Latest news with #MauraHealy
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Obamas' private Martha's Vineyard beach could be opened to PUBLIC if wealthy developer gets his way
The Obamas private beach in Martha's Vineyard could soon be opened to the public if a millionaire developer gets his way in a long-running legal battle. Boston real estate mogul Richard Friedman has been fighting his neighbors in the wealthy enclave for years over access to a two-mile stretch of barrier beach, Oyster Pond. He bought a 20-acree property in 1983, believing the purchase gave him ownership of the barrier beach. But his wealthy neighbors disagreed, saying they owned the beach. A lengthy legal saga ensued that was ultimately brought to an end by natural erosion and shifts in the beach's sands. As the court battle went on for decades, Friedman decided that, since the private beaches had by this point moved north to rest between two bodies of water considered 'public' under Massachusetts law - Oyster Pond and Jobs Neck Pond - no private entity should be able to lay claim to them. Now Democratic governor Maura Healy is pushing to open the beach stretch to the public, adding a measure to a $3 billion environmental bond bill that would define a barrier beach which moves - whether by erosion or rising sea levels - on to public land as public property. The bill declares that a beach that moves into the 'former bottom of the great pond shall be and remain in Commonwealth ownership in perpetuity.' Hundreds of homeowners would be affected if the measure passes, including Barack and Michelle Obama, whose 28-acre estate includes a barrier beach that would become open to the public. As the Boston Globe points out, Friedman is a Healy donor and is even scheduled to host a fundraiser for her this weekend. Critics of the bill have accused her of doing a donor's bidding but she insists the planned law will open more of her state's most stunning beaches to regular people who aren't super-rich. The Democrat has denied being swayed by her wealthy donor. Her spokesperson said in a statement: 'As someone who grew up on the Seacoast, Governor Healey has always felt strongly about increasing public access to beaches and great ponds.' The Obamas purchased the sprawling vacation home on Martha's Vineyard for $11.75 million in 2020. The battle between millionaire families has been raging since a century ago, when two wealthy clans - the Nortons and the Flynns - with oceanside mansions carved out the beach overlooking Oyster Pond, claiming land rights to large slices of the shoreline. The Norton land is now owned by three trusts - with Friedman being the principal owner, and the Flynn land is owned by six trusts. Last September, a court ruled against Richard and in favor of the neighbors who say they own the beach. Representatives for the Flynn trusts have been fighting Friedman's efforts for decades, and experts told the Boston Globe that the law would likely invite lawsuits from the affected homeowners of properties with private beaches. Eric Peters, one of the attorneys for the Flynn trusts, said 'There is no public interest promoted' by this this legislation promotes the of a real estate developer.' Friedman's lawyers meanwhile have claimed 28 beaches that are now considered private would be open to the public if the law is changed. Friedman is the developer behind the famed Charles Hotel in Cambridge and the Liberty Hotel in Boston.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Atlantic premiers meet with New England governors in Boston
Canadian premiers and U.S. governors met in Boston on June 16. (Source: Screenshot) The four premiers from Atlantic Canada gathered in Boston to discuss trade and tariffs with New England governors on Monday. The meeting included New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy extended the invitation to the premiers last month, seeking to strengthen the economic ties between the New England states and Canada amid the ongoing U.S. tariffs. Representatives from Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont participated in the meeting. 'We have been good neighbours and trade partners for decades, and we continue to treasure our long-standing friendship with our neighbours in the United States,' said Holt in a news release. 'New Brunswick provides essential energy, tourism and manufacturing to these states. During our meetings today, I stressed the importance of our economic and cultural ties to both our countries, while pitching opportunities to make our partnerships even stronger.' 'Our families, cultures, cuisine, languages are all entwined,' Janet Mills, governor of Maine, told CTV News Atlantic's Todd Battis in a previous interview. 'Especially in Maine with a 611-mile border between [us], New Brunswick, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.' More to come…
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
N.B. premier to focus on tariffs, energy projects at Boston meeting with U.S. governors
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is hoping to stress the harmful impact of tariffs on Canadians and Americans at an upcoming meeting of leaders from both sides of the border in Boston next week. Holt will be joining several premiers at a meeting with six northeastern U.S. governors in Boston on Monday. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy extended the invitation to the premiers last month. 'Canada is Massachusetts' number one trading partner,' Healy said in a news release. 'For generations, we have enjoyed a strong partnership and a healthy exchange of energy, lumber, dairy, cars and car parts, seafood and more. 'President Trump's tariffs are undermining this partnership, making it harder for businesses to keep their doors open, and increasing the cost of everything that the New England and Canadian people rely on.' Holt, at a news conference on Thursday, said her focus at the meeting will be the ongoing tariff situation and explaining their effects to her American colleagues. 