back to 'your businesses, your employees, your families, and your bottom lines' instead of putting it into pork projects? It's easier for state Democrats to bash President Trump's policies than to exercise any restraint of their own. Advertisement Meanwhile, progressives are proclaiming vindication on the economic impact of the tax policy itself before all the evidence is in. The progressive Institute for Policy Studies published a There is almost no chance of repealing the millionaires tax, which would take a constitutional amendment. Maybe that's why Democratic leaders feel free to pig out from the proceeds. It seems like the tax revenue is helping education and transportation indeed — educating voters about how Massachusetts Democrats took them for a ride. Carine Hajjar is a Globe Opinion writer. She can be reached at
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mass. lags behind other states on student cellphone use restrictions
BOSTON (SHNS) – As other states race ahead with new restrictions, Gov. Maura Healey is citing mental health concerns in calling for student cellphone use in Massachusetts schools to be restricted and Senate President Karen Spilka says it's time for the Legislature to 'take action.' 'I think we need to rein in the use of cellphones during the school day,' Healey told reporters during a scrum on May 7. 'I think it has a really negative effect on kids' mental health. It's distracting and it takes away from the important learning process and actual socialization process.' As of April, 21 states had enacted laws limiting student use of cellphones in classrooms, according to Ballotpedia, and Healey said she's been talking to governors about actions they're taking in their states. Three states advanced cellphone restrictions just in the past week. New York implemented a bell-to-bell ban for the 2025-2026 school year. The Alabama Legislature passed a bell-to-bell ban, and Gov. Kay Ivey supports the bill. And in Oklahoma last week, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law requiring a one-year ban on student cellphone use in public schools during the 2025-2026 school year. Bell-to-bell bans prohibit students from using cellphones at all during the school day, from walking in the doors until they leave. 'Bell-to-bell bans, for example, doesn't mean that your parents won't have a way to reach their children — that's important. Parents got to be able to reach their kids throughout the day. But it's also the case that I think we need to rein in the use of cellphones during the school day,' Healey said. New York included $13.5 million in its fiscal year 2026 budget to help districts purchase supplies to help implement the cellphone ban, such as small, lockable pouches that kids could be required to put their phones in. It'll be up to the districts to decide how they want to implement the bell-to-bell restriction. 'Our kids are overwhelmed by the addiction, the addictive algorithms and endless distractions,' New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press conference last week, the New York Focus reported. 'Ninety-five percent of teenagers have smartphones. They receive 250 notifications a day on average. They can't possibly focus on anything else. They're so afraid of missing something.' Spilka last week indicated that she supports making Massachusetts classrooms cellphone-free in an effort to eliminate distractions. She seemed to step up her rhetoric when asked about the issue on WCVB's 'On the Record,' which aired Sunday. 'My son is a public school teacher, 11th grade, so the kids are a little older. Half of his classroom time is spent saying, 'Put your phones down, put your phones away.' And it's a struggle,' Spilka said on the program. 'Cellphones are not only a distraction — they're detrimental to the student's health. There is an increased chance of cheating and cyberbullying, and there's really no reason for students to have a cellphone.' Ed Harding, host of 'On the Record,' interjected, 'Except parents want to get a hold of their child.' One of the main concerns with phone restrictions is that parents may not be able to communicate as easily with their children throughout the school day, especially in case of emergency either at home or at the school. A survey from the National Parents Union found that 78% of parents polled wanted their child to have cellphone access during the school day in case of an emergency, K-12 Dive reported in September. Spilka responded to Harding, 'So what we will do, like any other bill — there are several bills that have been filed on this topic — we'll have hearings. We'll meet with parent groups. We'll meet with advocates. This is part of the legislative process. We'll look at what other states have done. We'll figure out something.' Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a bill (S 335 / H 666) with Sen. Julian Cyr and Reps. Alice Peisch and Kate Lipper-Garabedian that would ban cellphones and other personal electronic devices, like smartwatches, from when a student arrives at school until the end of the school day. That bill is before the Joint Committee on Education, and has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. Rep. Carole Fiola also has a bill (H 574) to ban cellphones and smartwatches during the school day; and Sen. John Velis filed a bill (S 463) by request for a constituent, Kirstin Beatty, that would put time limits on screen time for each grade. Both are before the Education Committee, and have not yet received a hearing. Campbell's office earlier this year also released a 'toolkit' to districts with guidance on regulating student phone use in the classroom. Some Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members have raised concerns over a top-down ban coming from the state, worrying that it would be an overreach of local control. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Politico
