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State’s biggest business groups sound off on how to make Massachusetts more competitive – The Boston Globe

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State’s biggest business groups sound off on how to make Massachusetts more competitive – The Boston Globe


How do we make Massachusetts more competitive?

It’s a question that’s often discussed by the leaders of the state’s biggest business groups. But it’s taken on some added urgency with the news last week that 33,000 more people moved out of Massachusetts to other states, than moved here from elsewhere in the US, in the 12 months that ended on July 1.

Massachusetts has suffered from net domestic outmigration for years. That’s not new. But that was a big uptick from the previous year.

“Affordability” seems to be the big watchword among the state’s business groups, and last week’s annual meeting of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association was no exception.

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Speaking on a panel about competitiveness, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation president Doug Howgate suggested more municipal zoning reform is needed, to spur more housing construction, and state leaders need to make the state’s generous unemployment insurance system more sustainable.

Brooke Thomson, chief executive of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, emphasized the need for establishing a new educational standard in the wake of voters’ rejection of passing MCAS tests as a graduation requirement.

Jim Rooney, chief executive of the Greater Boston Chamber, gave one example of how the state could become more business friendly, by peeling back the red tape and regulation imposed on housing construction.

The simplest advice for state leaders, though, may have come from JD Chesloff, president of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable: “We hear a lot from our members [asking], ‘Just don’t make it any worse.’”

This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.

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Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.





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Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation

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Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation


A Massachusetts man who allegedly looked to have sex with a 15-year-old girl and bring drugs and alcohol to the meet-up has been arrested during a crackdown on human trafficking amid the World Cup.

Richard Lallier, 34, of Rehoboth, is one of 13 individuals who face exploitation and trafficking charges stemming from an operation that the FBI Boston has partnered on with the Massachusetts State Police and Rhode Island State Police during the global soccer tournament, dubbed “Operation Red Card.”

“Participating agencies emphasized that while major international sporting events bring significant economic and cultural benefits to host communities,” the Rhode Island State Police said in a statement on Tuesday, “they may also create opportunities for traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable populations.”

“Law enforcement agencies throughout the region remain committed to proactive enforcement efforts designed to deter human trafficking, identify victims, and hold offenders accountable,” the State Police added.

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The Rhode Island State Police arrested six individuals, including Lallier, while the Massachusetts State Police apprehended seven suspects during a five-day operation between June 12 and 16.

The suspects arrested in Massachusetts range in age between 21 and 71, all of whom have been arraigned on state charges of sex for a fee with a child under 18, enticement of a child under 16, and attempted rape of a child.

In Rhode Island, Lallier, with a last known address in Rehoboth, is being held without bail on charges of attempted enticement, attempted interstate travel for sexual contact with a minor under 16 years old, and attempted transmission of obscene material to a minor.

Lindsay Laurie, a Rhode Island state trooper who went undercover to operate a Facebook profile that featured “age-regressed images” of herself, said in an affidavit that she informed Lallier via Messenger that he was speaking to a 15-year-old.

In response, Lallier, who went by the name of “Frank Land” on Facebook, allegedly said he was 34 years old before he asked for a “naughty video.”

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Lallier also allegedly “sent multiple videos of his penis” to the undercover profile.

Two days later, last Wednesday, Lallier messaged the undercover profile again, explaining that he wanted to find “snow,” a “code word for cocaine,” Laurie stated. Lallier said he would “bring weed and fireball” to a meetup.

Last Friday, after Lallier confirmed to the undercover profile that he arrived in Rhode Island’s Lincoln Woods State Park, authorities arrested him, according to Laurie’s affidavit.

Major international events, such as the World Cup, lead to “large-scale travel” and “increased demand for lodging,” creating “opportunities for criminal exploitation,” according to Michael Soper, the program director of Boston Hotel Watch, an intelligence network connecting hotels and law enforcement.

Soper pointed to the “rapid expansion of short-term rental platforms” in creating a “significant and evolving challenge” to prevent human trafficking since the accommodations often have “less oversight, fewer standardized security protocols, and limited participation in established reporting networks.”

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“As a result,” Soper said in a statement shared with the Herald, “illicit activity may occur outside the visibility of hospitality professionals and law enforcement partnerships, making the full scope of the problem difficult to measure.”



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Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding

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Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding


“We are proud to support this remarkable group of nonprofit organizations and the essential work they do across Massachusetts,” Sincere Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Reiner said in a statement. “Their collective impact strengthens communities throughout the Commonwealth and we are honored to help advance their efforts.”

According to the foundation, grant recipients were selected across three focus areas: food security, housing stability, and safe spaces. Organizations receiving support in the food security category alongside Food Link include The Open Door in Gloucester, Worcester County Food Bank, Food For Free, and other nonprofits working to increase access to nutritious food.





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Massachusetts man indicted on murder charge in child’s 2017 death

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Massachusetts man indicted on murder charge in child’s 2017 death


WORCESTER, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – A Massachusetts man has been indicted in connection with the death of a child.

Laura French, spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, said 35-year-old Steven Stuart of Auburn was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge. The charge stems from the 2017 death of seven-year-old Jayden Carlson.

Stuart was convicted in September 2015 on a charge of assault and batter on a child causing serious bodily injury in connection with an August 2012 incident involving Carlson, who was two years old at the time. Stuart was sentenced to six to eight years in state prison for that conviction.

French added that Carlson suffered serious, “life-altering injuries and subsequently experienced ongoing medical complications” following the 2012 incident. Carlson died in December 2017 as a result of those injuries.

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Stuart has been arraigned on the indictment and is being held without bail. His next court date is scheduled for July 20.

Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.



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