Some of the places that have avoided the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, including Puerto Rico and Northern New England states, are coping with elevated cases and hospitalizations as the latest highly contagious iterations of the virus circulate.

Most counties in Vermont, as well as a growing number in Maine and southern New England, now have community COVID-19 levels categorized as “high” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based on case and hospitalization trends. Puerto Rico recently has had the highest rate of newly reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S., along with climbing hospitalizations.

Some of these places, including Puerto Rico and Vermont, have below-average rates of prior infections, recent CDC data show. Epidemiologists and health officials believe immunity from vaccines and heavy exposure to the virus at the national level may be limiting severe illness from the latest subvariants. The New England region and Puerto Rico have among the highest vaccination rates in the U.S.

“This is starting to affect our ability to care for individuals outside of COVID,” said James Jarvis, senior physician executive of incident command at Northern Light Health, a system in Maine with 10 hospitals. When beds fill up at bigger facilities, it makes it harder to take in transfers from the large, rural region the system covers, he said.

State data recently showed 205 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Maine, more than double the number in mid-April, though still less than half the peaks hit during the Omicron surge in January. Dr. Jarvis also said few patients have been requiring intensive care, indicating milder cases.

Yet the uptick demonstrates the continuing challenge of fending off the coronavirus more than two years into the pandemic, particularly as highly contagious subvariants are spreading in the U.S.

The northeastern U.S. has been hit hard by the Omicron BA.2 subvariant. The even more transmissible BA.2.12.1 version was first identified in upstate New York.

Mark Levine, Vermont’s health commissioner, said it may be contributing to rising cases in a state that shares its western border with New York.

Nationally, Johns Hopkins University data show the seven-day moving average for new COVID-19 cases recently topped 73,000, up from near 27,000 a month earlier, though authorities acknowledge case counts are widely missing at-home test results. The average number of hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19, about 14,500, is up 44% from a mid-April low, according to federal data. Hospitalizations, a lagging indicator, also reflect patients who are being treated for other reasons and test positive after they are admitted. These numbers are far below Omicron-surge peaks in January.

The fact most Vermonters appear not to have been infected before may be contributing to recent case and hospitalization increases, said Dr. Levine, who credited efforts in the state to limit the virus. The CDC estimates 29% of Vermont’s population had detectable, infection-induced antibodies by February compared with about 58% nationally. Vermont has 81% of its population fully vaccinated, compared with 66% nationally, and one of the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates.

Nationally, epidemiologists believe heavy exposure to the virus during the record-breaking Omicron surge this winter may have boosted immune defenses and blunted the impact of the latest virus versions. But higher exposure to the virus isn’t a guarantee of protection. The CDC estimates nearly 62% of New Yorkers exhibited signs of previous infection as of February.

Dr. Levine said chilly spring weather that has kept people inside likely played a role in rising cases and hospitalizations in the state. However, Timothy Lahey, an infectious disease physician at University of Vermont Medical Center, said hospitalizations in UVM’s larger network have recently plateaued.

In Puerto Rico, BA.2.12.1 makes up a significant and rising number of infections, said Dr. Iris Cardona, chief medical officer at the Puerto Rico Department of Health. Known Covid-19 cases as of Saturday reached 950 per 100,000 in the prior week—higher than any state—and the test positivity rate hit 25%, according to CDC and local data. Hospitalizations recently climbed to 281 people, the highest since early February.

About 83% of Puerto Rico’s population is fully vaccinated, higher than any state, CDC data show. The agency considers people fully vaccinated once they have received two shots of an mRNA vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

One possible factor is that Puerto Rico was one of the earliest places to vaccinate a large proportion of the population, creating more time for immunity from the shots to wane, said Kenira Thompson, president of the Scientific Coalition, which advises the governor on Covid-19 policy.

The island, like much of the country, also hasn’t been as successful in persuading residents to get booster shots. Among those fully vaccinated, 58% have received a first booster dose, versus 46% nationally, according to the CDC.

