Northeast
Zizian leader Jack LaSota: Who is transgender, vegan cult head linked to border agent killing?
The apparent leader of a bizarre vegan transgender cult, the Zizians, has been linked to six killings across the country, including the murder of a Border Patrol agent.
Jack “Ziz” Lasota, 34, was arrested Sunday along with Michelle Zajko, 33, and Daniel Blank, 26, Maryland State Police said Monday. They face multiple charges, including trespassing, obstructing and hindering, and possession of a handgun in a vehicle.
LaSota was ordered held without bail on Tuesday at Allegany District Court in Cumberland, with prosecutors citing concerns that he was a flight risk and a danger to public safety.
Prosecutors said LaSota “appears to be the leader of an extremist group known as ‘Zizians’ that has been linked to multiple killings.”
MANHUNT TIED TO ‘ANARCHIST’ VEGAN CULT IN BORDER PATROL AGENT KILLING: REPORT
Jack LaSota refused to speak and kept his eyes closed for his booking photo after being detained in a hotel in suburban Pennsylvania on Jan. 23, 2023. (Delaware County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney’s Office via AP/File)
The fringe group was brought into the limelight after followers were tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January.
LaSota’s run-ins with law enforcement go back to at least 2022. Originally from Alaska, LaSota appeared to pen extremist ideologies in a since-archived blog titled “Sinceriously.” LaSota also identified as transgender and used female pronouns, the Associated Press reported.
In a February 2019 post titled “Punching Evil,” LaSota is believed to have written that there would be “no moral obligation not to perform self-defense” if “the state has been seized by vampires.”
In a Nov. 19 post titled “Good Group and Pasek’s Doom,” LaSota wrote that each hemisphere can have separate values and even genders and that they “often desire to kill each other.”
“Reaching peace between hemispheres with conflicting interests is a tricky process of repeatedly reconstructing frames of game theory and decision theory in light of realizations of them having been strategically damaged by your headmate,” LaSota wrote.
LaSota also described being allegedly targeted by police for wearing Sith-inspired garb. Throughout the blog, LaSota regularly mentions enchantment with the Star Wars franchise.
“Sometimes cops harass me for wearing my religious attire as a Sith,” LaSota wrote. “(As a Sith, I’m religiously required to do whatever I want, and for now that so happens to include wearing black robes).”
In September 2022, a brief obituary was published in LaSota’s hometown paper, the Daily News-Miner, in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Legacy.com)
Staged death
In September 2022, a brief obituary was published in LaSota’s hometown paper, the Daily News-Miner, in Fairbanks, Alaska. The obituary said LaSota was killed in a “boating accident” on Aug. 19, 2022.
“Loving adventure, friends and family, music, blueberries, biking, computer games and animals, you are missed,” the obituary reads.
VERMONT BORDER PATROL AGENT ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY GERMAN NATIONAL WORKED IN PENTAGON DURING 9/11: FAMILY
However, LaSota’s death was short-lived when the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office informed LaSota’s attorney that LaSota had been found “alive and well” at a crime scene on Nov. 13, 2022, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
It was not immediately clear why LaSota faked his death, leading even his parents to believe he was dead. The mystery deepened after his name was connected to a criminal investigation in California in 2022.
Criminal investigation in Vallejo, California
LaSota’s death was contradicted after his name popped up in a squatting incident in Vallejo, California.
The incident unraveled when LaSota and other associates moved to a property in Vallejo belonging to an older California man, then-80-year-old Curt Lind.
“They were unhappy with living on the tug,” Lind told a documentary filmmaker, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “They decided that they wanted to move to my yard and buy moving vans, small moving vans, and change them into places where they could live in the moving van and nobody would know that they’re in there.”
During the November 2022 incident, Curt Lind was attacked with a samurai sword by members of the Zizian cult. (GoFundMe)
During the November 2022 incident, Lind was attacked with a samurai sword when the squatting dispute reached a boiling point.
“He had a samurai sword stuck to his back with about a foot of it sticking out in front, his face cut up all over,” Lind’s friend, Patrick McMillan, told FOX 2 San Francisco at the time of the incident.
“The truth is, they jumped him,” his son, Carl Lind, told the outlet.
Lind, despite the stabbing, still managed to shoot two of his alleged attackers, killing one of them, Emma Borhanian. Prosecutors concluded that the landlord acted in self-defense.
