3:00pm Joint Committee on State Administration & Regulatory Oversight, Public Hearing

7:00pm AIM Virtual Brief: Commonwealth Conversation with Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Registration required

Rider Revenues Disappear, Triggering "Painful" Talks at T » State House News Service Over the next few months, higher-ups at the transit agency and their oversight board will embark on an unprecedented effort to reconfigure train and bus service, likely imposing significant cuts on so…

Every New England reference in Bob Woodward’s latest book, ‘Rage’ » Boston Globe “I so dream about running against Elizabeth Warren”…

Michelle Wu announces run for Boston mayor » Boston Herald

Top Trump health appointee Michael Caputo warns of armed insurrection after election » Washington Post A top communications official for the administration’s coronavirus response urged President Trump’s supporters to prepare for an armed insurrection after a contested election and accused governmen…

NJ: Lawmaker to introduce new bill granting subpoena power to police review boards » Assemblymember Angela McKnight plans to introduce a new version of a bill that would allow civilian complaint review boards to subpoena records and investigate police officer misconduct concurrently w…

Vote by Mail: Tracking How America Votes in 2020 » Bloomberg Politics Democrats fear Trump will use a slower-than-usual vote count to cast doubt on the results, or perhaps even declare himself the winner if the Election Night tally shows him ahead. And some Republicans …

You’re Not Being Loyal By Staying Silent As Biden Depresses Voters » TMI As Biden has ignored the Democratic base, polls now show he faces an enthusiasm gap. Progressive pressure is needed to force him to energize Democratic voters and defeat Trump.…

NY: Police issuing warnings — but not fines — on first day of MTA mask crackdown » New York Post Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s crackdown on maskless straphangers began Monday — but scofflaws at some of the city’s busiest stations were given a pass instead of a $50 fine.…

FL: 2018 Florida gubernatorial nominee says he is bisexual » AP News Andrew Gillum, Florida’s Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, told a television interviewer he is bisexual, responding to rumors swirling since March after he was found intoxicated and unconscio…

State’s Top Judge, Ralph Gants, Remembered as Judicial Advocate » State House News Service Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants has died, his fellow judges announced ten days after he suffered a heart attack. He was remembered Monday for his passion for justice and the respect h…

As Trump rejects science, Biden calls him a ‘climate arsonist’ » Boston Globe With wildfires raging across the West, climate change took center stage in the race for the White House on Monday as former Vice President Joe Biden called President Donald Trump a “climate arsonist…

House Centrists Add $1.5 Bil Plan as Latest Stimulus Option » State House News Service Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative leaders are waiting for a sign from Washington about what kind of budget relief, if any, states like Massachusetts can expect this year, and House Democrats in Congr…

Boston Sports Clubs' parent company files for bankruptcy amid uproar from gym members » Boston Globe Beset by losses from months of closure and facing a growing rebellion from members, the company that operates Boston Sports Clubs filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday.…

Biogen pledges to stop using fossil fuels by 2040, commits $250 million to the effort » Boston Globe The life-sciences giant Biogen plans to invest $250 million in a 20-year initiative to eliminate fossil fuels from its operations by 2040, the company said Monday.…

Clarks, the footwear company, may shut 25% of its stores as it delves deeper into digital sales » Boston Globe The COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to brick-and-mortar retail stores. Just ask Clarks Americas president Gary Champion.…

Fitness studio TrillFit aims to ‘decolonize wellness’ » Boston Globe If racism is a public health crisis, what role do those in the wellness industry have in combating it? That’s the question Heather White and her team at Trillfit studio in Mission Hill posed to othe…

Opinion: Restaurants need us, and we need them » Boston Globe I was saddened to read that nearly 23 percent of Massachusetts restaurants have been forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic (“Many restaurants have closed. It’s just the tip of the iceber…

Opinion: I’ll Eat Outside at Boston Restaurants All Winter If I Have To » Boston Magazine If you would have braved the freezing cold for a Patriots game, you should do it to save local restaurants, too.…