“Thankfully we don’t have any of our hospital systems that are compromised, but it’s always something that worries us,” Dr. Thompson said.

Massachusetts Gas Prices Reach New Record of $4.39 a Gallon, AAA Says

WHDH – Gas prices in Massachusetts have reached a new all-time high, according to AAA. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the state is now $4.39 a gallon.

That’s up 18 cents in just the last week. A year ago at this time it was $1.54 lower at $2.85 a gallon.

The national average is $4.32 a gallon, AAA said Monday. California has the highest average price at $5.82 a gallon.

AAA spokeswoman Mary Maguire said many people are revisiting how much time they spend in the car.

“We’re seeing people driving less, trying to work from home more, trying to carpool, trying to bike and walk to work,” she told WBZ-TV.

“I had to actually buy an electric car to get to work just simply because the gas prices were so high,” said Shawn Covert, who drives from Connecticut to work in Norwood every day.

Maguire says the high cost of crude oil, which is now close to $110 a barrel, is to blame. Her advice is to shop around for the lowest prices.

Massachusetts Reports Most Single-Day COVID Cases in Three Months

WHDH – State health officials on Thursday reported the highest single-day COVID-19 case count in more than three months.

The 4,376 daily virus cases in the state was up 31% from 3,341 reported cases last Thursday. The 4,376 new infections represent the highest daily count since Feb. 3.

The omicron BA.2 variant is spreading across the region, and the subvariant BA.2.12.1 is gaining steam in New England.

The state’s daily average positive test rate has been climbing in recent weeks. The average positive test rate is now 6.17%, way up from 1.6% a few weeks ago.

State health officials reported 13 new COVID deaths, bringing the state’s total recorded death toll to 20,316. The daily average of deaths was much higher following the omicron hospitalization surge. The daily death rate is now four.

State to Refund Jobless Claim Overpayments

Eagle Tribune – Thousands of workers who repaid ‘overpayments’ for unemployment benefits during the pandemic will soon be getting a refund from the state.

The refunds include more than $15.3 million paid back by 3,168 jobless claimants whose overpayment debts are being wiped away by a federal waiver, according to figures from the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Another $4.9 million was repaid by 10,174 claimants who can request refunds under a separate waiver process for state and federal overpayments.

A notice sent by the state Department of Unemployment Assistance to eligible claimants explains they don’t need to make more payments and will get a refund or credit.

“If you have made a payment toward this debt, you will receive your refund via direct deposit if that was your payment method,” the notice stated. “If your payment method was debit card, please update your account’s payment method to direct deposit, or make sure your mailing address is accurate, because we will mail you a check if no direct deposit account is available.”

Massachusetts shelled out a record $33 billion in state and federal and unemployment benefits between 2020 and 2021 as government-imposed shutdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19 sidelined hundreds of thousands of workers. The state was forced to borrow about $2.2 billion from the federal government to continue paying claims.

Seven Massachusetts Counties Ranked with High COVID-19 Levels, Says CDC

Boston Globe – Seven Massachusetts counties now have high community levels of COVID-19 and people in those areas should wear masks in indoor public spaces, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Berkshire, Franklin, Worcester, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Barnstable counties are cited as high on the CDC’s website, which rates virus levels in US counties as “a tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take.”

Hampshire, Hampden, Essex, Plymouth, Dukes, and Nantucket counties are ranked at medium levels. The only county still at a low level is Bristol.

The CDC determines community COVID-19 levels by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area, according to the CDC website.

It recommends that people take greater precautions the higher the level. Masking in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status, is only recommended by CDC when communities reach the high level, though the agency notes that people can wear masks at any level based on personal preference.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Massachusetts have been rising gradually after a precipitous fall from the early days of this year, when the Omicron variant drove a deadly surge. Experts have been concerned about the arrival of the Omicron subvariants BA.2 and BA.2.12.1.

