What happens to a tax dream deferred

Also: A look back at the last Biden-Trump debate; 5 things to do this weekend [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 27, 2024 🌦️ Showers this morning, with a high around 85. Good Morning Boston, The skies should clear up in time for the 10th annual Donna Summer Disco Party at Boston City Hall Plaza. WBUR arts fellow Maddie Browning has [a full guide]( to the free dance party. But first, lets skate through some news: - The third time was not the charm: Boston's push for a tax on high-end property sales once again looks poised to die on Beacon Hill. The Senate is teeing up its version of Gov. Maura Healey's housing bond bill for a vote today. And like [the House's version]( the Senate bill also leaves out [the proposal]( to let cities and towns enact taxes of up to 2% on upper-echelon real estate transactions to fund local, affordable housing developments. The transfer fee option was backed by Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and [more than two dozen]( other communities. But business groups [lobbied hard against it]( and now it looks destined for the same fate it met [in 2022]( and 2020, when it was [first sent to Beacon Hill]( by then-Mayor Marty Walsh. - Why? State Sen. Lydia Edwards — who [spearheaded the original transfer fee proposal]( as a Boston city councilor in 2019 — points to another local tax option: [the Community Preservation Act](. Passed in 2000, the program allowed communities to vote to raise local property taxes (and get state matching funds) to pay for affordable housing, historic preservation and open space. But [some (including real estate forces opposed to the transfer tax) argue]( the CPA has been underutilized when it comes to building more housing. "It has not been working as well as it should have," Edwards said, noting the Senate's bill includes $50 million in incentives for communities that spend CPA funds on housing. "Before we add an additional tax, we think it's incumbent upon us to look at what we have already provided in tools," Edwards said. - Now what? Wu says she'll keep pushing for the transfer fee in Boston, noting federal COVID money that helped build more housing will soon "dry up." The Senate bill also proposes several commissions ([a Beacon Hill favorite]( to study policies like the transfer fee. "This isn't the end of any conversation when it comes to housing," Edwards said. "But again, we have several commissions set up to have those conversations." - What did make it into the Senate housing bill? [Here's a full breakdown]( from new rules for broker's fees (!) to ADUs to eviction sealing. - PSA: Need to see a doctor? Massachusetts health care officials are urging residents to consider urgent care centers for less-serious issues, rather than an emergency room. That's because local ERs continue to struggle with [increasingly long waits and crowding]( that's only expected to increase during the normally busy summer. - As an incentive, local health insurers, like Blue Cross Blue Shield, [have agreed]( to reimburse members for most out-of-network urgent care center visits in eastern Massachusetts. - On campus: Harvard's task forces on antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias is recommending the Ivy League school implement anti-bias training and clarify its bullying policies, per their first reports released yesterday. They found both Jewish and Muslim students — as well as those with pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian views — felt discriminated against on the Cambridge campus, following a year of [contentious protests and counterprotests]( over the war in Gaza. - Go deeper: You can [read the full report from the antisemitism task force here]( and from [the anti-Muslim bias task force here](. - Welcome to the team: With the final first-round pick of last night's NBA draft, the Celtics selected Creighton sharpshooter Baylor Scheierman. [Boston.com]( has [five things to know about the 23-year-old](. - Around New England: Rhode Island is the latest state to ban "captive hunting." Gov. Dan McKee [signed a law yesterday]( banning the use of manmade or natural barriers intended to prevent animals from fleeing a confined area, such as private shooting preserves or game ranches. - Zoom out: More than half of U.S. states already have a full or partial ban on captive hunting, [according to the Associated Press](. P.S.— Our Cognoscenti team asked what their readers and writers are hoping to hear during [tonight's big debate]( between President Biden and Donald Trump. [Check out all the responses here](. And if you're in the car or by a radio during the debate, WBUR will carry live special coverage. [Tune in]( at 90.9 or on the WBUR App. For analysis and takeaways, hit up [wbur.org](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters  The Rundown [Mass. lawmakers eye revival of panel to help struggling journalism industry]( Lawmakers heard about upheaval in the journalism industry from reporters, editors and publishers Wednesday. Some legislators signaled plans to convene a reshaped state commission this fall that would produce a suite of recommendations by the end of the year. [Read more.]