Latest news with #BayStaters
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'I warned you': Left-wing governor scraps migrant shelter plan after $1B blowup
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced the closure of all remaining hotel shelters in the Bay State amid the formal termination of her executive emergency focused on the state's Biden-era migrant influx. Meanwhile, Mike Kennealy -- her Republican rival in the 2026 gubernatorial sweeps who also served as the state's housing secretary under GOP Gov. Charlie Baker -- is telling the Democrat, "I told you so." Healey described her emergency order period as a success, saying that when she took over from Baker, "families were being placed in hotels all across the state, and families were staying in shelter for months – sometimes years – at a time." "There was no plan in place to reform the shelter system to handle the surge in demand, protect taxpayer dollars or help families leave shelter. We can all agree that a hotel is no place to raise a family. So, we took action," Healey said, as the state employed hotels, community centers and even a defunct prison to house the influx. It'll Upend The Community: Pa Town Roiled By Talk Of Migrant Housing In Civil-war Era Orphanage In 1983, then-Gov. Michael Dukakis signed what remains the nation's only statewide right-to-shelter law, which set in motion the conditions for such a migrant housing crisis. Read On The Fox News App Healey and the Democratic-majority legislature in Boston revised Dukakis' law to a six-month limit on that right, and to require proof of residency as well as proper immigration paperwork with some exceptions. Kennealy said he warned Healey about a "potential, looming migrant crisis – I warned her in writing." "She didn't listen," he posted Tuesday, accusing Healey of "playing politics" with the Biden-era migrant crisis and "selling false hope" to migrants and taxpayers. Massachusetts Resident Condemns Right-to-shelter Law Turning Bay State Into 'Destination For Migrants' "The hotels may be closed for now, but the crisis lives on through the HomeBASE program and runaway spending," Kennealy said, adding that if elected he will "audit and fix it." Kennealy's comments came weeks after a report showed Bay Staters will spend as much as $1 billion cumulatively on the state's emergency shelter program in FY-2025, with migrant families making up a significant share of those receiving assistance. The costs work out at about $3,496 per week per family, or around $1,000 per person per week for the program, known as the Emergency Assistance system, according to the state's Executive Office for Housing and Livable Communities. A Healey spokesperson told the Boston Herald on Monday that the governor "inherited a disaster of a shelter system" from Kennealy, whom she said offered scant substantive advice. Click To Get The Fox News App "Gov. Healey is the one who took action to implement a length of stay limit, mandate criminal background checks, require residents to prove Massachusetts residency and lawful immigration status, and get families out of hotels," Karissa Hand told the paper. A Kennealy spokesperson told the paper the now-candidate had warned both Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll of the impending crisis in-person. Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this article source: 'I warned you': Left-wing governor scraps migrant shelter plan after $1B blowup Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'I warned you': Left-wing governor scraps migrant shelter plan after $1B blowup
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced the closure of all remaining hotel shelters in the Bay State amid the formal termination of her executive emergency focused on the state's Biden-era migrant influx. Meanwhile, Mike Kennealy -- her Republican rival in the 2026 gubernatorial sweeps who also served as the state's housing secretary under GOP Gov. Charlie Baker -- is telling the Democrat, "I told you so." Healey described her emergency order period as a success, saying that when she took over from Baker, "families were being placed in hotels all across the state, and families were staying in shelter for months – sometimes years – at a time." "There was no plan in place to reform the shelter system to handle the surge in demand, protect taxpayer dollars or help families leave shelter. We can all agree that a hotel is no place to raise a family. So, we took action," Healey said, as the state employed hotels, community centers and even a defunct prison to house the influx. In 1983, then-Gov. Michael Dukakis signed what remains the nation's only statewide right-to-shelter law, which set in motion the conditions for such a migrant housing crisis. Healey and the Democratic-majority legislature in Boston revised Dukakis' law to a six-month limit on that right, and to require proof of residency as well as proper immigration paperwork with some exceptions. Kennealy said he warned Healey about a "potential, looming migrant crisis – I warned her in writing." "She didn't listen," he posted Tuesday, accusing Healey of "playing politics" with the Biden-era migrant crisis and "selling false hope" to migrants and taxpayers. "The hotels may be closed for now, but the crisis lives on through the HomeBASE program and runaway spending," Kennealy said, adding that if elected he will "audit and fix it." Kennealy's comments came weeks after a report showed Bay Staters will spend as much as $1 billion cumulatively on the state's emergency shelter program in FY-2025, with migrant families making up a significant share of those receiving assistance. The costs work out at about $3,496 per week per family, or around $1,000 per person per week for the program, known as the Emergency Assistance system, according to the state's Executive Office for Housing and Livable Communities. A Healey spokesperson told the Boston Herald on Monday that the governor "inherited a disaster of a shelter system" from Kennealy, whom she said offered scant substantive advice. "Gov. Healey is the one who took action to implement a length of stay limit, mandate criminal background checks, require residents to prove Massachusetts residency and lawful immigration status, and get families out of hotels," Karissa Hand told the paper. A Kennealy spokesperson told the paper the now-candidate had warned both Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll of the impending crisis in-person.