According to police reports, LaSota was handcuffed at gunpoint at the scene but was not charged.
Lind’s surviving the initial attack was short-lived, when, on Jan. 17, 2025, he was stabbed to death.
Maximilian Snyder, 22, another “Ziz” member, was arrested and charged with his murder, according to court records obtained by FOX 13 Seattle.
The outlet also reported that Snyder had applied for a marriage license with Teresa Youngblut, who is tied to the 2025 border agent killing.
Previous mugshot of Michelle Zajko (FBI)
Michelle Zajko, 32, was also charged with resisting arrest and carrying a handgun. (Allegany County Sheriff’s Office)
Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, arrest
Richard and Rita Zajko were found dead from homicide from gunshot wounds in their Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, home on New Year’s Eve.
Police launched an investigation into the murder and began looking at their daughter, Jamie Zajko, another follower of LaSota.
GERMAN NATIONAL SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN DEADLY SHOOTING OF US BORDER PATROL AGENT IN VERMONT
Daniel Blank was allegedly involved in Richard and Rita Zajko’s 2023 murder. Blank and LaSota were charged with “obstructing administration of law” and “disorderly conduct.” (Allegany County Sheriff’s Office)
LaSota was brought into the conflict during a police investigation into the Zajko murders.
Daniel Blank, also a “Zizian,” and LaSota were found at a Pennsylvania hotel on Jan. 13, 2023. They were both arrested for “obstructing administration of law” and “disorderly conduct.”
LaSota was freed on bail in June 2023 and reportedly soon stopped showing up for court dates. LaSota was considered at large with an arrest warrant in Pennsylvania, where the case is still pending.
Vermont investigation
The Maryland State Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that LaSota, Zajko and another person were arrested Sunday afternoon on a number of charges unrelated to the murder of Maland in Vermont, near the border with Canada.
TRANSGENDER VEGAN ‘CULT’ MEMBERS ARRESTED
Police said that shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, LaSota was arrested and charged with trespassing, obstructing and hindering, and having a firearm in a vehicle in Frostburg, Maryland. Zajko was arrested on the same charges as well as resisting arrest and having a handgun.
Zajko allegedly bought .40-caliber and .380-caliber handguns in February 2024 in Mount Tabor, Vermont, that were used in Maland’s shooting, the Albany Times Union previously reported, citing court documents.
David Maland, a Minnesota native and Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government. (U.S. Border Patrol)
Maland, a Minnesota native and Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government.
It is unclear what brought members of the group to Vermont.
German national Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt and Youngblut exchanged gunfire with Maland near the Canada-Vermont border on Jan. 20 during a traffic stop. Bauckholt and Maland were killed. Youngblut was injured and faces criminal charges.
Teresa Youngblut, who is charged by the FBI in connection to the shooting death of Border Patrol Agent David Maland, is seen at the Newport City Inn on Jan. 14, 2025, in Newport, Vt. (Newport City Inn photograph via AP)
North Carolina FBI investigation
Following the shooting of Maland in January, the FBI Albany field office confirmed to Fox News Digital that they had conducted “court-authorized investigative activity in connection with an ongoing federal law enforcement investigation” in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Feb. 5.
Chapel Hill was previously linked to the Zizians after Bauckholt rented a property in the area. Youngblut and Bauckholt had been living in condos in North Carolina, and LaSota had also been living there as recently as this winter, according to a landlord spoke to The Associated Press, WTVD reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
What the Zizians believe
The “Zizians” were created by LaSota, who goes by the nickname “Ziz.”
The group exhibits cult behavior, according to Dar Dixon, an actor and the podcast host of “The Art of Being Dar,” who shared his cult expertise with Fox News Digital.
“The thing that I noticed about this ‘Zizian’ cult is that it hits all the major points that will set somebody up to be involved in it. You’ve got transgender human beings, all right? You’re dealing with sexuality. You’re dealing with sexual identity, and you’re dealing with sex. Anytime you do all those things, you’ve already got someone, as they say, by the tight and curlies,” he said.
“The second thing is they were on a restrictive diet. In this case, they were vegan,” he said. “So when you start to mix in the sexual aspect, then with a restrictive diet, now what you’re doing is behavior control.”
