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PHONES DOWN: Smartphones have become ubiquitous in many schools across Massachusetts, leading lawmakers to introduce several bills that would ban their usage during the school day. Laura Colarusso interviews state Sen. John Velis about his bill — the Act to Protect Children’s Learning, Focus, and Emotional Health During School Hours — and the pressures that cell phones and social media exert on children.
OPINION: Autism isn’t a condition to be feared or “blamed” on vaccines — it’s a developmental disability that requires understanding, resources, and support. If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t recognize that, he remains unfit to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, writes T.J. Winick, the parent of a 13-year-old son with profound autism.
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February 18, 2025 |
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By BHAAMATI BORKHETARIA |
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When Bountiful Farms, a medical cannabis dispensary in Natick, went to renew its license in June, it hit an obstacle: the host community agreement that it needed to renegotiate with the town and have approved by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
The agreement with Natick was in violation of a 2022 law that banned communities from charging fees greater than three percent of gross annual sales and required that the fees be “reasonably related” to the impact of the cannabis business on the city or town. Because the agreement both discouraged Bountiful Farms from ever suing Natick and imposed fees in addition to a legally allowed “community impact fee,” the commission rejected the company’s renewal application, leaving its owners in limbo.
Bountiful Farms is not the only cannabis operator in Massachusetts stuck between a town trying to maximize the fees it collects and the Cannabis Control Commission trying to abide by the law. Last year, the commission rejected about three quarters of the host community agreements – as of mid-December 461 out of 615 were ruled non-compliant – submitted. Without a compliant agreement, these companies can’t get their licenses approved or renewed and, in some cases, can’t keep their businesses running. In the meantime, companies that are waiting to open are paying rent and spending thousands on legal fees while they wait to get their host community agreements in order.
“I have referred to the concept of HCAs and the negotiations as the ‘wild west’ because it wasn't a level playing field for negotiation,” said Commissioner Kimberly Roy in September, referring to host community agreements. “The municipalities had an extraordinary amount of negotiation power and leverage with folks trying to get into this new industry.” |
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More from CommonWealth Beacon |
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SHELTER FALLOUT: While the Senate voted to advance a bill that would allocate $425 million in funding for emergency shelter services but cap the length of stay and the number of families that can access assistance, the holdouts are expressing concern that the proposals to tighten eligibility and screening don’t go far enough. Maya Mitchell has the story.
NEW CONTRACT: The MBTA’s contract with Keolis Commuter Services, the company that has operated and maintained the commuter rail system since 2014, expires in June 2027. As the MBTA prepares to put out a request for proposals, officials will have to make a key decision: Will they want a bundled contract in which one operator handles everything from operating trains to maintaining the infrastructure of the system or an unbundled contract in which multiple companies handle different parts of the system. Gin Dumcius explains.
OPINION: Harvard, MIT, Mass General Brigham and other members of the “Consortium for Climate Solutions” are touting their efforts to develop solar and wind farms out of state. But they need to focus on the fossil fuel plant that powers Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals and spews pollution into nearby Boston neighborhoods, write Regina LaRocque, Mariel Tai Sander, Avi Cohen and Madeleine Kline.
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CommonWealth Beacon's LAURA COLARUSSO interviews state SEN. JOHN VELIS about his bill — the Act to Protect Children’s Learning, Focus, and Emotional Health During School Hours — and the pressures that cell phones and social media exert on children. |
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What We're Reading |
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CIVIC ACTION: Nearly 1,000 demonstrators rallied in Boston on Monday to protest the Trump administration and denounce Elon Musk, the billionaire leading the massive cuts to the federal government. (WBUR)
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HEALTH: Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth has seen a rise in unsafe-staffing reports, with 85 being filed in January — 23 more than were filed in all of 2024. (Plymouth Independent)
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ENVIRONMENT: The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has informed Housatonic Water Works Co. that it cannot postpone building a filtration system designed to remove manganese from the water supply even if it doesn’t have the financing to move forward. (The Berkshire Eagle)
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PUBLIC HEALTH: Vaccination rates for Covid, the flu, and diseases like the measles have dropped in Massachusetts. (The Boston Globe)
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HEATING COSTS: The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities says it will work with gas companies to address the recent spike in home heating costs. (GBH News)
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