9:00am Joint Committee on Public Service, Committee Hearing

10:00am Status of Persons with Disabilities, Virtual Hearing

11:00am House Session, Informal Session

11:00am Senate Session, Informal Session

Mass. House leaders scored big in chamber’s closed-door budget process. You just wouldn’t know it. » Boston Globe

Mass. restaurant group asks high court to block ballot question on tipped minimum wage » Worcester Telegram

Two big things are missing from the Mass. budget debate. What they are, why it matters » MassLive

Mass. lawmakers suggest changes to police handling of rape cases after WBUR investigation » WBUR

Steward can’t even get bankruptcy right, state says » Boston Globe

Big electricity shift coming: Are we ready? » Commonwealth Beacon

Encore and Everett locked in new host agreement game of poker » Boston Herald

Boston city councilors wrestle over how to declare support for local Jews » Boston Herald

New tone for Healey transportation funding task force » Commonwealth Beacon

NH: Maggie Goodlander launches N.H. congressional bid after White House exit » Boston Globe

NH: NH Senate amends marijuana legalization bill to be more in line with Sununu's priorities » WMUR

RI: 'Granny cam' bill allowing cameras in nursing home rooms one step closer to law in RI. » The Providence Journal

CT: Seven key proposals adopted by the CT legislature during 2024 session » CT Insider

NY: NYC rents are rising 7 times faster than wages, report finds » Gothamist

NJ: Senate considers taking over power to appoint appellate judges » POLITICO Pro

NJ: The Case of the Developer, the Halal Exporter, US Senator Bob Menendez, and His Wife » Vanity Fair

FL: Balloons harm wildlife. Florida is set to ban their release. » Boston Globe

CO: Colorado bans cellphones while driving, closing loophole on 2024 session's final day » Axios

CO: Colorado blazes trail with AI regulation bill » Pluribus News

CA: AI-generated news is here from S.F.-based Hoodline. What does that mean for conventional publishers? » The San Francisco Chronicle

CA: California Invests $500M in Therapy Apps for Youth » Government Technology

MN: Infrastructure funding hangs in the balance as legislative session nears end » Axios

GA: Future of Fulton case against Trump muddled as appeals court considers attempt to disqualify Willis » Georgia Recorder

Meet Allan Lichtman, the professor who predicted the president (and the last 9) » USA Today

Barron Trump to step into the political arena as a Florida delegate at the Republican convention » NBC News

What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign » Washington Post

Trump Nostalgia Is Real—And Could Decide the Election » The Liberal Patriot

Antiwar Protest Camp in Dublin Is Dismantled After College Agrees to Divest » New York Times

Democrats cry foul over Judge Cannon’s handling of Trump documents case » The Hill

House Republicans Clash With Leaders of Public Schools Over Antisemitism Claims » New York Times

Democratic state attorneys general are teaming up to protect abortion access » The 19th

R.F.K. Jr. Says Doctors Found a Dead Worm in His Brain » New York Times

Suburban backlash threatens country’s biggest transit systems » Politico

DOJ ‘Stonewalling’ House Ethics Committee Probe of Matt Gaetz » The Daily Beast

City Trees Save Lives » Wired

Editorial: RFK Jr.’s old brain worm tale evokes McCain smear » Boston Herald

Parker: Add Tom Cotton to Trump’s VP shortlist » Boston Herald

Lucas: Kristi Noem shoots Trump VP bid in the foot » Boston Herald

Opinion: Boston area gains from helix-like entwining of AI, biotech talent » Boston Globe

Healey, members of the business community talk housing concerns at Worcester roundtable » Spectrum News

Tripadvisor stock plunges as company says M&A isn't in the cards yet » Boston Business Journal

Dennis shows support for recreational marijuana shops, but measure falls short » Cape Cod Times

Here’s what Worcester’s new rules on cell phones in schools could be » MassLive

Amherst College faculty join students in urging divestment from military suppliers to Israel » Gazette Net

‘The university has blood on its hands’: Debate over imagery of bloody hands at protests divides community » Boston Globe

Editorial: Columbia canceled its main commencement. Other schools shouldn’t follow its lead. » Boston Globe

Opinion: Emerson College tarnished by police raid on protest » Boston Globe

Students demand UMass chancellor’s resignation after pro-Palestine protesters’ arrests » MassLive

‘You must leave campus immediately’: MIT suspends protesters as encampment tensions escalate » Boston Globe

More than 130 arrested at pro-Palestinian protest at UMass » Gazette Net

Dozens arrested at UMass Amherst protest clash » Axios

MIT begins issuing suspensions to students participating in protest encampment » WBUR

Biden says he would halt additional weapons shipments if Israel invades Rafah » WBUR

Union Says Nurses Avoiding "Dangerous" Conditions » State House News Service

Black women in Massachusetts invited to take part in groundbreaking cancer study » WGBH

Shattuck’s cottage community, a relief to the unsheltered at Mass. and Cass, to close this summer » Boston Globe

Timeline for sale of Steward Health Care facilities laid out in bankruptcy hearing » WCVB