WATCH: Cult expert says ‘Zizian’ fringe group tied to killing of US border agent uses behavior control
Referencing cult expert Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control, Dixon discussed how cults emotionally control their members.
“I’m sure there was a lot of sleep deprivation going on also, which affects your thoughts, which affects your emotions, which also affects your behavior and your ability to take in and process information,” he said.
“This is part of the emotional control. You’re never allowed to feel your feelings or to discuss your feelings. If you don’t step in line with the party line, you’re immediately reprimanded, sometimes severely, either verbally or physically, or you’re shunned.”
“So the culmination of sexual identity, food restriction, sleep restriction and emotional restriction, well, now I’ve got you,” he said. “I own you. And I can take you any direction I want to take you now.”
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
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Immigrant advocates in Connecticut are calling on state leaders to prepare for the possible loss of legal protections for thousands of people after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians and Syrians.
TPS is a federal program that allows people from countries facing war, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the United States. The Trump administration has argued that conditions in some countries have improved enough that the protections are no longer necessary.
For organizations that work with immigrants, however, the ruling has triggered fear and uncertainty.
“The Haitian community, in particular, is reeling,” said Maggie Mitchell-Salem, executive director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, commonly known as IRIS.
Mitchell-Salem said the number of Syrians affected by the decision is much smaller than the number of Haitians nationwide, but she argued that the impact goes beyond statistics. Her organization has led resettlement efforts for Syrian refugees in Connecticut since the federal government offered TPS status amid the Syrian civil war in 2012.
“Numbers don’t matter,” she said. “A single person being impacted by inhumane racist immigration policies is a person who’s impacted, and we should care.”
A community preparing for uncertainty
Mitchell-Salem said immigrant advocacy groups and local officials are already discussing how to help families who could face difficult decisions if the Trump administration decides to end TPS protections.
Among the biggest concerns are families that could be separated if parents lose their legal status or face deportation.
“We’re working with municipalities, with any community leaders that we can, who are coming up with plans on what to do to help individuals here,” she said.
She urged families whose immigration status may be at risk to create preparedness plans and designate trusted relatives or friends who could care for children if necessary.
“The state of Connecticut has one on their website,” she said. “We urge everyone who has a family situation that is no longer stable to fill that out.”
Looking to Massachusetts as a model
Mitchell-Salem said Connecticut should consider following the example set by Massachusetts leaders, who responded to the Supreme Court ruling by holding a press conference, reassuring TPS holders of their rights, announcing legal clinics and creating an emergency response fund.
“What I think is beautiful about what Massachusetts did is that it signaled you are valued, you are part of our community, and we care about you,” she said. “For that, I would love to see Connecticut do something similar.”
At the same time, she cautioned that there are limits to what states can do if federal protections ultimately end.
“I think the state of Connecticut is right to really think about what remedies are truly possible,” Mitchell-Salem said.
Warning against scams
Mitchell-Salem said one of her organization’s biggest concerns is that desperate immigrants could become targets for fraud.
“What we’re most concerned about is that because people will be so desperate that there are those that will take advantage of them,” she said.
IRIS has been posting information in English, Haitian Creole and Arabic warning immigrants that there are “no magic solutions” and encouraging them to seek advice only from trusted legal organizations and immigration attorneys.
A call to action
Mitchell-Salem said the Supreme Court’s decision should prompt action not only from government officials but also from the public.
“Flood congressional phone banks, call Congress every single day, tell them what you think,” she said. “Get your friends in states that are less blue than Connecticut to do the same.”
She said public pressure has altered the course of other administration policies and could again influence federal immigration decisions.
“This isn’t an issue that’s just a blip that’s going to go away,” Mitchell-Salem said.
After a string of recent deaths and temperatures rising this week, officials are encouraging people in Maine to keep safety in mind when enjoying the water.
“Once it’s warm enough in Maine to access natural water sources, we might make decisions that we wouldn’t otherwise, and people are often not as competent swimmers as they think,” said Brooke Teller, founder and executive director of Maine Community Swimming, citing an American Red Cross report.
According to the Red Cross, 80% of adults say they can swim, but less than half can perform the five water competency skills required to save their own lives.
Popham Beach Lifeguard Supervisor Sean Vaillancourt agreed, urging people to have emergency plans in place and know their physical limits.
