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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Protests, Construction Continue at East Boston Substation

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Monday, March 13, 2023   

Environmental activists are calling on Gov. Maura Healy to end construction of the Eversource electrical substation in East Boston, and move it to Massport - which will utilize most of the generated power.

The activists say the utility is knowingly building the high-voltage project in a flood plain, posing health and safety risks to the surrounding community.

State Sen. Lydia Edwards - D-Boston - said local residents should not pay for energy meant to power Logan Airport.

"This is all about them," said Edwards. "It has never been about our community. It has never been about what we need or want."

Edwards said the project runs counter to the Commonwealth's landmark climate law - which requires environmental justice factors be considered when siting infrastructure projects, and residents say they are already overburdened with industrial pollution.

Eversource says the substation is needed to meet the area's growing energy demands.

Healy has previously expressed her opposition to the substation and members of her cabinet have committed to reviewing all legal procedures related to its construction.

But activists such as Alex Chambers - an organizer with the climate justice group Extinction Rebellion - said nearly 84% of voters already rejected the project in a 2021 ballot initiative.

"It's a real insult that the state government has allowed this to go forward," said Chambers. "We should be creating more green space for people to use, not allocating it to investor-owned utilities like Eversource."

Chambers said activists will continue to practice civil disobedience at the construction site while appealing to Healy to intervene.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has already publicly opposed the project.




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