Northeast
Massachusetts must pay feds $2.1B after mistakenly using pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits
Massachusetts must pay the federal government $2.1 billion over the next 10 years to resolve a debt after the state under former GOP Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration mistakenly used federal pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits.
Current Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, and her deputies released details on Monday of a settlement they reached with the outgoing Biden administration last week in which the state will repay most of the money it owed because of the error, the State House News Service reported.
In 2023, Healey announced that her administration uncovered that the prior administration improperly used about $2.5 billion in federal pandemic relief funds to cover unemployment benefits that should have been funded by the state.
The total liability exceeded $3 billion, including fees and interest, according to Healey’s office. Negotiations with the U.S. Department of Labor dropped the total owed to $2.1 billion over the next decade.
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Maura Healey, governor of Massachusetts, speaks at Roxbury Community College in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We were dismayed to uncover early on in our term that the previous administration misspent billions of dollars in federal relief funds and that our state was facing what could have been a more than $3 billion tab to pay it back,” Healey said in a statement on Monday.
“For the past year and a half, we have engaged in extensive negotiations with the U.S. Department of Labor to minimize the impact on Massachusetts residents, businesses and our economy,” she continued. “Today, we have reduced our potential liability by over $1 billion and negotiated a decade-long payment window to mitigate the impact.”
The governor added that it is “incredibly frustrating that the prior administration allowed this to happen” but that the current administration is “going to use this as a moment to come together with the business and labor community to make meaningful reforms to the Unemployment Insurance system.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker speaks during a Juneteenth commemoration in Boston’s Nubian Square, June 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
Payments will begin Dec. 1 and continue each year for the next decade.
The agreement states that principal payments must come from the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund, which is funded by a tax on employers and is also used to cover benefits, according to the State House News Service. Interest payments will come from the state’s General Fund.
Healey’s office said businesses will not face higher rates on their unemployment insurance payments through at least the end of next year, at which point rates will depend on system reforms.
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Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey takes questions from reporters, Jan. 31, 2024, during a news conference in Boston. (Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
The governor vowed to pursue changes to soften the burden on employers, who already face higher costs to support an uptick of claims during the pandemic, according to the State House News Service.
Healey directed state Labor Secretary Lauren Jones and Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz to “conduct a comprehensive review of the solvency of UI and assess potential reforms.”
The Healey administration projected the UI Trust Fund would be hundreds of millions of dollars in debt by the end of 2028, even before taking into account the $2.1 billion in additional payments.
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Northeast
Dem free-for-all engulfs NJ as 13 contenders scramble for Sherrill’s House seat ahead of critical 2026 fight
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Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s win in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race has triggered a crowded special election to fill her U.S. House seat, with 13 Democrats contending for the nomination to face the lone Republican candidate in the race.
The staggering 13-candidate Democratic field in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District could set the tone for Democrats’ messaging priorities as the country heads into a midterm election year that could determine if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate in 2026 amid President Donald Trump’s second-term.
Monday marked the filing deadline for candidates vying to replace Sherrill, where candidates were required to secure at least 500 signatures to make the special election ballot.
Outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., issued the writ of election on Friday, Nov. 21, after Sherrill formally resigned from office on Thursday, Nov. 20. The special primary election is set for Feb. 5, 2026, and the special general election will be held on April 16, 2026.
FORMER OBAMA STAFFER, EX-CONGRESSMAN AMONG CANDIDATES IN CROWDED DEMOCRAT PRIMARY FOR MIKIE SHERRILL’S SEAT
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill delivers remarks at her election night watch party on Nov. 4, 2025, in East Brunswick, New Jersey. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
The election comes as Democrats secured gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia and passed Proposition 50 in California this year, allowing the state to move forward with a new congressional map that is expected to add up to five Democratic-leaning districts.
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Murphy has already endorsed Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, touting his commitment to affordability and protecting “freedoms” in the fight against Trump. As the Essex County commissioner-at-large, Gill represents 22 towns in Essex County, and according to his campaign website, is committed to “taking on tough fights and delivering results that make our communities stronger, safer, and fairer.”
While Gill has secured a coveted endorsement from the outgoing governor, Democratic voters in New Jersey’s 11th will have 12 more candidates to choose from in February.
Progressive star Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has also thrown his hat in the ring to endorse the national political director of his 2020 presidential campaign, Analilia Mejia.
Analilia Mejia, co-executive director of Center for Popular Democracy, speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on April 19, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“As oligarchs and corporate interests continue to capture our government, we need true progressives to take our country back for working people. Analilia’s experience and deep dedication to working families make her the best choice for this seat. I’m proud to endorse her,” Sanders said last month.
Mejia served in the Department of Labor under President Joe Biden and is currently the co-executive director of Popular Democracy, a progressive grassroots advocacy group demanding “transformational change for Black, brown, and low-income communities.”
Another high-profile candidate with his own high-profile endorsement, former Rep. Tom Malinowski is running to return to Congress after losing his re-election for New Jersey’s 7th District in 2022.
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., has endorsed Malinowski, touting his experience fighting the Trump administration. Malinowski served as President Barack Obama’s assistant secretary of state for democracy and human rights and was a senior director on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council.