“Be prepared. Never swim alone. Notice your location and how you’re feeling at all times,” Vaillancourt said, as he prepares for the Fourth of July long weekend.
In June, the Maine Warden Service recovered the body of a Rockland man from Chickawaukie Lake; a 4-year-old from Boston died after a drowning incident in a hotel pool, according to Kennebunk Fire Rescue; and a Westbrook woman went missing while looking for golf balls in a pond.
Here are tips from Teller, Vaillancourt and other experts on how to stay safe in and around the water.
SAFETY AT THE BEACH AND POOLS
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While at the beach, Vaillancourt cautioned against digging holes in the sand above knee-level, especially for infants and children, and said always fill holes back in when no longer supervising.
“People don’t think about this, but it’s one of the highest risks we see. When little kids get, or fall, into these holes, and the sand collapses, it is incredibly difficult for us to get them out before suffocation occurs,” he said.
In the event of lightning or thunderstorms, Vaillancourt reminded beachgoers to cooperate with staff, clearing the beach immediately when asked or when storm sirens sound.
The U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan said that, before swimming in outdoor pools, ensure they are up to the state safety code, which requires four-sided pool fencing with self-closing, self-latching gates. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported drowning as the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14, most of which the agency said are preventable. Designate an adult to watch children within arm’s reach. Don’t rely on lifeguards alone or become distracted by phones, books or alcohol, according to the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA).
In the ocean, rip currents are the leading hazard at beaches and can move faster than an Olympic swimmer, according to the National Weather Service. If caught in one, don’t fight it: float on your back, then swim parallel to the beach until free, before angling back toward the beach, the weather service advised. Avoid rocky areas with strong wave action.
In rivers, according to Teller, currents can be deceptively strong and water levels can change quickly. Avoid wading or swimming alone in moving water.
It is important to watch for warning signs of overheating. One to be on the lookout for is lack of sweating, said Dr. Samir Haydar, vice chair of emergency medicine at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland.
“When you reach a point where your body’s really trying to dissipate heat, what it tries to do is sweat the heat out,” Haydar said. “But when your body starts losing that battle, you start noticing that you stop sweating, and that is a telltale sign, as well.”
” data-image-caption=”<p>People enjoy the water Tuesday morning in the pool at Kennedy Park on Park Street in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
” data-large-file=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?w=780″ height=”712″ width=”1024″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-7676901″ srcset=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg 3000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=300,209 300w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=768,534 768w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=1024,712 1024w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=1536,1068 1536w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=2048,1424 2048w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=1200,834 1200w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=2000,1391 2000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=780,542 780w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_07012610.jpg?resize=400,278 400w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”/><figcaption>People enjoy the water Tuesday morning in the pool at Kennedy Park on Park Street in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)<span class=)
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HELPING STRUGGLING SWIMMERS
If you are struggling in the water, stay calm and lean back to float by tilting your head back so your nose and mouth are clear of the water, USLA advised. Your lungs act like a natural life vest. Stay where you are and signal for help. Fighting the current or trying to swim to shore will be your first instinct, but it can lead to exhaustion, according to USLA.
Don’t jump in after a struggling swimmer. A panicked person can pull a rescuer under, Vaillancourt said.
Instead, Vaillancourt said, call 911, and throw a flotation device or reach with a pole or paddle — coolers or branches can also serve as makeshift devices. Going in after someone should be a last resort reserved for confident swimmers, he said.
“So often people go in after others and become a second or third victim,” he said. “If you must enter the water, bring a flotation device and keep it between you and the person in trouble.”
” data-image-caption=”<p>Lifeguards Kaia West and Skylar Tracy, left, watch over swimmers at Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
” data-large-file=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?w=780″ height=”683″ width=”1024″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-7676902″ srcset=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg 3000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=2000,1334 2000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=780,520 780w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_6.jpg?resize=400,267 400w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”/><figcaption>Lifeguards Kaia West and Skylar Tracy, left, watch over swimmers at Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)<span class=)
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COLD WATER SAFETY
Even on a hot day, rivers, lakes and the ocean in Maine can be cold enough to trigger cold shock. U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Lyric Jackson recommended swimmers of all skill levels ease into cold water rather than jumping in.
With cold water temperatures, hypothermia becomes a significant risk and can set in within an hour of being in the water, and you can start seeing signs of it within 30 minutes, Haydar said.
