Massachusetts
Maura Healey says Massachusetts is ‘not a sanctuary state,’ shelter costs will decrease
Gov. Maura Healey pledged that the cost of running emergency shelters housing migrants and locals would decrease from its historic levels and pushed back on conservatives who have labeled Massachusetts a “sanctuary state” harboring illegal immigrants.
In an end-of-year interview with the Herald ahead of her third year in office, Healey cast blame on the federal government for immigration issues in the Bay State, but said the expected $1 billion tab taxpayers are set to carry in each of the next several years will eventually deflate.
“It’s going to go down,” she said from inside the State House. “This is not a permanent situation, and it certainly is not sustainable, which is why I felt comfortable making the policy decisions that I have made to ratchet down the numbers.”
Only migrants who are legally allowed or paroled into the United States can access the emergency shelter system, which Healey has placed a set of increasingly restrictive changes on ever since she declared a state of emergency in August 2023 amid an influx of migrants.
The restrictions, including a 7,500 family cap on the system and limiting length of stays, appear to have had some effect. State officials reported spending less on state-run shelters in fiscal year 2024 than originally anticipated — $856 million rather than $932 million.
The cost is still above the $325 million the state has historically spent on emergency assistance shelters, which were set up under a 1980s law to house homeless families with children and pregnant women.
Arriving migrants and the money spent to take care of them have become a flashpoint on Beacon Hill, where Republicans routinely tried this year to implement residency requirements on shelters and cut back spending.
Top budget writers working for Healey are expected to ask the Legislature to approve another round of spending early in the new year to cover shelters for the remainder of fiscal year 2025. Without another injection of cash, money is expected to dry up in January, officials have said.
Sen. Ryan Fattman, a Sutton Republican, said even though new arrivals “forced” Healey to cut shelter costs and reduce the number of families relying on state aid, that has not stopped her from asking for more dollars to fund the system.
“The cost is overwhelming,” he told the Herald in an interview this past month. “In my opinion, what cost containment looks like is reforming the amount of time that people from out of state coming into the state can stay. You want to say 30 or 60 days? Okay, that’s a good reform.”
Healey said the measures she has taken are working — though they have faced harsh criticism from some advocates — and are buoyed by the fact that 65% of families who have recently sought shelter from the state are from Massachusetts.
“We’re not a sanctuary state,” Healey said. “We have a limited budget, and the emergency shelter system really was meant for Massachusetts families who were experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity and needed a place to go that was temporary.
“We’re trying to get to that place where emergency shelter is temporary and that it’s really there just for a limited purpose for a family,” the governor added.
But even as Healey touts her changes to state-run shelters, she has started to face a wave of conservative criticism for running what Republicans say is a “sanctuary state” just as President-elect Donald Trump has promised to undertake mass deportations when he takes office next year.
The term “sanctuary state” generally refers to a state or municipality’s willingness to offer more protection to undocumented immigrants.
But just because a city or town in Massachusetts considers itself a “sanctuary” does not mean there is no federal immigration enforcement, said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, associate director of Boston University’s Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic.
“There are gaps between some of the statewide laws and city policies that remain vulnerable and will still feed non-citizens into ICE custody,” Stokes told the Herald.
In Massachusetts, many point to a 2017 ruling from the Supreme Judicial Court that bars state and local police from detaining a person solely on the basis of their immigration status, a decision that has since been used to prohibit interactions with federal immigration officials.
Healey said she believes “violent criminals should be deported if they’re not here lawfully” and that local, state, and federal law enforcement should work together to investigate and prosecute crimes and remove people from the country who are criminals.
But the first-term Democrat said she does not back “showing up at a hotel, and rounding up groups of people who are suspected to be here unlawfully, who are here working, and just deporting all of them without a process.”
Healey said, “I think what we need to do is work together here in Massachusetts to do both things: investigate, hold accountable, deport as necessary folks who are here unlawfully, who’ve engaged in criminal activity, absolutely, and also stand up for and protect the people who have been working here, going to school here, raising kids here, to ensure that they are not scared to go to the doctors or drop their kids off or school or go to work.”
