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Minnesota childcare fraud allegations spark audit request in Massachusetts: ‘Serious risks’

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Minnesota childcare fraud allegations spark audit request in Massachusetts: ‘Serious risks’


Fraud allegations in Minnesota’s childcare system are prompting two Massachusetts Republican lawmakers to ask the Healey administration to conduct a “top-to-bottom audit” of a Bay State voucher program.

State Reps. Marc Lombardo, R-Billerica, and Nicholas Boldyga, R-Southwick, say they’re alarmed after seeing national reports of fraud in childcare subsidy programs, pointing specifically to widespread allegations in Minnesota.

Their concerns have prompted them to ask Gov. Maura Healey to direct Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler to “urgently conduct” an audit and review of the Massachusetts Child Care Financial Assistance program to identify any potential fraud and vulnerabilities here.

Child Care Financial Assistance helps low-income families pay for childcare in Massachusetts.

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“While Massachusetts has not yet been directly implicated in the same manner, the similarities in program structure, relying on voucher reimbursements to providers for low-income families, raise legitimate questions about whether comparable fraud or waste could be occurring here undetected,” Lombardo and Boldyga wrote in a joint letter to Healey on Wednesday.

“Our Commonwealth invests hundreds of millions of dollars annually in this critical program to support working families and early education,” they added. “We owe it to Massachusetts taxpayers and the families who genuinely need this assistance to ensure every dollar is spent appropriately and reaches its intended purpose.”

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a Herald request for comment on the letter.

Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw has said that Massachusetts is not facing disruption to its $293 million share of federal childcare payments amid a nationwide freeze in response to the Minnesota fraud allegations.

Kershaw has also added that Child Care Financial Assistance is not being impacted, either. The state appropriates funds for the voucher program at the beginning of the fiscal year and then seeks federal reimbursement.

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This fiscal year’s funding totals about $1.087 billion for the program, which covered more than 66,000 children in fiscal year 2025, according to a December report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

“Obviously, we are incredibly concerned about families across the country and in Minnesota who may lose access to Child Care Financial Assistance based on acts by the federal government,” Kershaw told Bay State childcare stakeholders on Monday.

Before the new year, the federal Administration for Children and Families froze all funding to Minnesota. All 50 states must now provide additional verification before receiving more funds.

Minnesota Democrats accuse the Trump administration of playing politics and hurting families and children as a result.

This all comes after a video surfaced on YouTube alleging fraud in childcare in Somali communities in Minnesota, to which Kershaw has said none of the allegations have been proven.

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The Massachusetts early education and care commissioner noted how there have been similar videos posted in Massachusetts and other states like Ohio, California and Washington.

In their letter to Healey, Lombardo and Boldyga also highlighted how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has responded to the Minnesota allegations by closing loopholes that allowed payments without verifying attendance.

“These developments highlight serious risks in subsidized child care systems across the country,” the Republican lawmakers wrote, “including the potential for misappropriation of taxpayer funds on a massive scale.”

Lawmakers across the country are seeking similar reviews as Lombardo and Boldyga. In Michigan, State Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, a Republican, has asked for an audit of a state program that aims to help low-income families afford childcare there.

The Massachusetts audit would zero in on verifying that voucher payments to providers are based on documented child attendance records; cross-checking to detect potential “ghost children” or overbilling; and on-site inspections of voucher-receiving providers to confirm they are operating legitimate childcare programs, among other objectives.

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“Such a thorough review would not only safeguard public funds,” Lombardo and Boldyga wrote, “but also strengthen confidence in a program that is vital to thousands of Massachusetts families.”

The Associated Press and Herald wire services contributed to this report.



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Massachusetts

Crews battle fire at Townsend home

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Crews battle fire at Townsend home


A fire broke out Sunday morning in Townsend, Massachusetts.

The Townsend Fire department said shortly before 7 a.m. that firefighters were on scene for a structure fire on Dudley Road.

People have been asked to avoid the area.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office are responding to assist the Townsend Fire Department.

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There was no immediate word on any injuries, or any information on what caused the fire. It’s also unclear if the large snow piles in the area impeded access to fire hydrants, as was the case at the house explosion in Taunton last week.

