WHEN REFERENCING GOVERNOR HEALEY'S ENDORSEMENTS OF BALLOT
QUESTIONS, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TO INCLUDE THE DESCRIPTION
TO AVOID TO LOOK THEM UP - VERY CONFUSING WITH SO MANY ON THE
BALLOT!
CAREFULLY CONSIDER MIKE MMINOGUE'S INTENT TO ELIMINATE THE
GAS TAX WHICH PROVIDES FUNDING FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES - HE HAS
NOT PROVIDED A REPLACEMENT SOURCES OF FUNDING, NOR DOES HE
SUPPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
SINCE MIKE MINOGUE IS A TRUMPER, WHY DOESN'T HE ADDRESS THE FAILED
IRAQ WAR WITH IRAN THAT CAUSED THE FOSSIL FUEL PRICE INCREASE?
WHY DOESN'T MIKE MINOGUE ADDRESS WHY THE U.S. IS EXPORTING
DIESEL FUEL INSTEAD OF PROVIDING IT TO AMERICANS?
NOTICE MBTA SHUTDOWNS TO IMPROVE SERVICE THAT SLOW ZONE
SHORTSLEEVE IGNORED!
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| 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. |
Rodent experts are gathering downtown today for the start of the second-ever National Urban Rat Summit. WBUR's Eve Zuckoff reports that the two-day conference in Boston will focus on the latest research into rodenticides, rat birth control, trash management and other rat mitigation efforts. Boston officials also plan to show off some of their more experimental initiatives, like thermal cameras, detection dogs and high-frequency microphones. (You can watch the summit here.) But first, the news: Gassed up? With gas prices at all-time seasonal highs due to the war in Iran, Gov. Maura Healey is proposing something she and fellow Democratic leaders at the State House have previously been pretty skeptical about: suspending the gas tax. As WBUR's Gin Dumcius reports, Healey announced yesterday that she will file a bill to temporarily pause Massachusetts' 24-cents-per-gallon gas tax for two months. She blamed President Trump's war with Iran for raising costs on commuters and people who drive for their job. And her proposal would require gas stations to pass the savings onto customers. But can the proposal itself pass the State House? That part remains unclear. - What are State House leaders saying? House Speaker Ron Mariano had put out a statement Monday calling a gas tax suspension "fiscally irresponsible," in response to Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue's earlier proposal. And he stood by that statement after Healey's proposal, too. "Historically, the Legislature has chosen not to suspend the gas tax because it would limit our ability to fund critical infrastructure projects while doing little to alleviate costs for residents," Mariano said. Senate President Karen Spilka, however, seemed a little more open to the idea. In a statement, Spilka said Healey "has pulled every lever at her disposal" to try to shield Bay Staters from rising costs due to the war and pledged to at least review the legislation.
- How would Healey pay for it? Healey's office estimates that her proposal would cost the state — or save drivers — $120 million. The proposal would use "unbudgeted" funds from the state's surtax on incomes over $1 million (which continues to bring in more money than expected).
- How is this different from what Minogue proposed? While Healey's proposed gas tax suspension has a two-month time limit, Minogue's wants a more permanent policy. His platform includes suspending the gas tax whenever it's above $4 a gallon and working "towards the long-term elimination" of the tax. "It's only for two months because she's going to push everything to right after the election and go back to over-taxing our people," Minogue said Tuesday of Healey's plan.
- What's next: Healey plans to formally file her proposal to the State House as part of a closeout supplemental budget bill this fall.
Meanwhile: Healey backed another ballot campaign yesterday: Question 7. If passed, the ballot question would override local zoning to allow single-family homes to be built by right statewide on residentially zoned lots that are at least 5,000 square feet (or around an eighth of an acre) and have at least a 50-foot border with the street and access to public sewer and water service. Healey said the initiative would make it easier to build starter homes across the state. (Experts estimate it would lead to somewhere between 350 to 1,200 new homes being built per year.) "By opening doors to first-time homeowners, we’ll help more young people afford to stay in Massachusetts and build their future here," Healey said in a statement. - The endorsement came after Healey officially backed the Yes on 9 campaign over the weekend to uphold the gun law she signed in 2024. She has also endorsed Question 6, though her budgetwriters are a little more wary.
Reading between the (train) lines: The MBTA is planning to spend about $5 million a month from April 2027 through March 2029 on shuttle bus service — a signal the subway line closures we've endured this summer aren't ending anytime soon. Those plans were revealed in a request for proposals that T recently sent out to shuttle bus vendors, State House News Service reports. - Heads up: The next big disruption begins this Saturday. The Green Line's downtown tunnel will be closed for nine days (Sept. 26 to Oct. 4) between North Station and Kenmore, as will the line's southern E branch and part of the B branch. (An identical closure is planned over Halloween weekend, too.) Read up on your backup options here.
P.S.— "Wicked," the touring Broadway musical that was adapted into an award-winning movie, begins its Boston run tonight at the Citizens Opera House. Our arts team has the details on that — plus New England's only jug band festival and a celebration of the Mystic River — in our weekend events roundup. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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Boston Harbor has become a hot destination, and not only for humans. Scientists with the New England Aquarium have tracked sharks for years now. WBUR’s Amanda Beland went along on a trip to learn more about these new seasonal tourists. Read more. |
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Interviews with Chinese immigrants suggest the allure of the U.S. is being put to the test by a torrent of immigration restrictions under President Trump, and the emergence of China as the world’s second-largest economy. But for many, the core draw of America remains strong. Read more. |
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The social media influencer “Clavicular,” who gained a following promoting the online “looksmaxxing” trend, has been charged in with raping a 17-year-old girl at his parents' house on Cape Cod. Read more. excerpt: The social media influencer “Clavicular,” who gained a following promoting the online “looksmaxxing” trend, has been charged in Massachusetts with raping a 17-year-old girl who told police she became heavily intoxicated after he gave her alcohol at his family's Cape Cod home. Braden Peters, 20, is charged with rape, administering a substance for sexual intercourse and procuring alcohol for a person under 21 in the alleged May 23, 2025, assault in Chatham, according to court records. A clerk-magistrate found probable cause for the charges on Sept. 4, and a criminal complaint was issued Sept. 8. An email and text message were sent to Peters' publicist seeking comment Tuesday. Peters, who lives in Florida and is not in custody, is scheduled to be arraigned in Massachusetts on Oct. 14. |
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With scores overall on the decline for years, there's now been a double-digit percentage point drop in students meeting state expectations in these core subjects since the pandemic disrupted schooling six years ago. Read more. |
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Lawyers for Lindsay Clancy are asking a judge to investigate the conduct of the lone juror who wanted to convict her of murder in the deaths of her three children. The juror hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing in connection with his jury service, though some other jurors complained that he was inflexible in his opinion that Clancy was guilty. Read more. |
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- The Northern Passage (The Atlantic)
- An M.I.T. Report Warns A.I. Is Causing ‘Cognitive Surrender.’ Universities Are in a Bind. (The New York Times)
- A Western Mass. lesbian bar required KN-95 masks. When it changed the rules, all hell broke loose. (The Boston Globe)
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Trainers say the 29-year-old African penguin named Pip has become increasingly comfortable with acupuncture to treat a limp — with the help of fish, head scratches and positive reinforcement. Read more. |
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