FDA dials in on this Mass. school — again

Also: Charlie Baker's sports betting concerns; Boston's $100 million orchestra [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 29, 2024 🌧️ Cloudy, with rain likely in the morning and a high near 52. Good Morning Boston, The nasturtiums are [hanging]( the duck boats are [rolling]( and [the Red Sox are 1-0](. Oh, and it's Friday! As the rain tempers off and we head into blue skies (and Easter) this weekend, let's get to the news: - Round two: The FDA is going back to battle with a Massachusetts school over a controversial electrical shock device. This week, the federal agency [proposed a new ban]( on "electrical stimulation devices intended to reduce or stop self-injurious or aggressive behavior." Currently, the devices are used at only one school, hospital or facility in the country: Canton's Judge Rotenberg Education Center for students with emotional and intellectual disabilities. - What to know about the devices: An estimated 50 students at the Rotenberg school currently have a treatment plan involving the potential use of shock devices. [As Here & Now reported in 2021]( students at the residential school wear backpacks equipped with the devices around the clock. And workers remotely can trigger the shocks in response to a range of unwanted behaviors. - An outdated approach? Rotenberg school leaders argue the treatment is reserved for students "for whom all other treatment options have been tried and failed." However, according to the FDA, the shock devices raise psychological risks, like depression, PTSD and worsening of underlying symptoms. Outside experts say the field has moved toward a focus on building new behaviors. "If you're punishing somebody, their aggressive motivations or behavior might just be right under the surface and they may not learn new ways to behave," Leo Sarkissian, the executive director of the Arc of Massachusetts, told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. - This isn't the first battle over the issue. The FDA first issued a ban on the shock devices in 2020, following [court cases, petitions and a 2012 viral video](. In response, the Rotenberg took the agency to court — and [won](. School leaders say they are "confident that we will once again prevail." Meanwhile, the FDA — which expects to issue a formal rule later this year — says it has more clinical evidence to back up the ban now. - It's official: The MBTA is expanding half-off fares to all low-income riders, starting sometime this summer. WBUR's Zeninjor Enwemeka has [more details about how the newly approved program will work](. - In related news: The final new Red and Orange line cars are now not expected to arrive until the end of 2027. (That's four years later than the project's [original completion date]( The new timeline is [part of a "reset" contract]( T signed with Chinese carmaker CRRC, which has been hindered by manufacturing problems, tariffs, COVID and inflation. Without the new deal, T officials say it would likely take even longer to finish the project. - Heads up: Speaking of the Red and Orange lines, both will be partially offline this weekend. Shuttle buses will replace Orange Line trains[between Forest Hills and Ruggles]( for signal work. Meanwhile, shuttles will also replace [the same chunk of the Red Line]( as last weekend — as well as all commuter rail service between South Station and Braintree — so crews can continue [demolition work on the Dorchester Avenue Bridge](. - You heard it here first: As she [hinted]( last week's WBUR town hall, Mayor Michelle Wu is filing a home rule petition to [allow Boston to — temporarily — increase property tax rates on businesses]( beyond the state limit. The move is intended to prevent a potentially dramatic spike in resident property tax rates, due to an [expected shortfall in business property tax revenue]( from empty offices. - The change needs the State House's sign-off. And as Zeninjor (who was busy yesterday) reports, [the reaction from local businesses has been mixed](. But the move isn't unprecedented; Boston got state approval for a similar change in 2004. - PSA: Not eager to get a colonoscopy? There are other ways to get screened for colon cancer. That's [the message of a new awareness campaign by Boston health officials]( aimed at combating one of the few known preventable cancers. While colonoscopies are the "gold standard test,” health officials are trying to nudge people with average or unknown risk of colon cancer to consider "stool-based” tests. - Zoom in: The campaign is focusing on predominantly Black communities, after a 2023 report found Black Bostonians had the highest colorectal cancer mortality rate of any group in the city. P.S.— What event was predicted to add nearly $18 million into Boston's economy this week? [Take our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of this week's stories. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Back in Boston, Charlie Baker takes aim at youth 'prop betting' ahead of March Madness]( Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said half of middle school students in the state are engaged in some form of gambling. [Read more.]( [Back in Boston, Charlie Baker takes aim at youth 'prop betting' ahead of March Madness]( Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said half of middle school students in the state are engaged in some form of gambling. [Read more.]( [Tracing the death of a Cohasset man and police use of less-than-lethal force in a violent crisis]( The 2018 attack in Cohasset, Massachusetts, is one of the most violent among the more than 1,000 deaths documented in an Associated Press investigation into common police use-of-force tactics that, unlike guns, are meant to stop people without killing them. [Read more.]( [Tracing the death of a Cohasset man and police use of less-than-lethal force in a violent crisis]( The 2018 attack in Cohasset, Massachusetts, is one of the most violent among the more than 1,000 deaths documented in an Associated Press investigation into common police use-of-force tactics that, unlike guns, are meant to stop people without killing them. [Read more.]( [Mass. officials have limited authority over sale of Steward physician group]( The state Attorney General's Office and the state Department of Health told WBUR they lack the ability to approve or veto any deal, adding to questions about whether funds from a sale would be directed to help the financially troubled Steward's Massachusetts hospitals. [Read more.]( [Mass. officials have limited authority over sale of Steward physician group]( The state Attorney General's Office and the state Department of Health told WBUR they lack the ability to approve or veto any deal, adding to questions about whether funds from a sale would be directed to help the financially troubled Steward's Massachusetts hospitals. [Read more.]( [Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for his FTX crimes]( The sentence marks a stunning fall for the 32-year-old former crypto executive who was once seen as the future of finance. [Read more.]( [Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for his FTX crimes]( The sentence marks a stunning fall for the 32-year-old former crypto executive who was once seen as the future of finance. [Read more.]( [UMass Lowell embarking on nearly $800 million expansion]( UMass President Marty Meehan, a longtime Lowellian, said the massive project will be "the most significant commercial development on the banks of the Merrimack River since the mills." [Read more.]( [UMass Lowell embarking on nearly $800 million expansion]( UMass President Marty Meehan, a longtime Lowellian, said the massive project will be "the most significant commercial development on the banks of the Merrimack River since the mills." [Read more.]( Anything Else? - A hundred million dollars worth of violins will be on stage tonight in a Boston. WBUR's Amelia Mason [reports A Far Cry orchestra is teaming up with a Brookline violin shop]( to equip its 18 musicians with rare instruments, like Stradivariuses, for a special concert. - UConn basketball is sitting pretty amid its recent success (including the [men's team's Sweet Sixteen win last night in Boston](. But according to a sports economist, [the next decade could be much tougher for both the men's and women's programs]( now that boosters are allowed to pay athletes to play for their favorite schools. - French bulldogs have been the most popular dog breed in the U.S. for [two years running](. So, why is New Hampshire considering legislation [that would make the state the first in the country to ban their breeding]( It has to do with those cute, smushed-in faces. - Looking for a theatrical performance that will make you forget all your troubles this weekend? Jacquinn Sinclair writes [ArtsEmerson's revelry-centered "Mrs. Krishnan's Party" is hard to resist](.  What We're Reading 📚 - The cost to attend these New England universities will top $90,000 a year this fall. Expect more to follow. ([The Boston Globe]( - Stephen King’s First Book Is 50 Years Old, and Still Horrifyingly Relevant ([The New York Times]( - Confessions of a Moll: A Boston Gangster’s Long-Time Girlfriend Speaks ([Boston Magazine](  Tell Me Something Good [For March Madness, this Massachusetts mom is cheering on her UConn Husky, Alex Karaban]( As March Madness descended on TD Garden Thursday night, a small army of friends and family were rooting for UConn Huskies forward and Massachusetts native Alex Karaban — including his mom [Read more.]( [For March Madness, this Massachusetts mom is cheering on her UConn Husky, Alex Karaban]( As March Madness descended on TD Garden Thursday night, a small army of friends and family were rooting for UConn Huskies forward and Massachusetts native Alex Karaban — including his mom [Read more.]( Listen: The Common takes us to class on [what local college students (and the rest of us) can learn from Taylor Swift's biggest hits](. 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