Massachusetts
In final days of N.H. governor’s race, GOP’s Ayotte leans into anti-Massachusetts pitch. Is it working? – The Boston Globe
The former US senator has built her campaign on a pitch of “Don’t Mass. Up New Hampshire,” a derogatory nod to Massachusetts’ reputation as a tax-and-spend state, implying it’s a “model” Craig wants to emulate. Craig disputes that, saying she opposes an income or sales tax for New Hampshire, though does support keeping a tax on interest and dividends that’s scheduled to phase out in January.
But Craig has offered Ayotte’s campaign regular fodder in her public embrace of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. Healey has repeatedly appeared alongside, fund-raised with, and stumped for Craig, even following her across the country last month to raise money in Berkeley, Calif.
Just this week, Healey campaigned twice with Craig in the span of three days, with plans to return Saturday to Hanover and Dover.
The criticism of the Commonwealth — and Healey’s repeated visits north in spite of it — has at times created an uncomfortable narrative for Craig and Healey, who’ve appeared to try to justify Healey’s presence on the campaign trail.
“At the end of the day, we are all New Englanders, and we’re all Americans, we’re all playing for the same team,” Healey said Tuesday while she rallied volunteers at a canvassing kickoff for Craig in Manchester, N.H.
Healey touted Craig as a protector of abortion rights who would stand up to former president Donald Trump, should he be elected. She also pointedly noted she is a New Hampshire native — growing up in Hampton Falls and graduating from Winnacunnet High School — and that her mother, Tracy Healey-Beattie, still lives in the state.
“I get to see my mom a lot more,” she joked of campaigning there.
Standing side-by-side with Healey and other elected officials in Manchester, Craig said Ayotte’s messaging about Massachusetts’ influence on New Hampshire “is wrong,” and characterized it as a divisive tactic “pitting one community against another.” Craig recalled a recent campaign stop in Conway, N.H., where she claimed business owners told her Massachusetts residents would sometimes come in wondering if they were still welcome to visit.
“New Hampshire is a small part of New England,” Craig said. “We shouldn’t be making enemies.”
Her regular appearances with Healey have nonetheless put Craig on the defensive. During a debate hosted by New Hampshire Public Radio last week, moderator Josh Rogers pressed Craig on her repeated appearances with Healey, asking what voters should take from her choosing to “spend day upon day after day” with the Massachusetts governor.
Nothing, Craig replied.
Healey “is a friend of mine, you know, just like other people have friends from out of state,” said Craig, who called herself a fourth-generation New Hampshire resident. “I haven’t spent an excessive amount of time with her. It has nothing to do with who I am, or what I’m running for.”
Ayotte seized on the appearance, writing in a Wednesday post on X that Craig and Healey campaigning together was “otherwise known as a day that ends in ‘y’.” Her campaign then included a slideshow of photos of the two campaigning together set to the tune of the Randy Newman song, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”
Massachusetts is not a novel foil for New Hampshire. About one-third of New Hampshire GOP primary voters said last year they believed too many Massachusetts residents were moving to their side of the border, with some bristling at the idea of them importing more progressive viewpoints. “Don’t . . . bring your liberal [expletive] to my state,” one told the Globe at the time.
To be sure, the states share some economic similarities — and frankly people, too. Roughly 82,000 New Hampshire residents make the commute to Massachusetts for work, according to state records. New Hampshire has a lower unemployment rate than Massachusetts and both states have a median household income above the national average, though the Bay State skews higher.
For some New Hampshire voters, Ayotte’s message has resonated. Angela Johnson, a 50-year-old independent backing Ayotte, said the anti-Massachusetts pitch is rooted in taxes. Unlike Massachusetts, New Hampshire has no tax on income, sales, or estates. However, New Hampshire has the second-highest property tax rate in the country, according to the right-leaning think tank the Pioneer Institute.
“We want ‘Live free or die,’” she told the Globe at a fair in Fryeburg, Maine, on the New Hampshire border, referring to the New Hampshire state motto. A resident of Milan in Coös County, Johnson said those living in the state’s north country would feel the pain of any tax increase. Craig “has got some big city ideas that won’t fit in the North Country.”
Still, Ayotte is running to govern a state where more than half of the residents were born elsewhere. Fergus Cullen, a Republican strategist in New Hampshire and an Ayotte supporter, said given that, he’s surprised she continues to use Massachusetts as a proxy.
“I don’t know who it appeals to, I really don’t,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to me to be her strongest argument.” Emphasizing as she has in some ads that she’s a natural successor to Chris Sununu, the state’s popular outgoing four-term Republican governor, is more powerful, he said.
(To be fair, Sununu rarely passed up a chance to jab at Massachusetts, too.)
Others are also mystified at Ayotte casting Massachusetts as the villain. At a visit to a Caribbean restaurant in Manchester Tuesday, Pat Long, a Democrat and 18-year veteran of the New Hampshire House, stood in the back of the restaurant as he watched Craig and Healey address a small crowd and hand out “Latinos con Joyce” campaign signs.