Restaurant nearly gets license revoked due to barrier safety concerns » Dartmouth Week A Dartmouth restaurant nearly had its license to serve food revoked for not adhering to safety guidelines with its outdoor seating barriers, according to Select Board Chair Frank Gracie III.…

BJ's Liquor License Bid In Framingham Sparks Opposition » Brookline Patch The owner of a small liquor shop in Framingham fears a license transfer to neighboring BJ's Wholesale Club could spell doom.…

After a summer unlike any other, the North End looks anxiously toward the fall » Boston Globe Many restaurant owners in the North End said that after the excitement of the reopening died down, so did the visits. If restaurants in the North End aren’t able to survive, then who can?…

Virtual Harvest Cup Will Measure Marijuana Competition » State House News Service Undeterred by the inability to hold an in-person event this fall, cannabis connoisseurs still plan to crown the top Massachusetts marijuana products in a dozen categories as part of the yearly Harvest…

Nerves, Excitement On First Day Back To School » WBUR This was not a normal first day of school. Other than a few school buses and a slow trickle of five-year-olds and their parents, it was really quiet outside of the Bowman Elementary School in Lexingto…

State should create need-based school aid formula, report says » Berkshire Eagle A pair of business groups are recommending in a new report that the state gradually phase out some elements of its school funding mechanism that are not based on student need.…

Dover-Sherborn Regional High School will start year remotely after party with more than 100 students excessively drinking ‘put us all at risk’ of coronavirus, superintendent says » The Republican In a scathing letter to parents of students at Dover-Sherborn Regional High School, the superintendent announced the academic year will begin remotely after a party of more than 100 students occurred …

Worcester schools: Remote attendance taking questioned » Worcester Telegram On the eve of the first day of school, School Committee members disagreed over and expressed confusion about how attendance should be taken during the remote learning phase of the new year.…

Child care centers faced with myriad challenges as school districts start remote learning » Berkshire Eagle The remote reopening of several school districts this week is presenting a slew of new challenges for child care centers, which have already made significant changes in response to the coronavirus pan…

Smith Voc students return » Gazette Net As most students in the city and surrounding areas begin their school year fully remote, students at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School had the now-unique experience of returning to school …

Attleboro, Foxboro goes back to school -- at a distance » The Sun Chronicle It was probably not Firas Ibrakhim’s CQ idea of his first day in high school. Everyone was wearing masks. Everyone was social distancing. And nobody was going to lunch.…

Report: Mass. school funding formula gives wealthy districts more aid than they need, widening equity gaps » Boston.com The formula for distributing state funding to schools in Massachusetts gives wealthier districts more money than they need, creating a widening equity gap at the expense of students in low-income comm…

'We Were Lied To': Students Criticize Boston College Over Lack Of Transparency Around COVID-19 » WGBH Amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases on the Boston College campus, students, teachers and local elected officials are calling for more transparency from the university.…

Teachers at high risk for coronavirus still don’t know whether they’ll be allowed to work remotely » Boston Globe The week before school starts is usually a joyous, if frantic, time of year for Boston teacher Katie Caster, but these days she mostly just feels scared.…

Sharon teachers rally over unsafe buildings, district says schools will open anyway » Boston Herald Sharon teachers and students rallying over unsafe buildings on Monday said they want to return to the negotiating table for a fair deal, while the district said schools will be opening as planned next…

New MIT labs to study brain disorders thanks to $28M gift from Broadcom CEO » Boston Business Journal A new research center at MIT with labs led by biotech pioneer Feng Zhang and three others will begin exploring how tools like CRISPR gene-editing could be used to treat brain disorders, thanks to a ne…

MCLA Ranked a 2021 Top Ten College by U.S. News & World Report » Business West For the third consecutive year, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is ranked as a Top Ten College by U.S. News & World Report. MCLA ranks ninth on the organization’s list of top public col…

