Six-State Roundup 7: May 2, 2026

Welcome to your Six-State Roundup. Every week, we’ll be gathering the most interesting happenings from across Yankeedom and bringing it right to your inbox — including politics, the arts, culture, and other ephemera worth noticing. The first few weeks will be free, after which our roundups will be available to our paid subscribers.

Connecticut:

• Money matters — A tentative budget deal has finally been reached between Governor Ned Lamont (D) and state house Democrats.

  • Connecticut has seen an unusually acrimonious budgeting process, as state officials weigh compensating for an increasing cost of living against the necessity of hedging against the possible loss of federal benefits.

  • The deal calls for the governor to tap into a large reserve established as a state “savings account” to help the state meet its financial commitments.

• Switch on me — The state is attempting to ban so-called “Glock switches,” although with some unexpected consequences.

  • Glock switches, the preferred weapon of rappers everywhere, are Glock pistols that have been fitted with an aftermarket device converting them from semi-automatic weapons to automatic weapons.

  • The bill would ban all Glocks that can be converted, resulting in a surge of panic buying across the state.

• Solar flareup — Connecticut’s solar energy programs are in jeopardy as they come up for renewal during a presidential administration slashing funds for green energy.

  • Some state house Democrats are calling for these programs to be cut, citing cost-of-living concerns like higher energy bills.

Maine:

• Federalism — Leonard Leo, a longtime leader of the conservative Federalist Society, is pushing to overturn Maine’s limit on contributions to super PACs.

  • Leo, a Maine resident, has built a dark money network funding a lawsuit challenging the limit, which was approved by 75% of voters in 2024.

• Power-up — Energy bill payments in Maine are increasing faster than in other states.

  • The average American ratepayer paid about 6.4% more in 2025, but Maine ratepayers paid 10.6% more, according to a report released by Congressional Democrats.

  • Rising prices are propelled by gas scarcity created in large part by the US-Israeli war on Iran and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

• Turn it off — The Portland City Council is blocking the construction of a new downtown venue owned by Live Nation.

  • Live Nation was recently found to have engaged in monopolistic practices, and independent musicians and venues are hailing the city council’s decision.

• Mills’ malaise — Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) dropped out of the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, leaving Bernie Sanders-endorsed Graham Platner as the presumptive nominee to go up against Senator Susan Collins (R) in November.

Massachusetts:

• Shut it down — State lawmakers are trying to restrict the ability of voters to propose ballot initiatives.

  • State house leadership is considering attempting to ban the practice of paid signature collectors, which they allege tip the process in favor of ballot initiatives with money behind them. Ballot-initiative proponents, though, state that meeting the required signature threshold would be nearly impossible otherwise.

  • A series of ballot initiatives forcing more transparency and oversight into the state house has rattled state lawmakers, and they have been resisting an audit called for by a ballot initiative.

  • A record eleven ballot initiatives could end up before voters this fall, addressing everything from zoning to rent control to income taxes.

• Water line — Boston’s long-delayed climate change-induced flood program will likely be further delayed due to instability in the federal government.

  • The city has been planning to offer discounts on flood insurance to flood-prone Bostonians, a goal that has been celebrated by everyone from the city council to Former Mayor Marty Walsh (D).

  • According to Boston’s chief climate officer, FEMA has been extremely slow to process documentation, and it could take until 2030 to fully implement the program.

• Clean it up — Lynn is trying to clean up its infamously-polluted coastline in a $120 million project that would separate wastewater and stormwater.

  • The city is hanging its hopes for revitalized economic development on the waterfront, which would require cleaner water.

New Hampshire:

• Winding roads — Legislators are trying to ban municipal restrictions that prevent construction of homes and buildings far down dead-end streets.

  • Proponents argue that these restrictions exist to ensure residents can receive town services and prevent them from becoming trapped during disasters.

  • This represents yet another example of the NH Republican Party using its legislative trifecta to overrule the desires of municipal governments, despite its professed belief in devolved government.

• Switch it up — Dale Girard, who is both the mayor and state representative of Claremont, is switching parties from Democratic to Republican.

  • He is the second New Hampshire representative to switch sides this session, after Rep. David Nagel switched from Republican to Democratic.

• Nuketown— The House defeated a Senate proposal to allow utilities to build and operate “advanced” nuclear reactors.

  • The technology is as-of-yet unapproved in the U.S., but lawmakers in New Hampshire have been debating allowing utilities to build more advanced power generation technologies to lower energy costs.

  • New Hampshire is one of two states in New England with a nuclear power plant.

Rhode Island:

• Outbreak — Rhode Island may be on the verge of a measles outbreak.

  • Two unconnected cases were discovered in the past two weeks.

  • While the chances of a full-brown outbreak are low, measles is spreading throughout the U.S.

  • The U.S. has seen a marked uptick in measles cases over the last 25 years, typically attributed to decreased vaccination rates among young children, with an average decline of 2.7% since the pandemic.

• Full bench — Governor Dan McKee (D) made his picks for two vacancies on the state’s Superior Court.

  • Joanna M. Achille and Andrea Iannazzi will be subject to confirmation by the Senate.

• Mass shooting — The FBI made its report on the Brown University mass shooter public.

  • Investigators found the former academic was driven by a sense of resentment and envy, and sought to strike back against academia.

Vermont:

• Masked up — Vermont legislators have given up on an attempt to pass a bill unmasking ICE agents in the state.

  • A federal court in California ruled that state’s similar law to be unconstitutional.

• Play ball — A conservative Christian school won a victory over the Vermont Principals’ Association on trans rights.

  • The school was banned from state sports after it forfeited a girls’ basketball game instead of playing against a transgender athlete.

  • The Vermont Principals’ Association settled out of court, and the school is maintaining its legal challenges against Vermont laws that restrict public funds for private religious schools.

• Helm — A Canadian company, Galvion, operates a plant in Newport that supplies helmets to ICE and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

  • Galvion helmets have been used in ICE operations in Vermont that have sparked protests across the state.

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