This developing story will be updated when we learn more



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Eight high school takeaways from the midst of the state tournaments, plus a new Attleboro football coach – The Boston Globe

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Eight high school takeaways from the midst of the state tournaments, plus a new Attleboro football coach – The Boston Globe


Throw in Newton North winning its first state gymnastics title in 54 years, two Natick runners (and one from Oliver Ames) capturing New England titles, a last-minute goal from St. John’s (Shrewsbury) boys’ hockey to eliminate BC High, and plenty of overtime thrillers, and you get an all-time action-packed day.

Find all the scores here, and take a moment to browse all of our coverage:

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Not seeing your team’s highlights in Takeaways? Here are all the ways to submit scores and stats to Globe Schools via phone, email, and social media.

▪ With a deep 3-pointer in the first quarter of Greater New Bedford’s 68-43 win over Springfield International, junior Jai-Ana Silva became the program’s leading scorer, surpassing Stephanie Antoine’s 1,493 points, set in 2012. Silva finished with 31 points and now sits at 1,513. Earlier this season, she became the fourth female 1,000-point scorer in school history.

▪ With 30 points in a 90-68 win over Quincy, Beverly senior Jacob Klass surpassed Peter Wynne’s scoring mark of 1,351, set in 1981. Klass, who reached 1,000 earlier this season, has 1,371.

▪ Concord-Carlisle senior goalie Sam Griswold made 44 saves, including the 1,000th of his career, in a 2-1 win over Woburn.

▪ Hoosac Valley senior Qwanell Bradley joined the 1,000-point club on a 3-pointer during a 78-59 Division 5 first-round win over Pacific Rim Charter.

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▪ A pair of Bulldogs reached 100 points in Canton’s 9-0 smackdown of Somerset Berkley. Senior defenseman Teddy Shuman got there with a goal and three assists, and senior center Joey Ryan also reached the mark with three helpers.

▪ Taunton junior Jamie Vallarelli matched the school’s points record, joining Jeff Gallagher (’94) with 139, by notching a goal and adding an assist on the overtime tally that kept the Tigers’ season alive with a 3-2 win over Middleborough.

The single-digit seeds are starting to fall.

Saturday saw the first three top-five seeded teams sent home, with No. 3 St. John’s Prep boys’ hockey getting taken down by No. 14 Arlington Catholic in Division 1 action — the highest seed sent home through the first five days of the tournament.

The highest-ranked team to be bounced from the Division 2 boys’ hockey bracket became No. 5 Woburn. It fell, 2-1, to No. 12 Concord-Carlisle, which got an incredible 44-save performance from senior Sam Griswold and goals from Ben Brooks and Joe Grasso.

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Division 3 also saw a top-five falter, as No. 5 Pembroke was clipped by No. 13 Norwood, 3-1, in the second round. John Lynch, Anthony Parise, and Mark Trahon provided the goals.

Not to be left out, Division 4 boys’ hockey also saw a significant upset, with No. 23 Bourne riding Jackson Palmborg’s 26 saves to a 3-2 first-round win over No. 10 Hudson.

On the hardcourt, No. 24 Pembroke boys’ basketball didn’t mind a morning ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard, taking down the ninth-seeded hosts, 65-50, behind Will Farrell’s 24 points.

▪ Seventh-grader Effie Parsons found the net with 31 seconds left in overtime as No. 2 St. Mary’s girls’ hockey escaped a strong upset attempt from No. 18 Winchester, which led, 2-1, before Alyssa Norden tied it up in the third period.

▪ Reading sophomore Payton Curran not only delivered the equalizer in the final minute of regulation, but provided the overtime winner to lift the Rockets to a 3-2 girls’ hockey win over Waltham.

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▪ Nantucket’s Gaven Smith forced overtime against Swampscott with a 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation, but the fourth-seeded Big Blue rode 26 points from Connor Chiarello and 25 from Teddy O’Neill to a 67-61 win over the No. 29 Whalers.

