Massachusetts

More games or more grass fields? Turf wars play out across Massachusetts

Published

3 years ago

May 10, 2022

More games or more grass fields? Turf wars play out across Massachusetts

Subsequent to the Salemwood College in Malden on the finish of a latest college day, the sound of youngsters’s joyful shouting stuffed the air at Roosevelt Park with backpacks strewn alongside the sting of the massive grass subject. The bottom is scattered with dandelions and patches of dried mud.

However plans to exchange the tattered subject this fall with synthetic turf — as soon as seen as a panacea for enjoying fields ravaged by climate — have sparked neighborhood resistance.

“Sadly, organized sports activities needs these turf fields, and the neighborhood and the varsity needs to maintain their inexperienced area,” stated Kathy Sullivan, a fifth grade Salemwood science instructor and a co-founder of the group Mates of Roosevelt Park, which opposes the turf subject.

The park is in such poor situation that no soccer or soccer have been performed there since 2019, in line with Deborah Burke, town official answerable for the mission. She stated turf would supply “sorely wanted area” for athletic applications and dramatically improve the variety of kids who can take part in staff sports activities.

However neighbors are searching for options. They are saying grass is the most secure choice, pointing to a rising physique of analysis on the well being and environmental hazard of supplies utilized in plastic turf.

Communities debate the way forward for fields

Synthetic turf is large enterprise. There are about 16,000 artificial turf fields in North America, with as many as 1,500 put in yearly, in line with the Artificial Turf Council.

Up to now, selections to put in turf didn’t garner a lot public debate, in line with researcher Lindsay Pollard at UMass Lowell’s Poisonous Use Discount Institute, which research enjoying subject supplies. However since June 2018, the institute has acquired queries from 23 cities in Massachusetts and plenty of others from round the US involved concerning the well being and environmental impacts of synthetic turf.

“If we’re involved about hazards and a selected materials — even when it’s a very minute quantity of chemical that’s current in that materials — we’re speaking about a complete soccer subject that’s coated in it,” Pollard stated.

An in depth up of crumb rubber infill at Maplewood Park in Malden, MA

Liz Neisloss / Liz Neisloss, GBH Information

Synthetic turf fields encompass a number of layers: plastic grass blades; the backing that holds turf collectively; and infill, which is materials sprinkled among the many blades to weigh it down. The plastic blades and backing have been proven to comprise PFAS — so-called “ceaselessly chemical substances” as a result of they do not break down, leach into waterways and have been linked to most cancers. Infill is often manufactured from tiny rubber pellets from recycled tires, which have additionally been proven to comprise hazardous chemical substances.

The plastic floor additionally traps extra warmth than grass and will contribute to athletes overheating throughout play. By some estimates, artificual turf can attain 180 levels on sizzling, sunny days. Synthetic turf additionally contributes to microplastic air pollution, Pollard stated.

“So on wet days or on stormy days, or when the sector is cleared of snow, the infill and the grass blades can launch [microplastics] into the surroundings and grow to be an issue,” stated Pollard.

In Hull, the place the city changed an outdated grass subject at the highschool with a turf subject in 2019, activists at the moment are documenting the migration of plastic grass blades into adjoining Boston Harbor. And Martha’s Winery’s planning board final week voted down a proposed synthetic turf subject for the island’s highschool over considerations the turf would contaminate the island’s water provide with PFAS — so-called “ceaselessly chemical substances.” A number of municipalities have gone additional: Sharon, Wayland and Harmony have all issued moratoriums on any new turf fields.

Communities additionally grapple with what to do with outdated turf, which breaks down after eight to 10 years. A lot of that materials results in landfills, in line with researchers.

“There are claims that it may be recycled. We simply have not been capable of finding a extremely dependable pathway for that,” stated Pollard. “We have discovered many circumstances the place outdated turf is being dumped typically within the woods or they’re being dumped on leased land and simply type of sitting there ready.”

A 2017 report by the business group the Artificial Turf Council estimated that at the very least 750 turf fields are eliminated yearly in the US.

Malden has a number of turf fields not removed from Roosevelt Park, together with the 15-year-old Maplewood Park turf subject. Burke stated town has no plans but to exchange its synthetic turf fields, and stated any disposal of the proposed subject for Roosevelt Park could be the accountability of the contractor.

Grass subject advocates like Rebekah Thomson, a co-founder of the Subject Fund, say grass could be a possible various answer. She pointed to fields in Springfield and Marblehead that use organically managed grass with out chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Going natural typically requires paying a marketing consultant to start out off, Pollard stated, however “as soil and grass well being improves, you spend much less and fewer cash and fewer and fewer time needing to handle it.”

Grass supporters really feel ignored, whereas turf supporters really feel attacked

Science instructor Kathy Sullivan stated having a grass subject at Roosevelt Park serves as an outside classroom. This spring, her college students opened up dandelions to study seeds.

“They’re shedding greenspace in a really congested city surroundings. The place the place these youngsters get to run for 20 minutes a day earlier than college, after college, and plenty of of them go dwelling to residences,” stated Sullivan.

Two side-by-side photographs show a child with an orange and brown butterfly on their hand and a child feeling the petals of a dandelion flower. — On this picture collage, college students study a butterfly and dandelion throughout a science lesson in Malden’s Roosevelt Park subsequent to Salemwood College.

Ryan O’Malley, the lone Malden metropolis councilor to object to the turf plan, stated town ought to be centered on a very sustainable subject.

“Our local weather is in a freefall,” O’Malley stated. “There’s one thing significantly poignant about changing a grass subject with a subject manufactured from plastic.”

He stated nearly all of neighborhood residents don’t assist the mission. Space residents say town has ignored their considerations. Mum or dad Lilia Hadouche stated different dad and mom, lots of whom don’t converse English, really feel that they’ve been ignored of the method.

“They don’t discuss the language. They don’t know who to achieve to, even me,” stated Hadouche, a guardian of two elementary college students who attend Salemwood. “I’m an immigrant too. I’m attempting onerous to combat for my youngsters and different youngsters.”

Burke, town official answerable for the mission, stated they held public conferences and carried out outreach in a number of languages. She additionally stated Malden reshaped the design of the park renovation in response to public remark. Town now plans to include natural infill in between the plastic grass blades.

Supporters of the turf subject in Malden, together with officers with Malden Youth Soccer, declined to go on the report, citing verbal “private assaults.”

Turf fields have been a heated concern in different communities. In Martha’s Winery, the place the talk over a turf subject went on for seven years, there have been allegations of threats, together with shell casings left in a former well being agent’s briefcase and the slashing of a turf opponent’s tires.

“It’s gotten fairly ugly right here on the Winery,” stated Thomson. ”It’s a extremely unlucky, ugly facet of this debate.”

In Malden, officers are transferring ahead with the turf subject. Opponents nonetheless hope to discover a option to cease it.

Produced with help from the Public Media Journalists Affiliation Editor Corps funded by the Company for Public Broadcasting, a personal company funded by the American individuals.

Source link

Massachusetts

Here's what the largest lottery prize won in Mass. in 2024 was

Published

6 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Press Room

Here's what the largest lottery prize won in Mass. in 2024 was

The largest lottery prize won in Massachusetts in 2024 came from a ticket given to the winner as a birthday gift, which they called “the best birthday present ever.”

There were at least 150 players who won between $1 million and $15 million — and one player won even more.

The top prize won in Massachusetts in 2024 was worth $1 million a year for life.

The prize was from “Lifetime Millions,” a $50 scratch ticket game released on Feb. 6, 2024. As of Jan. 3, there are still two $1 million a year for life grand prizes remaining to be claimed, along with three $2 million prizes and seven $1 million prizes.

The top lottery winner of 2024 claimed their prize through the Merjon Tangovan Nominee Trust of Boston, represented by trustee Greg Racki, on July 10, 2024.

The winner received $15.4 million after Racki selected the cash option instead of annuity for the grand prize. They told Racki they plan on buying a new car, traveling and helping their family with the cash.