Municipal Leaders Like Baker’s Jobs Bill Approach

State House News – As soon as Gov. Charlie Baker filed his $3.5 billion economic development bill last month, municipal officials across the state were ready to pore over it, looking for what it offered their community, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said Monday.

“I love what the governor did,” Fuller, the president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, told lawmakers. “He included every single city and town in this. That’s why we’re all excited. This is an inclusive proposal. It’s going to touch every single resident across the state.”

Fuller was one of several mayors and local officials who testified on the bill at an Economic Development Committee hearing. Like others, she described a project in her community that would receive funding under the bill — a streetscape enhancement effort for Pettee Square in Newton’s Upper Falls area, which stands to get $3.1 million.

“It’s shovel-ready,” Fuller said. “All we need is your help.”

Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito used much of their time before the committee to highlight local projects in line for funding through the bill (H 4270), which combines the state’s remaining $2.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act money with $1.2 billion in state bond authorizations. It includes funding for specific projects in all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

Many of the projects Polito mentioned were in districts represented by committee members — among them, demolition of Millville’s old town hall in Rep. Michael Soter’s district; revisioning of Main Street in Hyannis, which Rep. Kip Diggs represents; a planning and zoning review for Cliftondale Square in Saugus, represented by Rep. Jessica Giannino; and $5 million worth of lead service-line replacements in Sen. Michael Brady’s hometown of Brockton.

“There are still too many projects that are not green-lighted because we haven’t been able to dedicate the resources,” Polito said. “This is our moment to do so.”

Baker attached a sense of urgency to the bill. He said deadlines for committing and spending ARPA money — 2024 and 2026, respectively — and COVID-era supply chain constraints, coupled with the general complexities of planning construction projects, mean lawmakers should act quickly.

The governor cited recent projects in Ayer, Kingston and Easthampton that have run into delays.

“If we don’t get those dollars into the hands of cities and towns across the state now so that they can begin the process associated with planning, designing and reimagining and jump-starting their local economies and their downtowns, we’ll continue to see empty storefronts and quiet main streets for years to come,” he said.

Baker’s bill features nearly $970 million toward downtown and community revitalization efforts, $270 million in bond authorization supporting housing production, and $750 million in clean energy investments. It would steer $300 million to the Unemployment Trust Fund to address overpayments and green-light the sale of the Hynes Convention Center in Boston’s Back Bay.

Health Care

Wu calls Mass general  Project a ‘Catalytic Investment’

Commonwealth Magazine – Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is calling the construction of two connected towers at Massachusetts General Hospital a “catalytic investment” that could not only boost health care in the city but transform public transportation.

As expected, Mass General Brigham won state regulatory approval on Wednesday for the addition of 78 inpatient beds at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain and the construction of the two new clinical towers downtown at MGH along Cambridge Street.

Wu, in a letter to the Public Health Council, welcomed the jobs and enhanced health care the project will bring. But she also highlighted the potential transit benefits the project could unlock — a multi-modal Cambridge Street, improved access to Logan International Airport, and construction of the “missing link” between the MBTA’s Red and Blue lines.

What Wu is talking about is the long-sought connection between the Red and Blue subway lines. By extending the Blue Line from its existing terminus at Bowdoin to Charles/MGH, a stop on the Red Line, the MBTA would be able to give riders of the Red Line easier access to Logan and give riders of the Blue Line easier access to MGH and Cambridge.

According to Wu’s letter, Mass General Brigham has promised $5 million for a new “headhouse” at Charles/MGH and funding for improved pedestrian and bicycle access on Cambridge Street and Blossom Street.

Sustainability, Climate and Energy

Electricity Shortage Warnings Grow Across U.S.

From California to Texas to Indiana, electric-grid operators are warning that power-generating capacity is struggling to keep up with demand, a gap that could lead to rolling blackouts during heat waves or other peak periods as soon as this year.