Massachusetts
Seven high school sports takeaways from the final day of the MIAA football regular season – The Boston Globe
Find all the scores here. Final football conference standings live here. We also have final boys’ and girls’ soccer standings. Today’s headlines:
▪ It was the biggest win of the day, and a monumental one for St. John’s Prep coach Brian St. Pierre, who notched his 100th career win with a 43-28 defeat of No. 3 Catholic Memorial. St. Pierre is in his 12th season at the helm of his alma mater, where he was named Gatorade Player of the Year and quarterbacked the Eagles to a 1997 Super Bowl title before going on to play at Boston College and earn a fifth-round draft selection to the NFL, where he played for four teams in an eight-year career.
He is the third coach in Prep history to reach 100 wins, joining Fred Glatz and Jim O’Leary.
▪ Andover senior Naomi Vajda recorded her 100th career block among three rejections in a 3-0 Division 1 first-round girls’ volleyball win over Boston Latin. Vajda added six kills and four aces.
▪ Despite an 0-5 start, Brockton rallied to win the Big Three Conference with a 23-0 blanking of Durfee, which came a week after they destroyed New Bedford, 41-0. Casey Rhodes, Marcio Semedo, and Jarred Mighty scored Saturday as the Boxers (3-5, 2-0) also punched their ticket to the Division 1 tournament.
▪ With a 31-28 win over Loomis Chaffee, Avon Old Farms (Conn.) wrapped up an undefeated season (8-0) and captured the Founders League title.
▪ Nobles boys’ soccer defeated Brooks, 3-1, to secure the Independent School League crown.
▪ Minuteman boys’ soccer dispensed with McCann Tech, 5-1, to win the State Vocational Small School championship. The Greater New Bedford boys defeated Greater Lowell, 3-0, for the Large School title.
Congratulations to our Boys ⚽️ Team for reclaiming the seat a top Vocational Boys Soccer with the 2025 State Vocational Championship. The team defeated Gr Lowell 3-0 pic.twitter.com/8atj06V8kp
— GNBVT Athletics (@GNBVTathletics) November 2, 2025
Ellis Barnes, BB&N — The senior defensive back, who is committed to Columbia, came up big for the Knights in a 17-7 NEPSAC win over St. Paul’s (N.H.), picking off two passes and making seven tackles.
Peter Bourque, Tabor — A regular in this space, the Michigan-bound quarterback showed off his legwork in the second half, rushing for three touchdowns in a come-from-behind 39-21 NEPSAC win over St. Sebastian’s. The junior QB finished with 232 passing yards and five total touchdowns.
Andrew Kiricoples, Bishop Fenwick — The sophomore threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for a third score in a 34-6 Catholic Central League road win.
Elai Machado, KIPP — The 6-foot-4-inch junior quarterback ran for touchdowns of 15, 45, and 40 yards, and tossed a 20-yard scoring strike for the Panthers in a 41-6 Commonwealth Conference win over Lowell Catholic.
Jalen Morris, Rivers — The biggest rushing performance of the day belonged to the junior, who took 23 carries for 259 yards and four scores in a 47-6 NEPSAC win over Governor’s.
Brady Shuffain, Sharon — The junior had himself a day, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns in a 46-6 win over Fitchburg that featured several big performances, including Matt Khrakovsky’s 207 rushing yards and three scores and Joseph Seaman’s 119 receiving yards and two TDs.
Jake Strojny, Roxbury Latin — The senior quarterback combined three passing TDs with one on the ground to beat St. George’s, 30-0, in NEPSAC action.
Here’s betting Classical (R.I.) senior Bam Adebayo had quite the interesting Saturday morning.
The 6-foot, 160-pound cornerback/safety posted that he got his first preferred walk-on offer from URI. No doubt a big moment. A chance to play Division 1 football in his homestate.
Then Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell took notice, quote-tweeting the post and tagging Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo, who ironically, uses the X handle @Bam1of1.
“Congrats bro!! Keep working” Mitchell wrote.