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Beacon Hill Dems can't shake their bad blood
COMMITTEE CLASH — Tensions between the House and Senate have been creeping back after Democratic legislative leaders settled their differences to finish off several big bills last session. It didn't take much for them to spill out into public Monday. Senate President Karen Spilka slammed the House chair of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure of denying Sen. Jacob Oliveira the chance to testify in favor of one of his bills Monday — a move she called 'deeply troubling.' Oliveira joined the hearing remotely, after visiting a school in his district in the western part of the state, according to Spilka. But when he moved to testify, Rep. Tackey Chan, who chairs the committee, blocked him from speaking, citing the House rules that required committee members to participate in hearings in person. (something the chamber is also pushing in negotiations over joint rules this session). Only problem: House and Senate negotiators have yet to come to an agreement on those rules. Sen. Pavel Payano testified on Oliveira's behalf — after he derided Chan's decision as 'a hit on democracy' and a denial of 'the sacred principle that no voice in democracy should be silenced.' But Chan defended the move, saying the intent of the policy is to 'have folks actually show up for work.' Spilka argued in a statement that the 'joint rules the House and Senate mutually agreed to in January do not prohibit remote participation' and 'the notion that one branch's rules can bind the operations of joint committees is without merit.' But the 2019 rules that the joint committees are currently operating under don't explicitly allow legislators to beam in remotely to testify, either. The interchamber animus extends beyond just who and how legislators can testify. It seems to be stalling key pieces of legislation. The House advanced a supplemental budget Monday to keep the provider for state employees' and retirees' health insurance from running out of money. But before they could usher the time-sensitive bill to Gov. Maura Healey's desk, the Senate called it quits for the day, pledging to take up the bill Thursday instead (while dumping the blame at the House's feet). 'We are glad that the House decided to take action on this bill, which was filed five weeks ago on April 2,' a spokesperson for Spilka said in a statement. 'The Senate looks forward to taking up the legislation in three days, at our next session on Thursday.' GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey unveils her energy affordability bill at 1 p.m. in Leominster. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hosts a meeting of the Local Government Advisory Commission at 1 p.m. at the State House. Auditor Diana DiZoglio visits the Mystic Learning Center After-School Program at 4 p.m. in Somerville. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signs an agreement with the Greater Boston Building Trades Council and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters to create a new pathway to jobs for graduates of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School at 11 a.m. in Roxbury. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS TODAY'S SPECIALS — Voters in Beverly an Wenham will head to the polls today to decide who will replace former state Rep. Jerry Parisella. Beverly City Councilor Hannah Bowen, a Democrat, is facing former Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce President Medley Long III, a Republican looking to extend the party's special election winning streak. More from The Salem News. DATELINE BEACON HILL HOUSING HEAT CHECK — Pro-housing production advocates from Abundant Housing Massachusetts are backing a handful of bills on Beacon Hill this session that would get rid of barriers to development. A new MassINC poll they commissioned shows the policies they're pushing are popular with Massachusetts voters. Housing was the top issue those surveyed said the state is facing, and 95 percent of those polled said the cost of renting or buying a home in Massachusetts is a problem. Some results that those watching the MBTA Communities fights play out: Seventy-one percent of voters said building more homes that people can afford is more important than 'protecting the character of neighborhoods from change,' and 79 percent said they support or somewhat support expanding the zoning law to allow more housing options near public transit 'in all cities and towns with train and bus service statewide. 'Voters 'recognize that we need to build a variety of types of homes in more communities in order to help stabilize our communities … and they're open to doing that in a variety of ways,' Jesse Kanson-Benanav, executive director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, told Playbook. 'I think actions that the Legislature has taken already, such as MBTA Communities do have broad support, and we've, we've seen that from the over 125 communities — the vast majority of communities – that have met their obligation under that law. 