California’s grid operator said Friday that it anticipates a shortfall in supplies this summer, especially if extreme heat, wildfires or delays in bringing new power sources online exacerbate the constraints. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, which oversees a large regional grid spanning much of the Midwest, said late last month that capacity shortages may force it to take emergency measures to meet summer demand and flagged the risk of outages. In Texas, where a number of power plants lately went offline for maintenance, the grid operator warned of tight conditions during a heat wave expected to last into the next week.

The risk of electricity shortages is rising throughout the U.S. as traditional power plants are being retired more quickly than they can be replaced by renewable energy and battery storage. Power grids are feeling the strain as the U.S. makes a historic transition from conventional power plants fueled by coal and natural gas to cleaner forms of energy such as wind and solar power, and aging nuclear plants are slated for retirement in many parts of the country.

The challenge is that wind and solar farms—which are among the cheapest forms of power generation—don’t produce electricity at all times and need large batteries to store their output for later use. While a large amount of battery storage is under development, regional grid operators have lately warned that the pace may not be fast enough to offset the closures of traditional power plants that can work around the clock.

Speeding the build-out of renewable energy and batteries has become an especially difficult proposition amid supply-chain challenges and inflation. Most recently, a probe by the Commerce Department into whether Chinese solar manufacturers are circumventing trade tariffs on solar panels has halted imports of key components needed to build new solar farms and effectively brought the U.S. solar industry to a standstill.

Faced with the prospect of having to call for blackouts when demand exceeds supply, many grid operators are now grappling with the same question: How to encourage the build-out of batteries and other new technologies while keeping traditional power plants from closing too quickly.

“Every market around the world is trying to deal with the same issue,” said Brad Jones, interim chief executive of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state’s power grid. “We’re all trying to find ways to utilize as much of our

The risk of outages resulting from supply constraints comes amid other challenges straining the reliability of the grid. Large, sustained outages have occurred with greater frequency over the past two decades, in part because the grid has become more vulnerable to failure with age and an uptick in severe weather events exacerbated by climate change. A push to electrify home heating and cooking, and the expected growth of electric vehicles, may increase power demand in coming years, putting further pressure on the system.

California regulators on Friday said as much as 3,800 megawatts of new supplies may face delays through 2025. Such delays would pose a major challenge for the state, which is racing to procure a huge amount of renewable energy and storage to offset the closure of several gas-fired power plants, as well as a nuclear plant. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently said he would consider moving to keep that nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, online to reduce the risk of shortages.

“We need to make sure that we have sufficient new resources in place and operational before we let some of these retirements go,” said Mark Rothleder, chief operating officer of the California Independent System Operator, which operates the state’s power grid. “Otherwise, we are putting ourselves potentially at risk of having insufficient capacity.”

The reliability question has stirred strong debate in Texas, where a freak winter storm last year caused power plants of all kinds to trip offline, forcing the grid operator to call for dayslong blackouts to keep supply in line with demand. Many problems played a part—some power plants weren’t prepared for subfreezing temperatures, while others couldn’t operate for lack of fuel—but the failures collectively exposed the vulnerability of the state’s power market, and resulted in calls for change.

Texas is now debating what would be a major philosophical shift for its power market: paying power generators ahead of time for resources that might be needed, instead of just compensating them for actual power sold. That approach would largely benefit incumbent generators including NRG Energy Inc. and Vistra Corp., which own numerous conventional power plants with the potential to profit from such contracts.

The MISO, which recently warned of potential supply shortages resulting from higher-than-expected summer demand, has lately undertaken an effort to better value different types of resources based on their ability to support the grid at different times during the year and under various conditions. It is also working to improve the transfer of power across regions when needed.

MISO Chief Executive John Bear said those processes will help the grid operator as the energy transition progresses, but he foresees the risk of near-term shortages. The grid operator has more frequently resorted to emergency measures to shore up supplies in recent years.