Trump, Biden facing off on wildfires, climate change » Boston Globe President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden are focusing the presidential campaign on the wildfire-scorched West Coast, with Trump meeting fire officials in California on Monday while Biden declar…

State, local officials gather in Becket to announce new grants for culvert work » Berkshire Eagle With changes to our climate on the increase, municipalities are grappling with how to cope with conditions that increasingly can overwhelm existing infrastructure.…

Smoke from wildfires sweeping east all the way to Massachusetts » Boston Herald The hellish wildfires ravaging the west are sweeping east. A national “Hazard Mapping System” of smoke from the blazes in California, Washington and Oregon show the fallout hitting upstate New Yor…

Appeals court hears arguments in Aquinnah gaming case » Cape Cod Times The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the town of Aquinnah took their arguments over the tribe’s planned bingo hall to a virtual hearing with the U.S. First Circuit Appeals Court on Monday.…

Former admissions director at Meadow Green Nursing Home in Waltham stole $230K from resident to pay for family vacations, other expenses, authorities say » The Republican The former admission director of a Massachusetts nursing home was accused this week of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from an elderly resident and using the money to pay for family vacation…

‘It was kind of a smack in the face': Millennials find search for starter homes even more competitive in the COVID era » Boston Globe They’d lived in Malden for eight years, renting a two-bedroom apartment close to the T. But with a toddler, zero outdoor space, and a pandemic turning things upside down, Dan Burger, 33, and his wif…

Newton Edges Forward On Using Armory For Affordable Housing » Brookline Patch The State approached Newton to see if it might be interested in using the property for affordable housing last year. Here's what's next.…

Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants Dies At 65 » WBUR Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants has died, the court's associate justices announced Monday afternoon.…

Judge's Ruling Linked To Disgraced Chemist May Pave Way To Reopen Thousands Of Mass. Cases » WBUR A superior court judge has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of heroin possession in 2006.…

SJC Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, a fearless advocate for racial justice, dies at 65 » Boston Globe Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, whose determination to provide equal justice to all led him to commission a recent study of racial disparities in the court system, has died, the c…

Opinion: Massachusetts criminal legal system needs to get serious about data » Boston Globe Last week, Harvard Law School issued a long-awaited report on racial disparities in the state’s criminal legal system. After a four-year quest to unearth and analyze this data, the study definitivel…

SJC Chief Justice Ralph Gants dies » Commonwealth Magazine ONLY 10 DAYS after being hospitalized with a heart attack, Ralph Gants spent Monday morning on the phone from his home talking to attorneys and advocates about the state’s eviction moratorium and pe…

Massachusetts SJC Chief Justice Gants dies, remembered as a ‘giant’ in legal community » Boston Herald Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants — a “giant” in the legal community and a “courageous leader” for civil rights and civil liberties — has died after recently s…

Gants lauded, mourned, for the change he sought for the courts » Boston Business Journal Lawyers, friends and former colleagues on Monday remembered late Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants as a man of great intellect and humility who used his position of power to advocate fo…

Uber Says Mass. Driver's 1st Circ. Injunction Fight Is Moot » Law 360 Uber has told the First Circuit that a Massachusetts driver whose suit was transferred to California can't try to upend the ride-hailing giant's practice of classifying drivers as independent contract…

City of Malden assisting namesake town in Washington after it was destroyed by wildfire » Boston Globe They are communities on two separate coasts, some 2,700 miles apart. But they are connected by name. And now, by good deeds in a time of tragedy.…

Framingham will begin issuing $500 fines for gatherings that violate the state's COVID-19 size restrictions » The Metro West Daily News The Framingham Public Health Department, with support from the police department, has begun to levy fines for those violating the state limit on gatherings in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19…

Halloween trick-or-treating ban a ’no-brainer’ amid COVID-19 pandemic, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno says » The Republican The decision to ban door-to-door trick-or-treating on Halloween this year is a “no-brainer" despite continued low numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said Monday.…

