Massachusetts
Pols & Politics: Three Massachusetts House races that offer glimmers of competition
Massachusetts voters are closing in fast on this year’s primary and general elections and many residents have intense local races right in their backyard — from incumbent Democrats facing challengers with money to open seats drawing fierce competition.
Beacon Hill is well-known for lawmakers across the board gliding to re-election every two years. But in a state rife with non-competitive races, there are glimmers of hope this year that elections in Massachusetts can be more than just resigning oneself to voting for the only person on the ballot.
The state primaries are on Sept. 3 and the general election is on Nov. 5, the same day voters head to the polls to pick the next president of the United States.
With the days ticking down, here are a few House races across the state that caught our eye.
1st Plymouth
Rep. Matt Muratore’s decision to pursue an open state Senate seat has set off a mad dash in this South Shore district that covers portions of Plymouth, a town that has consistently sent a Republican to the State House for the last two decades.
Four Democrats and two Republicans have decided to throw their hat into the ring this election cycle.
Plymouth School Committee Chair Michelle Badger, Beacon Hill regular Art Desloges, local businessman Scott Hokanson, and Stephen Palmer, a former member of the Braintree Town Meeting, make up the left.
Dee Wallace Spencer, a business professor at Northeastern University, and Marine Corps veteran Jesse Brown round out the Republican primary ticket.
Spencer has dominated the fundraising game so far, raising more than $68,000 since the start of the year, spending upwards of $34,000 during the same period, and holding onto $34,000-plus as of July 31, according to campaign finance records.
Brown has raised $29,315 between the start of January and the end of July, state data shows.
Desloges has raised $24,224 since January and Badger has brought in $16,557 during the same time, according to state records. Both Palmer, who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2022 and 2020, and Hokanson have raised $8,000 or less this year.
27th Middlesex
Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven has not faced an opponent in her past two general elections and easily beat Democratic challengers in her previous primary contests.
But this year, a former Beacon Hill chief of staff is making a well-funded play at unseating the second-term Somerville Democrat.
Kathleen Hornby, who worked for Public Health Committee Chair Rep. Marjorie Decker for almost three years, has outraised Uyterhoeven since the start of the year, according to campaign finance filings last updated July 31.
Hornby, who also worked for former Rep. Alice Wolf for nearly five years, points to affordability in Somerville, substance use, public transportation, workers’ rights, and climate change as some of her top issues, according to her website.
Uyterhoeven said she “acted swiftly” with other colleagues in the Legislature to ensure access to reproductive rights after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Uyterhoeven also touches on transportation, public education, and affordable housing on her campaign website.
And speaking of Decker, the six-term Democrat from Cambridge is also facing a Democratic primary opponent this year in Evan MacKay. Decker has raised more than $117,000 since January compared to MacKay’s $48,025, according to state data.
12th Middlesex
Nearly $200,000 has poured in since January into a race for a House seat that covers parts of Newton and Brookline after the incumbent Democrat, Rep. Ruth Balser, announced she was not seeking reelection.
That decision has since spurred three Democrats to jump into the fray — Newton City Councilors Bill Humphrey and Rick Lipof and Greg Schwartz, a former city councilor and doctor who has earned Balser’s endorsement.
Lipof has ticked off public education investments, combating antisemitism, and affordability as priorities on his website. Humphrey also turned to the climate, housing, health care, and education as issues he wants to focus on while Schwartz pointed to health care, antisemitism, climate change, housing, and transportation as his priorities.
Each candidate has pulled in tens of thousands.
Lipof is leading the pack with more than $73,000 raised and $39,787 spent since January, according to state campaign finance filings. Schwartz has pulled in $66,274 this year and spent $51,488, state data shows.
Humphrey has raised $31,462 and spent $23,624 this year, according to the data.
Massachusetts
Body part found in Shirley, Massachusetts pond, police suspect foul play
A body part was found in a pond in Shirley, Massachusetts and investigators said foul play is suspected.
It was discovered around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday as a group of people were walking along Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.
Police said the group noticed something suspicious in the water of Phoenix Pond. The Middlesex District Attorney confirmed that the item was a body part, but would not elaborate.
Police shut down the road and divers could be seen exploring the pond late Wednesday. Authorities were back at the scene Thursday morning.
No other information is available at this point in the investigation.
Phoenix Pond connects to the Catacoonamug Brook, which flows into the Nashua River. It’s also connected to Lake Shirley.
Shirley, Massachusetts is about 44 miles northwest of Boston and around 13 miles from the New Hampshire border.
Massachusetts
Foul play suspected after human remains found in water in Shirley
Human remains were discovered Wednesday in the water in Shirley, Massachusetts, and authorities suspect foul play.
Police in Shirley said in a social media post at 7:15 p.m. that they responded to “a suspicious object in the water near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.” Massachusetts State Police later said the object was believed to be human remains.
The bridge crosses Catacoonamug Brook near Phoenix Pond.
The office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said a group of young people was walking in the area around 5:30 p.m. and “reported seeing what appeared to be something consistent with a body part in the water.”
Foul play is suspected, Ryan’s office said.
Authorities will continue investigating overnight into Thursday, and an increased police presence is expected in the area.
No further information was immediately available.
Massachusetts
Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”
It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.
In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.
In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.
Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”
The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.
“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.
“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.
Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.
“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”
With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.
“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man.
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