Massachusetts
Why Massachusetts loves Nibi the beaver and is fighting to keep her out of the wild
Nibi, shown above, was found on the side of a road when she was just a baby. Efforts to familiarize her with other beavers were not successful and she preferred to be near humans, according to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue.
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
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Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
There comes a time in every young beaver’s life when they decide to branch out and leave their parents’ lodge to build their own home.
For Nibi, Massachusetts “diva” beaver, it’s a bit more complicated than that. And in the end, the governor of Massachusetts had to get involved.
Nibi was just a baby when she was abandoned and discovered on the side of the road about a few years ago. She was saved and cared for by Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, northwest of Boston. That’s how the public was introduced to and fell in love with the beaver, known for its round furry frame, tiny paws and mischievous smile.
Rescuers have referred to Nibi as a “diva” because of her confidence and how she has misbehaved in the past when she did not get things her way.
Nibi when she was young.
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
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Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
Nibi, now 2 years old, is roughly the age when wild beavers embark on their journey to find a mate and build a home. Over this past summer, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), a state division, said it was time for Nibi to do the same, according to court documents.
But Nibi’s rescuers disagreed — arguing that the beaver was far from ready to live on her own without human intervention, and warned that her chance of survival would be low in the wild, court documents read.
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue cited beaver ecology expert Glynnis Hood, who speculated that if Nibi is released in October, she would be ill-prepared for the winter and likely experience starvation and hypothermia.
The disagreement ultimately went through state courts. It also amassed 29,000 signatures on an online petition advocating for Nibi to remain at the rescue center.
On Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey entered the debate, announcing that she sided with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue and would issue a permit for Nibi’s stay as an education beaver.
“Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,” Healey said in a statement. “I’m happy to report that we have issued a permit for Nibi to remain at a wildlife rescue as an educational beaver and inspire folks to protect our natural world.”
Nibi eating.
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
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Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue applauded the governor’s decision and thanked the overwhelming support from Nibi fans.
“This was not about making a wild animal a pet. That’s so far from what happened here and was never the goal,” the group wrote on Facebook. “This was about speaking for a creature who could not speak for herself. This was about righting a wrong.”
MassWildlife told the Associated Press that the state division is “committed to protecting the well-being of all wildlife, including Nibi the beaver,” adding that agency officials plan to “work with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue on the best steps forward.”
Beavers are common and plentiful throughout Massachusetts. They play a vital role in the state’s ecosystems by damming rivers and streams and forming shallow ponds.
Nibi falls asleep after eating too much.
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
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Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
In court documents, Newhouse Wildlife Rescue said they tried several times to introduce Nibi into the wild, but given that she was so young when she was found, she appeared to have no instincts on how to hunt for food on her own. “She also refused to integrate with other beavers on more than occasion,” court documents read.
The group said they plan to continue training Nibi so she could eventually be released into the wild.
Massachusetts
Police to address Princeton death during child sexual abuse material investigation
Authorities will speak Friday after a death occurred while police were serving a search warrant for child sexual abuse material in Princeton, Massachusetts.
The subject of the search warrant “was a person of trust in communities in Worcester and Middlesex Counties,” Massachusetts State Police said.
Authorities said little about the case ahead of the press conference, which will begin at 6 p.m. and be streamed in the player above.
State police will be hosting the conference, which will include Princeton Police Chief Paul Patricia, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
Check back for more as this story develops.
Massachusetts
Mass. unveils $250 million in subsidies to protect residents from premium hikes – The Boston Globe
Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, said the financial bulwark that benefited 270,000 residents is “part of the reason that we’re hanging in there in terms of enrollment and keeping people covered.”
But Thursday’s announcement won’t translate into any additional help.
Healey’s news conference coincided with the beginning of an election year in which three Republicans are vying for her job and voters are expected to be particularly focused on the state’s high cost of living. One survey last year found Massachusetts had the second highest cost of living in the country. People who saw their insurance premiums increase this year said it was one pricey bill amid an onslaught of growing expenses.
“I can’t believe how much it is when we go to the grocery store. Our electricity has gone up,“ said Judith O’Gara, whose family was hit with a $400 increase a month in insurance premiums for their ACA plan in January. ”We were just bracing ourselves to try to stretch the paycheck further.”
O’Gara, of Millis, is a part-time editor at community newspapers, and her husband is a self-employed computer animator and mural artist. She has added hours at work, she said, but it still wasn’t enough to qualify for health coverage through her employer, leaving the couple to buy insurance through the connector.
Healey also used the news conference to weigh in on a high-profile effort in Congress to revive the federal subsidies. Also on Thursday, the US House, with help from 17 Republican defectors facing competitive reelection races, passed a bill that would extend the subsidies for another three years. A small group of senators is considering proposing their own extension of the subsidies.
