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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'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>

The rising costs that Massachusetts' poverty rate overlooks

On paper, Massachusetts fared better than other states. Rising costs tell a different story.

Money

On paper, the poverty rate looks worse in Ohio, West Virginia and Oklahoma than in Massachusetts.<ul><li>But factor in the cost of living, and all three states fared better in recent years, per <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new U.S. Census Bureau data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/16/us-economy-income-census" data-vars-content-id="3e9c97a4-e989-4dab-9919-7a8a3da5fe5a" data-vars-headline="The rising costs that Massachusetts&#x27; poverty rate overlooks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/16/us-economy-income-census" target="_self">new U.S. Census Bureau data</a>.</li></ul>

Cambridge library wants your art on its new library card

Cardholders who live, work or study in Cambridge can enter by Nov. 15, with winning designs headed for 2027 cards.

Culture

Cambridge&#x27;s public library is letting patrons design a new library card.Why it matters: Winning artwork will be printed on limited-edition cards coming in 2027.

MBTA's Red Line fleet replacement might not be finished until the 2030s

The MBTA's latest capital plan puts completion in fiscal 2032. So far, 68 of 252 new cars have been accepted into revenue service.

Transit

Replacing all of the MBTA&#x27;s Red Line train cars could now take until at least the early 2030s, according to its latest spending plan.Why it matters: Supply chain problems, international economic winds and other tensions with the Chinese manufacturer have delayed the replacement cars that were originally expected to be in place by the end of the 2010s.

Exclusive: Sloomoo expands into shuttered Hard Rock Cafe site

The Sloomoo Institute will open in downtown Boston in November.

Business

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.

Boston Calling's future in doubt as organizers remain silent

Organizers remain completely silent on the 2027 festival.

Boston Calling is officially set to return June 4–6 next year, but there&#x27;s little real evidence the festival is actually going to happen.Why it matters: It&#x27;s still early, but festival organizers have offered no lineup, ticket sales or substantive update since announcing the cancellation of the 2026 event.

Mass. voters will decide whether to keep the 2024 gun law

A yes vote keeps the most recent gun control law in place; a no vote repeals it. Here's what the law does and what's left if it goes.

Question 9 is asking Massachusetts voters whether to keep or repeal the state&#x27;s 2024 firearms law.<ul><li>A yes vote keeps the law in place.</li><li>A no vote repeals it.</li></ul>Why it matters: The law, Chapter 135, added several new layers of gun control in Massachusetts when it was signed two years ago.

Exclusive: How the Greg Hill Foundation topped $34M and changed local giving

A local radio charity has quietly morphed into one of New England's most successful nonprofits.

A local radio charity has quietly morphed into a heavy-hitting nonprofit by leveraging a generous audience and filling in the gaps where traditional crowdfunding falls short.Why it matters: The Greg Hill Foundation, which taps into the popular WEEI broadcaster&#x27;s sports talk audience, provides beneficiaries with immediate, fee-free cash relief.

Axios Latino

A map of the U.S. showing the percentage point difference between the official and supplemental poverty measures, 2023-2025. In 37 states and D.C., the supplemental measure is higher than the official. The largest differences are in California, where the supplemental measure is 7.1 percentage points than the official, and Florida, where it is 5.1 percentage points higher.

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

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

The rising costs that Massachusetts' poverty rate overlooks

Cambridge library wants your art on its new library card