Second Amendment win and four more stories

 

THE SATURDAY SEND

Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed.  In this week's roundup: The Supreme Judicial Court protects Massachusetts licensing laws for non-resident gun owners, Jennifer Smith reports, finding that the state’s strict gun laws can still hold up to scrutiny under this lax period of Second Amendment jurisprudence.   Plus: The impact of new federal emissions rules, a spat over the state seal, and new potential challengers for Mayor Michelle Wu.  Check out those stories below, and as always, thanks for reading.  - The CommonWealth Beacon team

SJC gives a Second Amendment win to Mass. lawmakers looking to license non-residents by Jennifer Smith The Supreme Judicial Court protects Massachusetts licensing laws for non-resident gun owners, Jennifer Smith reports, finding that the state’s strict gun laws still hold up even after the US Supreme Court loosened some restrictions.  READ MORE

EPA move to undermine greenhouse gas regulation will hurt US competitiveness, says former Mass. energy official by BHAAMATI BORKHETARIA Barbara Kates-Garnick, a professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and the former undersecretary of energy for Massachusetts, says states like Massachusetts, with strong standards, can create rules on their own. But a patchwork approach will make it difficult to combat climate change and hurt green industries, she warns. READ MORE

New commission to change controversial state seal already behind schedule by Gintautas Dumcius A renewed effort to come up with proposals for a new Massachusetts seal by July running months behind schedule, prompting a public dispute between commission advocates and the secretary of state. READ MORE

Mayor Wu could see a challenger from Boston’s business sector by Gintautas Dumcius Tom O’Brien, a developer who worked in Boston City Hall under Mayor Thomas Menino, is now weighing a campaign against Mayor Michelle Wu, who is running for a second four-year term. READ MORE

Cannabis commission punts on long-term decision to keep cannabis delivery exclusive to social equity businesses by BHAAMATI BORKHETARIA Delivery licenses have been restricted to those who qualify for license categories targeted toward individuals impacted by the war on drugs during a 3-year “exclusivity period.” It’s approaching the end of that period, but social equity delivery businesses have argued that the exclusivity period must be extended. READ MORE

The Codcast: New Episode Coming Sunday at 8pm! Jennifer Smith talks with Ariel Beccia, instructor of epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, about purges of CDC data and what it means for academics and laypeople alike when the government prevents or undermines public health data collection. Missed last week's episode of The Codcast? Jennifer Smith sat down with Sarang Sekhavat, chief of staff at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition. They talk federal temporary protected status, so-called sanctuary cities and how Massachusetts immigrant populations are positioned right now. LISTEN NOW

Published by MassINC CommonWealth Beacon 11 Beacon Street, Suite 500 Boston, MA 02108 United States