“We need to see people in Congress step up and take action and fight the president on this and get him to focus on the domestic agenda and how to make life more affordable for people,” Healey said.
The governor said she didn’t announce the influx of funds earlier because she had hoped Congress would act before the end of 2025.
“We gave up until the deadline to see if they take action,” she said.
ACA open enrollment extends through Jan. 23.
The infusion of funds from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund brings the state’s total commitment to the insurance marketplace to $600 million, which Healey said is the largest support from any state in the country.
Federally subsidized insurance policies were first made available to people making less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $128,600 for a family of four, in 2009 under President Barack Obama’s ACA, also known as Obamacare. In 2021, Congress made those subsidies more generous for many recipients and extended them to people earning up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level. The expanded tax credits doubled participation in the ACA exchanges over the past four years, and by last year 337,000 people in Massachusetts received subsidized insurance through ConnectorCare.
The increases were slated to expire after four years, and without congressional action to preserve them, premiums reverted to pre-2021 levels for this year. People earning more than 400 percent of the poverty level became ineligible to receive subsidized insurance. State officials have estimated roughly 300,000 people could become uninsured statewide over the next decade, in part due to the expiration of the tax credits.
Democrats staged a 43-day shutdown last fall, the longest in US history, in an unsuccessful effort to preserve the expanded subsidies.
The Commonwealth Care Trust Fund predates the 2021 coverage expansion, said Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a nonprofit budget watchdog, and was established to support ConnectorCare programs. Massachusetts has long had a robust public insurance program, and the 2021 expansion essentially allowed the state to shift the cost of subsidies it had been paying to the federal government. Tapping the trust fund now essentially returns Massachusetts to the support levels it provided prior to 2021, Howgate said.
Regardless of the timing of Healey’s announcement, it is a reality that Massachusetts has a uniquely robust commitment to health insurance access, Howgate said.
“I do think that the idea that the state is able to offset some of those impacts is an important message to get out there,” he said. “This is real money.”
According to Healey’s office, a 45-year-old couple with two kids making $75,000 in Fall River previously paid $166 per month for the lowest-cost coverage. Without state action, their premium would have more than doubled. But with the infusion from the trust fund, they will pay $206 per month.
There’s only so much the state can do to mitigate the impacts of the expired subsidies, though. Because Congress didn’t extend them, people between 400 and 500 percent of the federal poverty level simply are ineligible to sign up for subsidized policies through the ACA marketplace. There are roughly 27,000 people statewide who cannot benefit from the state’s effort to compensate for the lost federal money, and those people are among those facing the biggest new insurance expenses.
Christa, 56, a hair dresser, and her husband, Gary, 69, a truck driver, earn less than $105,750 annually combined, just shy of 500 percent of the poverty level. The couple, who asked not to be named to protect their privacy, went from paying $282-a-month for Christa’s insurance with no deductible, to a private plan costing $725 a month with a $2000 deductible.
Gary, who is enrolled in Medicare, is still counting on Congress for a reprieve.
“I believe the Senate will be forced to do something, and we’re hoping,” he said.
Jason Laughlin can be reached at jason.laughlin@globe.com. Follow him @jasmlaughlin.
Massachusetts
Healey shares plan to limit health insurance cost increases for Massachusetts residents
Gov. Maura Healey said Thursday that the state is spending an additional $250 million to limit premium increases for residents who have insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector.
After Congress let Affordable Care Act tax credits expire at the end of last year, more than 300,000 people in Massachusetts have been facing a potentially steep increase in their health care bills.
The governor’s office said those enrolled in ConnectorCare who make below 400% of the of the federal poverty level, which is $62,600 for an individual or $128,600 for a family of four, will see “little to no premium increases.”
Under the plan, Healey’s office said a 45-year-old couple with two kids in Fall River will see their monthly health insurance costs rise from $166 to $206. Without the new funding, the governor says they would be paying $452 a month.
“While President Trump continues to increase health care costs, we are taking the strongest action in the nation to address them and keep costs as low as possible for families,” Healey said in a statement. “Despite this increased state investment, far too many people will still see their premiums increase because of the White House.”
The U.S. House of Representatives is set to approve a three-year extension of the health care tax credits. While it appears unlikely to pass the Senate, senators have talked about a compromise plan that could include a two-year extension with added reforms. President Trump hasn’t offered a specific health care plan, but said subsidies going to insurance companies should “go to the people” instead.
The $250 million is coming from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund, which gets its money from employer medical assistance contributions and financial penalties from residents who violate the state’s health care insurance mandate.
Massachusetts residents can sign up for health insurance coverage or switch their Health Connector plans until Jan. 23 if they want to be covered by Feb. 1.
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