|
| ⛅ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. |
It's an unusually rematch-filled Wednesday. Voters in Rhode Island will decide Round 2 of McKee vs. Foulkes in the state's gubernatorial primary today, before the New England Patriots kick off the new NFL season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks. (The game starts at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.) We'll have the results of both tomorrow, but first let's get to all of today's news: Healey's take on Tompkins: After his acquittal on federal extortion charges last week, Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins (or at least his lawyer and spokesperson) said he plans to return to the job in the near future. But when asked by WBUR's Eve Zuckoff if she supports the fellow Democrat returning to the job, Gov. Maura Healey didn't exactly reply with a yes. "That's going to be for Sheriff Tompkins to evaluate right now, and I hope he takes the time to evaluate what came up," Healey said after an event Friday. "It was serious." - Catch up: Tompkins first stepped away from the job at Healey's request in August 2025 after the charges against him were filed. Federal prosecutors said Tompkins got a special deal to invest $50,000 in a local cannabis company — and then got all his money back when the stock price fell. However, they crucially failed to convince the jury that Tompkins used his position as sheriff to pressure a company executive for the refund.
- What's next: It's still possible the State Ethics Commission could investigate whether Tompkins ran afoul of state laws against state government employees soliciting or receiving "anything of substantial value" due to their position. It wouldn't be the first time Tompkins landed in hot water with the State Ethics Commission (which famously doesn't confirm, deny or comment on investigations). In 2015, the commission fined Tompkins $2,500 for asking local store owners to remove his opponent’s campaign signs. And in 2023, it fined him $12,300 for violating conflict of interest laws after he gave his niece a job in his department. Asked if she had concerns about Tompkins' ethical judgement, Healey told Eve that "he needs to think about what's in the best interest of constituents and people he was elected to serve."
- Reality check: The decision to return is ultimately up to Tompkins (Healey does not have the power to unilaterally fire or suspend him). And his lawyer, Martin Weinberg, reiterated that Tompkins is "going back to work as the elected sheriff of Suffolk county, the position he was elected to serve," when asked about Healey's comments Tuesday. Tompkins' next decision will be whether to run for another six-year term in 2028, when he'll be turning 70.
On Beacon Hill: Healey signed an executive order yesterday requiring data center projects in Massachusetts to get local approval before they seek state permits. While the state may not have many large data centers like other parts of the country, WBUR's Miriam Wasser reports the order is intended to give cities and towns more control over their development, as voter pushback against the facilities rises. "Unless a community says yes to a data center, we're saying no," Healey, who also paused a new tax break for data centers earlier this summer, told reporters yesterday. - Zoom in: The order also blocks the use of non-disclosure agreements between state agencies and data centers. And it requires the companies behind large data centers to use their own clean energy or pay into a "Ratepayer Protection Fund" if they don't. State House New Service has more details on the new policy here.
Meanwhile: Healey is also urging the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status for people from El Salvador. The federal protection is set to expire today. Advocates say more 7,000 people in Massachusetts — and more than 170,000 across the U.S. — could lose their legal eligibility to live and work in the country. It comes after the Trump administration let TPS expire for 10 other countries this year. - El Salvador was the first country to receive a TPS designation back in 1991, amid a brutal civil war. The country is currently under a police state in an attempt to crack down on crime. "A lot of people are going to have no options," Sarang Sekhavat, the chief of staff for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, told WBUR's John Bender. "They're in a situation where it's go back to a country that's not particularly safe and doesn't exactly have a good civil rights record ... or risk staying here in the U.S. as long as possible."
Too close to call: The recount in the closely watched state Senate race between incumbent Will Brownsberger and challenger Dan Lander gets underway today — but that's not the only one. There's also a recount in the Democratic primary for state Rep. Christopher Markey's opening seat on the South Coast. Secretary of State Bill Galvin said yesterday he expects both to be finished by tomorrow. P.S.— Unrivaled, the three-on-three women's basketball league that takes place during the WNBA offseason, will play its first-ever games in Boston this January to mark the start of its third season. Tickets went on sale yesterday afternoon. |
|
| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
|
MUST READ!
Across Massachusetts, utilities are replacing millions of electric meters on homes and businesses with smart meters. They provide a lot more detail about electricity use, but not everyone is thrilled about the new tech. Read more.
excerpt Customers can also see that quarter-hour data on their utility company's website. No more waiting for a monthly bill to parse power use. A smart meter is essentially a mini computer inside your house, Beebe said. "It gives customers much better information at their fingertips," he said, "so that way they can take control of their usage and their bill." Online, customers can see a graph of how much power they use throughout the day. People can also get projections about their next monthly bill, and can sign up to receive alerts if their energy use suddenly spikes. Beebe said this sort of data could help detect an appliance that's on the fritz, like an errant refrigerator or pool pump.
Smart meters also allow utility crews to detect and locate an outage in near-real time, which could be especially useful in large storm recovery efforts, said Jared Lawrence, Eversource's chief customer officer. And they give utilities additional information that they need to upgrade or reroute power through various transformers, and avoid overloading the local electric system. Over the summer, he said, the company used smart meter data to identify an overloaded circuit a few days before a heat wave. " We actually went out and proactively upgraded those circuits before the heat wave hit," he said, preventing a potential outage when residents turned their air conditioners on high. |
|
Republican John E. Sununu and Democrat Chris Pappas will compete for an open U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire in a race that has emerged as one of a handful around the country that could determine control of the chamber in November. Read more. |
|
Since his testimony in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial, there has been a tsunami of social media commentary criticizing Patrick Clancy and questioning whether he had some involvement in the deaths of the children. Read more. |
|
At a press conference, Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno said the attack was classified as "level 4" which means "severe." Schools were closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and officials said they could be closed longer for the safety of students. Read more. |
|
Under his tenure, UMass Boston climbed the U.S. rankings of public research universities, earning top-tier status from the Carnegie Foundation in 2025. And he helped oversee a long-overdue $293 million overhaul of a campus that first opened in 1974. Read more. |
|
- Ben Shelton edges out Carlos Alcaraz in thrilling latest U.S. Open finish in history (The Athletic)
- 3 Lindsay Clancy jurors speak out in new interview (NBC Boston)
- SENATOR ROGER MARSHALL OF KANSAS:
- A Doctor Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator. (The New York Times)
|
Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle went viral for the second start in a row after committing to a push-up on the mound after slipping. Read more. |
|
Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going?
Before you go: Next stop: Fenovaa
Beware: There have been fraudulent interview invitations using WBUR shows and names that include requests for payment or fake donations. Learn more about the scam and how to protect yourself. |
😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here.
🔎 Explore WBUR's Field Guide stories, events and more.
📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org
📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. Check out all of our newsletter offerings.
📱 Download the WBUR App for iPhones and iPads or Android devices. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment