Fall River Reporter

Let’s review “Democracy” in Massachusetts. 72% of the population voted for the legislative audit. It was ignored for 1.5 years and then killed by the legislators, the target of the audit. 66% of voters polled approved of reducing the state income tax from 5% to 4%. It was killed by a team effort of AG Campbell and the Supreme Court which happens to have one of Gov. Healey’s ex-girlfriends on it, who she appointed. Your legislators get free office space rent in government buildings even though it’s against campaign finance and ethics laws and rules. They also get $22-$29k in office and travel stipends. Non-incumbents must pay for their office space. MA voters approved a constitutional change that forced legislative pay rises to be tied to inflation. Years later they gave themselves a $20k “leadership pay” for each committee they chair. Some chaired multiple committees and got $40k a year raises. Peasants don’t get to decide what royalty does with the treasury. Massachusetts is the only state where your governor and legislators are exempt from public information requests. Ironically, we’ve held three no Kings protests against Trump and Gov. Healey has a 58% approval rating.

Two Venezuelan nationals illegally present in the United States, Roman Vequiz Fernandez and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, pleaded guilty to participating in a multi-state fraud scheme that used over 100 stolen identities to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in SNAP and PUA benefits across several states. Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday bounced an income tax ballot question from consideration this year, citing what it called a "significantly misleading" summary of the measure assembled by Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office. Democrat Senate President Karen Spilka reacted with, "I hope all are aware that the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts tossed the ballot initiative to lower the income tax from 5% to 4%. Personally, as a resident of the Commonwealth, I am ecstatic."

@spaceace73 Fair questions.

@FallRiverReport To be fair, why didn’t the special interest group read the summary prepared by the AG before collecting signatures? Or did they review the summary and went forth knowing it would get tossed off the ballot so it can be used as a political campaign argument?

An entire population in Massachusetts is gaslighting you into thinking lower taxes is a bad thing. The income tax reduction ballot question had a 66% approval rating but the 34% won. Just like the 28% against the audit (72% approval rating) won.

A Fitchburg man and former Quincy official was sentenced in federal court in Boston for a scheme to embezzle funds from the City of Quincy, Mass. Thomas F. Clasby, Jr., 62, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to six months in prison, to be followed by six months of home confinement and one year of supervised release. Clasby was also ordered to pay $136,061.71 in restitution. In March 2026, Clasby pleaded guilty to embezzlement, mail and wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property. Clasby was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025. “Stealing money from taxpayer funded programs dedicated to supporting our seniors is an egregious breach of public trust, and utterly disgraceful,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Boston Division. “As the Director of Quincy Elder Services, Thomas Clasby used his position to embezzle tens of thousands of dollars that should have been spent on the city’s residents to instead fund a framed self-portrait, treat himself to 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips and a snow blower, and buy gifts for his wife, his son, and a Toyota Prius for his secret girlfriend. Public corruption does so much damage to people’s trust in the system, at every level, and cases like this one only fuel the FBI’s commitment to tackling it to ensure crooked public employees like Mr. Clasby are brought to justice and held fully accountable.” Clasby was the Director of the Quincy Department of Elder Services (Elder Services) between approximately 1999 and April 2024. Beginning in 2019, Clasby used the City’s purchasing process to pay personal expenses and generate cash for himself. For example, Clasby arranged for the City to pay $8,950 to a music studio to produce recordings of Clasby singing songs; $2,236 to food service vendors for 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips; $4,800 for a Toyota Prius; and $1,658 for a signature, lacquered, mounted and framed self-portrait, all of which were personal expenses. In addition, Clasby arranged for the City to pay over $38,000 to a New York consulting company owned by Clasby’s friend. The consulting company never provided goods or services to any City department. Instead, Clasby’s friend cashed the City checks and delivered the cash to Clasby at a rest stop in Framingham, Mass., a ferry terminal in Bridgeport, Conn. and at the friend’s New York apartment. Starting in June 2021, Clasby stole the majority of cash receipts generated by Elder Services at the Kennedy Center in Quincy.

The latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll (June 8–12, 2026, of 500 Massachusetts registered voters, margin of error ±4.4%) shows Gov. Maura Healey (D) maintaining commanding leads in hypothetical 2026 general election matchups against potential Republican challengers, despite voters struggling to name specific accomplishments from her first term. Healey received a 58% approval rating in the poll. Healey leads Republican Michael Minogue 56% – 31% (25-point lead) and Brian Shortsleeve 56% to 29% (27-point lead). @MassGovernor @maura_healey @mikeminoguema @ShortsleeveMA

A Dominican national, unlawfully residing in Lowell, Mass., was convicted by a federal jury in Boston on June 12, 2026 of conspiring to distribute narcotics, possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Juan Riquerbin Garcia Rivera, 44, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine; possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Nov. 10, 2026. In June 2024, Garica was indicted by a federal grand jury along with co-conspirator and nephew Christian Raphael Paredes, who previously pleaded guilty. Garcia conspired with Paredes to distribute $5,000 worth of fentanyl to an undercover officer over three separate occasions. During a search of his home, over 19,000 fentanyl pills, two kilos of methamphetamine, cocaine and acetyl fentanyl were recovered. Located next to the drugs was pressing and mixing equipment. Evidence at trial showed that Garcia would have the drugs shipped to him in girls backpacks as a way to hide the drugs from detection. Also recovered during the search were four handguns, two of which were loaded, and hundreds of bullets matching those guns. Three of the guns were found next to the drugs and pressing equipment, and the fourth gun was loaded in a dresser drawer under thousands of dollars in cash. Investigators also seized over $30,000 in cash from Garcia’s bedroom. Evidence at trial showed Garcia threatening to use those guns on a drug dealer over a dispute about drug quality. Garcia, who was previously deported in 2007, was communicating with a Mexican drug supplier to obtain narcotics. On Garcia’s phone were dozens of pictures of drugs, a video of a drug delivery, and pictures of Garcia packaging and pressing the drugs. In May 2026, Paredes pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sep. 8, 2026. The charge of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and cocaine provides for a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and cocaine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, to be served consecutively to the other crimes, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

@OnlyInBOS Econ 101 question: What happens when you have less jobs available and more people?

Boston is converting more office buildings into apartments. New projects at 419 Boylston, 50 Congress, 1 State Street, and 320 Summer Street would add 434 new housing units, including 83 income-restricted apartments, under Mayor Wu’s office-to-residential program.

"A $5 billion annual loss in state revenue would’ve meant significant cuts to services and programs that Massachusetts residents rely on, while doing little to bolster competitiveness and address the affordability challenges facing the Commonwealth. I’m grateful that this irresponsible initiative petition won’t appear on the ballot in November." - Democrat House Speaker Ron Mariano after the Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday bounced an income tax ballot question from consideration this year, citing what it called a "significantly misleading" summary of the measure assembled by Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office.

STORY, PHOTOS: newbedfordguide.com/venezuelan-nat…

Five members of an interstate New England drug-and-gun trafficking network — including a leader, a ghost gun manufacturer, and a Trinitarios gang associate — were federally charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and other drugs while moving dozens of illegal firearms across New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

@LeroyOrtiz19 @washingtonpost Funding source matters more than anything else. You are good with this study if Pfizer funded all of it? $$$ always drives results.

@FallRiverReport @washingtonpost Matters less than how it was done.

The coronavirus vaccine reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events linked to covid-19 by about 40 percent, according to a new study. The findings suggest that such benefits observed in earlier studies have persisted for years. wapo.st/4enaSTL

Details: newbedfordguide.com/massachusetts-…

Massachusetts @SenMarkey and Connecticut @SenBlumenthal demanded that NHTSA immediately and thoroughly investigate Tesla’s Full Self-Driving safety claims, accusing the company of using misleading data and statistics that systematically overstate the technology’s safety compared to human drivers. $TSLA @elonmusk

Details:newbedfordguide.com/five-arrested-…