Rep. Tom Malinowski participated in a rally on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on May 13, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Outgoing Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way is also in the running for New Jersey’s 11th. The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association has endorsed Way, spotlighting her commitment to “expanding opportunity and delivering results.”
Way has also served as New Jersey’s secretary of state and was the first Black person and first secretary of New Jersey to lead the National Association of Secretaries of State as president.
SHERRILL PULLS OUT ALL STOPS WITH OBAMA ENDORSEMENT, STAR-STUDDED NEW JERSEY CAMPAIGN PUSH AS RACE TIGHTENS
Meanwhile, Chatham Councilman Justin Strickland, a U.S. Army veteran, Bronze Star recipient and former Pentagon official, is also competing for the Democratic nomination.
Strickland has centered his campaign on affordability — the winning issue in the past two election cycles.
“Our campaign revolves around one simple principle: ensuring everybody has the economic liberty to fulfill the American Dream,” Strickland said on his campaign website.
Another Democratic candidate, Anna Lee Williams, is an activist who, according to her campaign website, has spent the past decade in the “nonprofit and private sectors bringing people together around causes that matter to them.”
Gov. Phil Murphy gives a speech on the Hudson River tunnel project at the West Side Yard on Jan. 31, 2023, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Democratic candidate Jeff Grayzel is a local leader who currently serves as a committeeman for Morris Township, as chairman of the police commission and on the Board of Health.
He is the former mayor of Morris Township who is “committed to solving everyday problems facing residents, such as keeping taxes stable, controlling over-development, improving our infrastructure, and addressing our deteriorating environment,” according to his campaign website.
U.S. veteran and former Army paratrooper Zach Beecher said he is “running for Congress because Donald Trump and a failed Congress are putting our people and our country at risk,” citing rising costs, healthcare and leadership on the world stage.
Per his campaign website, Beecher is currently a major in the U.S. Army Reserves, and his congressional run marks his political debut.
Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett, who is also competing for the Democratic nomination, said he is running because New Jersey deserves “another fighter who’s ready on day one, with a record of results and a focus on what really matters to us here” and “because it’s clear that Washington needs leaders who believe in the idea of public service and are willing to put country over party.”
Another Democratic candidate, Cammie Croft, helped the Obama administration pass the Affordable Care Act, touting her commitment to “advancing humane, bipartisan immigration reforms, to building a clean energy nonprofit that helps families lower their energy bills.”
Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey votes on Election Day, in Montclair, New Jersey, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Her priorities in Congress are “lowering costs for families, ending corruption, and building a stronger, fairer economy that works for everyone,” according to Croft’s campaign website.
Marc Chaaban, a former congressional staffer for Sherrill, is seeking to replace his former boss in the office he once served.
Reflecting the sentiment of his fellow Gen Z activists and politicos, the 25-year-old said “too many Democrats in Washington are asleep at the wheel” and the moment “demands a different kind of politics.”
His commitments include rejecting Trump’s agenda, banning members of Congress from stock trading, prohibiting corporate PAC money in elections and investigating the “Trump-Epstein cover-up.”
Dean Dafis, a Maplewood township committeeman and the former mayor of Maplewood, said he is committed to making New Jersey’s 11th a more affordable place to live for working-class families. Per his campaign website, he is a civil rights advocate and the first openly LGBTQ representative on the Maplewood Township Committee.
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Finally, J.L. Cauvin is a community advocate, lawyer and comedian competing for the Democratic nomination. He is running on protecting seniors, making housing more affordable, leading on artificial intelligence, protecting democracy, banning stock trading and applying term limits in Congress.
The lone Republican candidate is Joe Hathaway, who is currently the mayor of Randolph Township and began his political career as an aide to Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J.
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‘Part of the job’
Edwin Guity was at the controls of a southbound D train last December, rolling through the Bronx, when suddenly someone was on the tracks in front of him.
He jammed on the emergency brake, but it was too late. The man had gone under the wheels.
Stumbling over words, Mr. Guity radioed the dispatcher and then did what the rules require of every train operator involved in such an incident. He got out of the cab and went looking for the person he had struck.
“I didn’t want to do it,” Mr. Guity said later. “But this is a part of the job.”
He found the man pinned beneath the third car. Paramedics pulled him out, but the man died at the hospital. After that, Mr. Guity wrestled with what to do next.
A 32-year-old who had once lived in a family shelter with his parents, he viewed the job as paying well and offering a rare chance at upward mobility. It also helped cover the costs of his family’s groceries and rent in the three-bedroom apartment they shared in Brooklyn.
But striking the man with the train had shaken him more than perhaps any other experience in his life, and the idea of returning to work left him feeling paralyzed.
Edwin Guity was prescribed exposure therapy after his train struck a man on the tracks.
Hundreds of train operators have found themselves in Mr. Guity’s position over the years.
And for just as long, there has been a path through the state workers’ compensation program to receiving substantive treatment to help them cope. But New York’s train operators say that their employer, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has done too little to make them aware of that option.
After Mr. Guity’s incident, no official told him of that type of assistance, he said. Instead, they gave him the option of going back to work right away.
