Mass General Brigham’s partnership with the YMCA of Greater Boston and the City of Boston is expanding access to fresh, healthy food for families. The Greater Boston Collaborative Food Access Hub serves an average of 20,000 residents monthly, distributing more than 1.7 million pounds of food. It recovers food that would have otherwise gone to waste, supporting both community health and environmental sustainability.
If you’re like me, you stayed inside the house Monday, trying to get some work done amid the howling wind and snow, watching the flickering lights with unease, and giving into a 4-year-old’s pleas to watch “Encanto.” (The obsession with “Frozen” is starting to thaw.) Let’s get right to it…
Beacon Hill lawmakers have plenty on their plates these days, from spending plans large and small, to literacy reform and an overhaul of the state’s cannabis oversight agency, among other bills.
Other industry groups are lobbying to make sure their item doesn’t slip off the potential agenda with still months to go in the formal session. The Sports Betting Alliance, which includes DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, is among them, and it’s touting a new poll to bolster efforts to legalize online casino gambling.
Online casino gambling, also known as iGaming, is opposed by unions who say its approval may lead to job losses, and hurt revenue at brick-and-mortar casinos. A representative from Encore Boston, which is run by Wynn Resorts, said 1,800 jobs at the Everett casino would be endangered and called legalization a “bad bet.”
But Massachusetts voters disagree, according to a poll conducted for the Sports Betting Alliance. Fifty-nine percent back legalization and regulation of iGaming. “Voters believe the decision to gamble or not should be left up to adults themselves and recognize that a legal, regulated system offers more safeguards and accountability than the unregulated market,” pollster Beacon Research wrote in a memo.
Support cuts across party lines, with 69% percent of Republicans, 58% of Democrats, and 56% of independent voters in support, the poll said. Voters also agreed that state oversight will help stop children from gambling, more so than the black market, according to Beacon Research.
Beacon Research has also done work for Gov. Maura Healey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and FOX News. A Sports Betting Alliance spokesman declined to provide the poll’s toplines. The survey polled 1,000 Bay State voters between Jan. 22-28. “All respondents were randomly selected from an online panel and were screened to be active registered voters in Massachusetts," the memo said.
The poll also found that a regulated iGaming system would bring in revenue that could help avoid state cuts or tax cuts. Supporters of sports betting made a similar revenue argument before it was pushed through several years ago.
Several bills would legalize iGaming: Foxborough Sen. Paul Feeney has one (S 235), as does Lynn Rep. Dan Cahill (H 332). Their bills are in the Consumer Protection Committee, while Grafton Rep. David Muradian has one (H 4431) in the Economic Development Committee.
The state takes in $1.5 billion in taxes from the Lottery, casinos and sports betting, which according to the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center is the state’s fourth largest source of revenue.
At least one current lawmaker, Quincy Sen. John Keenan, has said he regrets his sports betting legalization vote in 2022, and publicly apologized at a hearing to “those who find themselves in the dark spaces of betting addiction.”
With that, I’m getting myself a second cup of coffee and steeling myself for some outside time with a snow shovel. Everyone stay warm and safe, and let me know how you’re spending your second snow day: [email protected].
Massachusetts has led on clean energy, and we can’t afford to fall behind. Staying on track with planned solar and storage expansion will deliver major customer savings, reduce dependence on expensive gas, and boost grid reliability — with 44% of the benefits coming during winter. See the latest data.
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HAPPENING TODAY
.….The State House is closed Tuesday due to severe winter weather. Events may be delayed or cancelled. Gov. Maura Healey’s speech to the Greater Boston Chamber has been postponed….
9:00 | The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education holds a virtual meeting. Members will receive a briefing on the state’s Literacy Launch strategy, including PRISM grants, expanded Literacy Launch Institutes and coaching, educator preparation program reviews, and a $25 million high-dosage tutoring expansion serving more than 10,000 students. | Livestream
1:30 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu participates in snow shoveling meet-ups taking places citywide, with the aim of “bringing volunteers together to help clear sidewalks, curb ramps and areas of concern during snow emergencies.” | South Boston Neighborhood House, 136 H Street, South Boston
9:00 | President Trump will deliver the first formal State of the Union address of his second administration before a joint session of Congress. | U.S. Capitol | Broadcast on major networks including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, NPR, PBS, and via online streaming
PROGRESSIVE MASS ENDORSES MARKEY OVER MOULTON
Advocacy group Progressive Mass formally endorsed Sen. Ed Markey for reelection on Tuesday as Democratic Party caucuses ramp up.
“Ed Markey has been a stalwart champion for workers' rights, immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ rights, bold climate action, and so much more,” Jonathan Cohn, the group’s policy director, said in a statement. “He is not only fighting every day in DC against the chaos, cruelty, and corruption of the Trump administration, but also continuing to introduce and endorse the big ideas necessary to make a more equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable Commonwealth and country.”
Markey, who was endorsed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu a day earlier, is facing Rep. Seth Moulton in a primary for the Democratic nomination. John Deaton, who ran against Sen. Elizabeth Warren two years ago, is the expected GOP nominee.
Moulton also went for the Progressive Mass endorsement. He sent a six-page letter instead of answering a lengthy questionnaire, a move that invalidated his application. His letter said he wanted to “outline my agenda rather than reduce such important questions to yes/no answers.”
Another Democrat running, Alex Rikleen, and socialist Joe Tache, both filled out the questionnaire along with Markey.
“I am deeply grateful for Progressive Mass’ endorsement and proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in this fight as we take on corporate greed, defend our democracy, protect LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities, and accelerate the transition to clean energy,” Markey said.
Join us for Keller @ Large LIVE in conversation with House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka on Wednesday, February 25, at the MCLE. Register!
FROM BEACON HILL
COVERAGE COSTS: Gov. Maura Healey is asking the Group Insurance Commission to avoid changing to plans that shift costs onto state workers. She said the GIC should “seriously consider” getting rid of GLP-1 drug coverage for weight loss, saying it has played a role in "unsustainable growth” in premiums paid by all state employees. – State House News Service
SECRET FILES: The state’s Office of the Child Advocate is keeping its investigation findings a secret after looking into the Department of Children and Families nearly sending a child out of the country to an accused felon. – MassLive
NEWS NEXT DOOR
PLYMOUTH BATTERED: Plymouth was hit hard by the winter storm and ensuing power outages, presaged by the arrival of The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore. Gov. Maura Healey on Monday a travel ban for Plymouth, Barnstable and Bristol counties and kept a partial state of emergency in effect for those areas. As of this 6:45 morning, 24,000 people, or 69 percent, are without power. Overall, the number stands at 255,000 people, many of them on the Cape and Islands. – Plymouth Independent
WRESTLING WITH REQUEST: Officials working for President Trump’s education secretary, Linda McMahon, wanted school administrators in Sutton to hold a “pep rally” as part of her visit, according to the superintendent. – MassLive
PAGE NONE: The Boston Globe isn’t running the presses for a Feb. 24 delivery, citing the blizzard. It’s the first time that’s happened in 153 years. The paper is nowadays published in Taunton, an area that was rocked by the storm. – Universal Hub
HOLD THE SALT: Berkshire towns are careful of salt usage, hoping to avoid a shortage which hit another county last year. – Berkshire Eagle
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Enforcement Counsel, Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission
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Chief Human Resources Officer, Seven Hills Foundation
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