“I am concerned about it,” Mr. Bear said. “As we move forward, we need to know that when you put a solar panel or a wind turbine up, it’s not the same as a thermal resource,” such as gas or coal.

The Solar Boom Will Create Millions of Tons of Junk Panels

The solar-energy boom will trigger a landslide of electronic waste in the coming decades. Some companies are already preparing for the recycling challenge.

Solar panels are typically built to last between 25 and 30 years. Most in use today have many years of life left in them, and the few that are scrapped due to damage or age often end up in trash heaps. Experts say the small waste volumes mean it isn’t yet profitable to harvest the glass, aluminum, copper, silicon, silver and lead from old panels, but the breakneck expansion of solar power is expected to change that.

The global volume of solar-panel waste generated annually will rise from 30,000 metric tons in 2021 to more than 1 million tons in 2035 and more than 10 million tons in 2050, according to BloombergNEF. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that the recovered materials could be worth $450 million by 2030 and $15 billion by 2050.

Government mandates will be necessary to make recycling solar panels profitable because the value of the materials is low compared with the cost of collection and extraction, said Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at BloombergNEF. The recoverable parts of a panel were worth $551 a ton based on material prices in September 2020, but it often costs more than that to collect the panels and then extract and purify the materials, according to BloombergNEF.

“It would be more today but still not worth doing at small scale,” Ms. Chase said. “Recycling happens where there is policy.”

The European Union, which has required an 85% collection rate and an 80% recycling rate for solar panels since 2012, requires companies that import panels in the bloc to dispose of them. Most companies buy into industry-led recycling programs.

Junk solar panels are considered electronic waste under EU law and are required to be disposed of accordingly. Mr. Delgado said industry-specific requirements would help solar recycling expand.

BloombergNEF says up to 95% of the materials in a solar panel can be recycled using current technology, a rate that French waste manager Veolia Environnement SA said it achieved at a pilot plant in 2018. Collecting the glass and aluminum is fairly straightforward, but extracting the silver and lead from the panels still can’t be achieved efficiently. The silicon in most semiconductors is recoverable, he said, but challenges remain in purifying it, which researchers are tackling.

In the U.S., where recycling rules are set by individual states, solar-panel manufacturer First Solar Inc. plans to step up its recycling business. Its factories are already equipped to recycle solar panels, but the company, based in Tempe, Arizona, is considering building standalone recycling centers as more panels reach the end of their life, said Patrick Buehler, the company’s chief quality and reliability officer.

“As the volumes get higher and the predictions come to pass, there is going to be a number of recycling possibilities on the market,” he said.

First Solar can recover close to 95% of a panel’s materials by weight for use in new products, such as the semiconductor for new panels, glass for bottles and laminate for rubber mats and bicycle handles. The remaining 5% to 10% of material, largely consisting of ground-up glass, can’t be reused in new products, it says.

The company said it recycled several thousand tons of panels in 2020.

Most of First Solar’s clients, which are primarily energy companies rather than homeowners, have agreed to pay a fee when their panels need to be recycled.

Mr. Buehler said he expects recycling will become profitable, as processes become more efficient and demand for sustainable materials increases. “I’m very confident we will get the costs of recycling below landfill,” he said.

More than 90% of solar panels in use today have a semiconductor made with silicon. First Solar’s thin-film panels use a compound called cadmium telluride in the semiconductor instead, which the company says it can recover and reuse. It says its cadmium telluride semiconductor can be reused up to 40 times.

First Solar is also looking into setting up a recycling service to handle most panels that use silicon, Mr. Buehler said.

“It’s hard to put a number on, but I know our customers value it,” Mr. Buehler said. “We have conversations where they really want to recycle. They can drive a module to a landfill and put it in there, but they don’t want to.”

