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Massachusetts voters keep legal marijuana and gun law, add public records, as starter homes question hangs in balance

Nine questions covered records, voting, taxes, marijuana, guns and housing. Here is where each stands in AP results with about 80% of votes counted.

Politics

Voters approved several ballot questions yesterday that will affect how government operates in Massachusetts, covering public records, voter registration and conservation funding.

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All 9 Mass. ballot questions in 4 minutes: What to know

Keeping it all straight is tough. Here's what each question would do.

Bay State voters will face a record-tying <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nine statewide ballot questions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/26/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2026-november-election-beacon-hill-legislature-voters" data-vars-content-id="2e484781-cce3-4033-b808-bc69da9d3007" data-vars-headline="All 9 Mass. ballot questions in 4 minutes: What to know" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/26/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2026-november-election-beacon-hill-legislature-voters" target="_self">nine statewide ballot questions</a> Tuesday, covering elections, taxes, housing, marijuana, guns and government transparency.Why it matters: Keeping it all straight as you head into the voting booth is tough. Here&#x27;s what each question would do.

Celtics owners give record $200M to Boston Children's

The money will fund a pediatric mental health facility, nurse training and childhood disease research. Half comes from Rob and Karen Hale's earlier pledge.

The owners of the Celtics are giving $200 million to Boston Children&#x27;s Hospital, the largest gift in the hospital&#x27;s history.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="money from the Celts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/celtics-owners-donation-boston-childrens-hospital/" data-vars-content-id="037f6404-dfbd-4a53-b6b9-a735c29b62ac" data-vars-headline="Celtics owners give record $200M to Boston Children&#x27;s" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/celtics-owners-donation-boston-childrens-hospital/" target="_blank">money from the Celts</a> will fund a pediatric mental health center, research and nurse training at the region&#x27;s premier children&#x27;s hospital.

Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan

Banyan officially called it quits, while Saus and Cambridge Common will close soon.

Food and Drink

The CEO of Banyan Bar + Refuge officially<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" called it quits" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" data-vars-content-id="a2326de3-47c0-40e9-adea-51c5a35a7d29" data-vars-headline="Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" target="_blank"> called it quits</a> for the Asian gastropub this week, more than a year after a kitchen fire forced it to close. Catch up quick: The wait on insurance dragged on long after the June 2025 kitchen fire, while Rebecca Roth Gullo charted plans to expand her other business, Blackbird Doughnuts. <ul><li>&quot;The time has come for us to focus all of our time and energy on Blackbird&#x27;s growth,&quot; she wrote on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Instagram" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" data-vars-content-id="a2326de3-47c0-40e9-adea-51c5a35a7d29" data-vars-headline="Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. &quot;It&#x27;s an exciting next chapter, but one that comes with a great deal of emotion about what we&#x27;re leaving behind.&quot;</li></ul>

Mass. ballot questions spur $45K in trades 

Elections are a spectator sport, and prediction markets are cashing in.

Massachusetts&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="long list" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/30/massachusetts-ballot-questions-what-to-know" data-vars-content-id="f6e4720c-7ff0-45f3-82ac-29d2c089b0ca" data-vars-headline="Mass. ballot questions spur $45K in trades " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/30/massachusetts-ballot-questions-what-to-know" target="_self">long list</a><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/30/massachusetts-ballot-questions-what-to-know" data-vars-content-id="f6e4720c-7ff0-45f3-82ac-29d2c089b0ca" data-vars-headline="Mass. ballot questions spur $45K in trades " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/30/massachusetts-ballot-questions-what-to-know" target="_self"> </a><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="of ballot questions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/30/massachusetts-ballot-questions-what-to-know" data-vars-content-id="f6e4720c-7ff0-45f3-82ac-29d2c089b0ca" data-vars-headline="Mass. ballot questions spur $45K in trades " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/30/massachusetts-ballot-questions-what-to-know" target="_self">of ballot questions</a> became political fodder for traders on prediction markets like Kalshi.Why it matters: Elections are a spectator sport, and while some users cash in, the biggest winners are the companies behind the platforms.

Failed repeal campaign united cannabis businesses. Here's what's next

Cannabis businesses across Mass. breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday, but the work's not done.

