By | | Boston HeraldA bill to decriminalize drugs across the board and another to tax sugary drinks by up to 24 cents on a can of soda stand out among the thousands filed by lawmakers as they kick off a new session under the pandemic.All drugs would be decriminalized in a bill filed Friday by Reps. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge, and Liz Miranda, D-Boston, and Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro. Punitive punishment — like jail time — for possession of controlled substances would be abolished and the replaced with a $50 civil fine.“It speaks directly to addressing the colossal failure that the War on...…By | | Boston HeraldA bill to decriminalize drugs across the board and another to tax sugary drinks by up to 24 cents on a can of soda stand out among the thousands filed by lawmakers as they kick off a new session under the pandemic.All drugs would be decriminalized in a bill filed Friday by Reps. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge, and Liz Miranda, D-Boston, and Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro. Punitive punishment — like jail time — for possession of controlled substances would be abolished and the replaced with a $50 civil fine.“It speaks directly to addressing the colossal failure that the War on...WW…

By | and | | Boston HeraldDavid Ismay, the Baker administration’s $130,000-a-year climate change undersecretary, has resigned “immediately,” citing his incendiary comments.In his resignation letter, Ismay wrote: “It is with great regret that I submit my resignation, effectively immediately, from the position of Undersecretary for Climate Change in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.”The resignation letter is addressed to his boss, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides. He emailed a copy to the Herald Thursday morning from his private...…By | and | | Boston HeraldDavid Ismay, the Baker administration’s $130,000-a-year climate change undersecretary, has resigned “immediately,” citing his incendiary comments.In his resignation letter, Ismay wrote: “It is with great regret that I submit my resignation, effectively immediately, from the position of Undersecretary for Climate Change in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.”The resignation letter is addressed to his boss, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides. He emailed a copy to the Herald Thursday morning from his private...WW…

GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | Boston HeraldA curfew mandating restaurants and most other businesses to close by 9:30 p.m. lifts on Monday, but industries hit hard by the coronavirus will have to live with customer capacity caps of 25% for another two weeks, Gov. Charlie Baker announced.“Vaccines are reaching residents, positive case rates have stabilized. Those trends are moving in the right direction. As a result, we believe it’s time and it’s OK to start gradually easing on the restrictions we put in place,” Baker said during his regular...…GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | Boston HeraldA curfew mandating restaurants and most other businesses to close by 9:30 p.m. lifts on Monday, but industries hit hard by the coronavirus will have to live with customer capacity caps of 25% for another two weeks, Gov. Charlie Baker announced.“Vaccines are reaching residents, positive case rates have stabilized. Those trends are moving in the right direction. As a result, we believe it’s time and it’s OK to start gradually easing on the restrictions we put in place,” Baker said during his regular...WW…

By | | Boston HeraldA lead organizer of Boston’s “Straight Pride Parade” is being detained and a Natick Town Meeting member has been ordered to stay away from the Massachusetts State House as both face charges in connection with the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Mark Sahady, 46, of Malden, and Suzanne Ianni, 59, of Natick — both avowed President Trump supporters — were arrested by FBI agents at their respective homes early Tuesday and both appeared later in U.S. District Court in Boston where a prosecutor suggested the pair could still pose a threat.“The defendant was part...…By | | Boston HeraldA lead organizer of Boston’s “Straight Pride Parade” is being detained and a Natick Town Meeting member has been ordered to stay away from the Massachusetts State House as both face charges in connection with the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Mark Sahady, 46, of Malden, and Suzanne Ianni, 59, of Natick — both avowed President Trump supporters — were arrested by FBI agents at their respective homes early Tuesday and both appeared later in U.S. District Court in Boston where a prosecutor suggested the pair could still pose a threat.“The defendant was part...WW…

By | | Boston HeraldMore than 400 pastors from throughout Massachusetts are amping up the pressure on Gov. Charlie Baker to veto what they called one of “the most radical pieces of abortion legislation in the country.”In a Wednesday letter to the Republican governor, pastors said an amendment to the state budget dubbed “The ROE Act” represents a “shocking and callous disregard for human life and the importance of parental involvement in the lives of children.”State , which codifies the right to an abortion in state statute and makes abortions legal for women after 24 weeks of pregnancy in...…By | | Boston HeraldMore than 400 pastors from throughout Massachusetts are amping up the pressure on Gov. Charlie Baker to veto what they called one of “the most radical pieces of abortion legislation in the country.”In a Wednesday letter to the Republican governor, pastors said an amendment to the state budget dubbed “The ROE Act” represents a “shocking and callous disregard for human life and the importance of parental involvement in the lives of children.”State , which codifies the right to an abortion in state statute and makes abortions legal for women after 24 weeks of pregnancy in...WW…