( [Mass. lawmakers eye revival of panel to help struggling journalism industry]( Lawmakers heard about upheaval in the journalism industry from reporters, editors and publishers Wednesday. Some legislators signaled plans to convene a reshaped state commission this fall that would produce a suite of recommendations by the end of the year. [Read more.]( [COVID tests and crosstalk: What happened the last time Trump and Biden debated]( Biden and Trump last shared the stage at two presidential debates in September and October 2020 (a third was canceled due to COVID). Here's how it all it went — and what's different this time around. [Read more.]( [COVID tests and crosstalk: What happened the last time Trump and Biden debated]( Biden and Trump last shared the stage at two presidential debates in September and October 2020 (a third was canceled due to COVID). Here's how it all it went — and what's different this time around. [Read more.]( [Nazi, skinhead graffiti found in derelict Fernald school in Waltham]( Vandals tagged the closed Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center with swastikas, references to a neo-Nazi skinhead group and racist threats to kill people who are Black, Jewish, Muslim, Hispanic or identify as LGBTQ. [Read more.]( [Nazi, skinhead graffiti found in derelict Fernald school in Waltham]( Vandals tagged the closed Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center with swastikas, references to a neo-Nazi skinhead group and racist threats to kill people who are Black, Jewish, Muslim, Hispanic or identify as LGBTQ. [Read more.]( [Is she a murderer or was she framed? Things to know about the trial of Karen Read]( A jury is currently deliberating in a case that created a carnival atmosphere outside the courtroom, where a “sidewalk jury” of true crime bloggers and pink-shirted Read supporters have gathered each day since the trial began nearly two months ago. [Read more.]( [Is she a murderer or was she framed? Things to know about the trial of Karen Read]( A jury is currently deliberating in a case that created a carnival atmosphere outside the courtroom, where a “sidewalk jury” of true crime bloggers and pink-shirted Read supporters have gathered each day since the trial began nearly two months ago. [Read more.]( [Former Suffolk County prosecutor convicted of rape]( Gary Zerola was once named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors. He was found guilty of rape but was acquitted of the greater charge of aggravated rape and burglary. [Read more.]( [Former Suffolk County prosecutor convicted of rape]( Gary Zerola was once named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors. He was found guilty of rape but was acquitted of the greater charge of aggravated rape and burglary. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - [Here are five things to do around Boston this weekend]( from BAMS Fest to the Peabody Essex Museum's big Pride Month sendoff bash. - Speaking of BAMS Fest, the two-day Franklin Park festival boasts its most impressive lineup yet. [Learn more here about our top picks]( for can’t-miss acts this year.  - The American Repertory Theater has broken ground on its multimillion-dollar performance space in Allston. WBUR's Amelia Mason has [a preview of what it will look like](.  - Another gleaming, six-foot-tall monolith popped up near Las Vegas earlier this month. [Delve into the mystery of these structures]( which have seemingly appeared at random in locations across the world over the last four years.  - Coincidentally, two movies by female playwrights making their directorial debuts are set to open in the Boston area this weekend (and one even has a Massachusetts tie). [As film critic Sean Burns writes in this review]( both mark the arrival of serious cinematic talent. What We're Reading 📚 - Dozens of partisan-backed ‘pink slime’ websites are masquerading as New England news outlets ([The Boston Globe]( - Whales are dying, but not from offshore wind ([Scientific American]( - L.A. Taco was forced to furlough its staff. Reader support brought them back within 24 hours. ([Poynter](  Tell Me Something Good [Mission to 'get eyes on the T' accomplished: Handful of trains now sport googly eyes]( Back in April, a tiny group of local residents marched on Boston Common to demand just one thing: that the T put some googly eyes on the trains. This week, they got their wish. [Read more.]( [Mission to 'get eyes on the T' accomplished: Handful of trains now sport googly eyes]( Back in April, a tiny group of local residents marched on Boston Common to demand just one thing: that the T put some googly eyes on the trains. This week, they got their wish. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common hears why [scientists are racing to find a cure to a disease that's spreading in beech trees.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Tell me you're a Peloton rider in Boston]( without telling me you're a Peloton rider in Boston. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](    Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.