DEPORTATION DEFENSE: A $5 million program in Mass. to provide legal services to immigrants facing deportation has quickly scaled since it launched in the fall. More than 20 attorneys have been hired and hundreds of case fielded. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/03...

A hearing over a proposed public records ballot question at the State House laid bare the acrimony between former legislator and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio and her one-time colleagues. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/03...

MINOGUE POLL: Michael Minogue, a wealthy former biotechnology executive, holds a lead over his two Republican opponents in the race for governor among primary voters and GOP convention goers, according to a poll paid for by his campaign. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/03...

SHERIFF SPENDING: The budget process for the state’s 14 sheriff departments is “opaque, chaotic and deeply flawed,” Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro said in a report released Friday, laying blame on both state lawmakers and sheriffs themselves. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

HEALEY BANS SOME TRAVEL: Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order today immediately banning “non-essential motor vehicle travel” in Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties because of the blizzard. Speed on Mass Pike also reduced to 40 MPH. #mapoli

NOT SO FAST: AG Andrea Campbell asked the state's highest court to toss out a lawsuit Auditor Diana DiZoglio filed last week that seeks to force the Massachusetts House and Senate to hand over documents as part of an audit of their inner workings. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

SHORTSLEEVE: Brian Shortsleeve took the helm of the MBTA a decade ago at Gov. Charlie Baker’s request, a popular moderate Republican. But as Shortsleeve runs for governor in 2026, he is waging an aggressive campaign that has tacked right of Baker. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

The Trump administration is fighting an effort by a Venezuelan aide to Gov. Maura Healey to quickly obtain a temporary work authorization, court documents filed Monday show. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

IMMIGRATION: MA U.S. Attorney Leah Foley has overseen a more than six-fold increase in the number of federal criminal immigration cases prosecuted in the state in the year since she was appointed, according to data she provided Thursday morning. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

NO AUTHORITY? Attorney General Andrea Campbell says Auditor Diana DiZoglio “does not have the authority to file this lawsuit.” “This is another ploy to sidestep the required approval of my office and will bring her no closer to auditing the Legislature,” Campbell says. #mapoli

HEALEY CABINET: Education Sec. Patrick Tutwiler will step down from his post Friday. Healey appointed Salem Public Schools Superintendent Stephen Zrike to the role. This is the latest turnover in Healey's cabinet as she finishes her first term. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/10...

DIZOGLIO AUDIT: Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio filed a lawsuit Tuesday with the state’s high court to force the Legislature to hand over financial documents as part of an audit into lawmakers' businesses. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

HEALEY AIDE: A Venezuelan staffer working for Gov. Maura Healey could lose her job because her H-1B visa is about to expire and the Trump administration has not granted her permanent residency, according to court documents. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

WHITE STADIUM COST: The city of Boston’s plan to rebuild White Stadium in Franklin Park will cost taxpayers $135 million, nearly three times as much as the city estimated for the project two years ago. Via @evezuckoff.bsky.social #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

IS IT LEGAL? Gov. Healey’s executive order restricting federal immigration agents from using state buildings is likely legally sound, experts say, but legislation she filed restricting them from entering daycares or schools could face challenges. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

NINTH TERM? Secretary of State William Galvin says he’s seeking a ninth term in office. He says President Trump is threatening people’s right to vote, he’s worried about interference with the 2028 election, and wants to ensure an accurate census count in 2030. #mapoli

DENMARK: Gov. Healey and Danish officials signed a “collaboration agreement” as tensions between the Nordic country and the U.S. remain over Trump’s repeated calls to takeover Greenland. But neither side appeared willing to talk about Trump. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

MAKING LAWS: Can't get a law passed on Beacon Hill? Float a ballot question. It’s increasingly how the business of lawmaking is getting done in a state where people on both sides of the political spectrum argue the Legislature gets little done. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

INCOME TAX BALLOT QUESTION: A group of union members and a director of a local nonprofit filed a lawsuit Thursday with the state’s highest court to block a potential ballot question that would lower income tax from appearing before voters. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

HEALEY'S ICE ACTION: Gov. Maura Healey says she plans to file a bill to bar federal immigration agents from entering spaces like schools and day cares, and would sign an executive order prohibiting them from using most state resources. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

HOUSE IMMIGRATION: Democratic leadership in the Massachusetts House plans three closed-door meetings next week to discuss "what the Commonwealth can do on immigration policy." Reps. Dan Cahill of Lynn and Carlos Gonzalez of Springfield plan to lead "candid" discussions. #mapoli

HEALEY’S BUDGET: Gov. Maura Healey plans to file a $63 billion fiscal 2027 budget Wednesday — a 3.8% increase that outpaces inflation and aims to rein in rising health care costs, while responding to federal funding cuts from the Trump administration. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

ICE ACTIONS: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey plans a 2:30 p.m. press conference at the State House today to “to announce new actions to protect Massachusetts residents from the harmful actions by the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” #mapoli

‘NOEM HAS GOT TO GO’ - Gov. Maura Healey called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign and for immigration agents to leave cities like Minneapolis, days after a U.S. Border Patrol officer fatally shot an intensive care nurse there. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

