By Bob Katzen
“Massachusetts has over 25,000 culverts, most of which are undersized. By replacing these outdated culverts with larger, safer structures, we can better prepare our communities for severe weather. Investing in these projects now will save our cities and towns money on disaster recovery in the future.”
— Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper announcing $2.9 million in grants to support ecological restoration projects across Massachusetts to strengthen resilience against extreme weather events, improve water quality, reduce flood risk and restore crucial wildlife habitat.
“Our audit identified a number of issues that undermine and negatively impact the Cannabis Control Commission’s mission to equitably and effectively oversee the cannabis industry in Massachusetts. Our team appreciates the commission’s cooperation throughout this audit, which serves to identify areas for needed improvements to better serve the residents of the commonwealth. We encourage the Cannabis Control Commission to adopt our office’s recommendations for improvement and will be revisiting the commission’s progress in roughly six months as part of our post-audit review.”
—Auditor Diana DiZoglio upon releasing an audit of the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) — the independent agency responsible for developing and enforcing regulations over the marijuana industry in Massachusetts. Among the audit’s findings is that the CCC’s mismanagement of prorated fees for license extensions resulted in revenue loss, procedural inequity, noncompliance with state regulations and the appearance of potential favoritism and/or impropriety with respect to some being required to pay fees, while others inexplicably did not need to do so.
“Massachusetts is narrowing the digital divide by working with communities to deliver digital training and education services to residents statewide. The Municipal Implementation Program offers a road map to local leaders through a planning exercise and puts dollars on the table to implement the communities’ top priorities to close the digital divide.”
— Massachusetts Interim Economic Development Secretary Ashley Stolba announcing $555,747 in grants as part of the Municipal Digital Equity Implementation Program designed to support a broad range of activities across the state including expanding digital literacy instruction, digital education and access, digital navigation services, laptop and tablet distribution and public Wi-Fi networks.