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Massachusetts
A day inside the Massachusetts department overseeing SNAP – The Boston Globe
The changes could further strain an already overwhelmed system: Of the nearly 15,000 calls made on average each day to DTA in November, nearly 4,500 were unable to connect, according to DTA’s own statistics. Another 7,000 were answered by a voice assistant, and just under 3,000 people were connected to a call center.
Dany Rodriguez, a 41-year-old DTA caseworker, tries not to focus too much on the politics, or how overwhelming the need is. “I just want to help clients,” said Rodriguez, who has been at the agency for five years and handles about 220 clients who use SNAP, cash benefits, or both. “I want to be there for them, to support them.”
Rodriguez started her morning taking calls from clients. Some, she would be able to help. For many others, the needs were too great, and the problems too deep: decades of homelessness, persistent health issues, unemployment, economic marginality. Rodriguez could try, but she was limited by the tools at her disposal.
First, there was a woman who wanted to know if she could get part of her gas bill covered for the winter. Like many SNAP recipients, she works as a personal care attendant, and with her wages low — around $17-$22 an hour — she was finding the bill “is too much, I can’t do that.” Rodriguez replied that the application for the state’s Home Energy Assistance Program, which can cover winter heating bills for some low-income households, was already in the mail. The woman thanked her profusely.
Rodriguez went to call a mother of three, taking a deep breath before dialing the number. She had to tell the client that she was no longer eligible for a cash assistance program DTA oversees, since she now makes about $2,000 a month as a cleaner. Even with the income, the mother is financially strapped: She pays $600 a month for rent, plus $780 a month in child care. Her income is so low she’ll continue to receive $994 in SNAP, the max for a family of four.
Next, Rodriguez called a client to recertify his application, something all SNAP users are required to do every six to 12 months. Despite having an appointment, he didn’t pick up. The man is homeless, bouncing between family members. He’s also disabled. Rodriguez wasn’t surprised he missed the call. She rescheduled his appointment and mailed a notice to his mom’s house. If he doesn’t get back to her within 30 days, his case will close and he’ll have to reapply.
Through each phone call, Rodriguez remained composed. She never slouched, her breathing was steady. In over three hours, she took just one sip from her pink Stanley water bottle and didn’t touch the granola bar on her desk. Throughout the morning, she toggled between three screens, keeping color-coded calendar reminders as notes to herself alongside an unwieldy client database.
The Jackson Square office where Rodriguez works is new, created to take some of the workload off the much larger Nubian Square office just a couple miles down the road. One staffer described the client load there as a “deluge.” Just over a quarter of the 34,454 people who visited a DTA office in November did so because they otherwise could not get through to staff.
Late morning, Rodriguez saw her first in-person client.
The visit was unexpected. The man showed up at reception, said he had been calling and had not gotten through. His case had been closed in October, when he started making too much money to receive any cash benefits. He still received some SNAP, though just $24 a month.
“What am I going to do, buy candy?” he told the receptionist, who popped her head into Rodriguez’s office. “I just want to give you a heads up,” she said. ”He’s mad!”
Rodriguez quickly reviewed his case, cross-referencing his name with work numbers shared by several agencies and employers. The man started working for a moving company in August where he was slated to have 40-hour work weeks at $22 an hour. But often, he only logged 20 hours, sometimes as few as six.
After sitting down in a corner chair, the client explained he lost his job just after Christmas and was now living in a shelter. He wanted to apply for cash benefits again. Rodriguez explained he had to first apply for unemployment, and only if that’s denied could he apply for cash benefits. He would need a termination letter and a new designation of disability from a doctor. On the other hand, without any income, his SNAP would go up, to $298 a month.
Rodriguez has an unusually intimate window into her clients’ lives. With this client, she learned about how his disability makes holding a job nearly impossible, which embarrasses him. When calling another client, she could hear the din of busy Boston outside: the rev of buses, the rush of traffic. She asked if anything had changed in his life. “Same situation financially, same situation, staying with family. I am still homeless.” She asked if he has any other income. “No. I wish.”