A proposal to kill Massachusetts&#x27; legal cannabis industry flamed out Tuesday, with a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="resounding no vote" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/11/02/massachusetts-question-8-cannabis-legal" data-vars-content-id="707adb5c-adbd-47b0-897a-5002bad78edc" data-vars-headline="Failed repeal campaign united cannabis businesses. Here&#x27;s what&#x27;s next" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/11/02/massachusetts-question-8-cannabis-legal" target="_self">resounding no vote</a>.<ul><li>Now comes the hard part for the industry: Keeping the momentum going to make the legal market more accessible to those harmed by the War on Drugs.</li></ul>

Mass. dispensaries make their final push to keep pot sales legal

Business owners are talking politics at the dispensary counter, hoping to save the legal market.

Dispensaries across Massachusetts have turned into billboards and field offices campaigning against <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Question 8" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/25/massachusetts-cannabis-industry-repeal-opposition" data-vars-content-id="1fdeb3f1-bf8c-4e91-904e-0c94cdc9d840" data-vars-headline="Mass. dispensaries make their final push to keep pot sales legal" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/25/massachusetts-cannabis-industry-repeal-opposition" target="_self">Question 8</a>, in hopes of stopping a repeal of the legal cannabis market.The big picture: Business owners will soon find out if they&#x27;ll continue in an uphill battle to make profits in an increasingly fraught market or, should the measure pass, end up in free fall.

The Boston-area restaurants to visit (or skip) this Halloween

Dozens of restaurants promote Halloween specials and pop-ups. Three stood out.

Business

Steph here. Halloween is as good an opportunity as any to draw new customers, but few Boston-area restaurants go all out.The intrigue: Spooky season demands more than some orange streamers and a skeleton posted up at the host stand.I sifted through countless influencer reels and pitch emails and found three that stood out:

Boston's tourism spots, expecting summer boon, saw mixed results

Mayor Michelle Wu called it the city's "best summer ever." The results were mixed.

America at 250

Boston-area tourism attractions usually perform best in the summer.<ul><li>Not so much this year.</li></ul>

Exclusive: Sloomoo expands into shuttered Hard Rock Cafe site

The Sloomoo Institute will open in downtown Boston in November.

The slime experience company Sloomoo plans to open a new site downtown in the space formerly occupied by the Hard Rock Cafe, the company tells Axios exclusively.The intrigue: The Sloomoo Institute&#x27;s opening next month will feature new games and lots of colorful, slime-filled activities for children.

Mass General Brigham, nurses stalemate drags as strike nears

Some 4,000 union nurses could walk off the job next week if a deal isn't reached.

Health

Mass General Brigham nurses and hospital management ended Thursday&#x27;s talks without any indication that they&#x27;re close to a contract agreement.Why it matters: At this rate, they appear headed toward an indefinite strike starting next week, which would disrupt services at the state&#x27;s largest hospital system.

AI tool plays matchmaker between Mass. businesses and contracts

A Cambridge-based lab developed a tool to connect Black-owned businesses to beds.

The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts is testing an AI-powered tool to connect business owners with promising contracting opportunities.<ul><li>The software didn&#x27;t come from Anthropic or one of the other AI giants, but from a Cambridge-based, Black-owned lab.</li></ul>

Restaurant roundup: Smashed by BRED comes to Faneuil Hall Marketplace

BRED plans to open Smashed next month, and Fort Point has a new restaurant.

🍔 BRED, the Boston-based restaurant group, is opening shop in Faneuil Hall Marketplace next month. <ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Smashed by BRED" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/smashedbybred/" data-vars-content-id="12ce2d38-9211-4fde-a871-96c39a447b2b" data-vars-headline="Restaurant roundup: Smashed by BRED comes to Faneuil Hall Marketplace" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/smashedbybred/" target="_blank">Smashed by BRED</a> will sell burgers, chicken, fries and &quot;dirty sodas.&quot;</li></ul>

Business 🏦

Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan

Mass. ballot questions spur $45K in trades

Failed repeal campaign united cannabis businesses. Here's what's next

Mass. dispensaries make their final push to keep pot sales legal

The Boston-area restaurants to visit (or skip) this Halloween