☕🤫 This ballot question could spill the tea

☕ Tired: Dunkin’s fall menu. Wired: Dunkin’s spooky menu. The official lineup of Halloween goodies is available, including a purple(?) “potion” macchiato that’s begging for a review, and a revamped spider doughnut. Check it out here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Quick question: Should the state be able to audit Beacon Hill? Seriously, we’re asking, because it’s actually up to YOU (and all the other Mass. voters) to decide. That Q, along with four others, will be on the ballot in November.

Over the next two weeks, we’re taking a deep dive into all five ballot questions to help you make the most informed decisions you can. First up: Question 1. 

❓ What’s Question 1 actually asking? Mass. has a State Auditor (Diana DiZoglio) whose job it is to make sure that state agencies follow existing laws and regulations. This question asks whether the auditor’s purview should expand to explicitly include the state Legislature, a.k.a. the folks you elect on Beacon Hill.

👍  What a “yes” vote means: It would give the auditor the ability to look into the Legislature’s non-core functions, like compliance with employee training rules, cybersecurity norms, and purchasing practices. But core functions, like votes, debates, committee assignments, and policy priorities, would still not be subject to audit. 

👎  What a “no” vote means: Nothing would change. Right now, the auditor is allowed to review legislative and judicial activities with permission, but perhaps unsurprisingly, that permission can be tough to come by.

🔍  The research says … There are legit concerns about the “yes” vote eroding the constitutional separation of powers, according to an impartial study by Tufts’ Center for State Policy and Analysis. That said, even under a “yes” vote, the Legislature will have a lot of leverage to fend off investigations. They could refuse to comply, take the issue to the courts (where its fate would be TBD), or even overturn the decision themselves with a new law. But at the very least, it would get the conversion started. 

💬  What other folks are saying … The most vocal opponents of a “yes” vote seem to be the legislators themselves. The Globe’s editorial board calls a “yes” vote “simply the right thing to do,” and it’s looking like most voters agree. Why? The Mass. Legislature notoriously lacks transparency, with lawmakers consistently operating behind closed doors and dodging processes that could shine more light on their work to the public. These practices allow it to “escape public scrutiny and even [damage] its own credibility,” the Globe editorial board wrote. 

🎙️ Need more info? Check out Boston.com’s guide to Question 1 here.

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🧑🏾‍🎓 How do you boost college diversity post-affirmative action? Gov. Maura Healey has a few ideas. Or more specifically, a committee of higher ed officials she appointed do. Following alarming new data showing dips in diversity without affirmative action, the committee just dropped a 34-page report outlining a few ways to help. The recs include more prep and access to SAT and ACTs, AP classes and early college offerings, and even investigating an automatic admission program. 

🔌 A(nother) major utility bill discount is here. As Mass. utility bills creep up, Gov. Healey’s office announced a set of massive discounts on electric and natural gas bills for families enrolled in public assistance programs (think: SNAP or MassHealth). The discounts would be up to 25% on natural gas and 42% on electric, which could pan out IRL in savings up to $460 and $1,058 a year, respectively. If that applies to you, there’s no need to do anything else, just sit back and watch the savings roll in.

🚃 We’ve got the recent T derailment tea. ICYMI: Earlier this month, a GLX train derailed near Lechmere station, sending seven passengers to the hospital and prompting a federal investigation. Now, we have its preliminary report: Apparently, the train was traveling over three times the 10 mph speed limit (36mph!) and blew through a stop signal before reaching a switch in the tracks that was still moving, causing the train’s cars to go in two different directions and derail. Final details are TBD, but the train’s operator is suspended from service. 

⚽ The BOS Nation FC rollout flopped hard. On Tuesday, Boston’s new women’s soccer team rolled out its brand identity with a new campaign titled “Too Many Balls.” Yes, for real, watch this video if you dare. But what was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek feminist statement fell seriously flat. Fans (who already didn’t love the name) simply weren’t into the bit, which many read as immature, inappropriate, and transphobic. All of this sparked enough outcry to warrant an official apology from team execs by Wednesday, saying that they “missed the mark.” Yikes!

There aren’t many designated spaces to celebrate — or grieve — a pup. But here in New England, there’s at least one, and it’s pretty extraordinary. 

Dog Mountain in Vermont is a 150-acre “valentine” to dogs by author Stephen Huneck. Its hand-made centerpiece is the Dog Chapel, a pup-themed building filled to the brim with dog photos and messages of love. Folks travel from far and wide to visit the mountain, whether to aid in grieving or just as a trip for their furbabies.

Globe photographer Stan Grossfeld attended this year’s “fall party” on the mountain to capture a little bit of its magic. Check it out here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🐶 Thanks for reading! I might have shed a tear. Or two. 

❄️ The results are in: 72% of B-Siders think that Snowport is overrated. One reader said: “Overrated? yes. am i going to go every year? also yes.”

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