The winning ticket was bought at Northside Market & Liquors, located at 44 North Rd. in Bedford. The store received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Here’s the complete list of the top 10 largest lottery prizes won in Massachusetts in 2024:

$1 million a year for life prize claimed from the “Lifetime Millions” scratch ticket game on July 10. The winner opted to receive their prize as a one-time payment of $15.4 million, and bought their $50 ticket at the Northside Convenience shop in Bedford. There’s still two grand prizes left to be claimed.
$15 million prize claimed from the “$15,000,000 Money Maker” scratch ticket game on Aug. 15. The winner bought their $30 ticket in Lynn at the One Stop Mart. As of December, there’s just one grand prize left to be claimed in the game.
$15 million prize claimed from the “300X” scratch ticket game on June 13. The winning $30 ticket was purchased at the Country Farms store in Topsfield. This was the first and only grand prize claimed in the game as of December, with two more grand prizes left to claim.
$10 million prize claimed from the “$10,000,000 Cash Blast” scratch ticket game on Oct. 3. The winner bought their $20 ticket at the Star Liquor store in Shrewsbury. It was the first and only grand prize claimed in the game as of December, with two more grand prizes left to claim.
$10 million prize claimed from the “$10,000,000 Cash King” scratch ticket game, also on Oct. 3. This winner bought their $20 ticket in Boston at Jobi Liquors, Inc., leaving no grand prizes left to be claimed.
$10 million prize claimed from the “$10,000,000 Bonanza” scratch ticket game on Sept. 4. The winning $20 ticket was sold in Raynham at Coletti’s Market, and was the only grand prize claimed in the game as of December, with two more grand prizes left to claim.
$5.37 million jackpot prize won during the “Megabucks” drawing on May 4. The winning numbers for the drawing were 4, 11, 15, 26, 30 and 40, and the winning ticket was purchased in Northborough at Lowe’s Variety Mart.
$5 million prize claimed from a “$5,000,000 100X Cashword 2024″ scratch ticket on Oct. 2. A hot week for lottery players in the state, this $20 winning ticket was sold at From Brazil Restaurant in Peabody. There’s just one grand prize left in the game as of December.
$5 million prize claimed from a “$5,000,000 100X Cashword” scratch ticket (released in 2023) on June 18. The winning ticket was sold at the Price Chopper in Pittsfield, and was the last grand prize left in the game.
$2.64 million prize won during the “Megabucks” drawing on Aug. 24. The winning numbers for the drawing were 5, 6, 8, 9, 24 and 32, and the winner bought their ticket while at the Hillcrest Country Club in Leicester.

Source link

Massachusetts

These 9 new laws go into effect in Mass. in 2025. Here's what they all are

Published

17 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Press Room

These 9 new laws go into effect in Mass. in 2025. Here's what they all are

With the new year comes new laws that are set to take effect in Massachusetts in 2025.

Five bills were signed into law with set dates for when the new laws, signed by Gov. Maura Healey, go into effect.

Four other new laws were part of a large economic development bill Healey signed in November, covering a wide range of issues from clean energy to education. The text of this law contained an emergency preamble, which gives the governor authority to determine whether a new law should go into effect immediately.

Here are the latest changes made to Massachusetts state law.

Employers must show salary ranges in job postings

Beginning Oct. 29, 2025, Massachusetts employers with 25 or more employees must disclose salary ranges and protect an employee’s right to ask for salary ranges. This received Healey’s approval on July 31 when Healey signed the Francis Perkins Workplace Equity Act, named after the first woman to be Secretary of Labor under President Franklin Roosevelt.

The new law also prohibits employers from firing or retaliating against any employee or applicant who asks for salary ranges when applying for a job or promotion, according to state law.

Employers’ demographic wage data

Along with salary ranges, Massachusetts employers with at least 100 state-based employees must file an annual report to the state, according to the legal firm Cooley. This annual report includes workforce demographic and pay data categorized by race, ethnicity, sex, and position.

This goes into effect on Feb. 1, 2025, with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development then publishing aggregated data in a report on its website on July 1 of each year.

Massachusetts joins 11 other states in enacting this law: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island and Washington.

Sealing eviction records

Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act on Aug. 6. Going into effect on May 5, 2025, this law allows tenants to petition the courts to seal certain eviction records that can make it difficult for renters to secure housing, according to the state’s website.

The law will also make it illegal for a consumer reporting agency to include a sealed eviction record in its reports.

Parentage equality expansions

In August, Healey signed into law an act that updates the state’s parentage laws for the first time in 40 years, according to the Governor’s Office. The Massachusetts Parentage Act provides protections for parents who use surrogacy, in-vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction, as well as for LGBTQ+ parents.

The bill also modernizes the law’s language to be more inclusive, replacing words like “paternity” for “parentage” and “child born out of wedlock” for “nonmarital child,” Healey’s office said.

“Our laws need to reflect the realities of modern families and the loving environments where children grow and flourish,” Healey said in an Aug. 9 statement. “This moment is a victory for all families in Massachusetts who deserve to be treated with dignity and to have their rights recognized and protected under the law.”

This law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Updates to paid family and medical leave

On Oct. 1, the Department of Family and Medical Leave announced it would update weekly benefits for paid family and medical leave in Massachusetts. The maximum weekly benefits that employees can receive are set to increase from $1,149.90 to $1,170.64 per week, according to the legal firm Fisher Phillips.

The overall paid family and medical leave contribution rate will stay at 0.88% for eligible employees working at a business with 25 employees or more, the legal firm Seyfarth said in a statement. The contribution rate for smaller employers will remain at 0.46%.

Changes go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Economic development for climate tech, AI and natural gas

Healey signed an economic development bill called the Mass Leads Act on Nov. 20. Its goal is to promote the development and use of clean energy across the state, with improvements to energy affordability, expand access to electric vehicles, and “facilitate the application of artificial intelligence across the state’s ecosystem‚“ Healey’s office said in a statement.

“This legislation will create new jobs, strengthen our efforts to recruit and retain the best talent, support all of our communities, and grow our arts, culture and tourism sectors,” the administration said in its statement.

The new law supports initiatives that aim to make Massachusetts a hub for climate technology, Healey’s office said. This includes $400 million in capital resources going to the offshore wind industry and establishing a new climate tech incentive program to bring and keep climate tech companies in Massachusetts. It will also update the existing Offshore Wind Tax Incentive Program.

The sweeping bill also includes provisions to overhaul the state’s permitting process for Massachusetts to build more renewable energy infrastructure to meet its climate goals. WBUR reported that these changes are intended to go into effect by March 2026.

The law also authorizes $100 million to be used to create the Massachusetts AI Hub “to facilitate the application of artificial intelligence across the state’s ecosystem,” the statement read. Healey’s office added that this hub is expected to boost innovation and “attract AI talent” to the state.

Additionally (but not lastly), the law establishes new provisions for natural gas. More networked geothermal projects, like Eversource in Framingham, will be built in order to bring cleaner forms of heating and cooling, WBUR reported.

The law also changes how gas utilities are incentivized to replace leaky underground pipes, with the state now prioritizing short-term repairs or retiring segments of a pipeline.

Due to the emergency preamble written into the Mass Leads Act, the law immediately went into effect with Healey’s signature.

More funding for electric vehicle incentives

The Mass Leads Act also introduced new provisions for electric vehicles, including an extension of state funding for its electric vehicle incentive program until 2027, WBUR wrote.

The Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles, or MOR-EV, program is intended to cut down on air pollution and greenhouse gases.

The program offers rebates for buying or leasing eligible battery electric vehicles and fuel-cell electric vehicles.

Another provision includes directing the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to review laws that ban the sale of new gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles after 2035, WBUR reported.

As part of the Mass Leads Act, these parts of the law also immediately went into effect upon the bill’s signing.

Nurses can work across state lines

The passage of the Mass Leads Act also addressed the nursing shortage in Massachusetts. The bill included a measure to join the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows nurses operating in other states affiliated with the compact to practice out of state via in-person or telehealth, GBH reported in November.

Massachusetts became the last New England state to join the compact.

“Compact membership will also enhance the ability of the Massachusetts health care system to prepare for pandemics, emergencies and other staffing needs and to facilitate telehealth and other care delivery transformations in the future,” Mickey O’Neill, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, told GBH.

This also went into effect immediately after Healey signed the Mass Leads Act.

Educator diversity

Another facet of the economic development bill that Healey signed focused on education. The new law incorporated a bill known as the Massachusetts Teachers Association-supported Educator Diversity Act.

This change will see the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education develop an alternative certification process for teachers who may have challenges with the educator certification exam, but can still demonstrate their capabilities as teachers, Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka said in a statement in November.

Because educator diversity was part of the Mass Leads Act, it immediately went into effect with Healey’s signature on Nov. 20.

Source link