Massachusetts

The Agawam, Massachusetts City Council has reignited debate over the public school district's "Brownies" nickname and mascot, which depicts an Indigenous person in a headdress. A council resolution affirmed the school committee's exclusive authority over district symbols like colors, logos, and mascots. Sponsors say it was meant to reinforce governance procedures, not take a position on the mascot itself. Mayor Chris Johnson, who chairs the school committee, said he was unaware of the resolution beforehand and noted current talks involve adopting a stylized letter "A" logo, not changing the nickname. Massachusetts has no statewide ban on Native American school mascots, though advocates continue pushing for one.

A new report from real estate data firm NestCash finds Hampden County ranks second among Massachusetts counties for foreclosure risk, with Springfield a particular hotspot: 109 foreclosure petitions were filed there from July to December 2025, more than triple the statewide rate. Dukes County, driven by seasonal vacation properties, ranks first. Hampden's mortgage delinquency rate and unemployment rate (5.6%) are also among the state's highest. Springfield's housing director says rates remain low by national standards and are not comparable to the 2008 crash, since homeowners today generally retain equity. The city also has the state's highest eviction filing rate, which officials link to low median household income.

At a food rights panel at UMass Amherst, U.S. Rep. James McGovern, state Sen. Jo Comerford, and state Rep. Mindy Domb argued that food access should be enshrined as a constitutional right in Massachusetts, framing hunger as a solvable political problem rather than a resource shortage. Rising costs for food, housing, and health care have left roughly half of Americans unable to afford a basic standard of living, according to the Urban Institute, with one report finding 60% of Massachusetts college students now food insecure, up sharply from the prior year. Lawmakers also pointed to federal SNAP cuts as worsening local hunger, and said the state is exploring funding to help colleges address student food insecurity.

California's Proposition 40 would create the first U.S. tax on billionaires' net worth, but two rival measures, Propositions 41 and 42, contain "poison pill" language that could nullify it even if it wins a majority. Polling shows all three measures drawing majority support, pointing to voter confusion over the ballot language. A billionaire-backed coalition, including Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt, has bankrolled the opposition, with spending topping $350 million against roughly $34 million raised by supporters, including labor unions like SEIU-UHW. Democrats are split: Bernie Sanders backs Prop. 40 while Gavin Newsom opposes it, favoring a national wealth tax instead. If competing measures both pass, the outcome would likely be settled in court.

Massachusetts State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg's office is mailing letters directly to residents owed unclaimed money, a shift from relying on the "Find Mass Money" online database; officials stress the outreach is legitimate, not a scam. Separately, Wakefield and Quincy became the latest communities to drop Flock license-plate reader cameras over privacy concerns. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced the city is now proactively replacing street lamps before they fail, shortening its replacement cycle from 15 to 10 years. In Western Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey deployed the National Guard to help battle a 157-acre wildfire that crossed from New York into Williamstown; no homes are currently threatened.