'Ideally what we'd get is the governors agreeing to articulate their objections to the tariffs,' she said. 'If we can get everyone agreeing that the tariffs are negatively impacting Americans and passing that message on to the White House, that would be a win.' Holt also said she plans to highlight 'critical files' at the meeting, including energy development. 'New Brunswick supplies a lot of energy products to New England,' she said. 'I think 90 per cent of the cars in Boston are driving with gas that comes from the Irving refinery and us. They are keen to make sure we will continue to be a reliable supplier of energy to them. 'We see the U.S. as a market to sell energy in a way that is profitable and beneficial to New Brunswick.' Earlier this month, New Brunswick hosted the Southeastern United States - Canadian Provinces Conference in Saint John, bringing together business and government leaders to explore investment opportunities across the border. The conference, which was last held in New Brunswick in 2011, welcome more than 240 delegates and more than 95 companies. More to come… Susan Holt N.B. Premier Susan Holt speaks at a news conference. (Source: Avery MacRae/CTV News Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CNN
09-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
First on CNN: More than 12,000 Harvard alumni unite to support university legal challenge
Thousands of Harvard University alumni have signed on to a legal message of support for their alma mater, CNN has learned, an unprecedented effort to back the school as it challenges the Trump administration's decision to halt more than $2.2 billion in federal funding. More than 12,000 Harvard alumni – from the class of 1950 to the just-graduated class of 2025 – added their signatures to an amicus brief, a legal document sent by a third party to a lawsuit offering the court additional information about the case. The brief, first reported by CNN, was submitted to the court on Monday. The signatories come from a range of backgrounds, united by a Harvard degree and concern for the future of their alma mater: a Wisconsin beer brewer, comedian Conan O'Brien, an Ohio fighter pilot, author Margaret Atwood, a South Dakota tribal leader and Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healy, among other prominent members of communities across the country and globe. The group claims it's the largest known alumni brief from a single school in history. And the alumni involved believe it's a historic moment as Harvard defends itself – and in turn, potentially sets a precedent for other colleges and universities amid a major clash over academic freedom, federal funding and campus oversight. Harvard sued the Trump administration in April over its decision to freeze federal funding and has asked for an expedited final decision in the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for July 21. 'As alumni, we are deeply alarmed by the Government's reckless and unlawful attempts to assert control over the core functions of Harvard and its fellow institutions of higher education. Without due process or any recognizable basis in law—and with complete disregard for the freedoms the Constitution secures and the constraints it imposes—the Government has embarked on a campaign to deploy every power at its disposal to damage Harvard,' the brief says. It continues, 'The Government's end goal is to narrow our freedoms to learn, teach, think, and act, and to claim for itself the right to dictate who may enjoy those freedoms. As alumni, we attest that Harvard's true greatness resides in the ways we share these values and exercise these freedoms.' The White House did not respond to CNN's request for comment on the brief. Anurima Bhargava, a documentary filmmaker, civil rights lawyer and Harvard alumna who has helped lead the effort, told CNN in an interview that it marks a moment of solidarity across traditional divides. 'We are educated in part so that we can be safeguarders of liberty and democracy. And that is certainly what we all feel like is an important stand to take in this time,' Bhargava said. She continued, 'It's about our education, not only at Harvard – it goes so far beyond Harvard to 'what are our abilities in every kind of school and college and university to be able to voice and to think and to learn freely without the kind of interference that we're seeing from the government.'' Bhargava said there were 'many' alumni who wanted to sign the brief but did not, for fear of retaliation from the administration. Efforts to target Harvard began even before President Donald Trump returned to office, with his allies arguing they're cracking down on antisemitism on campus amid the Israel-Hamas war. But the administration's actions extend to a broader agenda – and a belief inside the White House that it's a winning political issue for the president. 'We unequivocally condemn antisemitism and every other form of discrimination and hate, which have no place at Harvard or anywhere else in our society. Yet charges of antisemitism—particularly without due process and proper bases and findings by the Government—should not be used as a pretext for the illegal and unconstitutional punishment and takeover of an academic institution by the Government. Indeed, most of the Government's demands on Harvard have little or nothing to do with combating antisemitism, or any other kind of bias and discrimination, on campus,' the brief states. The university is now engaged in multiple legal battles with the Trump administration, which has launched several investigations into the school. White House officials and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have kept the door open to negotiating with the school, but the administration is not currently in talks.