ZBA hearing on Deerfield Dollar General continued to October » Gazette Net After another lengthy discussion last week, the Zoning Board of Appeals voted again to continue to October the hearing on the proposed development of a Dollar General on Routes 5 and 10 near Mill Vill…

Boston City Councilors join fight to save more than 100 trees from being cut down in Roxbury » Boston Herald The protest against chopping down more than 100 trees along Melnea Cass Boulevard is growing. Boston City Councilors Kim Janey and Michelle Wu have joined the outcry in Roxbury against the plan to cho…

Boston to make new downtown bike network permanent » Boston Globe The new separated bike lanes circling Boston Common and the Public Garden will be made permanent this fall, with paint and flex posts soon replacing the traffic barrels that currently delineate the ne…

Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu Announces Run For Mayor » WBUR Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu will run for mayor in 2021.…

O'Connor Sees Markey Debate Approach as Flip-Flop » State House News Service Republican Senate candidate Kevin O'Connor challenged U.S. Sen. Edward Markey on Monday to debate him seven times between now and the Nov. 3 election, describing himself as a "common sense candidate" …

Rayla Campbell Should Appear on Massachusetts Ballot [OPINION] » WBSM Republican 7th District Congressional candidate Rayla Campbell has filed suit against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to get on the November 3 ballot. Campbell, an African American woman who was bor…

Michelle Wu makes it official: She’s running for mayor of Boston » Boston Globe Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu announced Tuesday she is running for mayor, saying she can best lead the city through a reckoning on race and policing, an unprecedented health crisis, and the strugg…

State Rep Michael Day has a Challenger: Elizabeth Harrah » Brookline Patch I am Elizabeth Harrah, the Independent candidate for State Representative to serve Winchester and Stoneham. I am running against incumbent State Representative Michael Day.…

Opinion: Ed Markey back to Washington and his arrogant attitude » Boston Herald Well, that didn’t take long. Ed Markey has gone back to Washington and his arrogant, incumbency, pre-Joe Kennedy ways. Don’t expect to see him and his faded, white Nike sneakers too much between n…

Kevin O’Connor accuses Ed Markey of being ‘afraid’ of more debates » Boston Herald Republican Senate candidate Kevin O’Connor blasted U.S. Sen. Edward Markey for ignoring his demand for seven debates ahead of the Nov. 3 election.…

Question 1 campaigns take in $35M in donations » News 22 WWLP.com Question 1 on the November Ballot has to do with who can access information about your vehicle.…

Editorial: Ask what you can do for the 2020 elections » Boston Globe There is a very simple, concrete step that almost any US citizen can take to play a proactive role protecting our democratic institutions: Sign up to be a poll worker or observer.…

In Massachusetts, Trump supporters ‘go big or go home’ with displays » Worcester Telegram In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton carried Massachusetts by nearly a million votes, but Donald Trump won many towns, including several in the Central and Southeastern parts of the stat…

O’Connor To Markey: Let’s Have Seven Debates, Not Just One » WGBH With just a month and a half left until the general election, Republican Senate candidate Kevin O'Connor is calling for seven debates with Democratic incumbent Ed Markey — one more than Markey had w…

Mass. Ballot Question 2, Explained: What You Need To Know About Ranked-Choice Voting » WBUR In November, Massachusetts voters will take up a ballot question that would fundamentally reshape the way they vote. Under a system called "ranked-choice voting,” races that involve more than two ca…

Less Than 20% Of Congress Has Served In The Military. Jake Auchincloss Looks To Add To Its Ranks » WGBH Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss won the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' Fourth Congressional District earlier this month. Auchincloss won by just over 2,000 votes against candidate Jesse …

Nantucket public health officials seek to ‘surgically respond’ to COVID-19 spike linked to tradespeople » The Republican For nearly all of August and early September, Nantucket was reporting one or two new coronavirus patients daily.…