Brady Shuffain, Sharon, 381
Chris Vargas, St. John’s Prep, 268
Peter Bourque, Tabor, 232
Andrew Kiricoples, Bishop Fenwick, 192
Brady Shuffain, Sharon, 4
Chris Vargas, St. John’s Prep, 4
Jake Strojny, Roxbury Latin, 3
Peter Bourque, Tabor, 2
Andrew Kiricoples, Bishop Fenwick, 2
Jalen Morris, Rivers, 259
Matt Khrakovsky, Sharon, 207
Dylan Patturelli, Bishop Fenwick, 142
Aavian Peña, KIPP, 116
Zack Deschenes, Nashoba Valley Tech, 4
Jalen Morris, Rivers, 4
Peter Bourque, Tabor, 3
Matt Khrakovsky, Sharon, 3
Elia Machado, KIPP, 3
Ryan Beede, Northeast, 2
Xavier Hairston, Taft, 2
Ziah Herring, Greater Lawrence, 2
Joel LaChapelle, Northbridge, 2
Dylan Patturelli, Bishop Fenwick, 2
Nikki Santos, Cambridge, 130
Riley Selvais, St. John’s Prep, 130
Joseph Seaman, Sharon, 119
Riley Selvais, St. John’s Prep, 2
6. Field hockey leaderboard
Jordi Higgins, Bishop Feehan, 4
Alexa Heller, Wellesley, 2
Sydney Kim, Wellesley, 2
Annie Liebhoff, Rivers, 2
Ciara Maloney, Medway, 2
Lauren Mattia, Lynnfield, 2
Olivia McCormick, Hanover, 2
Natalie McMenamy, Medway, 2
Effie Parsons, St. Mary’s, 2
Caroline Vaughan, Andover, 2
Jordi Higgins, Bishop Feehan, 4
Bridgette McGinnis, Bishop Feehan, 3
7. Volleyball leaderboard
Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 25
Tess Madden, Hanover, 22
Erin Root, Old Rochester, 14
Mia Milani, Bellingham, 13
Lila Arkinstall, Wakefield, 12
Victoria Reposa, Reading, 12
Mia Kenny, Wakefield, 11
Lila Moniz, Marblehead, 11
Anna Fernandez, Westford, 10
Bonnie Politzer, Chelmsford, 10
Sadie Stants, Needham, 10
Jessie Wang, Andover, 10
Kyra Ward, Chelmsford, 10
Elizabeth Willis, East Bridgewater, 10
Madison Blanchet, Central Catholic, 38
Maya Morrison, Old Rochester, 37
Sadie Chadwick, Hanover, 35
Eva Burke, Marblehead, 29
Bella Lee, Needham, 27
Ellen Griswold, Chelmsford, 25
Erin Bigham, Canton, 24
Tori Grace, Wakefield, 18
Gianna Miceli, Reading, 16
Addison Parent, Somerset Berkley, 14
Cara Carangelo, Wakefield, 33
Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 20
Soley Rodriguez Martinez, Canton, 7
Sophia Soto, Bellingham, 14
Sydney Faris, Marblehead, 13
Olivia Lesswing, Haverhill, 10
Ryleigh Brown, Somerset Berkley, 9
Erin Bigham, Canton, 8
Addison Parent, Somerset Berkley, 8
Kaitlyn Pepin, Westford, 6
Kaely Dos Santos, Somerset Berkley, 5
Piper Newell, Old Rochester, 4
Katie Ferrara, Somerset Berkley, 3
Mary Furey, Reading, 3
Norah Schweitzer, Westford, 3
Naomi Vajda, Andover, 3
Ellen Griswold, Chelmsford, 7
Bella Lee, Needham, 7
Bonnie Politzer, Chelmsford, 7
Faith Najem, Whitinsville Christian, 6
Claire Zhang, Andover, 6
Brie Cairns, Chelmsford, 5
Alicia Marcal, Chelmsford, 5
Kaitlyn Pepin, Westford, 5
Dylan Poirier, Hanover, 5
Sophia Soto, Bellingham, 5
Kyra Ward, Chelmsford, 5
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
Sewage could be dumped into Charles River under new proposal from Massachusetts water authority
A new proposal by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to change the Charles River’s water-quality classification is sparking controversy, with advocates saying that sewage dumping could undo decades of cleanup.
The plan announced at a meeting on Wednesday would declassify the Charles River as swimmable and allow sewage to flow into the water.
Advocates were shocked to hear the news.
“There could be more sewage, more trash, more debris, more odors,” she said. “We could be going back to what we worked so hard to improve,” said Laura Jasinski, executive director of the Charles River Conservancy.
The Charles River is now one of the cleanest urban rivers in the country, according to the MWRA. Jasinski says that the state of the river has come a long way.