By | | Boston HeraldOfficials have a message for anyone who traveled or attended a Thanksgiving despite warnings that doing so could cause coronavirus cases to surge: Get tested.“Everybody should be getting a test after the holiday and they should especially get tested if they have been with folks outside of their household or if they traveled,” said Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo.Revere expanded hours at its state-sponsored at Revere High School to “accommodate high demand for testing following the Thanksgiving holiday,” according to a statement from the Board of Health. The first-come,...…By | | Boston HeraldOfficials have a message for anyone who traveled or attended a Thanksgiving despite warnings that doing so could cause coronavirus cases to surge: Get tested.“Everybody should be getting a test after the holiday and they should especially get tested if they have been with folks outside of their household or if they traveled,” said Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo.Revere expanded hours at its state-sponsored at Revere High School to “accommodate high demand for testing following the Thanksgiving holiday,” according to a statement from the Board of Health. The first-come,...WW…

By | | Boston HeraldHouse Democrats rejected an amendment that would have forced Gov. Charlie Baker to stick with a Democrat if Sen. Elizabeth Warren lands a Cabinet post hours after the Republican governor vowed to veto it and others slammed the idea.A budget amendment by Amherst Democrat Rep. Mindy Domb — backed by a handful of members from the liberal side of the delegation — would have changed the way vacancies are filled. It would require successors from “the same political party as the person vacating the office” until a special election is held, 145-160 days after the vacancy...…By | | Boston HeraldHouse Democrats rejected an amendment that would have forced Gov. Charlie Baker to stick with a Democrat if Sen. Elizabeth Warren lands a Cabinet post hours after the Republican governor vowed to veto it and others slammed the idea.A budget amendment by Amherst Democrat Rep. Mindy Domb — backed by a handful of members from the liberal side of the delegation — would have changed the way vacancies are filled. It would require successors from “the same political party as the person vacating the office” until a special election is held, 145-160 days after the vacancy...WW…

By | | Boston HeraldGov. Charlie Baker’s new mask mandate that requires people to wear masks in public at all times — no matter how far away they are from other people — is catching flack from a health care expert who questions what it will do to reduce infections.“Masks now mandated outdoors in MA regardless of distancing. How will this reduce infections? Most transmission is happening indoors, so ensure people have safer spaces to gather: tents, heat lamps, fire pits. Focus on actual risk, not pandemic theater,” tweeted Julia Marcus, epidemiologist and associate professor at Harvard...…By | | Boston HeraldGov. Charlie Baker’s new mask mandate that requires people to wear masks in public at all times — no matter how far away they are from other people — is catching flack from a health care expert who questions what it will do to reduce infections.“Masks now mandated outdoors in MA regardless of distancing. How will this reduce infections? Most transmission is happening indoors, so ensure people have safer spaces to gather: tents, heat lamps, fire pits. Focus on actual risk, not pandemic theater,” tweeted Julia Marcus, epidemiologist and associate professor at Harvard...WW…

By | | Boston HeraldOne day ahead of the presidential election, Gov. Charlie Baker has called up 1,000 members of the National Guard as a precaution in the event of “large-scale” protests on election night.“There is no indication of any public safety risk in Massachusetts. Just as the Administration does for all major events, we have made additional resources available should local leaders request them,” Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Secretary Thomas Turco.Guardsman will be available to assist local officials in efforts to maintain public safety or protect opportunities to...…By | | Boston HeraldOne day ahead of the presidential election, Gov. Charlie Baker has called up 1,000 members of the National Guard as a precaution in the event of “large-scale” protests on election night.“There is no indication of any public safety risk in Massachusetts. Just as the Administration does for all major events, we have made additional resources available should local leaders request them,” Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Secretary Thomas Turco.Guardsman will be available to assist local officials in efforts to maintain public safety or protect opportunities to...WW…

By | | Boston HeraldGov. Charlie Baker didn’t go so far as to cancel Thanksgiving, but he did warn the holidays would “look and feel different this year,” as he urged people to limit celebrations to immediate family as a fall spike in coronavirus cases arrives.“The science on this one’s pretty clear — gathering in groups indoors for an extended period of time with family and friends is likely the worst possible scenario for spreading the virus,” Baker said during his regular coronavirus briefing Tuesday.Cases have been on the rise recently in Massachusetts where Tuesday marked — levels not...…By | | Boston HeraldGov. Charlie Baker didn’t go so far as to cancel Thanksgiving, but he did warn the holidays would “look and feel different this year,” as he urged people to limit celebrations to immediate family as a fall spike in coronavirus cases arrives.“The science on this one’s pretty clear — gathering in groups indoors for an extended period of time with family and friends is likely the worst possible scenario for spreading the virus,” Baker said during his regular coronavirus briefing Tuesday.Cases have been on the rise recently in Massachusetts where Tuesday marked — levels not...WW…