▪ No. 25 Bishop Fenwick girls’ hockey nearly upset No. 8 Bishop Stang, which would have eliminated both of last year’s Division 1 finalists, but the Spartans survived, 1-0, on junior Alexis Pettinato’s overtime winner.

Braden LaChance netted the overtime winner for Taunton, which survived Middleborough, 3-2, in the third matchup between the two programs in 12 days. The Tigers won, 4-1, on Feb. 16 at Aleixo Arena before Middleborough prevailed, 4-0, on Feb. 18 at Bridgewater Ice Arena.

Nico Santella scored on a stick-side snipe with 42.2 seconds left to propel St. John’s (Shrewsbury) past BC High, 2-1, in a Division 1 second-round matchup of Catholic Conference rivals.

Cal Atherton, Newburyport — The senior erupted for 31 points, guiding the Clippers to a first-round win over the defending Division 2 champions, Somerset Berkley.

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Allen Brown Jr., Holbrook — The senior poured in 32 points, the highest total reported to the Globe on Saturday, to lead the Bulldogs past Boston Prep, 66-45 and into the second round.

Amelia Crowe, Pentucket — Amelia Crowe caught fire from deep, draining eight 3-pointers en route to 27 points and a 40-33 first-round win over Seekonk.

Addy Harrington, Duxbury — The senior produced one of the night’s three hat tricks, scoring thrice in a 4-2 second-round win over Melrose.

Levi McNally, Barnstable — Just a sophomore, he netted a hat trick for the Red Hawks in a 5-2 first-round win over Minnechaug.

Cam Melone, Hanover — The senior went for 5 points, scoring twice and assisting thrice in a 6-1 second-round win over Lynnfield.

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Georgia Murray, Bishop Feehan — The junior scored a natural hat trick in the first period and finished with four goals in a 6-2 second-round win over Acton-Boxborough.

Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick — The senior captain contributed across the board, providing 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 8 steals for the top-seeded Crusaders in a 58-27 waxing of Wilmington.

Jackie Pohl and Jenna Oman, East Bridgewater — Pohl, a sophomore, and Oman, a junior, were everywhere in a 63-39 first-round win over Bellingham. Pohl finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Oman had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Attleboro High has a new football coach. Lamont Penn, a Bridgewater-Raynham assistant under Eian Bain, will take over the Bombardiers. They went 3-8 last year under Jim Winters, who helmed the program for four seasons, going 14-30.

Penn served as Norwood’s offensive coordinator from 2018-21. He was introduced to the team Friday.

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Providence junior Jon Mignacca, a Bishop Feehan graduate from Seekonk, won the Big East high jump championship, clearing 6 feet, 8.25 inches (2.04 meters) to beat out UConn’s Enaji Muhammad (6-7).

▪ UMass Dartmouth sophomore Ancil Alexander, a Taunton graduate, was named Little East Conference Field Athlete of the Year for men’s indoor track after taking second at the LEC Championships in the shot put (51 feet, 3.75 inches). He won the event three times during the season.

▪ UMass Dartmouth freshman Michael Veegh, a Bishop Stang graduate from Tiverton (R.I.), was named Little East Conference men’s indoor track Rookie of the Year. He won the 400 at the LEC Championships (50.54 seconds) and was part of the second-place 4×400 relay (3:28.67). He was also named All-LEC first team.

▪ Keene State junior Tyler Bolaske, a Palmer graduate, was tabbed as the Little East Conference’s male Track Athlete of the Year after leading the Owls to their first indoor championship since 2008. Bolaske won the mile at the LEC Championships in 4:11 and was runner-up in the 800 (1:59.25).