“There was a time when people used to talk about the stench,” she said. “We used to get a ‘D’ letter grade, like on a report card, from the EPA. Back up to we’re getting a ‘B’, ‘B+’ these days.”
What would this mean for recreational activities?
Visitors like Rangan Gajural worry that the change could make it unsafe for recreational activities.
“I think it’s kind of disgusting,” he said. “I come over here to do paddleboating and canoeing. So this will definitely change my mind if it’s going to stink.”
“It’s a place where people come to make memories. It’s a place where you can come and watch a sunset. People get engaged here,” Jasinski said.
The MWRA says the proposal would not make the river less safe.
In a statement, the agency said, “The draft plan as presented reflects a responsible approach that balances potential environmental benefits with rate impacts to all MWRA customer communities.”
Officials said they are working with the cities of Cambridge and Somerville to reduce sewage overflows. The MWRA Board plans to discuss the proposal at its next meeting on Nov. 19.
Massachusetts
Conference champions, tailback terrors, and more among Thursday’s 10 high school sports takeaways – The Boston Globe
Also Thursday, the girls’ volleyball tournament got started in earnest and field hockey continued with first-round matchups.
And, of course, all the scores live here.
▪ With a 32-0 win over Wakefield, Burlington football completed its first undefeated regular season since 2006.
▪ Cardinal Spellman senior captain Kaylee Perrault reached 500 career kills during a 3-0 preliminary-round win over Pope Francis in the Division 3 girls’ volleyball tournament.
Four conference champions were crowned on the gridiron, as Barnstable won the Southeast Conference outright with a 28-18 win over Bridgewater-Raynham, Amesbury routed Manchester Essex, 40-0, to claim the Cape Ann League crown, Scituate topped Hanover, 21-7, to share the Patriot League Fisher title with the Hawks, Abington shut out East Bridgewater, 20-0, to win the South Shore Sullivan, and Medfield rode another big Brady McCormack performance to a 30-12 victory over Norton and at least a share of the Tri-Valley League Small championship.
▪ Winthrop boys’ soccer finished its season with a 10-4-4 record Monday, marking the best winning percentage in program history and capturing the Northeastern Conference Lynch Division title for the first time.
Wednesday, the first day of the field hockey and girls’ volleyball tournaments, featured very few upsets. Thursday wasn’t much different.
In Division 1 field hockey, 22nd-seeded Wachusett knocked off No. 11 Natick, 1-0, behind a third-quarter goal from Lilli Mitchell and a 22-save shutout from Alyssa Davis.
The highest-seeded team to falter thus far in the girls’ volleyball tournament was Turners Falls, the 14th seed in Division 5. They were eliminated by No. 19 Avon, 3-0.
Ben Atherton, Ashland — The senior did it all, rushing for four touchdowns and throwing another one to Kevin Ozulumba in a 41-13 Tri-Valley League win over Norwood.
Will Bush, Swampscott — The senior captain found the end zone four times, rushing for 124 yards in a 33-0 Northeastern League win over Salem.
Brady McCormack, Medfield — If Takeaways had a loyalty program, McCormack would be racking up the points. Another big week saw the senior rumble for 221 yards and two touchdowns, adding a 95-yard kickoff return TD in a 30-12 Tri-Valley League win against Norton.
Austin Rodenhiser, Holliston — Arguably the night’s top performer, the senior rumbled for five touchdowns and 156 yards on just 13 carries, bulldozing the way for a 33-0 TVL win over Dedham.
Matthew Tasker, Lincoln-Sudbury — Noticing a pattern? This senior running back ran wild, scoring four times and piling up 153 yards on 23 carries in a 35-0 Dual County League win over Wayland.
Duxbury has a new softball coach: Charlie Finn. Previously a volunteer assistant at Marshfield, Finn has been an active member of the South Shore softball community, serving as head coach of the 16U Lady Rams travel team. He is also an assistant basketball and field hockey coach at Marshfield. He takes over a team coming off a 10-9 season and a loss in the second round of the Division 2 tournament under previous coach Mike Barba.
Charlie Finn is the new varsity softball coach at Duxbury High.
Finn, an active member of the South Shore softball community, most recently volunteered with the Marshfield Rams.
