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App-based worker classification ballot battle brewing in Massachusetts for second time

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

A battle over the classification of app-based rideshare and delivery drivers is gearing up for the second year in a row after Attorney General Andrea Campbell gave her approval Wednesday to multiple versions of a question that would define those workers as independent contractors.Clearing the first major hurdle to appear on the fall 2024 ballot represents an initial comeback for the Flexibility & Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers coalition, which saw their proposal struck off the ballot last year by the state’s highest court.The coalition said Massachusetts rideshare and delivery drivers “are one step closer to having their independence protected while receiving access to historic new benefits.”“We’re pleased that the Attorney General’s office has certified our ballot proposals to ensure drivers can maintain the flexibility to work when, how often, and for how long they want as independent contractors, while also accessing new benefits and protections,” coalition spokesperson C...

Voters could have chance to weigh-in on power to audit Massachusetts Legislature

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

A battle over the power to audit the Massachusetts Legislature could end up before voters in 2024 after Attorney General Andrea Campbell certified a ballot question Wednesday that would grant that authority to the state auditor.A proposed ballot question from State Auditor Diana DiZoglio cleared the initial hurdle but whether Campbell will approve a parallel request from the Methuen Democrat to pursue legal action to force the Legislature to open up their books is unclear.“Our state Legislature is frequently ranked as the least transparent state Legislature in the entire nation — not subject to public records laws, not subject to open meeting laws. For legislative leaders to continue to refuse to cooperate with our office is unacceptable,” DiZoglio told the Herald. “Working Families in Massachusetts deserve better. It’s the people’s house, not the politician’s house.”Both House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka have declined to participate in...

Here are the ballot questions AG Campbell certified, rejected

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

Attorney General Andrea Campbell certified 34 voter petitions Wednesday, including 31 proposed laws and three proposed constitutional amendments, on everything from rent control to psychedelics. She did not certify seven proposals. One was withdrawn.Certified petitionsTwo proposed laws removing the MCAS as a graduation requirement for high school studentsTwo proposed laws related to the gas taxA proposal relative to voter registrationA proposed constitutional amendment related to the right to voteA proposal related to voter registration at polling placesA proposal requiring full minimum wage for tipped workers with tips on topTwo proposals related to the regulation and tax of natural psychedelicsA proposed constitutional amendment related to recall election electionsEight proposals related to voter identification in MassachusettsNine proposal related to the classification of rideshare and delivery driversA proposal related to public health educationA proposal allowing the state audi...

Superintendent Skipper, Mayor Wu go door-knocking to re-engage students ahead of school year

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

Superintendent Mary Skipper and Mayor Michelle Wu joined dozens of volunteers in visiting a couple hundred homes Wednesday morning, reengaging with families before students head back to the classroom Thursday.The annual initiative, spearheaded by Boston Public Schools’ Re-Engagement Center, targeted two groups of students: those who were chronically absent last year, meaning they missed 10% or more of school days, and those who dropped out completely.Emmanuel Allen, the center’s re-engagement director, said the brief interactions with the families go a long way in hopefully setting a positive tone for the new year.“This is really what the work is about, going after the students who may be off the grid a little bit and listening to their stories, finding options for them. It’s really that simple,” Allen said. “Once you meet personally, it leads to a couple of conversations from caring adults to really get you back on track.”More students have been considered chronically absent ...

Massachusetts seeks new State Police superintendent; pays up to $300K

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

The commonwealth is looking for a new top cop.“The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is assisting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with their search for the next Superintendent (Colonel) of the Massachusetts State Police (MSP),” began the listing on the IACP job board for the job that pays $275,000 to $300,000 a year.And if you want the job, you better apply fast as the listing has a tight deadline: Sept. 24.Interim Col. John E. Mawn, who began as a trooper and worked his way up the ranks, took on the position following Col. Christopher Mason’s retirement on Feb. 17 following 40 years with the MSP. Should the state hire a new colonel before he’s been on the job a year, his superintendent-level pension benefits may not take effect, based on the state law governing State Police.Neither Gov. Maura Healey’s office nor a spokesman for the State Police returned Herald inquiries for comment regarding the posting, the speed of the deadline, whether Mawn could keep the su...