Employment Law and Workforce Development

Uber-Lyft Backed Gig Initiative Meets Wary Massachusetts Court

Bloomberg Law – Massachusetts voters may not realize casting a ballot in favor of an initiative that cements gig workers’ status as independent contractors could shield app-based companies from liability for accidents that involve third parties, several of the state’s high court justices suggested at a hearing Wednesday.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is considering a challenge to a ballot initiative backed by companies including Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc., and DoorDash Inc. that would designate app-based delivery and ride-hailing drivers as independent contractors, while providing some benefits and guarantees for minimum wage.

A coalition of worker advocates and drivers challenged Attorney General Maura Healey’s certification of the proposals for the ballot, contending they violate the state’s constitution because the questions posed to voters include unrelated subjects and fail to inform voters about what the proposal would do.

The ballot initiative represents the latest battleground for the gig companies, who have funneled millions into the effort to get the questions on the November ballot. The coalition the companies are backing, Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, has collected $17 million in donations so far, including a record $14 million from Lyft alone.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Fed to Update Study that Found Average Black Boston Household had Net Worth of $8

Boston Globe – You might call it the number that rocked a city.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston released its “Color of Wealth” report in 2015, and it quickly became one of the most widely cited studies of any sort in Boston. The biggest reason? Its stark estimate for the median net wealth of US-born Black people in the region: $8.

That sobering single digit — contrasted with the $247,500 reported by white households in Greater Boston — inspired hard conversations about who benefits from Boston’s economic boom, and who gets left behind.

The report and ensuing discussions prompted the creation of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, which has become a formidable lobbying force for city and state public affairs, and the Foundation for Business Equity, an Eastern Bank Foundation spinoff that helps entrepreneurs of color.

And that eight-dollar figure was the focal point of a Globe Spotlight series in 2017 that increased the urgency among local business groups to address the persistent racial inequities underscored in the report.

Now, business leaders working with the Boston Fed are revisiting the ground covered by that oft-mentioned study. Late last month, they embarked on an extensive initiative that will involve a survey that’s far more comprehensive than the previous one.

Biden Announces Program Offering Discounted Internet Service

Associated Press – President Joe Biden announced Monday that 20 internet companies have agreed to provide discounted service to people with low incomes, a program that could effectively make tens of millions of households eligible for free service through an already existing federal subsidy.

“High speed internet is not a luxury any longer. It’s a necessity,” Biden said at a sun-drenched rose garden event with representatives from participating companies, as well as members of Congress.

The $1 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress last year included $14.2 billion funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides $30 monthly subsidies ($75 in tribal areas) on internet service for millions of lower-income households.

With the new commitment from the internet providers, some 48 million households will be eligible for $30 monthly plans for 100 megabits per second, or higher speed, service — making internet service fully paid for with government assistance if they sign up with one of the providers participating in the program.

Biden noted that families of four earning about $55,000 annually — or those including someone eligible for Medicaid — will get a $30 monthly credit, meaning about 40 percent of Americans will qualify.

Plan Charts 30-Year Course for Equity and Resilience in Greater Boston

WGBH – A new blueprint lays out what Greater Boston governments can do to reach policy and resilience goals by 2050, focusing on equity, the climate crisis and public health.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council unveiled its sweeping 30-year roadmap Thursday after years of consultation with the 101 cities and towns in its Metropolitan Boston region.

The 433-page MetroCommon 2050 plan reimagines transportation, housing, the economy, local governments and the arts. It also includes recommendations for how to meet Massachusetts’ deadline of net-zero emissions by 2050. Realizing the vision requires buy-in from policymakers, who will be able to create change at the municipal and state level, as MAPC executive director Marc Draisen told the audience gathered at JFK Presidential Library for the plan’s launch.

“We don’t have too much direct power to change things at MAPC,” Draisen said. “But I believe our great power is through the ability to teach and learn, to educate and convene, to bring people together.”

State representatives who spoke on a legislative panel at the event praised the plan’s breadth and its work in putting different goals — like housing and transportation — in the same document.