'The online survey of 803 Massachusetts voters was conducted March 17-20. It has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. FROM THE HUB — Boston Water and Sewer says it fired embattled HR director amid civil fraud complaint by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'The Boston Water and Sewer Commission now says that it fired its former human resources director, Marie Theodat, after previously saying only that her employment had ended. Theodat, who is embroiled in several civil lawsuits that include fraud allegations and was the subject of three internal investigations commissioned by her ex-employer, was fired on April 18, the Water and Sewer Commission told the Herald in response to a public records request.' — As global attitudes toward the U.S. sour, Boston braces for drop in tourism by Jeremy Siegel, GBH News: 'Boston officials are preparing for a significant drop in tourism for the remainder of 2025 as international visitors reconsider travel to the U.S. under the second Trump administration.' — Boston City Council set to debate removal of disgraced Tania Fernandes Anderson by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'The Boston City Council will take up a resolution this week that calls for disgraced Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson's removal from the body in the wake of her guilty plea to two federal corruption charges tied to a City Hall kickback scheme. Councilors Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn plan to introduce a non-binding resolution at Wednesday's meeting that calls for the Council to 'formally address the matter of Fernandes Anderson's continued service,' after her federal conviction last week.' — Fenway Park workers will vote whether to strike in June by Marilyn Schairer, GBH News: 'Concession workers at Fenway Park, which includes 1,000 unionized workers that sell beer and souvenirs, cook up ballpark food, run cash registers and more, will vote next month whether to strike. It would be the concession workers' first strike at Fenway Park in the ballpark's history.' FROM HARVARD YARD — Harvard says it won't abandon 'core' principles to meet Department of Education demands by Michael Casey and Collin Binkley, The Associated Press: 'Harvard University responded Monday to recent threats from the Education Department to halt its grant funding, highlighting reforms it was undertaking but warning it won't budge on 'its core, legally-protected principles' over fears of retaliation. A letter from Harvard President Alan Garber detailed how the institution had made significant changes to its leadership and governance over the past year and a half. Among the reforms, Garber said, was a broad 'strategy to combat antisemitism and other bigotry.'' BALLOT BATTLES — Mass. gun violence prevention advocates form campaign to oppose gun law repeal effort by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'A group of gun violence prevention advocates launched a campaign Monday to convince voters to keep in place a major gun law that gun owners and Second Amendment rights supporters are attempting to repeal through the 2026 statewide elections. The 'Vote Yes for a Safe Massachusetts; campaign slammed gun rights groups trying to repeal the law as 'extremists' who are looking to upend a 'lifesaving law in its entirety.' Critics of the law have said it is an overreach of governmental powers, while supporters contend it creates safer communities.' FROM THE DELEGATION — Markey, Mass. pols call on Trump to reverse course on AmeriCorps cuts by John L. Micek, MassLive: 'Massachusetts' two U.S. senators and all nine members of its U.S. House delegation have called on the Trump administration to halt its gutting of AmeriCorps, calling the national service program a 'model for cost-effective public-private partnership.'' FROM THE 413 — Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center at UMass braces for closure by Trump administration by Emilee Klein, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'Ahead of an expected round of workforce reductions at the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center based at the University of Massachusetts is preparing for the worst case scenario: elimination of the entire operation.' THE LOCAL ANGLE — Worcester City Hall will be closed during council meeting due to 'public safety concerns' by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: 'City Hall will be closed to the public at 5 p.m. on May 13 due to safety concerns, the city has announced. The scheduled City Council meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the budget hearing at the Standing Committee on Finance at 5p.m., both will be held virtually via Zoom. … The announcement follows days of protests in reaction to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action on Eureka Street on May 8 when a woman was taken into custody by federal agents and two people were arrested by Worcester police.' — Court records: Charge against Worcester woman detained by ICE was domestic by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: 'The woman taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on May 8 in a chaotic scene on Eureka Street is being held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, according to an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee database. Rosane Ferreira De Oliveira, 40, faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon stemming from February, according to a spokesperson for ICE. A statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on May 9 identified her by only the name 'Ferreira de Oliveira,' and referred to her as a 'violent criminal illegal alien.'' — Somerset voters could pass a ban on homeless camps by Dan Medeiros, The Herald News: 'Somerset voters will consider a bylaw at Town Meeting that would ban 'unauthorized camping on public property,' effectively outlawing homeless encampments in town.' — Oyster farmers brace for rising costs under Trump's tariffs by Mitch Fink, The New Bedford Light. HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Michael Goldman, president of Goldman Associates.