As the heat cranks up, Boston Public Schools will remain open on first day of year, officials say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

The scorching heat is disrupting the start of the year for multiple school districts across the region, but in Boston, officials say students will stay cool in the classroom.As the heat index value approaches 100 on Thursday, students will be returning to Boston Public Schools for the first time this year.“In general, when it’s hot, for all of us, it can be uncomfortable,” Superintendent Mary Skipper said Wednesday, “particularly in getting back and forth from school for our students. We’re going to make this as fun as possible for them.”Skipper expressed confidence that the first day will go smoothly, largely due to how much the district has invested in air conditioning over the past year. About $9.2 million of the district’s $400 million in federal virus relief funds has been pumped into installing air conditioning units across its buildings, according to figures.At the start of last year, just 20 schools had 916 cooling units, but those numbers have risen significantly. Roughly 7...

Battenfeld: Who would inherit the MAGA magic if Donald Trump gets derailed, plus other key 2024 questions

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

Could Donald Trump bestow the MAGA magic on Donald Jr.?The former president’s son has been a loyal pit bull for his father, serving as a key campaign surrogate and rousing up crowds.But what if the GOP needs a “break glass in case of emergency” candidate?This is just one of the key unanswered questions haunting the 2024 race.Will a third party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy or perhaps even Trump emerge to become a serious contender? Will Donald Trump team up with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to run as a third party team?Will Joe Biden really make good on his promise to run for re-election, or is the 80-year-old president just posturing?If health or cognition problems prevent Biden from running again, who will emerge on the Democratic side to replace him? Michelle Obama is just one of the intriguing names that have surfaced in Democratic Party circles.And with the advent of more and more early ballots, mail in ballots, voter fraud, illegal ballots, non citizens voting, and millions of ma...

The Burning Man party is over. Now a massive cleanup begins

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The rain has passed, and the temple has burned. Now, as Burning Man slowly empties, it’s time to clean up.Burning Man organizers have three weeks to clean up any remnants of the makeshift city plopped across over four square miles (10 square kilometers) of the Black Rock Desert in northwestern Nevada, but a summer storm that left tens of thousands stranded in ankle-deep mud could alter that timeframe. The annual gathering, which launched on a San Francisco beach in 1986, attracts nearly 80,000 artists, musicians and activists to the sprawling stretch of public land for a weeklong mix of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances. One of the principles of Burning Man is to leave no trace — an expectation that all attendees will pack out everything they brought to Black Rock City and clean out their camps before leaving. But in the aftermath of torrential rains that closed roads, jammed traffic and forced many to walk miles barefoot through the muck, the area is...

Shuswap wildfire ruin is revealed as B.C. faces ‘sleeping giant’ of drought

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

SCOTCH CREEK, B.C. — All that stands of the Scotch Creek — Lee Creek firehall in the British Columbia Interior’s Shuswap region is a set of blackened stairs leading to a pile of rubble.The ruins are a stark indication of the indiscriminate power of the Bush Creek East blaze that tore through the region about three weeks ago, with speed and ferocity that officials likened to a tornado.It destroyed 176 properties and damaged 50 others. Some of that destruction was on display during separate tours on Wednesday for the media and residents who lost their homes in the region.Derek Sutherland, director of the Columbia-Shuswap emergency operations centre, said the purpose of the residents’ tours was to give them “closure” so they can hopefully begin rebuilding. “It was burning whatever was in its path, including our firehall. Some places fared better than others, of course,” he said.But while the Bush Creek East fire is among more than 400 wildfires still burni...

Man convicted of killing woman in Saskatchewan arrested in B.C., parole suspended

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:15 GMT

VICTORIA — A man who brutally murdered an Indigenous woman in Saskatoon is back in custody and his parole has been suspended.Victoria police say Kenneth MacKay, who is 49, was arrested Friday but did not provide further details.MacKay was found guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of 21-year-old Crystal Paskemin in 2000.He received an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.The Parole Board of Canada approved MacKay for day parole in January and it was extended in July by another six months.The board’s decision notes the parole was granted against the advice of the Correctional Service of Canada.It says MacKay’s case-management team considered him a high risk for violent reoffending and wanted a more gradual release. “There continue to be concerns regarding power and control issues and possible issues with women,” says the decision.MacKay’s release conditions included returning to a residential facility on Vancouver Island every night and r...