Long, who is currently running for state Senate, said Ayotte’s jabs at Massachusetts don’t make sense for people, like himself, who envy Massachusetts’ strong education system, among other strengths.
“I’d be proud to be walking around with Maura Healey. She’s done some great things in Mass.,” Long said. “New Hampshire needs a little taste of that.”
K.J. Ames, a 73-year-old Republican from Claremont, said the migration of people into New Hampshire, particularly during the pandemic, means the state is “already Massachusetts. And New Jersey. And Philadelphia.”
“A lot of people moved in,” he told the Globe in Fryeburg. But Ames said he couldn’t vote for Ayotte for another reason: “She stood for Trump. And if there’s a baby in the bathwater, I’m sorry, it’s gone.”
That leaves Craig, who “may be a little too liberal for my blood, but I’ll give her a chance,” Ames said.
Plus, he added: “She’s only governor for two years.”
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at samantha.gross@globe.com. Follow her @samanthajgross. Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout.
Massachusetts
Seven takeaways from Friday’s high school basketball quarterfinals, including another Feehan thriller – The Boston Globe
There was no doubt which of Friday’s 24 MIAA basketball tournament quarterfinals served as the game of the night, as the Shamrocks rode their post prince’s 36 points and 18 rebounds to a 65-60 double-overtime win over No. 6 Bridgewater-Raynham, despite trailing by 7 midway through the fouth quarter.
That was one of two upsets on a night that saw 23 teams punch their semifinal ticket, with another 13 slated for Saturday, alongside five hockey semifinals.
Find all of Friday’s scores here, sign up for Varsity News here, prep for New England wrestling with beat writer AJ Traub’s preview, read Bob Hohler’s latest on a Sharon football player’s catastrophic brain injury, and check out everything we wrote:
Whitman-Hanson senior Dylan Hurley got her 1,000th point out of the way early so she could focus on beating Oliver Ames in the Division 2 quarterfinals. Hurley entered Friday needing just 2 points to reach the mark, and she did so less than eight minutes into an eventual 51-47 victory.
Hurley, who is committed to Saint Anselm, finished with 17, including the tying bucket with 29 seconds left, plus two key free throws, giving her 17 points on the night and 1,015 for her career, putting her fourth in program history.
All 13 girls’ games went to chalk, but there were a pair of lower seeds winning on the boys’ side. We already covered No. 14 Bishop Feehan taking out No. 6 Bridgewater-Raynham, just two days after the Spartans eliminated No. 3 Needham. Thus far, they are the lowest-seeded team to reach the semifinals in any division across basketball and hockey, with a baker’s dozen basketball quarterfinals still to be played Saturday.
Also pulling off a quarterfinal upset was No. 6 Lynn Classical, which knocked off No. 3 Tewksbury, 68-59, in the Division 3 bracket, led by 29 points from senior DJ Reynolds and elite defense from seniors Shyheim Babb and Deshawn Rucker.
Abby Broderick, Medfield — The sophomore exploded for 31 points and five rebounds as the top-seeded Warriors took care of business against No. 8 Norwood, 66-46.
Grace Higgins, Millis — The senior wasn’t the team’s leading scorer (Ella Maher had 17) but she made her presence known in the paint, blocking eight shots to go with 9 points and nine rebounds.
Jimmy Farrell, Masconomet — The senior captain chipped in everywhere, spreading out his impact with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in a 61-25 win over Burlington in Division 1.
Brody Bumila, Bishop Fehan — Where to start? The 6-foot-9-inch senior was absolutely dominant in a 65-60 two-overtime upset of Bridgewater-Raynham, scoring 18 of his team’s 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with 36 points and 18 rebounds. Committed to play baseball at Texas, Bumila has 117 points and 55 rebounds over three playoff games, which have featured six overtime periods and two Shamrocks wins.
4. Hockey semifinal brackets breakdown
Six observations as we enter the MIAA boys’ and girls’ hockey semifinals Saturday and Sunday. Find the full schedule here.
- The lowest seeds remaining are No. 9 St. Bernard’s in Division 4 boys and No. 9 Medfield in D2 girls. No double-digit seeds made it out of the quarterfinals.
- Only one of the top five seeds made the Division 1 boys’ final foursome, which is a 50-50 split between public (No. 4 Arlington, No. 6 Hingham) and private schools (No. 7 Pope Francis, No. 8 St. John’s).
- The other three boys’ divisions feature 11 public schools and one private: St. Bernard’s, bringing the boys’ total to 13 publics and three privates.
- The final eight girls’ teams include three privates, all in D1 (No. 1 Notre Dame-Hingham, No. 2 St. Mary’s, No. 5 Archbishop Williams) and five publics.
- Of the 24 remaining teams, 18 are public and six are private.