MA lawmakers worry college students might put their communities at risk » News 22 WWLP.com College students in Massachusetts are adapting to the new protocols in place, but are they following them well enough to protect the local community?…

Coronavirus cases jumping in Framingham with evidence of gatherings with no masks, distancing » WCVB The city of Framingham is considered a hot spot for the coronavirus, so officials and residents are now going on the offensive about getting the word out.…

Opinion: Spikes in COVID cases spark concerns beyond campuses » Boston Globe Deirdre Fernandes and Laura Krantz do a fine job reporting on the smorgasbord of disciplinary measures area college students are facing when they break rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronav…

State Police uncovered more trooper payroll issues last year. This time, they kept it in-house » Boston Globe Sergeant Mark Lynch took over as head of the State Police union in 2018, when the law enforcement agency was in the midst of crisis. A federal investigation into widespread payroll fraud had implicate…

Police reform bill held up in Massachusetts State House » WCVB Protests calling for police accountability have been held across the state of Massachusetts for months, but a police reform bill has yet to make its way to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk.…

Complaints against Worcester police increased last year » Worcester Telegram There was an uptick in the number of complaints filed against police last year, but the number was still well below the average for the past seven years, the Human Rights Commission was told Monday ni…

Dighton cop fined $3,300 after his unlicensed pit bull killed another dog » Taunton Gazette The former owner of two pit bulls, one of which mauled a neighbor's dog to death in mid- August, will have to pay $3300 in fines because both animals were unlicensed and unvaccinated.…

Financial outlook unclear for cities, towns » Lowell Sun As cities and towns continue to grapple with an uncertain financial future, they’re faced with the decision of whether to furlough or lay off workers in an effort to close their budget shortfalls.…

Report: Regional Taxes Would Drain Jobs, Investment » State House News Service As negotiations over legislation that would give cities or towns the power to authorize a local surtax to fund transportation projects near the two-month mark, a conservative think tank says its analy…

'We Have To Be Realistic': MBTA Considers Permanent Service Cuts Amid Budget Crisis » WBUR The MBTA is considering cutting some service permanently as the transit agency faces major budget challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.…

New Train Schedules Proposed to Reflect Ridership » State House News Service Commuter rail trains will run less frequently on many lines during the morning and evening peaks and more frequently in the middle of the day starting in November under a schedule change the MBTA unve…

Fare Collections Beat T Estimates by $5 Mil in July » State House News Service The MBTA ended July with net monthly revenues nearly $20 million higher than expected, a surprise bit of "good news" that prompted Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack to warn against premature …

T notes: Battery buses not ready for primetime yet » Commonwealth Magazine MBTA OFFICIALS said on Monday that battery-powered buses are a promising technology that is still several years away from being ready for prime time, largely because a test of five vehicles indicated …

T gears up for rich-poor divide in service cuts » Commonwealth Magazine THE MBTA OVERSIGHT BOARD on Monday began formulating principles to follow as it prepares to cut the transit authority’s operating budget by $300 million to $600 million, with T officials recommendin…

Rider Revenues Disappear, Triggering “Painful” Talks at T » State House News Service As they weigh a cascade of service cuts alongside other strategies to blunt the impending financial strain caused by a large loss of riders, MBTA staff now suggest that the transit agency may never re…

Lynch: Shut Down Compressor Following Friday Incident » State House News Service Congressman Stephen Lynch demanded the "immediate suspension" of operations at a compressor station in Weymouth, arguing that significant damage or injury could have occurred during a Friday incident …

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Podcast Spotlight

WBUR Edify: Local Officials Concerned Over Boston College Virus Spike Mass Climate Action Network The Climate Minute: Weymouth compressor begins commissioning phase WBUR WBUR News: Mass. High Court's Chief Justice Ralph Gants Has Died NPR The NPR Politics Podcast: Trump's Nevada Rally Violated State Covid Rules. He Held It Anyway.