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What's on the agenda as Healey heads to D.C. to meet with fellow governors
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We have a busy sports schedule tonight. The Celtics return to action (in Philadelphia) after their All-Star break. The Fleet play north of the border against the Ottawa Charge. And TD Garden hosts Team USA and Canada in a rematch of their fight-filled game last weekend in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship. (Bernadette Jordan, the Canadian consul general in Boston, talked to Morning Edition about the game’s added tension due to what’s happening off the ice.)
But first, the news:
Work trip to Washington: Gov. Maura Healey is headed to D.C. today for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. As WBUR’s Dan Guzman reports, the mood at this year’s meeting… well, it’s going to be a little different than usual.
- The NGA’s meetings typically focus on how states can work together on issues such as the economy, energy and innovation. But this year, Healey says there will be a focus on the federal funding freezes and cuts enacted by the Trump administration, as states try to navigate all the changes and confusion. “Doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican governor, we all share those concerns,” Healey told reporters yesterday.
- Specifically, Healey said she plans to use her time in D.C. to ensure federal funding the state has secured continues to flow to Massachusetts. She also plans to attend a meeting with Interior Secretary (and former governor of North Dakota) Doug Burgum to discuss energy policies, like the future of offshore wind projects.
- In related news: One of the companies behind Vineyard Wind is eliminating 50 jobs, following President Trump’s order to halt permitting for offshore wind projects. It’s unclear how many, if any, of the affected positions are based in Massachusetts.
- The latest: Trump signed an executive order yesterday to give the president greater power over independent regulatory agencies that Congress designed to be shielded from White House control. It’s a move that’s core to the conservative “Project 2025” agenda.
Meanwhile on Columbia Point: Employees at the JFK Library quietly welcomed back the public yesterday, a day after suddenly shutting down due to layoffs ordered by the Trump administration. As Emily Piper-Vallillo reports, many visitors made a point to show up in defiance of what they said was overreach by the administration.
- Library leaders say five probationary employees who worked in ticketing and other front-of-the-facility roles were fired — which is why they closed Tuesday. (Admission to the library will be free while other employees get trained to handle ticketing.)
The state’s largest teachers union, Massachusetts Teachers Association, says it will remove online educational materials related to the war between Israel and Hamas, amid concerns of antisemitism. According to the union, the private webpage linked out to resources for teachers and was not publicly available for classroom use.
- Why was it criticized? During a hearing last week, some state lawmakers pointed to imagery including money in the shape of the Star of David and people in keffiyeh scarves carrying firearms. MTA President Max Page, who is Jewish, argued at the time that some documents could be both offensive and educationally useful as a resource for teaching complicated topics. But in a statement yesterday, the union said it “does not promote materials that direct hate at any group” and “will remove any materials that do not further the cause of promoting understanding.”
In Raynham, state officials are planning to close an emergency family shelter at the end of the year. Republican state Sen. Kelly Dooner says her office was notified yesterday of plans to close the shelter at Hilton’s Home2 Suites. Dooner says it’s part of the state’s effort to phase out the use of hotels as emergency shelters.
- The House and Senate are still working to hammer out a compromise on a bill to fund the emergency shelter system through June, while imposing tighter restrictions.
Federal prosecutors say they’ve “virtually dismantled” the transnational Trinitarios gang suspected of violence and drug crimes across Massachusetts, including six North Shore murders. Read more about the charges here.
P.S.— The big storm meteorologists had been keeping an eye on all week now looks like it will only graze Massachusetts. But the South Shore, Cape and islands could still get an inch or two (or three) of snow this afternoon. Check out the forecast map here.
