Quabbin's cruel irony and four more stories: The Saturday Send - August 8, 2026

 

The Saturday Send

Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, tensions are brewing in the communities around the Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts’s largest source of drinking water. Declining economic conditions and the impacts of ongoing drought are exacerbating longstanding frustration for these sparse towns, which say they are not properly compensated for their land. Now, a coalition of Quabbin towns are taking their fight to Beacon Hill. Plus, a rise in emergency student removals has education advocates sounding the alarm over the long-term impact; a plan for critical infrastructure in Fitchburg hits a snag; Massachusetts lawmakers teed up negotiations on a dozen topics for the next five months; and, amid her 2026 reelection bid, Governor Healey is working to balance energy affordability with ambitious climate goals. Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading. — The CommonWealth Beacon team

‘It’s like the Hunger Games’: Quabbin Reservoir towns take funding fight to Beacon Hill amid extended drought By Jordan Wolman A perfect storm of long-held resentments, the well-known story of the financial crunch squeezing small towns across the state, and an act of blameless chance — weather — is raising the stakes and stoking new tensions between these sparse towns and the powers that be in state government.

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Nearly 15 years after student discipline reform, school suspensions in Mass. are falling. Are emergency removals taking their place? By Hallie Claflin In 2012, after child advocates spent years trying to reduce punitive suspensions in schools, Massachusetts passed sweeping education reforms, kickstarting a longstanding policy shift away from exclusionary discipline methods. Nearly 15 years later, out-of-school suspensions are falling, but emergency removals — a mechanism allowing administrators to immediately remove a student from school due to severe behavior for up to two days — have increased.

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After EPA grant cuts, this Fitchburg school still has no outdoor space By Asher Ben-Dashan and Perris Fisher When funding was canceled, projects in Fitchburg designed to reduce flooding and pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods were left unfinished.

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Special episode: Unpacking the Legislature’s July 31 flurry, and what comes next By CommonWealth Beacon staff Beacon Hill made it through the traditional end-of-formals deadline with less chaos and upheaval than 2024 and 2022. But in the process, lawmakers left many big decisions for another day.

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Healey sounds alarm on energy costs — but a legislative solution remains elusive for now By Jordan Wolman Healey’s decision to speak specifically on energy policy as the Legislature scrambled elsewhere in the State House to tackle other priorities is the latest sign of urgency from the governor to respond to Bay Staters’ angst around soaring utility bills — and of the political salience of the issue as the governor seeks reelection this fall.

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What it’s going to take to keep New England’s lights on Rising power demand, ambitious clean energy targets, the rise of artificial intelligence, and skyrocketing electricity prices are colliding to create a profound moment of disruption in New England’s ability to plan for the needs of the future while keeping the lights on today. Dr. Vamsi Chadalavada, president and CEO of ISO New England, the operator of the region’s energy system, joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jordan Wolman to discuss how he’s balancing it all. LISTEN NOW

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