Georgia Murray, Bishop Feehan, 4

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Addy Harrington, Duxbury, 3

Levi McNally, Barnstable, 3

Riley Bergeron, Acton-Boxborough, 2

Brayden Boczenowski, Arlington Catholic, 2

Cate Buckler, Barnstable, 2

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Abigail Burke, Notre Dame (H), 2

Payton Curran, Reading, 2

Hannah D’Angelo, Pembroke, 2

Luke Dickson, Medfield, 2

Colman Donohue, Hingham, 2

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Will Doucette, Canton, 2

Ryan Elrick, Canton, 2

Jack McCourt, Catholic Memorial, 2

Cam McKenna, Hingham, 2

Cam Melone, Hanover, 2

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Joe Pumphret, Winthrop, 2

Nolan Russell, Arlington, 2

Sabrina Stone, Milton, 2

Ella Sullivan, Pembroke, 2

Connor Hines, Hanover, 3

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Cam Melone, Hanover, 3

Joe Ryan, Canton, 3

Teddy Shuman, Canton, 3

Abigail Burke, Notre Dame (H), 2

Kellen Labanara, Canton, 2

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Hunter McClain, Bourne, 2

Sam Griswold, Concord-Carlisle, 44

Stephen Camara, Arlington Catholic, 33

Jackson Palmborg, Bourne, 26

Jaxson Fleming, Catholic Memorial, 24

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Jim Lyman, Winthrop, 22

Colin McCarthy, St. John’s Shrewsbury, 21

Lydia Barnes, Methuen/Tewksbury, 18

Dom Conte, BC High, 18

John Snider, Arlington, 15

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Vivienne Melo, Bishop Stang, 14

8. Basketball leaderboard

Allen Brown, Holbrook, 32

Cal Atherton, Newburyport, 31

Jacob Klass, Beverly, 30

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Elian Rodriguez, Salem, 30

Mike Berry, Cape Cod Academy, 28

Elian Rodriguez, Salem, 28

Tyler Staiti, Abington, 28

Amelia Crowe, Pentucket, 27

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Jag Garces, West Bridgewater, 27

Connor Chiarello, Swampscott, 26

Sysy Emmanuel, St. Mary’s, 26

Dom Taylor, Somerset Berkley, 26

Michael Cimetti, Hull, 25

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Grant Neal, Lynnfield, 25

Teddy O’Neill, Swampscott, 25

Will Farrell, Pembroke, 24

Logan Volkringer, Plymouth South, 24

Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 23

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Julian Allison-Cardoso, Dedham, 22

Mateo Jackson, Bridgewater-Raynham, 22

Tori White, Canton, 22

Tori Adams, Walpole, 21

Liam Conneely, Hull, 20

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Jackie Pohl, East Bridgewater, 20

Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 15

Krem Amparo, Latin Academy, 14

Mateo Jackson, Bridgewater-Raynham, 14

Bella Bingham, Walpole, 13

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Sadie Hartley-Matteson, Old Rochester, 13

Devyn Walsh, Pentucket, 13

A’laya Colbert, North Quincy, 12

Zade Garron Ciberay, Plymouth South, 12

Mike Ekweanya, New Mission, 11

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Chase Groothuis, Swampscott, 11

Teddy O’Neill, Swampscott, 11

Brooke Connor, Canton, 10

Jenna Oman, East Bridgewater, 10

Hannah Thorell, Old Rochester, 10

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Jackie Pohl, East Bridgewater, 8

Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 7

Jacob Klass, Beverly, 6

Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 6

Luke Tirrell, Bridgewater-Raynham, 6

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Sydney Bosma, Old Rochester, 5

Cason Faulk, Bridgewater-Raynham, 5

Manny Valentino, New Mission, 5

Grace Goudreau, Seekonk, 4

Sadie Hartley-Matteson, Old Rochester, 4

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Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick, 8

Emma Farrell, East Bridgewater, 6

Connor Chiarello, Swampscott, 5

Sienna Miranda, Seekonk, 4

Brooke Connor, Canton, 3

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Zade Garron Ciberay, Plymouth South, 3


Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.





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20k customers without power in Revere, Winthrop areas

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20k customers without power in Revere, Winthrop areas


National Grid is reporting that roughly 20,000 customers are without power due to outages in the Winthrop and Revere areas.

The utility company’s live outages map shows that 10,753 customers are without power in the Revere area and 9,261 customers are without power in the Winthrop area as of 2:25 p.m. Saturday.

The Herald has reached out to National Grid for comment. The Herald has also reached out to Eversource for information regarding any outages in their service regions, where a Herald photographer has seen some outages. Eversource’s outage map did not display any major outages at 2:25 p.m.

This is a developing story.

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