“I’m extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Finn said. pic.twitter.com/mMML8bbLAZ
— Trevor Hass (@TrevorHass) October 30, 2025
▪ Dartmouth College freshman women’s soccer player Anna Leschly, a 2025 Brookline graduate, was called up to the US Under-20 Women’s National Team for its fall training camp, which concluded Thursday at the University of Kansas. Leschly was one of 10 college players who joined 12 professionals and two club players.
▪ UMass Dartmouth senior Zuri Walters, a Boston Latin graduate from Dorchester, was named to the All-Little East Conference Second Team Singles for the second straight year. Walters went 6-6 at No. 1 singles, finding her stride midway through the tennis season with a 5-1 stretch starting in September.
Max Morin, Hanover, 170
Tim Durocher, Plymouth South, 141
Justin Dube, Abington, 100
Cole Doyle, North Quincy, 2
Michael Wildfire, Cohasset, 2
Brady McCormack, Medfield, 221
Jayson Dyer, Barnstable, 171
Austin Rodenhiser, Holliston, 156
Matthew Trasker, Lincoln-Sudbury, 153
Cameron Banda, Shawsheen, 137
Will Bush, Swampscott, 124
Erik Knight, Billerica, 120
Ty Holmes, West Bridgewater, 113
Austin Rodenhiser, Holliston, 5
Ben Atherton, Ashland, 4
Will Bush, Swampscott, 4
Matthew Trasker, Lincoln-Sudbury, 4
Noah Allen, Whittier, 3
Cameron Banda, Shawsheen, 3
Gianni DePrimeo, Winchester, 3
Gus Green, Cohasset, 3
Andrew Orphanos, Bishop Feehan, 3
Joe Puleo, Amesbury, 3
Ian Alexion, Fairhaven, 2
Jake Banda, Shawsheen, 2
Jake D’Antonio, Marshfield, 2
Jayson Dyer, Barnstable, 2
Ty Holmes, West Bridgewater, 2
Erik Knight, Billerica, 2
Aaron Lague, Fairhaven, 2
Breydan Lewis, Bridgewater-Raynham, 2
Brady McCormack, Medfield, 2
Nick Rotondi, Winchester, 2
Will Wood, Xaverian, 2
Caiden Blake, Bridgewater-Raynham, 186
Kellen Balducci, Hanover, 89
Shane McDonald, Plymouth South, 85
8. Volleyball leaderboard
Gabby Vigeant, Newburyport, 22
Sophia Jeager, Attleboro, 20
Brooke Braswell, Lynn Classical, 18
Kelsey Dinjian, Nashoba, 16
Francesca Reardon, Shawsheen, 13
Olivia Leonardo, Attleboro, 12
Sydney Lynch, Peabody, 12
Shauna Baker, Dennis-Yarmouth, 11
Lizzy Bettencourt, Peabody, 11
Kendra Marino, Billerica, 11
Haley Carter, Attleboro, 31
Rafaela Prebianchi, Dennis-Yarmouth, 30
Nicky Murphy, Barnstable, 27
Emma Chevalier, Lynn Classical, 22
Siena Torili, Nashoba, 20
Meghan Downs, Billerica, 17
Reese Schaiberger, Swampscott, 14
Ilaisha Taveras, Greater Lawrence, 23
Paige Martin, Shawsheen, 20
Isabella DiSalvo, Shawsheen, 19
Ellie Freeman, Nashoba, 18
Sophia Cantwell, Dennis-Yarmouth, 15
Sophia Jeager, Attleboro, 14
Sage Young, Attleboro, 14
Haley Carter, Attleboro, 13
Lizzy Bettencourt, Peabody, 12
Maria Sirota, Swampscott, 11
Kendra Marino, Billerica, 6
Jaydalise Davila, Greater Lawrence, 5
Carly Deacy, Shawsheen, 5
Brooke Braswell, Lynn Classical, 3
Ellie Freeman, Nashoba, 10
Gabby Vigeant, Newburyport, 8
Jazzy Coyer, Barnstable, 6
Emma Chevalier, Lynn Classical, 5
Maria Rosario, Greater Lawrence, 4
Hector Bermudez, Somerville, 2
Raegan Dillon, St. John Paul II, 5
10. Field hockey leaderboard
Shannon Lane, Canton, 4
Carolyn Schiavo, Canton, 3
Hayden Emerson, Foxborough, 2
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
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