Middleboro Review and so on

  Nearly 70%. That was the percentage Donald Trump won Sumter County, Florida in 2024. You might know Sumter as home to The Villages, one of the largest retirement communities in the world. Maybe you’ve seen one of their famous golf cart parades. It has voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000. So, not really “friendly” territory for Democrats. But that’s why I went there. When I say I'm going to meet constituents everywhere and do what I can to represent all Floridians, I mean it! Many politicians won’t go places where they might be grilled or asked hard questions. My opponent Ashley Moody hasn’t hosted a public town hall in over a year. That’s not who I am. Donald Trump recently held his first rally in Florida since winning the election. As people were waiting in line, I asked to hear about what keeps them up at night. I listened as veterans, schoolteachers, retirees, and many more told me about their lives. And I heard the same refrain we’ve been hearing across...

  ADVERTISEMENT The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from  CommonWealth Beacon  that you may have missed. This week, reporter Chris Lisinski dives into Governor Maura Healey’s  proposal  to tighten eligibility requirements for social safety net programs by bringing back asset limits for emergency cash aid. Such limitations, which advocates say could “harm the most vulnerable clients,” would require recipients to not only prove they have limited income, but also own nothing of significant financial value. Plus: reluctant MBTA communities start to move toward  zoning compliance  after a suit from the state, a real estate-backed  coalition sues  to remove a rent control initiative from November’s ballot, the Bay State  falls short  of climate commitments following a year of Trump challenges to green energy goals, and funding for environmental programs like state parks get  trimmed  i...