Taxation and Budget

Baker Sees ‘Really Good Sign’ for Tax Relief in Massachusetts

MassLive – Buoyed by news that Senate President Karen Spilka wants her chamber to tackle a tax relief package after April tax revenues massively exceeded expectations, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday there is a “really good sign” that Beacon Hill is “taking the opportunity seriously” to deliver financial assistance to struggling Bay Staters.

The Department of Revenue on Wednesday reported Massachusetts raked in more than $2 billion in excess tax revenues than were projected in April. The commonwealth has also eclipsed its year-to-date benchmark by $3.5 billion.

Spilka, in a statement Wednesday evening, said she’s directed Senate leaders to now “work with their partners in government to pursue a tax relief package for residents before the end of session” in July.

Capital Investment Plan Proposes $4.3 Million to Upgrade Springfield Courthouses, $40 million for Holyoke Soldiers’ Home

MassLive – The Baker administration on Thursday announced a $2.78 billion capital investment plan, including $4.3 million earmarked for two ailing Springfield courthouses and an additional $40 million for the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke.

The nearly $3 billion figure applies to fiscal 2023 and falls under a $13.9 billion five-year plan.

“The capital budget is an important vehicle for enabling long-term economic growth and improving the way state government serves its constituents, and our FY23-FY27 plan supports infrastructure initiatives that will benefit residents in every corner of the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “We are proud to release our eighth capital investment plan today, and we look forward to the lasting positive impacts it will drive in the coming years.”

Governor Says April Revenue Could Pay for His Tax Cut – Twice

Boston Herald – Just a week ago, the fate of Gov. Charlie Baker’s tax cut proposal seemed all but sealed, confined to the dustbin of the State House committee where it languished — and then April’s tax revenue numbers came in.

“You could fund our entire tax proposal — more than one time — with just the surplus in the month of April,” Baker told reporters Thursday.

April tax revenues, according to the Department of Revenue, were a whopping $3 billion higher than they were last year, coming in at nearly $7 billion and a full $2 billion more than expected.

Baker had previously proposed a now modest-looking $700 million series of tax cuts which included relief for renters, adoption of federal standards for no-tax status for low-income residents, an adjustment of the “low-income circuit breaker” on property tax relief for older residents, and a proposal to lower the estate and short-term capital gains taxes.

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a nonpartisan watchdog group, has endorsed the tax plan.

“The totality of resources available to the commonwealth warrants tax relief now,” Eileen McAnneny, MTF president, told the Herald Thursday.

The House’s nearly $50 billion budget proposal was approved last week but absent any of the governor’s tax cut proposals.

Baker Defends Abortion-Rights Veto; Supports Choice

Boston Herald – Despite his veto of a bill protecting abortion rights in the state, Gov. Charlie Baker said he supports the right and is happy his constituents are protected by law.

“I’m glad that Massachusetts is in the position that we’re in,” Baker said Sunday during an appearance on WCVB’s On The Record.

“I certainly support a woman’s right to choose, I always have,” Baker said.

Baker’s statements come following the leak last week of a draft Supreme Court decision which would apparently overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case which legalized first term abortion nationally.

If Roe were overturned, Massachusetts residents would not see any change to the state of their health care, due to a 2020 law which codified a person’s right to get an abortion up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

Baker vetoed that bill, despite his pro-choice stance, citing provisions that allowed children as young as 16 to access abortions without parental consent and the law’s language on late-term abortions. The Legislature was able to override his veto and the bill is now law.

Attorney General Maura Healey has affirmed women in the state are protected, and Baker said rules protecting women and their providers from the laws of other states which would punish those who travel to Massachusetts for reproductive services are being looked at.

“I think that’s a subject that’s worth discussion, and people have started to have preliminary discussion on it,” he said Sunday.

Activists have long said that overturning abortion would be a precursor to the dissolution of other rights, like same-sex marriage and desegregation. Baker said he doesn’t necessarily see the leak of the Roe draft as a h