Jackson said that if a bystander sees someone in cold shock to first call 911. While waiting for medical personnel, gradually warm the person, replace wet clothing, cover their head and neck with a hat or scarf when possible, and seek contact with dry, warm surfaces that are close to normal body temperature, she said.
” data-image-caption=”<p>People swim near the Old Orchard Beach pier on Tuesday. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
” data-large-file=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?w=780″ height=”683″ width=”1024″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-7676903″ srcset=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg 3000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=780,520 780w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_20260630_summerwatersafety_4.jpg?resize=400,267 400w” sizes=”auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”/><figcaption>People swim near the Old Orchard Beach pier on Tuesday. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)<span class=)
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AVOID ALCOHOL
According to the CDC, alcohol use is involved in up to 70% of deaths associated with water recreation among adolescents and adults.
“Sometimes people make the mistake of drinking alcohol and enjoying the outdoors, and when you’re swimming around a boat, that becomes a lot more dangerous,” Haydar said.
Alcohol consumption can add to the danger, he said.
“You want to make sure that if you’re in the water, you’re a competent swimmer, that you’re using your appropriate life vests and life safety devices,” Haydar said. “(Be sure to) stay hydrated and not with alcohol.”
BOATING SAFETY
The U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan reported that wearing a life jacket when boating cuts the risk of drowning in half.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife advises people to get familiar with the body of water by checking a map for depths and hazards, go out with another person, and tell someone on shore their route and expected return time. Paddlers should also take a rescue class and practice in controlled settings, according to Jackson.
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BE PREPARED
Jackson encouraged people to use weather apps to check tide and current conditions before going into the ocean, and to note flags marking water conditions — red for high hazard, yellow for medium, green for low and purple for dangerous marine life. She recommended swimmers and boaters purchase personal locator beacons, small clip-on GPS devices that send location and distress status to Coast Guard command centers.
Officials say a lack of swimming instruction is one of several factors that can create danger in and around the water. Teller recommended swimming lessons and “tune-ups” for children and adults of all skill levels.
Maine Community Swimming and YMCA Southern Maine offer water safety education and swimming lessons for swimmers of all levels. The American Red Cross provides a searchable directory for swim classes statewide on the Red Cross Swim Lessons portal.
” data-image-caption=”<p>Children enjoy the water Tuesday morning on the splash pad at the Kennedy Park pool on Park Street in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
” data-large-file=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?w=780″ height=”652″ width=”1024″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-7676905″ srcset=”https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg 3000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=300,191 300w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=768,489 768w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=1024,652 1024w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=1536,977 1536w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=2048,1303 2048w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=1200,764 1200w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=2000,1273 2000w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=780,496 780w, https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/43677503_SJ_lifeguardHOTweather_0701265.jpg?resize=400,255 400w” sizes=”auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”/><figcaption>Children enjoy the water Tuesday morning on the splash pad at the Kennedy Park pool on Park Street in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)<span class=)
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Legislative negotiators on Tuesday unveiled a $63.4 billion fiscal year 2027 budget that leans into bolstering municipal finances while launching a broader reexamination of how Massachusetts funds cities, towns and public schools, pairing immediate aid increases with new commissions aimed at reshaping long-term formulas.
Lawmakers are expected to approve the compromise budget Wednesday — the first day of the new fiscal year, making it once again a late budget. It emerged after roughly a month of conference committee negotiations between the House and Senate. Lawmakers approved an interim budget Monday.
If both branches approve the compromise Wednesday as expected, Gov. Maura Healey will have until July 11 to sign, veto or return sections with amendments.
The full text of the compromise budget was not available at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, after the conference jacket was signed. Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues said staffers were working on finalizing the paperwork until 3 a.m. Tuesday, and back in the building before 8 a.m. to complete the work. Healey signed the interim $7.7 billion budget on Tuesday, according to Secretary of State William Galvin’s office.
The spending plan totals about $2.4 billion, or 4%, more than the current budget while avoiding tax or fee increases and preserving the state’s Stabilization Fund. Instead, the budget intends to add another $51 million to reserves, bringing the rainy day account to a projected balance of $8.2 billion.
The House and Senate entered negotiations with budget proposals that differed by roughly $50 million, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
One of the biggest policy negotiations centered on unrestricted local aid.
