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Happy hump day! You're halfway through the first work week of 2026. How are those resolutions going? Anyway, let's get to the news. Tech for vets: Massachusetts military veterans have a new way to access the bonuses they’re owed. State Treasurer Deb Goldberg yesterday unveiled a new online portal where veterans can apply for benefits and track the status of their applications. “Bottom line is, it allows for faster processing of the awards to the veterans,” Goldberg told WBUR’s Fausto Menard. “It’s just one more step to ensuring that we as a state and we as state government make sure that veterans and their families know how much we appreciate what they've done for us.” - Among the benefits veterans can apply for online are so-called “welcome home” bonuses: $1,000 for a deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan or another “imminent danger” location, with lower awards for subsequent deployments or service elsewhere.
- Goldberg said since 2006, more than $41 million has been disbursed to post-9/11 veterans. Users can sign up for the portal here.
We’re gonna need a bigger ballot: There could be a record number of questions on the November ballot, after Secretary of State Bill Galvin certified 11 questions. That's in addition to the gun control law referendum set to go before voters this year. And as WBUR’s Chris Van Buskirk reports, if all of them advance, it could be tough to fit them on the ballot. State officials must print a summary of each question (and in multiple languages) and that takes up a lot of space. Galvin is asking the Healey administration for an extra $5 million to deal with the logistics. “It's very likely there's going to be multiple cards,” Galvin said. “It's going to be difficult for the voter, but it's also going to be challenging for the logistics of the ballot boxes and things like that.” - Typically, Massachusetts voters only have to decide two to four questions. But states like California, which see dozens of citizen petitions, send out voter guides that can be hundreds of pages long.
- The Legislature now has the ballot questions in hand, and has until May to act on them. Curious what some of the questions might be? Here's a preview.
Bottoms up: There’s a good chance you or someone you know is going alcohol-free this month, part of the growing Dry January trend. Consumer analytics company Circana found that three in 10 people took part last January. McLean Hospital alcohol, drugs and addiction outpatient medical director Dr. Olivera Bogunovic cheers even a temporary break from drinking. “ Just achieving this small goal and being able to stop drinking, it is a very powerful experience because it gives you additional guidance to set up other goals like continuous sobriety and not drinking,” she told WBUR’s Amy Sokolow. - People are drinking less than they ever have (or at least as long as pollsters have been asking them). A Gallup poll out last year found that only 54% of adults say they drink alcohol. That's the lowest rate in 90 years of the poll's history.
P.S.— If you're one of those January teetotalers (or just sober curious) come join me at WBUR CitySpace this Friday for a NA wine and beverage tasting, along with an expert panel discussing what an alcohol-free lifestyle looks like these days. I'll be joined by author and The Luckiest Club founder Laura McKowen, Mountainside Treatment Center's director of cultural integration Jana Wu, and CJ Mutti, owner and founder of NA bottle shop Dry Humor. |
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| | | Ally Jarmanning Senior Reporter | | |
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The man identified by law enforcement as the shooter who killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor had been planning the attack for at least six semesters, according to information released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice. Read more. |
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"There's no easy solution," Berklee pianist Leo Blanco said. "The only thing I'm celebrating is that one important piece of the chess game was removed. They took a king away." Read more. |
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu raised more than $1.1 million in donations for her second inauguration, with top companies that are likely to have business before the city contributing tens of thousands of dollars for the Democrat to celebrate her reelection, state records show. Read more. |
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The swift policy and political repercussions the video helped propel illustrate the symbiotic relationship between online content creators and the Trump administration's policy goals.
Read more. |
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The health secretary's affinity for saturated fat and his dislike of ultra-processed foods could influence new federal food guidelines. Read more. |
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- This year's Boston Celtics team is a hardscrabble group holding their own, Alastair Moock writes in this Cognoscenti essay. Maybe if the Celtics can keep showing up and winning against the odds, we can, too.
- It's not too early to start planning your weekend. From a night at the museum to a performance of opera vignettes that honor global stories, here are five events to check out.
- Legendary journalist Seymour Hersh spent a career uncovering stories governments tried to hide, from the My Lai massacre to torture at Abu Ghraib. A new documentary looks back at his career. Here & Now spoke to Hersh and director Laura Poitras.
- Perhaps your New Year's resolution was to read more — and learn something new? NPR has 12 eye-opening non-fiction books to suggest.
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- 27 Million Fewer Car Trips: Life After a Year of Congestion Pricing (The New York Times)
- How first-year coach Kris Sparre turned the Boston Fleet into the PWHL’s best team so far (Boston Globe)
- He was attacked on Jan. 6. Can he make sense of it for the kids he teaches? (Washington Post)
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The Coonamessett Farm Foundation is trying to create a market for species that prey on bivalves — especially scallops, which have dwindled in numbers. The top of their list is the moon snail, which is a common bycatch in existing fisheries. Read more. |
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Before you go: I'll see you in Purgatory. |
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