Massachusetts
‘Representation is powerful’: Bust of New Bedford abolitionist unveiled in Senate chamber
Nearly 130 years after his passing, famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass made history once again. On his chosen birthday of Feb. 14, a bust of Douglass was unveiled in the Massachusetts Senate Chamber.
In the Senate chamber where Douglass delivered his passionate anti-slavery speeches, his bust became the first added in more than 125 years — the first ever of a Black person.
Above the bust is a quote by Douglass that reads, “Truth, justice, liberty, and humanity will ultimately prevail.”
“Today, Frederick Douglass takes his long overdue place among our nation’s founding fathers in the Senate Chamber, where he will inspire generations of Massachusetts lawmakers to lead as he did, with truth, justice, liberty, and humanity,” said Senate President Karen Spilka in a press release.
Immerse yourself : New Bedford’s Black history at these important sites
According to the release, the bust portrays Douglass as an “older man deep into his career as a politician and orator,” it was commissioned by the State House Art Commission as part of Senate President Spilka’s commitment to adding representation in the chambers.
“Representation is powerful. Anyone should be able to walk into our Senate chamber and see themselves contributing to our dialogue as a Commonwealth, and with this historic unveiling we take an important step toward listening to, and lifting up, more voices in our Commonwealth,” stated Senate President Spilka.
The solid bronze figure is a replica of a bust created by the late sculptor Lloyd Lillie, it was made by Sincere Metal Works in Amesbury.
Why was Feb. 14 chosen?
In Massachusetts, Feb. 14 is proclaimed Frederick Douglass Day, in honor of his lifelong fight for equality here in New Bedford and throughout the country.
“Though he was not born here, in Massachusetts we like to call Frederick Douglass one of our own,” Senate President Karen Spilka said during the unveiling. “He came to our state after escaping enslavement. This is where he wanted to come.”
As the true date of his birth was unknown, Douglass had chosen this significant date to celebrate as his birthday. In his autobiography, he stated that his former enslaver told him that he believed Douglass was born in February of 1818, that information and sweet memories of his mother calling him her “little valentine” led Douglass to adopt Valentine’s Day as his birthday.
Massachusetts
Is it really going to snow in New England tomorrow? Here’s what to expect from storm
We’re still on the good side of the forecast today. We’ll see a good supply of sun to start, then the clouds will increase and a few showers will sink down from the north in the afternoon. We still manage to make it near 70. (Yay.)
Tomorrow’s high temperatures, however, comes after midnight tonight — before falling toward Saturday morning. If you think that’s confusing, try explaining the snow that’ll be flying in the higher elevations across New England (with solid accumulation above 4k feet).
Yes, the weather is upside down for late May.
We can blame an intense, compact upper-level pool of cold air that broke loose from a larger pool near the Arctic Circle days ago.

The pattern across North America has dropped it in our laps for a day, with cold, rainy, windy consequences.
Rain, wind and… snow?
This will be a sneaky storm. Early on, there might even be a calm, bright sky (very) early Saturday morning. Then the clouds move in and the wind intensifies from the northeast. Gust will briefly peak at 50+ along the coast (40+ inland).
Rain will mix with snow in northern New England, and perhaps in the highest elevations of southern New Hampshire and central Massachusetts.
This also depends on the intensity of the precipitation. Heavier bursts of rain can drag down colder air aloft, helping the snowflakes make it from cloud base to your home place (if you live above 1k feet).
Ironically, we’re not expecting a deluge from this storm. Most spots keep near a half inch, with higher amounts near an inch in northeast Mass./southern NH.
And then just like that, it’s over. The storm pulls away Saturday evening, the skies clear and we’re back to sun Sunday. Highs recover to near 70 with the slightest chance for a shower late day.
Better chances – and cooler temps – come both Monday and Tuesday.
Will summer ever take hold? We know from past years that June can really struggle. It appears that the start of the month may not live up to expectations. Although we are at least climbing back to the 80s late next week.
Have a good weekend.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Top Cop Off the Hook for Secret Recording Program
The head of the Massachusetts State Police can’t be sued for an alleged program that secretly recorded officers’ phone conversations with civilians and used them to bring criminal charges, the First Circuit said Thursday.
A group of Massachusetts residents filed a putative class against against Superintendent Geoffrey Noble, as well as Motorola and other companies, over the secret recordings, which were used to propose criminal charges in at least 181 cases without prosecutors’ knowledge, the three judge panel said.
The opinion by Circuit Judge Seth Aframe said the residents, led by Jason Courtemanche, failed to show how they’d be directly …
Massachusetts
How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets
Massachusetts families are spending 8% of their monthly income on health care, according to a new study. That puts the Bay State toward the higher end of the scale, coming in at No. 12 in the country.
The analysis from personal finance website WalletHub examined where people are spending the most and the least on health care.
Alaska was No. 1 in the U.S., spending over 10% of their income on health care. On the other end of the scale, Utah residents spend 5% of their income on health care.
“Sharp increases in health care costs in recent years have made it difficult for some people to seek essential care,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “Even in states with lower-than-average health care prices, residents’ incomes may not be enough to keep up with the cost, especially since virtually every part of Americans’ budgets have been impacted by inflation over the past few years.”
To determine how much families are spending, WalletHub analyzed the prices of five key health care components across all 50 states, then combined those costs and compared them with each state’s median household income.
Read more: 1 MA Town Among 250 Best Places To Live In US News Ranking
Massachusetts spends the most on health care compared to other states in the region, according to the study. Vermont is the next-highest state in the Northeast, ranking at No. 14 with residents spending 7.98% of their income on health care.
Here are the top 10 states where people are spending the most on health care:
- Alaska
- Oregon
- Maine
- Mississippi
- West Virginia
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Montana
- South Dakota
- Louisiana
Check out the full study at WalletHub.
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