The Senate proposed increasing Unrestricted General Government Aid by $53 million and distributing the new funding on a per capita basis. The House proposed a $10 million increase.
Negotiators ultimately settled on a $40 million increase, bringing total UGGA funding to $1.363 billion, while retaining the Senate’s proposal to distribute the new money on a per capita basis.
Asked about discussions on that approach, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said the conversation will continue in future discussions about local aid.
“I think it was something we talked about going forward, and something that we’ll probably have to have a further conversation with, from budget to budget. But certainly something to discuss, and we appreciated the conversation that the Senate brought to the table,” he said.
The local aid compromise arrives alongside several efforts to reconsider how Massachusetts finances public education over the long term.
The budget revives the Foundation Budget Review Commission, a 29-member panel charged with examining the state’s K-12 funding formula and recommending updates by October 2028.
Rodrigues said the commission comes after the Legislature completed implementation of the Student Opportunity Act.
“I think it’s time. We fully fulfilled our obligation under the last foundation budget change, the so-called Student Opportunity Act. We completely fulfilled that responsibility. A lot has changed in the close to 10 years that we’ve looked at that change, and it’s time that we update how we distribute Chapter 70 money,” he said.
Michlewitz likewise said lawmakers are entering a new phase of school finance policy.
“Now that the Student Opportunity Act, once the governor signs this budget, once that’s finalized, once that’s implemented through this process, once that will be finally fully implemented, after seven years of discussion, I think it’s now time for us to start a new discussion about how we move forward,” he said. “New issues have arisen since 2019 … but some of the old issues are still there.”
The budget also includes House-backed reforms aimed at improving oversight of special education transportation spending, requiring additional reporting from school districts, creating a centralized transportation database and directing the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to study the transportation marketplace. Districts often cite transportation as a major strain on their budgets.
The compromise also preserves two major House healthcare initiatives.
Negotiators agreed to extend the ConnectorCare expansion program through 2027, continuing what began as a pilot program providing subsidized insurance coverage for residents earning up to 500% of the federal poverty level.
“We’ve been prioritizing that now for a number of years. We know it’s been very successful in helping people gain insurance, affordable insurance, and benefits at lower premiums with no deductibles and reduced copay,” Michlewitz said. “I think that’s going to become even more important as we go into the uncharted territory of how things get implemented on the federal level.”
The budget also requires MassHealth, the Group Insurance Commission and private insurers to cover HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, without cost-sharing requirements or prior authorization.
“We just still know that there is a community out there that has to deal with these issues, and we certainly wanted to kind of create an easier pathway for them to be able to gain the access they need,” Michlewitz said.
Among the notable Senate policy wins included in the final budget is the repeal of the state’s Learnfare policy, which reduced Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits when children accumulated excessive unexcused school absences.
Negotiators also adopted a Senate-backed proposal removing candidates’ home street addresses from publicly available election materials, replacing them with their municipality of residence or ward and precinct.
The proposal was first introduced by Sen. Becca Rausch of Needham and gained traction after Minnesota state lawmakers were assassinated last year. Rausch argued during budget negotiations that Massachusetts is the only state requiring candidates’ full home addresses to appear on ballots.
The budget also adopts housing permitting reforms intended to streamline local approvals for development on nonconforming properties and modernize variance standards.
Other outside sections include new criminal protections shielding 16- and 17-year-olds from sexual relationships with adults responsible for their care and wrong-way driving prevention measures.
Rodrigues singled out the child protection language as one of the provisions he was especially pleased survived negotiations.
“I just want to highlight another issue, another initiative that’s in the budget,” he said. “There was an amendment filed by Senator [Joan] Lovely protecting children from indecent assault by people in authority. We’re very happy that that survived.”
In total, there are 135 outside policy sections in the budget, most of which are annual policies that must be revived every year, Rodrigues said.
The compromise budget also adopts a $1,750 annual cap on MassHealth adult dental services, exceeding the $1,000 limit originally proposed by Healey.
“We went to $1,750, which was in both the House and Senate budgets and an increase from what the governor recommended,” Michlewitz said.
Rodrigues said lawmakers were comfortable with the budget’s 4% spending growth because it remained within the state’s available revenues.
“We have the resources to provide that increase without raising taxes or dipping into the rainy day fund,” he said. “It’s within the margins.”
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