🤑🙋‍♀️ Gov. Healey’s $63.4 billion plan

🤑 Want some free cheese bread? Bōm Dough is giving out FREE pão de queijo today at its Cambridge, Inman Square, and Lechmere locations courtesy of the Boston Legacy. Go, go, go!

✏️📒 Pssst! Our journal giveaway is still live! Enter to win one of five “Let’s Get Real” journals from Chasing Red Flags, plus a pen and gift bag. You must be a B-Side Member to be eligible. Members: Enter here!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Gov. Maura Healey has $63.4 billion on her mind. That’s how much her new state budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 will cost. 

Here’s what’s inside:

🚇 A(nother) BIG hunk of cash for the MBTA. For the second year in a row, Healey is betting big on Train Daddy Eng. This budget proposes $645 million, plus $470 million more in millionaires tax money, to keep the MBTA afloat amid its looming financial crisis. The cash “fully addresses” the agency’s operating deficits in fiscal year 2027 and “continues the MBTA’s progress toward fiscal stability,” the governor’s office said.

💉 $22.7 billion for MassHealth … and zero for GLP-1s. Inside the budget’s largest line item was a surprise cut to coverage for weight loss drugs under MassHealth. The cut is part of a larger effort to curb costs amid federal cuts and after spending on the program ballooned by over 10% in last year’s budget. 

🍎 Billions for education and childcare, which continue to be some of Healey’s top priorities. Highlights include: $1.2 billion for Child Care Financial Assistance programs, $198 million for universal free school meals, $137 million for free community college, and $36.95 million to keep expanding universal pre-K in the state’s gateway cities.

💰 Zero new taxes or fees. At least, for now. Though her plan doesn’t include any new taxes, it kicks the can on the costly tax provisions from President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that would cost the state nearly $400 million this year. Instead, Healey is opting to phase the changes in slowly.

🚘 Unpaid parking tickets not affecting your license: priceless. Tucked into the budget is a provision that would prevent folks from losing their drivers license over unpaid parking tickets, tolls, and motor vehicle excise taxes.

👀 The name of the game in this budget is affordability. Especially given the cost of living squeezing voters, federal funding uncertainty looming, and an upcoming election. Although state revenue is growing, it makes sense that Healey is focused on keeping spending in check. 

🤔 But we still have a loooong way to go. The House and Senate now have to come up with their own versions, hammer out a compromise, and try to get the final draft on Healey’s desk by the end of June (and quite possibly, fail). 

📝 Want to know more? You can dive into the whole budget here.

🌍📚 Caring about the world is one thing. Having the tools to be able to change it is another. Brandeis University’s master’s programs in public policy, global health policy and management, and global sustainability policy and management help students turn passion into real-world impact. Ranked top 10 for social policy and top 15 for health policy and management in the U.S., Brandeis prepares leaders to shape smarter systems and stronger communities — all just a few minutes outside Boston. Every applicant is automatically considered for merit-based scholarships, so apply by March 1 and start building a career that actually moves the needle.

🚚 Massholes are packing it up. The state’s outmigration numbers are climbing again, per US Census Bureau data, despite last year showing signs of improvement. From July 2024 to 2025, the state lost 33,340 more people than it gained, compared with 19,195 the 12 months prior. It’s hard to pin down a culprit, but everything from the cost of living to federal funding cuts are likely factors. So where are they all going? 2024's top destinations, which included Florida, New Hampshire, New York, and California, could give us a hint.

🚇 Check on your MBTA-commuter friends today. Snowstorms can be a big test for public transit systems, and it’s safe to say the MBTA failed this one. Since this weekend’s storm, commuting has been chaos, from major delays on the Red Line to 20+ cancellations on the commuter rail, leaving the trains stuffed to the brim. Between that and the treacherous sidewalks, commuters were NOT happy, taking out their frustrations on social media: “Left 60 minutes for a 25 minute commute and I’m going to be late!,” one wrote. Relatable.

❄️ Boston is on snowstorm watch … again. Forecasters are keeping their eyes on a “bomb cyclone” snowstorm — not as scary as it sounds, BTW — that has potential to hit the East Coast this weekend. Ultimately, the snowfall will depend on the storm’s track, but scenarios range from a dusting to a full-blown nor’easter. As of Wednesday, the National Weather Service gives Boston a ~35 to 45% chance of moderate snowfall. Keep up with the latest here. 

🤤 The Michelin bump is real for local restaurants. Two months after Boston’s first Michelin Guide dropped, honorees are reporting a bump in business — and morale. Lenox Sophia has seen a 30 to 40% increase since the announcement, Mahaniyom had to tweak its reservation system to make sure regulars aren’t shut out, and Jahunger is seeing more out-of-towners than ever. Equally important? The bump in ~vibes~. As one honoree said, “it has strengthened our resolve to be ourselves.”

Quick question: Is this clip of three dudes shoveling snow on unicycles real? The Somerville Facebook group where it was posted didn’t bat an eye. But one Globe reporter wasn’t so sure — and set out to find the answer.

His colleagues were split, and an AI-detecting tool gave it a 50/50 chance. So, he did what any good journalist would: He visited the guy’s house to see if he could uni-shovel IRL. And in a heartwarming twist, not only was the answer a big fat yes, it’s actually kind of his thing.

The man in question turned out to be Alex the Jester, a performer, comedian, and neighbor known for doing chores on unicycles and pogo sticks, often posting them on Facebook. Even better: Unicycling runs in his family. Those two other guys in the video are his sons! Awwwwww.

— Gia Orsino, Emily Schario, and Claire Nicholas

🤖 Thanks for reading! This may be the only AI story we’ve read that didn’t give us a stress headache.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Brandeis University, for supporting local journalism and giving Boston students the tools they need to build better futures. 

📲 The results are in: 36% of B-Siders say their screen time is between three and five hours a day — not too shabby! One reader said: “That's between my phone and my provider.” Understood, queen.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].