State officials warned residents to keep off the roads Sunday and Monday and to stay indoors this weekend if possible, with a massive winter storm bearing down on Massachusetts and frigid temperatures already settling in across the region. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

If you want the short take on last night's Mass. state of the commonwealth, with reporting from inside the room, here you go - @wbur.org @bychrisvan.bsky.social www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

UTILITY BILLS: Gov. Maura Healey plans to spend $180 million as part of a plan to temporarily reduce electricity bills by 25%, and gas bills by 10%, for residential utility customers for the months of February and March. But there’s a catch. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

HEALEY’S BIG SPEECH: Six political observers weigh in on what Gov. Maura Healey should say in her State of the Commonwealth address Thursday, amid debates around affordability, immigration and President Trump’s expanding use of executive authority. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

HEALEY REELECTION: Gov. Maura Healey officially launched her reelection campaign Tuesday morning by attacking President Trump over rising costs of living and federal immigration crackdowns in Massachusetts. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

'ANTI-AMERICAN' - Gov. Maura Healey called on two airlines to stop chartering flights used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport people out of Massachusetts, saying the federal agency's tactics are “disturbing and anti-American.” #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

SHERIFF INVESTIGATION: Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro's investigation into county sheriff spending includes a probe into communications with top officials on Beacon Hill, according to a document reviewed by WBUR. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

PAYING FOR WU'S PARTY: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu raised more than $1.1M in Dec. for her second inauguration. Local companies likely to have business before the city contributed tens of thousands of dollars to celebrate her reelection, data shows. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

DEATON + MASSGOP: John Deaton, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, donated more than $346K to the MassGOP to pay off outstanding debts, just weeks after the party voted to give him a key endorsement in his campaign for elected office. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

VICTORY LAP: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will be sworn in for her second term Monday. The ceremony will give her a public victory lap and a chance to assure residents that she has plans to address a range of challenges like rising housing costs. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

DRAFTKINGS: DraftKings donated $50,000 in June to a nonprofit political advocacy group launched by Gov. Maura Healey to promote her housing policies, according to a report from the Boston-based sports betting giant to gaming regulators. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

BALLOT Q SPENDING: The coalition of business groups behind a proposed 2026 ballot question to lower the state income tax, and another to trigger more frequent tax refunds, has so far shelled out $1.6M to gather the signatures for their campaigns. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

NORFOLK DA RACE: Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey's perceived missteps in the twice-failed prosecution of Karen Read and the initial investigation into the death of Sandra Birchmore have spurred four candidates to run for his job. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

GOLDBERG CHALLENGER: Elizabeth Dionne, a select board member in Belmont and a registered Republican, launched a campaign for state treasurer, making her one of the first candidates to formally challenge Democratic Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

MINOGUE CASH: Michael Minogue's personal contributions to his gubernatorial campaign in Oct. and Nov. exceed fundraising by his Republican rivals, and top the more than $2.8M Gov. Maura Healey has raised from donors over the previous 11 months. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

POLITICAL DEFENSE: Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins is accepting political donations to pay for his legal defense in a federal case in which he is accused of extorting a cannabis company, according to a filing with state campaign finance regulators. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

MINOGUE MONEY: Michael Minogue, a former biotech executive running for governor of Massachusetts as a Republican, pumped another $2 million of his own cash into his campaign last month, records show. That comes after he gave his campaign $1.5 million in October. #mapoli

GOP BATTLE LINES: Beacon Hill Republicans are starting to throw their support behind the party’s candidates for governor, as the three contenders jockey for support more than eight months out from the primary election. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

RENT CONTROL: Supporters of the rent control ballot question campaign, dubbed “Keep Massachusetts Home,” say their effort pits working-class residents struggling to afford housing against corporate landlords, who consistently raise rents. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

NATURE BALLOT Q: Nature groups say a proposed ballot question for next year’s election could raise more than $100 million to help preserve natural areas and create more outdoor recreational spaces in Massachusetts, including trails and parks. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/12...

MIGRANT PROTECTIONS: Immigrant rights advocates called on Beacon Hill Democrats Tuesday to pass a trio of policies they argued would bolster protections for migrants who are being targeted for deportation. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/11...

GOP GOV PRIMARY: Michael Minogue, a wealthy former biotech executive running for gov, told me he does not " identify with a party," but also argues there are " two parties and you had to pick." More in a lengthy Q&A. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/11...

MASSGOP BACKS DEATON: John Deaton secured a key endorsement Thursday from the Massachusetts Republican Party in his bid for U.S. Senate, giving him an edge over potential primary rivals despite losing his last Senate run. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/11...

BALLOT QUESTIONS: Ballot questions about rent control, all-party state primaries and funding for water and nature conservancy are among those expected to clear a major hurdle Wednesday to advance toward the 2026 ballot. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/11...

TAIWAN TRIP: The Taiwanese government paid thousands of dollars to fly New England lawmakers to Taiwan for a multi-day visit this month that included a stay at a five-star hotel in Taipei and meetings with top officials, according to an ethics filing and lawmakers. www.wbur.org/news/2025/11...

SHELTER SPENDING: Months after Gov. Maura Healey's administration stopped regularly publishing shelter data, public records released to @wbur.org show the state has so far shelled out roughly $109M in FY26 on the emergency assistance program and related services. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/11...