Northeast
Massachusetts resident condemns right-to-shelter law turning Bay State into 'destination for migrants'
Massachusetts residents are up in arms over the effect a unique state law has had on the burgeoning migrant crisis there, one Bay Stater told Fox News on Wednesday.
The resident, Paul Diego Craney, said the law has turned Massachusetts into a beacon for those flooding across the Mexican border thousands of miles away.
“In Massachusetts, anyone that steps foot here, if you’ve been here for 20 years or for 20 minutes, you do have some benefits. And one of them is called a right-to-shelter,” he said. ” And what that basically means is the taxpayers are mandated to pay for your shelter.”
COMMUNITY LEADER SAYS BOSTON ‘PASSING THE BUCK’ TO MINORITY AREAS IN MIGRANT CRISIS
Migrants are being sheltered at Logan Airport Terminal E overnight. (David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty )
That fact has led to the migrant influx “exploding,” he said, noting that illegal immigrats who were housed at Edward Logan International Airport are now being moved to a recreation center in Boston’s Roxbury section – to the chagrin of some local residents.
“We are becoming a destination for migrants,” he said. “And as a result, our shelter system; our welfare system is stretched beyond thin. And it’s becoming pretty much a disaster,” Craney added.
Craney said the state government has announced it is spending about $1 billion per year on the migrant crisis alone, in part due to the law.
Since its passage in 1983 as a high-profile campaign promise of then-Gov. Michael Dukakis, Massachusetts’ right-to-shelter law remains the only one at the state level in the nation. New York City has a similar statute; only confined to the five boroughs.
Craney said MassFiscal Alliance, for which he is a spokesman, polled Bay Staters and found many oppose how the right-to-shelter law is exacerbating the migrant situation, and additionally that a plurality do not support the Healey administration’s suggestion that residents consider taking migrants in as wards of their homes.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said last August that if people “have an extra room or suite in your home, please consider hosting a family,” according to Boston’s FOX affiliate.
During last month’s inauguration of local officials in Pittsfield, three hours west of Boston, Gov. Maura Healey further admitted the state may have to look to the far-flung Berkshires to house migrants seeking emergency shelter in other areas, according to local reports.
RAMASWAMY MOCKS MASS GOV’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STANCE: NOW IT’S ACCEPTABLE TO COMPLAIN
On “America Reports,” Craney said 53% of those his group polled said taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for migrant shelter in that regard, and that the crisis is a “big problem” for Healey.
Last year, then-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticized Healey’s erstwhile support for sanctuary city-type policy while serving as state attorney general in 2017, after she eventually declared a state of emergency regarding the migrant crisis in the fall as governor.
“Now, the donor class that pulls the strings in both parties has decided it’s now inside the Overton Window to actually complain about the southern border,” he told Fox News in August.
Craney said it seems too much cash is being spent on the problem without proper reforms being addressed, adding most people are compassionate to migrants’ hardships, but that such emotion can’t itself address the “unsustainable” crisis.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
For her part, Healey wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas following her emergency declaration, saying migrants had been drawn to the state because of its position as a “beacon to those in need,” and urged reforms to “punitive immigration laws” and work authorization policies as well as a call for more financial assistance for states.
Meanwhile, a local Roxbury resident condemned the use of the neighborhood rec center as a migrant shelter for those being moved from Logan, telling Fox News earlier this year that the largely minority community has called for proper resources and upgrades to public property and has now only seen action on behalf of the migrants.
Read the full article from Here
PORTLAND (WGME) – The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage.
CBS13 reached out to the Platner campaign for comment Monday but did not hear back.
According to multiple reports, Platner calls the stories “gossip.”
Amy Gertner, his wife of nearly three years, called the former staffer’s claims a “betrayal” and an “invasion of our privacy.”
Platner says the Wall Street Journal and New York Times ran stories without any evidence, based solely on gossip from a former staffer.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
He says claims made by that staffer, former State Representative Genevieve McDonald, are untrue.
Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, says she trusted McDonald with the most private chapter of their lives.
“I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend. In the months since, I have had to watch as she spread malicious gossip to anyone who would take her call,” Gertner said.
“The situation he’s in right now that’s most uncomfortable, I think, is that he and his wife seem to be telling different versions of the story,” USM Political Science Professor Ron Schmidt said.
Gertner defended her husband in a video she posted.
“I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets, and people who are willing to spread gossip, instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on like healthcare and education and childcare,” Gertner said.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
She says being newly married while going through infertility and a Senate campaign is hard, but she says they are working on their marriage and mental health.