Axios
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
The long, long road to taxing mileage in Mass.
Lawmakers are looking for the state to get closer to its climate-friendly emissions goal by targeting how many miles residents drive. Why it matters: Transportation accounts for 37% of all Massachusetts emissions, yet the state consistently trails behind its own goals to reduce greenhouse gases. Factoring miles driven into state policy — and possibly taxing them down the road — would be a sea change in the way Bay Staters move around the commonwealth. Driving the news: A bill in the Legislature would explore ways to reduce vehicle miles and meet climate objectives by urging residents to drive less and use transit more. Between the lines: The " Freedom to Move Act" just takes the first step toward establishing a policy governing vehicle miles traveled. It would establish an interagency council to develop strategies to reduce car dependency and enhance biking, walking infrastructure and public transit. The measure would be part of the state's mandate to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Eventually, the bill says the state "may facilitate reductions in vehicle miles traveled." Bill sponsors emphasize that the legislation only creates planning frameworks for reducing carbon emissions, not new prohibitions. Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem said the bill "doesn't impose restrictions on how much Massachusetts residents can drive," but focuses on expanding other options. The other side: Opponents are concerned about government overreach and economic impact. What they're saying: Tracking mileage would be "behavioral control disguised as environmental policy," Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance executive director Paul Craney told the Herald. Conservatives worry about potential restrictions on mobility for individuals and businesses if mileage becomes a factor. Rural legislators are worried such a policy would have unequal impacts on communities that require longer drives to work and services. Senate energy committee chair Michael Barrett expressed concern over a "subtle bias against rural Massachusetts" during a legislative hearing. The bottom line: It's early days yet, but if the bill advances, it would put mileage measurements in play on Beacon Hill for the first time.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Healey calls for Job Corps reopening
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Trump administration is halting operations at Job Corps, a program that provides job training and housing to young people, and Governor Healey is calling for the program to be reinstated. Tax collections far higher than last year's The mission of the Job Corps is to provide at-risk youth with the tools they need to start a successful career and be financially independent. The Job Corps program enrolls 900 Bay Staters aged 16-24, including over 300 students at their Chicopee location. The Department of Labor announced the program pause, saying it was due to their 38% graduation rate and $80,000 per student yearly cost, but Job Corps' national branch says neither of these statistics is correct. According to Job Corps, their graduation rate is historically above 60%, and the cost per enrollee sits at less than $50,000 per year. The governor says losing Job Corps will affect not only the young people in the program, but employers as well. 'Now, hundreds of young people are without the training and housing they were relying on, hundreds of employees are facing layoffs, and Massachusetts employers are being left without the talent they need,' said the governor. Staff at the Chicopee Job Corps center say they are not sure what will happen to their students, but they are certain all staff will be laid off. A New York judge temporarily stopped the Job Corps elimination on Thursday morning, as both Democrats and Republicans have denounced the Trump Administration's efforts to shutter Job Corps centers. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should I buy a home or have a baby amid tariffs? MA residents say no, says new poll
Should you choose now to buy a home, have a child or look for a new job? Massachusetts residents say no, according to a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released Friday. The poll found that Massachusetts residents are very pessimistic about the U.S. economy and about making expensive life decisions. Based on the recent poll ,64%, including a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, think it's a bad time to buy a home. Majorities also think it's a bad time to buy a car (54%) or have a child (51%). Few think it's a good time to buy a major household item (17%) or look for a new job (19%). The only action surveyed that Bay Staters are less pessimistic about is investing in the stock market: 27% think it's a good time to do so (with Republicans more likely to say so), 34% say it's a bad time and 39% are neutral. The poll also looked at how Massachusetts's residents feel about their current finances, their expectations for the economy in the coming year and their thoughts on tariffs. The Bay State Poll surveyed 907 Massachusetts residents online between May 22 and May 26. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.3%. Currently, 38% of Massachusetts residents say they are worse off financially than a year ago. 46% say they are about the same, and 16% say they are better off. When looking ahead, 46% say they expect to be worse off a year from now, compared to 27% who expect to be the same or better off. Those who expect to be worse off cite higher prices, increasing inflation, and a government who they expect will handle the economy poorly. More than half (55%) also expect the U.S. economy to experience bad times in the next year, and 68% think tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy. That includes 97% of Democrats, 72% of Independents and 17% of Republicans. 75% of Republicans expect tariffs to have a positive impact on the U.S. economy. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Should I buy a home right now? New poll shows MA residents say no