But Mr. Guity was lucky. He had a friend who had been through the same experience and who coached him on getting help — first through a six-week program and then, with the assistance of a lawyer, through an experienced specialist.
The specialist prescribed a six-month exposure therapy program to gradually reintroduce Mr. Guity to the subway.
His first day back at the controls of a passenger train was on Thanksgiving. Once again, he was driving on the D line — the same route he had been traveling on the day of the fatal accident.
M.T.A. representatives insisted that New York train operators involved in strikes are made aware of all options for getting treatment, but they declined to answer specific questions about how the agency ensures that drivers get the help they need.
In an interview, the president of the M.T.A. division that runs the subway, Demetrius Crichlow, said all train operators are fully briefed on the resources available to them during their job orientation.
“I really have faith in our process,” Mr. Crichlow said.
Still, other transit systems — all of which are smaller than New York’s — appear to do a better job of ensuring that operators like Mr. Guity take advantage of the services available to them, according to records and interviews.
A Times analysis shows that the incidents were on the rise in New York City’s system even as they were falling in all other American transit systems.
An Uptick in Subway Strikes
San Francisco’s system provides 24-hour access to licensed therapists through a third-party provider.
Los Angeles proactively reaches out to its operators on a regular basis to remind them of workers’ compensation options and other resources.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has made it a goal to increase engagement with its employee assistance program.
The M.T.A. says it offers some version of most of these services.
But in interviews with more than two dozen subway operators who have been involved in train strikes, only one said he was aware of all those resources, and state records suggest most drivers of trains that strike people are not taking full advantage of them.
“It’s the M.T.A.’s responsibility to assist the employee both mentally and physically after these horrific events occur,” the president of the union that represents New York City transit workers, John V. Chiarello, said in a statement, “but it is a constant struggle trying to get the M.T.A. to do the right thing.”
Boston, MA
Free December events in Boston: Christmas concerts, Jingle Ride, and more – The Boston Globe
The holiday spirit is upon us, but so is the pressure to spend. Fret not, there are several cost-conscious, merry-making activities and events throughout the city. This week includes two seasonal symphonic evenings, opportunities for hands-on artistic expressions, and a winter workout that hits the pavement — while on two wheels. Here are some no-cost events and ways to save across Greater Boston and beyond for the week of Dec. 8-14.
YULETIDE TUNES The New England Conservatory presents a family-friendly concert of Christmas classics, performed by the NEC’s Chamber Singers and Symphonic Winds groups, alongside the Rhode Island-based Navy Band Northeast. The program includes recognizable classics like “Christmas Time Is Here” and “Winter Wonderland.” Attendees are encouraged to test their caroling know-how during the concert’s sing-along segment, so it’s time to brush up on favorites like “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Silent Night.” Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m. RSVP required. Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St. necmusic.edu
DOODLES AT THE GALLERY The Institute of Contemporary Art’s Neighborhood Night offers free admission to all guests starting at 5 p.m. Throughout the evening, attendees can join two drop-in drawing workshops — one model, one portrait. At 7 p.m., join a guided gallery tour of Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera’s exhibition, or visit the museum’s on-display exhibitions at any time. Dec. 11, 5-9 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. icaboston.org
GAMES AND GINGERBREAD Get a little competitive — in a cheery, spirited way, of course — at BAMS Fest’s holiday game night, featuring a wide variety of board and tabletop games available throughout the Roundhead Brewing taproom. In addition to Jenga, Uno, and checkers, attendees can find a gingerbread house-making station with building materials provided while supplies last. DJ Kitz will play tunes throughout the night. Dec. 12, 7-11 p.m. Roundhead Brewing Company, 1 Westinghouse Plaza. bamsfest.org
YOUTH MUSIC The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra will perform a free concert of holiday hits. The showcase features a string and wind ensemble made up of students from the BYSO’s Intensive Concert Program, which provides opportunities to young Bostonians from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in classical music. Dec. 13, 5 p.m. Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Ave. www.bysoweb.org/events
BIKE THE HALLS If you’ve ever wanted to fly through the skies on Santa’s sleigh, the annual Jingle Ride is maybe as close as you can get: The 18.5-mile bike ride, which traverses from Arlington to Boston and back, meets up at the Kickstand Café and takes off at 11 a.m. Riders are encouraged to dress up in Santa hats, antlers, or other festive fashion. Dec. 14, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Starts at Kickstand Café, 594 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington. ciclismoclassico.com
SWEEP-STEAKS The Aeronaut Brewing Company will host a Holiday Meat Raffle for cuts of meat from Savenor’s, a Cambridge butcher shop. Attendees get one raffle ticket for walking in, and are given a ticket for each donation of an unexpired, nonperishable food item, for up to five extra tickets. There are five baskets to win, each with vacuum-sealed cuts of meat (or pantry items, for the meatless prize). Dec. 13, 5-7 p.m. Aeronaut Brewing Company, 14 Tyler St., Somerville. aeronautbrewing.com
Check individual event websites for the most up-to-date information.
Send info on free events and special offers at least 10 days in advance to ryan.yau@globe.com.
Ryan Yau can be reached at ryan.yau@globe.com.
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