“I knew the man that I married had been through an immense amount of violent, active combat,” Gertner said. “No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage.”
“If this is a case of mistakes made early on in the marriage, and they’ve had marriage counseling, then the best thing to do is to say ‘I made a mistake. It was a while ago. It was related to something else, and it doesn’t have a bearing on where I am right now,’” Schmidt said.
A Platner supporter, who attended Sunday’s town hall meeting with the candidate, says the focus needs to be on policy, not personal matters.
“I think people should really continue to engage with Platner and the campaign around affordable housing, universal healthcare and issues that really matter to us,” Auburn Community Organizer Safiya Khalid said.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
“Graham and I have a great marriage,” Gertner said. “And we love each other deeply. We deserve better. I think Mainers deserve better.”
Platner has apologized for other controversies like now-deleted Reddit posts calling himself a communist and blaming victims of rape, and a nazi-symbol skull tattoo his military unit got that he’s since covered up.
Through it all, he’s still leading in the polls.
Schmidt says Democratic voters like what Platner stands for, but he says the controversies are certainly a concern, especially with Senator Susan Collins, in his view, doing a good job distancing herself from President Donald Trump.
Massachusetts
Winners’ circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
Championship season is upon us, and we’re tracking every title winner in Massachusetts this spring.
From the golf sectionals in late May to championship weekend June 11-14, a four-day stretch in which 31 titlists will be crowned across boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys and girls’ tennis, boys’ and girls’ rugby, boys’ volleyball, softball, and baseball, we’ll have you covered.
Find all the dates, brackets, seedings, matchups, and links to our postseason previews here.
Follow us on X @GlobeSchools, Instagram @BGlobeSchools, and Facebook to stay up to date.
Over at Globe.com/Schools you’ll find our daily scoreboard, nightly Takeaways, game coverage, videos, live streams, and our weekly Varsity News newsletter (sign up for free) to keep you in the know.
Division 1: Lexington girls, St. John’s Prep boys
Lexington girls graduate to two-time Division 1 track champions, St. John’s Prep sprints to boys’ title
Division 2: Billerica girls, North Andover boys
Billerica girls unphazed by move up to Division 2, going back-to-back as North Andover boys dominate
Division 3: Canton girls, Walpole boys
Canton girls cap greatest season with first Division 3 track title, Walpole boys win by thinnest margin
Division 4: Duxbury girls, Newburyport boys
Historic win for Duxbury girls, Mohoric paces Newburyport boys to Division 4 outdoor track championship
Division 5: North Reading girls, Weston boys
It’s four in a row for North Reading girls, two straight for Weston boys at Division 5 track championships
Division 6: Ayer Shirley girls, Abington boys
Ayer Shirley girls pick up where they left off, Abington boys twinning at Division 6 track championships
Day 1, Divisions 1, 2, and 5: Lexington boys and girls setting the pace at Division 1 track & field championships
Day 1, Divisions 3, 4, and 6: Canton girls make a strong run to first at Division 3 track championships
South: Walpole | With Tori Adams as its driving force, Walpole scores third straight MIAA South girls’ golf championship
North/Central/West: Hopkinton | Concord-Carlisle’s Sophie Redmond, Hopkinton rule MIAA girls’ golf championship for North/Central/West
With titles for Natick and Peabody and smiles for all, MIAA unified track championship ‘beyond inspiring’
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
By JEFFREY HASTINGS, InDepthNH.org
A group gathered in front of the City Hall Annex for a short presentation by Manchester True Collaborative, US Senator Maggie Hassan’s representative and Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais’s representative.
The flag raising denotes the beginning of pride month in New Hampshire.
On June 27th, the annual Pride Parade will be held in downtown Manchester and an event held at Veterans Park.
-
Louisiana2 minutes agoLouisiana’s disappearing coast could shape Baton Rouge’s future
-
Maine5 minutes ago‘Malicious gossip’: Wife of Senate candidate Graham Platner responds to texting claims
-
Maryland10 minutes agoYour Voice Your Future | Town Hall
-
Michigan17 minutes agoFifth Third Bank to close 75 Michigan branches, including former Comerica locations
-
Massachusetts20 minutes agoWinners’ circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
-
Minnesota25 minutes agoMinnesota Medicaid crisis: Thousands of care providers cut off from funding after state revalidation deadline
-
Mississippi32 minutes agoMississippi LB Devontray Brewer committed to Stanford and broke down his decision
-
Missouri35 minutes agoKansas City, Missouri, police investigating Monday evening homicide near 12th, Askew