- Of the six divisions, only three No. 1 seeds reached the semifinals, with Catholic Memorial (D1 boys), Stoneham (D4 boys), and Westwood (D2 girls) getting eliminated. Yet five of the six No. 2 seeds are still dancing (the exception, Xaverian in D1 boys)
Milton Academy senior wide receiver Kash Kelly, who hails form Northampton, announced he will play football at Amherst. The 5-foot-11-inch, 180-pounder averaged 21 yards per catch
Blessed and grateful to announce my commitment to the admissions process at Amherst College. First, I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity. Thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates who helped me along the way. #GoMammoths🦣 pic.twitter.com/6inyu0hUae
— Kash Kelly (@Kash13Kelly) March 6, 2026
▪ Southern California sophomore Ellie Thomas, a Needham graduate, was selected as Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week for women’s lacrosse. She went wire-to-wire in the cage, producing a career-high 16 saves, including seven in the fourth quarter, during a 16-14 road win at Arizona State. She also picked up two ground balls.
▪ Northeastern freshman Xavier Abreu, a Phillips Andover graduate from Lynn who was the 2025 A Shot for Life Challenge champion, was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team. Abreu set the Northeastern freshman scoring record, averaging 12.3 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the field.
▪ Brandeis senior Ragini Kannan, a Westford Academy graduate, opened her season with a five-inning no-hitter of Emmanuel for her first career no-no. She struck out four and issued one walk in a 14-0 win in Clermont, Fla.
▪ Brandeis senior Hannah Du, a Winchester graduate, make the All-Northeast Fencing Conference women’s second team for the first time. She led Brandeis with 12 wins at the NFC Meet, and finished the season with 39 victories, good for second on the team.
7. Basketball leaderboard
Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 36
Abby Broderick, Medfield, 31
Anna Freeman, Medway, 29
J’Dore Reece, Renaissance, 29
DJ Reynolds, Lynn Classical, 29
Josh Roux, Andover, 27
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 26
Lily Denomme, Douglas, 23
Cece Levrault, Apponequet, 23
Logan Volkringer, Plymouth South, 23
Caprese Conyers, Pittsfield, 22
Addie Harrington, Frontier, 22
Ryan Nikiforow, Millbury, 21
Rolky Brea-Arias, St. Mary’s, 20
Thomas Denton, Andover, 20
Dylan Hurley, Whitman-Hanson, 20
Maliah Pierre, Whitman-Hanson, 20
Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 18
Lamar Valentina Jr., West Bridgewater, 15
Thomas Denton, Andover, 12
Tyrese Wanliss, Roxbury Prep, 12
Avery Teixeira, Bishop Feehan, 11
Tamia Darling, Cathedral, 10
Jag Garces, West Bridgewater, 10
Emma Smith, Bishop Feehan, 7
Jimmy Farrell, Andover, 3
Naya Annigeri, Medfield, 5
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 4
Grace Higgins, Millis, 8
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
163 surrendered rats seek new homes in Massachusetts
Attention all non-traditional pet lovers! A non-profit organization in Massachusetts received a boatload of pet rats in need of new homes.
An individual in northeastern Massachusetts surrendered 163 rats in early February. That’s almost 60 percent more than the total number of rats that were adopted from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell (MSPCA-Angell) in 2025 alone.
“A well-meaning person got into a tough spot, and we were able to help,” Mike Keiley, Vice President of the MSPCA-Angell’s Animal Protection Division, said in a statement. “As a humane law enforcement department, we want to work with people who love their animals to make sure those animals are getting the care they need.Sometimes that means helping with resources, other times it means facilitating a surrender, which was the case here.”
MSPCA-Angell must have also found itself in need of a hand, because the sheer size of the rat surrender prompted the organization to request support from adopters as well as other animal welfare organizations. Ultimately, MSPCA-Angell kept 53 rats, increasing the total number of rats the organization is caring for to over 70, which is almost 75 percent of all the rats they adopted out last year.
Massachusetts’ Dakin Humane Society, Lowell Humane Society, Berkshire Humane Society, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston, and New Hampshire SPCA and the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire also took in rats from the surrender.
“Taking in so many of one kind of small animal or bird really taxes resources,” Keiley said. “It pulls our attention to accommodating one species when we’re caring for so many at the same time.This kind of surrender wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support we’ve received from other shelters—and we’re hoping we get a similar level of amazing support from the community!”
MSPCA-Angell’s plans to bring the rats to their four shelters—Boston, Salem, Methuen, and Centerville—despite the fact that the Salem location normally only hosts cats and dogs. This surrender was so big that the organization had to use every location.
So if you’re looking for a pet rat—or just a small furry animal—now is your time. Keep an eye on the websites of MSPCA-Angell, Dakin Humane, Lowell Humane, Berkshire Humane, ARL Boston, NHSPCA, and ARL New Hampshire for information on where there are rats up for adoption, and stop by during open hours to adopt the next member of your family.
“Rats have a bad reputation, but they actually make really great companion pets,” Keiley pointed out. “They’re smart and clean. They also form deep bonds with their owners,” he continued. “We’re hoping that rat lovers—and anyone looking for a less conventional small pet—comes out and gives these great animals the happy homes they deserve!”
Massachusetts
School closings and delays for Massachusetts on Friday, March 6
Several school districts in Massachusetts have delayed the start of classes for Friday, March 6 because of a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow.
Take a look below for the full list of school closings and delays.
The list displays all public schools in alphabetical order, followed by private schools and then colleges and universities.
Delays on this page are current as of
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