Chatting at the end of their call, the client asked whether it’s true that people can no longer use SNAP to buy sweets. “I don’t buy any myself, but you’re telling a mom you can’t buy her kids cookies?”
Rodriguez answered plainly, “We haven’t received any instructions about that.”
She has seen how news about SNAP changes can impact her clients. In the last year, she noticed fewer people coming to the office — many of Rodriguez’s clients are immigrants. “They’re afraid just to even walk out of their house,” she said.
“I love what I do,” she continued. “The political piece is something else. I try to avoid it.”
Rodriguez turned back to her computer, and clicked through her database, to see who needed help next.
This story was produced by the Globe’s Money, Power, Inequality team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter here.
Mara Kardas-Nelson can be reached at mara.kardas-nelson@globe.com.
Local News
The legislation would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow cities and towns to temporarily extend bar and restaurant hours during the summer, as the state prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches and celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The legislation (H.5465) filed by state Rep. Carole Fiola, would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026. The bill would also allow communities to establish designated public consumption districts where alcohol could be consumed in approved public spaces.
In a press release announcing the bill, Fiola said the summer’s threefold events lineup — the World Cup, Tall Ships, and July 4th — is an economically significant moment that the state should take advantage of.
“We should capitalize on these events that will generate economic benefits for small businesses and the state as a whole. It’s a local opt-in idea worth exploring that’s being done in other states,” Fiola said.
The proposal has received support from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most recently Gov. Maura Healey, who submitted written testimony Monday to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies urging lawmakers to advance the measure.
“Massachusetts is planning for a once-in-a-generation summer,” Healey wrote, according to the Boston Globe. “In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, welcome tall ships from around the world to Boston Harbor for Sail Boston, and host seven FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough, along with watch parties across the Commonwealth.”
The governor argued that the added flexibility could help local economies benefit from an influx of visitors.
“That flexibility can help communities capture more visitor spending, support jobs, keep downtowns active, and strengthen Massachusetts’ image as a dynamic destination ready to host the world and a place our residents, including our young professionals, are proud to call home,” Healey wrote.
She also urged lawmakers to move the legislation forward, saying it will “help Massachusetts meet the full economic and cultural opportunities for the summer ahead.”
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Rhode Island bill proposes 24-hour bar hours during World Cup
In Rhode Island, a similar bill to allow bars and restaurants to remain open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup was signed into law on Friday.
Fiola’s bill remains before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Any final version would require approval from both the House and Senate before reaching Healey’s desk.
The meteor responsible for a loud boom heard in Rhode Island and Massachusetts Saturday afternoon was approximately 5 feet in diameter and weighed more than 12,000 pounds, according to NASA.
The object entered Earth’s atmosphere at roughly 42,000 mph, a NASA spokesperson said. It then traveled through the atmosphere from northwest to southeast for 26 miles before breaking up and producing a meteorite fall into Cape Cod Bay.
The energy released when the object broke up at an altitude of 31 miles is estimated to be equivalent to about 230 tons of TNT, according to NASA.
Professor Ralph Milliken of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University spoke with NBC 10’s Mike Cerullo. (WJAR)
While it’s not very common to experience a 5-foot-wide meteorite, there is a significant amount of debris from space that reaches Earth.
“The estimates are that we probably have about 5,000 tons of cosmic dust and material and meteorites landing on Earth. The vast majority of that is super tiny stuff, we’re talking things that are smaller than a grain of sand, or the thickness of a human hair,” said Professor Ralph Milliken of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University. “For something of this size a few feet across, it’s not that common, but a few a year. Most of these would occur over uninhabited areas, over the ocean, and we wouldn’t be able to see them, but they are detected.”
Because of its size, a meteorite with a 5-foot diameter is difficult to track before it enter Earth’s atmosphere.
“It’s virtually impossible to kind of know in advance of this size object coming,” Milliken said.
The area where a meteorite crashed in Cape Cod Bay. (WJAR)
Scientists are, however, able to track much larger space objects. NASA has been developing technology to try to deflect larger objects if needed.
Events like what occurred in New England over the weekend are recorded. Although other fireballs enter Earth’s atmosphere throughout the year, many of them materialize over water and uninhabited areas.
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.
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