CNN
09-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
First on CNN: More than 12,000 Harvard alumni unite to support university legal challenge
Thousands of Harvard University alumni have signed on to a legal message of support for their alma mater, CNN has learned, an unprecedented effort to back the school as it challenges the Trump administration's decision to halt more than $2.2 billion in federal funding. More than 12,000 Harvard alumni – from the class of 1950 to the just-graduated class of 2025 – added their signatures to an amicus brief, a legal document sent by a third party to a lawsuit offering the court additional information about the case. The brief, first reported by CNN, was submitted to the court on Monday. The signatories come from a range of backgrounds, united by a Harvard degree and concern for the future of their alma mater: a Wisconsin beer brewer, comedian Conan O'Brien, an Ohio fighter pilot, author Margaret Atwood, a South Dakota tribal leader and Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healy, among other prominent members of communities across the country and globe. The group claims it's the largest known alumni brief from a single school in history. And the alumni involved believe it's a historic moment as Harvard defends itself – and in turn, potentially sets a precedent for other colleges and universities amid a major clash over academic freedom, federal funding and campus oversight. Harvard sued the Trump administration in April over its decision to freeze federal funding and has asked for an expedited final decision in the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for July 21. 'As alumni, we are deeply alarmed by the Government's reckless and unlawful attempts to assert control over the core functions of Harvard and its fellow institutions of higher education. Without due process or any recognizable basis in law—and with complete disregard for the freedoms the Constitution secures and the constraints it imposes—the Government has embarked on a campaign to deploy every power at its disposal to damage Harvard,' the brief says. It continues, 'The Government's end goal is to narrow our freedoms to learn, teach, think, and act, and to claim for itself the right to dictate who may enjoy those freedoms. As alumni, we attest that Harvard's true greatness resides in the ways we share these values and exercise these freedoms.' The White House did not respond to CNN's request for comment on the brief. Anurima Bhargava, a documentary filmmaker, civil rights lawyer and Harvard alumna who has helped lead the effort, told CNN in an interview that it marks a moment of solidarity across traditional divides. 'We are educated in part so that we can be safeguarders of liberty and democracy. And that is certainly what we all feel like is an important stand to take in this time,' Bhargava said. She continued, 'It's about our education, not only at Harvard – it goes so far beyond Harvard to 'what are our abilities in every kind of school and college and university to be able to voice and to think and to learn freely without the kind of interference that we're seeing from the government.'' Bhargava said there were 'many' alumni who wanted to sign the brief but did not, for fear of retaliation from the administration. Efforts to target Harvard began even before President Donald Trump returned to office, with his allies arguing they're cracking down on antisemitism on campus amid the Israel-Hamas war. But the administration's actions extend to a broader agenda – and a belief inside the White House that it's a winning political issue for the president. 'We unequivocally condemn antisemitism and every other form of discrimination and hate, which have no place at Harvard or anywhere else in our society. Yet charges of antisemitism—particularly without due process and proper bases and findings by the Government—should not be used as a pretext for the illegal and unconstitutional punishment and takeover of an academic institution by the Government. Indeed, most of the Government's demands on Harvard have little or nothing to do with combating antisemitism, or any other kind of bias and discrimination, on campus,' the brief states. The university is now engaged in multiple legal battles with the Trump administration, which has launched several investigations into the school. White House officials and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have kept the door open to negotiating with the school, but the administration is not currently in talks.