Opinion: Why is Healey pretending everything at Steward will be OK? » Boston Globe

Steward, staring down $9 billion in debts, will auction off 31 hospital properties » Boston Herald

Op-ed: Would leaders choose Steward hospitals for care? » Becker's Hospital Review

Legislative Committee Expands Equity Theft Bill » State House News Service

'This is not the right place for it': 152-unit affordable housing project in wooded Auburn area met with opposition » Worcester Telegram

Proposal to Abolish Single-Family Zoning in Cambridge Moves Forward » The Harvard Crimson

Marblehead Town Meeting votes down new zoning to comply with MBTA Communities law » Boston Globe

Healey visits Port to promote housing plan » Newburyport News

Senators Taking Second Swing At Cash Aid Increases » State House News Service

SJC Weighs Two Pieces Of Tipped Worker Plan » State House News Service

Hampshire Regional School Committee signs off on new three-year deal with union » Gazette Net

Caucus Forms To Augment Life Sciences Push » State House News Service

West Stockbridge residents approve town and school spending. But why did a proposed dog park provoke howls of dissent? » Berkshire Eagle

Springfield budget calls for a 5.8% increase to continue existing services, pay raises » MassLive

Attleboro mayor says no fireworks this year, proposes laser light show instead » The Sun Chronicle

Amid growing worry about city tax base, chamber pushes back on Wu’s proposed budget hike » Boston Globe

Worcester moving forward on plan for public plaza outside Polar Park » Worcester Telegram

With Jones project in question, Amherst won’t sign lease for temporary digs » Gazette Net

Political newcomer defeats Shores Ness for Deerfield Selectboard seat » Gazette Net

Session 4: Four articles win approval between warnings about addressing Gaza issue » Your Arlington

Gov. Maura Healey, Mayor Michelle Wu plan to use public dollars to pay for Italy trip » Boston Herald

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu used campaign funds for ‘electeds of color’ holiday party, records show » Boston Herald

MassGOP blasts Wu’s holiday party spending: ‘Blatant disregard for public finance rules’ » Boston Herald

Battenfeld: Michelle Wu’s use of public resources for campaign party raises legal questions » Boston Herald

MassGOP blasts Wu’s holiday party spending: ‘Blatant disregard for public finance rules’ » Boston Herald

Why Western Mass. is being disproportionately harmed by ‘tranq’ » MassLive

Mass. lawmakers suggest changes to police handling of rape cases after WBUR investigation » WBUR

How many earmarks did your state representative insert into the House budget? » Boston Globe

In Worcester, Gov. Healey, biz leaders talk housing and the high cost of living » MassLive

Town Meeting Day 3: Voters narrowly reject MBTA Communities Act » Hopkinton Independent

Valley lawmakers seek shorter license for FirstLight hydropower projects » The Recorder

NJ: Plan to move natural gas through N.J. killed as another forges ahead » NJ.com

Social Media Spotlight

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GBH News MIT, Harvard protesters face suspension for refusing to leave pro-Palestine encampments WCVB Channel 5 Boston Timeline for sale of Steward hospitals laid out in bankruptcy hearing

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Podcast Spotlight

Boston Bar Association The Latest on the Law: AI in Estate Planning New York Times The Daily: One Strongman, One Billion Voters, and the Future of India

HB4529 - An Act financing improvements to municipal roads and bridges

HB2095 - An Act relative to wastewater in the town of Provincetown

HB4448 - An Act authorizing the city of Lynn to use certain park land for school purposes

SB2690 - An Act authorizing the town of Rochester to continue the employment of Scott Weigel

HB4186 - An Act authorizing the town of Mashpee to convey certain town owned conservation land to Jacques and Rosalie Fresco

SB2501 - An Act relative to the date set by the charter of the town of Walpole for the annual town election

HB4192 - An Act authorizing the town of Williamstown to grant an additional license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises

HB4011 - An Act providing for the appointment of a Treasurer-Collector in the town of Kingston

HB3827 - An Act amending the membership of the Housing Commission in the town of Lincoln

Pioneer Institute Study Finds Massachusetts Saw Four-Fold Loss of Income to Net Outmigration » Pioneer Institute

Small Business Saturday to Kick off Free Parking at Select Locations on Saturdays Through Dc. 28 to Promote Local Engagement » City of Worcester

The Mass Leads Act Gains Momentum: Extending Permits and Offering Protections for Developers » Bowditch & Dewey

MTA statement on implementing new high-school graduation requirement » Massachusetts Teachers Association

MMA webinar covers key legal issues related to holiday displays » Mass. Municipal Association

Resident Charged with Arson in Apartment Complex Fire » MA Department of Fire Services

Critical Drought Declared Across Massachusetts » MA Department of Fire Services

Healey-Driscoll Administration, UMass Lowell and Boston University Launch New Initiative to Advance Clean Energy and Build Geothermal Workforce » MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Governor Healey Signs Executive Order Granting State Recognition to Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe » Office of Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll

MSA Honors Individuals at 2024 Law Enforcement & Corrections Awards Ceremony » Mass. Sheriffs’ Association